The New Covenant

IN Matt. 5:17-28 Christ is commenting upon the ten commandments. This will be seen by the fact that he quotes two of them, "Thou shalt not kill" (ver. 21), and "Thou shalt not commit adultery" (ver. 27). Now of this law he says, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." Matt. 5:17. This language is positive; he did not come to destroy the law, or the prophets, but to fulfill them.

Many have an erroneous impression upon this point. To fulfill a moral law, does not mean to end it. When John refused to baptize him, Jesus said, "Suffer it to be so now; for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." Matt. 3:15. Did Jesus end all righteousness by thus fulfilling all righteousness?—Certainly not. Again, Paul says, "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." Gal. 6:2. Does it end the law of Christ to fulfill it?—Certainly not. "Fulfill" is thus defined by Webster: "To perform what is required, to answer a law by obedience." This is the purpose for which Christ came—to perform what the law required. He honored his father and mother; he had no other gods; he did not steal, etc. But, further he says, "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Matt. 5:18. Till heaven and earth pass,—and they are remaining still,—not a jot or tittle shall pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. All what?—The law and the prophets, as he has told us.

Then no part of the law of God is to pass away till all the prophets be fulfilled; or, as the new version correctly gives it, "till all things be accomplished." Were all the prophecies fulfilled at the first advent of Christ? Have they all been fulfilled yet? Will they all be fulfilled when heaven and earth have passed?—No, indeed. Some of the prophets speak of the new earth and the eternal world, and thus carry us far beyond the passing away of the heavens and the earth. So Christ most emphatically teaches that the ten commandments will stand unchanged even into eternity.

The next verse gives the conclusion from these premises in perfect harmony with what has been stated: "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 5:19. Notice, he does not say whoever in the old Jewish age shall break one of these least commandments, but applies every word to the kingdom of heaven and the gospel age. Whosoever in the gospel which he was then introducing, and the principles which he was there declaring, whoever of his followers, should break one of these least commandments, should be regarded as guilty. Thus we see that Christ most emphatically indorses and incorporates the ten commandments into the first principles of the new covenant. We find him always doing this.

In his controversy with the Pharisees, Matt. 15:1-9, he condemns them most severely for breaking the fifth commandment, and says, that while they do this their worship of God is vain. Again, in Matt. 19:16-22, the young man asked Jesus what "good thing" he must do that he might have eternal life. This was a most important question, one that had to do with his eternal state. It was asked of Jesus Christ, the mediator of the new covenant, and related directly to what conditions were necessary under this new covenant of which Christ was the teacher. Jesus' answer should never be forgotten: "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." Were these commandments some new ones that Jesus was about to give?—No, indeed; for he immediately quoted five of the ten commandments, saying to the young man, that this was the law which he was to keep. Here Christ teaches that whoever would follow him must keep the ten commandments; for he immediately tells him that if he would be his disciple, he must sell what he had and come and follow him.

But it is objected that Christ did not name the commandment; therefore that is not binding; but the falsity of this position ought to be apparent to any one. Christ did not name the first, second, third, or tenth commandments; did he mean, therefore, that men could have other gods, worship images, swear, covet, break the Sabbath, and still be saved? Any one knows better. He simply meant to refer the young man to what law he was to keep, by quoting a few of the shorter commandments, knowing that the young man would readily call to mind the others.

The lawyer asked Christ what he should do to be saved. Jesus answered him saying, "What is written in the law? how readest thou?" thus referring him right back to the decalogue. When the lawyer quoted from this law of ten commandments, Jesus said, "Thou hast answered right; this do and thou shalt live." (See Luke 10:25-28.)

Many other cases might be cited where Jesus always taught every one that they must obey the law of God. He laid that down as the first condition of being his disciple, and he never said anything to the contrary.