**Note: I posted this in Prophecy, Endtimes... by mistake.
THE OFFENCE OF THE CROSS.
The cross of Christ presents problems for those who want to do something that
will justify their feelings. In Pauls time, there was a group of Jews going around
telling others that Paul agreed with circumcision as part of the gospel plan of
salvation. Paul addressed the issue of circumcision in the book of Galatians and
for a moment, in chapter 5, speaks of it as being a fact. He places the pronound forward for the sake of strong emphasis: (Gal 5:11) But, I on my part brethern, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Has the deathtrap of the cross been abolished? . . .
The statement is so silly that Paul is still preaching circumcision. Paul tears it to
pieces with two questions, (1). Why am I still being persecuted?, (2). The second
question also rests on the assumption of the fact if: Has the
deathtrap(skandalon) of the cross been abolished? (V.11).
Paul used a Greek word, skandalon when addressing the problem of
circumcision. Lets look at what he said: (as the KJV puts it)
Galatians 5:11
11 And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence(skandlon) of the cross ceased. KJV
Paul used this word again in 1 Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 1:23
23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock(skandalon), and unto the Greeks foolishness; KJV
Christ crucified for the Jews a skandalon. The cross, the crucified
Messiah, is deadly to the Jew to this day. Although it is the very power of
God to save(1Cor.1:24) by freeing the Jew from the curse of the law in that
Christ on the cross became a curse in our place(1Cor.3:13), by clinging to
their law the Jews are still struck by this curse, by scorning Christ
crucified have Him as an odor of death unto death. At the heart of their
legalism is circumcision. If they could keep their legalism, if they could put
into the cross something that is not atonement, but only example, a great
model, a so called inspiration, the Jews would adopt the cross. But the
skandalon cannot be abolished!! The cross cannot be perverted, it
cannot be changed. It means atonement, justification by faith, abolition of
law and works by law, complete Christian liberty.
Today, we have a similar problem of people wanting to place the law (Sabbath) back on the Christian. The Gentile never had the law from Mt. Sinai.
Skandalon is like the trigger mechanism on a mousetrap. If a mouse were to touch the cheese on the trigger, the trap would immediately cause the trap to snap shut catching the mouse in the trap, most of the time death follows.
Paul was writing in defense of the gospel of Christ, the cross of Christ in Galatians. He was addressing those Jews who were saying that you must be circumcised plus the cross in order to be saved. If you will notice in the verses following (Gal 5:11ff), Paul
even goes further and says, I wish those who teach this(circumcision) would go a little
further and cut the whole thing off!
How is the cross of Christ a trap or a snare to the Jew? Why was Paul saying circumcision was wrong and using such strong language against those who were promoting it?
A skandalon is a fatal, deadly thing; it kills and is intended to kill. A stumbling block is a poor translation in the KJV for it makes it milder. In Romans 9:33 the two words(stumblingblock and offense) are used together, so the translators were forced not to use the usual translation:
Romans 9:33
33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone (proskommatos) and rock of offense (skandalon,): and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. KJV
This skandalon is not to be used in a mild way. This trap is deadly; it is intended to kill, to be fatal, mortal, no less.
Here we have a group of people, once Gods chosen, who were guided by a tutor(Gal 3:24) that lead them to Christ. These people, the Jews, were a special people and were given a special revelation from God.
The Jews were guided by a special tutor, the law. The law is defined by the God through Moses as the Covenant. It is referred to as the first covenant in the book of Hebrews by God through the Hebrew writer.
THE LAW
First, lets look at the law as defined by the Lord. The setting is at Mount Sinai and the giving of the commandments. Gentiles (ex-Gentile if you are a Christian) always speak of the ten commandments when referring to this period of time, but the Jew will tell you that there were 613 commandments given during this period of time. Well... okay.
LAW DEFINED:
Exodus 34:27-28
27 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.
28 And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. KJV
From Exodus 34, Jehovah defines the ten commandments as the covenant. God
wrote upon the tables of stone the ten commandments, the covenant.
1 Kings 8:9
9 There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. KJV
1 Kings 8:9 tells us that there was nothing in the ark except the two tables of stone
which Moses put there when God made a covenant with the CHILDREN OF
ISRAEL. (Ask yourself, what was in the ark, who was the covenant made
with?)
