B. The Moral Law – The Ten Commandments. 

1. Matthew 5:17-20 

With the three laws that God has given, which forms the big picture and places us in a larger context, I’m all ready to dive into the topic proper – Matthew 5:17-20. 

Matt 5:17-20 NIV

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.

¹⁸ For truly I tell you, 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.

¹⁹ Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly 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.

²⁰ 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.” 

Whenever, ‘the Law’ and ‘the Prophets’, appear, it is referring to the whole of the Old Testament scriptures (Matt 7:12, 22:40, Lk 16:16, Jn 1:45, Acts 13:15, 28:23, Rom 3:21). 

As for the singular word, ‘Law’ in Matthew 5:17, this refers to the entire Law of Moses. 

The entire Law, which consisted of three parts: the moral (Ten Commandments), the ceremonial, and the judicial or civil, were given to the children of Israel. 

The judicial or civil law was given to the nation of Israel to guide them in their relationship with one another and their conduct as responsible citizens of the Jewish nation. 

The ceremonial law consists of burnt offerings and sacrifices that were required to be carried out in connection with their temple worship. 

So in Matthew 5:17-18, ‘the Law’ here includes all three laws – the ceremonial, judicial and moral. 

But from Matthew 5:21 onwards, when our Lord speaks of the law, He is speaking only of the moral section, when he starts to talk about the sin of anger and the sin of lust and the rest of them in Matthew 5:21-48. 

Matt 5:17 NIV

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. 

What does it mean when Jesus said He has come to ‘fulfil’ the Law? 

It can be explained in two ways: 

First, it means Jesus would fulfil the Law by revealing God’s original intent in it, filling it ‘to the full’ and completing what the scribes and Pharisees had effectively emptied from it because of their distortions to the law. 

Second, it means that Jesus came to fulfil the Law in the sense of giving full obedience to it, literally carrying out everything that has been said and stated in the Law and in the Prophets. 

 

2. Countering Joseph Prince’s Teachings About The Moral Law In The Ten Commandments. 

There are those, such as Joseph Prince, who teaches that when Jesus said He would fulfil the Law in Matthew 5:17, it means He has come to fulfil all the requirements of the Law on our behalf through His obedient life and sacrificial death. 

So, since Jesus has come to fulfil all the requirements of the Law on our behalf, including the moral law in the Ten Commandments,

we don’t have to fulfil them anymore – meaning all moral laws are no more relevant for New Covenant believers

as Jesus has obeyed each and every one of these moral laws for us – on our behalf. 

In ‘Destined To Reign’, Page 13, Joseph Prince wrote,

“(Referring to Matthew 5:17 NIV)

Jesus came to fulfill all the requirements of the law on our behalf, so that the way to God is now opened.

Hallelujah!

“Pastor Prince, you are saying that we are no longer under the law.

But Jesus Himself said that He did not come to abolish the law.”

That is exactly right my friend, but you have to quote what Jesus said completely.

He said, “I have not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.”

Jesus did not sweep the law under the carpet.

He came and fulfilled every requirement of the law perfectly on our behalf.

All that we were unable to do, He did on our behalf.

So by Jesus, the law has been fulfilled!” 

In ‘Destined To Reign’, Pages 215-216, Joseph Prince wrote,

“As a teenager growing up in my previous church, I remember one sermon that really frightened me.

The preacher said, “Jesus Himself said that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 5:20)

“Then, he said, “If the Pharisees had this standard, then we must have even higher standards than them.” (Matt 5:20)

I felt really condemned.

What hope was there for me, since I did not even measure up to the standard of the Pharisees?

Even though that preacher was preaching from Jesus’ words, he never brought Jesus into the context of grace.

He made Jesus appear hard and legalistic.

He did not bring the ark back to Zion.

Now, let’s interpret what Jesus was really saying in the context of grace. (Referring to Matthew 5:20)

He was saying that the only way to enter heaven is to have HIS righteousness that exceeds all other standards of righteousness.

His righteousness is far above the self-righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees!

And guess what?

HIS righteousness is a gift to be freely received.

It is yours today!”

Joseph Prince wrote,

“(Referring to Matthew 5:17-20)

Jesus came to fulfill all the requirements of the law on our behalf, so that the way to God is now opened.

Hallelujah!

“Pastor Prince, you are saying that we are no longer under the law.

But Jesus Himself said that He did not come to abolish the law.”

That is exactly right my friend, but you have to quote what Jesus said completely.

He said, “I have not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.”

Jesus did not sweep the law under the carpet.

He came and fulfilled every requirement of the law perfectly on our behalf.

All that we were unable to do, He did on our behalf. 

George’s comments: 

Joseph Prince will do anything to justify his grace doctrine. 

He doesn’t care if he added words in the word of God, which he did!

He doesn’t care two hoots about the warning in Revelation 22:18-19 that anyone who adds or subtracts from the word of God (Revelation), his eternal inheritance would be taken away from him.  

My friends, this is the kind of person you are dealing with! 

He is prepared to read into the text, to add words into the text in order to protect his god – his false grace theology. 

Joseph Prince said, “Jesus came to fulfill all the requirements of the law on our behalf…” 

Did Jesus say that? 

He didn’t. 

Jesus said, “…I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matt 5:17). 

Jesus has come to fulfil the law. Period. 

Jesus didn’t say He came to fulfil all the requirements of the law on our behalf. 

Joseph Prince has added the three words ‘on our behalf’ in the word of God. 

Why has he quietly inserted the three words ‘on our behalf’ into the word of God? 

It is to set up the justification of his Pseudo-grace doctrine that since Jesus came to fulfil the law on our behalf, including the moral laws, obeying the moral laws in the Ten Commandments is no more relevant to New Covenant believers, as it has all been done by Him for us. 

