Video: Why Galatians Was Written

“Not sure where you got ‘Paul commanded people to abandoned Judaism’ from.”

This is the popular concept of today—that the Law was abolished by Christ and is no longer in force—Jews and Gentiles not only may ignore its ordinances, such as circumcision, but they MUST ignore them. No distinction is made between Jew and Gentile.

Perhaps I misunderstood what you said here:

https://youtu.be/R1aTcI_R9zI?t=820 (@13:40)

“Paul is saying that we... don’t have to be bound by the Law any more, that Jesus came to free us from living under the Law, and now God isn’t really concerned with our diet or anything like that any more. He’s concerned with our hearts. And you don’t have to be circumcised to go to Heaven. Now this is very troubling for Jewish Christians back in the early days of Christianity. “

I think the ordinance of circumcision was never intended for non-semitic people. Of course, some Gentiles were led by God to convert to Judaism prior to Christ’s first coming, and these would have been expected to follow the ordinances. Likewise, God gave very limited restrictions to Noah when He permitted the eating of meat. Just like the Mosaic Law, the consuming of blood was proscribed against. The New Testament affirms this is applicable to Gentiles and clarifies that even eating meat from animals that have been strangled violate this prohibition. But God never instructed Gentiles to abstain from shellfish or pork, for example.

So your use of the word “now” led me to believe that you are suggesting that this was not the case prior. In other words, it implies that there was a time in which Gentiles needed to keep these Jewish ordinances in order to please God or receive salvation.

Similarly, by suggesting that Paul was saying “we” don’t have to be bound by the Law, I took it to mean that “we” includes Jews because Paul was Jewish. But perhaps it is still an accurate statement in the sense that God has set all of us—Jew and Gentile—free from the Law of sin and death. The key here, which I am certain that you get, is that God was fulfilling His promise to write His Law upon our hearts.

Circumcision is a test case. For Gentile Christians, it is an Old Testament symbol of our spiritual circumcision. For Jewish Christians today, this is still an ordinance that God expect them to keep as part of His Covenant with Israel. Paul defended himself in Acts, which I mentioned earlier, against the accusations that he was telling Jews they no longer needed to keep the Law. He also defended himself against similar false accusations in Romans because his adversaries were saying that Paul taught God had broken the promises He made to Israel and “cast them off”. He asserts, “God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew.”

An interesting question regarding circumcision is how the Judaizers would know if a Gentile Christian was circumcised. The answer seems to be that what Paul said they did when they came to “spy out” the liberty of Gentile believers was quite literal. It is almost as if, as disgusting as it may sound, that they were practically peeping Toms, looking around the barrier of the bathroom stall (so-to-speak) to see if their Gentile “brethren” had been properly cut. In the case of Timothy, it would have been public knowledge that he had a Jewish Christian mother but had not been circumcised (she would obviously know). I personally find it quite surprising that Paul circumcised him, as this does not seem mandatory even under the understanding that Jewish and Gentile converts retain their heritage. And Paul was no people-pleaser. Yet he discerned that this was necessary in Timothy’s case.

Hope I am not being too nitpicky in my feedback. I encourage you to keep writing, teaching, and serving God, as I expect He has great plans for your ongoing ministry. Don’t be afraid of the inevitable hardships that go along with serving the Lord. Sometimes, as you pointed out, the worst opposition is from other professing Christians. I don’t intend to be that toward you.

Let me go back to what you originally said,

It is incorrect to say that Paul taught for Jewish Christians to abandon either the commandments of the Law of Moses or even the customs of Judaism (as long as those customs did not contradict the Law).

This is not a claim I ever made, and I don't find it in the quote you provided. We're not talking about Jewish Christians, but Gentile converts. I have not seen anywhere where Paul told Jewish Christians to abandon Judaism. I thought I was pretty clear that the problem was that Jewish Christians demanded Gentiles fully convert to Judaism before they could believe in Christ. This is what horrified Paul. For example, I don't mean to diminish the importance of circumcision to Jews as a cultural tradition, but is it a requirement to go to heaven? The Judaizers said so. But why did Jesus die on the cross, then?

“For example, I don’t mean to diminish the importance of circumcision to Jews as a cultural tradition, but is it a requirement to go to heaven?”

First, thanks for clearing up my misunderstanding of your point on the subject.

You’ve raised an interesting question. Obviously circumcision is not a requirement for Heaven or even pleasing God for Gentile believers.

What about Jewish believers?

Circumcision was very important to God for Abraham’s descendants. Look how God simultaneously sent Moses from Sinai but also opposed him on his way to Egypt. He was disobedient to God’s instruction to Abraham, even before the Law was given to Moses.

But circumcision was something not consented to ordinarily because it was carried out on baby boys before they were old enough to consent. This means that any physical descendant of Abraham who comes to Christ uncircumcised had parents who failed to carry out God’s command. Paul taught in all churches to remain in one’s calling. This applies to circumcised and uncircumcised. But we do have the example of Timothy.

Of course, salvation is not by our works of righteousness. This includes even things God commanded for all believers such as baptism. So, in the same sense, Jewish believers, in my opinion, should get circumcised if they are not already. But this is an act of obedience rather than a step required to receive salvation in Christ. Salvation does require surrendering our lives in acknowledgment that Jesus is Lord. This is an essential confession which can only happen through the work of the Holy Spirit revealing the truth of this statement. So, while specific acts of obedience are not the prerequisite of salvation per se, a true believer is naturally going to seek to follow Christ in obedience to whatever He tells us. True faith is the condition of an obedient heart.

That’s my best shot at addressing a very challenging question.

I think the issue of dietary restrictions is more difficult though. These came with the giving of the Law. I do believe God intended for Jewish believers to continue to observe these ordinances. On the other hand, the unity of the body of Christ, including all Jew and Gentile believers, is absolutely essential. There should be no barrier to fellowship. So, if Gentiles are free to eat pork, and Jews are not, then how do they share a meal together without this becoming an obstacle?

Personally, I’ve traveled and eaten meals with a friend who is a Messianic Jew and does not always observe the dietary laws. I leave this to his own conscience. It does not bother me that he eats shellfish, though I think he ought to follow the Biblical dietary ordinances for Jews. But it is between him and God. On the other hand I’ve had Christian friends who were ethnically Jewish who never had been practicing Jews, and they did not even attempt to follow Kosher ordinances. Again, this is between them and God. Maybe I would feel differently if I was responsible for their spiritual care or if I was Jewish myself.

What is you opinion on these matters?

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