December 19, 2019 - We proceed to chapter 5 of the Gospel of Matthew. The section I wish to highlight is verses 17 through verse 18. Please feel free to check out those verses whenever you get the chance. Verse 17 happens to be one that I continually go to. It reads, “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.” This verse comes up when we talk about theological camps and whether they are legalistic or antinomian. Legalism, in short, is teaching obedience rather than faith alone in regards to salvation. Proponents often add to the Law, those “shall and shall not” verses that we read in the Bible. The other side of the coin is Antinomianism, which from the Greek means “against law”. These folks proclaim that there is no need for the Law of God in the Christian life.

Why bring these two groups up? Well from the verse mentioned we come to at least two conclusions. One, the Law of God still has a place in the life of the Christian. The Law of God has not been abolished. Classic Christian teaching points to three uses of the Law which are to curb, mirror, and guide the Christian (you can find a more detailed explanation online). The second conclusion is that our faith rest upon Christ who is the only one who could perfectly fulfill the Law. If you continue reading chapter 5 and chapter 6, you’ll see Jesus Christ repeatedly show how we transgress the Law of God. He does this after saying that He came to fulfill the law. He held the Law perfectly for those who break it repeatedly. That is why we can say to each other that through Christ you are forgiven.

Wynter is an Elder at Mariposa Reformed Baptist Church. Find out more at MariposaChurch.org or email him at wynter@mariposachurch.org. Visit Mariposa Reformed Baptist Church on Facebook.

Pastor’s Corner is a column from Pastor Wynter Sturtevant III of the Mariposa Reformed Baptist Church.

The Church has moved locations, services are now held at the Bootjack Stompers Hall (located at 4662 Morman Bar Crossing) across from the Mariposa County Fairgrounds.

Time of service is still 10:00 A.M. on Sunday.

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