Listen:  82 Question 3

Let’s begin by reading the words of the Lord in Matthew 5:17-18 where He said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 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.”  The word ‘destroy’ here literally means to make void or disannul.  The Lord certainly did not come to strike down the authority and principles of the Old Testament.  Oftentimes, when the Lord spoke of the law and the prophets, He was referring to the Old Testament scriptures.  A couple of examples are Matthew 7:12 where the Lord said, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”  Another one is Luke 16:16 where the Lord said, “The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.”  During His earthly ministry, the Lord never broke any of the laws of the Old Testament.  Neither did He dispute any of the words of the prophets.

The Lord also said that “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law…”  We know that there is nothing in the law that is unimportant and so it is impossible that a single letter shall disappear from the law.  Does this mean that we are under the law today?  No, it doesn’t mean that at all.  We read in Romans 6:14, “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”  To be under the law is to be under its claim to entire obedience; and under its curse for the breach of any point of the law.  Let’s read Galatians 3:10-13 which says, “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.”  Christ died on the cross to save us from the curse of the law.

What is the purpose of the law then?  The Apostle Paul said in Romans 7:7, “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.”  The law will expose us to what sin is.  We learn the perfect moral will of God through knowing His moral laws, such as the Ten Commandments.  The law is given to us to show us our need of the Lord Jesus as our savior.  Galatians 3:24-25, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.”

Why didn’t the Lord Jesus ever mention homosexuality in the Bible?  In essence, He did speak about it.  While the Lord did not expressly address homosexuality, He upheld the Old Testament teachings and the law condemns the sinful act of homosexuality.  The Lord did teach on proper marriage in Matthew 19:4-6, “And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”  The Lord expressly says that marriage is between a male and a female.  Understanding the proper meaning of marriage shows us that anything contrary to that would be sin.  There are many sins that the Lord did not specifically address, such as kidnapping or physical and emotional abuse, but the principles of scriptures show us that these things are sinful, even as homosexuality is sinful.  (82.3)