The Galatian Suppositions

WordSword

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Paul was admonishing the Galatian Churches by informing them that the admixture of the Law with the Gospel of Christ was an attempt by the false teachers to “pervert” the Gospel of Christ (1:7), and nowhere in this Epistle does there exist any conclusions that suggests the Galatian Christians accepted and followed them. Since this Epistle is absent of any confirmation of such, the phrase “soon removed” can be understood in the sense of only considering their enticement. Therefore, the meaning of “you are fallen from grace” (5:4) can be paraphrased as “it would be as though you have fallen from grace.”

“Whosoever of you are justified by the law” - On the supposition that any of you are justified by the Law; or if, as you seem to suppose, any are justified by the Law (Act 13:39; Gal 3:11; 5:4). The apostle does not say that this had in fact ever occurred; but he merely makes a supposition. If such a thing should or could occur, it would follow that you had fallen from grace. – Albert Barnes (1798-1870)
Galatians 5 - Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Bible Commentaries - StudyLight.org

The following is to show that though some of the Galatian believers were deceived (“bewitched” – 3:1) enough to at least consider accepting the error, it never became acceptable to them:

Gal 1:6: “So soon removed” is Paul’s reproving them here and it seems fair enough to carry the sense that they were only considering the false doctrine; which is shown below, that no conclusion is ever made that they did so.

Vs 7-9: One wouldn’t think the Galatian disciples would give false teachers much heed after Paul let them know that they were teaching a perverted doctrine, which was to attempt an admixture of the two dispensations of law and grace (which would doctrinally detract from both).

2:5: So “that the truth of the Gospel might continue with you” displays that they have yet to follow them.

3:1: “That ye should not obey the truth”; if this was in a conclusive sense, it could have been stated, “that you do not obey the truth, instead of “that you should not.”

Vs 2-5: Paul establishes they have the Holy Spirit by asking the redundant questions, which I think exemplifies indecisiveness, esp. considering the statement, “if it be yet in vain,” of which clearly shows (in my opinion) the undecided position of these believers.

Gal 4:9: The phrase, “why do you want to go back again” (NLT), only establishes a “desire” and not a completed action.

V 11: “Unless I have labored for you in vain,” is also demonstrative of an inconclusive position, which could otherwise be, “I have labored in vain.”

V 12: Establishes that though they were saved (had the Spirit – 3:2), he was urging them you to become like him, which I believe was to mature in Christ – v 19.

V 21: Again, “ye that desire to be under the law” indicates an inconclusive position.

Gal 5:1: Paul admonishing them to remain or “stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free” is indicative they have not yet turned to the false teaching. Same for v 2, “if ye be circumcised,” instead of “since you are circumcised.”

V4: A hyperbolic phrase, as one cannot “fall from grace” any more than one can be justified by the Law (3:11)!

V 7: “That you should not obey the truth” would be “that you do not obey the truth!

V10: “I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded.” Confirming evidence that they have not capitulated their Christion position.

Gal 6:12: “They constrain you to be circumcised,” instead of “they have constrained you to be circumcised.”

V13: They “desire to have you circumcised,” and not they “you were circumcised” (most of those in the churches in Galatia were Gentile Christians, and so were not circumcised).
 

OldWiseGuy

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V13: They “desire to have you circumcised,” and not they “you were circumcised” (most of those in the churches in Galatia were Gentile Christians, and so were not circumcised).

Weren't they the remnants of the northern kingdom, Israelites? The gentiles would have no knowledge of the Law.
 
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Clare73

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Paul was admonishing the Galatian Churches by informing them that the admixture of the Law with the Gospel of Christ was an attempt by the false teachers to “pervert” the Gospel of Christ (1:7), and nowhere in this Epistle does there exist any conclusions that suggests the Galatian Christians accepted and followed them. Since this Epistle is absent of any confirmation of such,
"But now that you know God--or rather are known by God--how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable (beggarly) principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you. I plead with you brothers, become like me, for I became like you." (4:9-12)
“Whosoever of you are justified by the law” - On the supposition that any of you are justified by the Law; or if, as you seem to suppose, any are justified by the Law (Act 13:39; Gal 3:11; 5:4). The apostle does not say that this had in fact ever occurred; but he merely makes a supposition. If such a thing should or could occur, it would follow that you had fallen from grace. – Albert Barnes (1798-1870)
Galatians 5 - Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Bible Commentaries - StudyLight.org

The following is to show that though some of the Galatian believers were deceived (“bewitched” – 3:1) enough to at least consider accepting the error, it never became acceptable to them:

Gal 1:6: “So soon removed” is Paul’s reproving them here and it seems fair enough to carry the sense that they were only considering the false doctrine; which is shown below, that no conclusion is ever made that they did so.

Vs 7-9: One wouldn’t think the Galatian disciples would give false teachers much heed after Paul let them know that they were teaching a perverted doctrine, which was to attempt an admixture of the two dispensations of law and grace (which would doctrinally detract from both).

2:5: So “that the truth of the Gospel might continue with you” displays that they have yet to follow them.

3:1: “That ye should not obey the truth”; if this was in a conclusive sense, it could have been stated, “that you do not obey the truth, instead of “that you should not.”

Vs 2-5: Paul establishes they have the Holy Spirit by asking the redundant questions, which I think exemplifies indecisiveness, esp. considering the statement, “if it be yet in vain,” of which clearly shows (in my opinion) the undecided position of these believers.

Gal 4:9: The phrase, “why do you want to go back again” (NLT), only establishes a “desire” and not a completed action.

V 11: “Unless I have labored for you in vain,” is also demonstrative of an inconclusive position, which could otherwise be, “I have labored in vain.”

V 12: Establishes that though they were saved (had the Spirit – 3:2), he was urging them you to become like him, which I believe was to mature in Christ – v 19.

V 21: Again, “ye that desire to be under the law” indicates an inconclusive position.
Gal 5:1: Paul admonishing them to remain or “stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free” is indicative they have not yet turned to the false teaching. Same for v 2, “if ye be circumcised,” instead of “since you are circumcised.”
V4: A hyperbolic phrase, as one cannot “fall from grace” any more than one can be justified by the Law (3:11)!

V 7: “That you should not obey the truth” would be “that you do not obey the truth!

V10: “I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded.” Confirming evidence that they have not capitulated their Christion position.

Gal 6:12: “They constrain you to be circumcised,” instead of “they have constrained you to be circumcised.”

V13: They “desire to have you circumcised,” and not they “you were circumcised” (most of those in the churches in Galatia were Gentile Christians, and so were not circumcised).
To "fall from grace" is to abandon the principle of grace for the principle of law keeping.
It is not falling into condemnation, nor is it irreversible, it can be reversed by giving up observance of the ceremonial laws for the purpose of righteousness.

"You are turning to a different gospel" (1:6)

"You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you? . . .Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Have you suffered so much for nothing--if it really was for nothing? Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?" (3:1-5)

"Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you aware of what the law says?. . .Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. . .But what does the Scripture say? "Get rid of the slave woman (old covenant) and her son, for the slave woman's son (those under the law) will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's (new covenant) son . Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman (old covenant), but of the free woman (new covenant)." (4:21-31)

"Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourself be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace." (5:2-4)
though some of the Galatian believers were deceived (“bewitched” – 3:1) enough to at least consider accepting the error, it never became acceptable to them:
It seems that it did in the above.
 
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WordSword

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To "fall from grace" is to abandon the principle of grace for the principle of law keeping.

