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The Daily Word of Righteousness
The Two Stages of Man, #4
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage [of the Law]. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. (Galatians 5:1-4)
The Apostle Paul reasoned with the Galatians concerning those Jewish teachers who would have brought them back under the Law of Moses. Apparently they were accusing Paul of breaking the Law and sinning in doing so.
Lo and behold, the Judaizers have returned to life and are still attempting to bring believing Jews and Gentiles back under the Law and statutes of Moses.
Some today are claiming that Paul was addressing only Gentiles, not Jews, in the Epistle to the Galatians. Who then is to say which book of the Scriptures is addressed to the Jews and which to the Christians? This is as bad as the modern Christian teaching that the teachings of Christ in the four Gospels do not apply to Christians. It sounds like Satan has been busy attacking the Scriptures!
The modern Judaizers are stating (believe it or not!) that Christian Jews are obliged to keep the Law of Moses. And this after nineteen centuries of exposure to the writings of Rabbi Paul!
A careful examination of the Book of Romans, for example, will reveal that both Jews and Gentiles are being addressed indiscriminately and there assuredly is no difference in the exhortation to trust in the grace of Christ. In fact, Chapters Two through Five of Romans, the very basis of the doctrine of grace, are clearly addressed to Jews who knew the Law.
When Paul contrasted grace and works in the Book of Romans he was not contrasting grace and godly living (as Gentiles believe), but grace and the Law of Moses. And he was speaking to those who knew the Law.
Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; (Romans 2:17,18)
Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; (Romans 3:19-21)
In the Book of Romans, Paul clearly is exhorting Jews to look up from the Torah and to place their trust in the grace of God through Christ.
The question often is raised, If I am not under the Law of Moses, am I free to commit adultery? If I am not, under what law am I prohibited from committing adultery?
Apparently the Apostle Paul was being criticized along this line.
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. (Galatians 2:17)
To be continued.