All of human life is shaped by some story.[1] This statement by Michael Goheen strongly emphasizes the importance and the impact of story on the human experience. Everyone is shaped in some way by the stories they have heard, or in many cases, the experiences they have had. But one thing is certain, everyone is shaped by story. The question is not whether humans are affected by story, but rather what story reigns supreme. Humans must decide if they are going to find meaning and value in the story they are writing, pointing inward, or if they are going to submit to the authority of the greatest story ever told. The creator of the universe, revealed Himself in person and in word, and it is documented in the Holy Bible. This story, is the most beautiful story ever written, because it is not just a story to be read, but a story to participate in and a story to surrender too. The Bible can be simply broken down by creation, fall, redemption, and restoration.[2] These themes tie together the entirety of scripture, and all point to Jesus. Oftentimes when people have approached the story of scripture, they have viewed the Bible as a disaggregated collection of separate testaments, where the Old Testament focuses on a strict and authoritarian God, whereas the New Testament is focused on a God of love and grace. This statement on scripture results in individuals who view the creator of the universe as only an authoritarian God of judgment or only a God of love and grace, and both viewpoints are entirely wrong. The Old Testament, through the giving of the Law, gives the people of God a set of guidelines that result in human flourishing. The only issue is that humans are incapable of living up to the Law given by God, thus the Old Testament Law reveals a person’s need for a savior-one who will do for them what they cannot do for themselves- and points to the coming savior of Jesus in the New Testament. The unity of the biblical cannon hinges upon the critical truth that Jesus Christ is the perfect fulfillment of the Old Testament Law. This fulfillment is a comprehensive work wherein Christ first clarifies the Law’s true, internal righteousness, then embodies it through His perfect life, and finally completes it by becoming the perfect, all-atoning sacrifice. Because the Law is the foundation of the Old Covenant, its fulfillment in Christ demonstrates that the entirety of scripture is a unified and progressive revelation of His redemptive work.

Threefold Completion of the Mosaic Law

Fulfillment through Clarification

Christ’s fulfillment of the Law extends beyond mere obedience, beginning with a foundational clarification of its true, internal righteousness. In the Old Testament, Moses journeyed up onto Mount Sinai to receive the Law from God. This is important, because we see a very similar circumstance in the New Testament when Jesus delivers His most well-known sermon, the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus, God Himself, goes up a mountain on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee to clarify the Law and address the heart change that was needed for the people of God. [3] Jesus starts in Matthew chapter five with what have become known as the Beatitudes. In His opening statement, Jesus states “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3, New King James Version). Here Jesus is opening His teaching with a blessing to the poor in spirit. Being poor in spirt is being aware of ones position of spiritual bankruptcy before an Almighty God, and being aware they bring nothing to the table for salvation, except the sin that requires it. Later in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus clarifies teachings by speaking on topics to include murder and adultery. Jesus consistently states “you have heard that it is said…but I say to you”. On both topics of murder and adultery, Jesus moves from the external action, to the internal heart issue. Murder is indicative of anger, whereas adultery is indicative of lust. In both of these instances, Jesus is clarifying the intent of the Law that was given the people of God. It was not meant to be a begrudging submission to set a rules, but a total transformation of the heart. It is also very important to note that Jesus is speaking from a position of authority and as one who is able to clarify the intent of the Law that was given. John chapter one states that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God (John 1:1). Jesus was the preeminent being, the one that has always been, and He became flesh as God in human form. Graeme Goldsworthy states that Jesus sums up all scripture, interprets all scripture, and brings all of it to fulfillment, because Jesus Christ is the Word of God.[4] The entirety of scripture and scholarly work emphasize that He is more than worthy to clarify the Law of God.

Fulfillment through Embodiment

Moving from verbal clarification to tangible demonstration, Christ personally embodied the Law’s true, internal righteousness through the perfection of His life. Jesus, in everything He did, actively obeyed the Father, in both passion and in suffering, living a perfectly sinless life.[5] The book of Hebrews states that “we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). This truth is an encouragement to believers as it affirms the perfect life of our Lord and Savior, while giving the individual confidence that God, as a man, experienced all of the temptations and struggles we have. Also, in 2 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul states that God made “Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This verse, again, highlights the sinless nature of Jesus and serves as evidence of His perfectly lived life. Lastly, in Matthew chapter five, Jesus says “be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).  This teaching sets the standard of righteousness as perfection, a standard humans are unable to achieve, again pointing to the individuals need for a Savior. Jesus, through His teaching on the Sermon on the Mount, first clarified the intent of the law, driving from the external action to the internal heart issue, and secondly, lived a perfect life Himself, fulfilling the Law through embodiment. 

Fulfillment through Sacrifice

Having clarified its internal standard and embodied its perfect righteousness, Christ brought His fulfillment of the Law to its ultimate consummation by offering His life as the atoning sacrifice it required. All throughout scripture there is a constant theme of sin leading to death. In Romans chapter six, the Apostle Paul states that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life” (Romans 6:23). Later in the New Testament, in James, the scriptures states that “sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death. Even dating back to the Garden of Eden, before the Law had been given to the people of God, the result of sin was always death. When Adam and Eve fell, they begin to hide their nakedness as they we ashamed. This act of sin lead to the first sign of death when animal skins were provided to Adam and Eve to wear.[6] This theme of sin leading to death is continued throughout the Old Testament, especially in the Levitical sin and guilt offerings. Sin and guilt offerings were the first mandatory offerings that were given by God to His people, and they were to be conducted after both intentional and unintentional sin.[7] Although these sacrifices sufficed in the temporary, the blood of these sacrifices could not cover the entirety of man’s sin for all of eternity. That is why Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God, had to go to the cross to die in our place. His blood was the only blood that could adequately cover the entirety of all sin due to the nature of His sinless life. By pouring out His life and blood, Jesus obtained the eternal redemption that God’s people had long desired, but were unable to achieve on their own effort.[8] Jesus not only clarified the Law’s internal righteousness and lived it perfectly, but He also brought the Law to its ultimate completion through His life given as the all-atoning sacrifice.

