Uploaded September 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
There are many who make the claim that we are no longer under the Old Covenant, but we instead are under the New Covenant. Do to the circumstances of the Word of God being taken out of context, we are faced with a form of replacement theology, which is likened too “Spiritual Schizophrenia”, a term coined by Marvin Wilson. Especially considering the fact that the Bible says in
Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Matthew 5:18 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.
Matthew 5:19 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.
There is the idea among mainstream Christianity that to “fulfill the Law” means “to bring it to an end.” Most people tend to skip right over Jesus first two words in Matthew 5:17, “Think not”! However, in the next 2 verses that follow, we find Jesus saying the very opposite. Once these verses are put into proper context, the actual meaning becomes much clearer.
The word “LAW”, a word disliked and misunderstood by many Christians, due to the fact that it’s looked at through a Greek lens. The word commonly translated as “LAW” in our English versions of the Scriptures in Hebrew, is “Torah”, and derives from the root word “Yarah”.
Strong’s Hebrew Concordance H8451 – תּורה – tôrâh
From H3384; a precept or statute, especially the Decalogue or Pentateuch: – law.
(Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Lexicon – law, direction, instruction)
Strong’s Hebrew Concordance H3384 – ירה – yârâh
A primitive root; properly to flow as water (that is, to rain); transitively to lay or throw (especially an arrow, that is, to shoot); figuratively to point out (as if by aiming the finger), to teach: – (+) archer, cast, direct, inform, instruct, lay, shew, shoot, teach (-er, -ing), through. (Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Lexicon – to throw, shoot, cast, pour)
Looking at the definitions given on the Strong’s Concordance and BDB Lexicon, it is clear that Torah and its root word Yarah, are connected to “direction & instruction”.
Jesus tells us that He was here to Fulfil the Law. Unfortunately words have a tendency to change meaning over time. You can see how some words can change meaning over time & that’s why many people take scriptures out of context! For example, the word Replenish: When we hear the word replenish, we automatically think to fill up again. However the original meaning was “to fill up completely” as seen in Genesis 1:28.
Most modern scholars think that Fulfil means to do away with. Which is just the opposite of what Jesus told them to think in Matthew 5:17, hence we have a form of Spiritual Schizophrenia. Fulfill means to correctly interpret. Destroy means to incorrectly interpret. This is a term used by rabbis!
From the book by David Bivin and Roy Blizzard, in their book Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus. Page 114 reads as follows:
“Destroy” and “fulfill” are technical terms used in rabbinic argumentation. When a sage felt that a colleague had misinterpreted a passage of Scripture, he would say, “You are destroying the Law!” Needless to say, in most cases his colleague strongly disagreed. What was “destroying the Law” for one sage, was “fulfilling the Law” (correctly interpreting Scripture) for another.
What we see in Matthew 5:17. Is a rabbinic discussion. Someone has accused Jesus of “destroying” the law. Of course, neither Jesus nor his accuser would ever think of literally destroying the Law. Furthermore, it would never enter the accuser’s mind to charge Jesus with intent to abolish part or all of the Mosaic Law. What is being called into question is Jesus’ system of interpretation, the way he interprets Scripture.”
Bivin and Blizzard also paraphrase the passage as:,
“Never imagine for a moment,” Jesus says, “That I intend to abrogate the Law by misinterpreting it. My intent is not to waken or negate the law, but by properly interpreting God’s written Word I aim to establish it, that is, make it even more lasting. I would never invalidate the law by effectively removing something from it through misinterpretation. Heaven and earth would sooner disappear than something from the Law”
The next verse, confirms this meaning. Matthew 5:18 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. Heaven and Earth have not passed away. The word of God is still in existence and around 30% of the prophecies are yet to be fulfilled in the Old Testament.
There are many who make the claim that we are no longer under the Old Covenant, but we instead are under the New Covenant. Do to the circumstances of the Word of God being taken out of context, we are faced with a form of replacement theology, which is likened too “Spiritual Schizophrenia”, a term coined by Marvin Wilson. Especially considering the fact that the Bible says in
Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Matthew 5:18 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.
Matthew 5:19 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.
There is the idea among mainstream Christianity that to “fulfill the Law” means “to bring it to an end.” Most people tend to skip right over Jesus first two words in Matthew 5:17, “Think not”! However, in the next 2 verses that follow, we find Jesus saying the very opposite. Once these verses are put into proper context, the actual meaning becomes much clearer.
The word “LAW”, a word disliked and misunderstood by many Christians, due to the fact that it’s looked at through a Greek lens. The word commonly translated as “LAW” in our English versions of the Scriptures in Hebrew, is “Torah”, and derives from the root word “Yarah”.
Strong’s Hebrew Concordance H8451 – תּורה – tôrâh
From H3384; a precept or statute, especially the Decalogue or Pentateuch: – law.
(Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Lexicon – law, direction, instruction)
Strong’s Hebrew Concordance H3384 – ירה – yârâh
A primitive root; properly to flow as water (that is, to rain); transitively to lay or throw (especially an arrow, that is, to shoot); figuratively to point out (as if by aiming the finger), to teach: – (+) archer, cast, direct, inform, instruct, lay, shew, shoot, teach (-er, -ing), through. (Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Lexicon – to throw, shoot, cast, pour)
Looking at the definitions given on the Strong’s Concordance and BDB Lexicon, it is clear that Torah and its root word Yarah, are connected to “direction & instruction”.
Jesus tells us that He was here to Fulfil the Law. Unfortunately words have a tendency to change meaning over time. You can see how some words can change meaning over time & that’s why many people take scriptures out of context! For example, the word Replenish: When we hear the word replenish, we automatically think to fill up again. However the original meaning was “to fill up completely” as seen in Genesis 1:28.
Most modern scholars think that Fulfil means to do away with. Which is just the opposite of what Jesus told them to think in Matthew 5:17, hence we have a form of Spiritual Schizophrenia. Fulfill means to correctly interpret. Destroy means to incorrectly interpret. This is a term used by rabbis!
From the book by David Bivin and Roy Blizzard, in their book Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus. Page 114 reads as follows:
“Destroy” and “fulfill” are technical terms used in rabbinic argumentation. When a sage felt that a colleague had misinterpreted a passage of Scripture, he would say, “You are destroying the Law!” Needless to say, in most cases his colleague strongly disagreed. What was “destroying the Law” for one sage, was “fulfilling the Law” (correctly interpreting Scripture) for another.
What we see in Matthew 5:17. Is a rabbinic discussion. Someone has accused Jesus of “destroying” the law. Of course, neither Jesus nor his accuser would ever think of literally destroying the Law. Furthermore, it would never enter the accuser’s mind to charge Jesus with intent to abolish part or all of the Mosaic Law. What is being called into question is Jesus’ system of interpretation, the way he interprets Scripture.”
Bivin and Blizzard also paraphrase the passage as:,
“Never imagine for a moment,” Jesus says, “That I intend to abrogate the Law by misinterpreting it. My intent is not to waken or negate the law, but by properly interpreting God’s written Word I aim to establish it, that is, make it even more lasting. I would never invalidate the law by effectively removing something from it through misinterpretation. Heaven and earth would sooner disappear than something from the Law”
The next verse, confirms this meaning. Matthew 5:18 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. Heaven and Earth have not passed away. The word of God is still in existence and around 30% of the prophecies are yet to be fulfilled in the Old Testament.
