Paul: Abandon Moses; requirements for Gentiles; you are enslaved again because you meticulously observe days and months and seasons and years
John 14:6:
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.
[Jesus is the only way to the Father, not Jesus plus. - JRD]
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Acts 21:17-25:
17 After we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters received us gladly. 18 And the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. 19 After he had greeted them, he began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 And when they heard about them, they began glorifying God; and they said to him,
“You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law;
[These thousands were, then, under the curse of the law. Galatians 1:10. - JRD]
21 and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to abandon Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. 22 So what is to be done?
[Paul was also teaching the Jews because Jews and Gentiles are one spiritually. Jews were, after Chris’s death, under the New Covenant. Paul is saying to walk according to the leading of the Holy Spirit and according to faith in Jesus, and to forget Jewish customs. In other words, you must have Jesus and not Jesus plus anything! Paul is not against Circumcision for natural reasons. - JRD]
They will certainly hear that you have come. 23 Therefore, do as we tell you: we have four men who have a vow upon themselves; 24 take them along and purify yourself together with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and then everyone will know that there is nothing to what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also conform, keeping the Law.
25 But regarding the Gentiles who have believed, we sent a letter, having decided that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and what is strangled, and from sexual immorality.”
[In verse 22, above, they asked what is to be done by Gentiles? He answers in verse 25, above. - JRD]
You may want to read the remaining verses to Acts 21.
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Galatians 1:1-14:
1 You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? 2 This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?
[Paul admonishing some of the Galatians asking why they are so foolish after receiving the Spirit they have now turned back to the works of the law and the flesh (legalism). - JRD]
6 Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. 7 Therefore, recognize that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. 8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.
[All nations are blessed in (through) the spirit of Abraham. - JRD]
10 For all who are of works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all the things written in the book of the Law, to do them.”
11 Now, that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “the righteous one will live by faith.” 12 However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “The person who performs them will live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”— 14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
[Those who do not accept Jesus Christ are under the curse of the law and the wicked. Do we help such people? Answer: Chronicles 19:1-3 (no, if we do not want wrath to be brought on us). -JRD]
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Galatians 4:4-11:
Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave, although he is owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father. 3 So we too, when we were children, were held in bondage under the elementary principles of the world.
[Notice he writes that the children were held in bondage under the elementary principles of the world. SEE, below, verse 9: 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles, to which you want to be enslaved all over again? Paul was saying they turned back to bondage. - JRD]
4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons and daughters. 6 Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba! Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.
8 However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are not gods.
9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles, to which you want to be enslaved all over again? 10 You meticulously observe days and months and seasons and years. 11 I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.
[The King James version for verse 8 states: “how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?” - JRD]
[“In the Greek, "beggarly" is derived from the word πτωχός (ptochos), meaning extremely poor or destitute, like a beggar who has to crouch for handouts. "Elements" comes from the Greek στοιχεῖον (stoicheion), referring to fundamental principles, building blocks, or rudiments. Thus, "beggarly elements" describes principles that are inherently weak, impotent, and spiritually bankrupt, like the pagan or worldly systems of the past that one might be forced to beg for a spiritual handout from.” - JRD]
[Please note the last sentence of the above paragraph of definitions: principles of weak, impotent, and spiritually bankrupt” refers to the extra things that people do as stated by Paul in the Scriptures of this post. - JRD]
[ Paul did not mix customs under the Jewish age of the law with faith in Christ and the spiritual; whereas the Jewish age of the law was based on works, not grace, and for example, observing days, months, seasons and years (that has nothing to do with Jesus because He did it all for us). Paul was concerned that those who had gone back to weak and worthless elementary principles showed he had labored over them in vain. TURN BACK in verse 9 shows doing things of the Jewish age of the law, which Jesus abolished when He abolished the Old Testament. SERIOUS WORDS by Paul in the Scriptures in this post! - JRD]
[This was believing that Jesus and what He had done—fulfilled what the prophets had said and the Law (Matthew 5:17); and he abolished the Old Covenant and the Jewish age of the law and not one jot and tittle remained (Matthew 5:18). So, why go back to the past and do what they did when THEY DID NOT HAVE JESUS, GRACE AND THE NEW COVENANT.
[Because Jesus fulfilled the prophets and the Law, and abolished the Jewish age of the law and the Old Covenant, Paul is saying to stop observing Jewish customs, days, weeks, etc. These things involved legalism, which his self-effort, not spiritual. Everything is spiritual now, and observing these things of the past is not beneficial. Have faith in Jesus. In other words, spend time with the spiritual, not with keeping rules, or keeping up with and doing customs of the past. - JRD]
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Galatians 4:21-31:
21 Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the Law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and one by the free woman. 23 But the son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise. 24 This is speaking allegorically, for these women are two covenants: one coming from Mount Sinai giving birth to children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar. 25 Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is enslaved with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother. 27 For it is written:
“Rejoice, infertile one, you who do not give birth;
Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor;
For the children of the desolate one are more numerous
Than those of the one who has a husband.”
28 And you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But as at that time the son who was born according to the flesh persecuted the one who was born according to the Spirit, so it is even now. 30 But what does the Scripture say?
“Drive out the slave woman and her son, For the son of the slave woman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman.”
31 So then, brothers and sisters, we are not children of a slave woman, but of the free woman.
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Galatians 5:2-12:
2 Look! I, Paul, tell you that if you have yourselves circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 And I testify again to every man who has himself circumcised, that he is obligated to keep the whole Law. 4 You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by the Law; you have fallen from grace. 5 For we, through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.
[Here Paul shows he is not against circumcision for natural reasons. - JRD]
7 You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough. 10 I have confidence in you in the Lord, that you will adopt no other view; but the one who is disturbing you will bear the punishment, whoever he is. 11 But as for me, brothers and sisters, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been eliminated. 12 I wish that those who are troubling you would even emasculate themselves.
[Paul was being persecuted for many reasons but one was because he would not mix any part of the Jewish age of the law with faith in Christ and the spiritual; whereas the Jewish age of the law was based on works, not grace, and the promises of God, including from the New Covenant. - JRD]
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