{"id":4458,"date":"2021-09-12T03:36:53","date_gmt":"2021-09-12T09:36:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/integritysyndicate.com\/?p=4458"},"modified":"2022-11-13T02:59:45","modified_gmt":"2022-11-13T09:59:45","slug":"refuting-torah-legalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/integritysyndicate.com\/refuting-torah-legalism\/","title":{"rendered":"Refuting Torah Legalism"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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What are Judaizers?<\/h2>

\u201cJudaizer\u201d is a technical term that pertains to a faction of Jewish Christians, both of Jewish and non-Jewish origins, who regard the Levitical laws of the Old Testament as still binding on all Christians. They tried to enforce Jewish circumcision upon the Gentile converts to early Christianity, and were strenuously opposed and criticized for their behavior by the Apostle Paul, who employed many of his epistles to refute their doctrinal errors. The term is derived from the Koine Greek word \u1f38\u03bf\u03c5\u03b4\u03b1\u0390\u03b6\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd (Ioudaizein) used once in the Greek New Testament (Galatians 2:14).[1]<\/a> While Judaizers currently don\u2019t typically advocate circumcision of the flesh, they advocate Torah observance in many other Levitical laws including sabbath observance, dietary laws and observations of feasts and holy days.<\/p>

The meaning of the verb Judaize[2]<\/a>, from which the noun Judaizer is derived, can only be derived from its various historical uses. Its biblical meaning must also be inferred and is not clearly defined beyond its obvious relationship to the word “Jew.” The Anchor Bible Dictionary, for example, says: “The clear implication is that gentiles are being compelled to live according to Jewish customs.\u201d[3]<\/a> The word Judaizer comes from Judaize, which is seldom used in English Bible translations (an exception is the Young’s Literal Translation for Galatians 2:14).<\/p>

[1]<\/a> Wikipedia contributors. “Judaizers.”\u00a0Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia<\/em>. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 9 Jul. 2021 Web. 26 Aug. 2021.<\/p>

[2]<\/a> from the\u00a0Koine Greek<\/a>\u00a0Ioudaiz\u014d<\/em>\u00a0(\u0399\u03bf\u03c5\u03b4\u03b1\u03ca\u03b6\u03c9); see also\u00a0Strong’s G2450<\/a><\/p>

[3]<\/a> Anchor Bible Dictionary,<\/em>\u00a0Vol. 3. \u201cJudaizing.\u201d<\/p>

Galatians 2:14-16, Youngs Literal Translation<\/h3>

14<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>But when I saw that they are not walking uprightly to the truth of the good news, I said to Peter before all, ‘If thou, being a Jew, in the manner of the nations dost live, and not in the manner of the Jews, how the nations dost thou compel to Judaize<\/strong>?\u00a0<\/span>15<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>we by nature Jews, and not sinners of the nations,<\/span>16<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>having known also that a man is not declared righteous by works of law, if not through the faith of Jesus Christ, also we in Christ Jesus did believe, that we might be declared righteous by the faith of Christ, and not by works of law, wherefore declared righteous by works of law shall be no flesh.’<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Paul’s Rebuke to the Judaizers<\/h2>

Those who seek to subject us to the Mosaic law seek to enslave us. (Gal 2:4) As beneficiaries of the New Covenant, we are to protect our freedom in Christ. (Gal 2:4-5) Observing days and months and seasons and years is to turn back again into slavery to the weak and inferior precepts. (Gal 4:9-10) Christ has set us free to give us freedom; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Gal 5:1) A little leaven leavens the whole lump. (Gal 5:9) We were called to freedom. (Gal 5:13)<\/p>