It is not falling into condemnation, nor is it irreversible, it can be reversed by giving up observance of the ceremonial laws for the purpose of righteousness.
Hi and thanks for your reply and comments, though we are on opposite sides of the great divide of OSAS, which is ok because what one believes concerning eternal security dose not effect one's faith in the Lord Jesus.

Not trying to convince you of anything but just sharing why I believe what I believe:

"In the latter times some should depart from the faith"; that is, from the doctrine of faith, for from the true grace of faith there can be no final and total apostasy, such as is here designed; for that can never be lost. It is of an incorruptible nature, and therefore more precious than gold that perishes; Christ is the author and finisher of it; his prevalent mediation is concerned for it; it is a gift of special grace, and is without repentance; it springs from electing grace, and is secured by it; and between that and salvation there is an inseparable connection; it may indeed decline, be very low, and lie dormant, as to its acts and exercise, but not be lost: there is a temporary faith, and a persuasion of truth, or a mere assent to it, which may be departed from, but not that "faith which works by love" (Gal 5:6)." -John Gill (1697-1771)


"In the latter times some should depart from the faith"; The meaning is, that they would “apostatize” from the belief of the truths of the gospel. It does not mean that, as individuals, they would have been true Christians; but that there would be a departure from the great doctrines which constitute the Christian faith. The ways in which they would do this are immediately specified, showing what the apostle meant here by departing from the faith. They would give heed to seducing spirits, to the doctrines of devils, etc." - Albert Barnes (1798–1870)

I apologize if my reply was unnecessarily lengthy.
 
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Clare73

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Hi and thanks for your reply and comments, though we are on opposite sides of the great divide of OSAS, which is ok because what one believes concerning eternal security dose not effect one's faith in the Lord Jesus.
Amen to that.
Not trying to convince you of anything but just sharing why I believe what I believe:

"In the latter times some should depart from the faith"; that is, from the doctrine of faith, for from the true grace of faith there can be no final and total apostasy, such as is here designed; for that can never be lost.
Absolutely!

That's why I say it doesn't mean what you seem to think it means; i.e., fall from God's redemption. Because that can't happen.

Your solution to that problem is that the Galatians did not "fall from grace" because they didn't do these things.
However, I don't think the problem exists, because Paul here is simply referring to two principles:
falling from salvation by grace. . .back down into salvation by law keeping, not falling out of salvation.

And of course, there is no salvation by law keeping, so if they continue in such, they will simply demonstrate they never had genuine faith in the first place.
It is of an incorruptible nature, and therefore more precious than gold that perishes; Christ is the author and finisher of it; his prevalent mediation is concerned for it; it is a gift of special grace, and is without repentance; it springs from electing grace, and is secured by it; and between that and salvation there is an inseparable connection; it may indeed decline, be very low, and lie dormant, as to its acts and exercise, but not be lost: there is a temporary faith, and a persuasion of truth, or a mere assent to it, which may be departed from, but not that "faith which works by love" (Gal 5:6)." -John Gill (1697-1771)
Agreed!
"In the latter times some should depart from the faith"; The meaning is, that they would “apostatize” from the belief of the truths of the gospel. It does not mean that, as individuals, they would have been true Christians; but that there would be a departure from the great doctrines which constitute the Christian faith. The ways in which they would do this are immediately specified, showing what the apostle meant here by departing from the faith. They would give heed to seducing spirits, to the doctrines of devils, etc." - Albert Barnes (1798–1870)
Agreed!
I apologize if my reply was unnecessarily lengthy.
Not at all!

It was a pleasure to read the old divines.
 
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Soyeong

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Paul was admonishing the Galatian Churches by informing them that the admixture of the Law with the Gospel of Christ was an attempt by the false teachers to “pervert” the Gospel of Christ (1:7), and nowhere in this Epistle does there exist any conclusions that suggests the Galatian Christians accepted and followed them. Since this Epistle is absent of any confirmation of such, the phrase “soon removed” can be understood in the sense of only considering their enticement. Therefore, the meaning of “you are fallen from grace” (5:4) can be paraphrased as “it would be as though you have fallen from grace.”

“Whosoever of you are justified by the law” - On the supposition that any of you are justified by the Law; or if, as you seem to suppose, any are justified by the Law (Act 13:39; Gal 3:11; 5:4). The apostle does not say that this had in fact ever occurred; but he merely makes a supposition. If such a thing should or could occur, it would follow that you had fallen from grace. – Albert Barnes (1798-1870)
Galatians 5 - Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Bible Commentaries - StudyLight.org

Christ began his ministry with the Gospel message to repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand (Matthew 4:17-23) and the Moosic Law was how his audience knew what sin is, so repenting from our disobedience to it is an integral part of the Gospel message, which he prophesied would be proclaimed to all nations, which he also spoke against lawlessness (Matthew 24:12-14). Furthermore, Christ set a sinless example of how to walk in obedience to the Mosaic Law, and as his followers we are told to follow his example (1 Peter 2:21-22) and that those who are in Christ are obligated to walk in the same way walked (1 John 2:6), so Christ spent his ministry teaching how to follow the Mosaic Law both by word and by example. Furthermore, in Acts 2:38, Peter also called for people to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins and the Mosaic Law was how they knew what sin is. In Romans 15:4, Paul said that OT Scriptures were written for our instruction, and in 15:18-19, his Gospel message involved bringing the Gentiles to obedience in word and in deed, so his Gospel was on the same page in regard to teaching repentance from our sins. In addition, Romans 10:16, 2 Thessalonians 1:8, and 1 Peter 4:17 all speak against those who do not obey the Gospel, so there are laws that Paul spoke in favor of relying on as part of the Gospel message, while there are other laws that Paul considered relying on to be turning to a different Gospel, and it is important to correctly identify which is which.

Paul should not be interpreted as speaking against the Law of God, which he said our faith upholds (Romans 3:31), and which he delighted in obeying (Romans 7:22), especially because he was a servant of God. In Romans 3:27, Paul contrasted a law of works with a law of faith, so works of the law are of works, which he directly contrasted with the Law of God. Paul's problem in Galatians was not with those who were teaching Gentiles how to follow what Christ taught as if that was somehow a negative thing, but rather his problem was with those who were teaching that Gentiles needed to rely on their works of the law in order to become justified. The phrase "works of the law" has no definitive article in the Greek, so it is literally translated as "works of law", which means that it does not refer a definitive set of laws, such as The Law of Moses, but rather Paul uses it as a catch-all phrase to refer to a large body of Jewish oral laws, traditions, rulings, and fences, which were being taught that Gentiles needed to obey in order to become justified, so we need to be careful not to mistake something that was only said against obeying man as being against obeying God.

In Matthew 23:23, Jesus said that faith is one of the weightier matters of the Mosaic Law, so the Mosaic Law is of faith. In Galatians 3:10-12, Paul associated a quote from Habakkuk 2:4 with a quote from Leviticus 18:5, so the righteous who are living by faith are the same as those who are living in obedience to the Mosaic Law, while no one is justified before God by works of the law because they are not of faith in God. In Isaiah 51:7, the righteous are those on whose heart is the Mosaic Law, so the righteous living by faith does not refer to a manner of living that is not in obedience to the Law of God. God is trustworthy, therefore His law is also trustworthy (Psalms 19:7), and a law that isn't trustworthy can't come from a God who is trustworthy, so to to rely on the Mosaic Law is to rely on the Lawgiver, while to deny that it is of faith is to deny the faithfulness of the Lawgiver.

