Jesus and the Sabbath in the New Testament

[JacobMartinMertens]

Here are the verses in the Bible that talk about the Sabbath. Many of them are found in the New Testament. This should help with discussion on whether or not Jesus kept and/or taught the Sabbath command. I personally believe Jesus observed and taught the (entire) Law, per Matthew 5:17-20 NASB.

Matthew 5:17-20 NASB - 17 "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 "For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy

Genesis 2:2 NASB - By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

Genesis 2:3 NASB - Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

Exodus 16:23 then he said to them, "This is what the LORD meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning."

Exodus 16:25 Moses said, "Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field.

Exodus 16:26 "Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, {the} sabbath, there will be none."

Exodus 16:29 "See, the LORD has given you the sabbath; therefore He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day."

Exodus 16:30 NASB - So the people rested on the seventh day.

Exodus 20:8 "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Exodus 20:9 "Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

Exodus 20:10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; {in it} you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you.

Exodus 20:11 "For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

Exodus 23:12 NASB - "Six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you shall cease from labor so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female slave, as well as your stranger, may refresh themselves.

Exodus 31:14 'Therefore you are to observe the sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people.

Exodus 31:15 'For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall surely be put to death.

Exodus 31:16 'So the sons of Israel shall observe the sabbath, to celebrate the sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.'

Exodus 31:17 NASB - "It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed."

Exodus 34:21 NASB - "You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest.

Exodus 35:2 "For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy {day,} a sabbath of complete rest to the LORD; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.

Exodus 35:3 "You shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings on the sabbath day."

Leviticus 16:31 "It is to be a sabbath of solemn rest for you, that you may humble your souls; it is a permanent statute.

Leviticus 23:3 'For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to the LORD in all your dwellings.

Leviticus 24:8 "Every sabbath day he shall set it in order before the LORD continually; it is an everlasting covenant for the sons of Israel.

Numbers 15:32 Now while the sons of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering wood on the sabbath day.

Numbers 28:9 'Then on the sabbath day two male lambs one year old without defect, and two-tenths {of an} {ephah} of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, and its drink offering:

Numbers 28:10 '{This is} the burnt offering of every sabbath in addition to the continual burnt offering and its drink offering.

Deuteronomy 5:12 'Observe the sabbath day to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you.

Deuteronomy 5:13 'Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

Deuteronomy 5:14 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; {in it} you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you, so that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.

Deuteronomy 5:15 'You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to observe the sabbath day.

2 Kings 11:5 He commanded them, saying, "This is the thing that you shall do: one third of you, who come in on the sabbath and keep watch over the king's house

2 Kings 11:7 "Two parts of you, {even} all who go out on the sabbath, shall also keep watch over the house of the LORD for the king.

2 Kings 11:9 So the captains of hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each one of them took his men who were to come in on the sabbath, with those who were to go out on the sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest.

2 Kings 16:18 The covered way for the sabbath which they had built in the house, and the outer entry of the king, he removed from the house of the LORD because of the king of Assyria.

1 Chronicles 9:32 Some of their relatives of the sons of the Kohathites {were} over the showbread to prepare it every sabbath.

2 Chronicles 23:4 "This is the thing which you shall do: one third of you, of the priests and Levites who come in on the sabbath, {shall be} gatekeepers,

2 Chronicles 23:8 So the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each one of them took his men who were to come in on the sabbath, with those who were to go out on the sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss {any of} the divisions.

Nehemiah 9:14 "So You made known to them Your holy sabbath, And laid down for them commandments, statutes and law, Through Your servant Moses.

Nehemiah 10:31 As for the peoples of the land who bring wares or any grain on the sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the sabbath or a holy day; and we will forego {the crops} the seventh year and the exaction of every debt.

Nehemiah 13:15 In those days I saw in Judah some who were treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sacks of grain and loading {them} on donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs and all kinds of loads, and they brought {them} into Jerusalem on the sabbath day. So I admonished {them} on the day they sold food.

Nehemiah 13:16 Also men of Tyre were living there {who} imported fish and all kinds of merchandise, and sold {them} to the sons of Judah on the sabbath, even in Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 13:17 Then I reprimanded the nobles of Judah and said to them, "What is this evil thing you are doing, by profaning the sabbath day?

Nehemiah 13:18 "Did not your fathers do the same, so that our God brought on us and on this city all this trouble? Yet you are adding to the wrath on Israel by profaning the sabbath."

Nehemiah 13:19 It came about that just as it grew dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and that they should not open them until after the sabbath. Then I stationed some of my servants at the gates {so that} no load would enter on the sabbath day.

