Only Jesus, Not The Law And The Prophets, Are Necessary For Peace With God

“And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. And Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three booths here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”” Matthew 17:2-5 LSB https://bible.com/bible/3345/mat.17.4.LSB

 

Jesus, God in the flesh, revealed Himself to His closest disciples only for them to misunderstand what they saw. Moses, representing the law, and Elijah, representing the prophets, stood before God as lessers and not equal to God the Savior. Peter wanted to enshrine all three leaders making Jesus equal to the law and prophets, but God the Father spoke from the cloud, revealing He, Jesus the Savior, is greater than the law and the prophets. What does this mean for us? It means we place the words of Jesus, the commands of Jesus, and the teachings of Jesus above all other commands and teachings. It means He completed the law and fulfilled the prophet’s hope so that we could all follow Him and no longer be burdened by the law today or anxious for the future. Jesus’ new covenant means relating to God in a whole new way, and this way is the way of peace with God through the performance of Jesus. Listening to Jesus means trusting Jesus as the Savior of the world, believing His perfect life allowed Him to become the perfect sacrifice for the sins of men. God must punish disobedience, and all of us have disobeyed God, requiring Him to condemn us. Jesus perfectly obeyed the law, never disobeying God, then offered Himself as a sacrifice in our place as the prophets forecast He would, for we could not save ourselves from God’s judgment. Having risen from the dead, this Jesus has proven His sacrifice was received as sufficient payment for God’s judgment allowing Him to become the Judge and Ruler of heaven and earth now and forever. Those who will live forever with Jesus listen to Him, walk in His ways, and trust Him alone for their peace with God.

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