All throughout the Bible, God wanted His people to repent and to return to obedience to His law, and even Christ began his ministry with that message, so it would be absurd to interpret Galatians 5:1-4 as Paul warning us against following Christ and saying that we will be cut off from Christ if we follow Christ. In Psalms 119:29, David wanted God to be gracious to him by teaching him how to obey the Mosaic Law, so relying on the Mosaic Law is what it means to be under grace, not the way to fall from grace, and it would again be absurd to think that David wanted God to be gracious to him by teaching him how to fall from grace. In Romans 1:5, we have received grace in order to bring about the obedience of faith, not in order to bring about our fall from grace. In Titus 2:11-14, our salvation is described as being trained by grace to do what is godly, righteous, and good, and to renounce doing what is ungodly, so God graciously teaching us to obey His laws for how to do that is itself part of the content of His gift of salvation, not the way to bring about our fall from grace. In Exodus 33:13, Moses wanted God to be gracious to him by showing him His way that he might know Him, and there are many verses that describe the Mosaic Law as being instructions for how to walk in God's way, such as Deuteronomy 10:12-13, Isaiah 2:2-3, Joshua 22:5, Psalms 103:7, and many others. In Genesis 6:8-9, Noah found grace in the eyes of God and was a righteous man, so it is absurd to try to pit God's righteousness against His graciousness when they have always been compatible character traits of the same God, which He expressed throughout both the OT and the NT.

3:1: “That ye should not obey the truth”; if this was in a conclusive sense, it could have been stated, “that you do not obey the truth, instead of “that you should not.”

The Mosaic Law is truth (Psalms 119:142).

Vs 2-5: Paul establishes they have the Holy Spirit by asking the redundant questions, which I think exemplifies indecisiveness, esp. considering the statement, “if it be yet in vain,” of which clearly shows (in my opinion) the undecided position of these believers.

The Spirit has the role of leading us to obey the Mosaic Law (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

Gal 4:9: The phrase, “why do you want to go back again” (NLT), only establishes a “desire” and not a completed action.

V 11: “Unless I have labored for you in vain,” is also demonstrative of an inconclusive position, which could otherwise be, “I have labored in vain.”

V 12: Establishes that though they were saved (had the Spirit – 3:2), he was urging them you to become like him, which I believe was to mature in Christ – v 19.

V 21: Again, “ye that desire to be under the law” indicates an inconclusive position.

In Galatians 4:8, Paul addressed those verses to those who formerly did not know God, and again the Mosaic Law is God's instructions for how to know him, so Paul was speaking to former pagans who were not formerly keeping God's holy days, and thus he could not have been criticizing them for returning to them, so whatever he was speaking about in verses 11-12 was in the context of paganism. So again we should be careful not to mistake something that was only said against obeying man as being against obeying God.

Gal 5:1: Paul admonishing them to remain or “stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free” is indicative they have not yet turned to the false teaching. Same for v 2, “if ye be circumcised,” instead of “since you are circumcised.”

V4: A hyperbolic phrase, as one cannot “fall from grace” any more than one can be justified by the Law (3:11)!

V 7: “That you should not obey the truth” would be “that you do not obey the truth!

V10: “I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded.” Confirming evidence that they have not capitulated their Christion position.

Gal 6:12: “They constrain you to be circumcised,” instead of “they have constrained you to be circumcised.”

V13: They “desire to have you circumcised,” and not they “you were circumcised” (most of those in the churches in Galatia were Gentile Christians, and so were not circumcised).

The reason that God saved the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt was not in order to put them under bondage to His law, but rather it is foe freedom that God sets us free (Galatians 5:1) and the Mosaic Law is a law of freedom (Psalms 119:45). Again the Mosaic Law is truth, and in John 8:31-36 it is sin in transgression of the Mosaic Law that puts us in bondage while it is the truth that sets us free. The reason that God commanded circumcision was not in order to become justified, so speaking against circumcision being used for a man-made purpose that went above and beyond the purpose for which God commanded it should not be mistaken as speaking against obeying what God has commanded, as if Paul had the authority to countermand God.
 
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WordSword

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Christ began his ministry with the Gospel message to repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand (Matthew 4:17-23) and the Moosic Law was how his audience knew what sin is, so repenting from our disobedience to it is an integral part of the Gospel message, which he prophesied would be proclaimed to all nations, which he also spoke against lawlessness (Matthew 24:12-14). Furthermore, Christ set a sinless example of how to walk in obedience to the Mosaic Law, and as his followers we are told to follow his example (1 Peter 2:21-22) and that those who are in Christ are obligated to walk in the same way walked (1 John 2:6), so Christ spent his ministry teaching how to follow the Mosaic Law both by word and by example.

I appreciate your laborious reply and input! Just want to share that it's my understanding that the Old Covenant and the Law was a special method that God used to call a certain people to obey Him out of a position of the "natural man," and the Gospel of Christ is now the method God is calling all people to obey out of the position of a "new man."

The procuring of forgiveness for the OT and NT saints are the same, in that it had nothing to do with works (which manifests faith and not forgiveness of sins), but faith in what God provided at the time for forgiveness. The prior Covenant with Israel supplied forgiveness only by the obedience of the priesthood by the sacrificial blood of animals; which forgiveness was only to those who were believers in God (Jn 14:1). Now, the only means of forgiveness for any soul is provided by faith in the sacrificial Blood of the Lord Jesus.

I believe the primary difference between the two Covenants concerning obedience to God is that those in Christ are reborn and are imparted with a new nature, which enables man to obey out of the desire and enablement that God "works" in us (Phl 2:13), apart from which, man cannot avoid the dominion of the Adamic-sin nature.

I also like the sincere manner in which you presented your reply!
 
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Soyeong

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I appreciate your laborious reply and input! Just want to share that it's my understanding that the Old Covenant and the Law was a special method that God used to call a certain people to obey Him out of a position of the "natural man," and the Gospel of Christ is now the method God is calling all people to obey out of the position of a "new man."

The procuring of forgiveness for the OT and NT saints are the same, in that it had nothing to do with works (which manifests faith and not forgiveness of sins), but faith in what God provided at the time for forgiveness. The prior Covenant with Israel supplied forgiveness only by the obedience of the priesthood by the sacrificial blood of animals; which forgiveness was only to those who were believers in God (Jn 14:1). Now, the only means of forgiveness for any soul is provided by faith in the sacrificial Blood of the Lord Jesus.

I believe the primary difference between the two Covenants concerning obedience to God is that those in Christ are reborn and are imparted with a new nature, which enables man to obey out of the desire and enablement that God "works" in us (Phl 2:13), apart from which, man cannot avoid the dominion of the Adamic-sin nature.

I also like the sincere manner in which you presented your reply!

If the difference between covenants is in regard to our ability to obey, then it is not in regard to the content of what we are to obey. The Mosaic Covenant always pointed towards Jesus as the lamb who would take away the sins of the world, so that is not a difference.
 
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Gup20

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Christ began his ministry with the Gospel message to repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand (Matthew 4:17-23) and the Moosic Law was how his audience knew what sin is, so repenting from our disobedience to it is an integral part of the Gospel message, which he prophesied would be proclaimed to all nations, which he also spoke against lawlessness (Matthew 24:12-14). ......

I think you are missing one important aspect. Paul describes in Galatians 2-4 how the covenant of faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ came 430 years before the law, and that the covenant of faith was ratified (Genesis 15), and therefore The Law (or the Works of The Law) does not add conditions to, nor modify, the covenant of faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Gen 15:5-6 KJV 5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Gal 3:16 NASB20 16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, "And to seeds," as [one would in referring] to many, but [rather] as [in referring] to one, "And to your seed," that is, Christ.

