[kerryusama04]

what about tis little gem?

Rom 3:31 Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.

Once it hit me that the sheep Paul were pastoring had never heard of the Law until Paul taught them of it, all of his letters took on a more coherent meaning. It doesn't make sense for Paul to have taught people what the Law was, and then spend years telling them not to follow it.

[ET(end tyranny)]

Once it hit me that the sheep Paul were pastoring had never heard of the Law until Paul taught them of it, all of his letters took on a more coherent meaning. It doesn't make sense for Paul to have taught people what the Law was, and then spend years telling them not to follow it.

True enough. Gentile Godfearers who wanted to become full-fledged believers in God through the ministry of Yehoshua had ALREADY received Moses' instructions concerning how people are to live, as taught in the Noachide and Sinatic covenants since when Moses [Pentateuch-first 5 books of the Bible] is taught, such teaching encompasses both the Laws of Noah and the Mosaic Covenant.

A lot of these Gentile Godfearers already attended synagogue and or attended the Festivals and Holy Days, like Cornelius. All that was needed for a full conversion from Godfearer to Jew was, being cicumcised. And James had already pointed out that cicumcism wasn't necessary to be grafted into the family. So, the big thing that the Godfearers were lacking in was understanding of the dietary guidelines, and fornication like not having relations with ones sisters, aunts, uncles, neices etc.

They already had certain basics, just not the fundamental guidelines in dietary regulations since they didn't eat with Jews nor would they know how to properly prepare their food. (kosher)

You can SEE through the way the Jews lived, some of what was expected. But, without dining with them, or watching them prepare their foods, you wouldn't KNOW how to go about preparing kosher meals. They wouldn't have realized that their was a difference. They needed to be told and then instructed on how to do that.

It wasn't about making Jews more comfortable around Gentiles, it was about making Gentiles acceptable of God. It was about being a part of the family and being able to sit together at the 'wedding feast'.

It is wrong to tempt someone to break God's Law. If the Gentile didn't follow the dietery guidelines, and a Jew were over for dinner, it would be tempting for the Jew to break his dietary guideline. Better for all to be following the same dietary rules that the Jews use, since Gentiles are grafted to the Jews and not the other way around.

These are the various types of people we are dealing with in the first century.

• I. Goyim: idolators, wicked, pagans,
• II. Foreigners (Ger toshev):
  • 1. Non Jews living in Israel
  • 2. Any Gentile who wanted to be righteous (i.e. "saved)
  • 3. Required to observe the 7 Noachide commandments
• III. Godfearers (Ger hashair)
  • 1. Required to observe the 7 Noachide commandments
  • 2. Required to observe the Sabbath
  • 3. Required to observe the dietary Laws plus others as they choose (Isa. 56)
  • 4. Expected to maintain synagogue discipleship where "Moses is preached".
  • 5. Lack circumcision
• IV. Jews: Native Born -plus- Proselyte
  • 1. Proselytes were given all the requirements listed above for the Godfearer
  • 2. Required circumcision for males
  • 3. Required mikveh for females
  • 4. Sacrifice in Temple (optional in Diaspora)
  • 5. Pay Temple tax yearly

[topcat54]

Once it hit me that the sheep Paul were pastoring had never heard of the Law until Paul taught them of it, all of his letters took on a more coherent meaning. It doesn't make sense for Paul to have taught people what the Law was, and then spend years telling them not to follow it.

Of course Paul carefully differentiated among the various portions of the law, just as Jesus did.

Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.' " And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth." Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me." (Mark 10:17-21)

Now the judaizers would read verse 19 this way:

You know the commandments: 'Do not wear a garment of mixed linen and wool,' 'Eat the right type of food,' 'Do not let your livestock breed with another kind,' 'Do not shave around the sides of your head, and do not disfigure the edges of your beard. ,' 'Do not sow your field with mixed seed,' 'You shall kill a goat for a sin offering.' "

But in all the lists of laws that are to govern the people of God mentioned in the New Testament, none of them ... let me repeat ... none of them includes the sort of peculiar ceremonial laws mentioned in the judaic ceremonial code.

E.g.,

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, (Rom. 1:28-32)

For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Rom. 13:9-10)

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal. 5:18-21)

For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. (James 2:10-12)

The reason is plain enough, they are not suitable for a racially integrated covenant community.

These lists all parallel the moral code as summarized in the Ten Commandments. None of them mention ceremonial issues.

This is a peculiar thing that modern judaizers cannot seem to account for. They brutally assert that this ceremoninal code is still in effect, but a careful study of the Scripture does not support their theory.