Disciples Digital Library

The Messianic Age dawned in Jesus, and calendrical rituals and other Levitical regulations belong to the obsolete old order .  In  Galatians , Paul chides believers for their desire “ to return to bondage under the weak and beggarly rudiments , ” including calendrical observations and circumcision. Since they now live in the  AGE OF FULFILLMENT , resorting to outmoded rituals is tantamount to returning to a state of slavery.

The Law was an interim stage with a termination point. Disciples are no longer under its jurisdiction, but now, are in Christ .  In  Galatians , Paul argues that adopting the rite of circumcision constitutes regression to something rudimentary, a reversion to an earlier stage in the redemptive history of God’s people. If Gentiles adopt a  Torah -compliant lifestyle, they will return to bondage and once more experience the social divisions inherent in the Law.

Paul argues for tolerance in the church on food regulations and the observation of holy days – The shadows now find their fulfillment in Jesus. The law of Moses specified what foods the people of God could eat by distinguishing between “clean” and “unclean,” and the consumption of the latter was forbidden. A comprehensive description of the dietary regulations is found in the eleventh chapter of the book of Leviticus .