This study is important and one that both Christians and some who are within the Torah community need to hear in its entirety. The Christians believe that Paul was a true apostle that did away with the Torah and promoted lawlessness and some Hebrews believe that Paul was a false apostle who did away with the Torah. This message is to clear up the misconception about Paul from the incorrect views from both parties. I will quote from an article, then go into Paul’s background, his transformation, and what he was saying about circumcision.
Juchreg.org quotes what I’ve been saying in past messages, but I’ll include this before going into the message:
“Now, before we go any further we'd like to encourage everyone who is interested in getting a thorough grasp of this subject to go out and buy David H. Stern's Jewish New Testament (JNT) (1) and Jewish New Testament Commentary (2). If we could we would just reproduce his Commentary entries on Galatians 3:23b , 2:16b and Romans 3:20b but seeing we can't do that, you're stuck with our feeble attempt at trying to grapple with such an important subject. We are indebted to Mr. Stern's monumental work as the main reference source for this article and for piquing our curiosity enough to get us to study this subject in-depth ourselves in the first place.”
This I completely agree with about David Stern’s work on the New Testament and Paul’s writings. He does a good job translating what Paul was saying using words that give you a better context of what he was actually saying, and I recommend it along with the Aramaic translations to get a clear picture of the culture of that day. Back to the article:
“Paul uses both "under the law" (3) and "works/deeds of the law" (4) to point to a view of the law that is less than ideal. If Paul wanted to speak about a proper understanding of the law (Torah) he uses words like "in law" (Greek: "en nomo") (5) and something to the effect of "en-lawed" (Greek: "ennomos") (6) but interpreters have usually just lumped all these phrases together without bringing the subtle differences to light. Are we splitting hairs? We don't think so, for how do you reconcile Paul's Torah observant life with instances where it looks like he's denigrating the law? For instance Paul: conceded to circumcise Timothy before taking him along in his travels (7); taught in the synagogue on the Sabbath (8); shaved his head because of the Nazarite vow he had taken (9); tried at all costs to be in Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost (10); was falsely accused, according to church elders, of teaching Jews not to circumcise their children and of not following Jewish traditions (11); was upset that he had spoken evil of a ruler of the Jews (12); defended himself against charges that he had offended Jewish law (13) or customs of "the fathers" (14); still fasted on the Day of Atonement (15); and stated that faith establishes the law (16) all in accordance with some aspect of Torah. So the question is, what parts of the law as understood by the people were considered improper? That's where his coined phrases come into play. He makes a clear distinction between a right understanding of the law and an improper one but in most translations this contrast has not been emphasized as it should.”
“Paul never speaks of throwing out the law but only throwing out a set of rules that have been set up so that if you follow them step-by-step you will automatically have to be reconciled to God because of your own efforts. This cannot be for nowhere in this system is found faith which is necessary to be declared righteous before Him.
Unfortunately, today's church doesn't seem to have taken any of this to heart; the vast majority of Christians nowadays would tell you that the law has been thrown away and does not apply to them at all. But Paul's main thrust was not talking about doing away with the law (heaven forbid!) but doing away with a legalistic interpretation of it.”
“Without the re-interpretation of such phrases concerning the law, this will never come out and will never be properly dealt with. It's not that Paul hadn't addressed the issue, it's just that we've all pretty much taken the stance that all these phrases mean the same thing. The Christian world needs to take the time to re-assess these passages and produce a work that clears things up for the average student. We need to change the Christian mindset that says the Torah is somehow inferior to Christ and is therefore considered "bad" and should be ignored—the improper use of the law needs to be clearly separated from the proper.”