Gal 3:6-9, 15, 17-18 NASB20 6 Just as Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. 7 Therefore, recognize that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. 8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, [saying,] "ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU." 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer. ... 15 Brothers [and sisters,] I speak in terms of human relations: even though it is [only] a man's covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it. ... 17 What I am saying is this: the Law, which came 430 years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. 18 For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.
Here we see Paul making the case from the Torah that the covenant of faith came 430 years before the covenant of The Law, and was ratified, and therefore when The Law came 430 years later, it did not add conditions to, nor modify, the covenant of faith. It says God preached the gospel to Abraham when he said "so shall your seed be." So we see that in Genesis 15:5 God was telling Abraham the gospel of Jesus Christ, because the seed he was talking about was Jesus Christ. Abraham believed the gospel of Jesus Christ and was credited with righteousness. Abraham was the first made righteous for his faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ... the first to be saved (made righteous) by grace through faith. Romans 4 echos Galatians 3:

Rom 4:9-17 NASB20 9 Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, "FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." 10 How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised; 11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, 12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised. 13 For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if those who are of the Law are heirs, then faith is made void and the promise is nullified; 15 for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation. 16 For this reason [it is] by faith, in order that [it may be] in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 (as it is written: "I HAVE MADE YOU A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS") in the presence of Him whom he believed, [that is,] God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that do not exist.

Eph 1:13-14 NASB20 13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, 14 who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of [God's own] possession, to the praise of His glory.

Rom 2:28-29 NASB20 28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from people, but from God.

Deu 30:6 NASB20 6 "Moreover, the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul, so that you may live.​

We see that Abraham was made righteous for his faith in the gospel PRIOR to circumcision. We see from Eph 1:13-14 and Rom 2:28-29 that circumcision is a foreshadow of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as a seal of the righteousness that comes by faith in the gospel. However, we see that Abraham was made righteous for his faith before he was circumcised. We see from Deu 30:6 that The Law always intended circumcision to be "of the heart."

The Law comes into play because without it, no one could be qualified as righteous, and therefore no one could give up their righteousness to redeem the unrighteous. Jesus came and was qualified as righteous by The Law of Moses. This qualified him to give up that righteousness in the great redemptive exchange. Abraham was given Christ's righteousness and then God promises Abraham that all of his descendants (those with the same faith in the gospel that he has) would inherit Christ's righteousness. Therefore, Gal 3:7 says those who are of faith are the descendants of Abraham. The end of Galatians 3 says:

Gal 3:26, 29 NASB20 26 For you are all sons [and daughters] of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ... 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise.​

So the righteousness that comes by faith is truly "apart from the law" because it is from the Abrahamic covenant, not the Mosaic covenant. It was ratified in the latter half of Genesis 15, and so the Mosaic Law does not add conditions to the covenant of faith.

Rom 3:21-22 NASB20 21 But now apart from the Law [the] righteousness of God has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 but [it is the] righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction,
We see that The Law and prophets bear witness to the covenant of faith, but do not modify it. We see the spiritual descendants of Abraham - those with the same faith in gospel of Jesus Christ that Abraham had, inherit Christ's righteousness.

Isa 54:1 NASB20 1 "Shout for joy, infertile one, you who have not given birth [to any child;] Break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor; For the sons of the desolate one [will be] more numerous Than the sons of the married woman," says the LORD.​



 
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Soyeong

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I think you are missing one important aspect. Paul describes in Galatians 2-4 how the covenant of faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ came 430 years before the law, and that the covenant of faith was ratified (Genesis 15), and therefore The Law (or the Works of The Law) does not add conditions to, nor modify, the covenant of faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Gen 15:5-6 KJV 5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Gal 3:16 NASB20 16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, "And to seeds," as [one would in referring] to many, but [rather] as [in referring] to one, "And to your seed," that is, Christ.

Gal 3:6-9, 15, 17-18 NASB20 6 Just as Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. 7 Therefore, recognize that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. 8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, [saying,] "ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU." 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer. ... 15 Brothers [and sisters,] I speak in terms of human relations: even though it is [only] a man's covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it. ... 17 What I am saying is this: the Law, which came 430 years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. 18 For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.
Here we see Paul making the case from the Torah that the covenant of faith came 430 years before the covenant of The Law, and was ratified, and therefore when The Law came 430 years later, it did not add conditions to, nor modify, the covenant of faith. It says God preached the gospel to Abraham when he said "so shall your seed be." So we see that in Genesis 15:5 God was telling Abraham the gospel of Jesus Christ, because the seed he was talking about was Jesus Christ. Abraham believed the gospel of Jesus Christ and was credited with righteousness. Abraham was the first made righteous for his faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ... the first to be saved (made righteous) by grace through faith. Romans 4 echos Galatians 3:

Rom 4:9-17 NASB20 9 Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, "FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." 10 How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised; 11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, 12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised. 13 For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if those who are of the Law are heirs, then faith is made void and the promise is nullified; 15 for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation. 16 For this reason [it is] by faith, in order that [it may be] in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 (as it is written: "I HAVE MADE YOU A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS") in the presence of Him whom he believed, [that is,] God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that do not exist.

Eph 1:13-14 NASB20 13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, 14 who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of [God's own] possession, to the praise of His glory.

Rom 2:28-29 NASB20 28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from people, but from God.

Deu 30:6 NASB20 6 "Moreover, the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul, so that you may live.​

We see that Abraham was made righteous for his faith in the gospel PRIOR to circumcision. We see from Eph 1:13-14 and Rom 2:28-29 that circumcision is a foreshadow of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as a seal of the righteousness that comes by faith in the gospel. However, we see that Abraham was made righteous for his faith before he was circumcised. We see from Deu 30:6 that The Law always intended circumcision to be "of the heart."

The Law comes into play because without it, no one could be qualified as righteous, and therefore no one could give up their righteousness to redeem the unrighteous. Jesus came and was qualified as righteous by The Law of Moses. This qualified him to give up that righteousness in the great redemptive exchange. Abraham was given Christ's righteousness and then God promises Abraham that all of his descendants (those with the same faith in the gospel that he has) would inherit Christ's righteousness. Therefore, Gal 3:7 says those who are of faith are the descendants of Abraham. The end of Galatians 3 says:

Gal 3:26, 29 NASB20 26 For you are all sons [and daughters] of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ... 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise.​

So the righteousness that comes by faith is truly "apart from the law" because it is from the Abrahamic covenant, not the Mosaic covenant. It was ratified in the latter half of Genesis 15, and so the Mosaic Law does not add conditions to the covenant of faith.

Rom 3:21-22 NASB20 21 But now apart from the Law [the] righteousness of God has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 but [it is the] righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction,
We see that The Law and prophets bear witness to the covenant of faith, but do not modify it. We see the spiritual descendants of Abraham - those with the same faith in gospel of Jesus Christ that Abraham had, inherit Christ's righteousness.

Isa 54:1 NASB20 1 "Shout for joy, infertile one, you who have not given birth [to any child;] Break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor; For the sons of the desolate one [will be] more numerous Than the sons of the married woman," says the LORD.​




In Romans 3:21-22, the Law and the Prophets testify that the righteousness of God comes through faith in Christ for all who believe, so this has always been the one and only way that there has ever been to become righteous. In Genesis 6:8-9, Noah found grace in the eyes of God and was a righteous man, so he was declared righteous by grace through faith by the same means as everyone else. God had no reason to provide an alternative an unattainable means of becoming qualified as righteous by obeying the Mosaic Law, so that was never the goal of why we should obey it, and has always been a fundamental misunderstanding of the goal of the law. For example, in Romans 9:30-10:4, they had a zeal for God, but it was not based on knowledge, so they failed to attain righteousness because they pursued the law as through righteousness were by works in an effort to establish their own rather than pursing the law as through righteousness were by faith in Christ, for Christ is the goal of the law for righteousness for everyone who has faith.

Righteousness is a character trait of God that is straightforwardly expressed by doing what is righteous, and God's law is His instructions for how to express that character trait, not for how to attain it. For example, the law reveals that helping the poor is a way to testify about God's righteousness, but no amount of helping the poor will ever cause someone to become righteous because the one and only way to become righteous is by grace through faith. The character traits that we have are expressed through our actions, so when God declares us to be righteous, He is also declaring us to be someone who expresses His righteousness through our actions in obedience to His instructions for how to do that found in His law. Christ expressed his righteousness through his actions and what that looked like was obedience to the Mosaic Law, so that is also what it looks like when we express his righteousness through our actions. In other words, the reason why we have received the righteousness of Christ was not in order to hide it under a bushel, but in order to let our light shine through our obedience in accordance with the example Christ set for us to follow.

So the issue is that there can be reasons for obeying the Mosaic Law other than trying to earn our justification, especially because it was never given as a means of doing that, so verses that speak against earning it should not be mistaken as speaking against our justification requiring our obedience to it for some other reason, such as faith. In Matthew 23:23, Jesus said that faith is one of the weightier matters of the Mosaic Law, so only those who have faith will obey it and will be justified by the same faith, which is why Paul could say in Romans 2:13 that only doers of the Mosaic Law will be justified while also denying in Romans 4:4-5 that our justification is something that can be earned as a wage. While it is true that Abraham believed God, so he was justified, it is also true that he believed God, so he obeyed God's command to offer Isaac, so the same faith by which he was justified was also expressed as obedience, but he did not earn his justification by his obedience. In James 2:21-23, Abraham was justified by his works when he offered Isaac, his faith was active along with his works, and his faith completed his works, so he was justified by his works insofar as they were an expression of his faith, but not insofar as they were earning his justification as a wage. In Romans 3:28, we are justified by faith apart from works of the law, which is true insofar as there are no works that we can do to earn our salvation, however, Paul did not want us to draw the conclusion in Romans 3:31 that our faith therefore abolishes our need to obey the Mosaic Law, but rather our faith upholds it, which is true insofar as the same faith by which we are justified is also expressed as obedience to it.

In Genesis 18:19, God experientially knew Abraham that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring about all that He promised him, namely that through his offspring all of the nations of the earth will be blessed. In Exodus 33:13, Moses wanted God to be gracious to him by showing him His way that he might experientially know Him, and the Israelites too. In Psalms 119:29-30, David wanted to put false ways far from him, for God to be gracious to him by teaching him to obey the Mosaic Law, and he chose the way of faithfulness. There are many other verses that describe the Mosaic Law as being instructions for how to walk in God's way, such as Deuteronomy 10:12-13, Isaiah 2:2-3, Joshua 22:5, Psalms 103:7, and many others. I can be gracious to someone by doing something that will bless them for a day, but if I really want to be gracious to them, then I will teach them how to walk in the way where they will be blessed for a lifetime, and the Mosaic Law is God's instructions for how to walk in the way to be blessed (Psalms 119:1). So the fulfillment of the promise that God made to Abraham is for the Israelites to bless the nations by teaching them to turn from their wicked ways and to walk in God's way in obedience to the Mosaic Law, which has its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus, who is the way, who fulfilled that promise by being sent to bless us by turning us from our wicked ways (Acts 3:25-26). Jesus began his ministry with the Gospel message to repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand (Matthew 4:17-23) and the Mosaic Law was how his audience knew what sin is, so repenting from our disobedience to it is an integral part of the Gospel message, which he prophesied would be proclaimed to all nations (Matthew 24:12-14).

Having a circumcised heart is associated with living in obedience to the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 10:12-16, Deuteronomy 30:6, Romans 2:25-29), while having an uncircumcised heart is associated with refusing to submit to it (Jeremiah 9:25-26, Acts 7:51-53). In Romans 3:27, Paul directly contrasted a law of works with a law of faith, so he directly contrasted works of the law with the Mosaic Law.
 
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WordSword

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If the difference between covenants is in regard to our ability to obey, then it is not in regard to the content of what we are to obey. The Mosaic Covenant always pointed towards Jesus as the lamb who would take away the sins of the world, so that is not a difference.
Not according to ability, but how we obey. We using the Sprit, or the Spirit using the believer! I see it that the latter is accurate, and hope the information below expresses my understanding here. It's from an online daily devotional, "None But The Hungry Heart." None But The Hungry Heart



"Once we learn the truth of our union with the Lord Jesus and of the Holy Spirit's indwelling, any attempt to imitate Christ will be seen for what it is: unscriptural, and futile.

"Our Father is going to teach us, mainly through personal failure, that the life we live is the life by our Lord Jesus alone. The Christian life is not our living a life like Christ, or our trying to be Christ-like, nor is it Christ giving us the power to live a life like His; but it is Christ Himself living His own life through us; 'no longer I, but Christ.’”

"The end of Christ's incarnation, death and resurrection was to prepare and form a holy nature and frame for us in Him, to be communicated to us by union and fellowship with Him; and not to be able to produce in ourselves the first originals of such a holy nature by our own endeavors. Miles J Stanford


We in Him
 
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Gup20

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In Romans 3:21-22, the Law and the Prophets testify that the righteousness of God comes through faith in Christ for all who believe, so this has always been the one and only way that there has ever been to become righteous. In Genesis 6:8-9, Noah found grace in the eyes of God and was a righteous man, so he was declared righteous by grace through faith by the same means as everyone else. God had no reason to provide an alternative an unattainable means of becoming qualified as righteous by obeying the Mosaic Law, so that was never the goal of why we should obey it, and has always been a fundamental misunderstanding of the goal of the law. For example, in Romans 9:30-10:4, they had a zeal for God, but it was not based on knowledge, so they failed to attain righteousness because they pursued the law as through righteousness were by works in an effort to establish their own rather than pursing the law as through righteousness were by faith in Christ, for Christ is the goal of the law for righteousness for everyone who has faith.

Sure... Jesus said all of the law and prophets can be summed up by the command to love god and love your neighbor.

Righteousness is a character trait of God that is straightforwardly expressed by doing what is righteous, and God's law is His instructions for how to express that character trait, not for how to attain it. For example, the law reveals that helping the poor is a way to testify about God's righteousness, but no amount of helping the poor will ever cause someone to become righteous because the one and only way to become righteous is by grace through faith. The character traits that we have are expressed through our actions, so when God declares us to be righteous, He is also declaring us to be someone who expresses His righteousness through our actions in obedience to His instructions for how to do that found in His law. Christ expressed his righteousness through his actions and what that looked like was obedience to the Mosaic Law, so that is also what it looks like when we express his righteousness through our actions. In other words, the reason why we have received the righteousness of Christ was not in order to hide it under a bushel, but in order to let our light shine through our obedience in accordance with the example Christ set for us to follow.

