Sermons on Matthew 5:18

Matthew 5:18 Interpretation:

Fulfillment, Righteousness, and the Kingdom of Heaven (Granville Chapel) interprets Matthew 5:18 as Jesus affirming the enduring importance of the Law, but with a crucial shift: the Law is not merely a set of external rules but is meant to integrate heart, mind, and conduct. The sermon uniquely uses the Greek word "teleos" (translated as "perfect") to argue that Jesus is calling for maturity and wholeness, not flawlessness. The analogy of a carpenter’s square is used to illustrate how even small deviations from God’s intended “rightness” (righteousness) can undermine the strength and integrity of a life, just as a staircase built without a proper right angle becomes unstable. The Law, in this view, is a standard for wholeness and flourishing, not just rule-keeping.

Fulfillment of the Law: Righteousness Through Christ (Mountain Vista Baptist Church) offers a detailed and multifaceted interpretation of Matthew 5:18, emphasizing that Jesus’ fulfillment of the Law is both a completion and a transformation. The sermon uses the analogy of a mortgage: once the debt is fulfilled, the obligation is no longer binding, but the house remains. This is extended to the Law: Jesus fulfills it, so it is no longer binding in the same way, but it is not destroyed. The sermon also highlights the Greek word for "accomplished" as indicating a transition from one state to another, and stresses that Jesus is the only legitimate interpreter of the Law, which must now be understood through his teaching and person. The preacher also critiques the common Christian practice of dividing the Law into moral, ceremonial, and civil categories, arguing that Jesus and the Jews of his time did not do this, and that the Law must be seen as a whole.

Affirming the Infallibility and Inerrancy of Scripture (Ligonier Ministries) interprets Matthew 5:18 as a foundational statement for the infallibility and inerrancy of Scripture. The sermon draws a distinction between "infallibility" (incapable of failing) and "inerrancy" (without error), arguing that Jesus’ statement about not one jot or tittle passing from the Law until all is accomplished demonstrates his absolute trust in the total reliability of Scripture, down to the smallest detail. The preacher references the Greek and Hebrew linguistic details (jot/yod and tittle) to emphasize the precision of Jesus’ claim.

Fulfillment of the Law: Christ's Righteousness Revealed (Ligonier Ministries) provides a layered interpretation, presenting at least five possible readings of "fulfill": (1) theonomy (continuation of Old Testament civil law), (2) Jesus’ perfect obedience to the Law, (3) fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, (4) fulfillment on our behalf (imputed righteousness), and (5) affirmation of the continuing authority of the Old Testament Scriptures. The sermon references the Greek word "pleroo" for "fulfill" and explores its semantic range, and also discusses the Hebrew textual details (iota and dot) as evidence of Jesus’ high view of Scripture’s authority.

Christ's Authority and the Inerrancy of Scripture (Ligonier Ministries) interprets Matthew 5:18 as Jesus’ explicit endorsement of the infallibility and inerrancy of Scripture, down to the smallest letter and stroke. The sermon coins the phrase "jot and tittle inspiration" to describe Jesus’ view, and argues that Jesus’ authority as Lord is inseparable from his view of Scripture’s total reliability. The preacher also addresses the circularity objection (using the Bible to prove the Bible’s authority) and argues for a progressive, historical approach to establishing Jesus’ view.

Embracing Our Creator: Wisdom, Affliction, and Jesus (David Guzik) offers a unique linguistic and cultural insight by connecting Jesus’ reference to the “jot” in Matthew 5:18 to the Hebrew letter “yod,” the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet. Guzik draws an analogy to English punctuation marks like the apostrophe or comma, emphasizing the minuscule size and perceived insignificance of the “jot.” He interprets Jesus’ statement as an affirmation of the absolute reliability and permanence of God’s Law, down to the tiniest detail, and links this to the structure of Psalm 119, where each section begins with a successive Hebrew letter. This connection between the Hebrew alphabet and Jesus’ words provides a vivid, concrete image of the Law’s enduring nature and the Creator’s meticulous care for His word.