“The idea that these phrases need to be made more specific is not new but it hasn't gained any momentum in Christian circles. Mr. Stern quotes from "two distinguished Gentile Christian scholars without any Messianic Jewish axe to grind" who came to the same conclusion, one as far back as 1921:
"...it will be well to bear in mind the fact that the Greek language of Paul's day possessed no word-group corresponding to our 'legalism,' 'legalist' and 'legalistic.' This means that he lacked a convenient terminology for expressing a vital distinction, and so was surely seriously hampered in the work of clarifying the Christian position with regard to the law. In view of this, we should always, we think, be ready to reckon with the possibility that Pauline statements which at first sight seem to disparage the law, were really directed not against the law itself but against that misunderstanding and misuse of it for which we now have a convenient terminology. In this very difficult terrain Paul was pioneering. If we make due allowance for these circumstances, we shall not be so easily baffled or misled by a certain impreciseness of statement which we shall sometimes encounter." (C.E.B Cranfield, The International Critical Commentary, Romans, 1979, p. 853). (17)”
Prayerfully that commentary was enough to open some eyes, but I would like to continue digging into the matter by looking into Paul’s background to establish the rest of this message:
Acts 9:1-19 (Aramaic English New Testament)
“Now Shaul was yet full of intimidation of and the fury of murder towards the disciples of our Master. And he asked for letters from the chief priests to give to Damascus to the assemblies that if he should find men or women who follow in this path he might arrest them and bring them to Jerusalem. And as he traveled and approached Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven shone upon him. And he was thrown upon the ground, and he heard a voice that said to him, “Shaul! Shaul!” Why do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick the stakes.” And he answered and said, “Who are You My Master?” And our Master said, I am YESHUA the Nasraya (Nazarene), He whom you persecute! But rise up and enter into the city, and there will be spoken to you concerning what you should do.” Now the men who were traveling with him on the road were amazed because they heard only a sound, but a man was not visible to them. Shaul got up from the ground and he was not able to see anything though his eyes were open. They brought him by his hands to Damascus. And he was not able to see from three days. And he did not eat and he did not drink. Now there was a certain disciple in Damascus whose name was Khanan-Yah. And Master YAHWEH said to him in a vison, “Khanan-Yah!” And he said, “Behold, it is I my Master and our Master YESHUA said to him, “Arise, go to the street that is called Straight and inquire at the house of Judah for Shaul who is from the city of Tarsus. For behold while he was praying he saw a man in a vision whose name was Khanan-Yah who entered and placed a hand upon him so that his eyes might be opened.” And Khanan-Yah said, My Master YESHUA, I have heard from many concerning this man how much evil he has inflicted on Your set apart (holy) ones in Jerusalem. And behold even here he has authority from the high priests to arrest all those who call upon Your Name!” Then Master YAHWEH said to him, “Arise! Go because he is a vessel to Me, chosen to carry My Name among the gentiles and among kings and among the sons of Yisra’el. For I will reveal to him how much He will suffer because of My Name. Then Khanan-Yah went to the house to him and placed a hand upon him and said to him, “Shaul, my brother, our Master YESHUA has sent me. He who appeared to you on the road while you were coming, that your eyes might be opened and that you might be filled with the RUACH HA’KODESH.” And at once something that resembled scales fell from his eyes, and his eyes were opened.”
Verse 12 and 18 talks about how Paul was blinded but the prophet would lay hands on him to open his eyes, so let’s dig into the deeper meaning concerning this before we move on.
Peshat: is the literal meaning of scripture and we see Paul was literally cured of his physical blindness so that he could see.
Remez: is the hint to a deeper spiritual meaning. We see that Paul had the spiritual blindness taken off his eyes so he could see and walk in the truth of Torah represented by the straight and narrow path from the street called “straight” in verse 11; and turn from the traditions of men, Rabbinical Judaism, the Oral Torah, that he used to observe.
Even looking at the word for the road that Paul was on called “straight” in the Greek is #G2117 Euthus (Yoo-thoos) which means straight (literally) level or (figuratively) TRUE AT ONCE, straight, RIGHT, IMMEDIATELY, STRAIGHT WAY.
As I explained in the Remez portion that this is what happened to Paul, he saw the truth at once/immediately, and walked the right and straight way in service to YESHUA!
Mathew 7:14
“How narrow the door and STRAIGHT the road that leads to life, and few are they, those that find it.”
This is when you know that you have had a true encounter with ELOHIM when you completely leave your old way of life and thinking. When you come out of the darkness of religion to the freedom of the truth. Paul was on his way to persecute more followers of The Way (Those who followed YESHUA) just after approving of Stephen’s death. He then was filled with the RUACH HA’KODESH and begins to spread the truth about YAHWEH, YESHUA, and the Torah. So, if you are saying Paul was a false apostle and that the work did he did for YAHWEH was of the devil, is that not blasphemy of the RUACH HA’KODESH? There is nothing false in the RUACH HA’KODESH as YESHUA already told us in John 16:13 that the RUACH HA’KODESH will lead us into all truth, NOT falsehood!
