1733. What Christ Taught Concerning the Five Books of the Law
What Christ Taught Concerning the Five Books of the Law
"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" (Mat_5:18).
These Books, commonly known as the Pentateuch, include the Book of Genesis and its story of creation. Let us study five Scriptures, spoken by Christ, which will suffice for this treatise.
Our first passage: "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" (Mat_5:18).
The Lord could not have spoken with plainer intent. He not only endorsed the thought as expressed in "the Law," but He put His stamp of approval upon the very "jots and tittles" which mark the tense, the number, or the case of the Hebrew words.
One thing is assured–our Lord did not care to "cut out Genesis," to "curtail Exodus," or to "penknife Leviticus." He believed the Law, and stamped as certain, its minute fulfillment.
Our second passage: "And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself" (Luk_24:21). Our Lord was not ashamed to quote Moses, with all authority. He never doubted the Mosaic authorship; He never questioned that Moses was inspired. Indeed, He called the writings of Moses, "Scripture."
Our third passage: "All things must be fulfilled, which were written in the Law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms concerning Me" (Luk_24:44). Christ not only believed that the writings of Moses were Scriptures; but He also believed they were inviolate. He said of the Mosaic prophecies concerning Himself, "They must be fulfilled." What Christ said of Moses' writings, He said of the Prophets and of the Psalms.
Our fourth passage: "As touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God?" (Mat_22:31).
The Lord Jesus quoted from Moses (see Exo_3:14); and He emphasized the fact that the words of Moses were the words of God. Again, speaking of Moses' words, Christ said: "Laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men" (Mar_7:8). In other words, Christ taught that the words of Moses were no less than "the commandments of God."
Our fifth passage: "If they hear not Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rise from the dead" (Luk_16:31). This passage we would like to impress upon the consciences of the modernists. Again Christ said, "For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me: for he wrote of Me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My words?" (Joh_5:46-47).
The destructive critics may ruthlessly deny the Pentateuch, but, in the same breath, they will reject the words of the Lord.
Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR