Christ Came to Fulfill the Law
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
The primary definition of fulfill is to bring to completion or reality.
We must receive this Word with a proper understanding of how He fulfilled the Law and the Prophets. The Law was given with purpose. The prophets were sent words to share with mankind to help us understand God’s purpose.
I sometimes wonder why God allowed mankind so many years of doing things they thought were right in their own minds before bringing them the law through Moses. It wasn’t like men had not heard God before Moses. Enoch walked with God and pleased God. God took him out of the world before the flood. Why isn’t Enoch our example of how to please God? The bible doesn’t tell us anything about how Enoch pleased God.
I understand now that while some men pleased God none of them were perfect, not perfect like Jesus. We would have not known about the need for the perfect sacrifice if it had not been for the practices of the priesthood that involved forgiveness of sin annually for the nation and daily for individuals.
We would have not known what God considered sin without the law.
The Law and Sin
What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”
Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
It became apparent from the choices mankind made that they could not save themselves from the consequence of sin, death. So God had Isaiah tell us we needed someone to intercede on our behalf. While He bore the sins of many, His sacrifice did not cover everyone.