Theological question was asked: “Can someone please explain Matthew 5:17?”

Jesus said,

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.”  Matthew 5:17 

Brief exegesis of Matthew 5:17, 

The Law, both the Spiritual (Romans 2:14-15) and the Written Code (Sinai – Law of Moses) only define our sin but provide no form of atonement or hope for humanity concerning establishing covenant relationship with the Father (Romans 3:20; 1 Timothy 1:8-9); therefore, anyone who seeks to please the Father through vain attempts to keep the Law is cursed (Galatians 3:10) and their works of self-righteousness are interpreted by the Father as a “filthy rag” (Isaiah 64:6); this, because the Law demands absolute perfection in obedience if one is to attain righteousness (a right standing) with the Father by law-keeping (James 2:10); but the problem is this, all of humanity is under the condemnation of sin (Romans 3:23) as children of Adam (Romans 5:12); therefore, all of humanity is condemned by the Law; fortunately, the Father did not leave us in our hopeless condition but ordained the Son, Jesus Christ, to destroy death, Hell, the grave, (the works of the Law and of Satan) via the Gospel which was ordained “before Time began” (1 John 3:8b; 2 Timothy 2:8-10; Romans 8:1-6).  

Jesus entered the Realm of Time born of the virgin seed via the Holy Spirit (Luke 1) and thereby circumvented the sin-nature of Adam passed to all of humanity genomically (Romans 5:12); Jesus, being fully Elohim (God) and fully man (Philippians 2:5-11), walked this Earth for 33.5-years in sinless perfection (John 8:46) by keeping every jot and tittle of the Law in perfection and thereby became our Spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the World through His blood atonement provided at Golgotha and thereby fulfilled the mandates of Leviticus 17:11 for us, once and forever (John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:19; Hebrews 8 – 10).  

The Father, by New Covenant promise, acknowledges the work of Jesus Christ at Golgotha on our behalf and agrees to forgive our sin, past-present-future (Hebrews 8:12), when we believe-trust in Jesus Christ by faith as Lord-Messiah-Redeemer who died for us (John 3).  

This redemption is ultimately made complete by New Covenant promise in that the Father agrees to impute-gift the sinless perfection/righteousness of Jesus over the life of the one who believes Jesus is Messiah who died for them (2 Corinthians 5:17; Genesis 3:21); this, in exchange for our sin; plus, the Father imparts-infuses His Holy Spirit into the life of the one who has believed in Jesus as Lord and the Holy Spirit is the Seal and Guarantor of New Covenant relationship with the Father, forever (Ephesians 1:13-14); in addition, the Holy Spirit enters the life of the faithful in Jesus and begins a good work within them by employing the redeemed conscience (2 Corinthians 5:17) of the faithful and combines that with the enlivened Spiritual Law written upon our heart at conception (Romans 2:14-15) and the Spirit produces “fruits of righteousness” in the life of the redeemed in Jesus, fruit that pleases the Father and validates our saving faith as authentic (Galatians 5; Matthew 7:15-20); this, as the Holy Spirit prepares the faithful in Jesus for service in the New Jerusalem.