No wonder such a feel-good theology of ‘Christ has come to do everything for me, so I don’t have to do anything for Him’ is drawing so many goats to his church. 

Joseph Prince has always used the gigantic size of his church to justify to his critics the truth of his doctrine.  

Can you now see why his church is growing? 

It is not because he is preaching sound theology, but he is dishing out a false and a feel-good theology of a ‘no-need-to-do-anything-faith’ that panders to the flesh of the goats. 

Such a feel-good theology is too enticing for the goats to resist.   

Joseph Prince wrote,

“As a teenager growing up in my previous church, I remember one sermon that really frightened me.

The preacher said, “Jesus Himself said that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 5:20)

“Then, he said, “If the Pharisees had this standard, then we must have even higher standards than them.”

I felt really condemned.

What hope was there for me, since I did not even measure up to the standard of the Pharisees?” 

George’s comments: 

Joseph Prince is speaking from both sides of his mouth. 

One moment, Joseph Prince postures the Pharisees as hypocrites and evil men in his writings and in his teachings elsewhere, and the next moment, in this quote of his, he is positioning them as excellent examples of people who obey God’s laws to such a high standard that he can’t even match up to. 

The Pharisees are being used by Joseph Prince, both as angels and demons, depending on what he wants to use them to serve his evil purpose of protecting his grace doctrine. 

Strangely Joseph Prince has to say that he really felt condemned by what the preacher said. 

After all, the preacher was only saying what Jesus said in Matthew 5:20: “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.” 

In other words, Joseph Prince is really saying (which he will, of course, deny) that he felt condemned by what Jesus said, simply because the preacher was only saying what Jesus said. 

And he ought to feel condemned as he has been teaching against what Jesus taught, not just on this particular text, but in many other texts as well – and leading the multitudes astray to their destruction.  

He is clearly implying that just as the preacher shouldn’t say what he said, Jesus shouldn’t also be saying what He said, because the preacher was simply saying what Jesus said in Matthew 5:20. 

Joseph Prince has set himself as the authority even over Jesus, as he is telling Jesus what He should say and what He shouldn’t say. 

Joseph Prince wrote,

“Even though that preacher was preaching from Jesus’ words, he never brought Jesus into the context of grace.

He made Jesus appear hard and legalistic.

Now, let’s interpret what Jesus was really saying in the context of grace.” (Referring to Matthew 5:20)   

George’s comments: 

Here, we go again…Again, he is reading his pet theology of grace into the text. 

Just imagine how many times I have told you that! 

Joseph Prince, where is ‘grace’ mentioned in the text (Matt 5:20)? 

You are so fixated about your false grace theology and have become so addicted to it that you seem not being able to come out of it. 

Like an off-key deliverance minister who sees every demon in every chair, table and person, you are no different, as you are simply reading ‘grace’ into everywhere in the scriptures. 

No wonder, you can prove what is black to become white – just by reading into, twisting and turning scriptures as you like to fit your theology. 

When the preacher was actually preaching what Jesus said, Joseph Prince accused the preacher of misrepresenting Jesus to be a hard and a legalistic person. 

He is the real culprit who has misrepresented Jesus to be a soft, mushy and permissive person with regards to His laws by twisting the text. 

Joseph Prince is actually accusing Jesus of being a hard and legalistic person as what the preacher said is no different from what Jesus said in Matthew 5:20. 

Joseph Prince wrote,

“Now, let’s interpret what Jesus was really saying in the context of grace. (Referring to Matthew 5:20)

He was saying that the only way to enter heaven is to have HIS righteousness that exceeds all other standards of righteousness.

His righteousness is far above the self-righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees!

And guess what?

HIS righteousness is a gift to be freely received.

It is yours today!”

George’s comments: 

This is just Unbelievable, Horrendous and Sacrilegious! 

Wow, in the name of grace, Joseph Prince can make anything and everything happen! 

Under the pretext of interpreting Matthew 5:20 in the context of grace, when grace wasn’t even an issue that was mentioned in the text which he forcibly imposed, Joseph Prince blatantly twists the text beyond recognition. 

Joseph Prince has done it under the assumption that every single adult is an idiot who can’t even understand simple English to detect the glaring and obvious way he has twisted the text. 

Let’s compare what Joseph Prince said and what Jesus said: 

Joseph Prince said:

“He (Jesus) was saying that the only way to enter heaven is to have HIS righteousness that exceeds all other standards of righteousness.

His righteousness is far above the self-righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees!

And guess what?

HIS righteousness is a gift to be freely received.

It is yours today!” 

Jesus said:

“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” (Matt 5:20). 

By comparing what Jesus and Joseph Prince have said, any adult can detect that under the pretext of interpreting Matthew 5:20 in the context of grace, he has actually replaced the words of Jesus in God’s word with his own words. 

The difference between what Jesus said and what Joseph Prince said is a difference between day and night and between heaven and hell. 

Joseph Prince is such a deceptive guy that he dares to recklessly rewrite what Jesus said in Matthew 5:20 and make Him say that which is completely untrue and totally the opposite of what Jesus had meant to convey. 

How on earth can this guy be Christ-centred? 

He is clearly one of those Antichrists who dares rewrite the word of God and directly go against what Jesus, who is God Himself, is teaching. 

How can people be so blind as to insist on following Joseph Prince’s teachings? 

Just look again how Joseph Prince changed the content of what Jesus said in the word of God in Matthew 5:20: 

From your righteousness,

Joseph Prince changed it to

Christ’s righteousness. 

From a comparison between your righteousness and the Pharisees’ righteousness,

Joseph Prince changed it to

a comparison between Christ’s righteousness and the Pharisees’ righteousness.