1 Kings 8:21
21 And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of the LORD, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. KJV
1Kings 8:21 tells us that the covenant of the Lord was in the ark. Therefore,
the two tables of stone and the covenant are one in the same.
Deuteronomy 4:13
13 And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone. KJV
We learn from Deuteronomy that the ten commandments were written on two tables of stone. (Deut 4:1 identifies who this covenant was made with, Israel,
not some American, or any other Gentile!)
Deuteronomy 9:1 & 11.
Hear, O Israel: Thou art to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven, KJV
11 And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant. KJV
Hebrews 9:1
Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. KJV
Exodus 34 says the Ten Commandments is called the covenant, as does 1Kings 8:9 and 21, as does Deuteronomy 4:13; 9:1 & 11. God defines the covenant so there will be no mistake about it and also He makes it clear as to whom the covenant was made with, Israel.
The Hebrew writer, in Hebrews 9:1, declares that this covenant also had a sanctuary and a sacrificial system. The whole system, in the New Testament, is referred to as the law, the first covenant. It (the law) is contained as a one package deal made with the Jew.
THE FIRST COVENANT OF JEHOVAH.
We know that Jehovah made covenants previous to this one, but this is called the first covenant by the Hebrew writer. It was the first for the fleshly Jewish nation.
Hebrews 8:13-9:1(read)
In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. KJV
WHO THE COVENANT WAS MADE WITH:
Deuteronomy 5:1-3
And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. 2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. 3 The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day. KJV
In Deuteronomy, Deut 5:3, Moses speaks and says that the covenant(ten commandments) was made with them (the Jews) and not even their fathers. If you will look at Deuteronomy 1:8, you will find that their fathers was Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Deuteronomy 1:8
8 Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them. KJV
According to Moses, this covenant was not made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Could
Moses have been mistaken, for Sabbath-keepers tells us today that the law is for the Gentile as well as the Jew. Also, they tell us that the dietary laws are for us today and some even go so far as to say we must keep some of the feast days.
See part two for a continuation of this theme.
Thanks,
charlesj
THE OFFENCE OF THE CROSS.
The cross of Christ presents problems for those who want to do something that
will justify their feelings. In Pauls time, there was a group of Jews going around
telling others that Paul agreed with circumcision as part of the gospel plan of
salvation. Paul addressed the issue of circumcision in the book of Galatians and
for a moment, in chapter 5, speaks of it as being a fact. He places the pronound forward for the sake of strong emphasis: (Gal 5:11) But, I on my part brethern, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Has the deathtrap of the cross been abolished? . . .
The statement is so silly that Paul is still preaching circumcision. Paul tears it to
pieces with two questions, (1). Why am I still being persecuted?, (2). The second
question also rests on the assumption of the fact if: Has the
deathtrap(skandalon) of the cross been abolished? (V.11).
Paul used a Greek word, skandalon when addressing the problem of
circumcision. Lets look at what he said: (as the KJV puts it)
Galatians 5:11
11 And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence(skandlon) of the cross ceased. KJV
Paul used this word again in 1 Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 1:23
23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock(skandalon), and unto the Greeks foolishness; KJV
Christ crucified for the Jews a skandalon. The cross, the crucified
Messiah, is deadly to the Jew to this day. Although it is the very power of
God to save(1Cor.1:24) by freeing the Jew from the curse of the law in that
Christ on the cross became a curse in our place(1Cor.3:13), by clinging to
their law the Jews are still struck by this curse, by scorning Christ
crucified have Him as an odor of death unto death. At the heart of their
legalism is circumcision. If they could keep their legalism, if they could put
into the cross something that is not atonement, but only example, a great
model, a so called inspiration, the Jews would adopt the cross. But the
skandalon cannot be abolished!! The cross cannot be perverted, it
cannot be changed. It means atonement, justification by faith, abolition of
law and works by law, complete Christian liberty.
Today, we have a similar problem of people wanting to place the law (Sabbath) back on the Christian. The Gentile never had the law from Mt. Sinai.
Skandalon is like the trigger mechanism on a mousetrap. If a mouse were to touch the cheese on the trigger, the trap would immediately cause the trap to snap shut catching the mouse in the trap, most of the time death follows.
