The purpose of all the commandments is precisely to make people holy and sinless. But Christ not only fulfilled the law. He supplemented it, He brought a new law, immeasurably higher than the ancient Mosaic Law.

He added to it His own law, immeasurably higher than the ancient one. The ancient law said: "Thou shalt not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14, Deuteronomy 5:18). And He said that not only the one who truly commits adultery commits adultery, but also the one who lustfully looks at a woman (Matt. 5:28).

The ancient law says: "Thou shalt not kill" (Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17). And He said that if we are angry with our brother, it is tantamount to murder (Matt. 5:22). The Lord gave new commandments – the 9 Beatitudes, which, like heaven from earth, are higher than the ancient commandments of the law of Moses; for the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Sinai forbid only manifest or gross sins, while the commandments of Christ, the Beatitudes, raise to the summit of spiritual perfection. They demand immeasurably more than the commandments of the law of Moses, while at the same time keeping these ancient commandments unbroken.

You may ask: how does Christ say that "not one jot or one tittle shall pass away from the law, until all things are fulfilled" (Matt. 5:18)?

You may ask, do they still sacrifice animals like the ancient Jews? No, they do not. A long time ago, they stopped making these bloody sacrifices.

The law of Moses was very severe, it prescribed the execution — stoning — of every blasphemer of the law, blasphemer of the name of God; every impudent son who insulted his mother or father; he ordered to stone or burn all adulterers and adulterers. He commanded that the daughter of a priest who had committed adultery should be burned alive. The law prescribed severe punishment for those who beat or mutilated their brothers. Those who inflicted injury were ordered to inflict the same injury as he inflicted on his neighbor, "Fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth" (Lev. 24:20).

Do the Jews now stone adulterers and adulterers? Do they knock out teeth for a knocked out tooth? For a long time the Jews themselves have not done this, for a long time they have not observed a number of provisions of the law of Moses. Does this mean that they are breaking the law? No, it does not, because although they do not fulfill the ceremonial decrees, the spirit of the law remains in full and inviolable force to this day.

If those who insult parents, fornicators, harlots, adulterers, and adulterers are not stoned and burned now, then the thought that is extremely important and profound, and which guided the ancient lawgiver, remains in full force to this day.

It consists in the fact that blasphemy of the name of God, insulting parents, fornication and adultery are extremely grave sins. This ancient law, though not fulfilled now, reminds us of the great sin we commit when we disrespect, and much more when we offend our parents; reminds us of the gravity of the vile, abominable sin of adultery. This is his strength, and this strength is fully preserved to this day.

Only the rite has been abolished, for it has a temporary, historical significance, but the spirit of profound wisdom, which lies at the basis of this rite, has not been abolished in the least; therefore the Lord says that He did not come to break the ancient law, but to fulfill it.

That is why He says that "until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle will pass away from the law, until all things are fulfilled." And the ancient law, though not a ceremonial law, but the law of the spirit, the great law of Christ, with which He supplemented this ancient law, is preserved until the end of the world.

It will not pass away, it will not pass away!

That is why the Lord said that He came not to destroy, but to fulfill the law. Therefore, the apostles were right, who at their Council eliminated only the ceremonial part of the law of Moses: they did not violate the law. The law has fully and completely preserved its spiritual essence.

Remember this, and treat the ancient law with deep respect. Consider it your duty to fulfill it as you fulfill the law of Christ. Amen.