I am teaching Romans 3 tomorrow in the men’s class and I have some questions that you might be able to help me with. I don’t want to spend much time on this in the class but I do want to make sure that I am not just making assumptions on some things about what people have learned regarding the law and what happened after Christ was raised from the dead. I know many of you have been to school to study Bible and theology so I am more so asking what you have typically heard about these things in teaching and preaching at church.
- What have you heard taught in churches happened to the law after Christ rose from the dead?
- What response were the Jews supposed to give so that the door could be opened to the Gentiles (especially as seen in Acts)?
- What was nailed to the cross besides Jesus and our sin?
- Was the law totally done away with after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ?
- What was the accusation leveled against Paul in the book of Acts?
Just gut level reactions to these questions would be helpful. I believe I know how the average or even advanced Christian would answer these questions (not certain they could answer #5) but I want to make sure I am not making assumptions here. How do you think the average Christian, if they gave an answer, would answer these questions? We will talk more later about the real answers to these questions and how many of the things we have heard are misperceptions and misinterpretations on the law and the early church based on a handful of misapplied scriptures.
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Recalling my pre-HU days…
1.) It went away. We were no longer under it.
2.) (Not sure what you’re asking… could be that it’s just late & I”m tired)
3.) The law.
4.) Any need for the OT law.
5.) Are you talking about Acts 21 or 22? Where the Jerusalem elders were afraid because they were hearing reports that Paul was abandoning God’s teaching?
Matt, the early christians were torah believing Jews. It wasn’t for quite a few years before the gospel went to the Gentiles ( remember the story of Peter and the sheet with the unclean food in Acts?) … it wasn’t until after the Gentiles came in that they had a meeting in Jerusalem where they said that they wouldn’t bring them under the law (it was called a yoke). I think it took some time for them to come out from under the law… and especially if you read Paul’s writings where he kept dealing with grace vs. the law.
2. The Jews had to completely throw off much of their tradition in order to bring the Gospel to the gentiles…. God sent Paul as an iconoclast!
3. The world (Paul says in Gal. … I will not boast except in the cross … through which the world is crucified to me and I to the world)
4. Spiritually the Law was done away with, but it took a few years to work it out in the people. I think only Paul really had a grasp on it! (remember Peter when the circumcision group came and he was compromising and Paul rebuked him?)
5. Not sure what you are referring to here.
hope this helps!
Joanne
2 – Specifically, were the Jews to accept or reject Christ in order for the Gentiles to be brought in?
1. What have you heard taught in churches happened to the law after Christ rose from the dead?
That it was nailed to the cross — Col. 2:14. That through the offering of his body, the law was abolished in order to establish the new and better covenant — Heb. 10:8-10.
2. What response were the Jews supposed to give so that the door could be opened to the Gentiles (especially as seen in Acts)?
In the book of Acts, the Jews (at least the believing Jews), were supposed be more receptive to the fact that the first covenant and law of Moses was to be changed with the changing of the priesthood — Heb. 7:12. They were supposed to believe what Peter had preached in Acts 2:39 when he said that the promise was to ALL. And what the Lord said when he had commissioned them to preach the gospel to every creature. But is seems as though they had a real hard time accepting these truths.
3. What was nailed to the cross besides Jesus and our sin?
The first covenant / Law of Moses
4. Was the law totally done away with after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ?
Although God’s will was to make the first covenant obsolete with the death of Christ, there seems to have been a period of time where it was merely “becoming obsolete and growing old” — Heb. 8:13.
5. What was the accusation leveled against Paul in the book of Acts?
On which occasion?
In chapter 21 he was accused of teaching all Jews to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their kids or walk according to the customs of the Jews.