Acts 22:5 (Aramaic English New Testament)
“Brothers, and fathers, listen to my defense before you.” And when they perceived that he addressed them in Hebrew, they were the more quiet: and he said to then: “I am a man who am a Jew; and I was born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but was brought up in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel, and instructed PERFECTLY IN THE TORAH of our fathers; and I was zealous for ELOHIM, as you also are.”
Acts 26:22-23 (Aramaic English New Testament)
“But to this day ELOHIM has helped me, and I lo, I stand and hear testimony to the small and to the great to you saying nothing aside from Moses and the prophets, but the very things which they declared were to take place: namely, that Messiah would suffer, and would become the first fruits of the resurrection from the dead; and that He would proclaim light to the people and to the gentiles.”
So here we see that Paul turned from his old lifestyle to speaking the truth of the Torah and prophets that YESHUA would suffer and die and be raised from the dead, he says he did not speak against Torah, but rather spoke what was written in it.
Acts 28:23
“And they appointed him a day; and many assembled, and came to him at his lodgings. And he explained to them respecting the Kingdom of ELOHIM, testifying and persuading them concerning YESHUA, OUT OF THE TORAH OF MOSES, AND OUT OF THE PROPHETS, from morning till evening.”
So, it is clear that Paul did not speak against the Torah and the prophets, so where is all the confusion coming from when we get to his letters to the assemblies?
He WAS A PHARISEE ,Torah versus Oral Torah
What Paul says in the first chapter of Galatians sets the stage for EVERYTHING Paul says moving forward so this is critical.
Galatians 1:13-14 (Aramaic English New Testament) The Complete Jewish Bible is similar
“You have heard then, regarding my PREVIOUS conduct in TRADITIONAL JUDAISM, especially about how I followed the congregation of ELOHIM and greatly devastated it. And how greatly advanced I was in ORTHODOX JUDAISM, SUPERIOR to most of my countrymen who were also my kin.”
Acts 26:5 (Complete Jewish Bible)
“So then! All Jews know how I lived my life from my youth on, both in my own country and in Jerusalem. They have known me for a long time: and if they are willing, they can testify that I have followed the STRICTEST PARTY IN OUR RELIGION—that is, I have LIVED as a Pharisee.”
Paul is declaring that he WAS meaning in the past tense a Pharisee from the strictest sect of Orthodox Judaism which gives us a clearer understanding of what he used to practice, and now Paul went on to preach AGAINST IT! What a perfect vessel to be used, because he understands the written Torah and now believes in YESHUA, which enables him to be able to warn against the falsehoods of Oral Torah that he knew so well as he said he was advanced in the Oral traditions. What is Orthodox Judaism? As we see Paul said it was the strictest sect, but what are some of their beliefs?
I covered their strict observances in the message I did titled “YESHUA versus Judaism” but I’ll list some here. They observe 25 hours of Shabbat going an extra hour over, they observe 2 days of Yom Kippur when scripture says from the 9th day at evening to the 10th day at evening which is 24 hours, and they observe Yom Teruah for two days when scripture says one day, they believe you cannot eat meat and dairy at the same time so they have separate sets of everything for dairy and meat such as silverware, pots, pans, and ovens. Wikipedia says Jacob ben Meir argued that infused tastes could endure in a cooking vessel or utensil for up to 24 hours, his suggestion led to the principle, known as ben yomo (Hebrew: son of the day) that vessels and utensils should not be used to cook milk within 24 hours of being used to cook meat (and vice versa), they also believe in the WRITTEN AND oral Torah.
So they use a mixture of both the written and Oral Torah. The Oral Torah is the very thing that YESHUA rebuked the Pharisees for because they held the oral torah OVER the written Torah and Paul was a part of this strict group. I gave some examples so you can see the extremist heavy burdens they were laying upon men.
Brittanca.com says of Orthodox Judaism:
“In Orthodox Judaism, therefore, both the WRITTEN LAW (Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament) and the ORAL LAW (codified in the Mishna and interpreted in the Talmud) are immutably FIXED and remain the sole norm of religious observance. Orthodox Judaism has resisted modern pressures to modify its observances and has held fast to such practices as daily worship, dietary laws (kashruth), traditional prayers and ceremonies, regular and intensive study of the Torah, and separation of men and women in the synagogue. It also enjoins strict observance of the sabbath and religious festivals and does not permit instrumental music during communal services.”
