It is difficult for us to understand Paul because we do not have the same background as he. Paul was raised in a strict Pharisaic environment, what we would call today an Orthodox environment. From his earliest years all Paul knew of life was the Law of Moses. This was true also of the first Christians.

Perhaps the greatest problem Paul had was that of convincing the believers to turn away from the Torah and look to Christ alone for justification and salvation. Paul himself had been convinced. But everywhere Paul went, whether among the other Apostles, the Jews, or the Gentiles, the pressure was on to maintain at least part of the Law while receiving Jesus as Messiah.

Always, always, always, every day, every day, Paul was faced with pressure to not abandon the Law of Moses but to include at least parts of the Law in the plan of salvation. We being Gentiles have little understanding of this unceasing pressure. Therefore we have trouble understanding the Epistles. An orthodox Jew would find it much easier to understand Paul than would Gentiles.

We of today do not understand the Jewishness of Christianity. Perhaps it will help us to consider that the holy city, which is the Wife of the Lamb, the glorified Christian Church, is the new Jerusalem! On the gates of the new Jerusalem are inscribed the names of the twelve families of Israel. On the foundations of the wall are written the names of the twelve Jewish Apostles of the Lamb.

We Gentiles have been included in the plan of salvation, but salvation first and foremost is the children's bread. We have been removed from our physical inheritance and grafted into the one Olive Tree. We are as Asenath, the Egyptian wife of Joseph. Through Jesus Christ we now are part of the one new Man, the one family of God.

Although we may not understand the reason for such continual exhortation, Paul kept on declaring we are not saved by works of righteousness we have done but by grace. By this Paul meant that we cannot save ourselves by diligently observing the Law of Moses (or any other moral code; but Paul did not think in terms of other moral codes, only the LAW!).

We Gentiles, not aware of the pressure on Paul, have interpreted him to mean Divine grace is an alternative to righteous behavior. If one takes a few verses from the Epistles, and defines works as "righteous behavior," one could teach the Christian salvation as a plan whereby God receives Gentiles on the basis of belief and brings them to Heaven regardless of any misconduct on their part.

But if one examines the entire New Testament, and defines Paul's use of the term works as "the works of the Law of Moses," then we understand the Christian salvation is a plan whereby God forgives Gentiles (and Jews as well) and transforms them morally until their behavior is righteous, holy, and obedient to God to a degree far, far surpassing that of the most zealous adherent to the Law of Moses.

To be continued.