Theologians claimed that Paul criticized the law because it was too legalistic and it was considered to be a works-based religion. According to them, Paul’s gospel said that Christians had died to the law and they were free from it. But did the apostle Paul really say that the law was done away with? Let’s talk about it.
In Luke 21 verses 20-24, Messiah prophesied about the times of the Gentiles. The prophecy is a foretelling of a time when the Gentiles would not just have dominion over the world. They would also destroy Jerusalem and have control over the chosen people. It should be obvious to all that this prophecy was fulfilled. We are living in the days when the times of the Gentiles are coming to an end. The signs are all around us for those with eyes to see. When the Gentiles took control of Jerusalem, they later took control of the gospel as well. The question is, what did they do with it? When they trampled the city of Jerusalem, did they also trample the truth of the gospel, insert their own leaven, and then create the world religion of Christianity?
Now we know that the roots trace back to Messiah and his disciples. They were followers of ‘the way’ because He is the way, the truth, and the life. But pagans called them Christians. But this original group (these believers) were all Israelites. And we often forget that the Roman Empire controlled the region where they lived. Their message was not well received by the Romans or the religious leaders of the day. The narrative that we were taught is that the Roman Emperor Constantine had a miraculous vision, and he converted to this supposed religion that they were so opposed to initially. Well, it’s a lie!
So, how did the gospel go from being a threat to a message of hope, love, and inclusivity? Why was it so threatening before? Did the message change? What caused the mass appeal? In scripture we see that Paul was sent out by the apostles. He said he was sent primarily to the Gentiles. It was Paul’s gospel that made the faith so appealing. But why? Is it because of his antagonism toward the early believers or was it because of some of his writings that appear to be contradictory?
When we look at the passage from Matthew 5:17-19, we see that Messiah said He did not come to destroy the law and whosoever shall break one of these least commandments or teach men to do so shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. Again, those words were spoken by the one who is called the chief cornerstone. It has been argued that since Paul didn’t meet Messiah during his earthly ministry, he could not accurately reflect His teachings. That’s one of the reasons given for some of the contradictions. However, do you know what religious leaders fail to do? They don’t ask who was Paul talking to.
Paul wrote various letters addressed to ‘the church’, but most fail to recognize the distinction between Israelites and the other nations. Now, if Paul was really preaching that the law was done away with and it was no longer relevant, then we shouldn’t find examples of him keeping it (see one example in Acts 21:15-25). Another example is found in Acts 18:18-21, where Paul was still practicing the law and participating in the feast days. Why would he continue to keep the law and participate in the feast days if he’s really saying the law had been done away with? That’s not making sense, is it? Because everything Paul said was not pertaining to the bloodline descendants of Israel. And it’s hard to wrap your brain around that.
A lot of us were brought up in Christianity. We were taught that we were Gentiles. And so, we ascribe to the teachings that the law was no longer required. We grew up on the “but Paul said…” mantra. All you need to do is “Have faith, believe that Christ died and He rose from the dead and accept Him as your Lord and Savior.” That meant that you were saved. Then you had to be baptized and then join a church. And based on the doctrine taught by the Baptist, “Once you’re saved, you’re always saved.” We were told that if you tried to keep the law, you had to keep all of them (and there were over 600 laws to keep). The thing is, no one ever gave us a list of those laws. We just lumped them all together and said, “We’re no longer under the law. We’re under grace.” So, in Acts 25:4-8, an accusation was made against Paul that he was a law breaker. Religious leaders and other Yahudims brought a charge against him to Festus. What was the outcome? Now, if he was really against the law and he was teaching other Israelites to break it, how is it that they found no proof? And Paul is saying out of his own mouth that he was not against the law.
What we need to understand is that the Romans used the doctrine of Paul to establish the Roman Catholic Church. They added their own leaven. Here’s the thing. They needed Paul’s doctrine and Peter’s authority. Both Peter and Paul were said to be founders of the Roman Catholic Church. Did you know that? In this passage from 2 Peter 3:14-16, Peter is talking about how some of Paul’s writings were hard to understand. But he also said, untaught and unstable people were twisting Paul’s words to their own destruction.
So, we now have to let the Ruach show us what that leaven was. Let’s make sure we understand that the words that actually came from the mouth of Yah is inspired. Learn more when you view the accompanying video, Did Paul Really Say That the Law Was Done Away With?
