{"id":86872,"date":"2025-04-29T12:52:01","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T17:52:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=86872"},"modified":"2025-04-30T13:30:50","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T18:30:50","slug":"fulfill-doesnt-imply-ended","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/fulfill-doesnt-imply-ended\/","title":{"rendered":"“Fulfill” doesn’t imply ended"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

Question:<\/h2>\n

“Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17-18). You made a false claim because you only referred to a portion of what Jesus said. Jesus stated that he came to fulfill the Law, and the Law would not end until everything in his mission was accomplished.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\nMatthew 3:15
\nBut Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.\n

Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled baptism. Why do you baptize then?<\/p>\nRomans 15:19
\nby the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God-so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ;\n

The Apostle Paul fulfilled the gospel. Why do you still preach it?<\/p>\n

Are we not commanded to “rightly divide the word,” studying ourselves to be approved? Why don’t you study the Greek word “fulfill”? It can also mean to “execute.”<\/p>\n

And if the Lord Jesus Christ did away with his Father’s commandments – why did the apostles continue to keep them after he rose? That’s because God’s laws are eternal. Just go read Psalm 119. Or trust in the words of the beloved apostle John, who defines what sin is: transgression of God’s laws (I John 3:4).<\/p>\nIsaiah 8:20
\nTo God’s laws and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.\nRevelation 14:12
\nHere is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.\n

You need both. Keeping the law without faith = justification. Keeping God’s commandments through faith is love.<\/p>\n\t

Answer:<\/h2>\n

The word “fulfill” in\u00a0Matthew 5:17\u00a0originates from the Greek word\u00a0pleroo<\/em>, which means “to fill, make full, supply fully, or complete.” Its meaning can be seen in how it is used in other passages. For example, numerous passages refer to actions taken so that a prophecy might be fulfilled, such as in Matthew 1:22, 2:15, and 17, among others. The word means that the prophecy was answered in full and brought to completion. When a task is completed to the fullest extent, it is finished. We say this in English when we say we went to the gas station and filled up the car. In other words, we stopped pumping gas into the car once it reached the full mark because no more gas could be added. This sense of a completed purpose is seen in Luke 7:1, “Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum.<\/i>” The word “concluded” is the Greek word\u00a0pleroo<\/i>. Jesus fulfilled his purpose in that particular lesson. Nothing more needed to be said at that moment, so he stopped. It is also seen in\u00a0Acts 19:21, “When these things were accomplished, Paul purposed in the Spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, ‘After I have been there, I must also see Rome.’<\/i>” Paul had completed what he set out to do in Ephesus, so he looked to move on to another region. The same Greek word\u00a0pleroo\u00a0<\/i>is being used, though it is translated as “accomplished.”<\/p>\n

By stating that the law would continue until all was fulfilled or made complete, Jesus implies that the law in its current state was not complete. We know from the apostles’ writings that the Mosaic Law was missing some essential parts. It could not give its followers life (Galatians 3:21) or make them perfect (Hebrews 7:18-19). Thus, it had a fault, not in itself, but in the inadequacy of those who tried to live by it (Hebrews 8:7). It could explain and hold a person accountable for sin, but in itself, it could not cleanse sin (Hebrews 10:1-4,\u00a08-10,\u00a014). It was Jesus’ sacrifice that brought the missing elements into existence (Hebrews 9:15).<\/p>\n

The difference between destroying and fulfilling the law is the same difference between declaring a mortgage note null and void, tearing it up and throwing it into the fire, and paying the note off in full. Both bring the mortgage to an end, but they do so in vastly different ways. Jesus did not cancel the law but brought it to a natural conclusion.<\/p>\n

