Christ Came to Earth to Fulfill the Law, February 18

Love Is the Fulfilling of the Law

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. Matthew 5:17.SD 55.1

God chose Israel as the depositary of priceless treasure of truth for all nations, and He gave them His law as the standard of the character they were to develop before the world, before angels, and before the unfallen worlds.... Through disobedience and disloyalty God's chosen nation developed a character exactly opposite to the character God designed them to develop by obeying His law. They placed their own mold and superscription upon the truth, removing from it the superscription of God.... The law of God was being buried beneath the minutiae of outward forms,—such as the frequent washing of the hands before eating, and the washing of pots and cups. Tithes were exacted on simple garden herbs. To those who made so much of these minor things, Christ said, “... these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” ...SD 55.2

Amid all this confusing din of voices there was need of a teacher direct from the heavenly universe to speak from inspired lips to human hearts, and to proclaim the testing truths so important to every one....SD 55.3

As a Teacher sent from God, Christ's work was to explain the true significance of the laws of God's government.... Resetting truth in the framework of God's own law, He caused it to shine in its original, heavenly luster.... He enthroned the divine precepts in companionship with the royalty of eternal, uncorrupted truth bearing the sanction of God, the Source of all truth....SD 55.4

Christ came not only to vindicate the law before the inhabitants of this world, but by His life to settle forever the immutability of God's law.... He [God] never lets go one who commits the keeping of the soul to His care. Having loved them because of their love of Jesus, He loves them to the end.^{46Manuscript 125, 1901.}SD 55.5