The Law Fulfilled: A Study of Matthew 5:17-20

Matthew 5:17–20, which begins, “I have not come to abolish the law and the prophets but to fulfill them,” is the most common proof text used by our “Torah-keeping” (aka Hebrew Roots) friends to bolster their belief that Christians are required to keep the old covenant law. There’s no doubt this passage speaks profoundly about the law and its enduring importance. But one thing it doesn’t say is that followers of Jesus are under that law. Not only because if it taught that, it would contradict many other parts of the NT, but also because that’s not what Jesus is teaching here. We unpack this passage verse by verse and reveal why that's the case. And we go pretty deep, so grab your Bible and some paper for taking notes as you watch!

Affiliate Note: I first studied biblical Hebrew remotely through the Israel Institute of Biblical Studies. If you're interested in learning Biblical Hebrew (or even Aramaic or Greek), check out their courses using the affiliate link below. It’s a great way to deepen your understanding of God’s Word!

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CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
01:02 Context: Matthew's Gospel
13:17 Matthew 5:17-20
17:38 Matthew 5:17
28:20 Matthew 5:18
46:59 Matthew 5:19
54:30 Matthew 5:20
57:39 Wrap it up, Solberg

#apologetics
#torahobservant
#christiantheology
#hebrewroots
#torahism

[mamajan]

I agreed to a contract with great benefits but soon saw that I could not fulfill it. A friend saw my desperation and he totally paid it off and fulfilled that contract for me. What an insult to him if I disparaged his payment and kept feebly trying to keep up. I had a debt I could not pay. Jesus paid a debt He did not owe! Thank You Jesus. Your Grace has set me free. I serve you now.

[LiyahLeeGrace]

Awesome teaching! I've been trying to understand Matt 5:17-20 for some years. Through this breakdown, I finally get it! Thank God for this gentleman and this channel.

[rickcampanella]

There are more commandments in the new testament but we don't do them to be saved, we do them because we are saved.

[bradleysparks]

RL Solberg thank you for your service in teaching the scriptures. I hope you know that these have been helping me and my family detox from years of HRM teaching. It’s good to be back to focusing on Jesus Christ!

[ascensionvehicle]

What a fantastic teaching, Professor! We are so blessed by your ministry, and will keep you in our prayers.

[paultkalec]

I love your teaching brother. Stay humble as your audience grows. Stay strong in the face of adversity, through the power of The Holy Spirit. 🙏🏼

[marihadta]

Those who insist that it is only by keeping the law I dont think realize that what they are saying is: they wish to be judged by their keeping of the law. Whereby No One was or is able to fully keep the Law in perfectness. You break one law, you have broken them all. Thank you, Father, thank you, Yeshua, thank you, Holy Spirit.

[perrydunlap]

Thank you Professor Solberg for your solid exegesis and work disentangling the lies and misinterpretations from the Torah Observant movement. There are few taking it on and I appreciate your work in it.

[_Sherri_E]

This is the best explanation of this passage I have ever heard. Thank you for what you do. 🙏

[josephlarrew]

Wow, that Romans 3 exposition at 56:15 is really good. Righteousness of God MANIFESTED apart from the law.

[CC-mpid]

I'm actually surprised that people are ignoring Luke 24:25-48 but put emphasis on Matthew 5:17. Luke 24 explains clearly what Jesus meant at Matthew 5:17. God says at Hosea 4:6 that "my people will be destroyed for lack of knowledge." Jesus did not come to abolish the law or give new laws, he came for a specific purpose mentioned in Isaiah 11, Matthew 1:20-21, Luke 1:67-75 as sent by God the Father. Jesus did not give new commandments but he only summarised the ten commandments into the two (Matt 22:36-40, Mark 12:29-31) and he said if you love me follow my commandments (John 14:15-24). God the Father is the author of the law and not Paul (Deut 5:1-22, 10:1-5) and he does not change (Mal 3:6-7, Num 23:19-20) and he is clear on what he requires from his people (Deut 10:12-22, Eccl 12:13-14) Just like in the days of the wilderness it is the same with us in these last days God wants to humble us and wants to know what is in our hearts, whether we know his commandments and whether we will keep them to do or not versus what's in Paul's letters (Deut 8:1-6, John 17:3-23, Deut 5:22)

[jordanfreeman]

You make great videos brotha! This past week we basically read the book of Hebrews together! I loved how you jumped around the whole bible and pulled out commentary’s. Very helpful thank you!

[Hikecdt]

Thank you for your hard work and study on this passage and your sharing with us. My faith in Christ is lifted and blessed. Amen.

[marcelom.s.]

Great teaching! Keep up the humility and care in communicating. I am sure that those who agree and disagree all appreciate it. Keep up the good work.

[jty]

Thank you Dr. Solberg, may our Lord and Savior bless you abundantly!