So the issue is that there can be reasons for obeying the Mosaic Law other than trying to earn our justification, especially because it was never given as a means of doing that, so verses that speak against earning it should not be mistaken as speaking against our justification requiring our obedience to it for some other reason, such as faith. In Matthew 23:23, Jesus said that faith is one of the weightier matters of the Mosaic Law, so only those who have faith will obey it and will be justified by the same faith, which is why Paul could say in Romans 2:13 that only doers of the Mosaic Law will be justified while also denying in Romans 4:4-5 that our justification is something that can be earned as a wage. While it is true that Abraham believed God, so he was justified, it is also true that he believed God, so he obeyed God's command to offer Isaac, so the same faith by which he was justified was also expressed as obedience, but he did not earn his justification by his obedience. In James 2:21-23, Abraham was justified by his works when he offered Isaac, his faith was active along with his works, and his faith completed his works, so he was justified by his works insofar as they were an expression of his faith, but not insofar as they were earning his justification as a wage. In Romans 3:28, we are justified by faith apart from works of the law, which is true insofar as there are no works that we can do to earn our salvation, however, Paul did not want us to draw the conclusion in Romans 3:31 that our faith therefore abolishes our need to obey the Mosaic Law, but rather our faith upholds it, which is true insofar as the same faith by which we are justified is also expressed as obedience to it.

Paul's response to those who desired to justify themselves by the Mosaic law is this; tell them they are not justified by the Moasic covenant, but by the Abrahamic covenant. Tell them that they obtain righteousness by something other than the Mosaic law.

Gal 4:21-31 NASB20 21 Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the Law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and one by the free woman. 23 But the son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise. 24 This is speaking allegorically, for these [women] are two covenants: one [coming] from Mount Sinai giving birth to children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar. 25 Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is enslaved with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother. 27 For it is written: "REJOICE, INFERTILE ONE, YOU WHO DO NOT GIVE BIRTH; BREAK FORTH AND SHOUT, YOU WHO ARE NOT IN LABOR; FOR THE CHILDREN OF THE DESOLATE ONE [ARE] MORE NUMEROUS THAN [THOSE] OF THE ONE WHO HAS A HUSBAND." 28 And you, brothers [and sisters,] like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But as at that time the [son] who was born according to the flesh persecuted the one [who was born] according to the Spirit, so it is even now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? "DRIVE OUT THE SLAVE WOMAN AND HER SON, FOR THE SON OF THE SLAVE WOMAN SHALL NOT BE AN HEIR WITH THE SON OF THE FREE WOMAN." 31 So then, brothers [and sisters,] we are not children of a slave woman, but of the free woman.


In Genesis 18:19, God experientially knew Abraham that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring about all that He promised him, namely that through his offspring all of the nations of the earth will be blessed. In Exodus 33:13, Moses wanted God to be gracious to him by showing him His way that he might experientially know Him, and the Israelites too. In Psalms 119:29-30, David wanted to put false ways far from him, for God to be gracious to him by teaching him to obey the Mosaic Law, and he chose the way of faithfulness. There are many other verses that describe the Mosaic Law as being instructions for how to walk in God's way, such as Deuteronomy 10:12-13, Isaiah 2:2-3, Joshua 22:5, Psalms 103:7, and many others. I can be gracious to someone by doing something that will bless them for a day, but if I really want to be gracious to them, then I will teach them how to walk in the way where they will be blessed for a lifetime, and the Mosaic Law is God's instructions for how to walk in the way to be blessed (Psalms 119:1). So the fulfillment of the promise that God made to Abraham is for the Israelites to bless the nations by teaching them to turn from their wicked ways and to walk in God's way in obedience to the Mosaic Law, which has its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus, who is the way, who fulfilled that promise by being sent to bless us by turning us from our wicked ways (Acts 3:25-26). Jesus began his ministry with the Gospel message to repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand (Matthew 4:17-23) and the Mosaic Law was how his audience knew what sin is, so repenting from our disobedience to it is an integral part of the Gospel message, which he prophesied would be proclaimed to all nations (Matthew 24:12-14).

In Abraham's day, the Mosaic law had not been given (and wouldn't be given for another 430 years)... so when God calls Abraham or Noah "righteous" it is not in reference to The Law... for what Law or Laws did they keep to be declared righteous?

Having a circumcised heart is associated with living in obedience to the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 10:12-16, Deuteronomy 30:6, Romans 2:25-29), while having an uncircumcised heart is associated with refusing to submit to it (Jeremiah 9:25-26, Acts 7:51-53). In Romans 3:27, Paul directly contrasted a law of works with a law of faith, so he directly contrasted works of the law with the Mosaic Law.

Circumcision was instituted in Genesis 17 at the giving of the Abrahamic covenant, 430 years before the Mosaic law was given, but was witnessed and observed within the Mosaic law. The circumcision in the Abrahamic covenant was a foreshadow of the giving of the Holy Spirit (Rom 2:29, Eph 1:13-14, Col 2:11). A circumcised heart is the SEAL OF THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH which has nothing to do with the Mosaic covenant.

Rom 4:11 NASB20 11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them,

Eph 1:13-14 NASB20 13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, 14 who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of [God's own] possession, to the praise of His glory.​
 
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Butterball1

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Paul was admonishing the Galatian Churches by informing them that the admixture of the Law with the Gospel of Christ was an attempt by the false teachers to “pervert” the Gospel of Christ (1:7), and nowhere in this Epistle does there exist any conclusions that suggests the Galatian Christians accepted and followed them. Since this Epistle is absent of any confirmation of such, the phrase “soon removed” can be understood in the sense of only considering their enticement. Therefore, the meaning of “you are fallen from grace” (5:4) can be paraphrased as “it would be as though you have fallen from grace.”

The idea is they turned from Christ so quickly after their conversion. (It's possible it means they were accepting the false teachings more quickly than they had accepted the gospel). Either case, the present tense shows their defection from Christ and His NT gospel was under way and ongoing.

Galatians 5:4 "ye are severed" present tense state shows they are separated from Christ presently. Their separation from Christ resulted in that they "are fallen" being past tense showing defection had already happened. Galatians 5:7 they were presently not obeying the truth. Galatians 4:9 their 'turning' was presently going on.

Galatians 4:11 they had not continued in the gospel as those in Philippi had (Philippians 1:5-6) thus Paul did not have confidence in those in Galatia as he did with those in Philippi.
 
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Soyeong

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Sure... Jesus said all of the law and prophets can be summed up by the command to love god and love your neighbor.

A sum is composed of all of its parts, so if someone's obedience to the command to love is not inclusive of obedience to God's other laws, then they are not treating it as being the sum of the other laws. So love is another reason why we should obey the Mosaic Law.

Paul's response to those who desired to justify themselves by the Mosaic law is this; tell them they are not justified by the Moasic covenant, but by the Abrahamic covenant. Tell them that they obtain righteousness by something other than the Mosaic law.