Other examples in scripture of the view of the Pharisees Oral Torah and their strict laws they added are:
Mark 7:1-7 (Complete Jewish Bible)
“The Pharisees and some of the Torah-teachers who had come from Jerusalem gathered together with YESHUA and saw that some of His disciples ate with ritually unclean hands, that is, without doing a n’tilat-yadayim (A ceremonial handwashing prescribed by the ORAL TORAH to be done before meals and at other times in order to be ritually pure It continues to be a norm in ORTHODOX JUDAISM, David Stern notes). For the Pharisees, and indeed all the Jews, holding fast to the TRADITION OF THE ELDERS, do not eat unless they have given their hands a CEREMONIAL WASHING. Also, when they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they have rinsed their hands up to the wrist; and they adhere to MANY OTHER TRADITIONS, such as washing cups, pots, and bronze vessels. The Pharisees and the Torah-teachers asked Him, “Why don’t your disciples live in accordance with the TRADITION OF THE ELDERS, but instead eat with RITUALLY UNCLEAN HANDS? YESHUA answered them, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites---as it as been written “These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far away from Me. Their worship of Me is useless, because they teach MAN-MADE RULES AS IF THEY WERE DOCTRINES.”
Luke 6:1-2 (Complete Jewish Bible)
“One Shabbat, while YESHUA was passing through some wheat fields, His disciples began plucking the heads of grain, rubbing them between their hands and eating the seeds. Some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you violating Shabbat?”
They were not violating the Shabbat, it was a violation of their version of the Shabbat through their Oral Torah. They considered the plucking of the grain to be harvesting and the rubbing of the grain in their hands to be threshing; therefore, constituting as work.
Now that we see these are traditions of Orthodox Judaism (legalistic observance of the Oral Torah) we can now understand what Paul is saying in his letters. The biggest one I want to focus on is circumcision as this has always been a stumbling block for Christians and some in Torah community, and they are misunderstanding Paul’s words:
2 Peter 3:15-17 (Aramaic English New Testament)
“And account the long suffering of Master YAHWEH to the be redemption; as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom conferred on him, wrote to you; as also In all his letters speaking in them of these things in which there is something difficult to be understood; and which they who are ignorant and unstable pervert, as they do also the rest of the scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, my beloved, as you know these things beforehand, guard yourselves or else, by going after error of the TORAHLESS, you fall from your steadfastness.”
This is exactly why Peter stated what he did because the nuances of Paul’s words will be missed, especially if it is not being read in the original language or without knowing Paul’s Orthodox Jewish background. And even in Peter’s day Paul’s letters were already leading many into the error of LAWLESSNESS as Christianity has done today, Peter is clearing this up that Paul is not saying the Torah is done away with, you just don’t understand his words.
Galatians 2:16-20 (Complete Jewish Bible)
“Even so, we come to realize that a person is not declared righteous by ELOHIM on the ground of his LEGALISTIC OBSERVANCE of Torah commands, but through the Messiah YESHUA’s trusting faithfulness. Therefore, we to have put our trust in Messiah YESHUA and become faithful to him, in order that we might be declared righteous on the ground of the Messiah’s trusting faithfulness and not on the ground of OUR LEGALISTIC OBSERVANCE OF TORAH COMMANDS (Oral Torah). For on the ground of LEGALSTIC OBSERVANCE OF TORAH COMMANDS, NO ONE WILL BE DECLARED RIGHTEOUS.” But if, in seeking to be declared righteous by ELOHIM through our union with the Messiah, we ourselves are indeed found to be sinners, then is the Messiah an aider and abettor of sin? Heaven forbid! Indeed, if I build up AGAIN the LEGALISTIC BONDAGE WHICH I DESTROYED, I really do make myself a transgressor. For it was through letting the TORAH SPEAK FOR ITSELF that I died to its TRADITIONAL LEGALISTIC MISINTERPRETATION, so that I might live in direct relationship with ELOHIM. When the Messiah was executed on the stake as a criminal, I was too; so that my PROUD EGO no longer lives. But the Messiah lives in me, and the life I now live in my body I live by the same trusting faithfulness that the Son of ELOHIM had, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. I do not reject ELOHIM’s gracious gift; for if the way in which one attains righteousness is though LEGALISM, then the Messiah’s death was pointless.”