Jesus explained what he meant by “fulfilled” when he emphasized that the Law would not end until all was fulfilled. “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled<\/i>” (Matthew 5:18). This “fulfilled” comes from a different Greek word,\u00a0ginotai<\/i>. It means “to be, to come into being, to be made, be done, become, or to be celebrated.” Jesus stated that the permanence of the law was conditional. He gave two possible ending conditions: either heaven and earth would come to an end, or all would be accomplished. His phrasing is similar to that of a parent who tells his child, “You’ll sit here all night until you eat your peas.” The implication is that the child would not be at the table all night; the peas would be eaten before then. In the same way, Jesus is saying that the world would have a better chance of ending than God failing to accomplish His purpose for the Law. Some people focus so hard on the first condition that they overlook the fact that the second condition would occur before the first. A similar phrasing can be found in Matthew 24:34\u00a0and\u00a0Luke 21:31-33.<\/p>\n

Another verse that speaks to this same topic is\u00a0Romans 10:4, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.<\/i>” The word translated as “end” is from the Greek word\u00a0telos<\/i>, which means “end, termination, conclusion, aim, result, goal, outcome.” In other words, the purpose of the Law culminated in Christ Jesus. Jesus was its goal. With his death, he brought the law to its conclusion. “Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross<\/i>” (Colossians 2:14). Or as we already noted, “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor<\/i>” (Galatians 3:24-25).<\/p>\n

In Matthew 3:15, Jesus told John that his baptism should take place to fulfill all righteousness, not to fulfill baptism as you claimed. To fulfill the Law, Jesus needed to keep all that was commanded, including the recent addition of baptism by John, the last prophet under the Old Law. Jesus brought his requirement to be righteous to the full.<\/p>\n

In Romans 15:19, Paul said he completed his task of teaching the Gospel in the regions from Jerusalem to Illyricum. He had no additional things that needed to be taught in that region, so he is planning to travel to Spain to cover new territory with the same message (Romans 15:22-24).<\/p>\n

You seem to think that any reference to “command” refers to the Ten Commandments, which is provably false. See “Does the word ‘commandments’ always refer to the Ten Commandments?<\/a>“<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: “Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17-18). You…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[851,115,479],"class_list":["post-86872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-messianic-judaism","tag-old-law","tag-seventh-day-adventists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":42076,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/didnt-jesus-fulfill-the-old-testament-when-he-came-in-the-flesh\/","url_meta":{"origin":86872,"position":0},"title":"Didn’t Jesus fulfill the Old Testament when he came in the flesh?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 5, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have a question: Didn't Jesus fulfill the Old Testament when he came in the flesh? Answer: When Jesus was born, the Mosaic law was still in effect. He was circumcised and presented to God as the firstborn male of Mary and Joseph as the old law prescribed: \"And\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":65454,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/two-tills\/","url_meta":{"origin":86872,"position":1},"title":"Two “Tills”","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 6, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton Matthew 5:18 has two \"tills.\" \"For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished\" (Matthew 5:18). The meaning of Matthew 5:18 in giving us two \"tills\" is this:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":69942,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/dont-you-realize-that-the-torah-is-the-way-the-truth-and-the-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":86872,"position":2},"title":"Don’t you realize that the Torah is the way, the truth, and the life?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 27, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, I noticed your article on polygyny using I Corinthians 7:2. Do you understand that the Torah is the way, the truth, and life? Just like Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the Word of God. The Word made flesh. It's written to add\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12183,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-mission-of-christ\/","url_meta":{"origin":86872,"position":3},"title":"The Mission of Christ","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 6, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: Matthew 5:17-20 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There is hardly a denomination in existence that does not appeal to the Old Testament for portions of their practices. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Many of the rituals in the Catholic church find their roots in the Old Testament, such as the burning of incense. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Protestants are not beyond dipping\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":41561,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/back-to-basics-christ-and-the-law\/","url_meta":{"origin":86872,"position":4},"title":"Back to Basics: Christ and the Law","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 8, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"by Frank Jamerson When brethren are confused about whether Christ came to fulfill the law and prophets or to perpetuate them, it is time to get back to basics! One brother said, \"Continuity of law is evident in Matthew 5:17, in that there is nothing about following Jesus that would\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":56591,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-would-god-give-a-law-that-had-to-be-taken-away\/","url_meta":{"origin":86872,"position":5},"title":"Why would God give a law that had to be taken away?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 3, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: You shared this verse: \"Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus\"\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86872"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86872\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}