From the grave possibility of believers not entering the kingdom of heaven because their righteousness didn’t surpass that of the Pharisees,

Joseph Prince changed it to

an unqualified bestowal of the free gift of righteousness to enter heaven that we can have it today. 

From a note of sober warning that one could certainly go into hell,

Joseph Prince changed it to

a note of unqualified hope that one could easily get into heaven. 

For those who have read a fair bit of the other articles, you are well aware that this is not the first time he has done such an atrocious act. 

I’ve caught him doing this many times – so far – and I’m certain there are more to come.

 

3. Joseph Prince’s Teachings That The Moral Law Is Obsolete Is False In The Light Of Matthew 5:17-20. 

In his books and sermons, Joseph Prince has always been teaching that when Christ died on the cross He has fulfilled the law; and the Mosaic law, including the moral laws in the Ten Commandments, have been made obsolete. 

In ‘Destined To Reign’ Page 122, Joseph Prince wrote,

“In other words, with the advent of the new covenant of grace, the Ten Commandments have been made obsolete.” 

By teaching that the moral law in the Ten Commandments is now made obsolete, Joseph Prince is not only making a mockery of himself, but he is also blatantly contradicting what Jesus said in Matthew 5:17. 

Jesus said it so clearly in Matthew 5:17:

“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.” 

Yet, Joseph Prince said, “The Ten Commandments have been made obsolete.” 

Jesus repeated his message that He has not come to abolish the law in Matthew 5:17 twice to make sure no one misses it. 

Any person with average intelligence would get the message ‘loud and clear’. 

Yet, Joseph Prince doesn’t seem to get it. 

It is not his intelligence that is at fault, but it is his insolence at refusing to accept the plain and clear teachings of the Lord God Jesus. 

Why? – Because he has a greater god in his Pseudo-grace theology that he worships and is loyal to. 

In ‘Grace Revolution’ Page 149, Joseph Prince wrote,

“Our Lord Jesus came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it (see Matt 5:17).

The law was perfectly fulfilled at the cross when He cried out, “Finished!” (see John 19:30).” 

In other words, Joseph Prince is teaching that just as Jesus cried out, “finished” at His death on the cross, the law, including the moral laws in the Ten Commandments, were also “finished” – came to an end – became obsolete. 

But if one were to look at Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus did not mention anything about His life or death or the cross. 

His life or death was never used as being the reference point for the fulfilling of the Law. 

Rather, the reference points that Christ used are far beyond after His death on the cross when He specified that the Law would be relevant at least until “heaven and earth disappear” and “everything is accomplished” (Matt 5:18). 

Matt 5:17-20 NIV

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.

¹⁸ For truly I tell you, 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.

¹⁹ Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly 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.

²⁰ 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.” 

By reading from V17-20 of Matthew 5, one would be clear that

the law has not been abolished (V17),

and since they are going to be with us for a long time until heaven and earth pass away (V18),

they are to be practised or obeyed by us (V19-20).

It is not to be read as Joseph Prince does – that the moral laws are no longer applicable to New Covenant believers because Jesus had fulfilled everything on our behalf by His death on the cross. 

Joseph Prince, you appear to be ignorant of the difference between Christ’s work on the cross for our salvation that is finished (Jn 19:30), and the law which the Lord Jesus said is not yet finished because everything has not been accomplished yet and heaven and earth have not passed away yet (Matt 5:18). 

You are terribly mixed up in your theology – mixing up the cross which has been ‘finished’ and the moral laws which have remained in force till today. 

You have foolishly thought that just because Jesus is finished with the cross, He is also finished with the moral laws in the Ten Commandments. 

Matthew 5:18 informs us that beyond Christ’s death on the cross, these moral laws will still be permanent and relevant until everything is accomplished and until heaven and earth pass away (referring to the end of this age). 

Matt 5:18

¹⁸ “For truly I tell you, 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.” 

Has everything been accomplished yet?

(The ‘everything’ must certainly include every prophecy that is still unfulfilled.) 

Certainly not. 

Have heaven and earth passed away yet? 

Of course not. 

While they are there, Jesus says that nothing in the Law shall pass away, not even a jot or a tittle. 

There are a few things that are smaller than the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet and the smallest point in the smallest letter. 

This means that heaven and earth shall not pass away until every minute detail of the Law shall be absolutely and entirely fulfilled. 

Our Lord emphasizes it by the word ‘for’ in V18, which focusses our attention on something that is of serious importance. 

Then He further stresses it in V18 by saying, ‘…Truly I tell you,’ in the same verse. 

“For truly I tell you, 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” (Matt 5:18). 

In the King James Version, it is translated with the old English word as ‘Verily’, which means beyond doubt or beyond question, unmistakably, certainly, truly, etc. 

Jesus is making sure that no one will miss out on the importance of what He is about to say – that everything about the law is going to be fulfilled down to the minutest detail. 

And the Law will hold and stand until this absolute fulfilment has been entirely carried out, and this would not occur until heaven and earth pass away – not until the death of Christ on the cross as Joseph Prince falsely teaches. 

Matt 5:19 NCV

“Whoever refuses to obey any command and teaches other people not to obey that command will be the least important in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys the commands and teaches other people to obey them will be great in the kingdom of heaven.” 

Not only are they relevant to New Covenant believers, they are also to be obeyed (V19) – until when (V18)?  

Until the cross that Joseph Prince has hoodwinked many into? 

No – until heaven and earth pass away. 

Since heaven and earth are still with us, we, as New Covenant believers, are still obligated to obey these moral laws in the Ten Commandments.  

If people don’t obey these laws, Jesus Himself warned there would be eternal consequences. 

Jesus Himself taught because the Law is still relevant to New Covenant believers now, our obedience or disobedience of the Law would determine our status in heaven (Matt 5:19). 

What is most crucial is when Jesus went on to say that every person must obey the Law even better than the Pharisees and the scribes, failing which, he or she will not enter the kingdom of God (Matt 5:20). 