We should not pursue righteousness through the law (by legalism), as Paul wrote, \u201cIf I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor\u201d (Gal 2:18) and, \u201cIf righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. (Gal 2:21) Again we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. (Gal 2:16) Paul rightly accuses the Judaizes of distorting the gospel of Christ (Gal 1:6-7) We do not receive the Spirit by works of the law but by hearing with faith (Gal 3:2) He who supplies the Spirit to us and works miracles among us does so by hearing with faith, not the works of the law. (Gal 3:5-6) We should not revert to the old ways of being perfected by the flesh after having begun in the new way of the Spirit. (Gal 3:3) Otherwise the preaching of the Gospel is in vain. (Gal 3:4)\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

Those who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, \u201cCursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law and do them.\u201d (Gal 3:10) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us\u2014for it is written, \u201cCursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree\u201d – so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. (Gal 3:13-14) The law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. (Gal 3:24) Now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in in Christ Jesus, we are children of God, through faith. (Gal 3:25-26)<\/p>

\u00a0Those who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (Gal 3:27) Those who would be justified by the law are severed from Christ \u2013 they have fallen away from grace. (Gal 5:4) It is through the Spirit, by faith, we have the hope of righteousness. (Gal 5:5) All that counts for anything in Christ Jesus is faith working through love. (Gal 5:6) For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: \u201cYou shall love your neighbor as yourself.\u201d (Gal 5:14) Bear one another burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Gal 6:2)<\/p>

In Christ Jesus we are one – there is no distinction between Jew or Greek, male or female. (Gal 3:28) And if we are Christ\u2019s, then we are Abraham\u2019s offspring, heirs according to promise. (Gal 3:29) We have been redeemed from the law. (Gal 4:4-5) The one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (Gal 6:8) Observance or lack of observance to circumcision (dedication to the Mosaic Law) counts for anything, but only becoming a new creation. (Gal 6:15)<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Matthew 5:17-18, I came not to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it<\/h2>

In Matthew 5:17-18, Jesus said, \u201cDo not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them\u201d What is meant by \u201cfulfilling the Law\u201d? Does \u201cfulfilling the Law\u201d simply mean performing it as Moses required?\u00a0<\/p>

The Law is used at various places in the New Testament in a general sense to pertain to what we consider Old Testament \u201cScripture.\u201d It is the full body of wisdom and law contained in Jewish Scripture, not specifically the Law given to Israel through Moses. Torah can be used as a synonym for the whole of the Hebrew Bible. It can even mean the totality of Jewish teaching, culture, and practice, whether derived from biblical texts or later rabbinic writings (Wikipedia<\/a>). In John 10:34-35, Jesus said, \u201cIs it not written in your Law, I said you are gods? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came\u2014and Scripture cannot be broken\u2026\u201d Jesus quotes Psalm 82:6 as if it is part of the Law, referring to it as Scripture, although this isn’t part of the Law of Moses. Paul does a similar thing in 1Cor 14:21 where he says, \u201cIn the Law, it is written, \u201cBy people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then, they will not listen to me, says the Lord.\u201d Paul quotes Isaiah 28:11-12 as if it is the Law.\u00a0<\/p>

It is a mistake to read into Jesus words regarding his fulfillment of the Law, that he was reinforcing the many specific commandments given to Israel through Moses. Luke 24:44 speaks of fulfilling the Law in a parallel sense with Matthew 5:17-18 when Jesus said, \u201cThese are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.\u201d What he means by fulfilling is that all that is in the Scripture (the wide body of revelation), will be fulfilled in him. That is, all of God’s intentions to be realized through his chosen one, the Messiah, will be accomplished. Jesus is talking about the fulfillment of the Law (wide body of Scripture) in a prophetic sense. This corresponds to the ministry of Paul recorded in Acts 28:23, \u201cFrom morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

The Greek word translated as \u201cabolish\u201d or \u201cdestroy\u201d in many English translations has the basic literal meaning to descend, put down or loosen\u201d This basic meaning of putting down can be interpreted as to render as vain, deprive of success, bring to naught, discard, or diminish. That is, Jesus did not come to reject the Scriptures or cast them aside\u2014he came to fulfill them. The wide body of Scripture at the time of Jesus was called the \u201cLaw.\u201d \u00a0We refer to the wide body of Scripture today as the \u201cBible.\u201d In a modern way of speaking, Jesus is essentially saying in Matthew 5:17 that he came not to invalidate the Bible, but to fulfill it. And that no details will pass from the Bible until all is accomplished. Clearly, this is regarding the fulfillment of prophetic revelation as attested by Jesus in Luke 24:44, \u201cthat everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.\u201d<\/p>

