Bible Studies

ABOLISH OR FULFILL THE LAW

by Jeff Van Hatten
11/10/24
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Matthew 5:17-18 – “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from Torah until everything is accomplished.”
Matthew 24:35 – “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”
Hebrews 8:10 – “I will put My Torah into their minds, And I will write it on their hearts.”

Old Vs. New
Hebrews 8:10 – “For this is the covenant [briyth H1285 בְּרִית] that I will make with the house of Israel After those days, says the Lord: I will put My Torah [H8451 תּוֹרָה] into their minds, And I will write it on their hearts.”
Hebrews 8:13 – “When He said, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.”
The scriptures used to claim that the “new” covenant replaces the “old” covenant are found in Hebrews 8:6-13, which is a quote from Jeremiah 31:31-34! and ONLY refers to a very specific case: That Yahweh will never abandon the Jews – He will plant them back in the Land, forgive their wickednesses, and remember their sins no more (See Jeremiah 24:7; 30:22; and 31:1).

Many have quoted especially verse 8:13 to teach that the Torah (Law), and the Older Covenant, have been superseded or replaced by the Newer Covenant – that the Torah has been abolished, negated, done away with, canceled, or replaced, and that there is nothing left for anyone to accomplish as one is no longer “under the Torah”. In doing so, they have grossly misinterpreted the meaning and they ignore Matthew 24:35, Matthew 24:35 and Hebrews 8:10.

The OLD covenant wrote the covenant on stone tablets. The NEW covenant writes that very same covenant on the mind and on the heart! (see especially Hebrews 8:10). The covenant is not negated, done away with, canceled, or replaced, it is ONLY written in a NEW place – and that covenant is to write the Torah on their hearts – not to negate, do away with, cancel, or replace the Torah!

2 Corinthians 3:4-6 – “ . . . a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit . . .”
Hebrews 9:15 – “For this reason Yeshua is the mediator of a new covenant . . .”
The NEW covenant Yeshua refers to at the Last Supper with his Disciples also pertains to only a very specific case: the judicial penalty and payment required by the law for committing a sin. That payment has been paid in full by Yeshua’s sacrifice and spilled blood (see especially Hebrews 9:15), whereby yearly sacrifices are no longer requited. Again, a very specific application, not a general negation, removal, cancellation, or replacement of the entire Torah! This is confirmed by the scriptures in 2 Corinthians 3:4-6. Torah has only been taken out of the physical, letter mode and placed in the Spirit mode – it has not been in any way negated, done away with, canceled, or replaced.

Greek Word Definitions, Hebrew Idioms and Yeshua’s Actions
Many have quoted the Strong’s definitions of Fulfill [πληρόω plēroō G4137] which means: to make complete to accomplish, carry out, or bring to realization; Abolish [καταλύω katalyō G2647] which means: annul, abrogate, or discard; to do away with completely; and Law [νόμος nomos G3551] which means: a custom, a law, a command – and have come up with the notion that Yeshua has done it all and now we don’t have to even try! One can do whatever one wants, and his sacrifice covers it. They have utterly failed to recognize that these statements are Hebrew Idioms!

The key to proper interpretation of this verse is that the phrases “fulfill the law” and “abolish the law” are Hebrew idioms. Fulfill the law is a Hebrew idiom meaning: to properly interpret, to show how to apply the law, to do it rightly. In other words, to fulfill the law is to properly interpret Torah so that people can obey it as Yahweh intends for it to be obeyed, thus allowing Yahweh’s promises to be fully received. Abolish the law is just the opposite, meaning: to misinterpret, to misapply the law, to do it wrongly, thus bringing down judgment.

Matthew 5:21-48 –“You have heard it said . . . But I say . . .”
Yeshua always makes known the true meaning of Yahweh’s commands. Where the Pharisees and Sadducees interpret the law to mean to physically obey, Yeshua interprets it to mean spiritually obey. By diminishing the Torah to mere physical obedience of rules, the Pharisees and Sadducees were the ones who were abolishing the law. Yeshua, on the other hand, was fulfilling the Torah by rightly showing the true intent of the law.

