Many Muslims and Atheists have brought forth countless arguments in trying to disprove modern Christian doctrines and to display that Christ is not the loving and peaceful character we have all been taught to believe. One of these arguments includes Christ's saying in Matthew 5 where he says that he did not come to cancel the law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them. But what exactly is the law and the prophets?

The common belief among many individuals is that the law and the prophets is the WHOLE of the old testament (including ceremonial and religious laws). However, nothing can be further from the truth. To understand why this is so, we must first realize that Matthew 5 goes hand in hand with chapters 6 and 7, seeing as these 3 sections are what make up the famous sermon on the mount. When we read Matthew 7:12, Jesus tells us that the law and the prophets is to DO UNTO OTHERS what we would want them to DO UNTO US. Notice that Jesus tells us that the law and the prophets involves DOING something for other people. In other words, it is the MORAL LAW. Here are a few questions to think about:

1) Does DOING UNTO OTHERS WHAT YOU WOULD WANT THEM TO DO UNTO YOU fulfill not eating pork?

2) Does DOING UNTO OTHERS WHAT YOU WOULD WANT THEM TO DO UNTO YOU fulfill getting circumcised?

3) Does DOING UNTO OTHERS WHAT YOU WOULD WANT THEM TO DO UNTO YOU fulfill not eating shell fish?