The apostle Paul's teaching: Christians are not subject to Mosaic law and traditions

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The apostle Paul’s teaching: Christians are not subject to Mosaic law and traditions

To understand much of what the apostle Paul said in his letters to the churches (i.e. the New Testament epistles such as Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, etc.) one must understand the following: In the days of early Christianity when Paul was preaching there were a large number of Jewish Christians who believed that a follower of Jesus should also follow the laws, rules, customs, and traditions of their Jewish faith. They regarded Christianity (the Way of faith in Jesus) as an add-on to their religion, their own beliefs and practices, and didn’t see it as something replacing their religion (they didn’t want to give up their religion). Paul spent a lot of time reacting to this idea, teaching that instead Christianity replaced Jewish law and tradition. He regarded this Jewish belief as a dangerous false teaching, heresy. He taught that instead of following Jewish law and tradition, the follower of Jesus follows the leading of the indwelling “spirit of Jesus” (i.e. holy spirit), was obedient to that spirit within. For this reason there was no reason, for example, for a gentile to become circumcised as the Jews do or follow other Jewish customs. What kind of behavior did this spirit of Christ dwelling within the true Christian represent? Well, this spirit of Christ is really the outlooks, attitudes, and values of God, the mind of God, and there is all kinds of scripture in the New Testament that tells us what is right in the way of conduct in the eyes of God and what is wrong, both in the words of Jesus and in the letters of the apostles to the churches. Consider the following:

Gal 5:13-26 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty;

only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but

through love serve one another. {14} For all the law is

fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your

neighbor as yourself." {15} But if you bite and devour one

another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! {16} I say

then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of

the flesh. {17} For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the

Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one

another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. {18}

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

{19} Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are:

adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, {20} idolatry,

sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath,

selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, {21} envy, murders,

drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you

beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those

who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

{22} But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,

longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, {23}

gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. {24}

And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its

passions and desires. {25} If we live in the Spirit, let us

also walk in the Spirit. {26} Let us not become conceited,

provoking one another, envying one another.

See Way of true Christianity

In fact, God’s outlooks, attitudes, and values are found in many places in the Old Testament (as in the Ten Commandments), however the Christian follows not a lot of written rules and the letter of the law as the Jews do, but God’s values as written in his heart i.e. he follows that knowledge of right and wrong that is in his heart as informed by his conscience and his knowledge of the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. The conduct that the Christian follows consists of things like integrity, righteousness, morality, chastity, benevolence toward others, kindness, goodness, humility, peacefulness, gentleness, self-control, patience, long-suffering, etc. and not religious rites, rituals, traditions, customs, and ceremonies as with the Jews and some other religions. Some insight comes from the following:

Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said to him, " 'You shall love the

LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with

all your mind.' {38} "This is the first and great commandment.

{39} "And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor

as yourself.' {40} "On these two commandments hang all the Law

and the Prophets."

Gal 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You

shall love your neighbor as yourself."

1 Tim 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure

heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

Charity. Benevolence toward others. Kindness and tolerance in judging others.

synonyms: goodwill, compassion, consideration, concern, kindness, kindliness, kind-heartedness, tenderness, tender-heartedness, warm-heartedness, brotherly love, love, sympathy, understanding, fellow feeling, thoughtfulness, indulgence, tolerance, liberality, decency, nobility, graciousness, lenience

antonyms: meanness, unkindness, spitefulness, unfairness, nastiness, mean-spiritedness

The “works of the flesh” referred to in Gal 5:19 above (adultery, fornication, uncleanness, etc.) are the ways of natural, unregenerated man, the ways of the non-Christian, of the world. The “fruit of the spirit” corresponds to what ought to be the attributes of the true born-again Christian, the person who really is following in the way of true Christianity.

Caveat! We note that although the Christian does not follow all of the customs, ceremonies, traditions, and rules of the Jews he does follow some of the teachings of the Old Testament — such as the Ten Commandments! Jesus taught that one should follow the Ten Commandments!

Aug 2019