I’m reading in Galatians, and I had this question.
We know that Gentiles in Paul’s time who had the Spirit but were circumcised had to keep the law (Gal. 5:3). Do you think they still had to keep the law if they later heard and believed Paul preaching that the Gentiles were free from the law?
Thanks,
John
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Hi, John.
Thanks for the question. It is a good one.
Yes, they still had to keep the law because they were no longer Gentiles, but Jews. Paul’s gospel was not for them, since they had converted.
Another good question is, what did God expect Jewish believers (including circumcised Gentiles with the Spirit) to do after Jerusalem was sacked in AD 70, which made keeping the law impossible? I believe that with that event, God was liberating Jewish believers from the law (including converted Gentiles), cutting the cord that was holding them to it by forcing them into a position of having to trust in Christ alone to save. Nothing but Christ was left! Unfortunately, instead of doing that, many believers devised new ceremonies, patterned after the law, and continued to worship “in the flesh”, as Paul would say. And so began the centuries-long development of a new religion, the abomination that crowned itself with the august title, “Christianity”.
Thanks again for the question.
Pastor John