Not To Abolish But To Fulfil

Many Christians think that when Jesus came, he abolished the biblical law such that the biblical law is no longer valid, and so we no longer need to keep it today. However, Jesus’ own words at the Sermon on the Mount stand as a direct refutation of that belief:

Matthew 5:17 Do not think that I came to abolish the law or the prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfil.

The words “Do not think” indicate that Jesus was addressing a common misunderstanding which was prevalent at the time: that he came to abolish the law or the prophets. Ironically, this misunderstanding is still prevalent even among Christians today.

What Does “Abolish” and “Fulfil” Mean?

The word “but” here is a conjunction of contrast: “I have not come to abolish but to fulfil.” Hence, whatever “fulfil” means, it cannot mean what “abolish” means.

The Greek word for “abolish” here is the verb katalyō, which means “to do away with; to annul; to make invalid” (BAGD). Therefore, Jesus was saying that he did not come to do away with, annul, or make the law invalid such that people no longer have to keep it today.

The Greek word for “fulfil” here is the verb plēroō. Τhe BAGD Lexicon provides the following definition for plēroō in Matthew 5:17:

depending on how one prefers to interpret the context, [plēroō] is understood here either as fulfill=do, carry out, or as bring to full expression=show it forth in its true [meaning], or as fill up=complete.

Likewise, Thayer’s Lexicon defines plēroō in Matthew 5:17 in the following manner:

to cause God’s will (as made known in the law) to be obeyed as it should be, and God’s promises (given through the prophets) to receive fulfilment.

None of the definitions of plēroō in Matthew 5:17 suggests that when Jesus came to “fulfil” the law, he put an end to its validity.

Matthew 5:17 in Context

It is also important to read Jesus’ saying in Matthew 5:17 in context. Let us take a look at what Jesus said in the next few verses:

Matthew 5:18–19 For amen I say to you, until the heaven and the earth pass away, one iota or one dot shall not pass away from the law until all things happen. ₁₉ Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men thus will be called least in the kingdom of the heavens, but whoever does them and teaches them, this one will be called great in the kingdom of the heavens.

Why is it that Jesus came not to abolish the law and the prophets but to fulfil them? Jesus himself explains in verse 18: “For amen I say to you, until the heaven and the earth pass away, one iota or one dot shall surely not pass away from the law until all things happen”—which has obviously not happened yet. Therefore, according to Jesus’ own explanation, the law remains valid in its entirety even after his coming, with not even the slightest bit of it short or lacking.

“Therefore,” Jesus concludes in verse 19, “whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men thus will be called least in the kingdom of the heavens...” Was Jesus saying that people no longer have to keep the law now that he has come? Of course not. To the very contrary, he was asserting that people will continue to be held accountable according to the biblical law even after his coming. Whatever we think Jesus meant when he said “I did not come to abolish but to fulfil,” it would be unreasonable for us to draw a conclusion which contradicts the conclusion which Jesus himself drew from his own words.

Conclusion

When we read Matthew 5:17 in its entirety and in its context, it is clear that Jesus was affirming the continuing validity of the biblical law even after his coming. In order to conclude from Matthew 5:17 that Jesus came to fulfil the law such that people no longer have to keep it today, one would have to take Matthew 5:17 out of its context and ignore what Jesus himself says in the rest of the passage.