Introduction

Our text for today is Matthew 5.18 from which I have formed this title: "The Absolute Permanence of the Law." Perhaps the word absolute is unnecessary in the title but it seems to add something to permanence to say that something is "absolutely" permanent. The subject is the Law. The following outline will point us to the nuances of the passage: we will consider the permanence of the Law affirmed, emphasized, and applied.

1A. Permanence of the Law Affirmed

The absolute permanence of the Law is affirmed in two ways by the "until" clauses of the text (Mat. 5:18): until heaven and earth pass away and until all is accomplished (ESV, NAS).

1B. The Law remains until the end of the physical universe

This point comes from the first until clause, "until heaven and earth pass away."

Reference to heaven and earth is comprehensive in scope. This conjunction is the way that the Hebrew mind referred to the totality of the physical universe. It is rooted in Genesis 1:1 (in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth). There is no term for universe in the Bible. It is this conjunction of heaven and earth that refers to everything on earth (including the earth itself made up of land and sea) and to everything above the earth. The phrase "heaven and earth" is short for "the heavens and the earth…and all the host of them" (Gen. 2:1) and it is short for "heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them" (Ex. 20:11).

The Law is such that it will last as long as the physical universe lasts. The point Jesus makes is that of permanence. The Law will last to the final moment when the created order passes away. Picture yourself traveling to that ultimate moment when this world system will be rolled up and perish like a worn out garment that is destroyed (Heb. 1:10-12). As you watch the old heaven and earth reach that point of disappearance to give place for a new heaven and earth, what you will see is that the Law has remained in effect; it abides even to that very moment, to the final moment in the existence of the physical universe.

What then should we make of the idea that "until" suggests a time when the Law will pass away, namely, when the universe passes away? If what comes beyond the present order were in view, then we would have to understand this aspect of the text in light of 1 Corinthians 13 regarding the "passing away of prophecies" (v. 8). What this would mean is that the partial nature of divine revelation that we have in Scripture presently will pass away. Seeing face to face eventually replaces seeing dimly in a mirror (v. 12).

However, Jesus is not looking beyond the existence of the world-system that we know and in which we live. We do not need to go there to get a handle on His teaching. He is saying that as long as the world lasts, the Law lasts. What more do we need to know to recognize that the Law is permanently relevant for us as we live out our lives on this earth below our feet and under this heaven above our heads. As long as land, sea, sun, moon, stars, their entire host, and all that is in them last, the Law lasts. That is what is relevant to our pilgrim journey. Everyone who lives on this earth between now and the final Day of Judgment must look to the Law to guide his steps. The only people excluded from the binding duties of the Law are those who do not live on this earth. Everyone who lives under the sun, moon, and stars is bound to the Law to guide his life. The only people excluded from the binding duties of the Law are those who do not live under the sun, moon, stars, and their entire host. If you live on the earth and under the warmth of sun, then as long as that is the case, you are duty bound to the Law of God. It is that permanent, stable, valid, and relevant to human existence while the physical universe exists.

Whatever we say about what comes after the present world system, one thing we cannot say. We cannot say that the Law will at that point fall to the ground in failure. Jesus helps us avoid that thought by what He says elsewhere and recorded in Luke’s Gospel, "it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void" (Lk. 16:17). "Become void" literally means to fall and thus to become invalid or fail. Try to think of the stability of the physical universe. Consider the dependability of the laws of matter identified in science (stable and sure for the time appointed by God and by His controlling power). For example, the properties of light are such that we can use it in marvelous ways in medicine and communications when they are coordinated with other stable properties like those of glass when heated, melted, and stretched into fiber optic cable that can span an ocean. The stability of the OT Law of God is like that stability and even greater than that stability, far greater. Therefore, the Law is valid and relevant to the end of the physical universe; it is dependable and sure. It is a rock of safety upon which to build a life worth living.

