August 5, 2009
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What Should We Do With the O.T. Law?
A Study of GalatiansTo begin our study here is an introduction to the book.
Blessings, Bee
Key to Galatians, Historical ContextWhere?
Galatia was not a town in itself but was the name for an “area” of Asia
Minor that contained the towns of Antioch, Derbe, Lystra, Iconium and
Pisidian.When?
Possibly 49 A.D. sometime before Paul went to the council in
Jerusalem, (Acts 15:1,2)Who wrote it?
Apostle Paul. God had called him specifically to preach the Gospel to
the Gentiles.Romans 11:13
“I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the
apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry”Acts 9:15
“But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen
instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and
before the people of Israel.”Who was it written to?
A group of Gentile Churches in the “Galatia region” of Asia Minor.
Why was it written?
Within this area of Galatia some “learned” teachers fleeing persecution in Jerusalem had appeared on the scene. (Some believe they were converted Pharisees.) These men taught
that to be “saved” one must be circumcised and follow the Law of
Moses.Acts 15:1-5 “Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and
were teaching the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to
the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2This brought Paul
and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and
Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to
Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3The
church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia
and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news
made all the brothers very glad. 4When they came to Jerusalem, they
were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they
reported everything God had done through them. 5Then some of the
believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said,
“The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of
Moses.”
It appears some of these men (sometimes called “Judaizers”) were so influential that Barnabas
and Peter were temporarily swayed. (Gal. 2:12,14) Paul in his letter here was correcting
this error, and began clarifying that salvation was not only
of the Jews but was also for “who-so-ever-will.” The “Gospel of the Grace
of God” was that now by the blood of Jesus Christ anyone could become a
child of God. The Law was to show us that all are under sin. God’s
Grace shows us that all can be cleansed of that sin. Law vs Grace
& Works vs Faith are brought into contrast throughout all of
Galatians.
The confusion in ministries, (Peter’s and Paul’s) and in what God was
doing, centered on the fact that the saving ministry of Jesus Christ
ended up being bigger than any of them had ever thought! He was
drawing ALL MEN unto Himself and He was raising up Paul to share the
Good News with some people very much on the “fringe.” Paul talks
about his ministry as revealing the “mystery”. (Eph. 3:3-7) That
mystery being that Jew and Gentile would be “joint heirs” in the Church
of God! What a HUGE pill for the Jews to swallow, (who previously
were admonished to “be separate” from the uncircumcised pagan
Gentiles!) Gentiles were even called “dogs”, but now the Jews were to
be sharing their inheritance of the Kingdom with them! What a paradigm
shift…. what a change! Paul spends much time in his epistles
addressing this very difficult issue, that Jew and Gentile are now
“one in Christ”, and that Gentile believers need not feel like second
class citizens. Paul being the apostle to the Gentiles teaches much
about our inheritance as “spiritual” children of Abraham. (In Romans
11 Paul does specify that God still has a plan for “national” Israel,
the Church has not replaced that…. but we are the “spiritual”
offspring.) That is why you will notice Paul uses many “inheritance”
related words in his books…. words like: children, seed, promise,
heirs, covenant, adoption, sons. Actually, even the words “elect” and
“chosen” are inheritance terms, they refer back to the fact that Israel
was God’s “chosen people ”. Praise God that now by the blood of Christ
we are also being “included with the beloved”!
Comments (8)
Praise God! Thank you for sharing this. It’s very interesting! I guess I didn’t realize before that Gentiles were looked upon that way.