Gal 4:21-31 NASB20 21 Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the Law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and one by the free woman. 23 But the son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise. 24 This is speaking allegorically, for these [women] are two covenants: one [coming] from Mount Sinai giving birth to children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar. 25 Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is enslaved with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother. 27 For it is written: "REJOICE, INFERTILE ONE, YOU WHO DO NOT GIVE BIRTH; BREAK FORTH AND SHOUT, YOU WHO ARE NOT IN LABOR; FOR THE CHILDREN OF THE DESOLATE ONE [ARE] MORE NUMEROUS THAN [THOSE] OF THE ONE WHO HAS A HUSBAND." 28 And you, brothers [and sisters,] like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But as at that time the [son] who was born according to the flesh persecuted the one [who was born] according to the Spirit, so it is even now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? "DRIVE OUT THE SLAVE WOMAN AND HER SON, FOR THE SON OF THE SLAVE WOMAN SHALL NOT BE AN HEIR WITH THE SON OF THE FREE WOMAN." 31 So then, brothers [and sisters,] we are not children of a slave woman, but of the free woman.​
Again, there can be reasons for obeying the Mosaic Law other than trying to earn our justification, especially because it was never given as a means of doing that, so trying to earn our justification by obeying it has always been a fundamental misunderstanding of why we should obey it. Jesus was righteous, so his obedience to the Mosaic Law was never about trying to become righteous, but rather the Mosaic Law simply describes the way that a righteous person lives, as it describes the life of Jesus. Every example of faith listed in Hebrews 11 is of someone who lived in the OT who was justified by that faith, so that has always been the only way to become justified.

In Abraham's day, the Mosaic law had not been given (and wouldn't be given for another 430 years)... so when God calls Abraham or Noah "righteous" it is not in reference to The Law... for what Law or Laws did they keep to be declared righteous?

In Genesis 26:5, Abraham heard God's voice and kept His charge, His commandments, His statutes, and His laws, so both Abraham and Moses were taught by God's voice how to walk in His ways in obedience to his laws. God's righteousness is eternal, so any instruction that God has ever given for how to do what is righteous are eternally valid and there are not separate sets if instructions for how to testify about God's righteousness. David wanted God to be gracious to him by teaching him how to walk in His ways in obedience to His law, Moses wanted God to be gracious to him by teaching him how to walk in His ways in obedience to His law, in Titus 2:11-14, our salvation involves God being gracious to us by teaching us how to walk in His ways in obedience to His law, and in Genesis 6:8-9, Noah found grace in the eyes of God and was a righteous man, so God was gracious to him by teaching him how to walk in His ways in obedience to His law, and he was righteous because he obeyed through faith. There are many examples of God's laws being given prior to Sinai, such as in Genesis 7:2, Noah was told what to do with clean and unclean animals without being told how to tell the difference, and in 8:20, he knew to offer a clean animal, so he must have previously been given instructions in that regard. To say that someone is righteous is to say that they are someone who does what is righteous, so there is no sense in describing someone as righteous apart from them doing what is righteous in obedience to God's law.

Circumcision was instituted in Genesis 17 at the giving of the Abrahamic covenant, 430 years before the Mosaic law was given, but was witnessed and observed within the Mosaic law. The circumcision in the Abrahamic covenant was a foreshadow of the giving of the Holy Spirit (Rom 2:29, Eph 1:13-14, Col 2:11). A circumcised heart is the SEAL OF THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH which has nothing to do with the Mosaic covenant.

Rom 4:11 NASB20 11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them,

Eph 1:13-14 NASB20 13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, 14 who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of [God's own] possession, to the praise of His glory.​

Deuteronomy 10:12-16 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good? 14 Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. 15 Yet the Lord set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. 16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.

The heart was considered to be the center if our intellect, emotions, and will, and we need to go through the transformation of circumcising it in order to overcome our stubbornness and become become fully obedient to the Mosaic Law. In Deuteronomy 30:1-8, Moses prophesied that the Israelites would be exiled from the Promised Land because of their disobedience, that while they were in the midst of the nations that they would return to the Lord, obey His commands, that the Lord would restore their fortunes, have mercy on them, gather them from where they had been scattered, that He would circumcise their hearts and the heart of their offspring so that they will love the Lord their God with all their heart and with all of their soul, that they may live, and that they would again obey the voice of the Lord and keep all of His commandments.

Jeremiah prophesied during the time of Israel's exile that God would gather them, restore their fortunes, rebuild their cities, make a New Covenant with them where he would put His law in their minds and write it on their hearts, and forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more (Jeremiah 31), so he echoed the prophecy of Moses and made a similar statement about God writing His law on our hearts. Ezekiel also prophesied that Jerusalem would be rebuilt, the people to dwell in peace and safety, that God would take away their hearts of stone, given them new hearts of flesh, and send His Spirit to lead them in obedience to His law (Ezekiel 36:26-28), so having a circumcised heart is also connected to the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:8-9).

In Colossians 2:11-13, Paul believed that these prophesies were being fulfilled in part through the death and resurrection of Jesus in that in him we also were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which we were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And we, who were dead in our trespasses and the uncircumcision of our flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us our trespasses. Disobedience to the Mosaic Law is also associated with having an uncircumcised heart in Jeremiah 9:25-26 and Acts 7:51-53.

In Romans 2:13-15, it is the doers of the law who will be justified, so Gentiles show that they have faith and that God's law is written on their hearts when they obey it by nature, which is a circumcised heart that is the goal of the New Covenant in accordance with the prophesies of Moses, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. In 1 Corinthians 7:19, Paul said that circumcision has no value and that what matters is obeying the commands of God, in Romans 3:1-2, he said that circumcision's has much value in every way, and in Romans 2:25, he said that circumcision conditionally has value if we obey the Mosaic Law, so it is not so much that circumcision has no value or great value, but that its value is entirely derived from whether we obey it. In Romans 2:26-29, the way to recognize that a Gentile has a circumcised heart is again by observing their obedience to the Mosaic Law, which is the same way to tell for Jews. Furthermore, he said that circumcision is a matter of the heart by the Spirit in accordance with Ezekiel 36:26-28.

So circumcision has always been about the heart and not just the flesh and Moses did not think that circumcision of the heart was an alternative to circumcision of the flesh, but rather circumcision of the heart has always referred to a heart that is obedience through faith. The Spirit gives us the desire to follow the Mosaic Law, which includes circumcision of the flesh, but circumcision of the flesh has no value without the inward transformation accomplished by the Spirit. It's all connected back to Moses and to Christ, who lived in sinless obedience to the Law of Moses, so at no point does having a circumcised heart involve obedience to anything other than the Law of Moses.
 
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Soyeong

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Not according to ability, but how we obey. We using the Sprit, or the Spirit using the believer! I see it that the latter is accurate, and hope the information below expresses my understanding here. It's from an online daily devotional, "None But The Hungry Heart." None But The Hungry Heart



"Once we learn the truth of our union with the Lord Jesus and of the Holy Spirit's indwelling, any attempt to imitate Christ will be seen for what it is: unscriptural, and futile.

"Our Father is going to teach us, mainly through personal failure, that the life we live is the life by our Lord Jesus alone. The Christian life is not our living a life like Christ, or our trying to be Christ-like, nor is it Christ giving us the power to live a life like His; but it is Christ Himself living His own life through us; 'no longer I, but Christ.’”

"The end of Christ's incarnation, death and resurrection was to prepare and form a holy nature and frame for us in Him, to be communicated to us by union and fellowship with Him; and not to be able to produce in ourselves the first originals of such a holy nature by our own endeavors. Miles J Stanford


We in Him

Christ lived in obedience to the Mosaic Law, so that is also how he lives through us.
 
