Law Fulfilled
Devotions:
“"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls 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. "For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-20 NASB
Jesus said that unless our righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, we would not enter into the kingdom of heaven. That is why Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets. We cannot in ourselves keep the law so Jesus came to do it for us. He fulfilled the law on our behalf and in His perfection took our imperfections on Himself. Not only did He fulfill it for us, by His life in us He fulfills it through us as we learn to yield to the life of God in us by the new birth.
We rejoice that the total law has been fulfilled on our behalf and the one who fulfilled it lives inside of us to live out His perfection through us. Do not look to your own inabilities but look to the finished work of Jesus for you and in you. It is a completed work that we cannot add to or take away from. Grace does not do away with the law which is a manifestation of the character of God, Grace completes and fulfills the law for us and in us. Instead of following the law, we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit of God who is within us. He manifest the full character of God through us, which is love. The commandments are not annulled but fulfilled.
We have entered the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of heaven is within us. What we could not do, God for us through Jesus.