In an article attempting to debunk Messianic Judaism, Wyatt Ciesielka has this to say about Paul in Galatians 3:23-25 where he talks about the law being a "tutor" till the New Covenant arrived, but then he claims the law is still in effect because Galatians is talking about minor laws, not the major laws.
What are the 613 mitzvot? First, it is helpful to explain what they are not. The 613 mitzvot are not the law of God—they are not the Ten Commandments or the Holy Days, nor are they even the sacrificial system or the Old Covenant. The 613 mitzvot are simply a multitude of rabbinic ordinances (in Greek, dogma) based on human interpretations of Scripture, which in some cases are valid instruction for right worship, but in other instances are instruction only for a temporary time or situation. In other instances, they are misinterpretations of Scripture, and in still other instances they are part of “the law”—not the Ten Commandments, but the lower-case law, which included the “tutor.” This, as Paul noted in Galatians 3:23–25, was superseded by the New Covenant.
9 comments:
The 10 Commandments are NOT salvation, that is only thru Jesus. However it is very had to argue against them as a standard and idea of behavior for Christians, what with them written by the very finger of God, and at the very center of the Ark of the Covenant.
But Tonto, although I agree with you, so many of these groups DO tie them to salvation. All the COGs, Adventism, Mormonism etc. And they don't seem to understand they were only for Israel, only UNTIL Jesus came and completed the atonement. Even at that, no Jew living in our time today is saved by keeping them. Jesus erased the difference between Jew and Gentile, for NOW, all are one in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:15-16 says "In His own flesh he abolished the law with its commands and precepts, to create in Himself one new man from us who had been two, reconciling us to God in one body through His cross, which put that enmity to death". The law is obsolete as its fulfillment was completed at the cross (see Acts 15). I wish the legalists could see that.
And the Sabbath, being the sign of the Old Covenant between God and Israel, was only the foreshadowing of the coming Savior, but the reality is Christ. On this side of the Cross, our rest is in Christ, not a day. Paul was preaching and breaking bread with the brethren on the 1st day of the week in Acts 20.
Guidelines for Christian behavior, yes. Salvivic, absolutely not.
The grace vs law argument is an old one, and I doubt anything that is said here is going to change any minds. First, Christ did NOT do away with the Law - He fulfilled it. Hence, our righteousness is entirely through Jesus Christ, not in an observance of the Old Covenant list of dos and don'ts found in the Torah. Second, Christ summarized the Law into two great principles (Love for God and love for each other) and commanded his followers to put these two principles into practice in every area of their lives.
Jesus and Paul clearly viewed the Law as a whole. Thus, distinguishing between major and minor laws is clearly an artificial exercise used by Armstrongites to justify retaining some elements of the Torah/Old Covenant as being binding on Christians. Moreover, the absurdity of this notion is clearly seen in the difficulty these folks have in sorting out which components of the Law are still binding on Christians and which are not! In short, there are always holes in the rationales which they put forward for picking and choosing!
Finally, there is certainly merit in the point Tonto makes, and in Armstrongism's favorite quotation from the writings of Paul about turning grace into a license to sin. While our salvation is wholly through Jesus Christ and what he has done for us, a real Christian is NOT going to live a life of debauchery. If a person is truly a new creature in Christ, his/her life will reflect obedience to the Law of Love which Christ commanded his followers to observe - a law that focuses on intent, motivation, conscience, etc. - NOT on the scrupulous observance of a bunch of rituals and dos and don'ts!
To Lonnie. I feel like I should say "jinx"!!
Paul kept the sabbath [ saturday, no where after Christ died is not one of apostles writings tell to break the sabbath, christ kept the sabbath, unless some where he said after i die the sabbath is done away, every thing from exodus 21 to the end of exodus has been done away, but when christ returns the will revive [ restore so that all will worship God and keep his sabbath, and his holy feast days, for before i knew not god, all the ways of my pass life was shown to be a life of sin ,for i did not know the law [ that is the 10 commandments ] i am not saying i do not sin its a learning process by keeping the 10 shows threw proverbs ,how that the law shows me the love god and his son ,there for the law is good and up hold it by allowing Jesus to lead me by the spirit, they were not all jews that came out of Israel ,but a mix of races ,the all so kept the those days ,and after they were all known as the children of Israel the new commandment that Jesus said to do is what the people that came out Egypt failed to do so the ten commandments were not done away they will last forever . trying stay in line with my thoughts , i am still a member of the chursh that some armstrongisn's which they might have never been a member i don't know just saying .
Come on, Wyatt! The 613 commands are not made up by the Jews; they were simply counted from the Law given at Sinai. Which of the 613 are not given in the Torah? I'll wait.
None of you have the guts to tell any of this to his face. Keyboard cowards.
As, look at the widdle crybaby. Boo hoo
Aw, look at the widdle crybaby. Boo hoo
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