The Book of Galatians: What was Paul talking about???
Remember when the Apostle Peter warned us in II Peter 3:16 that there would be men, unstable in the faith, who would twist Paul’s words to their own destruction? Men, unstable in the faith, have twisted Galatians to destroy the true faith.
What is the true faith?
Romans 3:31 says the true faith makes firm the law or the torah.
If anyone uses Galatians to dissolve the Torah, they are contradicting Romans 3:31 and thus are completely misunderstanding what Paul was saying in Galatians.
So what was Paul talking about???
In the very first chapter, Paul declares that he was at one time zealous of the TRADITIONS of the fathers (Jews).
Notice Paul does NOT refer to the Mosaic Torah but to TRADITIONS OF MEN (such as not mixing meat and milk or having two kitchens or other absurd man-made rules).
In Galatians chapter 2 Paul brings up a specific example of when Peter compromised by falling back into Jewish traditions. Peter refused to eat with believing Gentiles, even though torah is clear in Exodus 12 that the Torah is for both the Gentile and Israelite. The Jews, in VIOLATION TO TORAH, created a man-made rule that was rooted in bigotry -- no Gentile could ever eat with them. Ever.
This man-made tradition YahShua constantly preached against and greatly offended the Pharisees because the Pharisees were more concerned with their own man-made traditions than they were with keeping Torah (Matthew 23:23).
Paul shows that Peter was wrong to slip back into the vain oral traditions of the Jews because it VIOLATES THE TORAH!
The Greek word for nomos is translated into the English as law. But nomos refers to ANY system of regulations and rules.
The Torah is one such system.
The Talmud, or man-made Jewish traditions, is another system.
Thus the word “law” or nomos has TWO different meanings. Sometimes when Paul refers to the law, He is obviously referring to the Torah. In Galatians, every time he refers to the Torah, he explains that the Torah was NEVER designed to justify anyone. The Torah is something we OBEY AS A RESULT OF BEING JUSTIFIED BY YAHSHUA.
Every time Paul refers to nomos in the sense of the oral traditions, he calls them weak, beggarly, vain, man-made and stupid.
In Galatians chapter 3 and 4, Paul says the Torah was once our schoolmaster. At the beginning of chapter 3, he even uses the direct analogy of a student being taught by tutors and governors.
But when the child becomes a man, he no longer needs the tutors and governors.
But why?
Because that grown man NOW HAS LEARNED WHAT THE TUTORS AND GOVERNORS HAD TAUGHT HIM. What the child was taught was now deep within his mind and heart and now he could GO LIVE WHAT HE HAD LEARNED, no longer needing instruction.
In the same way, once we have grown up in our faith with YahShua,, we no longer need the Torah to teach us how to live because, BY THAT POINT WE SHOULD BE LIVING THE TORAH. We should not need any pastor to tell us when to rest or to wear blue fringes or to eat kosher -- we SHOULD KNOW THIS AND LIVE LIKE A FATHER IN THE FAITH!
When you graduate from learning algebra and start learning calculus, you do NOT disregard the rules of algebra. You use them but no longer need to be taught about them, because you have them deep in your mind and know how to practically use them with no instruction.
Just as the grown man does not disregard what the tutors taught him, but now practically lives it out, so too we do not disregard Torah but practically live it out because we love YahShua.
Paul uses an allegory in Galatians 4 about Hagar and her son (the bondmaid) and then the Heavenly Yerushalyim, the seed of Isaac. Avraham ignored faith in Yah when he procreated with Hagar to try and bring about the promise JUST LIKE THE PHARISEES DISREGARDED FAITH, A PILLAR OF TORAH, AND CREATED THEIR FLESHLY ORAL TRADITIONS.
Avraham trusted in Yah when he procreated with his wife and created Isaac just as we trust in Yah by keeping Torah due to our love for Him.
In Galatians 4 and 5 we learn that those believing Jews who want to force converts to keep the Jewish Talmud and customs are doing so because they do not want to offend the non-believing Jews. But then the offence of the tree (cross) has ceased. YahShua offended against the oral traditions by continuing to preach against them -- for many of those traditions (not all) nullified Torah.
But keeping the Jewish traditions profits nothing and NOT keeping the Jewish traditions profits nothing. Only faith in the Messiah and then the subsequent obedience to Torah is what matters.
And faith in YahShua, which necessarily leads to obedience to Torah, births within us the fruits of the Ruach ha Kadosh (Holy Spirit).
Paul never ever never ever NEVER told believers to not get physically circumcised or to ignore Torah. Paul DID TELL GALATIANS to NOT keep Talmud and the stupid jewish man-made traditions which opposed Torah.
Do not be bewitched. Stop supporting a gospel that allows people to follow vain man-made traditions (such as going to church on sunday like a pagan catholic) AND PREACH THE TRUE GOSPEL -- KEEPING TORAH IN OBEDIENCE TO YAHSHUA. (Matthew 5:19)
If you oppose Torah, like most christians do, YOU WILL BE ACCURSED!
