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Please, please, please do not take this post as negative or insulting. We're all brothers and sisters here who are trying to reason with one another. I think this use of Scripture in defense of others' use of Matt. 5:17-20 is exactly what some on here find troublesome, myself included. You seem to prefer a specific interpretation, which inserts notions foreign to the text (e.g., the passages are about the commands of the Torah-Law, when they are actually about our sin and charges against us for our trespasses), over the multiple, clear witnesses throughout the Scriptures. Let's investigate this a bit.
The Greek word being used here for "old things" is ἀρχαῖα (archaia) -- the root being "old" or "past" or "earlier" (look it up in Strong's; all other variations of the word are a spin on something old or past or earlier -- old or past or earlier days, old or past or earlier prophets, old or past or earlier generations, etc.). Please consider that the "old" or "past" or "earlier" thing here is connected to the person. This is the immediate context since it's in a sentence about a man becoming a new creature. Now look to the verses before and after this one. What is Paul talking about connected to the man becoming a new creature? Their sinful life in the flesh. Paul says they "regard no one according to the flesh" and God "no longer is counting their trespasses against them." It's the same issue I've seen with your other interpretations, including Col. 2:14: You make everything about the commands of the Torah-Law, when they're all actually about our sin and charges against us for our trespasses. The old self regarding sin has passed away and we've become new creatures. Our sins have been nailed to the cross. NOT the commands of the Torah-Law have passed away and become new. NOT the commands of the Torah-Law have been nailed to the cross.
Now let's turn to Matt. 5:17-20:
“17 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. 18 For truly I tell you, 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. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." (NIV)
Simple test: Look out the window and see if heaven and earth are still here. Yes, they are. This means nothing will pass from the Torah-Law until heaven and earth do pass away. "Everything is accomplished" refers to God's complete plan of redemption, which is not yet fully accomplished. That happens at the end of days, the same time when heaven and earth pass away, and there are no more tears, no more suffering, and God lives with His children forever. This is clearly described in Rev. 21:
1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away the old order of things has passed away “I am making everything new!” “It is done."(NIV)
THAT is when everything is accomplished. THAT is when the old order of things has finally passed away. THAT is when IT IS DONE. Why did the Messiah reference heaven and earth needing to pass away before the Torah-Law would pass? It's simple: He was affirming a truth already established by Moses, who established heaven and earth as witnesses to the permanence of the Torah-Law (cf., Deut. 30:19-20a). There are more verses that say this same exact thing regarding when heaven and earth pass away (Isaiah 65:17; 2 Peter 3:7, 10-13). Multiple witnesses all saying the same thing throughout the full breadth of Scripture (Moses, Prophets, Messiah, Apostles, and Book of Revelation). How much more evidence do we need to firmly establish a matter???
Right now, the Torah-Law and Prophets are not entirely fulfilled. There are many prophecies concerning God's redemption plan and the Messiah that have not yet come to pass. This is the simple reality of the Messiah's dual purposes as Suffering Servant and Conquering King. He comes twice. By insisting that He already fulfilled everything, you are agreeing with the non-Messianic Jewish expectation that the Messiah is to accomplish everything in a single coming. This is one of the things that keeps them from believing! The only difference is you think it already happened, and they think it will happen in the future. The rest of us understand that He fulfilled part of His mission (and the accompanying prophecies) in the first century and will fulfill the rest of His mission (and the accompanying prophecies) in the latter days.
And continuing in the rest of the passage from Matthew, the Messiah reaches His next logical conclusion about the present permanence of the Torah-Law: Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Interpretation: Heaven and earth are still here and all is not accomplished, thus no jot or tittle has disappeared from the Torah-Law, thus teach and keep even the least of the commands. It's very straightforward, simple logic. To give the final reinforcement of His case, He exhorts us to be more righteous than the Pharisees and teachers of the Torah-Law. And what was one of His chief problems with the Pharisees and teachers of the Torah-Law, as evidenced by the Gospels? They were hypocrites who did not keep the Torah-Law! They put their own rules above the commands, thus setting aside the commands (Mar 7:9 -- And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!"), and they instructed others to keep it but did not keep it themselves (Matt. 23:3 -- So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.).
To get back to my original point of this post, please consider that Paul's writings are affirmed to be difficult to understand and lead to the error of the lawless, according to 2 Peter 3. The NT writings verify how to apply this warning with clear examples: Paul is accused all throughout Acts of walking in disobedience to the Torah-Law (see my previous post on Acts). The NT writings never say the false accusations against Paul were that he taught to keep the Torah-Law.
