Did Jesus End the Authority of the Law of God at His Death?

 
If you have been in any church for any period of time you will more than likely hear something along these lines:

Jesus did away with the Law at the cross.
Jesus nailed the Law to the cross.
We aren't under the Law anymore after Christ's death.

These are just a few of the ones that I have heard throughout my 30 years as a Christian. And I used to believe it.  I just took what was said, a presupposed idea that had been fed to me without searching out for myself.  I was guilty of not searching the scriptures to prove that what I was being taught lined up with what God himself said.  I was taking the traditions of thought that had been passed down from generation to generation without question. This is most definitely not the biblical method that God had in mind. Paul tells us how proud he was of the Bereans because they searched the scriptures daily to insure that what they were being taught lined up with what the God's word. What word was that that they were searching? It was the books of the Law and Prophets. They were the totality of the scriptures at that time. They did not have to New Testament.

Back on topic...

Its the belief of the mainstream church today that the Law has been done away with, its obsolete and it not longer applies to the born again believer. Lets take a look at the belief that the Law was nailed to the cross, and what does scripture really say about it. 

The main verse for the argument that Jesus Christ nailed the law to the cross, and that it ended with his death is found in the book of Colossians in chapter two. Let's take a look...

Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

This verse alone seems pretty convincing if you only look at it by itself, but the verse before it places some context on it for us. 

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

The handwriting that was against us...what does that mean?
Its talking about the record of our sin. All our sins that we have done from birth until the moment we die. We have a collected list against us that would prove us guilty in any court as proof of breaking that Law of God, after all, that is the definition of sin itself.  There was a tally sheet, a count. We had broken the Law of God, and sinned against God.

What does the bible call sin?

Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Because we have transgressed the Law of God, we have sinned. We are condemned to an eternal death. We only escape this eternal death by our belief and our salvation that is given to us through Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. When we believe in Jesus Christ and become born again, that list, the handwriting that was against us it covered in the blood of Christ never to be remembered.
God has done away with the list of transgressions, he has forgiven us of every single infraction of the Law that we had committed. Our transgressions were nailed to the cross, not the Law of God.

Jesus himself told us that not even the tiniest most minute part of the Law would pass away until heaven and earth pass away (after the Millennial Reign), and all is accomplished. The all that its talking about here is not his death, but after his return, after the Millennial Reign when he says "It is done". This is when there will be no need for the Law because no man will need to teach his brother or his neighbor, because every man shall know him. (Jeremiah 31:33-34)

I know, I know...you want to know about the first part of those verses in Matthew 5 that I just quoted about the Law passing away. Starting in verse 17.

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

That term of "think not" is in the original language a harsh term, meaning "Do not even THINK". 
So this verse Jesus is saying "Do not even THINK that I have come to destroy the law; or the prophets...".  We are not to even think that that is what he came to do, yet it is being preached that it is exactly what he did. 
I have then heard said "this was still before the cross". How does that make sense, though? Why would Jesus tells them that he didn't come to destroy the Law, then turn around and make it obsolete just 3 years later?  Lets break down this verse and see what it means, and see if we can't contextually get to the core meaning.

Destroy - (according to the Greek lexicon) to deprive of force, annul, abrogate, discard,  to overthrow, i. e. to render vain, to deprive of success, to bring to naught, to subvert.

Do not even think (aggressive terminology) that I have come to annul, discard, overthrow, render vain, to bring to naught the Law. Another way of putting it since it uses the wording "bring to naught", this is another way of saying that he did not come to reduce it to nothing. He did not come so that the Law plays no part in our lives. He did not come so that it could be placed on a back burner because of faith.

Romans 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

Lets move onto the next section of that verse in Matthew 5:17..."but to fulfill"

Fulfill - (according to the Greek Lexicon) universally and absolutely, to fulfil, i. e. to cause God's will (as made known in the law) to be obeyed as it should be, and God's promises (given through the prophets) to receive fulfilment

Jesus said he came to live God's will as made know by the law, to obey it as it should be obeyed. He came to fulfill the promises made to and by the prophets. What are the promises? 

Christ being born of a virgin
Christ doing miracles
Christ preaching the Kingdom
Christ being betrayed
Christ being beaten
Christ being the Lamb of God
Christ being our sacrifice for sin
Christ being pierced without breaking a bone
Christ rising from the grave

These are some of the things that he fulfilled from the prophets. Not one time in scripture do we see it prophesied that he would do away with the Law, or that it would become void in the life of the believer after his death. 

Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

God's entire plans for the future are laid out in the books of the Prophets. There is NOTHING in them that tells us that the Law of God should not be followed after the death of the Messiah.

So the way Matthew 5:17 is translated is as follows...

Do not even THINK that I have come to take authority away from or to overthrow the Law.  I did not come to take it away, but to obey it as it should be obeyed according to the will of God, and to fulfill the promises given in the books of the prophets.

Christ was our example on how to live out the Law of God. He said "If you love me, keep my commandments."

This is where we will end for this post, but I will be back with more!