Paul says that if he were to build up again the legalistic bondage which was the Oral Torah that he destroyed then he would make himself a transgressor and his proud ego thinking he could save himself through the man-made Oral Torah died with YESHUA. In other words, Paul was now speaking AGAINST the Oral Torah Rabbinical Judaism he was once a part of and is speaking against any traditional legalistic misinterpretation of the Torah. The legalistic observance of the Torah through the Oral Torah was man-made rules set up that if you followed them step by step then you will be saved and reconciled to YAHWEH by your own efforts and earn salvation, when the truth is we are only saved and reconciled to YAHWEH through YESHUA who died for our sins by trading places with us. However we are to obedient to the WRITTEN TORAH because the commandments are how we KNOW and LOVE YAHWEH and it’s not burdensome.
If we could save ourselves then we would need no Savior, right? The problem is that we all have sinned and fallen short and sinned against a holy ELOHIM and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). So without YESHUA’s atonement on the stake we don’t have a chance at eternal life, so we cannot save ourselves even through what the Pharisees believed by their Oral Torah.
Ephesians 2:8-9
“For you have been delivered by mercy through trusting, and even this is not your accomplishment but ELOHIM’s gift. You were not delivered BY YOUR OWN ACTIONS; therefore no one should boast.”
No man can boast by saying he saved himself, we ALL NEED YESHUA!
This is the reason why I outlined Paul’s background and the views of Orthodox Judaism that he is now speaking out against! This was the attitude of the Pharisees that brought sharp rebuke from YESHUA!
Paul’s misunderstood view on circumcision
Paul never speaks against Torah but he does speak of throwing out a set of rules that have been set up that if you follow them step by step you will automatically be saved and reconciled to YAHWEH because of your own efforts an adding legalistic traditions of Oral Torah will never remove sin!
1 John 4:9-10 (Aramaic English New Testament)
“By this was the love of ELOHIM towards us made known, because ELOHIM sent His only-begotten Son into the world that we by Him might live. In this is love; it was not that we loved ELOHIM, but that ELOHIM loved us and sent His Son as ATONEMENT for our sins.”
Paul is talking about the sacred ritualistic circumcision “status quo” circumcision where they believe that the blood of their circumcision saves when we know it’s the blood of YESHUA that saves. He wasn’t against circumcision itself. We see how the Pharisees viewed it circumcision by saying that if you don’t get circumcised you can’t be saved. This shows the Pharisees trusted in their own ability to be saved.
Acts 15:1 (Aramaic English New Testament)
“Now men came from Judah teaching the brothers that unless you are circumcised in the manner of Torah, you ARE NOT ABLE TO LIVE.”
Andrew Gabriel Roth notes: “This is the teaching of those who later became known as the Ebionites, or Messianic Pharisees. Also note that the “life” being mentioned by these proto-Ebionites is, in fact, Eternal life; hence a very serious allegation!”
Clearly Paul was not against circumcision because he circumcised Timothy, so this matches that he did not believe in their legalistic view of circumcision that perverted the Torah.
Acts 16:1-3
“And he came to the city Derbe, and to Lystra. And there was a certain disciple there, whose name was Timothy, the son of a believing Jewish lady, but his dad was a gentile. And all the disciples of Lystra and Iconium gave good testimony of him. Paul was inclined to take him with him: and he took him, and CIRCUMCISED him, because of the Jews that were in that region, for they all knew that his dad was a gentile.”
Jconnet.org says this about Brit milah:
Bris or Brit milah (ritual circumcision) According to Jewish law, a healthy baby boy is circumcised on the eighth day after his birth. The brit milah, the ritual ceremony of removing the foreskin which covers the glans of the penis, is a simple surgical procedure that can take place in the home or synagogue and marks the identification of a baby boy as a Jew. The ceremony is traditionally conducted by a mohel, a highly trained and skilled individual, although a rabbi in conjunction with a physician may perform the brit milah. The brit milah is a joyous occasion for the parents, relatives and friends who celebrate in this momentous event. At the brit milah, it is customary to appoint a kvater (a man) and a kvaterin (a woman), the equivalent of Jewish godparents, whose ritual role is to bring the child into the room for the circumcision. Another honor bestowed on a family member is the sandak, who is most often the baby’s paternal grandfather or great-grandfather. This individual traditionally holds the baby during the circumcision ceremony. The service involves a kiddush (prayer over wine), the circumcision, blessings, a dvar torah (a small teaching of the Torah) and the presentation of the Jewish name selected for the baby. During the brit milah, a chair is set aside for Elijah the prophet. Following the ceremony, a seudat mitzvah (celebratory meal) is available for the guests.