Paul was writing in defense of the gospel of Christ, the cross of Christ in Galatians. He was addressing those Jews who were saying that you must be circumcised plus the cross in order to be saved. If you will notice in the verses following (Gal 5:11ff), Paul
even goes further and says, I wish those who teach this(circumcision) would go a little
further and cut the whole thing off!
How is the cross of Christ a trap or a snare to the Jew? Why was Paul saying circumcision was wrong and using such strong language against those who were promoting it?
A skandalon is a fatal, deadly thing; it kills and is intended to kill. A stumbling block is a poor translation in the KJV for it makes it milder. In Romans 9:33 the two words(stumblingblock and offense) are used together, so the translators were forced not to use the usual translation:
Romans 9:33
33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone (proskommatos) and rock of offense (skandalon,): and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. KJV
This skandalon is not to be used in a mild way. This trap is deadly; it is intended to kill, to be fatal, mortal, no less.
Here we have a group of people, once Gods chosen, who were guided by a tutor(Gal 3:24) that lead them to Christ. These people, the Jews, were a special people and were given a special revelation from God.
The Jews were guided by a special tutor, the law. The law is defined by the God through Moses as the Covenant. It is referred to as the first covenant in the book of Hebrews by God through the Hebrew writer.
THE LAW
First, lets look at the law as defined by the Lord. The setting is at Mount Sinai and the giving of the commandments. Gentiles (ex-Gentile if you are a Christian) always speak of the ten commandments when referring to this period of time, but the Jew will tell you that there were 613 commandments given during this period of time. Well... okay.
LAW DEFINED:
Exodus 34:27-28
27 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.
28 And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. KJV
From Exodus 34, Jehovah defines the ten commandments as the covenant. God
wrote upon the tables of stone the ten commandments, the covenant.
1 Kings 8:9
9 There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. KJV
1 Kings 8:9 tells us that there was nothing in the ark except the two tables of stone
which Moses put there when God made a covenant with the CHILDREN OF
ISRAEL. (Ask yourself, what was in the ark, who was the covenant made
with?)
1 Kings 8:21
21 And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of the LORD, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. KJV
1Kings 8:21 tells us that the covenant of the Lord was in the ark. Therefore,
the two tables of stone and the covenant are one in the same.
Deuteronomy 4:13
13 And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone. KJV
We learn from Deuteronomy that the ten commandments were written on two tables of stone. (Deut 4:1 identifies who this covenant was made with, Israel,
not some American, or any other Gentile!)
Deuteronomy 9:1 & 11.
Hear, O Israel: Thou art to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven, KJV
11 And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant. KJV
Hebrews 9:1
Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. KJV
Exodus 34 says the Ten Commandments is called the covenant, as does 1Kings 8:9 and 21, as does Deuteronomy 4:13; 9:1 & 11. God defines the covenant so there will be no mistake about it and also He makes it clear as to whom the covenant was made with, Israel.
The Hebrew writer, in Hebrews 9:1, declares that this covenant also had a sanctuary and a sacrificial system. The whole system, in the New Testament, is referred to as the law, the first covenant. It (the law) is contained as a one package deal made with the Jew.
THE FIRST COVENANT OF JEHOVAH.
We know that Jehovah made covenants previous to this one, but this is called the first covenant by the Hebrew writer. It was the first for the fleshly Jewish nation.
Hebrews 8:13-9:1(read)
In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. KJV
WHO THE COVENANT WAS MADE WITH:
Deuteronomy 5:1-3
And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. 2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. 3 The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day. KJV
In Deuteronomy, Deut 5:3, Moses speaks and says that the covenant(ten commandments) was made with them (the Jews) and not even their fathers. If you will look at Deuteronomy 1:8, you will find that their fathers was Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Deuteronomy 1:8
8 Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them. KJV
According to Moses, this covenant was not made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Could
Moses have been mistaken, for Sabbath-keepers tells us today that the law is for the Gentile as well as the Jew. Also, they tell us that the dietary laws are for us today and some even go so far as to say we must keep some of the feast days.
See part two for a continuation of this theme.
Thanks,
charlesj