Matt 5:19-20 NIV

¹⁹ Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly 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.

²⁰ 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. 

Matt 5:19-20 CEV

¹⁹ “If you reject even the least important command in the Law and teach others to do the same, you will be the least important person in the kingdom of heaven. But if you obey and teach others its commands, you will have an important place in the kingdom.

²⁰ You must obey God’s commands better than the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law obey them. If you don’t, I promise you that you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.” 

Matt 5:19-20 ICB

¹⁹ “Whoever refuses to obey any command and teaches other people not to obey that command will be the least important in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys the law and teaches other people to obey the law will be great in the kingdom of heaven.

²⁰ I tell you that you must do better than the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. If you are not better than they are, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” 

Matt 5:19-20 NCV

¹⁹ “Whoever refuses to obey any command and teaches other people not to obey that command will be the least important in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys the commands and teaches other people to obey them will be great in the kingdom of heaven.

²⁰ I tell you that if you are no more obedient than the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” 

It is pertinent to note that V19-20 are integrally related to V17-18.  

Notice the word ‘Therefore’ in V19 (NIV).

What Jesus is saying because the law will not be abolished and will not disappear at all until heaven and earth disappear and until everything is accomplished in V17-18, ‘therefore,’ in V19, you had better not just teach the law but obey them because your status in heaven depends on it (V19). 

Think about this – just to disregard the least of the commandments would already result in us becoming the least in the kingdom – what more if we ignore the more important ones. 

Jesus isn’t just satisfied that we personally obey the laws, but if we want to be great in God’s kingdom, we are also to teach others to obey them:

“…But whoever obeys the commands and teaches other people to obey them will be great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 5:19 NCV). 

Charles Spurgeon wrote,

“The peerage (honour) of Christ’s kingdom is ordered according to obedience.”

D A Carson wrote,

“Indeed, even ranking within the kingdom is dependent on obedience to Jesus’s commands (Matt 5:19); but that is not surprising when we remember the tremendous emphasis which the Sermon on the Mount places on obedience to Jesus (Matt 7:21–23), or Jesus’s repeated refrain, “But I tell you” (see Matt 5:20, 22, 26, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44).

It is worth noting that Jesus’s closing words in Matthew’s Gospel again emphasize obedience: the believers are to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything Jesus has commanded (Matt 28:18–20).” 

D A Carson wrote,

“It is true, of course, that no man enters the kingdom because of his obedience; but it is equally true that no man enters the kingdom who is not obedient.

It is true that men are saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ; but it is equally true that God’s grace in a man’s life inevitably results in obedience.

Any other view of grace cheapens grace, and turns it something unrecognizable.

Cheap grace preaches forgiveness without repentance … discipleship without obedience, blessing without persecution. 

In the entire history of the church, has there ever been another generation with so many nominal Christians and so few real (ie, obedient) ones?”  

Both D A Carson and Charles Spurgeon, who are esteemed and competent teachers of the word, totally disagree with Joseph Prince, who falsely taught that there are no more moral laws or commandments for New Covenant believers to obey.  

The saving point in V19 is that we don’t have to be perfect to qualify for heaven as those who break the least commandment and teach others to do the same can still make it into heaven.  

Yet, Jesus went a step further

– that not only is obedience to the law important as it would affect your status in heaven in V19,

(and He connects V19 to V20 with the word, ‘for’)

– but more crucially,

if your obedience does not surpass that of the Pharisees,

your own eternal destiny would be totally ruined

as you will not be permitted to enter the kingdom of heaven in V20.

The message of Jesus that is loud and clear cannot be missed – that in order to enter the kingdom of heaven, our obedience or righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisees.

Jesus was probably saying,

“Do not think that I have come to abolish or reduce the demands of the law.

But I’m here to tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you have no hope of entering the kingdom of heaven at all, let alone being the least in it.” 

The argument of Joseph Prince that Jesus has come and had already fulfilled everything in the Law on our behalf so that the Law becomes obsolete – makes Jesus a foolish person who self-contradicts Himself.  

How can Jesus say you don’t have to do anything to obey the law because I’ve already fulfilled what you need to do for you in V17 – when in V19, He cautioned us that even the least commandment must not be disregarded but be obeyed? 

And if you disregard and disobey it, you will stand the danger of becoming the least in the kingdom. 

Further, Jesus went on to warn us that if we don’t obey or live righteously better than the Pharisees did, we will be barred from entering God’s kingdom (Matt 5:20).     

So, what Jesus is simply saying in Matthew 5:17-20 is

– I fulfil the laws and I did not abolish them (V17). 

And since they will be around for a long time (V18)

you had better obey them as that will determine not only your position in the kingdom (V19) but whether you can get into it (V20). 

This is totally different from what Joseph Prince is teaching – that because Christ had fulfilled the Law for us, there is now nothing for us to obey as the moral laws have been made obsolete. 

John Stott in commenting on Matthew 5:17-20, puts it succinctly,

“Jesus affirmed in a quite unequivocal way what His own attitudes to the law was and what his disciples’ ought to be. 

This was ‘fulfilment’ in His case, and ‘obedience’ in theirs.” 

John Stott wrote,

“Having stated that His purpose in coming was to fulfil the law (Matt 5:17), Jesus went on to give the cause and the consequence of this.

The cause is the permanence of the law until it is fulfilled (Matt 5:18), and the consequence is the obedience to the law which the citizens of God’s kingdom must give (Matt 5:19-20).” 

Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote,

“So a genuine believer loves God and longs to fulfil His law.

The commandments of God to such a man ‘are not grievous’ or burdensome.

He wants to keep them, for he loves them.

He now sees the holiness of the law and nothing so appeals to him as the living of this law and the exemplifying of it in his daily life.” 

Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote,

“To disregard a ‘least’ commandment in the law (in either obedience or instruction) is to demote oneself into a ‘least’ subject in the kingdom.

Greatness in the kingdom belongs to those who are faithful in doing and teaching the whole moral law.” 

Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote,

“Not only is greatness in the kingdom assessed by a righteousness which conforms to the law, but entry into the kingdom is impossible without a conformity better (much better: the Greek expression is very emphatic) than that of the scribes and Pharisees, for God’s kingdom is a kingdom of righteousness.” 

Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote,

“Our Lord did not come to teach justification or salvation by works, or by our own righteousness.

‘Very well,’ says the opposite school; ‘is He not teaching that salvation is by means of the righteousness of Christ alone so that it does not matter at all what we may do’?

He has done it all and therefore we have nothing to do.

Now that is the other extreme and the other error.

That is an impossible exposition of this verse because of the little word ‘for’ at the beginning of verse twenty.

It links up with verse nineteen where He said,

‘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.

He is emphasizing the practical carrying out of the law.’ (Matt 5:20)

That is the whole purpose of the paragraph.

It is not to make it easy for us or to enable us to say, ‘Christ has done it all for us and therefore it matters not what we do.’” 

Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote,

“That (Matt 5:19-20) was not spoken only to the disciples for the three short years they were to be with Christ until He died.

It is permanent and everlasting; He enforces it again in Matthew 7:21, where He says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

What is the will of the Father?

The Ten Commandments and the moral law.

They have never been abrogated.

His purpose in coming was to enable us to keep the law, not to abrogate it.

Our Lord has not come to make it easier for us or to make it in any sense less stringent in its demands upon us.

So He emphasizes here that we must know what the law is, and then must keep it.” 

The above quotes are firm assertions that both John Stott and Martyn Lloyd-Jones made that totally contradicted Joseph Prince’s teaching about the abrogation of the moral laws in the Ten Commandments. 

There are few who have influenced the Evangelical Christian Church with their Bible teachings more than these two men. 

And if both Giant-Bible teachers totally contradicted and discredited the teachings of Joseph Prince, there is nothing more to be said. 

And yet, multitudes have blindly and slavishly chosen to follow the teachings of Joseph Prince. 

You know what kind of message they are sending? 

The message that Joseph Prince has a greater clout on Bible exposition than these two men of God. 

This is almost a joke as Joseph Prince can’t even get his basics of Bible exegesis right! 

One thing is clear – if Joseph Prince is speaking the truth, then both John Stott and Martyn Lloyd-Jones are telling lies. 

There is no way of getting around this – it’s either one way or the other. 

So, if you insist that Joseph Prince is teaching the true doctrine regarding that the Ten Commandments that have become obsolete,

you are also saying that both John Stott and Martyn Lloyd-Jones are teaching the false doctrine

that these same Ten Commandments are still binding for New Covenant believers.  

Are you prepared to suppose that both John Stott and Martyn Lloyd-Jones are liars and are teaching heresies? 

If you aren’t prepared to say that, then you must logically conclude that Joseph Prince is a liar and a heretic.

Did the Lord Jesus say in Matthew 5:19-20?

“Whoever refuses to receive Jesus as Saviour by saying the sinner’s prayer and teaches other people not to receive Him as Saviour will be the least important in the kingdom of heaven.

But whoever receives Jesus as Saviour and teaches other people to receive the same Saviour by faith will be great in the kingdom of heaven.

I tell you that if you do not accept the grace of God and believe in Jesus by faith that the scribes and the Pharisees refuse, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” 

Not at all. 

Instead, Jesus said in Matthew 5:19-20 NCV,

¹⁹ “Whoever refuses to obey any command and teaches other people not to obey that command will be the least important in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys the commands and teaches other people to obey them will be great in the kingdom of heaven.

²⁰ I tell you that if you are no more obedient than the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” 

Joseph Prince, is the simple and straightforward truth that is spoken in V20, not enough to cause you to repent from your heresy that saving faith has nothing to do with our obedience? 

Jesus Himself said it so clearly and plainly in V20 that obedience is an essential condition for saving faith. 

This is in line with the overall theme of the Sermon on the Mount, of which Matthew 5:17-20 is located, that only the obedient and the holy will inherit God’s kingdom. 

Let me digress a little to focus on the overall theme of the Sermon on the Mount before coming back to Matthew 5:17-20.

 

4. The Theme Of The Sermon On The Mount. 

The theme of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is that holiness and obedience are conditions that must be met before one is allowed to enter the kingdom of heaven. 

I’ve summarised the sermon as follows: 

Those who

acknowledge their spiritual poverty,

mourn over their sins in humble repentance,

are meek and have a hunger and thirst for righteousness,

are merciful and pure in heart,

make peace for others with God,

and who rejoice in being persecuted

– the kingdom of heaven will be theirs to claim (Matt 5:3-12). 

Those who obey and teach God’s commandments will attain greatness in the kingdom of God, while those who disobey even the least of the commandments and teach others to do the same will be dishonoured as being the least in the kingdom (Matt 5:19). 

Those whose righteousness (or holiness) does not surpass that of the Pharisees who are breakers and evaders of God’s laws, will not enter the kingdom of God (Matt 5:20). 

Those who don’t commit murder, would still be guilty of murder if they are angry and call another brother a fool, and would be in danger of the fire of hell (Matt 5:21-23). 

Those who don’t commit adultery would still be guilty of adultery if they look at a woman lustfully and would be in danger of going to hell (Matt 5:27-30).

Those who travel on the narrow and difficult road will lead to eternal life, but those who travel on the broad and easy road will lead to eternal destruction (Matt 7:13-14). 