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Clare73

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Christ began his ministry with the Gospel message to repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand (Matthew 4:17-23) and the Moosic Law was how his audience knew what sin is, so repenting from our disobedience to it is an integral part of the Gospel message, which he prophesied would be proclaimed to all nations, which he also spoke against lawlessness (Matthew 24:12-14). Furthermore, Christ set a sinless example of how to walk in obedience to the Mosaic Law, and as his followers we are told to follow his example (1 Peter 2:21-22) and that those who are in Christ are obligated to walk in the same way walked (1 John 2:6), so Christ spent his ministry teaching how to follow the Mosaic Law both by word and by example. Furthermore, in Acts 2:38, Peter also called for people to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins and the Mosaic Law was how they knew what sin is. In Romans 15:4, Paul said that OT Scriptures were written for our instruction, and in 15:18-19, his Gospel message involved bringing the Gentiles to obedience in word and in deed, so his Gospel was on the same page in regard to teaching repentance from our sins. In addition, Romans 10:16, 2 Thessalonians 1:8, and 1 Peter 4:17 all speak against those who do not obey the Gospel, so there are laws that Paul spoke in favor of relying on as part of the Gospel message, while there are other laws that Paul considered relying on to be turning to a different Gospel, and it is important to correctly identify which is which.

Paul should not be interpreted as speaking against the Law of God, which he said our faith upholds (Romans 3:31), and which he delighted in obeying (Romans 7:22), especially because he was a servant of God. In Romans 3:27, Paul contrasted a law of works with a law of faith, so works of the law are of works, which he directly contrasted with the Law of God. Paul's problem in Galatians was not with those who were teaching Gentiles how to follow what Christ taught as if that was somehow a negative thing, but rather his problem was with those who were teaching that Gentiles needed to rely on their works of the law in order to become justified. The phrase "works of the law" has no definitive article in the Greek, so it is literally translated as "works of law", which means that it does not refer a definitive set of laws, such as The Law of Moses, but rather Paul uses it as a catch-all phrase to refer to a large body of Jewish oral laws, traditions, rulings, and fences, which were being taught that Gentiles needed to obey in order to become justified, so we need to be careful not to mistake something that was only said against obeying man as being against obeying God.

In Matthew 23:23, Jesus said that faith is one of the weightier matters of the Mosaic Law, so the Mosaic Law is of faith. In Galatians 3:10-12, Paul associated a quote from Habakkuk 2:4 with a quote from Leviticus 18:5, so the righteous who are living by faith are the same as those who are living in obedience to the Mosaic Law, while no one is justified before God by works of the law because they are not of faith in God. In Isaiah 51:7, the righteous are those on whose heart is the Mosaic Law, so the righteous living by faith does not refer to a manner of living that is not in obedience to the Law of God. God is trustworthy, therefore His law is also trustworthy (Psalms 19:7), and a law that isn't trustworthy can't come from a God who is trustworthy, so to to rely on the Mosaic Law is to rely on the Lawgiver, while to deny that it is of faith is to deny the faithfulness of the Lawgiver.

All throughout the Bible, God wanted His people to repent and to return to obedience to His law, and even Christ began his ministry with that message, so it would be absurd to interpret Galatians 5:1-4 as Paul warning us against following Christ and saying that we will be cut off from Christ if we follow Christ. In Psalms 119:29, David wanted God to be gracious to him by teaching him how to obey the Mosaic Law, so relying on the Mosaic Law is what it means to be under grace, not the way to fall from grace, and it would again be absurd to think that David wanted God to be gracious to him by teaching him how to fall from grace. In Romans 1:5, we have received grace in order to bring about the obedience of faith, not in order to bring about our fall from grace. In Titus 2:11-14, our salvation is described as being trained by grace to do what is godly, righteous, and good, and to renounce doing what is ungodly, so God graciously teaching us to obey His laws for how to do that is itself part of the content of His gift of salvation, not the way to bring about our fall from grace. In Exodus 33:13, Moses wanted God to be gracious to him by showing him His way that he might know Him, and there are many verses that describe the Mosaic Law as being instructions for how to walk in God's way, such as Deuteronomy 10:12-13, Isaiah 2:2-3, Joshua 22:5, Psalms 103:7, and many others. In Genesis 6:8-9, Noah found grace in the eyes of God and was a righteous man, so it is absurd to try to pit God's righteousness against His graciousness when they have always been compatible character traits of the same God, which He expressed throughout both the OT and the NT.

The Mosaic Law is truth (Psalms 119:142).

The Spirit has the role of leading us to obey the Mosaic Law (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

In Galatians 4:8, Paul addressed those verses to those who formerly did not know God, and again the Mosaic Law is God's instructions for how to know him, so Paul was speaking to former pagans who were not formerly keeping God's holy days, and thus he could not have been criticizing them for returning to them, so whatever he was speaking about in verses 11-12 was in the context of paganism. So again we should be careful not to mistake something that was only said against obeying man as being against obeying God.

The reason that God saved the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt was not in order to put them under bondage to His law, but rather it is foe freedom that God sets us free (Galatians 5:1) and the Mosaic Law is a law of freedom (Psalms 119:45). Again the Mosaic Law is truth, and in John 8:31-36 it is sin in transgression of the Mosaic Law that puts us in bondage while it is the truth that sets us free. The reason that God commanded circumcision was not in order to become justified, so speaking against circumcision being used for a man-made purpose that went above and beyond the purpose for which God commanded it should not be mistaken as speaking against obeying what God has commanded, as if Paul had the authority to countermand God.
In the New Covenant, the Mosaic law is fulfilled in Jesus's two commands of Matthew 22:37-40 (Romans 13:8-10), no more and no less.

The only measure in the New Covenant for loving one's neighbor is the love of one's self; i.e., commitment to one's own well-being.
The only measure in the New Covenant for the love of God is obedience to NT teaching.
 
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Soyeong

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In the New Covenant, the Mosaic law is fulfilled in Jesus's two commands of Matthew 22:37-40 (Romans 13:8-10), no more and no less.

The only measure for loving one's neighbor is the love of one's self; i.e., commitment to one's own well-being.
The only measure for the love of God is obedience to NT teaching.

In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus was not asked about which were the only laws that should still be followed, but about what the greatest commandment is, and the existence of the greatest two commandments implies that there are still other commandments that are not the greatest. All of the commands that God has given as examples of what it means to love God and our neighbor, which is why Jesus said that those are the greatest two commandments and that all of the others hang on them, so they are all connected, and the moment you try to take just the greatest two, all of the others come with it. For instance, obedience to the command to help the poor is part of what it means to obey the command to love our neighbor, so the greatest two commandments don't replace the other commandments, but rather they are the greatest two because they are inclusive of all of the other commandments. If someone's obedience to the greatest two commandments is not inclusive of the other commandments, then they are not treating them as being the fulfillment of the other commandments. Someone who lived in obedience to the greatest two commandments who would indistinguishable from someone who lived in obedience to the Mosaic Law because they would both be following the same example that Jesus set for us to follow.

There are a number of commandments in the Bible that appear to conflict with each other, such as when God commanded His people to rest on the Sabbath, but also commanded priest to make offerings on the Sabbath (Numbers 28:9-10), how it was not the case that priests were forced to sin by breaking one of the two commandments no matter what they chose to do, but that one of the commandments was greater than the other and that the lesser commandment was never intended to be understood as preventing the greater commandment from being obeyed. This is why Jesus said that priests who performed their duties on the Sabbath were held innocent, why David and his men were held innocent, and why he considered his disciples to be innocent (Matthew 12:5-7), why it is lawful to get an ox out of a ditch on the Sabbath, and why Jesus ruled that it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath. This is also why it is common question within Judaism to discuss which commandments are the greatest, which has absolutely nothing to do with limiting which commandments we should follow.
 
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