Paul knew he was nothing. He never forgot his foul sin in persecuting the Messiah through His followers. However, his message took a backseat to no one else's ministry. Had the Twelve died with Christ, Paul knew it would not have changed the outcome. The Church would have been born regardless, for the power of the gospel was too great to contain. That his own calling came later did not hinder his apostleship in the least. Paul was God's chosen instrument to bring the message out of Jewish obscurity into a global faith including all humanity. Paul defended his calling and his message, not himself.
Just in case it mattered, though, his message was clearly established as consistent with that of Jesus, because it came from Jesus Himself. To insure he was not working against the surviving disciples in Jerusalem, Paul returned for a visit with the leaders some fourteen years after his first visit. While it is difficult to match this visit with the narrative in Acts, we assume here this private meeting was after Acts 11 and before Acts 15. He went primarily because the Lord commanded it. There, he shared the substance of his gospel preaching. With him were Barnabas and Titus, a Gentile convert.
As exemplary fruit of Paul's Gentile outreach, Titus was under no pressure from any of the Jerusalem leadership to observe any part of the Mosaic ritual requirements. He was accepted as an equal fellow servant of Christ. That it was even an issue was because the church there already had trouble with Judaizers. These men felt it was their mission from God to demand everyone claiming Christ must observe Talmudic Law. Anyone who knew Jesus knew He fought this very thing. Jesus made it clear time and time again, the Law of Moses was fulfilled in Him. Not simply adequately covered, but the Law was complete, closed, finished. What the Judaizers demanded was hardly anything different from Pharisaism with a few extra requirements, a hideous form of bondage Jesus bluntly condemned (Matthew 23). Paul refuted the Judaizers stoutly.
For their part, the pillars of the Jerusalem Church could add nothing to what Paul had already been doing. They recognized his having been with Jesus, too. They saw Paul was appointed to take the message to Gentiles, just as Peter had been charged to shepherd the sheep of Israel. Peter, James and John, as the primary trio of the church leadership, gave Paul their seal of approval, for what it was worth. Again, Paul warns the Galatians this was all verifiable. Indeed, their only request was for Paul to remember the poor, something Paul was doing already.
Not only did these men approve of Paul's gospel message, but had to admit he was the stronger representative at one point. Following Paul's interview with the Three Pillars, they came down to Syrian Antioch to see what Paul had accomplished and to establish a stronger bond with them. A later group came down, sent by James (Jesus' brother). At the arrival of this later bunch, Peter and some other Jewish Christians were somehow taken by a silly embarrassment over eating with Gentiles. This silliness grew until it was altogether scandalous. Paul rebuked them in front of a gathering. Paul reminded them they had come out of the Law of Moses to follow Christ. How were they then serving Christ by going back into it? If Jews were the first to hear observing Mosaic rituals could not save souls, how could they lay upon Gentiles those rituals?
Paul lays the theological foundation for declaring the Law of Moses dead. This is not about good deeds in general, but specifically about the Law of Moses, and particularly as expressed in Pharisaical teachings. While we might find the original Law of Moses symbolized a path to spiritual truth, the Law itself was not that truth. To further remove the Law by making it an empty ritualistic observance as practiced by the Pharisees was utterly pointless. That sort of religion was purely an effort by man to please a Holy God, Who made it clear that was not possible. Observing Moses had nothing to do with saving souls from damnation. For that reason, He sent His Son to pay the price for our sins, to make a path to come before Him and receive His holiness as a grant of grace. By this understanding, if Pharisaical Jews doing their best according to the Talmud, are found to be in sin, and their salvation is faith in Christ, how could returning to the Pharisaical Law bring any hope to Jews? For a Christian to cling to the Talmud was saying Jesus sponsored sin.
The Law was confined to this world -- a certain people, in a certain place, during a limited period of time. Joining Christ on the Cross, we leave this world behind. That means leaving the Law behind, as we pass into the higher realm of the Spirit, into the Kingdom of Heaven. We are dead to the old life, and dead to the Law. Christ, having fulfilled every requirement of the Law, leaving no unfinished business, now lives in the bodies of His followers. Whether Jewish or Gentile, that body is free from any ties to the Law, for they have escaped its reach. Now these bodies are living by faith, a much higher Law of God in the Heavens. It is not possible by any human means to live that Law of Heaven, but by the power of Christ, by His overpowering love and sacrifice on the Cross. If there is anything at all to gain from observing Moses, then Christ need not have come, for He accomplished nothing.
Obviously Peter and the others accepted this rebuke, and returned to good sense. However, the Judaizers were having none of it. Once Peter had departed again, these men kept the fight going. Thus, we have the conference in Acts 15.
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Ed Hurst
29 December 2007
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