Those who live a fruitless life of a faith that is without works will be burned in the eternal fire (Matt 7:15-20). 

Those who are obedient to do the Father’s will enter the kingdom of God, while the disobedient will be kept out of it and the flood of God’s judgement will fall on them (Matt 7:21-27).   

So, the central theme of the Sermon on the Mount is that if our righteousness (our obedience and holiness) doesn’t surpass that of the Pharisees, we will not enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt 5:20). 

It is an evangelistic sermon about heaven and hell. 

It tells us how we can stay out of hell and how we can gain heaven. 

It is the gospel on how we can appropriate salvation. 

Why do I take pains to share the above? 

This is to expose the lie of Joseph Prince who claims Matthew 5:17 teaches that Jesus came and fulfilled the law on our behalf

– that is Jesus has done everything for us, regarding even the moral laws,

and hence there’s nothing for us to do,

and that there are no moral laws for us to obey,

except to just rest in His finished work of the cross.   

Joseph Prince is interpreting the passage in Matthew 5:17-20, and in particular, V17, out of the whole context of the Sermon on the Mount. 

As I’ve just shown you – the context of the entire sermon is about what we must do to obey and be holy to qualify for the kingdom of God. 

And if we don’t obey and be holy, hell – not heaven – will be our home.  

Joseph Prince, by his interpretation that Christ has fulfilled every single moral law for us that we don’t have to do anything to obey them, totally contradicts the context of the Sermon on the Mount. 

Here is a man who constantly pretends to tell people that they must always teach according to the context in his books and sermons,

is undeniably a hypocrite,

as he has time and again broken the same rule, he has exhorted others to observe.  

All that Joseph Prince has done is that

he takes one verse in Matthew 5:17,

adds three words, ‘on our behalf’ to it,

and lifts it out of its context,

stays silent on Matthew 5:18 as that directly threatens his theology,

then twists Matthew 5:19-20 to one that is completely different from the original,

and build a whole doctrine of heresies

– that since Christ has fulfilled all moral laws on our behalf,

they have become obsolete,

and New Covenant believers have nothing to do with these laws. 

Now I am going to expose more of Joseph Prince’s deception by unfolding more of the original quotes of Martyn Lloyd-Jones that totally contradict his doctrine of grace and law. 

“The whole purpose of grace, in a sense, is just to enable us to keep the law.” (Martyn Lloyd-Jones) 

“Holiness means being righteous, and being righteous means keeping the law.” (Martyn Lloyd-Jones) 

“Holiness is something we practise in our daily life.

Holiness is the honouring and the keeping of the law, as the Son of God Himself kept it while He was here on earth.

It is being like Him. That is holiness.

So holiness is intimately related to the law, and must always be thought of in terms of keeping the law.” (Martyn Lloyd-Jones) 

“What is grace?

It is that marvellous gift of God which, having delivered a man from the curse of the law, enables him to keep it and to be righteous as Christ was righteous for He kept the law perfectly.” (Martyn Lloyd-Jones) 

“Grace is that which brings me to love God; and if I love God, I long to keep His commandments…He enables us to fulfil the law.” (Martyn Lloyd-Jones) 

“Therefore if your so-called grace (which you say you have received) does not make you keep the law, you have not received grace.

You may have received a psychological experience, but you have never received the grace of God.” (Martyn Lloyd-Jones) 

These are strong statements Martyn Lloyd-Jones made about the requirement to obey the Law

that totally contradict Joseph Prince’s teachings about grace and law,

and particularly, his teachings that there are no more laws to obey for New Covenant believers. 

Let me repeat the last quote of Martyn Lloyd-Jones:

“Therefore if your so-called grace (which you say you have received) does not make you keep the law, you have not received grace.

You may have received a psychological experience, but you have never received the grace of God.” (Martyn Lloyd-Jones) 

By the definition of Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Joseph Prince is certainly not a believer as he fiercely teaches against the keeping of moral laws because they have all become obsolete. 

“The height of self-deception is when, Joseph Prince, the world’s teacher of grace, is being self-deceived that he has received grace.” (George Ong) 

“The grace that doesn’t help you keep the law is undoubtedly a counterfeit.” (George Ong) 

“There is no salvation for those who embrace the gospel of God’s grace, and yet reject the obedience to God’s laws.” (George Ong) 

“If the experience of God’s grace does not empower you to keep His laws, that experience no matter how sensational is only a delusion.” (George Ong) 

“The great deception is for people to think that they can enjoy the benefits of God’s grace without the cost of obeying God’s laws.” (George Ong)

“The grace that Joseph Prince preaches is to excuse us from obeying the laws but the grace that the Prince of Peace imparts is to empower us to obey them.” (George Ong) 

“The grace that Joseph Prince trumpets is to exonerate us from doing anything but the grace that Jesus Christ bestows is to enable us to do many things.” (George Ong) 

 

5. Back To Matthew 5:17-20. 

Let’s come back to Matthew 5:17-20. 

Matt 5:20 NIV

²⁰ “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.” 

What kind of righteousness was Jesus referring to? 

Was Jesus referring to the legal righteousness of Christ that is freely imputed to us that Joseph Prince tries to smuggle in? (‘Destined To Reign’, Page 216, see above for Joseph Prince’s quote) 

No. 

This interpretation does not flow with the context. 

Before Matthew 5:20 in Matthew 5:19, and after Matthew 5:20 in Matthew 5:21-48, Jesus was clearly speaking about keeping or obeying the commandments. 

Jesus was talking about living righteously. 

Besides, as has been pointed out that throughout the entire Sermon on the Mount, the theme is to live in obedience and in holiness as that would decide whether or not one enters the kingdom of God.   

The correct interpretation, which flows with the context, must be that we must live more righteously than the Pharisees and the scribes. 

