Disciples Digital Library

Paul presents the points of agreement and disagreement with his Judaizing opponents in Galatia – Galatians 2:15-21. What identifies the people of God and determines membership in His covenant community is Christ, especially the Messiah who has been revealed on the Cross. Jews and Gentiles are justified through Jesus and his death, and nothing else !

Paul’s references to justification from works have a specific category of works in view, the works required by the Mosaic Law . Sin is the Great Leveler that places everyone in the same predicament: Bondage to sin now, and death and divine wrath later. No one is exempt from the penalty of sin, but God has graciously provided a way to avoid the everlasting effects of our sinful acts.

Las referencias de Pablo a la justificación a partir de las obras tienen una categoría específica de obras a la vista, las obras requeridas por la Ley Mosaica . El pecado es el Gran Nivelador que coloca a todos en la misma situación: Esclavitud al pecado ahora, y muerte e ira divina después. Nadie está exento de la pena del pecado, pero Dios amablemente ha provisto una manera de evitar los efectos eternos de nuestros actos pecaminosos.

The promises of the Hebrew Bible are fulfilled in the Son of God and Messiah of Israel, Jesus of Nazareth . The promises of God find their fulfillment in Jesus, their “ Yea! ” and “ Amen! ” The mysteries previously “ hidden ” are revealed in Christ’s life and words, and especially through his Death, Resurrection, and Exaltation. Jesus is the Messiah in whom  all  the shadows and types prefigured in the Hebrew Bible find their substance.

As promessas da Bíblia hebraica são cumpridas no Filho de Deus e Messias de Israel, Jesus de Nazaré . As promessas de Deus encontram seu cumprimento em Jesus, O Sim e o Amém de Deus.. Os mistérios anteriormente “ ocultos ” são revelados na vida e nas palavras de Cristo, e especialmente através de sua morte, ressurreição e exaltação. Jesus é o Messias em quem  toda  sombra e tipo prefigurado na Bíblia hebraica encontra sua substância.

Jesus is the Greater Moses who interprets the Law and the Prophets and brings the covenant promises to completion . The life, words, and deeds of Jesus parallel key events from the History of Israel. He brings the things God began in the past to their intended conclusion. He is the Supreme Lawgiver prefigured in the story of Israel’s Exodus from Egypt and the receipt of the Law by Moses while on Mount Sinai.

The Letter to the Galatians is Paul’s response to a controversy that had developed among the congregations of Galatia. At issue was the status of Gentile believers. Must they conform to Jewish practices and submit to the regulations of the Mosaic Law to become members of the covenant community, especially the rite of circumcision ?

With the new era inaugurated by Jesus, circumcision is no longer the required sign of membership in the covenant community . Circumcision is an obstacle to any claim that disciples of Jesus are required to keep the regulations of the Mosaic Law. In the Book of Genesis , circumcision was the entrance rite of the covenant with Abraham, the identifying sign of the covenant. Moreover, it is mandatory under the Law given through Moses at Mount Sinai. Therefore, if circumcision is no longer required for membership in the covenant, then the jurisdiction of the Law has changed .

We are acquitted before God through the faith of Jesus Christ, and not from the works of the Law  – Romans 3:21-26. Having demonstrated that all men violate God’s revealed will, the Apostle Paul concludes that no man or woman is acquitted from the penalty of sin from the works and rituals required by the Law of Moses. Instead, we are declared innocent through the faith or faithfulness of Jesus Christ.

The third chapter of  Galatians  is pivotal to Paul’s larger argument, in which he stresses the oneness of God’s people. The old social divisions existing under the Mosaic Legislation are inappropriate in God’s one covenant community since the promised “ Seed of Abraham ” has arrived, namely, Jesus of Nazareth. In his Body, “ there can be NEITHER Jew nor Greek .”

In Romans, references to justification from works have a specific category of works in view, the works required by the Mosaic Law . Sin is the Great Leveler that places everyone in the same predicament: Bondage now, death and wrath later. No one is exempt from the penalty of sin. Death waits for all of us. However, what did Paul mean when he referred to ‘works’ in his discussions about our justification? Good deeds and human efforts, or something more specific?

The jurisdiction of the Mosaic regulations over the covenant community reached its limit with the arrival of Jesus, the Seed of Abraham . In responding to claims that Gentiles must be circumcised, Paul appealed to the common experience of the Spirit received by the Galatians.  Did they receive the Gift through a “ hearing of faith ” or “ from the works of the Law ?”  Having begun in the Spirit, why did they seek the “ completion ” of their faith based on “ flesh ” by submitting to circumcision?

If a man is not justified from the works of the Law, what was the purpose of the Law given at Sinai? – Galatians 3:19 .  In his letter to   the Galatians, Paul declares that we are set right with God from the “ faith of Jesus Christ ” and not “ from the works of the Law .” But if keeping the “ works of the Law ” does not justify us, inevitably, this raises the question - What was the purpose of the  Torah ? Paul answers this question in the third chapter of his letter.

Anyone who is under the Law of Moses is obligated to keep all its required deeds and rituals, and therefore, risks coming under its curse .  In  Galatians , Paul responds to teachings from certain “ men from Jerusalem ” who are disrupting the churches by claiming that male Gentiles must be circumcised to “ complete ” their faith.  This group may also be promoting calendrical observances and the Levitical dietary regulations.

After a curt introduction, Paul began his  Letter to the Galatians  with a stern warning and a sharp rebuke. What some members of the congregation were contemplating would replace Jesus with a false messiah and a counterfeit gospel. Abandoning the “ faith of Jesus Christ ” by engaging in circumcision and other “ works of the law ” for justification before God would lead inevitably to being severed from Christ. Thus, the seriousness of his language.

The life, words, and deeds of Jesus echo key events from the History of Israel. He brings the things God began in the past to their intended fulfillment. He is the Greater Lawgiver foreshadowed in the story of the Exodus from Egypt. By presenting parallels between Moses and Jesus, the  Gospel of Matthew  prepares us for the teachings of Christ, especially as represented in his ‘ Sermon on the Mount ’.

Fulfillment  is a key theme in the  Gospel of Matthew . With the arrival of the Messiah, the time of fulfillment began. What were the implications for the Law of Moses? In his ‘ Sermon on the Mount ’, Jesus provides clear answers. He did not come to settle the interpretive disputes between competing Jewish sects over the details of the Law but to  FULFILL  the “ Law and the Prophets .”

Paul argued that adopting the rite of circumcision would constitute regression to something rudimentary, and an earlier stage in the redemptive history of God’s people. If Gentile believers did so, they would be obligated to keep the whole Law, and they could easily find themselves “ severed from Christ ” - (Galatians 5:1-4).

SYNOPSIS  –  The “word spoken in the Son” inaugurated the New Covenant that rendered the old one obsolete  -  Hebrews 8:1-13 .  The  letter to the Hebrews  is structured around a series of comparisons that demonstrate the superiority of the “ word spoken in the Son ” over the past revelations of Yahweh “ spoken in the prophets ,” including Moses. The previous “ words ” were true revelations of God but partial, promissory, and preparatory –  Here a little, there a little . But now, “ upon the last of these days ,” He has “ spoken ” with  great finality  in one who is a “ Son .”

In  Mark , the city of Jerusalem is the headquarters of the opposition to Jesus, especially the priestly authorities of the Temple. As his popularity grows, he experiences growing conflict with the religious authorities, the Pharisees, the scribes, and the representatives of the high priest. And his enemies began to plot his destruction.