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Matthew 5:17
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.
Romans 5:18
Consequently, just as the result of one trespass
was condemnation for all men, so also the result
of one act of righteousness was justification
that brings life for all men.
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April 18
Jesus Fulfilled the Law
As we have seen in other devotions, we are
incapable of fulfilling the law and this should
point us to the need for Jesus. The verses
to the left tell us exactly how Jesus is able to
fulfill the law in our place.
When Jesus came, He didn't come to pronouce that
the law was dead and useless. Instead He
lived according to the law - the way God
intended it to be lived. Others accused
Him of breaking the law, particularly the
Sabbath, but that was based on their
interpretation of how the law was to be lived on
not how God intended.
So part one of the plan was for Jesus to fulfill
the law because we were not able to.
Romans 5 spells out part two. Jesus'
righteousness was passed on to us in the same
way that our natural sinfulness was passed on.
We were born sinful on account of Adam's sin.
We didn't need to sin even though we all do in
abundance anyway. The fact that we
inherited Adam's sin seems unfair but it is for
this reason that we can inherit Christ's
righteousness.
When we are born again, we are born as righteous
under Jesus. We are born sinful under Adam
but righteous under Jesus. Adam had one
act of sinfulness and ruined us all. Jesus
only needed one act of righteousness - His death
on the cross - to save us all. This is why
Jesus had to fulfill the law and why He was able
to do so in our place. |
