What Do You Mean, Fulfil?

It’s not unusual for an atheist to counter a comment about sexual purity with, “Well you don’t stone your child to death for being disobedient.” The implication, which seems clear to the atheist is that if you don’t adhere to every law of Leviticus you have no business paying attention to any moral dictum. Sometimes it’s followed up by, “Jesus was all about love.”

So what did Jesus have to say about all this? “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets but to fulfil the law.” Matthew 5:17 Then six times in the next few minutes Jesus starts, “You have heard it said . . .” and follows through with what the Old Testament Law always meant. The Old Testament Law was addressing the problem of the heart.

On our own:

. We would love to believe that not killing someone means that we were kind people.

. We’d love to believe that all we have to do to be good people, is to be good to those who are good to us.

. We’d love to believe that not taking something that belongs to someone means that we were honest.

. We’d love to believe that not having sex with our neighbour’s spouse, means we are faithful to our own.

Most people can do those behaviours. That's why atheists think they're good people. But not killing someone is not the same as living in peace. Loving only those who love us does not create a safe community. Resisting the temptation to steal from our employer does not deal with our corrupt heart.

By thinking that only outward acts constitute violations of God’s law, we are left free to entertain and nurture our deeply flawed inner nature. This in turn compels us to celebrate those actions in others that rot not only us but our society from the inside out.

“As long as I'm a reasonably moral person,” goes the argument, “God has no business condemning me to hell.” In fact many people become furious at the mere suggestion that they deserve eternity in hell.

On the other hand:

Jesus got very specific on how the law was meant to be applied. For example:

. Jesus said that what we today call serial monogamy is actually serial adultery.

. The “eye for an eye” law was meant to limit legal retribution. Today we're tempted to see it as license for revenge. 

. Loving one’s enemy did not originate with Jesus on earth. He had given it as a law as far back as Exodus 23:4,5 and Proverbs 25:21.

Every single principle of the Sermon on the Mount had already been stated or clearly implied in the Old Testament. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbour as yourself had been there all along. That is the fulfilment of the law.