Is the Holy Spirit Misleading You?

[SteveII]

1. I hesitate to respond because I really don't really care for your version of a discussion, but I will give it a shot...
2. It's really hard to give you verse or two because it is the entire conclusion of the NT that it is the final revelation of God. After 2000 years of promising, God himself, in the person of Jesus, came to earth to pay our penalty in order to bridge the gap back to God so that we can have a relationship with him now and forever. Following the acceptance of the proffered gift, it is complete with instructions on how to conduct oneself. The next thing to expect is the second coming of Jesus. The exclusivity claims and exhaustive nature of the message is present in almost every chapter of the NT. 
3. If you want to argue about conclusions of Christian teachings, you have to start with correctly understanding what those teaching are. I don't really care if you believe them or not. NT Christianity could never be construed to burn witches...period.
4. One of the responsibilities of the Holy Spirit is to make sure God's message is conveyed clearly and unmistakably and therefore that is why the NT is complete in it's description of the human condition, remedy for that condition, and guidance on how to conduct ourselves. If one chooses not to read it, who's fault is that?

Nothing in the NT nullifies the killing of witches. In fact, Jesus says...

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

I'm not texting from an alternate universe, so apparently heaven and earth haven't passed yet. This thing about witches seems to be one of those little jots and tittles that some Christians wish would pass.

That verse does not mean what you think it means. 

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. 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.

It is clearer in context with the surrounding chapters (5-7) and has a different meaning to a person raised in Judaism (the original audience) than to one that was not.  In light of the previous verses, Jesus was assuring them their sacred Law still had value. The word 'fulfill' in verse 17 does not mean perpetuate, it means complete. But to understand what that means, you then have to understand the purpose of the Law. Jesus was teaching in these three chapters that the law was impossible to fully follow so in fact, no one was righteous. To illustrate that even more, he went on to expand the laws throughout the rest of the chapter 5--further illustrating that it is impossible to live up to the spirit of the law, let alone the letter of it--and therefore cannot ever be the means of salvation. This fits in perfectly with the message that Jesus claimed to be the only means of salvation.

We have to understand that:

1. No one (except for Jesus) has ever succeeded in keeping the law (Acts 15:10)!
   
2. The law was delivered to Israel - One nation of people (Exodus 20:1-2; Deuteronomy 4:1-2).
   
3. It is One Law containing the whole package of rituals and sacrifices as well as the Ten Commandments (Galatians 3:10-11; Galatians 5:3)
   
4. The law cannot bring salvation (Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:8-10, 16; Galatians 3:1-5).
   
5. As Paul makes clear, the law's job was to act as a schoolmaster in order to bring us to Christ (Galatians 4:1-7).
   

You also have to ask the meaning of the phrase at the end of verse 18. It is clear in the larger context that this as the purpose for which Jesus came--the sacrifice was made to make it possible to bridge the gap back to God--providing a new (and better) way to God and the only means of salvation--which the law failed to do. 

Here is a good (thorough) article on this issue: http://www.ukapologetics.net/Jesusandthelaw.html