Posted on 01/03/2026 4:38:51 PM PST by imardmd1
Conclusions: < snip >
Through a close examination of the Antioch incident and the Hagar‑Sarah allegory, we have traced Paul’s Jewish logic. He employs midrashic typology, scriptural allegory, and covenantal reasoning to demonstrate that the blessing promised to Abraham reaches the nations through faith in the singular “Seed,” Christ. The Law, a holy and good gift to Israel, functioned as a guardian until the Promise arrived. To require Gentiles to undergo proselyte conversion is, in Paul’s metaphor, to force them back into a state of minority and slavery—a temporary, supervised status from which Christ has set all believers free. Paul’s gospel thus affirms a radical, faith-based inclusion of Gentiles as equal heirs, while upholding the Torah’s enduring sanctity and guidance for Israel—though his reconfiguration of its soteriological and disciplinary role in the messianic age introduces a provocative intra-Jewish tension.
This interpretation carries serious repercussions. For Christian theology, it challenges entrenched supersessionist readings and recovers Paul as a Jewish thinker whose message of grace is rooted in, rather than opposed to, Israel’s covenantal story. It affirms the enduring validity of God’s covenant with the Jewish people. For Jewish‑Christian dialogue, it reframes Paul not as an apostate but as a faithful, if contentious, first‑century Jew whose messianic convictions led him to expand the boundaries of Abraham’s family in a way that remains intelligible within Jewish tradition. Ultimately, rereading Galatians “within Judaism” invites both communities to see Paul as a bridge—a figure whose passionate argument for Gentile inclusion without proselyte conversion can foster mutual understanding and respect for our shared and distinctive covenantal callings.
(Excerpt) Read more at drelisblog.com ...
Romans 11 makes the same argument - as is made in Hebrews. Scriptures are very consistent on this point.
Bkmk
IMHO the whole bible can be summed up in Ezekiel 36; in particular, verses 26-27:
“26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. ”
God the Father poured out his Spirit thru Christ (John 14 & 15)
So Paul concludes in Chapter 5:
“16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[c] you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”
My wife and I have elderly neighbors (86 and 93, yet seem younger than that, good for them!) that after all those decades of believing the gospel of Jesus Christ, began about 20 years ago to add the Sabbath (no work, no travel) and observe the Law, (with the exception of offering animal sacrifices).
They keep the feasts, eat foods commanded in the Law, and probably other things I’m unaware of.
They don’t wear clothes that are commanded in the Law. They just look like your average modern megachurch goers.
And the point about your neighbors is . . . ?
” The Law, a holy and good gift to Israel, functioned as a guardian until the Promise arrived.”
Who then fulfilled the Law on our behalf; for us.
**And the point about your neighbors is . . . ?**
Well, like members of the churches of Galatia which Paul wrote to, they seem to believe that they must do things required by the Law to have complete sanctification.
We have known them for 9 years, and have seen the progression of their following more and more of the Law. Also, they used to say ‘Jesus’ most of the time, and ‘Yeshua’ once in a while. Now we rarely hear them say ‘Jesus’.
I agree, as guided by the overall context pf the Holy Scriptures alone, without any need for extra-Biblical confirmation.
So, what do you think of that?
I am their everything outdoors handyman. There have been projects that they wanted done before Shabbat starts. Yet the lady insists I not finish a job even if I only need an additional half hour or less.
They are also dedicated followers of NAR ‘prophets’.
And, because of their beliefs, they (politely and somewhat humbly) let one know that they, and those they are close to, are really among the elite followers of the Lord.
In the past, they have been to Israel several times to help with grape harvest. The family they helped in that manner (and continue to help financially) are from Tennessee.
To my wife and I, they seem to almost worship Jewish culture.
Romans 6:13-14 (AV; superscript for grammar, bolding added for emphasis):As you pointed out.13Neither yield yeplural your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
המשׁיח יהושׁע יְהֹוָה (Yehovah Yehoshua HaMesshiach in Hebrew);
κυριον ιησουν χριστον (Kyreeyoo Yaysoo Kreestoo in NT Greek); or
Lord Jesus Christ (Loherd Dzheezuhss khreyesst in American English),
as seen in the various languages of the Scriptures or transliterated into the 17th century barbarian Eng's tongue as spoken (speaking in tongues).
"Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations" (Rom. 14:1 AV).The whole chapter is given over to aspects of this potential divisive issue, which it may well be necessary to implement to have peace.
Myself, though today's Judaism is a dead religion, the Mosaic Covenant abrogated, terminated at Calvary when righteousness of the Scriptures was fulfilled once and forever (Rom. 6:8-11, Heb. 10:10), I have a real felt compassion for Jews as a race, supposedly descendants of Jacob, principally from Judah and Benjamin, partly because I have met many whose trust is wholly centered on the Only Begotten-in-the-flesh Jewish Son of God of both royal and priestly descent.
Now that I operate a vehicle no longer, one of my Jewish fellow church constituents brings me there every Lord's Day now, very graciously.
Another example is the author of the article I've posted, whose sharp discernment has provided many deep insights into doctrinal issues.
And to stand back from the nebulous terminology of overused words such as Jesus and church and ZChrist and faith and believer, I often resort to other Hebrew or Greek-based terms that are more precise, not yet trite, over-used, and worn-out.
I've met and appreciated Moshe Rosen, the founder and heart of "Jews For Jesus," at the very non-denominational McLean Bible Church, brought from two hundred congregants to ten thousand by Lon Solomon and coworkers. It is the assembly where my daughter-in-law grew up and married there to my son, as they served together in a Christian evangelism concern giving nationwide seminar presentations.
When I was a student at Syracuse, I was a member of a quite well-known fraternity where Ted Koppel and another fellow Herb (last name redacted here) were our first-ever pledges of Jewish descent who, at the end of their trial were (is spite of their accomplishments), were about to be black-balled for full membership on account pf their origins. At the decisive chapter meeting and on first round the rejections failed, I stood up and berated the appearce of the thee black marbles for each, and had to get the members face my challenge that I would myself leave the membership and support if these two were not fully accepted. Because of it, both these fellows were passed. But looking into the future, can you imagine the national fraternity having to find excuses for rejecting Ted Koppel, of ABC radio and TV fame, finding no home at our chapter?
Also, while in my labors in hybrid microcircuit materials development that were mainly composed of precious metal pastes which we sold by the gram, not by the ton as other brances of the company did with paint pigments and plastic intermediates. In this effort quite a significant proportion of Jewish scientists and technicians, harking from the jewelry industry as well as other disciplines wherever precious metals were involved, were fellow members of teams that innovated the burgeoning technology of microcircuits used in communication, computer, avionics, and medical devices.
Getting their trust as a fellow researcher/innovator was not easy, but when achieved made pathways to success both within the company and with the customers without such that millions of dollars of trading resulted. At one time my products became one of the best income profit centers of the Electronics Department of the company, but not without the help of these other members engaged in product management, manufacturing, sales, and technical application criteria. No antisemitism wanted or tolerated in that arena.
When i hear of that disease of hate fomenting in our universities and elites, it makes me sick to think they now seem to be dominating in the places that ought to be the resort for the finest of our society.
I like to be able from a scriptural point of view, to include myself as "one of the wild branches grafted into the tree," the legitimately-sourced entity where my Savior Jesus of Nazareth is the Living Root and Trunk, and other Gentiles like myself have been gladly invited to ingest the life-giving nutrients conveyed by the Holy Spirit through His Inspired Written Text.
Enough.
My position leads me to seek wherever I can show kinship to Jews anywhere, especially if they can be persuaded to turn to Christ from Moses as did Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimethea.
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