Letters to the Church

La juridiction des règlements Mosaïques sur la communauté de l'alliance a atteint sa limite avec l'arrivée de Jésus, la Postérité d'Abraham . En répondant aux affirmations selon lesquelles les Gentils doivent être circoncis, Paul a fait appel à l'expérience commune de l'Esprit reçue par les Galates.  Ont-ils reçu le Don par une “ audition de la foi ” ou “ par les œuvres de la Loi? ” Ayant commencé dans l'Esprit, pourquoi cherchaient - ils “ l'achèvement ” de leur foi basée sur la “ chair ” en se soumettant à la circoncision?

L'égalité des Juifs et des Gentils devant un Dieu impartial et juste est essentielle à l'Évangile de Paul. Ils se tiennent debout ou tombent devant Lui sur la même base . Paul a écrit sa  Lettre aux Romains  avec deux buts. D'abord, préparer le terrain pour sa visite dans la ville et son voyage missionnaire prévu en Espagne. Deuxièmement, pour faire face aux conflits entre croyants Juifs et Gentils. Dans la Lettre, Paul expliquait son Évangile, puis il discutait du statut du peuple juif et des conflits qui troublaient l'Église romaine.

The equality of Jews and Gentiles before an impartial and just God is pivotal to Paul’s Gospel. They stand or fall before Him on the same basis . Paul wrote his  Letter to the Romans  with two purposes. First, to prepare the ground for his visit to the city and his planned missionary trip to Spain. Secondly, to deal with conflicts between Jewish and Gentile believers. In the Letter, Pual explained his Gospel, and he then discussed the status of the Jewish people and the conflicts troubling the Roman Church.

Jesus, through his Death and Resurrection, formed one covenant community - “one new Man” - based on faith in him – Ephesians 2:11-22 . Now, “ in Christ Jesus ,” no longer can there be “ Jew or Gentile .” He has “ broken down the middle wall of partition ” that once separated Jew from Gentile, “ that he might reconcile them both in one body for God through the cross .” Having voided the “ law of the commands in ordinances ” that separated them, he is “ creating in himself One New Man .”

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 ?

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 .”

What identifies the people of God and determines membership in His Assembly is Jesus, especially the Messiah revealed on the cross, and  nothing else!  This does not mean that the Law of Moses served no purpose, but it is not the basis for determining who is acquitted of sin by God. Right standing before Him is obtained “ through the faith OF Jesus Christ ,” and not “ from the deeds of the Law .”

The disciples of Jesus are the heirs of Abraham. The future possession of that inheritance is secured by the Gift of the Spirit . Israel’s possession of Canaan was an earlier stage in God’s redemptive plan, which always envisioned something larger than Israel or a small plot of land in the Middle East. With the arrival of the Messiah and the outpouring of the Spirit, the covenant promises began to find their fulfillment in the true “ Seed of Abraham ,” and consequently, in his “ brethren ” and “ coheirs .”

In  Galatians , the Apostle Paul compares the Mosaic Law to a “ pedagogue ” in its supervision of Israel “ until the seed came .” That “ Seed ” was Jesus. In Greco-Roman society, the “pedagogue” was usually a slave with custodial and disciplinary authority over an underage child until he reached maturity. The minority status of the child and the authority of the custodian over him were both temporary.

With the new era inaugurated by Jesus, circumcision is no longer a sign of membership in the covenant community .  Circumcision is an obstacle to claims that disciples must keep the Mosaic Law. In Genesis , it is the entrance rite of the Abrahamic covenant and the identifying sign of the covenant. And it is mandatory under the law given through Moses at Mount Sinai.