Thanks Bee – a good start to your series. I see what Acts 15:5 says but I’m not real sure I understand how we connect that to Galatians. Perhaps I just missed it. I believe Galatians is truly addressing both issues as that verse reveals but so often I encounter believers who strongly believe, profess and defend that Galatians is simply a letter about circumcision … something based on the entirety of the letter I don’t see how one can possibly believe. So if you can, help me see that connection between Acts 15:5 and the letter to the Galatians … I believe this is really important. Appreciate you tackling this tough subject. Abide IN Christ Jesus, His love and His words!!! Bernie
What shall we do with the law? I suppose it depends on which law of the Old Testament we’re talking about… the law given by Moses or the law given by YHVH. One is done away with (man’s law), and one stands until heaven and earth pass away (God’s law). One we must obey, one we must discard. God’s law can not be broken any more than the law of gravity can be broken, but we can be broken upon it.
These words Jehovah spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them upon two tables of stone, and gave them unto me. (Deuteronomy 5:22)
@bwebbjr -
Good question Bernie. The way they link up is that the Acts 15:1-5 is the very important historical context for what Paul discusses in most of his letters. That being the difficulty that the first century church had with Jew and Gentile being in the same Body. Paul states that God had especially called him to be “the apostle to the Gentiles” and as such he spends much of his writings correcting errors that have entered in from the converted Pharisees, (Judiazers)… or letting the Gentile believers know “who they are in Christ” and that they are not second class citizens, but that they are now “joint heirs” with all of the privileges of an “heir” or one “chosen”. (See there are your “predestination” terms lol… which are really “inheritance terms” if you “de-calvinize” Romans… but we won’t go there!
)
@AOK4WAY -
Very true… none of the law has been eliminated, although it’s requirements have been fulfilled once and for all. The “moral law” which is what I think you are referring to has now been “written on our hearts” by the Holy Spirit. What I call the “Levitical” law, (also revealed to Moses by God) are the laws concerning the offerings, the feasts, the regulations concerning the priests… even the detailed instructions of the Tabernacle.. these things pointed to Christ. Christ has fulfilled these things not eliminated them.
@AOK4WAY -
I forgot to add the ref verse to my last comment it is Heb 8:10 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”
@BeeyondSight - Thanks Bee. I appreciate it!!!
@BeeyondSight - I’ve heard it referred to as the “moral law” before, but it’s still the Ten Commandments to me. Written in stone or written on our hearts, the fact that God went through the trouble to write it indicates that it still must be obeyed, and the penalty for transgressing it is still death. I get on fire when I hear people leading believers onto the wide path, through the wide gate that leads to destruction! Don’t you? I look at people who have been taught to believe that the “anything goes” approach to christianity is the only spiritually sound approach, and that keepers of the law have denied the grace by which salvation comes to us, and my heart breaks for them.
… I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit these things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part shall be in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death. (Revelation 21:6-8)
A believer who fornicates is a fornicator. A believer who murders is a murderer. A believer who commits adultery is an adulterer. And so on. It is not enough simply to believe. None of us is perfect, but thanks to the law, the true believer knows when he has transgressed, and turns from his sin once again and asks forgiveness and the help to do better. The danger is that if transgression becomes a habit with a believer, repentance may become impossible due to a hardened heart.
Men who teach believers that the law is done away with, or that transgressing it is okay because it’s just a spiritual, mystical kind of moral goal to shoot for are servants of the destroyer. This is where we get vain and damnable teachings such as “It’s okay to divorce if you’re not happy, because God wants you to be happy” and “It’s okay to work on the sabbath because God knows you need your job.” These teachings are in direct opposition to what our Saviour taught us. Yahshua promised us trials, persecution, imprisonment, and maybe even death. I didn’t see happiness in this life anywhere in His promises. Yahshua taught us not to worry for tomorrow, what we will eat or what we will wear or even where we will live, not that Father will understand if we need to get that Saturday in at the office.
Of course God knows what we need. He is also able to provide it for us if we will trust Him to do so. But when we place happiness, career, family, our children, or anything else above our relationship with our Eternal Father through our risen Saviour, His SonYahshua, we make for ourselves an idol, and that’s much easier with the commandments out of the way. That’s why the adversary has worked so hard for millenia to confuse believers. We’re really seeing the fruits of his efforts these days!
Peace be with you, friend