Parent: JesusWordsOnly
Did Paul Negate the Laws Further Applicability?
Applying the Consistency Test
No one ever seriously claims Paul made any qualifying prophecy. Certainly nothing he predicted of a highly improbable nature has yet come true. Thus, the addition of Paul to canon immediately has a wobbly foundation. It appears to violate (Deut. 4:2).
Assuming for argument sake that Paul made some qualifying prediction, we next must apply the Bible's second level test. Even if they come with "signs and wonders" that come true, the Bible says they are still a false prophet if they simultaneously try to "seduce you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk.''' (Deut. 13:5). If they "diminish the Law," they violate God's word and must be false. (Deut. 4:2). Jesus in the same vein warns of those with true "signs and wonders" but who are workers of ANomia, i.e., negators of Nomos -the word for Torah in Greek. (Matt. 7:15, 24:11, 24). 1 As a result, even though Paul insists his "signs and wonders" validated his message ((Rom. 15:19)), we need to examine whether Paul' teachings are consistent with the Scripture that preceded Paul. We will thereby follow the example of the Bereans who used Scripture to test Paul's validity. (Acts 17:11).
- See "Did Jesus Warn of False Prophets Who Would Negate the Law?" on page 59 in its entirety. Paul does not merely say that Jesus fulfilled the law of sacrifice, making actual sacrifices moot. (This is Barnabas' reasonable approach in Hebrews ). Paul does not merely say the sacrificial ceremonies within the Law are gone. Rather, it appears Paul says Jesus removed the Law in its entirety as a code.
Luther believed Paul unequivocally declared that all aspects of the Law were abolished. Paul even abolished the moral components of the Law. Luther wrote:
The scholastics think that the judicial and ceremonial laws of Moses were abolished by the coming of Christ, but not the moral law. They are blind. When Paul declares that we are delivered from the curse of the Law he means the whole Law, particularly the moral law which more than the other laws accuses, curses, and condemns the conscience. The Ten Commandments have no right to condemn that conscience in which Jesus dwells, for Jesus has taken from the Ten Commandments the right and power to curse us. 2
We can find handy one-line proofs in (Eph. 2:15) and (Col. 2:14). Paul declares the Law is abolished for Christians. (Eph. 2:15)
Let us start with (Eph. 2:15). We will quote its wider context to be sure of its meaning.
- Martin Luther, Epistle on Galatians for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; (16) And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: ((Eph. 2:14-16), ASV) (bracketed text added by ASV to make flow better)
Most reputable commentators agree that Paul says here that Jesus abrogated the entire Law of Moses. Gill clearly says it is the Law given at Mount Sinai. Gill says Sinai means "hatred" in Hebrew. Thus, Paul is engaging in word-play with its synonym in Greek- enmity. Gill then explains Paul means that from Sinai "descended 'hatred' or 'enmity' to the nations of the world: now this Christ abolished." Jamieson likewise says Paul means Jesus abrogated the entire Law of Moses. Jesus supposedly replaced it with the "law of Love." Henry hedges a bit. He says Paul means the "ceremonial law" was abrogated. (Col. 2:14)
Second, Paul rewords (Eph. 2:14-16) in (Col. 2:14). The abrogation of the Law is crystal clear in Colossians. All the Law including the commandment to rest on the Sabbath is abolished :
(14) Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
(15) And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew
of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
(16) Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in
respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
(17) Which are a shadow of things to come; (Vincent Word Studies).
This is not merely the ceremonial law. Paul picks out one of the Ten Commandments-the Sabbath command. Then Paul sweeps it away. As Martin Luther in a sermon entitled How Christians Should Regard Moses given August 27, 1525 says of this passage:
Again one can prove it from the third commandment that Moses does
not pertain to Gentiles and Christians. For Paul (Col. 2:16)
/..abolish[ed] the sabbath, to show us that the sabbath was given
to the Jews alone, for whom it is a stern commandment. 4
Paul will repeat this abolition of Sabbath in (Rom. 14:5-6). Paul writes: "One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind." Christian commentators explain this means regarding Sabbath: "Christians are permitted to make up their own minds about a special day." 5 You can take it or leave it. It is up to you.
Paul also wipes out all the food laws and festival days. (See also, 1 Tim. 4:4, 'all food is clean.') Paul clearly is teaching against any obedience to the Law of Moses per se.
"I am the Lord. I change not." (Mai. 3:6)
- Martin Luther, "How Christians Should Regard Moses," Luther s Works: Word and Sacrament
Did Paul Abrogate the Law for Everyone?
In Colossians, we have a clearer idea of the "enmity" spoken about in (Eph. 2:15). All the ordinances of God in the Law of Moses are "against us." (Col. 2:14). Vincent says Paul's meaning is that the Law of Moses had the "hostile character of a bond" or debt. In Christ, Paul clearly is saying we (Jew and Gentile) are free from this debt. The proof is in the pudding. Paul says in verse sixteen that no one can judge you any longer for not obeying the Sabbath. The command for a Seventh Day-Sabbath rest is clearly not a ceremonial law about sacrifice. It is one of the Ten Commandments.
Furthermore, Paul makes it clear that there is no distinction between Jew or Gentile who are so liberated from the Law. In both (Eph. 2:15) and (Col. 2:14-17), Paul emphasizes how "one new man" emerges (Eph. 2:15). He explains this is so because the Temple wall that barred Gentiles from sacred parts of the Temple has been spiritually abolished. Id.
Did Jesus Say We are to Obey the Pharisees or Moses?
"The Pharisees and sages sit on Moses' seat. Therefore, all that he* [i.e., Moses] says to you, diligently do, but according to their reforms [i.e., additions] and their precedents [i.e., examples used to justify conduct], do not do because they talk but they do not do [Torah]." Hebrew (Matt. 23:2-3), as Jewish scholar Nehemiah Gordon translates in Hebrew Yeshua.
*In the Greek Matthew, it says 'all that they say, do."
- In the ellipsis of this quote, Luther claims the following passages also abolish the sabbath: (Matt. 12:1-12); John 5:16; 7:22-23; 9:14-16.
Luther does not realize this, but if Jesus abolished the Sabbath, Jesus would be an apostate and false prophet under (Deut. 13:5). So Luther had better be correct. In fact, these passages do not stand for this proposition. Rather, in (Matt. 12:1-12), Jesus says it was taught the priests are permitted to work in the temple on the Sabbath and "are guiltless." If this were true for priests, Jesus says this is true for Himself for one greater than the Temple is before them. The remaining three passages likewise do not support Luther's claim: (John 7:22-23) (if the Jews keep the command to circumcise a certain number of days after birth even if it takes place on the Sabbath, then they should permit Jesus to heal on Sabbath); (John 9:14-16) (Jesus healing on sabbath); (John 5:16) (Jesus told a man to pick up his mat, interpreted by Jewish leaders to be a work, but Jesus disapproves this understanding, saying there is no command against doing good on the Sabbath). Cfr. (Jer. 17:21-24) ("be careful to not carry a load on Sabbath.") See also, "Sabbath" Anchor Bible Dictionary (ed. David N. Freedman) Vol. 5 at 855-56 (Jesus misunderstood as disaffirming Sabbath, but rather reaffirmed it universally for all men in (Mark 2:27). Jesus' criticisms were against the man-made teachings that violated the true spirit of the Sabbath command); cf.
