The Law and the Prophets

The Law and the Prophets will, due to our imperfections, condemn us all. Therefore, Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, with a possibility to be released from damnation, if we are truly penitent.

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-20)

Satan will say that Jesus ended the law. He will whisper in people's ear that there is no need to obey the law, for the law is dead and cannot save anyone. He will even be bold enough to quote the words of the Apostles to "prove" it. But in order to understand the Law and the Bible that way, one must truly stoop ones ears to the words of the Savior, and cherry-pick words to prove one line of thought that stands in contradiction to the entire Bible.

"Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven". I wonder who would dare to stand before the living Jesus on the Day of Judgment and tell him that he chose not to obey the commandments since; after all, "You came to fulfill the law and the prophets". "The Apostles said that it is by faith we are saved, so I saw no point in being righteous".

"…except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven". I wonder which of the words in that sentence that is so hard to understand. There is no salvation for the unrighteous. Period. Now, this is where Jesus comes to fulfill the Law and the Prophets! Since we all fail miserably at living up to the requirements of the law, and the words of the prophets, we fall out of the fold of the righteous.

When we occasionally fail to obey the commandments, the atonement of Jesus can bring us back into the fold of the righteous… on one condition; that we offer a sacrifice unto God, a sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

A habitual sinner can hardly offer such a sacrifice time and time again for the same offense with any kind of believability. That sacrifice can only be offered up by the truly penitent, who has entered into a covenant with God to serve him all the remainder of his days. This covenant is entered into at baptism for the remission of sins.

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