Joseph Prince’s interpretation that Christ has come to fulfil the law for us that we no longer need to obey any law, is making Jesus sound silly.   

Wouldn’t it be silly to think that Jesus would expect the Pharisees and the scribes to attain a certain standard of righteousness that He doesn’t expect His own disciples and us to achieve (Matt 5:20)? 

Don’t you think it would be absurd to think that

Jesus would condemn the Pharisees and the scribes for not attaining the required standard of righteousness or righteous living

that He would not do the same to His disciples and us

simply because we lived after the cross and had prayed the sinner’s prayer? 

Here, Joseph Prince would spring into action at deceiving you again. 

He will accuse me of teaching legalism and works righteousness because I say we must attain a certain standard of righteous living. 

But I didn’t say that. 

It was Jesus who said that in Matthew 5:20. 

So, Joseph Prince, go and accuse Jesus of teaching works-salvation if you dare. 

Joseph Prince teaches the false doctrine that what saves is only the imputed righteousness of Christ and has nothing to do with practical righteousness or righteous living. 

But just as works cannot be separated from faith in salvation, practical righteousness cannot be separated from imputed righteousness. 

The Apostle John said, “Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous…” (1 Jn 3:7 NASB) 

John also said, “…Everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.” (1 Jn 2:29 NASB) 

In other words, one who claims to have the imputed righteousness of God (justification) must prove it by his practical righteousness or righteous living (sanctification). 

Conversely, one who practises righteous living is proof that one has been endowed with the imputed righteousness of Christ.

So what Christ was saying to His disciples and to us is that

if our practical righteousness or righteous living or holiness

(as proof of our imputed righteousness)

don’t surpass that of the Pharisees,

we will not enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt 5:20). 

Friends, it is not just your faith, but it is your works of obedience and holiness that will finally decide your eternal destiny. 

I hope you have not forgotten what James said – that faith without works is useless, dead and cannot save (Jas 2:14-26). 

 

6. The Pharisees Were Breakers & Evaders Of The Law. 

One must be wondering if the Pharisees, who are spiritual leaders themselves and who stick to the law like a leech don’t make it to the kingdom of God, have we got any chance? 

If the scribes were men who spent their whole life, studying, teaching and expounding the law and were looked upon as the great authorities on the law of God cannot enter God’s kingdom, would we be in trouble? 

However, many wrongly thought that the Pharisees and the scribes were good examples of people who diligently obeyed God’s laws. 

On the contrary, they were evaders and breakers of God’s laws.   

Matt 15:1-6 ESV

¹ “Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,

² “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.”

³ He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

⁴ For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’

⁵ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,”

⁶ he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.” 

Matt 23:23 NIV

²³ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 

Mk 7:8-9 MEV

⁸ “For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.”

⁹ And He said to them, “You full well reject the commandment of God so that you may keep your own tradition.” 

Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote,

“Jesus was still teaching that we must obey the laws which the Pharisees have neglected or circumvented.

They worked by traditions, and most of these traditions were really nothing but very clever and subtle ways of evading the demands of the law.

So the picture painted by Christ on the Pharisees and the religious teachers is not that they are genuinely religious and they are obeying the law.  

On the contrary, Christ painted them as evaders and breakers of the Law.”  

“The Pharisees are not those who fervently keep God’s laws but those who flippantly evade and break them.” (Matt 15:1-6; esp v3; Matt 23:23; Mk 7:8-9) (George Ong) 

“If the Pharisees of old were denounced by Christ for evading and breaking God’s laws, the modern Pharisee, Joseph Prince, has done something more appalling – he blatantly discarded them into the dustbins of history.” (Matt 15:1-6 esp v3; Matt 23:23; Mk 7:8-9) (George Ong) 

“The real truth is Joseph Prince is the real Pharisee, who tries to circumvent the obedience of the law just like the Pharisees of old did, by unlawfully teaching that it has been abrogated.” (George Ong)

“By placing their untouchable traditions above the commandments of God, the Pharisees have deviated from the truth and have become false teachers themselves, who are teaching their traditions rather than the word of God.” (Matt 15:1-6; Matt 23:23; Mk 7:8-9) (George Ong) 

“Similarly, Joseph Prince is a modern Pharisee and a heretic, who has elevated the tradition of his Pseudo-grace teaching above the word of God.” (George Ong) 

Joseph Prince’s usual and frequent tactic is to label those who teach on the importance of the moral laws in the Ten Commandments with the Pharisees’ tag.

But let it be clear to all that Joseph Prince is the real Pharisee. 

He appears to be speaking out against the Pharisees. 

But what Joseph Prince has hidden from you is that both the Pharisees and him alike, dislike the law.   

They both regard the law as rigid, authoritarian, and impinges on the personal freedom of man. 

The divine way is to lift the people to conform to the law.

The human way to deal with the law is by lowering its standard to meet the people. 

That’s what the Pharisees and the scribes did. 

They distorted the moral laws so they can circumvent obeying the spirit of it. 

They take the prohibition of the law and make it too narrow so that they can get around the law and still not be faulted as having broken it. 

For example, in the case of murder, they interpreted too narrowly as taking someone’s life, when Christ has interpreted as murder if we are angry with another brother or if we call him a fool (Matt 5:21-23). 

Adultery is another example in which the Pharisees only kept to the narrow interpretation of physical adultery but not mental adultery (Matt 5:27-30).   

They also take the permission of the Law and make them too broad, so that they can have more flexibility to flout it (Matt 5:31-32). 

For example, in the case of divorce, they interpreted it so broad that every flimsy reason can be justified for the ground of divorce. 

The Pharisees are evil people who have circumvented, evaded, and broken the Law of Moses given by God by their distorted interpretations of these laws. 

