The
Fulfillment of the Law
Jesus
said that He came to fulfill the law. So what exactly was the purpose of the
law? The Old Testament speaks of God’s divine nature and anything unholy or
sinful having to be kept separate from His holy presence. Old Testament kings
and prophets given the gift of God’s Spirit were often charged with the task of
warning people of their separation from God and to repent and become right with Him by returning to the law. Sometimes they relayed comforting messages of
God’s love and protection.
Practically
every circumstance in life had its law and accompanying rule or ritual for
cleansing oneself from sin when one of these laws was inevitably broken. Other
than those people specifically chosen by God, others had no direct, personal
relationship with Him. Priests, who first had to go through their own cleansing
rituals, entered the interior part of the temple forbidden to anyone else and into
God’s presence. They offered the people’s prayers and sacrifices for
forgiveness.
Jesus
said that He came to fulfill the law. Many at first wondered if He might be one
of the famous prophets of old, Elijah or Ezekiel, come back to life. The law,
when followed to the letter, bridged the gap between God and people. Impossible
for imperfect people to keep the law 100 percent of the time, Jesus became the
permanent way to God, His death the ultimate atonement for sin.
Jesus’
Promise
Jesus
promised the disciples they would not be left alone after His death. Another
counselor, the spirit of truth and a comforter, would teach all things and was
the point of the Gospel. The Holy Spirit, the ultimate authority and teacher of
God’s truth to each individual, offers direction, comfort, wisdom, and strength
on our journeys.
If
Mr. Jennings’s program on the Gospel had gone a bit further into the Book of
Acts and its story of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit, the question
of what happened after Jesus’ death and why the Church grew despite great odds
might have been easier to answer.
Next
time—the beginning of the story.
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