Circumcision

WHY, THEN, THE LAW?

/ David R Maas / 1 Comment

OVERVIEW – If a man is not justified from the works of the Law, what was the purpose of the Torah given through Moses at Mount Sinai? – Galatians 3:19. 

In his Letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul declared that we are set right with God from the “faith of Jesus Christ,” and not “from the works of the Law.” But if keeping the “works of the Law” does not justify us before God, logically, this raises the question:  Why, then, the Law? What was the purpose of the Torah? Paul answered this question in the third chapter of his letter.

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DOING THE WHOLE LAW

/ David R Maas / Leave a comment

OVERVIEW – Anyone who is under the Law of Moses is obligated to keep all its required deeds and rituals – Galatians 3:10. 

In his Letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul responded to teachings from certain Jewish Christians that were disrupting the churches of Galatia. A key point of contention was the claim that male Gentiles must be circumcised to “complete” their faith. Additionally, they may have pressured believers to keep the calendrical observances of the Mosaic legislation and conform to Jewish dietary regulations.

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CIRCUMCISION – A CUTTING ISSUE

/ David R Maas / 1 Comment

SYNOPSIS – If circumcision is no longer required, there has been a fundamental change in how membership in the covenant community is determined. 

Circumcision is an obstacle to any claim that followers of Jesus must conform to the requirements of the Torah, a rite that was fundamental in the Abrahamic covenant for the identity of the covenant community, and mandatory in the Mosaic legislation for all male members. Thus, if circumcision is no longer required, then the jurisdiction of the Law has changed.

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