2B. The Law remains until the end of history

The first until clause obviously includes the notion of history by implication but it is the second until clause that unpacks this historical element. To see how history comes into view we need to examine the translation of the clause.

1) Consider some translations of the last clause (in bold)

ESV For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

KJV For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

NAB Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.

NAS "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished.

The question before us centers on the meaning of "all." As we go, it should become clear that the final verb of the clause is not the key to the best translation or to a good understanding of the passage. We will see that we get clarity here when we begin by noting the vagueness of the word all in the clause (yes, clarity by noting vagueness).

2) Consider the best alternative

The New American Bible (NAB) gives the best rendering ("until all things have taken place"). A number of reasons support this reading. First, there is no grammatical agreement between the word all and the word Law. That is, Law is not the antecedent of all (or what is being referred to by all) because the two words are not linked grammatically [in the Greek text the words are not linked by means of the word endings, or morphologically, as is done in a different but closely related passage, Luke 21:25-33. We have the same clause, "until all has taken place" (v. 32) but the all is linked by word endings to "these things" (vs. 31, 28). Thus, we know that we can include "these things" in the translation of verse 32, "until all these things have taken place."].

In fact, there is no link between any specific words in the context of Matthew 5:18 with the word "all." It is unparticularized. The best way to render "all" when it is unparticularized is to add "things" to it (cf. the NAB translation, "until all things…"). What we have then is a wide-open and comprehensive reference that arises from what first seems to be a vague "all" or a vague "all things." Some examples of this non-particularization are John 1:3 (all things were made by him), Ephesians 1:22 (Jesus is given to the church as head over all things), Matthew 11:27 (all has been handed over to Christ by the Father, that is, all things), and Revelation 21:5 (the one on the throne said, "Behold I am making all things new.").

This brings us to the second supporting reason for the NAB translation. To complete the translation of the clause, we have to look carefully at the verb. The translations that have either fulfilled or accomplished give the impression that we have a repeat of the verb "fulfilled" from verse 17. However, that is incorrect. It is a different word. As in Luke 21:32, the word used means happen or take place. Using "accomplished" here may suggest that the Law will pass away but that notion is incorrect because the verb means, "come to pass." [It could be the case that come to pass is parallel with fulfilled indicating that the Law will be fulfilled; however, the Law is not identified in that "all" is unparticularized.]

3) Consider the point of the text

The NAB translation is helpfully clear. Jesus is saying that the Law will not pass away until every event in history has occurred (until all things have taken place). There is a historical unfolding in view whereas the first clause spoke to a terminal point in the history of the entire universe. The first clause has a historical element but it is focused on the disappearance or passing away of the physical universe while the second clause accents the coming to pass of all things over the course of history (roughly, the former refers to space and the latter to time). The Law is permanent while all the events of history are unfolding; it will endure until every event has occurred. The Law will not pass away until all things, events, and historical occurrences have come and gone.

Again, "until" does not necessarily imply that the Law will pass away. The accent is on the time up to the terminal point in view (cf. Mat. 5.26, being in prison until you have paid the last cent is a warning that stresses the time in prison). Thus, if you could follow every single event (of people and things) right up to the last event, until the last one, you would see that until the last thing the Law has not passed away. In this way, the affirmation is definite: "without question, the Law remains until the end of history with abiding and unbroken relevance."

2A. The Permanence of the Law Emphasized

We can already see from the "until" clauses that this verse is emphatic. There are two "until" clauses; in distinct ways, they hammer the same point. The Law is permanently relevant to human existence within the history of the physical universe to the end. In a number of other ways, this verse emphasizes the permanence of the Law.

First, emphasis on this permanence comes from the authority of Christ. He opens the affirmation with "truly I say to you." Truly translates "amen," which indicates that the permanence of the Law is not only true but also authoritatively true. It is a matter of utmost importance to understand that Jesus affirms the permanence of the Law with divine authority.