Application

Knowledge that the work of Jesus connects both the Old and New Testament is important not only for increased biblical understanding, but also for individual application and sanctification. Unfortunately, sometimes, Christians do not want to dive into doctrine or theological ideas, because they do not feel equipped or knowledgeable enough. But that is a lie from the enemy. Every Christian is a theologian, because every Christian thinks about God, and when we read His inspired Word, we are thinking on, and partaking in theology.[9] Understanding Jesus as the centerpiece that ties together the metanarrative of the bible should encourage believers to read the Old Testament and result in a better understanding of their salvation and their relationship to the Law. 

Reading of the Old Testament

            With Christ’s life and sacrifice as the ultimate interpretive key, the modern believer can read the Old Testament and not see a list of statutes, but instead the heart of the God who, from the beginning, was paving the way for the cross. Unfortunately, many Christians hold the false belief that reading the Old Testament is not necessary, or not as important. And although the Old Testament is not necessary for Salvation, it is incredibly beneficial for increasing ones understanding of who God is. When the Old Testament is read with Jesus in mind, the entire narrative begins to fall neatly into place. One is able to see the handiwork of God clearly displayed through the entirety of scripture. Themes such as justification by faith are seen clearly as early in scripture as Genesis. When Jesus is placed at the forefront of the readers mind, the God of the Old Testament is no longer seen as an authoritarian God that displayed judgment, but instead a God that gave His people grace, patience, and love continuously. In fact, as the narrative continues on to the Old Testament the reader finds that God loves His creation so much that He would come and do for them what they could not do for themselves, giving them a path to eternal life, with Him, through the work of Jesus Christ. Christians should look at the person of Jesus and realize that He is the crucial centerpiece of the entire narrative, and with this truth in mind, be willing to delve into Old Testament texts to better understand the beauty of their Creator.

Knowledge of Salvation and Relationship to the Law

The entire theological framework of Christ’s fulfillment of the Law finds its ultimate application in providing the believer with an unshakable, personal knowledge of their own salvation. Through humans consistent inability to live up to the standard set by God, one is able to understand that they are woefully inadequate before God, which is why the work of Jesus Christ should be liberating to the individual believer. We are justified, not through works, or personal ability, but by faith in Jesus Christ, apart from the works of the Law.[10] This heavily contested doctrine within theological circles is where the rubber meets the road.[11] Ones understanding of this doctrine is key, as it completely changes how they view God, as well as their role, or lack thereof, in salvation. The Apostle Paul states that it is “by grace you have been saved through faith, and not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Our salvation is not of our own doing, it is a complete gift that can only be accepted by grace through faith, not compliance to a set of rules. When Christians realize this doctrine, they are free to focus on the substance, the cornerstone, the person of Christ Jesus. Colossians chapter two states that believers are no longer to be judged in food or drink or in regard to the Sabbath, because those “are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance is of Christ” (Colossians 2:17). The substance of the Law was fulfilled in the work of Jesus and now Christians are free from the bondage of legalism, empowered to live a life guided by the Holy Spirit. This truth, when understood, is the most freeing fact in a Christian’s life.

Conclusion

            Jesus Christ and His fulfillment of the Law is the thread that ties together the metanarrative of scripture. This unifying work began as He clarified the Law’s true, internal righteousness, which was subsequently embodied by His sinless life, and was concluded with His all atoning sacrifice. When viewed through this lens, the Old Testament is seen not as disconnected history, but instead is seen as one unified story, where Christ is the interpretive key to every part. Grasping this truth gives the believer an unshakable assurance that Christ is the centerpiece of it all and that the knowledge of their salvation is the intended goal of the story. The Word became flesh, and was revealed, so that humans may have fellowship with Him, and that is the greatest story ever told.

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[1] Michael W. Goheen, “The Urgency of Reading the Bible as One Story,” Theology Today 64, no. 4 (2008): 470.

[2] James M. Hamilton Jr., What is Biblical Theology: A Guide to the Bible’s Story, Symbolism, and Patterns (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014), 31.

[3] Stuart K. Weber, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 56.

[4] Graeme Goldsworthy, According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible (Lisle, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1991), 59.

[5] Ryan M. McGraw, “Why Did Jesus Live a Perfect Life?: The Necessity of Christ’s Obedience for Our Salvation,” Evangelical Quarterly 93, no.1 (2022): 89.

[6] Raymond R. Hausoul, God’s Future for Animals: From Creation to New Creation (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2021), 112.

[7] Kyle C. Dunham, “The Sin Offering and the Guilt Offering of the Levitical Cult: Their Occasion, Nature and Distinction,” Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal 28 (2023): 7.

[8] David Brondos, “Why was Jesus Crucified? Theology, History, and the Story of Redemption,” Scottish Journal of Theology 54, no. 4 (2001): 497.

[9] Graeme Goldsworthy, According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible (Lisle, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1991), 29.

[10] Ndzi Leonard, “Justification by Faith: The Heart of the Gospel and Its Relevance Today,” Greener Journal of Social Sciences 15, no.1 (2025): 205.

[11] Michael S. Horton, “Justification and the Christian Life,” Reformed Faith & Practice 6, no.1 (2021): 4.