I get it, we all interpret when we read the texts. We all make mistakes. But context matters. And harmony with the other authors of the Scriptures matters. I suggest using the clear verses to reason with how to handle the unclear verses. And moreover specifically, I suggest using the clear words of God and the Messiah to reason with how to handle the unclear verses. Blessings to you~
The Greek word being used here for "old things" is ἀρχαῖα (archaia) -- the root being "old" or "past" or "earlier" (look it up in Strong's; all other variations of the word are a spin on something old or past or earlier -- old or past or earlier days, old or past or earlier prophets, old or past or earlier generations, etc.). Please consider that the "old" or "past" or "earlier" thing here is connected to the person. This is the immediate context since it's in a sentence about a man becoming a new creature. Now look to the verses before and after this one. What is Paul talking about connected to the man becoming a new creature? Their sinful life in the flesh. Paul says they "regard no one according to the flesh" and God "no longer is counting their trespasses against them." It's the same issue I've seen with your other interpretations, including Col. 2:14: You make everything about the commands of the Torah-Law, when they're all actually about our sin and charges against us for our trespasses. The old self regarding sin has passed away and we've become new creatures. Our sins have been nailed to the cross. NOT the commands of the Torah-Law have passed away and become new. NOT the commands of the Torah-Law have been nailed to the cross.
Now let's turn to Matt. 5:17-20:
“17 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. 18 For truly I tell you, 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. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." (NIV)
Simple test: Look out the window and see if heaven and earth are still here. Yes, they are. This means nothing will pass from the Torah-Law until heaven and earth do pass away. "Everything is accomplished" refers to God's complete plan of redemption, which is not yet fully accomplished. That happens at the end of days, the same time when heaven and earth pass away, and there are no more tears, no more suffering, and God lives with His children forever. This is clearly described in Rev. 21:
1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away the old order of things has passed away “I am making everything new!” “It is done."(NIV)
THAT is when everything is accomplished. THAT is when the old order of things has finally passed away. THAT is when IT IS DONE. Why did the Messiah reference heaven and earth needing to pass away before the Torah-Law would pass? It's simple: He was affirming a truth already established by Moses, who established heaven and earth as witnesses to the permanence of the Torah-Law (cf., Deut. 30:19-20a). There are more verses that say this same exact thing regarding when heaven and earth pass away (Isaiah 65:17; 2 Peter 3:7, 10-13). Multiple witnesses all saying the same thing throughout the full breadth of Scripture (Moses, Prophets, Messiah, Apostles, and Book of Revelation). How much more evidence do we need to firmly establish a matter???
Right now, the Torah-Law and Prophets are not entirely fulfilled. There are many prophecies concerning God's redemption plan and the Messiah that have not yet come to pass. This is the simple reality of the Messiah's dual purposes as Suffering Servant and Conquering King. He comes twice. By insisting that He already fulfilled everything, you are agreeing with the non-Messianic Jewish expectation that the Messiah is to accomplish everything in a single coming. This is one of the things that keeps them from believing! The only difference is you think it already happened, and they think it will happen in the future. The rest of us understand that He fulfilled part of His mission (and the accompanying prophecies) in the first century and will fulfill the rest of His mission (and the accompanying prophecies) in the latter days.
And continuing in the rest of the passage from Matthew, the Messiah reaches His next logical conclusion about the present permanence of the Torah-Law: Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Interpretation: Heaven and earth are still here and all is not accomplished, thus no jot or tittle has disappeared from the Torah-Law, thus teach and keep even the least of the commands. It's very straightforward, simple logic. To give the final reinforcement of His case, He exhorts us to be more righteous than the Pharisees and teachers of the Torah-Law. And what was one of His chief problems with the Pharisees and teachers of the Torah-Law, as evidenced by the Gospels? They were hypocrites who did not keep the Torah-Law! They put their own rules above the commands, thus setting aside the commands (Mar 7:9 -- And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!"), and they instructed others to keep it but did not keep it themselves (Matt. 23:3 -- So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.).
To get back to my original point of this post, please consider that Paul's writings are affirmed to be difficult to understand and lead to the error of the lawless, according to 2 Peter 3. The NT writings verify how to apply this warning with clear examples: Paul is accused all throughout Acts of walking in disobedience to the Torah-Law (see my previous post on Acts). The NT writings never say the false accusations against Paul were that he taught to keep the Torah-Law.
I get it, we all interpret when we read the texts. We all make mistakes. But context matters. And harmony with the other authors of the Scriptures matters. I suggest using the clear verses to reason with how to handle the unclear verses. And moreover specifically, I suggest using the clear words of God and the Messiah to reason with how to handle the unclear verses. Blessings to you~
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