This was the difference between the old law and the laws that governed those taken into the new covenant.
Jesus was a Jew speaking to those under the law.
Christianity was not a system of written laws but an exercise of our conscience, based on the principles behind the law. The fleshly Jews would be abandoned by God as incorrigible, so a new nation was chosen to replace them. (Matthew 23:37-39; Acts 15:14)
Romans 2:28-29:
"For he is not a Jew who is one on the outside, nor is circumcision something on the outside, on the flesh. 29 But he is a Jew who is one on the inside, and his circumcision is that of the heart by spirit and not by a written code. That person’s praise comes from God, not from people."
Jesus said....“‘You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 The second, like it, is this: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments the whole Law hangs, and the Prophets."
Look closely at what he said. "On these two commandments the whole Law hangs, and the Prophets."
So, the whole law was based on 'love of God and neighbor'. IOW, you could not break any one of those laws without showing a lack of love for God or your fellow man.
The law was not "destroyed" as Jesus said, but "fulfilled", so that the decrees were now replaced by the exercise of our conscience, no longer bound by a set of written laws. Laws can be obeyed with our mind but the exercise of conscience involves the heart.....which alone can fully appreciate what it means to truly "love" God and neighbor.
Christians now had laws inscribed in their hearts and exercised with their conscience. Under the law, there was no real exercise of conscience because the letter of the law condemned anyone who transgressed it and the penalty was applied without mercy in most cases.
1 Peter 3:16-18:
"Maintain a good conscience, so that in whatever way you are spoken against, those who speak against you may be put to shame because of your good conduct as followers of Christ. 17 For it is better to suffer because you are doing good, if it is God’s will to allow it, than because you are doing evil. 18 For Christ died once for all time for sins, a righteous person for unrighteous ones, in order to lead you to God. He was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit."
Can you see what Peter is saying? The price Jesus paid was so great that it covers everyone who exercises faith in it. One righteous man, by his death, covered the sins of many.
The ceremonial laws were pictorial....and the merit of the sacrifices were temporary. They had to be offered weekly for forgiveness of sins, but when Jesus offered his life, "once for all time", then no further sacrifice was necessary. Hence the ceremonial laws were "fulfilled" in Christ.
You tend to make everything so black and white OB.....that is not the way I see things at all. 1+1=2 but there are fractions in between. Jesus broke things down into fractions so that the conscience could break down those actions into a chain of events leading to an outcome. (e.g. Matthew 5:27-28) If one recognizes the first steps towards breaking God's law, then hopefully the conscience would kick in and prevent the steps that lead to serious sin.