Nehemiah 13:21 Then I warned them and said to them, "Why do you spend the night in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will use force against you." From that time on they did not come on the sabbath.

Nehemiah 13:22 And I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come as gatekeepers to sanctify the sabbath day. {For} this also remember me, O my God, and have compassion on me according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness.

Isaiah 56:2 "How blessed is the man who does this, And the son of man who takes hold of it; Who keeps from profaning the sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing any evil."

Isaiah 56:6 "Also the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, To minister to Him, and to love the name of the LORD, To be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath And holds fast My covenant;

Isaiah 58:13 "If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot From doing your {own} pleasure on My holy day, And call the sabbath a delight, the holy {day} of the LORD honorable, And honor it, desisting from your {own} ways, From seeking your {own} pleasure And speaking {your own} word,

Isaiah 66:23 "And it shall be from new moon to new moon And from sabbath to sabbath, All mankind will come to bow down before Me," says the LORD.

Jeremiah 17:21 'Thus says the LORD, "Take heed for yourselves, and do not carry any load on the sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 17:22 "You shall not bring a load out of your houses on the sabbath day nor do any work, but keep the sabbath day holy, as I commanded your forefathers.

Jeremiah 17:24 "But it will come about, if you listen attentively to Me," declares the LORD, "to bring no load in through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but to keep the sabbath day holy by doing no work on it,

Jeremiah 17:27 "But if you do not listen to Me to keep the sabbath day holy by not carrying a load and coming in through the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem and not be quenched.'""

Ezekiel 46:1 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "The gate of the inner court facing east shall be shut the six working days; but it shall be opened on the sabbath day and opened on the day of the new moon.

Ezekiel 46:4 "The burnt offering which the prince shall offer to the LORD on the sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish and a ram without blemish;

Ezekiel 46:12 "When the prince provides a freewill offering, a burnt offering, or peace offerings {as} a freewill offering to the LORD, the gate facing east shall be opened for him. And he shall provide his burnt offering and his peace offerings as he does on the sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and the gate shall be shut after he goes out.

Amos 8:5 saying, "When will the new moon be over, So that we may sell grain, And the sabbath, that we may open the wheat {market,} To make the bushel smaller and the shekel bigger, And to cheat with dishonest scales,

Matthew 12:1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads {of grain} and eat.

Matthew 12:2 But when the Pharisees saw {this,} they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath."

Matthew 12:5 "Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent?

Matthew 12:8 "For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

Matthew 12:10 And a man {was there} whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"--so that they might accuse Him.

Matthew 12:11 And He said to them, "What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out?

Matthew 12:12 "How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."

Matthew 24:20 "But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath.

Mark 1:21 They went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and {began} to teach.

Mark 2:23 And it happened that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads {of grain.}

Mark 2:24 The Pharisees were saying to Him, "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"

Mark 2:27 Jesus said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.

Mark 2:28 "So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

Mark 3:2 They were watching Him {to see} if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.

Mark 3:4 And He said to them, "Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?" But they kept silent.

Mark 6:2 When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, "Where did this man {get} these things, and what is {this} wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands?

Mark 16:1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the {mother} of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him.

Luke 4:16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.

Luke 4:31 And He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and He was teaching them on the Sabbath;

Luke 6:1 Now it happened that He was passing through {some} grainfields on a Sabbath; and His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating {the grain.}

Luke 6:2 But some of the Pharisees said, "Why do you do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"

Luke 6:5 And He was saying to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

Luke 6:6 On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching; and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.

Luke 6:7 The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely {to see} if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find {reason} to accuse Him.

Luke 6:9 And Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?"

Luke 13:10 And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.

Luke 13:14 But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, {began} saying to the crowd in response, "There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day."

Luke 13:15 But the Lord answered him and said, "You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water {him?}

Luke 13:16 "And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?"

Luke 14:1 It happened that when He went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on {the} Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching Him closely.

Luke 14:3 And Jesus answered and spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?"

Luke 14:5 And He said to them, "Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?"

Luke 23:54 It was the preparation day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.

Luke 23:56 Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

John 5:9 Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and {began} to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that day.

John 5:10 So the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, "It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet."

John 5:16 For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath.

John 5:18 For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

John 7:22 "For this reason Moses has given you circumcision (not because it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and on {the} Sabbath you circumcise a man.

John 7:23 "If a man receives circumcision on {the} Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made an entire man well on {the} Sabbath?

John 9:14 Now it was a Sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.

John 9:16 Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, "This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath." But others were saying, "How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?" And there was a division among them.

John 19:31 Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and {that} they might be taken away.