They set aside a seat for Elijah just as they do during the Passover seder, and as I explained in the YESHUA versus Judaism message is that Elijah to come was John the Baptist and he was beheaded, so who are they holding the empty chair for? See (Mathew 11:14, Matthew 17:10-12, Luke 1:17, Malachi 4:5-6)
Wikipedia adds: “Also, in the mid-2nd century, Rabbinical Judaism leaders introduced and made MANDATORY a SECOND STEP adding of circumcision known as Periah and without it was NEWLY declared to have NO SPIRTUAL VALUE.”
I2researchhub.org says regarding Periah:
“It is important to note that the authors quoted here are not from some anti-circumcision faction within Judaism. They desire the tradition to continue, but are showing that Periah is a MAN-MADE TRADITION, not the original divine directive but an extension of it. Jewish sources include much evidence for this unauthorized modification: In Jewish writings circumcision and periah are treated separately. In addition, the Samaritans and Samaritan historical sources emphasize that their circumcision tradition, which continues from pre-peraih separation of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms even until today, does not and never has included periah. Rav plainly states: The commandment of periah was not given to the Patriarch Abraham.”
How does any man have the authority to say that YAHWEH’s covenant that He made with Abraham does not have any value if they do not do it according to their rabbinical custom? Paul is not against Torah circumcision, he is against their legalistic perversion of it for status quo (the existing order of things, present customs, practices, and power relations.
Abcnews.go.com “Baby dies of herpes in Ritual circumcision by Orthodox Jews” by Susan Donaldson James, March 9, 2012
“New York City is investigating the death last September of a baby who contracted herpes after a “ritual circumcision with oral suction,” in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish ceremony known in Hebrew as metzitzah b’peh. In a practice that takes place during a ceremony known as the bris, a circumcision practitioner, or mohel, removes the foreskin from the baby’s penis, and with his mouth sucks the blood from the incision to cleanse the wound.”
This is a practice that does occur in some of the Orthodox Judaism circles and I was shocked that this even occurred, but it does. From the translation of David Stern, he does not mention the Periah step of circumcision, I want to point all of these extra traditions out to show you how some circles in Judaism viewed circumcision as if it had no spiritual value if you did not do it their way and the reason why many felt you could not be saved if it wasn’t done according to their rules.
Galatians 5 (Parenthesis mine)
“What the Messiah has freed us for is freedom! Therefore, stand firm, and don’t let yourselves be tied up again to a yoke of slavery. Mark my words-----I Sha’ul, tell you that if you undergo b’rit-milah (covenant of circumcision) the Messiah will be no advantage to you at all! Again, I warn you: any man who undergoes b’rit-milah is obligated to observe the entire Torah! (Paul is saying you must have a circumcised heart and understand the covenant that you are entering with YAHWEH, it’s important commitment and step just as immersion/baptism is so make sure your heart is right and ready). You who are trying to be declared righteous by ELOHIM through LEGALISM have severed yourselves from the Messiah! (Because you are trusting in your own step by step man made tradition saying that will save you). You have fallen away from ELOHIM’s favor! For it is by the power of the Spirit, who works in us because we trust and are faithful, that we confidently expect our hope of attaining righteous to be fulfilled. (We will attain righteousness by being led by The Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth of the Torah and away from man-made traditions trying to save ourselves by our own strength). When we are united with the Messiah YESHUA, neither being circumcised nor being circumcised matters; what matters is trusting faithfulness expressing itself through love. (The Torah is love, so if you don’t have a circumcised heart to walk in truth and obey; to love YAHWEH and your neighbor than it doesn’t matter if you don’t’ love). You