“Do not believe that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets; rather, I have come to fulfill them.” Matthew 5:17
A new era began with the arrival of Jesus on Earth. God had already shown Himself to the Israelites in the decades before His birth, first via His laws and regulations and later through prophetic revelations. The Old Testament has many of these. These laws and prophesies largely pointed to Jesus as the Messiah.
One may wonder if the old texts can now be disregarded, given that He has truly arrived on earth. No, Jesus responds, they are fulfilled in Him rather than eliminated. He totally complies with God’s laws as intended. He is the promised Messiah predicted in the scriptures. Soon after, he fulfills all the sacrificial rites by becoming the only adequate Sacrifice and dying on the cross. Rather than diminishing in significance, the Old Testament finds its ultimate realization in the person of the Lord Jesus. Consequently, a totally new perspective has been cast on the previous legislation.
God’s laws are not fully obeyed by humans, and as a result, their purpose is not fulfilled. However, Jesus fulfilled this, according to Romans 10:4, making everyone who believes in Him faultless and righteous in God’s eyes. And because of His Spirit, we are also becoming more and more capable of living as reborn and free individuals in accordance with God’s desire.
