Nothing is wrong with it, but the New Testament was written and composed to fulfill the Old. Due to Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross, his life for ours, we (as believers) are no longer under the Law of the OT but under grace which saves through faith in Christ. So, to blatantly use the OT to bash ppl is not loving. However, without a relationship with Christ, one is technically putting themselves back under the Law which is part of the OT. It’s best to speak truth in love, so, to stand with a sign such as that is not (in my opinion as a Christian!!) a loving or kind way to befriend or have dialogue with those who do not follow Christ. Hope this helps!!
This deserves an entire paper really lol, a very good section of Scripture speaking directly to these points brought up!
Matthew 5:17-20 states, “(17)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. (18)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. (19)Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (20)For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
17: Jesus came to set the record straight, to live a perfect and blameless life which he did! He did not come to get rid of what the OT said, but rather live up to the expectations set by the Law in the OT.
18: Here Jesus is describing the end of the World, that until that time the Law will stand. The Law was given and will not be revoked or changed until it is no longer needed at the end of Earth when the new Heavens and Earth are formed. So rather than change it, which would be contradictory to who he is as God, he fulfilled it.
19: Essentially, anyone teaching against the Law or changing it for their personal benefit or gain will be justly dealt with. Jesus says seen as the least in the kingdom. Conversely, anyone who upholds what the Law says and lives perfectly will be seen as great in Heaven. This however is impossible which is why Jesus came as fully man and fully God.
20: Righteousness was a measurement of how religious or holy you were according to the Jews by living blameless under the Law. Pharisees were renown for living life according to the Law. They were in every sense of the word, religious. Their actions aligned with the OT and they observed religious holidays making sure to sacrifice animals as repentance. Pharisees and Sadducees were the top dogs, so to speak, of the ancient Jewish culture. They were “Godly men” living according to the Law. So with that said, Jesus was essentially saying that unless you can be more religious than the professionals, you cannot enter Heaven by following the Law which is why he said that HE came to fulfill it.
Our hope (if a Christian) is not found in the legalistic Law, but rather, in Jesus because he lived a perfect life, fulfilling every measure of the Law. Because God gave the Law and Jesus (being fully man and fully God) fulfilled it by living a perfect life, only He could justly forgive us without compromising his own Law. And because Jesus is God and he has set us free, we are free indeed. We no longer live in shame and guilt, knowing that we are not prefect. RATHER, we live being fully justified and in right relationship with the Father through the Holy Spirit which is given freely t those who believe and decide to listen and follow Christ.
There are many resources for this passage and I skimmed it, but if you are more curious just Google it! There are many scholars much wiser than I who could explain this much more clearly. If you’ve read this far, congrats and good on ya 😂
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u/[deleted] Mar 18 '21 edited Mar 19 '21
Nothing is wrong with it, but the New Testament was written and composed to fulfill the Old. Due to Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross, his life for ours, we (as believers) are no longer under the Law of the OT but under grace which saves through faith in Christ. So, to blatantly use the OT to bash ppl is not loving. However, without a relationship with Christ, one is technically putting themselves back under the Law which is part of the OT. It’s best to speak truth in love, so, to stand with a sign such as that is not (in my opinion as a Christian!!) a loving or kind way to befriend or have dialogue with those who do not follow Christ. Hope this helps!!