Matthew 5:18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
Jesus tells the truth. Jesus is the propitiation of the law. He reconciles us to the law. In Him, we abide in the law. Through Him, the law is accomplished.
How does that work?
Suppose you're driving down the freeway and the posted speed limit is 65 MPH. You're in a hurry so you set your cruise control on 75 MPH. You pass a patrolman who pulls you over. He writes you a speeding ticket. You could go to court and fight the charge (but you would have to lie because you were indeed speeding,) or you can admit you broke the law and pay the fine. Once the fine is paid, there is no more penalty for your decision to break the law on that occasion. If you do this a few times, there will be consequences, like losing your drivers license! If everyone did what they wanted and there were no laws, we'd live in utter chaos and never feel safe.
In the same way, Jesus is the payment for our sin. When we break God's laws, our error goes on the books until we pay the fine - we contritely seek forgiveness through our Savior. We call this repentance. We ask forgiveness and commit to turning away from this sin in the future.
When "everything is accomplished," that is, when the whole world has been given the gospel which is the new covenant, everything will be made new. The Word of God is our manual to live by and provides safety on this road.
Don't fool yourself for a minute thinking we can choose to abide in only some parts of the Bible. It's all or nothing. Either the Bible is the word of God and a perfect guide for living or it's all a bunch of fairy tales in which we've put our hope for naught. Jesus either was who He said He was or He was a lunatic and a liar.
Since we have much evidence for the person of Christ, in both Old Testament prophecy and historic revelation, I'm putting my money on the deity of Christ. He said, "I tell you the truth." Since He is perfect and sinless, He's as good as His word.
What was true for the apostles 2000 years ago, is true for us today. Forever true.
Heavenly Father, in You alone we trust. Open the eyes of our hearts and show us how to live, minute by minute, day by day. We submit to You for Your glory, for Your word is forever true. In Jesus name we pray, amen.