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Matthew 5:17-18 (ESV), the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them<\/h3>

17<\/sup> \u201cDo not think that I have come to abolish<\/b> the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them<\/strong>. 18<\/sup> For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished<\/strong>.<\/p>

Luke 24:44 (ESV), everything written about me in the Law … must be fulfilled<\/strong><\/h3>

44<\/sup> Then he said to them, \u201cThese are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>

Acts 28:23 (ESV), Trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses<\/strong><\/h3>

23<\/sup> When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets<\/strong>.<\/p>

John 10:35-36 (ESV) Is it not written in your Law (Psalm 82)… and Scripture can’t be broken<\/h3>

34<\/sup> Jesus answered them, \u201cIs it not written in your Law, \u2018I said, you are gods\u2019? 35<\/sup> If he called them gods to whom the word of God came\u2014and Scripture cannot be broken\u2014<\/p>

1 Corinthians 14:21 (ESV), In the Law (Isaiah 28) it is written<\/h3>

21 In the Law it is written, \u201cBy people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Jesus’ Ministry was not about conforming to the law as given by Moses<\/h2>

Judaizers maintain the presupposition that Jesus did not abolish or invalidate the specific The Law (Torah) of Moses, even if Jesus is talking about the Law (Torah) in a general sense. However, Christians are part of a new covenant having a new framework with a new priesthood and the new replaces the old. The law associated with the old framework was the Law of Moses. The Mosaic Law was a system for the people to maintain fidelity to God and to receive reconciliation when the people transgressed. The law associated with the new covenant is the Law of Christ which provides a better solution for reconciliation with God, for living in fidelity with God, and is the sole means for gaining access to the kingdom that will be established through Christ Messiah. Jesus, who ushered in a new covenant, did not abolish the covenant or priesthood. However, a new framework for maintaining fidelity with God has been put in place that far surpasses the old. Those who do not follow the Law of Moses, the old obsolete framework, they are not lawless before God, they are under the law of Christ. (1 Cor 9:20-21)<\/p>

An important contrast to make is that the old Mosaic administration was based on God\u2019s agenda to maintain a separate people and kingdom in this world. The New Covenant, under a new mediator, corresponds to God\u2019s agenda to spread the Gospel to all nations for establishing a Kingdom in the age to come. (Luke 24:44-47) There is a new covenant, a new order, a new priesthood under a new mediator to replace the old. (Heb 7, Heb 10:1-18) It is a better way with better promises. (Heb 8:6) What came before it was a shadow of the things to come (Heb 10:1, Col 2:17).<\/p>

If Jesus demanded that we carry out the precepts of the law as given by Moses, then clearly circumcision in the flesh is still mandatory for all. We should remember that circumcision in the flesh was a sign of the covenant made with Abraham (after he had believed the Gospel, Gal 3:8; see Rom 4:9-12) and a mark of the true, obedient Israelite.\u00a0The law had said quite clearly: \u201cSpeak to the sons of Israel, saying, \u2018When a woman gives birth and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days…On the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised\u201d (Lev 12:2-3). Note also the commandment which ensured that \u201cno uncircumcised person may eat [the Passover]. The same law shall apply to the native as to the stranger who sojourns among you\u201d (Ex 12:48-49)\u00a0In Exodus 4:24-26 God had threatened death to Moses if he did not see that his children were circumcised. This was one of God\u2019s most fundamental commandments to Israel. Yet none of us feels the obligation to carry out this part of God\u2019s law, though we can find nothing in the recorded teaching of Jesus which would do away with the requirement of physical circumcision.<\/p>

