Revised January 11, 2025.———-
In the past, there have been discussions and arguments about the Old Testament’s relevance to the believer today. These opinions have ranged from one extreme, that the Old Testament law is irrelevant to us today, to the other extreme, that since the law is God’s word, it cannot be ignored, and compliance is still required. In the book of Matthew, Yeshua talked in various places about the Old Testament. To help us investigate this controversy, let us look at the words of Yeshua, as recorded in Matthew Chapters 5 and 22.
Before starting that discussion, let’s examine the Hebrew word “Torah,” which is used in these texts. The word “Torah” refers to the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. “Torah” is also used to refer to the individual laws contained in the Old Testament. In English, the word “Torah” is generally translated as “law or commandments,” but, other acceptable words could be “teaching,” “direction,” or “instruction.”
Why did God have so many instructions and then communicate them in such detail? Was it because he wanted to make life complicated, limit our fun, make us feel negative about ourselves, and punish us?
No. He wanted to reveal to us in precise detail;
- who He is and how we are to relate to Him,
- how we are to relate to our fellow human beings.
- what is good and what is evil,
- who we are,
- our sinfulness, and,
- our need for righteousness.
In Romans 10, verses 3 and 4, Paul tells us that the goal of the Torah is to bring us to Yeshua as a means of righteousness.
3 For being ignorant of God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit themselves to the righteousness of God. 4 For Messiah is the goal of the Torah as a means to righteousness for everyone who keeps trusting.
Yeshua’s death fulfilled this goal and declared righteous all who trust in His works on the cross and in his resurrection.
We must realize that righteousness was, and has always been based on faith or trust, not on works. God revealed this in Genesis 15:6 in speaking about Abraham some 400 years before the Torah was even given. He said that Abraham;
6 Then he [Abraham] believed in ADONAI and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.
Righteousness came from Abraham’s belief, not his works. The Torah had not even been given yet. As with Abraham, our righteousness comes from our belief, and that belief is in Messiah Yeshua’s sacrifice.
Then what is the purpose of the Torah for those of us who have already been declared righteous by believing in Yeshua’s work? To understand this, let us look at Yeshua’s words concerning the Torah, as recorded in Matthew 5:17-19.
17 Do not think that I came to abolish the Torah or the Prophets! I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18 Amen, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or serif shall ever pass away from the Torah until all things come to pass. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps and teaches them, this one shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Let’s look at each verse in detail. We will begin by starting with verse 17:
17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Torah or the Prophets! I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.
Yeshua states unmistakably that He was not abolishing the Torah or the Prophets but He would fulfill them.
Yeshua’s sacrifice not only atoned for our sins but also healed our relationship with God.
Contrary to the thoughts of many believers, the sacrificial system continued after Yeshua’s death and continues today to be the payment for our sins. If the sacrificial system had been abolished at His death, we would once again be responsible for our own sins. Since His selfless act on the cross, we, with firm faith in His works, are no longer obligated to pay the penalty for breaking the law.
He now tells us in verse 18 the conditions that have to be met before the law will pass away.
18 Amen, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or serif shall ever pass away from the Torah until all things come to pass.
Has heaven and earth passed away? They have not, and therefore, the Torah remains. It remains because, even as believers, we still need its instruction and its teaching, as we do not know how to live this inherited righteous life. When you became a believer, did you automatically begin living a pure and virtuous life? I know that I did not, and sometimes still don’t. I need God’s instructions on how to live. The Torah contains instructions for me on how to live this life. Thus, the Torah needs to remain. Now since it remains, it can still be violated. The good news is that Yeshua’s death fulfilled the penalty for all our violations.
In a modern-day example of this principle, there is a law that maintains you must not exceed a certain speed when driving your car. If you are driving and exceed that certain speed, you have violated the law and must pay a penalty. If you go to court and pay the penalty, you are set free. If later, you are again caught speeding, you are again guilty of breaking the law, and the penalty must be paid again. The law has not been abolished.
It is the same way with the Torah. When we sin, we are guilty. In the believers’ case, Yeshua’s death 2000 years ago guarantees ongoing payment for the sin. The law remains and can be broken again, but through His grace, the penalty portion has been forever paid. We are no longer under the penalty of the law. The instructions however, since they have not passed away, are still valid. We need the instructions in order to know how to live.
Even though the penalty has been paid, is there an effect on us if we continue to break the law? Yeshua continues this teaching in verse nineteen.
19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps and teaches them, this one shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Yeshua tells us here that, depending on our actions toward the commandments, we will be called great or least in the Kingdom of Heaven. Our actions in relation to the commandments will have a future effect on us. It does not, however, have an effect on our salvation. He here calls both the least and great groups, to the Kingdom of Heaven
He takes another opportunity to expound on the commandments during a confrontation with the Pharisees recorded in Matthew 22:34-40.
34 But the Pharisees, when they heard that Yeshua had silenced the Sadducees, gathered together in one place. 35 And testing Him, one of them, a lawyer, asked, 36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Torah?” 37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love Adonai your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire Torah and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
He identifies two commandments, and they are both from the Old Testament. He identifies that the first and greatest commandment is from Deuteronomy Chapter 6, verses 4 and 5, and concerns how we are to relate to God.
4Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5Love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
We are to love God with all our being.
The second commandment is found in Leviticus 19:18 and concerns how we are to relate to others.
18 You are not to take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am Adonai.
We are to love our neighbor as ourselves. He continues in verse forty.
40 The entire Torah and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
He summarizes the two most important instructions:
- We are to love and honor God, and
- We are to love and honor others.
The commandments are not about keeping a list of “do’s and don’ts.” You can mechanically keep the “do’s and don’ts,” but without a heart change, there is no expression of love. Commandments deal with our hearts. How do we express our love to God and to others? God has given us instructions, which are clear examples of how we are to live out love, such as the actions given in Leviticus 19:11, “You are not to steal, you are not to lie, You are not to deceive one another.” Or in Exodus 20:3, “You shall have no other gods before me,” or in Exodus 20:8, “Remember the Shabbat, to keep it holy.” The commandments are specific examples of how we can express our love. But then again, without the right heart, we can complete the do’s and don’ts. We might not lie, or steal, or not have other Gods; nevertheless, without the right heart, we will not express true love.
It is now up to you to determine for yourself whether the law has a valid purpose and, therefore, remains relevant in your life as a believer. It is important for me to restate that we are still under the sacrificial system and the breaking of the commandments requires death. Since we continue to sin, we deserve death. However, His death on the cross 2000 years ago remains to provide the sacrifice for us. Salvation is based on His work and our belief in that work. Because of this, we no longer are under the terror or fear of the law as He has paid our penalty. Let us now celebrate the commandments as specific instructions or directions that allow us to show our love to the Lord and others.
John 14:15
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
John 15:10
If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
1 John 5:3
For this is the love of God—that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.