[marihadta]

Perfect! Masterfully handled. Thank you. In your ending it became so clear to me what "imputed righteousness" is, and "how" it is the only way that God can declare us worthy. He, God, as we (shall) stand before Him, will see us "as if" The Son stands in our place. This does not imply (to me, at least) that I will not have to render account for my actions, words, and motives, on the contrary, here is where the worthless will be burned as hay and stubble.What remains, thereafter, is what I receive reward for. My entrance is assured, soley on my faith in Christ.

Not as eloquent of a response as yours, but my spirit understands.

[nancykindt]

Another great teaching. Thank you so much for helping me out of the errors of Torahism! I might suggest that Heaven and Earth are idioms for the temple and Jerusalem, both of which were destroyed in 70 AD.

[michaelstanley]

The gospel of John explains much of what Jesus said. Jesus came to 'fulfill' the law (of sacrifices) by becoming 'the Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world', by destroying death and being fallen mankind's 'salvation' (Lu.2:30).
Jesus confronted the Pharisees, etc and told them, '...none of you keepeth the law' (Jn.7:19). And yet, some knew that this Man 'indeed is the very Christ' (Jn.7:26). And, Paul wrote that, 'all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ' even 'reconciling the world unto himself' (2Cor.5:18-19)...Jews and Gentiles, as he also preaches to unbelievers at Athens (Acts 17:24-31).
God grants repentance to all men 'every where' and also 'hath offered faith to all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead' (lit. in the Gr. Acts 17:31, see Tyndale's NT). God offers mercy and salvation to 'all men', even 'the whole world' (1Jn.2:2). Romans 3:25 is revealing the heart of the Gospel, which was designed by God for 'the meek' (Is.61:1), and Isaiah 53 is the prophecy that Jesus fulfilled (as well as Gen.3:15). There is more, yet you definitely said it well, in this video (the third one I've seen so far!). Spot on, dear brother!

[broseph]

With all due respect for you, Professor RL Solberg, I sincerely appreciate and respect what you teach about the Bible, but I do partially disagree with your interpretation of Matthew 5:17–20. I don’t agree with it, in part, because you seem to believe that the verse “until all is accomplished” must only be allegorical to what was accomplished on the Cross. However, I also believe this particular passage has a deeper meaning to it as well; in one sense I believe “until all is accomplished” does mean the true conclusion of the sacrificial laws of the Temple system or “The law of sin and death” Paul speaks about in Romans 8:2 through Our Lord Christ’s ultimate sacrifice on the Cross. Furthermore, because we know that the current Heaven or Earth haven’t, in a literal sense, passed away and that sin still exists in this world, I therefore believe we as Christians still need to be obedient (obedience is complimentary of faith) to the Lord’s Moral Law (The Ten Commandments: this idea is, in essence, affirmed by Jesus in Matthew 22:36–40). I don’t actually know for sure if you believe that The Ten Commandments were only mean’t for the nation of Israel and therefore aren’t binding on Christians, but I believe that they are also mean’t for all people who want to truly join themselves to the Household of God (1 Timothy 3:15) by abiding in His Word. I very much look forward to a constructive conversation with you about this sir, and I hope that everyone here receives the peace of Our Lord…Amen! ✝️🙏🕊️

[SpotterVideo]

Paul also uses the word "till" in Galatians 3:16-29. Paul said the law was "added" 430 years "after" the promise made to Abraham "till" the seed (Christ) could come to whom the promise was made. In Galatians 4:24-31 Paul spoke of the "two covenants" and instructed the Galatian believers to "cast out" the Sinai Covenant of "bondage".

New Covenant Whole Gospel: How many modern Christians cannot honestly answer the questions below?

Who is the King of Israel in John 1:49? Is the King of Israel now the Head of the Church, and are we His Body? Who is the “son” that is the “heir” to the land in Matthew 21:37-43? Why did God allow the Romans to destroy the Old Covenant temple and the Old Covenant city, about 40 years after His Son fulfilled the New Covenant promised in Jeremiah 31:31-34 in blood at Calvary?

What the modern Church needs is a New Covenant Revival (Heb. 9:10) in which members of various denominations are willing to re-examine everything they believe and see if it agrees with the Bible, instead of the traditions of men. We need to be like the Bereans. It will be a battle between our flesh and the Holy Spirit. It will not be easy. If you get mad and upset when someone challenges your man-made Bible doctrines, that is your flesh resisting the truth found in God's Word. Nobody can completely understand the Bible unless they understand the relationship between the Old Covenant given to Moses at Mount Sinai and the New Covenant fulfilled in blood at Calvary.

God is not now a “racist”. He has extended His love to all races of people through the New Covenant fulfilled by His Son’s blood at Calvary. The Apostle Paul warned against using “genealogies” in our faith in 1 Tim. 1:4, and Titus 3:9.

If the New Covenant is "everlasting" in Hebrews 13:20 and the Old Covenant is "obsolete" in Hebrews 8:13, why would any Christian believe God is going back to the Old Covenant system during a future time period?