Lesson 01 - Law Still Stands

Many today claim the Law has been cancelled. They point to Jesus’ words “I came to fulfill the Law” and the promise that the Law would be “written on our hearts” and conclude that believers are now free to follow only their conscience. Scripture does not support that conclusion. Jesus never abolished the Law. He repeatedly affirmed its continuing authority, expected it to be kept, and warned against relaxing even its smallest details.

Jesus’ Clear Declaration

Matthew 5:17–19 remains the foundation:

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Verse 18 is especially direct. As long as heaven and earth remain, the smallest stroke of the Law remains. Luke records the same truth in even stronger language:

“But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.” (Luke 16:17)

“Fulfill” does not mean “cancel by completing.” It means to bring to full expression and goal. Jesus lived the Law perfectly, revealed its true depth, and brought its prophetic shadows to their substance in Himself. He did not erase the text.

Jesus Upholds the Authority of Moses’ Seat

In Matthew 23:2–3 Jesus says:

“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.”

Even while condemning the hypocrisy of the teachers, Jesus commands the people to observe what is taught from Moses’ seat. The problem was never the Law itself. The problem was teachers who failed to live what they taught. The authority of the Law stands.

Belief in Moses Is Required to Believe Jesus

Jesus ties faith in Himself directly to faith in Moses’ writings:

“For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” (John 5:46–47)

If the writings of Moses have been set aside, Jesus’ own argument collapses. He treats those writings as still authoritative and necessary.

Jesus Expects the Law to Be Kept

When challenged about the Law, Jesus does not dismiss it. He exposes the fact that people claim the Law while refusing to keep it:

“Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” (John 7:19)

To the lawyer who correctly summarized the two great commandments, Jesus replied:

“You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” (Luke 10:28)

He did not say, “You have the right idea, but the Law is now obsolete.” He said, “Do this.”

Even in the account of the woman caught in adultery, after refusing to condemn her, Jesus’ final word is:

“Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” (John 8:11)

“Sin no more” assumes an objective standard of sin. That standard is the Law. Grace does not erase the definition of sin; it empowers a new walk that turns from it.

Jesus Appeals to the Law as Authoritative

When asked about divorce, Jesus begins with the question:

“What did Moses command you?” (Mark 10:3)

He then goes back to the creation account to reveal the original intent, but He never treats Moses’ instruction as cancelled. He treats it as the starting point of the discussion. The Law remains the recognized authority.

“Written on the Heart” Does Not Mean “Follow Your Conscience”

Jeremiah 31:33 (quoted in Hebrews 8 and 10) promises:

“I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.”

The new covenant does not replace the Law with personal feelings. It relocates the same Law from external tablets to the internal life of the believer and supplies the Spirit so that obedience becomes possible and desirable. A conscience can be weak, defiled, or seared (1 Timothy 4:2; Titus 1:15). Scripture never elevates private conscience above the written commandments of God.

Summary of the Evidence

ClaimScripture’s AnswerJesus abolished the Law by fulfilling itHe explicitly denied abolishing it (Matt 5:17) and tied its smallest details to the endurance of heaven and earth (Matt 5:18; Luke 16:17)We no longer need to observe what Moses taughtJesus commanded people to observe what is taught from Moses’ seat (Matt 23:2–3)Moses’ writings are no longer relevantJesus said that failure to believe Moses’ writings makes belief in His own words impossible (John 5:46–47)The Law is optional under graceJesus repeatedly expected the Law to be kept and defined sin as its violation (John 7:19; Luke 10:28; John 8:11)“Written on the heart” = follow conscienceThe same Law is internalized and empowered, not discarded or reduced to subjective feeling

The Law was never the means of justification. It has always been the revelation of God’s will and the concrete expression of love for God and neighbor. Jesus did not lower that standard. He fulfilled it in Himself, exposed its full depth, and then gave the Spirit so that the standard could actually be lived.

This is the first lesson. The Law stands.