(Matthew 5:17-20)
17 “Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished! 19 Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
The Pharisees were very religious, because for them it was all about the external appearances. Being also arrogantly power-hungry, and with the desire to control the optics and control others, people become self-righteous. Even people today, when one combines the empty acts of religion with their self-righteous preferences, in their worldview, not even Jesus is as spiritual as they themselves.
One cannot be more deceived in their thinking than this! And God is going to have something to say to anyone who changes, adds or diminishes God's word in anyway, because this leads people astray and keeps people from going to God! Now, if one of these is a true believer yet still does this, they will get into heaven, but there are no rewards for this!
When someone humbly repents and becomes a believer, they immediately are forgiven of all sins (past, present and future), receive the indwelling Holy Spirit, and are covered by Jesus' righteousness, which changes us from the inside out. This is how the Lord Jesus fulfills the Law!!! It is in our hearts! And as we ask and allow, the Holy Spirit will continue working for us, in us, and through us, in order to carry out our God-given purpose, to His glory. THIS is what the Lord will reward!
Yet, it's not about scorekeeping, or maintaining a checklist, or about dos and don'ts. It is all about having a personal relationship with the Lord, which is all about His love, for us and all people. In this, there will be an outpouring of our love for Him, with a desire to keep and accurately teach God's Laws, with a desire to carry out our purpose with God's calling, directions and help, all with His love, all to His glory! It is Christ at work in us, to fulfill His Law!
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