Do Paul and Matthew Contradict?

[jinc1019]

It seems clear to me that Paul states that the Jewish law does not need to be followed anymore because a new covenant with God has been made through the blood of Jesus. Anyone familiar at all with Paul will know that…but Matthew states that Jesus says, “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. I tell you the truth, 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. Anyone who breaks 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 practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 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” (Matthew 5.17).

So which is it? Do I have to follow the law as a Catholic or not? I mean Jesus is very clear that the law will never be abolished, not even a little of it. So how can He be right and Paul be right at the same time?

 

[runningdude]

Ah, but Christ also says that man is not defiled by what is external, but what is internal. Thus, we are not bound by rituals to make us liturgically clean. And Saint Peter had a vision, telling him that all the meats of the earth are good to eat, so that the dietary laws are not needed.

Ultimately, Christ fulfilled the law once and for all, by offering himself as the final sacrifice for the sins of man. Thus the sacrificial rituals of the Old Law are no longer fulfilled.

Saint Paul tells us that we either accept that Christ fulfilled the Old Law, and thus parts of it now no longer have effect, or we try to observe a select few of the expired customs, and deny Christ’s sacrifice.

It is a challenge to us as believers. We whole heartedly believe Christ fulfilled the Law on our behalf, or we must continue to obey the Old Law to the fullest, because we deny Christ.

 

[JRKH]

It seems clear to me that Paul states that the Jewish law does not need to be followed anymore because a new covenant with God has been made through the blood of Jesus. Anyone familiar at all with Paul will know that…but Matthew states that Jesus says, “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. I tell you the truth, 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. Anyone who breaks 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 practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 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” (Matthew 5.17).

So which is it? Do I have to follow the law as a Catholic or not? I mean Jesus is very clear that the law will never be abolished, not even a little of it. So how can He be right and Paul be right at the same time?

Reread what Christ said. He came to fulfill. It remains until accomplished.
Well Christ fulfilled it. It has been accomplished.

Acts 15: 28-29, the Council of Jerusalem concluded that, "For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from unchastity.
So - The Holy Spirit instructed the Apostles to rule agains the Judaizers in their attempts to enforce “The Law” on the Gentile converts.

As another aspect of this, consider what Christ told His Church in Mt 16 and again in Mt 18. Each time Christ mentions “Church” he also mentions this, “whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
The Church would not have “loosed” us from the yoke of “The Law”, if it had not already been loosed in heaven. The teaching of the Holy Spirit through the council in Acts 15 demonstrates this fact.

Peace
James