Advantageous?? Only as it kept doors of communication open. In time, it was the judaizing church that killed Paul (IMO).
JD
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [email protected]
Sent: Fri, 4 Nov 2005 10:28:41 -0700
Subject: Re: [TruthTalk] Torah & Jewish traditions
On Thu, 3 Nov 2005 19:23:08 -0500 "David Miller" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>I think from [the Ap. Paul's] perspective, the freedom to keep Torah as a Jew was viewed as advantageous
>I think from [the Ap. Paul's] perspective, the freedom to keep Torah as a Jew was viewed as advantageous
which is far removed from the NT perspective, e.g.:
Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised...
What shall we conclude then? Are [Jews/'we'] any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin..
As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."
"Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit."
"The poison of vipers is on their lips."
"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."
"Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know."
"There is no fear of God before their eyes."
Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. (Romans 3)
--
Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.
Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.
You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.
But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.
Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.
You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.
But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.
The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. (Gal 5)
