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To: editor-surveyor

“Yeshua truly is the “end” of the law of righteousness. The “end” means the goal, the purpose, the reason, the end that truly does justify the means.”

I think you are missing the key to that passage. Read the context, where Paul begins speaking of the “law of righteousness” in chapter 9:

“30 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.
31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;
33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”

Clearly Paul is contrasting attaining righteousness through faith versus through works. The Jews had the law of righteousness, but without faith, it was of no avail to them, since it is not the law that saves us, but faith, and without faith, we cannot attain righteousness.

“The “works of the law” have nothing to do with Torah; the works of the law are the false commandments of men, the Takanot, and Ma’asim of the Pharisees that Yeshua took to the cross.”

This is completely ludicrous. Read the context of the verses, Paul is speaking of Jewish Christians, who were treating Gentile Christians differently, not of the laws of the Pharisees! These verses precede the ones I quoted, and make the subject abundantly clear:

“11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.
12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.
13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.
14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,
16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”

Galatians 2:11-21

Now, as for the verses you cite, it seems you misunderstand them.

“[2] Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.”

What ordinances did he deliver to them? You seem to assume these ordinances were the Mosaic law, but that is not stated. In fact, the following verses immediately go on to speak of ordinances concerning whether men or women should wear head coverings while praying or prophesying, and specify rules that are not derived from the Mosaic law. So if you bother to read the context, it is clear that Paul is talking about ordinances that HE delivered, for Christians, not the ordinances that Moses delivered, for Jews.

Now for the verses from Acts:

“[23] And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.
[24] And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.”

Read it carefully. Was Paul teaching them to obey the Mosaic law? No! He was “persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.” So, he was preaching not the Mosaic law, but the gospel of Christ, using illustrations from the Old Testament, much as Christians still do today, to show that Christ was the fulfillment of the messianic promises and prophecies.

“It pays to know the whole word...”

Surely, and I think that is demonstrated quite well by how you have misunderstood some of these passages by ignoring the context.


116 posted on 02/13/2015 10:30:13 PM PST by Boogieman
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To: Boogieman
I have misunderstood nothing.

You are trapped in the churchian strawman of “righteousness by works.”

Righteousness by obedience is what faith delivers. Faith provides a natural desire to obey in those that know him.

As John clearly stated in his first epistle:

1John 2:

[1] My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
[2] And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
[3] And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
[4] He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
[5] But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
[6] He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
[7] Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.

Searching for verses that can be twisted to release you from those commandments will deliver you the Great White Throne, to hear the dreaded words of Matthew 7, and Luke 13. .

137 posted on 02/14/2015 11:07:05 AM PST by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
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