Understanding Textual Meaning: Author's Intent and Stability (Desiring God) presents a distinctive interpretive angle by focusing on the stability and immutability of textual meaning, using Matthew 5:18 as a foundational example. The sermon argues that when Jesus says not an “iota” or “dot” will pass from the Law, He is not merely referring to the physical marks on the page but to the enduring, unchanging meaning those marks signify. The preacher uses the Greek term “iota” and the Hebrew “dot” to illustrate that the meaning intended by the original author (God, through Moses) is fixed and will be accomplished, not subject to change across generations or readers. This interpretation is further developed through analogies about legal statutes and the use of “etc.” in language, reinforcing the idea that meaning is anchored in authorial intent and is historically fixed.

Matthew 5:18 Theological Themes:

Fulfillment, Righteousness, and the Kingdom of Heaven (Granville Chapel) introduces the theme of righteousness as wholeness and maturity, not mere rule-keeping. The Law’s purpose is to integrate heart, mind, and action, and Jesus’ fulfillment of the Law is to bring about this holistic transformation, not just external compliance. The analogy of the carpenter’s square is used to show that God’s standard is for our flourishing, and deviation from it leads to instability in life.

Fulfillment of the Law: Righteousness Through Christ (Mountain Vista Baptist Church) presents the theme that the Law is eternally good and holy, but its fulfillment in Christ means believers are no longer bound to it as a system of salvation or rule-keeping. Instead, righteousness comes through faith in Christ, whose obedience and sacrifice fulfill the Law’s demands. The sermon also critiques the common Christian practice of dividing the Law into categories, arguing that such divisions are foreign to Jesus’ teaching and that the Law must be seen as a unified whole.

Affirming the Infallibility and Inerrancy of Scripture (Ligonier Ministries) develops the theme that Jesus’ view of Scripture is the ultimate standard for Christian doctrine. The sermon argues that to deny the inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture is to undermine the authority of Christ himself, since Jesus explicitly affirmed the total reliability of the Old Testament.

Fulfillment of the Law: Christ's Righteousness Revealed (Ligonier Ministries) explores the theme of imputed righteousness: Jesus fulfills the Law on behalf of believers, providing a perfect righteousness that is credited to them by faith. The sermon also highlights the continuing authority of the Old Testament Scriptures, not just as moral code but as the living Word of God, and connects this to the doctrine of justification by faith.

Christ's Authority and the Inerrancy of Scripture (Ligonier Ministries) emphasizes the theme that the authority of Scripture is inseparable from the authority of Christ. To question the inerrancy of the Bible is to question the lordship and truthfulness of Jesus, since he explicitly affirmed the absolute reliability of Scripture.

Defending Scripture: Inerrancy and Christ's Authority (Ligonier Ministries) introduces a nuanced theological theme by addressing the implications of Jesus’ affirmation of the Law’s permanence for Christ’s sinlessness and the doctrine of inerrancy. The sermon uniquely argues that if Jesus, in His humanity, taught a high view of Scripture (as in Matthew 5:18) but was mistaken, this would constitute a moral blemish and undermine His qualification as the sinless Lamb of God. This theme goes beyond the standard affirmation of inerrancy by tying the authority and reliability of Scripture directly to the moral perfection and salvific sufficiency of Christ.

Understanding Textual Meaning: Author's Intent and Stability (Desiring God) adds a fresh theological facet by emphasizing that the stability of meaning in Scripture, as implied by Matthew 5:18, is foundational for the possibility of right and wrong interpretations. The sermon contends that if meaning were not fixed, Jesus’ promise about the Law’s endurance would be meaningless, and the very concept of biblical authority would collapse. This theme links the doctrine of Scripture’s immutability to the practical outworking of hermeneutics and the pursuit of truth.

Matthew 5:18 Historical and Contextual Insights:

Fulfillment, Righteousness, and the Kingdom of Heaven (Granville Chapel) provides historical context by explaining that "the Law and the Prophets" was a Jewish shorthand for the entire Old Testament, and that in Jesus’ day, the canon of the Old Testament was not fully closed. The sermon also discusses the roles of scribes and Pharisees as the intellectual and religious elite of first-century Judaism, whose righteousness was considered exemplary.