Acts 1:12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away.

Acts 13:14 But going on from Perga, they arrived at Pisidian Antioch, and on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.

Acts 13:27 "For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, recognizing neither Him nor the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled {these} by condemning {Him.}

Acts 13:42 As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people kept begging that these things might be spoken to them the next Sabbath.

Acts 13:44 The next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord.

Acts 15:21 "For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath."

Acts 16:13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled.

Acts 18:4 And he was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

Colossians 2:16 Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day--

Hebrews 4:4 NASB - For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: "AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS";

Hebrews 4:9 So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.

[dizerner]

Jesus observed and taught the entire Law so we would trust him to fulfill it for us and inside us, instead of trying to fulfill it through outward obedience which will always condemn.

Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.

Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

[Paidion]

Jacob, you quoted John 5:18

Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. (NKJV)

Thus the apostle John stated clearly that Jesus broke the Sabbath. Oh I know some try to wiggle out of it by suggesting that John actually meant that the Jews thought He had broken the Sabbath. But John did not write that the Jews thought He has broken the Sabbath. He wrote that He broke the Sabbath.

[Paidion]

Justin Martyr met a group of Jews and discussed the OT scriptures for days with them. He argued that Jesus was the Son of God, and could be properly called "God" for that reason. Here is his explanation of the Sabbath to the Jews (Justin lived from 110 – 165 A.D.):

Righteous Men of Old Kept No Sabbaths
... all those righteous men already mentioned [Abel, Enoch, Noah,] ,
though they kept no Sabbaths, were pleasing to God; and after them
Abraham with all his descendants until Moses... Chapter 19

..For if there was no need of circumcision before
Abraham, or of the observance of Sabbaths, of feasts and sacrifices, before
Moses; no more need is there of them now,...Chapter 23

Nature Does Not Observe Sabbath Days
Do you see that the elements are not idle, and keep no Sabbaths? Chapter 23

God Himself Does Not Observe the Sabbath Day
Think it not strange that we drink hot water on the Sabbaths, since God directs
the government of the universe on this day equally as on all others.. Chapter 29

The True Israelites Are Those Who Come to God Through Christ
For the true spiritual Israel, and descendants of Judah, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham (who in uncircumcision was approved of and blessed by God on account of his faith, and called the father of many nations), are we who have been led to God through this crucified Christ, as shall be demonstrated while we proceed. Chapter 11 (near the end)

We Are Now Required To Keep Sabbath Daily By Resting From Sin and Working Righteousness
The new law requires you to keep perpetual sabbath, and you, because you are idle for one day, suppose you are pious, not discerning why this has been commanded you: and if you eat unleavened bread, you say the will of God has been fulfilled. The Lord our God does not take pleasure in such observances: if there is any perjured person or a thief among you, let him cease to be so; if any adulterer, let him repent; then he has kept the sweet and true sabbaths of God. If any one has impure hands, let him wash and be pure. Chapter 12 (at the end)

[JacobMartinMertens]

Jesus observed and taught the entire Law so we would trust him to fulfill it for us and inside us, instead of trying to fulfill it through outward obedience which will always condemn.

Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.

Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

The Law does condemn (God condemns), but why do you say outward obedience condemns? Obedience doesn't condemn. Disobedience does.

[JacobMartinMertens]

Jacob, you quoted John 5:18

Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. (NKJV)

Thus the apostle John stated clearly that Jesus broke the Sabbath. Oh I know some try to wiggle out of it by suggesting that John actually meant that the Jews thought He had broken the Sabbath. But John did not write that the Jews thought He has broken the Sabbath. He wrote that He broke the Sabbath.

There is a difference between observing the Sabbath and breaking it. I believe Jesus observed it.

[JacobMartinMertens]

Justin Martyr met a group of Jews and discussed the OT scriptures for days with them. He argued that Jesus was the Son of God, and could be properly called "God" for that reason. Here is his explanation of the Sabbath to the Jews (Justin lived from 110 – 165 A.D.):

Righteous Men of Old Kept No Sabbaths
... all those righteous men already mentioned [Abel, Enoch, Noah,] ,
though they kept no Sabbaths, were pleasing to God; and after them
Abraham with all his descendants until Moses... Chapter 19

..For if there was no need of circumcision before
Abraham, or of the observance of Sabbaths, of feasts and sacrifices, before
Moses; no more need is there of them now,...Chapter 23

Nature Does Not Observe Sabbath Days
Do you see that the elements are not idle, and keep no Sabbaths? Chapter 23