Circumcision is now \u201cin the heart,\u201d for \u201che is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the spirit, not by the letter\u201d (Rom 2:28-29). There is surely a vast difference between circumcision in the flesh and circumcision in the spirit. Yet the New Testament sees spiritual, inward circumcision as the proper response to the command that we are to be circumcised. The law has been spiritualized and thus \u201cfulfilled.\u201d It has not been destroyed. It has certainly taken a quite different form under the New Covenant.<\/p>

Jesus embarked on just such a spiritualization of the ten commandments and other laws when in the Sermon on the Mount he announced, \u201cYou have heard that the ancients were told, \u2018You shall not commit murder\u2019\u2026but I say to you…\u201d (Matt. 5:21-22). \u201cYou have heard that it was said, \u2018You shall not commit adultery,\u2019 but I say to you…\u201d (Matt. 5:27-28). \u201cMoses permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning, it has not been this way. And I say to you…\u201d (Matt 19:8-9).<\/p>

By \u201cfulfilling\u201d the law, Jesus is altering it \u2014 actually changing it \u2014 but not destroying it. He is, in fact, bringing out the real intention of the law, making it more radical, in some cases (divorce) repealing the law of Moses in Deuteronomy 24, stating that this provision was temporary. This is an important fact: Jesus\u2019 teaching actually renders Moses\u2019 divorce law null and void. He takes us back to an earlier marriage law given by God in Genesis 2:24. Jesus thus appeals to an earlier and more fundamental part of the Torah. He overrides the later concession given by Moses as Torah.<\/p>

Jesus brought the law to its destined end, the ultimate purpose for which it was originally enacted (Rom. 10:4). For example, what of the law of clean and unclean meats? Does Jesus say anything about the meaning of that law for Christians? Jesus goes to the heart of the problem of uncleanness: \u201cWhatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated\u201d (Mark 7:18-19). Then Mark comments: \u201cThus Jesus declared all foods clean\u201d (Mark 7:19).\u00a0The law of clean and unclean food was no longer in force. Jesus had been referring to this change under the New Covenant.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Matthew 5:19, Whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments<\/h2>

Matthew 5:17-19 is often used by those who advocate following the law of Moses. This includes Matthew 5:19 which says, “Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.” They fail to acknowledge that this is an introduction to Jesus’ sermon on the mount and that the commandments that he is referring to are the ones that come out of his mouth. Matthew 5:19-20 serves as an introduction to the teachings of Jesus on righteousness that are elaborated on in chapters 5-7. The Scribes and Pharisees emphasized a legalistic adherence to the Mosaic Law, but the commandments Jesus emphases pertained to having a pure heart and righteous conduct covering topics such as anger, lust, divorce, oaths, retaliation, loving enemies, giving to the needy, praying, forgiveness, fasting, anxiety, judging others, the golden rule, and bearing fruit.<\/p>

It is apparent from the context that Jesus is exhorting the crowd not to compromise his teachings when he says,\u00a0 “whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 5:19) He is not referring to the ordinances laid down by Moses which the scribes and Pharisees constantly argued over. Rather Jesus said, “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 5:20)\u00a0 The righteousness that he is referring to are his commandments summarized in his teachings given over three chapters.\u00a0<\/p>

When Jesus makes reference to the Law or the Prophets, it is in the context of fulfilling them. He is the one who would accomplish all that is written about him. Through this fulfillment, he has established a new covenant in his blood. Now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not the old way of the written code. (Rom 7:6)<\/p>

Matthew 5:17-20 (ESV), Unless<\/strong> your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees<\/strong><\/h3>

17<\/sup> \u201cDo not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them<\/strong>. 18<\/sup> For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished<\/strong>. 19<\/sup> Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these<\/strong> commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20<\/sup> For I tell you, unless<\/strong> your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven<\/strong>.<\/p>

21 <\/sup>You have heard that it was said to those of old … But I say to you …<\/strong><\/p>