Fulfillment of the Law: Righteousness Through Christ (Mountain Vista Baptist Church) offers historical insight into the Jewish expectation that the Messiah would abolish the Law and establish a new system, and explains that Jesus’ statement in Matthew 5:18 was a direct response to this expectation. The sermon also details how the Pharisees and scribes were viewed as the most righteous people in Jewish society, and that Jesus’ call for a greater righteousness would have been shocking to his audience. Additionally, the preacher explains how the Law was originally given to Israel as a covenant for living in the Promised Land, and that Gentile converts would become part of Israel and live under the Law for covenantal, not salvific, purposes.

Fulfillment of the Law: Christ's Righteousness Revealed (Ligonier Ministries) provides historical context by referencing the theonomy movement and the debates among early American colonists about whether to enforce Old Testament civil law. The sermon also describes the lived experience of Orthodox Jews (e.g., Sabbath observance, dietary laws) to illustrate the burdens of legalistic righteousness and contrasts this with the freedom found in Christ’s fulfillment of the Law.

Christ's Authority and the Inerrancy of Scripture (Ligonier Ministries) gives historical context by discussing the rigorous scrutiny applied to the New Testament and Old Testament texts by modern archaeology and historical criticism, and argues that no other ancient document has been as thoroughly validated. The sermon also references the Jewish view of Scripture in Jesus’ time as inspired and infallible, and notes that Jesus’ contemporaries settled disputes by appealing to the authority of Scripture down to the smallest detail.

Embracing Our Creator: Wisdom, Affliction, and Jesus (David Guzik) provides historical context by explaining the structure of Psalm 119 and its use of the Hebrew alphabet, specifically the letter “yod,” which Jesus references as “jot” in Matthew 5:18. Guzik details how each section of Psalm 119 begins with a successive Hebrew letter, and the “yod” stanza highlights the smallest letter, underscoring the meticulous care with which the Law was written and preserved in ancient Jewish culture. This context enriches the understanding of Jesus’ statement by situating it within the Jewish reverence for every detail of the Torah.

Defending Scripture: Inerrancy and Christ's Authority (Ligonier Ministries) offers a detailed historical insight into the prevailing Jewish view of Scripture in Jesus’ time, noting that both Jesus and His contemporaries (such as the Pharisees) held the Law to be divinely inspired and inviolable down to the smallest letter and stroke. The sermon also references the development of higher criticism and the historical debates within the church regarding the nature of inspiration and inerrancy, situating Matthew 5:18 within the broader context of doctrinal controversies from the Reformation to the 20th century.

Matthew 5:18 Cross-References in the Bible:

Fulfillment, Righteousness, and the Kingdom of Heaven (Granville Chapel) references 1 Corinthians 15, where Paul states that Christ died and was raised "in accordance with the Scriptures," to support the idea that Jesus fulfills the entire story of the Old Testament. The sermon also alludes to the six antitheses in Matthew 5:21-48 ("You have heard it said... but I say to you...") as Jesus’ authoritative interpretation of the Law, and to Matthew 5:48 ("Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect") to reinforce the call to maturity and wholeness.

Fulfillment of the Law: Righteousness Through Christ (Mountain Vista Baptist Church) references Jeremiah 31:31-34 (the promise of a new covenant), Romans 7:6 (released from the law to serve in the new way of the Spirit), Galatians 3:10-14 (the law as a curse, Christ as redeemer), James 2:10 (whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at one point is guilty of all), and Romans 5:8 (Christ died for sinners). These passages are used to show that the Law’s purpose was to point to Christ, that righteousness comes by faith, and that the Law is fulfilled in Christ’s death and resurrection.

Fulfillment of the Law: Christ's Righteousness Revealed (Ligonier Ministries) references Genesis 3:15 (the protoevangelion), Deuteronomy 18 (a prophet like Moses), Isaiah 53 (the Suffering Servant), Galatians 4:4 ("born of a woman"), 2 Timothy 3:16-17 ("All Scripture is God-breathed"), and 2 Corinthians 5:21 ("God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God"). These passages are used to show the prophetic fulfillment in Christ, the authority of Scripture, and the doctrine of imputed righteousness.

