What About Paul? Didn’t He Do Away With The Law Of Moses?

Published in BeastWatchNews.com on October 3, 2019 by Kimberly Rogers-Brown for The Jerusalem Report

The people of the Kingdom of God are subject to His Law because His Kingdom is His government, and it is His Law from which He governs, just like every nation on earth that uses their laws to govern their people. God’s, YHVH’s, Law determines how people must come to Him both through His Son, Yeshua, and by being lawful citizens of His Kingdom. However, religious and Kingdom doctrines oppose each other. Both Judaism and Christianity reject the Torah. They do so in different ways that keep them believing lies, different lies, but lies, nonetheless.

Jeremiah spoke of this problem of God’s people inheriting lies.

Jeremiah 16:19  Yahweh, my strength, and my stronghold, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the nations will come to you from the ends of the earth, and will say, “Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies, vanity and things in which there is no profit.

What is the lie in Judaism? That Yeshua is not the Messiah and not their rightful King. This will cause them to accept the Son of Perdition as the messiah. Yeshua told the Jews:

John 5:43  I have come in my Father’s name, and you don’t receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him.

What is the lie in Christianity? That the Law of YHVH was “done away”; that the New Testament contains the “new law of Jesus” and believers don’t need to be concerned with the “old law”.

I could reference the Torah, the Law of YHVH, to refute that but it would be futile to do so because Christians often don’t want to hear anything from the Law of YHVH. And Christians believe Paul “did away” with YHVH’s Law so it is from Paul’s own writings that I will refute the notion that YHVH let Paul “do away” with His Law.

Paul taught YHVH’s Law is good, righteous and holy.

Romans 7:12  Therefore the law indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, and righteous, and good.

Then why did Paul say in Galatians that, if you keep the law, you are “fallen from grace”?

Galatians 5:4  You are alienated from Christ, you who desire to be justified by the law. You have fallen away from grace.

Paul’s statement to the Romans opposes what he wrote to the Galatians. Why? Keep reading because it is important to understand the battle Paul had between the Jews of the synagogues and the new believers who went to hear Moses taught.

Either Paul was fickle or there is a misunderstanding in our doctrine about what Paul taught. I submit the misunderstanding rather than Paul being fickle.

Paul  wrote his epistles in such a way that contrasted and separated Jewish manmade Law from YHVH’s Torah Law. He had to write this way because there is only one word for ‘law’ in Greek – ‘nomos’. I will show you later how Paul distinguished between Jewish law and Kingdom Law, YHVH’s Law but first a little more Bible history so you can understand the reason Paul wrote about the 2 laws.

Paul’s purpose in writing the Book of Galatians was to warn believers about Jewish religious warfare against Yeshua’s followers. We read about this conflict in Acts 15. The Jerusalem Council met with some believing Pharisees who insisted that the new believers in Yeshua must be circumcised. “The circumcised” is an idiom for Jews. “The uncircumcised” is an idiom for Gentiles, non-Jews.

Act 15:1  Some men came down from Judea and taught the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised after the custom of Moses, you can’t be saved.”

Let’s be clear. It was not Moses who created a “custom” for men to be circumcised. It was YHVH who instructed Abram to circumcise himself, his offspring and all males in his household but it was the Jews who used circumcision as a way to identify Jews practicing Judaism. A “custom” is an ethnic habit. The word in Greek for “custom” is “ethos” (Strong’s G1485). It means “habit, law, custom and manner”. It is related to the Greek word, “ethnos” (Strong’s G1484) which means customs that are unique to a particular ethnic population.

When the the Jerusalem Council decided new believers should not become “circumcised” it meant they should not become Jews and start practicing Jewish law. It wasn’t that new believers should not be circumcised in the flesh but that they should not do that to become Jews.

Furthermore, James announced:

Act 15:13  After they were silent, James answered, “Brothers, listen to me.

Act 15:19  “Therefore my judgment is that we don’t trouble those from among the Gentiles who turn to God,
Act 15:20  but that we write to them that they abstain from the pollution of idols, from sexual immorality, from what is strangled, and from blood.

