Well, the update thus far relates to AnAuthenticAtheist asking me,
Can you give an example of me “taking something without question and running with it”? I’d very much appreciate it.
Also, be sure not to ignore the first part of the scripture you partially quoted. In particular, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets”.
…The example is that you stated, “the Old Testament still applies” but I do not see how you came to that conclusion except via the partial quotation and assertions of UnderlordZ.
You seem to have reached that conclusion by reading “the first part of the scripture you partially quoted. In particular, ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets’.”Yet, that may be the problem “part” means that we are taking a statement that is making a point via a complete thought and breaking it up into parts. When we do this, we then make the parts mean whatever we want.
Note that UnderlordZ cited Matthew 5:17-18 but only quoted the part convenient to his point &, via an assertion, made it say what he wanted. He says “that not so much as a dot will pass the law ‘till heaven and Earth pass away.’” Yet, the text does not say & does not mean this.It states:
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. 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.
Do you see how different the context is?
It states that they will not pass away until fulfilled. Till heaven & earth disappear they will not pass away until they are fulfilled.
Note hyperbole mixed with qualifying term makes the point “X will never, never, ever happen until.” From just the “never, never, ever” part we would conclude just that “never, never, ever.”
Yet from the qualifier “until” we would conclude that the “never, never, ever” part was hyperbole & that the thought, when taken together in context, is that something will not happen until something else happens.
Therefore, since Jesus came to fulfill, they did not pass away until He did fulfill, He did fulfill, so they are passed away.
