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From: mangoe@umcp-cs.UUCP (Charley Wingate)
Newsgroups: net.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Fulfillment of the Law
Message-ID: <1827@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 12-Oct-85 09:57:58 EDT
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.1827
Posted: Sat Oct 12 09:57:58 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 15-Oct-85 04:50:00 EDT
References: <1721@akgua.UUCP> <903@mcnc.mcnc.UUCP>
Organization: U of Maryland, Computer Science Dept., College Park, MD
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In article <903@mcnc.mcnc.UUCP> bch@mcnc.UUCP (Byron C. Howes) writes:

>> Christians are anti-nomian in that
>>respect in that we look to Jesus as the fulfillment of the
>>Law. [Bob Brown]

>This is a phrase which gets bandied about from time to time on the various
>religion related newsgroup.  I find I simply don't understand it.  Logically,
>one can do many things to laws, but "fulfill" is not one of them!  One can
>obey, disobey, make, retract and a host of other things, but not fulfill.
>Clearly something else is meant here, with the usual host of hidden
>assumptions.  Clarification anyone?  (Don't give me the narrative.  I
>know that!  Explain to me the meaning.)

Well, there's no getting around that word "fulfilment".  It's in the text.
This is probably one of the most hotly debated statements of Jesus, right up
there with "not one iota of the law will pass away...".  It first must be
pointed out that, as far as Gentile christianity is concerned, this passage
is of little direct import.  The Acts of the Apostles clearly states that we
are not bound to Mosaic law.  Period.  So the chief importance of the
passage today is how it depicts Jesus' relationship to Judaic law and custom.

I don't think I will attempt to explain the passage.  As I said, it is much
argued about, and there are numerous commentaries on the passage.  THe only
comment I have is that Jesus prefaces the passage with "I am not come to
destroy [the law]," even though in another place he says that nothing a man
eats can defile him, in violent contradiction with the dietary laws.  So
perhaps there is no simple answer to be given on this point.

Charley Wingate