Adding To The Law
Yeshua never added to nor subtracted from, nor altered the Law – he fully and rightly interpreted the law – he “fulfilled” it to a tee. The Pharisees, Sadducees, and Jews, on the other hand, considered Torah less than explicit and attached dozens, if not hundreds, of oral and written traditions to enhance it and explain it! In doing so, they misinterpreted its real, original intent, and thus” abolished” the law rather than fulfilled it.

No Law Means No Sin
The scriptures regarding no “law”, therefore no sin, are found in Romans 4:15 – “Where there is no law [G6551], neither is there transgression or sin,” in Romans 5:13 – “For until the law[G6551] sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law,” and in Romans 7:8 – “For without the law[G6551] sin is dead.” The Greek word nomos [νόμος G6551], translated “law” in the above verses refers specifically to the Torah-Law (of Moses and of Yahweh), including the Psalms and the Prophets. If the Torah (“law”) has been abolished, negated, done away with, canceled, or replaced, then there is no more any sin. Bluntly put, NO Torah, No sin. And this is not at all what the scriptures teach. Scripture clearly teaches that all fall short (Romans 3:23), and that sin is still in the world, and will continue to grow worse and worse (2 Timothy 2:13). Since sin is still present and in fact is growing worse then the Torah, is still in effect. Matthew 5:17-18 agrees.

Jots and Tittles
Deuteronomy 17:17a “Neither shall the king multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away.”
Matthew 5:17-18 – “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from Torah until everything is accomplished”

The Greek word iota [ἰῶτα G2503] translated smallest letter literally means a very small part of anything (i.e. a jot) and the Greek word keraia [κεραία G2762] translated stroke of a pen specifically refers to the apex of a Hebrew letter, i.e. accent or punctuation mark (i.e a tittle).

When Yeshua referenced these two idioms, all hearing him would have thought of the teaching about Solomon who, when writing his own copy of the Torah (Deuteronomy 17:18) and coming to Deuteronomy 17:17, thought he could multiply wives and not have his heart turned away. Thinking this, he then changed the tense of the verbs to read did not multiply wives and his heart will not turn away so that the verse then read: “I will multiply wives and my heart will not turn away!” In doing so, he dropped the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the letter yood [יְ]. This smallest letter is what is considered as a jot.

And Yeshua states very clearly that not the smallest letter nor the apex of a Hebrew letter will be taken from the Torah – in other words, – Torah will not be in any way negated, done away with, canceled, or replaced.

Conclusions
Isaiah 2:2-3 – “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that . . . out of Zion shall go forth Torah, and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.”
Many teach that Torah has been done away with and need no longer be obeyed, believing that Yeshua has fully accomplished everything the law demands and one no longer is bound to obey it – all one’s sins have been forgiven! Fulfilling the law means interpreting, obeying, and teaching others the right way to live life, exactly as Yeshua did.

The term fulfill the law is a Hebrew idiom that has far greater reach. Fulfilling the law means interpreting, obeying, and teaching others the right way to live life, exactly as Yeshua did. Yeshua did not abolish, destroy, or eliminate the Torah. Just the opposite – Torah will last even beyond the disappearance of heaven and earth.

The contention that the Older Covenant and the Law has been done away with simply does not conform to the teaching of the scriptures. Sin is still here and growing worse. Many things need to still be accomplished. Each mention of a “new” covenant applies only to a specific case or application of the Older Covenant, not a general negation, removal, cancellation, or replacement of the entire older covenant, the Law, or the Torah!

There are many things still to be accomplished:
– Torah has not been abolished negated, done away with, canceled, or replaced.
– The contention that is has is a false teaching.
– Torah is still in full effect, down to the least jot and tittle.
– Torah will last even beyond the disappearance of heaven and earth!

Final Thought for 2024
Time is short – Yeshua Ha’Mashiach is coming soon. So, what are we to do while we wait for our Lord and Savior, Yeshua, to appear?
Watch And Be Ready: Matthew 24:42, 25:13; Mark 13:33; Luke 12:40, 21:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:6
Pray And Be Ready: Luke 12:40, 21:36; Matthew 24:42, 25:13; Mark 13:33; 1 Thessalonians 5:6
Purify Oneself: 1 John 3:2-3
Abide In Yeshua: 1 John 2:27-28, 3:2, 4:13-16; Jeremiah 31:34; Hebrews 8:11; Mark 8:38
Look For His Coming: Hebrews 9:28: Acts 1:11; Titus 2:11-13; Isaiah 25:9