were running the race well; who has stopped you from following the truth? (The truth is the written Torah Psalm 119:142 “Your righteousness is righteousness forever and Your Torah is TRUTH.) Whatever means of persuasion he used was not from the One who calls you. “It takes only a little hametz to leaven the whole batch of dough.” I am confident that since you are united with the Master, you will take no other view; and I am confident that the one who has been disturbing you, whoever he may be, will have to bear his punishment (so someone was amongst the Galatians was disturbing them with Oral Torah traditions). And as for me, brothers IF AM STILL PREACHING THAT CIRCUMCSION IS NECESSARY, why am I still being persecuted? (Paul is clearly saying that he agrees with circumcision being a necessity according to the Torah commandment by having a new heart, learning Torah then being circumcised, just do not doing according to their version of circumcision) If that were the case, my preaching about the execution stake would cause no offense whatever. I wish the people who are bothering you would go the whole way and castrate themselves! For brothers, you were called to be free. Only do not let that freedom become an excuse for allowing your old nature to have its way. Instead, serve one another in love. For the whole of the Torah is summed up in this one sentence: “Love your neighbor as yourself”’ but if you go on snapping at each other and tearing each other to pieces, watch out, or you will be destroyed by each other! What I am saying is this, run your lives by the Spirit. Then you will not do what your old nature wants. For the old nature wants what is contrary to the Spirit, and The Spirit wants what is contrary to the old nature. These oppose each other, so that you find yourselves unable to carry out your good intentions. But if you are led by the Spirit, then you are not in subjection to the SYSTEM THAT RESULTS FROM PERVERTING THE TORAH INTO LEGALISM. (We see that Paul is separating the truth of the Torah from being perverted by the acts of the flesh the Oral Torah.)
Galatians 2:3-4
“But they didn’t force my gentile companion Titus to undergo b’rit-milah (circumcision). Indeed, the question came up only because SOME MEN WHO PRENTENDED TO BE BROTHERS HAD BEEN SNEAKED IN----they came in surreptitiously (in a way that attempts to avoid notice or attention; secretively) to SPY out the freedom we have in the Messiah YESHUA, so that they might enslave us.”
This is the reason why Titus was not compelled to be circumcised because there were men acting like brothers who wanting to enslave him with the Oral Torah traditions of circumcision, and Paul is saying we are free in the YESHUA and the written Torah alone, not your version of it. Titus wasn’t circumcised according to this ritualistic circumcision, this clears everything up!
1 Corinthians 7:19
“Being circumcised means nothing, and being uncircumcised means nothing; what does mean something is KEEPING ELOHIM’S COMMANDMENTS.”
Paul is saying that whether you are a Jew or Gentile you are to keep the commandments of YAHWEH and one of the commandments is circumcision see: Genesis 17, Exodus 12:48-49 and Leviticus 12:3
Philippians 3:1-12 Complete Jewish Bible (Parenthesis mine)
“In conclusion, my brothers: rejoice in union with the Master. It is not trouble for me to repeat what I have written you before, and for you it will be a safeguard, beware of the dogs, those evildoers, the mutilated! For it is we who are the circumcised, we WHO WORSHIP BY THE SPIRIT OF ELOHIM and make our boast in Messiah YESHUA (Those who are truly circumcised not only in the flesh but of the heart worship YAHWEH by being led by RUACH HA’KODESH and belief in YESHUA)! We do NOT PUT CONFIDENCE IN HUMAN QUALIFICATIONS, even though I certainly have grounds for putting confidence in such things. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for putting confidence in HUMAN QUALIFICATIONS, I have better grounds:
· B’rit-milah (circumcision) on the eighth day
· By birth belonging to the people of Yisra’el
· From the tribe of Benjamin
· ‘a Hebrew-speaker, with Hebrew speaking parents,
· In regard to the Torah, a Pharisee
· In regard to zeal, a persecutor of the Messianic Community
· In regard to the righteousness demanded BY LEGALISM, BLAMLESS.
