Law

Jesus and Jewish Tradition

/ David R Maas / Leave a comment

SYNOPSIS:  The gospel of Mark presents five incidents in which Jesus experienced opposition from religious leaders for deviating from their traditions – Mark 2:1-3:6.

close up of a book in hebrew

Jesus did not reject the Mosaic Law but, instead, many of the interpretations added to it by the Scribes and rabbinical authorities, especially practices related to ritual purity and Sabbath regulations. As the “Son of Man,” the Messiah, he was not bound by human traditions and regulations – His authority was superior to the traditions of the “Scribes and Pharisees,” even to the rituals of the Temple. Continue reading →

PAUL’S MAIN DISPUTE AT GALATIA

/ David R Maas / Leave a comment

SYNOPSIS – Paul presents the points of agreement and disagreement with his opponents at Galatia – Galatians 2:15-21.

In the first two chapters of his letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul explains how he received his gospel for the Gentiles by divine revelation, a commission confirmed by the leaders of the Jerusalem church. He also details how certain “false brethren had slinked in to spy out our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus” in an earlier but similar controversy at the church in Antioch of Syria – (Galatians2:1-5).

Continue reading →

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.

Continue reading →

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.

Continue reading →

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.

Continue reading →