“But what Joseph Prince has done is even more revolting – he has chucked away these so-called obsolete moral laws in the Ten Commandments into the rubbish chute and banished them into complete oblivion.” (George Ong) 

 

7. Jesus Isn’t Cancelling The Law Of Moses But Correcting It From The Distortions By The Pharisees & The Scribes. 

Jesus didn’t disagree with the Law of Moses, but He was correcting the false interpretations that the Pharisees had brought to the Law.   

His real purpose was to uncover the distortions the Pharisees made to the law.  

The Pharisees gave the impression they were obeying the law outwardly, but inwardly, they were breaking God’s laws. 

Jesus didn’t mince His words in His scathing denunciation of their hypocrisy:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence…

For you… indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness…

You also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matt 23:25-28). 

“While the Pharisees were more concerned with the external observance of the law, Jesus was more concerned over the inner compliance with the law.” (George Ong) 

The Pharisees were barking up the wrong tree, focussing on the minor and inconsequential aspects of the law, while neglecting the more crucial and weightier matters.  

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former” (Matt 23:23). 

While they were fastidious about the minor aspects of the law, they openly disregarded God’s direct commands. 

They were more fixated about impressing the public with their external show of piety than honouring God with their inward devotion (Matt 6:1-6; Matt 23:5-7). 

They displayed only an external form of righteousness, but deep down inside, they were evil. 

They were experts at keeping the letter of the Law but ignored and even flouted the spirit of it, by twisting or even altering God’s commandments. 

That’s where from Matthew 5-7, especially Matthew 5:21-48, Jesus had to correct what the Pharisees and the scribes had done to twist those laws – for the sake of clarifying to the people of God what was really happening. 

Note the following verses in Matthew 5: 

²¹ “You have heard that it was said… (Jesus was confronting the misinterpretations of the Law of Moses by the Scribes and the Pharisees.)

²² But I tell you…” (Jesus was correcting the distortions of the Mosaic Law.) 

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said…

²⁸ But I tell you…”

³¹ “It has been said…

³² But I tell you…” 

³³ “Again, you have heard that it was said…

³⁴ But I tell you…” 

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said…

³⁹ But I tell you…”

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said…

⁴⁴ But I tell you…” 

The contradiction is not between Christ and Moses, or the New Testament and the Old Testament, or the gospel and the law. 

Rather, the contradiction is between Christ’s true interpretation of the law and the scribal and the Pharisaic distortion and misinterpretation of it.

Hence, the contradiction is between true Christian righteousness and phony Pharisaic righteousness (Matt 5:20). 

Christ had to correct these distorted and false interpretations of the law by the scribes and Pharisees that the people were fed with and misled by.  

So, Jesus wasn’t cancelling or contradicting or replacing the law. 

He was ‘reinterpreting’ the law in the original way that has been corrupted by the misinterpretations of the Pharisees and the scribes. 

 

8. Ceremonial & Civil Laws Have Been Fulfilled. 

What about the ceremonial law? 

Since the ceremonial laws have been fulfilled according to Matthew 5:17 and accomplished according to Matthew 5:18, we don’t require them anymore, as it is no longer needed. 

Matt 5:18 NIV

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.

¹⁸ For truly I tell you, 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.” 

All of us are aware that the ceremonial aspects of the law have already been completely fulfilled and accomplished in Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross, His resurrection and ascension. 

So, the whole of the ceremonial law has been entirely fulfilled. 

Hence, we no longer have to sacrifice animals, as Jesus has become the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. 

There is no longer any need for an earthly high priest to offer the sacrifices, as Jesus being the high priest has fulfilled that role. 

So the ceremonial aspects have been fulfilled (V17) and accomplished (V18). 

What of the judicial or civil law? 

This was primarily and especially for the nation of Israel, as God’s theocracy, during that specific time. 

Since Israel is no longer the theocratic nation, its existence is no more needed.

 

9. Permanence Of The Moral Law – The Ten Commandments. 

What about the moral law? 

The moral law in the Ten Commandments is entirely different because here God is laying down something which is permanent and perpetual. 

The moral laws (in the Mosaic Law) that have been instituted by God to govern man have been in existence since the time of the first man, Adam, and will be until the passing away of heaven and earth. 

It is anchored in the first and greatest commandment, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength and with all thy mind.” 

That is permanent. 

That is not just for the theocratic nation of Israel only during the time of the Old Covenant, but it is also for the whole of mankind for all time. 

The moral law also focusses on the second commandment, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” 

Again, this was not only for the theocratic nation of Israel, and this does not fall under the old ceremonial law. 

These commandments are permanent and part of our perpetual relationship with God, whether we are under the Old or New Covenant. 

Thus, the moral law, as interpreted by the New Testament and reflected in the New Testament, stands as it had in the past, and will do so until the end of time and until we are perfected. 

For example, in 1 John 3:4, the apostle John reminded us that sin in believers is still ‘a transgression of the law’. 

1 Jn 3:4 NIV

⁴ “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.” 

The law is still there. 

Though we are Gentile Christians and we have never been a Jew, and when we sin, we are breaking the law. 

So the moral law still applies to us. 

Jesus said, “For truly I tell you, 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.” (Matt 5:18 NIV) 

Have heaven and earth disappeared? 

Have they passed away yet? 

Since heaven and earth have not disappeared, this means those moral aspects of the Mosaic law which are still taught in the New Testament scriptures

(so if they are still taught in the New Testament, how can they become obsolete and be abolished?),

even after the death of Christ, are still in force.   

Hence, the teaching by Joseph Prince

that the moral aspects in the Ten Commandments of the Mosaic law

have absolutely no relevance for New Covenant believers since the death of Christ on the cross

is proven to be false. 

In other words, unlike the ceremonial and the civil laws,

the moral commandments of the Law Of Moses have not been abrogated

and will still be in force until the passing away of heaven and earth.