Affirming the Infallibility and Inerrancy of Scripture (Ligonier Ministries) references Jesus’ statements such as "Thy word is truth" (John 17:17), "The Scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35), and "Not one jot or tittle of the law shall pass away until all has been fulfilled" (Matthew 5:18), as well as 2 Timothy 3:16-17, to support the doctrine of inerrancy and infallibility.

Christ's Authority and the Inerrancy of Scripture (Ligonier Ministries) references Jesus’ use of Scripture in theological disputes (e.g., "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" from Deuteronomy 8:3, quoted in Matthew 4:4), and his statement that "not a single jot or tittle of the law shall pass away until all is fulfilled" (Matthew 5:18). The sermon also alludes to James 3:1 ("Not many of you should become teachers...") to underscore the seriousness of teaching error.

Embracing Our Creator: Wisdom, Affliction, and Jesus (David Guzik) references several Old Testament passages to support the enduring nature of God’s word and the experience of affliction: Genesis 2:7 (God forming man), Job 1:21 (Job’s response to suffering), 1 Samuel 3:18 (Eli’s submission to God’s will), 2 Samuel 16:11 (David’s acceptance of affliction), 2 Kings 4:26 (the Shunammite mother’s faith), Psalm 83:16 (prayer for the proud to be shamed), and Psalm 139:23 (prayer for a blameless heart). These references are used to illustrate the psalmist’s and other biblical figures’ trust in the unchanging word of God, paralleling Jesus’ affirmation in Matthew 5:18.

Defending Scripture: Inerrancy and Christ's Authority (Ligonier Ministries) draws on several biblical passages to reinforce the authority of Scripture: John 17:17 (“Thy word is truth”), and the broader context of Jesus’ teaching about the Law. The sermon also references the Council of Chalcedon and the doctrine of the two natures of Christ, though not a direct biblical cross-reference, to clarify the implications of Jesus’ statements about Scripture for Christology.

Matthew 5:18 Christian References outside the Bible:

Fulfillment of the Law: Righteousness Through Christ (Mountain Vista Baptist Church) explicitly references several Christian scholars and authors: Warren Wiersbe, who is quoted as saying that Jesus fulfilled the Law especially in his death and resurrection, bearing its curse and fulfilling its types and ceremonies; and George Buttrick, who is cited for his view that Christ "enlarged the law," turning its negatives into positives and its narrowness into wide horizons. The preacher also references the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy and John Warwick Montgomery’s book "God’s Inerrant Word" as resources for understanding the doctrine of inerrancy.

Fulfillment of the Law: Christ's Righteousness Revealed (Ligonier Ministries) references Greg Bahnsen, Gary North, and R.J. Rushdoony as proponents of theonomy, and John Wenham as an advocate for the continuing authority of the Old Testament. The sermon also mentions Gresham Machen and John Murray in the context of the doctrine of Christ’s active obedience, and Martin Luther’s term "protoevangelion" for Genesis 3:15. The Westminster Confession of Faith is cited regarding the satisfaction of divine justice in Christ’s work.

Affirming the Infallibility and Inerrancy of Scripture (Ligonier Ministries) references a range of Christian scholars and theologians: Tertullian, Irenaeus, Augustine, Luther, Karl Barth, Emil Brunner, Paul Althaus, Rudolf Bultmann, Joachim Jeremias, and C.H. Dodd, noting their views on the authority and inerrancy of Scripture and Jesus’ view of the Bible. The sermon also mentions the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy and John Warwick Montgomery’s "God’s Inerrant Word."

Christ's Authority and the Inerrancy of Scripture (Ligonier Ministries) references John Warwick Montgomery’s "God’s Inerrant Word" and the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, as well as 20th-century scholars such as Barth, Brunner, and C.H. Dodd, who are noted for acknowledging Jesus’ high view of Scripture even if they personally disagreed with it.

