Thank you for the thorough presentation. It gives us a lot to talk about going forward.
Thank you, I wish you would spend some time considering what those posts actually say as I do not think you have addressed them to be honest.
However, I would like clarification on what you mean by the 613. Usually that is a reference to the commandments given to Israel. And it is hard to imagine that they are not in God's word.
Clarification was already provided earlier. My reference to 9 commandments is to those who think there is now only 9 commandments in the new covenant not 10 commandments as stated from
Exodus 20:3-17 and the reference to 613 is to the old covenant laws that are fulfilled and continued in the new covenant in Jesus based on better promises (e.g. no more animal sacrifices for sins and sin offerings, no more Levitical Priesthood, no more earthly Sanctuary, no more circumcision or annual Feast days etc). All of Gods' laws and God's Words are given to Gods' ISRAEL which is only a name given by God to His people. If we are not a part of God's Israel by believing and following Gods Word according to the scriptures we have no part in Gods' new covenant promise *Hebrews 8:10-12; from Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:24-27. Gentiles believer are now grafted in with Jewish believers and all are now one in Christ (Romans 11:13-27; Romans 9:6-8; Romans 2:28-29; Galatians 3:28-29; Ephesians 2:11-13; Colossians 3:11; Romans 10:11-13).
We touched on this earlier before you read the conversation. In Acts 21 the Jewish believers were keeping all the law. You indicated this was merely a transition period. However, that does not appear to be the case. This was years after the Acts council. They saw Jesus as the fulfillment. But continued to keep all of the law.
According to the scriptures most of the disciples were Jews and therefore under the Jewish laws from birth. I believe Acts of the Apostles 15 is a good example of what was happening in Acts of the Apostles 21. In Acts of the Apostles 15 the question being considered by the Apostles was "
Is circumcision a requirement for salvation for new gentile believers" and this was the question Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem to discuss - Acts of the Apostles 15:1-2, not if God's 10 commandments are a requirement for Christian living. In fact Paul some time after the decision in Jerusalem went to the Corinthian believers stating that circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing but keeping of the commandments of God in 1 Corinthians 7:19 so to come up with an interpretation that Acts 15 was talking about the 10 commandments has Paul contradicting himself. So what is my point here to your claims in Acts 21 that the Jewish believers were keeping all of God's laws at that time?
In Acts of the Apostles 21, Paul is not telling us here to go out and make animal sacrifices for sin as that would be to deny the very Christ to who the sin offerings pointed to. The book of Acts was a record of events that happened after the death of Jesus and followed what happened with the Apostles after Pentecost and the inclusion of Paul as the Apostles to the gentiles. It is the book of Hebrews in particular and many other books of the bible that gives the detail in regards to new covenant teachings fulfilled from old covenant scripture.
Paul according to the scriptures became all things to all people that he might win them to Christ (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). As to Acts of the Apostles 18:18 and Acts of the Apostles 21 being in reference to a Nazarite vow as referred to in Numbers 6 this suggestion would be unlikely as the shaving of the hair must have been shaven and burned in the temple, under the caldron in which the peace-offerings were boiled as well as offer other sacrifices, (
Numbers 6:13-18). It was the custom, it seems, on the accomplishment of vows, for persons to shave their heads,
Acts 21:23-24.
Even in regards to Acts of the Apostles 22:20-24 the reason why Paul was talking the Nazarite vow in regards to Number 6 was not because there was a requirement for him to do so just the same as there was no requirement for Timothy to be circumcised in Acts of the Apostles 16:1-3 as the Christian council of Jerusalem already decreed that circumcision was not a requirement for salvation got gentile believers in Acts of the Apostles 15:1-2; 20-21. Timothy it says in Acts of the Apostles was circumcision not because he had to but as the scriptures teach because their were problems encountered by the Jews were thinking Paul was teaching God's laws were abolished *Acts of the Apostles 16:3.
Likewise Paul did not take a Nazarite vow because he had to but he took it so that the Jews did not think he was teaching to do away with God's laws *Acts of the Apostles 21:21. Paul's motive here for taking the Nazarite vow in Acts of the Apostles 21:20-24 was to remove bias and hostility of the Jews so he became all things to all people so he could win them to Christ *1 Corinthians 9:19-23. Paul and the four men did these things out of love, to avoid causing unnecessary offense to their Jewish brothers and sisters. That’s what Paul taught in 1 Corinthians regarding eating meat sacrificed to idols. It is not sinful to eat meat sacrificed to idols, but if it causes your brother offense, then don’t do it. Paul and the four men took a Nazirite vow and Paul had Timothy circumcised, because of the Jews – out of love for them, to avoid causing unnecessary offense that might stop them from receiving the gospel.
So was Paul wrong in taking the Nazarite vow? Possibly but not necessarily. According to the scriptures and
God's providence we are told that Paul in fact
never completed the Nazarite vow. At the end of the completion of the Nazarite vow a sacrifice was made (Numbers 6:13-17), the candidate’s hair was cut and put on the altar, and the priest did the final task of completing the sacrificial process, which ended the vow (v20). This section concludes with the statement, “This is the law of the Nazirite who vows his offering to the LORD in accordance with his separation, in addition to whatever else he can afford. He must fulfill the vow he has made, according to the law of the Nazirite”(6:21).
According to the scriptures...
Numbers 6:10-18 [10] And on the
eighth day he shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons, to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: [11] And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make an atonement for him, for that he sinned by the dead, and shall hallow his head that same day. [12] And he shall consecrate unto the LORD the days of his separation, and shall bring a lamb of the first year for a trespass offering: but the days that were before shall be lost, because his separation was defiled. [13] And this is the law of the Nazarite, when the days of his separation are fulfilled: he shall be brought unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: [14] And he shall offer his offering unto the LORD, one he lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish for a sin offering, and one ram without blemish for peace offerings, [15] And a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread anointed with oil, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings. [16] And the priest shall bring them before the LORD, and shall offer his sin offering, and his burnt offering: [17] And he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread: the priest shall offer also his meat offering, and his drink offering. [18] And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it in the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offerings.
As you can see, animals sacrifices have no part of this until the
8th day. God in His providence prevented this from happening as we read in the scriptures...
Act 21:27-30 [27]
And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him, [28] Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place. [29] For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple. [30] And all the city was moved, and the people ran together:
and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut.
Yet still during the 7th day Paul was taken out of the Temple and did not return not completing His vow or the animal sacrifices for needed for completing a Nazarite vow
More to come...
