Fulfillment of the Law – Tim Vail leadingtolife.org

One modern accepted belief by mainstream Christianity is that the entirety of the Old Testament points to Jesus and therefore was nullified at His death. This approach misses the purpose of the law, seeing it as just legal requirements. What is lost is that, like Christ, the law pointed to the very mind and character of God the Father. The law is not opposed to love, the law is love.

It is true that many of the sacrificial rituals point to Christ and His sacrifice. They were “a shadow of the good things to come” (Heb. 10:1). There were also hundreds of laws added by the Jews that God never intended and actually worked to hide the true character of God. These laws were condemned by early Church leaders, not the laws that have been in effect since the creation of man.

So what was “nailed to the cross” was the consequence of broken law—eternal death. Jesus clearly said in Matthew that He did not come to abolish the law but fulfill it. (Matt 5:17) So what is meant by fulfill according to the original Greek is He taught and practiced the full intent of the law. As stated by the author of this article Matthew 5:17 is better translated  “I did not come to do away with the Law or the Prophets, but I came to uphold them in everything that I say and do.”