Embracing Our Creator: Wisdom, Affliction, and Jesus (David Guzik) explicitly cites the Anglican bishop George Horne, who comments on the value God places on His creation and the obligations of creatures to their Creator, and also references Augustine and his mother Monica, highlighting Monica’s persistent prayer for Augustine’s conversion as an example of praying according to God’s word. Guzik also quotes Charles Spurgeon on meditating on God’s law rather than the law of retaliation, and references commentary by Bridges on Psalm 119, as well as George Eliot’s literary observation about “unvisited graves” (though this is more literary than Christian).

Defending Scripture: Inerrancy and Christ's Authority (Ligonier Ministries) references several prominent Christian scholars and theologians: John Calvin (on the evidences for Scripture’s authority and the internal testimony of the Holy Spirit), F.F. Bruce (on the reliability of New Testament documents), William Ramsay (on archaeological confirmation of Luke’s accuracy), William Foxwell Albright (on the necessity of historical and philological analysis), Karl Barth (on the Word of God and the humanity of Scripture), and the Council of Chalcedon (on the two natures of Christ). The sermon also mentions Emil Brunner, C.H. Dodd, and Joachim Jeremias as scholars who acknowledged Jesus’ high view of Scripture but questioned its correctness.

Matthew 5:18 Illustrations from Secular Sources:

Fulfillment, Righteousness, and the Kingdom of Heaven (Granville Chapel) uses two detailed secular analogies: first, the Vancouver Canucks’ decades-long quest for the Stanley Cup as an analogy for fulfillment, illustrating how the realization of a long-awaited goal brings meaning and coherence to the entire preceding story; and second, the analogy of a carpenter’s square and the construction of stairs, where small deviations from the right angle result in instability and imperfection, illustrating how even minor departures from God’s standard of righteousness can undermine the integrity of a life.

Fulfillment of the Law: Righteousness Through Christ (Mountain Vista Baptist Church) uses the analogy of a mortgage or car payment: once the debt is fulfilled, no further payments are required, but the house or car remains. This is used to illustrate how Jesus’ fulfillment of the Law means the obligation is no longer binding, but the Law itself is not destroyed. The sermon also uses the illustration of an acorn: it can be destroyed by smashing it or by planting it so it grows into an oak tree, paralleling the difference between abolishing and fulfilling the Law.

Fulfillment of the Law: Christ's Righteousness Revealed (Ligonier Ministries) uses the story of Gresham Machen’s telegram ("Thank God for the active obedience of Christ") as a historical illustration, and the experience of living next to an Orthodox Jewish neighbor as a contemporary example of the burdens of legalistic righteousness. The preacher also references the tradition of sending fruitcake at Christmas as a humorous cultural touchpoint, and the story from Pilgrim’s Progress of a man raking the ground while a crown hovers above his head, illustrating the tendency to focus on earthly concerns and miss the gift of righteousness in Christ.

Scripture: Our Unshakeable Foundation in a Confused World (Ligonier Ministries) uses several detailed secular illustrations to highlight the cultural context and the perceived collapse of grand narratives. The preacher references the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and the presentation of the Bible as “the most valuable thing this world affords,” drawing a parallel to Jesus’ declaration in Matthew 5:18. He also cites Douglas Murray’s book “The Madness of Crowds” to illustrate the confusion and irrationality of contemporary Western culture, and references a BBC film on gender identity as an example of cultural absurdity. The sermon further invokes Greta Thunberg and the “Church of climatology” as a metaphor for secular religion replacing traditional Christianity, and references the Times of London and Melanie Phillips’ commentary on cultural shifts. These illustrations serve to contrast the enduring authority of Scripture (as affirmed in Matthew 5:18) with the instability and shifting values of modern society.

Defending Scripture: Inerrancy and Christ's Authority (Ligonier Ministries) uses a personal anecdote about shaving with a poor-quality razor and receiving a better one as a gift from John MacArthur, humorously illustrating the theme of reliability and trustworthiness. The sermon also references academic debates and the experience of defending inerrancy before a liberal seminary faculty, using these real-world scenarios to underscore the challenges of upholding biblical authority in both secular and religious contexts.