“But the things that used to be advantages for me, I have, because of the Messiah, come to consider a disadvantage. Not only that, but I consider everything a disadvantage in comparison with the supreme value of knowing the Messiah YESHUA as my Master. It was because of Him that I gave up everything and regard it all as garbage, in order to gain the Messiah and be found in union with him, not having any righteousness of my own BASED ON LEGALISM, but having that righteousness which comes through the Messiah’s faithfulness, the righteousness from ELOHIM based on trust. Yes, I gave it all up in order to know Him (How do we know Him? 1 John 2:3-4 “By this we know that we know Him if we keep His commandments, the one who says I know him and does not keep the commandments is a liar in the truth is not in him”, so Paul knows Him in truth of Torah and not legalism of Oral Torah and understanding the importance of YESHUA’s blood sacrifice), that is, to know the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings as I am being conformed to his death, so that somehow I might arrive at being resurrected from the dead.”
As we see Paul is making a distinction between the written Torah of YAHWEH and the legalistic Oral Torah the traditions of men in which he said he was blameless in. Remember what he said in Galatians 1:13-14 that he was of the strictest sect of Orthodox Judaism and he excelled in it more than the others in his country. The Oral Torah and traditions of men are built off saving yourself through your own works by a set of laws to reconcile you to YAHWEH, but Paul knows the only way to be reconciled to YAHWEH is through the blood of YESHUA and following the Torah as it is written without the legalistic misinterpretation that has been added making it a burden upon men. Without belief it is impossible to please YAHWEH, so if you are trusting in saving yourself with man-made traditions, then it does not leave any room for belief in YAHWEH and why HE sent His Son YESHUA in the first place, because we sinned against a holy ELOHIM!
Galatians 3:1-7 (Complete Jewish Bible)
“You stupid Galatians! Who has put you under a spell? Before your very eyes YESHUA the Messiah was clearly portrayed as having been put to death as a criminal! I want to know from you just things one thing: did you receive the SPIRIT BY LEGALISTIC OBSERVANCE OF TORAH COMMANDS or by trusting in what you heard and being faithful to it? Are you that stupid? Having begun with the Spirit power, DO YOU THINK YOU CAN REACH THE GOAL UNDER YOUR OWN POWER? (Trusting in yourselves and legalistic Oral Torah) Have you suffered so much for nothing? If that’s the way you think, your suffering certainly will have been for nothing! What about ELOHIM, who supplies you with the SPIRIT and works miracles among you---does He do it because of your LEGALISTIC OBSERVANCE OF TORAH commands or because you TRUST in what you heard and are faithful to it? (In other words the original message of YESHUA dying for their sins, being led by Holy Spirit, and obeying the written Torah and not living by the Oral Torah). It was the SAME WITH ABRAHAM: “He trusted in ELOHIM and was faithful to Him, and that was credited to his account as righteousness.” Be assured, then, that it is those who live by trusting and being faithful who are really children of Abraham.”
In Galatians 3 Paul again chastises the Galatians for their behavior and in summary of that chapter, what he is saying is that Abraham was justified by belief first and then he was circumcised out of obedience to the command of YAHWEH; however, the Galatians wanted to be justified by circumcision and in the process they lost their belief by trusting in themselves and not the power of the RUACH HA’KODESH, so they went backwards. To apply this in our modern day for any gentiles to be grafted in is to: Have belief in YESHUA, learn the Torah, and then be circumcised out of obedience not as an act of salvation.
Hebrews 11:6
“And without trusting, it is impossible to be well pleasing to ELOHIM, because whoever approaches Him must trust that He does exist and that He becomes a rewarder to those who seek Him out.”
Habakkuk 2:4
“For His soul does not delight in iniquity (lawlessness), but the righteous man shall live by belief.”
Acts 21:19-24 (Aramaic English New Testament)
“And we have them wishes of peace; and Paul narrated to them in great detail what ELOHIM had created among the gentiles by his ministry. And when they heard it they esteem ELOHIM. And they sad to hi: “Our BROTHER, you see how many myriads there are in Judea who have believed: and these are all zealous for Torah! And it has been told them, of you, that you teach all the Jews that are among the gentiles to depart from Moshe, by telling them not to circumcise their children, and not to observe the rites of Torah. Now, because they have heard that you have arrived here, do what we tell you. We have four men, who have vowed to purify themselves. Take them, and go and purify yourself with them, and pay the expenses along with them, as they will shave their heads; that everyone may know, that what is said against you is FALSE, AND THAT YOU FULFILL AND OBSERVE TORAH.”
The same way Paul was getting falsely accused then is the same way he is getting falsely accused now because of misinterpretation of his words. As always, may our Father YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name!