God Himself Does Not Observe the Sabbath Day
Think it not strange that we drink hot water on the Sabbaths, since God directs
the government of the universe on this day equally as on all others.. Chapter 29

The True Israelites Are Those Who Come to God Through Christ
For the true spiritual Israel, and descendants of Judah, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham (who in uncircumcision was approved of and blessed by God on account of his faith, and called the father of many nations), are we who have been led to God through this crucified Christ, as shall be demonstrated while we proceed. Chapter 11 (near the end)

We Are Now Required To Keep Sabbath Daily By Resting From Sin and Working Righteousness
The new law requires you to keep perpetual sabbath, and you, because you are idle for one day, suppose you are pious, not discerning why this has been commanded you: and if you eat unleavened bread, you say the will of God has been fulfilled. The Lord our God does not take pleasure in such observances: if there is any perjured person or a thief among you, let him cease to be so; if any adulterer, let him repent; then he has kept the sweet and true sabbaths of God. If any one has impure hands, let him wash and be pure. Chapter 12 (at the end)

Interesting quotes Paidion. Where do the headings come from that you have for these quotes?

[Paidion]

The headings are mine.

[Paidion]

There is a difference between observing the Sabbath and breaking it. I believe Jesus observed it.

In spite of the fact that the apostle John said that He broke it?

Jesus can break the Sabbath without sinning, for He is the Lord of the Sabbath (Matt 12:8, Luke 6:5)

Actually, Christians who don't observe the Sabbath are not breaking it. Whether they are Jews or Gentiles, they simply are not under the Mosaic law.
I suggest that you carefully read the book of Galatians, who were misled into thinking they had to obey the law of Moses. Here is just one quote from Galatians:

Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise. Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. (Gal 3:16-19 ESV)

This sounds a bit like Justin Martyr, doesn't it? The promises to Abraham were given 430 years before the law of Moses, and those promises were given to his offspring, namely Christ (Messiah) Jesus, and thus to His disciples. They have nothing to do with the law of Moses. We who are Jesus' disciples are not under the law of Moses; we are under the law of Christ (1 Cor 9:21, Gal 6:2).

And as Paul also wrote in Rom 7: 1-6:

Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? Thus a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress. Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit.

The true law of God or of Christ is the law we need to follow. The law of Christ is found chiefly in Matt 5, 6, and 7. Here is what Jesus said about those who build their lives on His law:

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matt 7:24-27)

The true law of God overrides the law of Moses. And the people of God have that law written on their hearts:

For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts... (Rom 2:13-15)

According to the law of Moses, everyone who follows Yahweh, had to be circumcised. I wonder how many today who try to follow the law of Moses have been circumcised. This question came up in the early church:

But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. (Acts 15:1,2)

But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.” (Acts 15:5)

What did he apostles do? Did they agree with these believers? Did they instruct the Gentile believers to be circumcised and to keep the law of Moses?
NO! Here is what happened:

The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” (Acts 15:6-11)

Then they sent the following letter to the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:

The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings.
Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell. (Acts 15:23-29)

And now let's examine carefully the passage you quoted from Matt 5:17-20. Jesus said:

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 say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus said that not even the smallest part of the prophecies of the law and the prophets would not be fulfilled (or accomplished). Jesus said that Moses wrote about Him. The prophets also wrote about Him. These prophecies were fulflilled. They came to pass; they were accomplished. Under Messiah Jesus, the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, an even deeper law was given, the law of Christ. So anyone who relaxes the least of Jesus' commandments (Matt 5, 6, and 7, and elsewhere) or teaches others to do the same will be least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever does them and teaches them will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven. Following the law of Christ will result in a righteousness which exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees and others who profess to follow the laws of Moses.

[JacobMartinMertens]

And now let's examine carefully the passage you quoted from Matt 5:17-20. Jesus said:

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 say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus said that not even the smallest part of the prophecies of the law and the prophets would not be fulfilled (or accomplished). Jesus said that Moses wrote about Him. The prophets also wrote about Him. These prophecies were fulflilled. They came to pass; they were accomplished. Under Messiah Jesus, the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, an even deeper law was given, the law of Christ. So anyone who relaxes the least of Jesus' commandments (Matt 5, 6, and 7, and elsewhere) or teaches others to do the same will be least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever does them and teaches them will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven. Following the law of Christ will result in a righteousness which exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees and others who profess to follow the laws of Moses.

You do accept some of the Law, but do you accept all of it?

Are you saying that when Jesus fulfilled the Law (and the Prophets) that you believe He only fulfilled prophecies of events that were future? What do you say of the commands of God spoken of? Are they not found in the Law and the Prophets?