I have been asking Silverlings to show me where the Old Testamant gives the Apostles authority to nullify the command of Circumcision - which would eliminate Sola Scriptura. But that aside, to your question. Recall that God writes His Law on EVERYONE'S heart. He also ORDINARILY chooses to draw people to Himself from within the visible Church. However, God is not bound to the visible Church's sacramental system - as Augustine argued vs. the Donatists. (sadly, he didn't make the connection regarding the absolute necessity of infant baptism). As a result, God calls people outside of His visible Church to become part of His Church, His people. The Church preaches a Gospel of Love, His one commandment. Those who love our executing this Law of Love given by our savior, for which by no other name comes salvation.
Even men such as St. Justin the Martyr (150 AD) saw in pagan philosophers a seed planted by the Logos - His abiding in them in an incomplete way as yet, a proto-Evangelium. Mysteriously, such men who follow the inclinations of the Logos, God's Wisdom, along with God's Spirit, Love, are united with the Body of Christ.
I have noted lately that I, too, am a bit frayed lately.
Regards
No one has a right to nullify anything of God-including the Apostles. That right is reserved for God alone. God showed Peter and Paul, both, that circumcision meant nothing.
Circumcision to the Jews was suppose to be nothing more than an outward sign of an inward change, like baptism is to Christians. God was furious with the Jews who went through the rituals of circumcision and yet lived their lives like everyone else. He stated:
As 1000 rightly pointed out, this was part of the old covenant that God, Himself, tossed out. He is the ONLY one who can do so because He kept His end of the bargin. God brought in a NEW covenant and sealed His Spirit within us so that His people would be obedient. He told the apostles what He was doing and they relayed the message. The Bereans, who were more nobel than the Thessalonicans (Act 17) searched the scriptures (Old Testament) to see if what the Apostles were saying was correct, and they confirmed it based upon the scriptures.
The Church preaches a Gospel of Love, His one commandment.
With all due respect, this is not God's ONE commandment. You are to:
BTW, I like the contrast of preaching the "gospel of love" that you mention and my scripture passage from Jeremiah of how God's wrath with go out on the disobedient.