Second, the use of a double negative indicates emphasis. Oversimplifying we can translate like this: "not…not any part of the Law will pass away until…until…" and we pick up the emphasis at both ends of the verse.

Third, detailing also indicates emphasis. Reference is made to the jot and tittle, that is, the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet and the smallest mark or stroke on a letter (cf. "the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter," NAB). The idea compounds like this: "not…not any part of the Law, even down to the finest point of detail, will pass away until…until..."

Here is an important question we should answer in this connection: "Is this text telling us that the Hebrew Bible will be perfectly preserved through the process of copying from scribe to printing press to the end of time?" Do you agree with me that the answer is obvious and comes from the flow of thought in this verse in its context? In other words, the theme in this context is not the preservation of the written and printed editions of the Hebrew Bible. Instead, the theme is the abiding relevance of the entire Law of God to the end of time. Moreover, by the reference to the smallest letters and marks in Hebrew writing the point is emphatic that all the details of the entire Law have permanent relevance. Finally, the smallest details stand in contrast with the largest details of the universe and the smallest details of the Law outlast the largest details of the physical universe. Thus, the monumental point is emphatic; the all the details of the Law abide with permanent relevance to the end of time.

If someone is concerned about losing detail if there is no perfect preservation of the written text (down to letter and smallest mark on a letter), we can put such concern to rest by recognizing that all the details are preserved even where letters are lost in scribal transmission. Let me illustrate this with a mock example. Let us say that the scribal transmission of the spelling of the word Bethlehem in the OT varies so much that we cannot be sure about one letter in the word. In other words, we have lost a letter from the Hebrew Bible that is in a prophecy of the coming of Christ. Now Jesus has come and He was born in Bethlehem. Question: Has the promise of Jesus in Matthew 5.18 failed? Has a detail, a jot or tittle, fallen to the ground in failure and the promise of Jesus failed with it? What do you think? Should not your answer be, "not at all, and obviously so because the birth of Christ took place in Bethlehem no matter how you spell the word." Many variants in the Hebrew Bible (as in the Greek Bible) are spelling variations, most other variants do not affect the meaning of the text, and none of the variants affects Christian doctrine when all of Scripture is in view. Variants are not critical in determining any of the debates in Christian theology.

3A. The Permanence of the Law Applied

A number of things link together to show the permanence of the Law applied.

1) It is importance to understand that Jesus affirms the permanence of the Law with divine authority. It is therefore important as an unending standard of human conduct. In brief, living under the Law is a matter of living under the authority of Christ for discipleship to the end of the age (Mat. 28:20).

2) This means further that learning as disciples must be oriented to the Law and to diligence in obedience.

3) The connecting word ("for") directs us back to the teaching of Jesus on how we are to think about His coming in relation to the Law and in turn to our relation to the Law (Mat. 5.17). Do not think in terms of discontinuance; recognize it but think in terms of continuance and fulfillment. Therefore, nothing invalidates the law to end of the world; therefore, not even the coming of the new wine of fulfillment should lead us down that road. Ultimately, we are to think new wineskin regarding all the details of the Law. Precision and exactness are joint goals in a Christian ethic worth its salt.

4) Because of its absolute permanence, the Law instructs us in good works so that we are both salt and light on behalf of others.

5) Thus, the permanence of the Law is foundational to the supreme goal of glorifying our Father in heaven (Mat. 5.16).

Conclusion

Warfield states the thrust of this passage in this way: "It is asserted with an emphasis, which could not be made stronger, that the law in its smallest details remains in undiminished authority so long as the world lasts" (PTR, 13.4, 1915; Bahnsen, Theonomy, 84)

Benediction

Lord, teach us to think about the Law as having an abiding authority and relevance to our lives as long as we live on the earth beneath our feet and under the sky above our heads. Help us therefore to think fulfillment instead of abrogation. Help us to set our minds right and to rejoice in the Law of the Lord that is sweeter than honey in the honeycomb.