Jesus Came To
Fulfill the Law
 God's moral and ceremonial laws were given to help people love God with all
their hearts and minds. However, these laws had been often misquoted and misapplied.
By Jesus' time, religious leaders had turned the laws into a confusing mass of
rules. When Jesus talked about a new way to understand God's law, he was
actually trying to bring people back to its original purpose. Jesus did not
speak against the law itself, but against the abuses and excesses to which it
had been subjected. "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the
Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill." (Matthew 5:17)
How could the righteous demands of the law ever be met in our lives? The answer
to this vital question is contained in the truth that Jesus came to "to
fulfill" the law. Consider how comprehensive was Jesus' fulfillment of the
law. He fulfilled the law in His life, by becoming our example. As Jesus lived,
He showed us what life would look like if one could always, in every way, live
up to the heavenly standards of God. Jesus' testimony was "I always do
those things that please Him" (John 8:29). Further, He fulfilled the law
in His death, becoming our substitution sacrifice. The law included a penalty
for violation, and that penalty was death. "The soul who sins shall
die" (Ezekiel 18:4). "For the wages of sin is death" (Romans
6:23). Jesus lovingly died in our place to pay that penalty which we owed.
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
Jesus wants to fulfill the law now in our daily experience, by being our life.
"Christ who is our life" (Colossians 3:4). The Lord Jesus wants to
live in and through our lives as we daily put our faith in Him. "It is no
longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the
flesh I live by faith in the Son of God" (Galatians 2:20). Yes, Jesus
fulfills the law comprehensively! If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John
1:9). Confession frees us to enjoy
fellowship with Christ. It eases our
consciences and lightens our cares.
But some Christians do not understand how confession works. They feel so guilty that
they confess the same sins over and over; then they wonder if they might have
forgotten something. Other Christians believe that God forgives them when they
confess, but if they died with sins they did not confess in time, they would be
forever lost. These Christians do not understand that God allowed Christ to die
just so he could offer us pardon. Christ's death points to two wonderful truths
- perfect redemption and total forgiveness. God is so rich in kindness and
grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our
sins (Ephesians 1:7).
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