These are not the limit of Torah observances but the beginning and foundation of the Torah’s Laws.

Act 15:21  For Moses from generations of old has in every city those who preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

James instructed the new believers – Gentiles – to attend the weekly Synagogue services in their cities and towns. James wanted the new believers to go to the synagogues on the Sabbath to learn from Moses.

But that created a problem! The Jews did not want “the uncircumcised” among them. There were believing Jews in the synagogues who were circumcised from birth whose belief in Yeshua also rankled the Jews of the synagogues, but the rankling was even greater for all these “uncircumcised” (even though many of them became circumcised in the flesh as YHVH told Abraham (Acts 16:3, Galatians 2:3). The Jews who rejected Yeshua rejected His believers and they created a “different” gospel of which Paul does not tell the doctrines of it. He only tells us this was going on.

Galatians details the religious warfare that was happening in synagogues across Asia Minor. New believers everywhere under attack from Jewish proselytizers who, in the Book of Galatians had developed a different Gospel.

Paul said:

Galatians 1:6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel–
Galatians 1:7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

It was the “different Gospel” that Paul was fighting. The fight was about the Jewish doctrine that wanted all new believers to become Jews in order to be saved and the true Gospel that ways we are saved through Yeshua without becoming members of a religion.

Let’s return to the contrast between Galatians 5:4 and Romans 7:12, and let’s look at how Paul distinguished between Jewish law and YHVH’s Law using only one Greek word – ‘nomos’. To figure this out, we must look at Strong’s concordance.

Galatians 5:4  ChristG5547 is become of no effectG2673 unto you, whosoeverG3748 of you are justifiedG1344 byG1722 the law;G3551 ye are fallenG1601 from grace.G5485

Romans 7:12  WhereforeG5620 theG3588 lawG3551 is holy,G40 andG2532 theG3588 commandmentG1785 holy,G40 andG2532 just,G1342 andG2532 good.G18

Notice that in Galatians 5:4, the phrase “the law” is highlighted in red. I did this to show you the English translation error that has plagued God’s church for hundreds of years. Galatians 5:4 says, “Christ is become of no effect to you, whosoever of you are justified by ‘nomos’; you are fallen from grace.”

In Romans 7:12, “the law” is highlighted in blue. This verse says, “Wherefore ‘ho’ nomos’ is holy and the commandment holy and just and good.”

What is the difference between ‘nomos’ alone and the Greek phrase ‘ho’ nomos’? Let me show you. Let’s read these verses again.

Galatians 5:4  ChristG5547 is become of no effectG2673 unto you, whosoeverG3748 of you are justifiedG1344 byG1722 law;G3551 ye are fallenG1601 from grace.G5485

The word “the” does not belong in Galatians 5:4. This verse literally reads, “Christ is become of no effect to you, whosoever of you are justified by LAW; you are fallen from grace.”

Roman 7:12 literally reads, “WhereforeG5620 theG3588 lawG3551 is holy,G40 andG2532 theG3588 commandmentG1785 holy,G40 andG2532 just,G1342 andG2532 good.G18

Do you see the difference? One verse says “LAW” all by itself. The other verse says THE LAW when translated into English. The verse in Galatians that speaks negatively of LAW speaks about Jewish Law, the customs that the rabbis and synagogue attendees were trying to force on the new believers in Yeshua. Paul was trying to stop the new believers from accepting the “different” Gospel and stick with the true Gospel because he could not control what the people of the synagogue were doing. He wasn’t there in person to fight the problem!

Romans 7:12 speaks positively of YHVH’s LAW saying it is holy, just and good.

Allow me to digress for a moment. As Christians, we are taught that the King James translators italicized added words which are required to make the Greek sensible in English. But we see here that they did not italicize the addition of the English “the” in front of ‘nomos/law’ when it stands alone.

Now let’s reread with annotated English words:

Galatians 5:4  ChristG5547 is become of no effectG2673 unto you, whosoeverG3748 of you are justifiedG1344 byG1722 Jewish law;G3551 ye are fallenG1601 from grace.G5485

Notice that I italicized the word “Jewish”. Notice also that following a different law than the one YHVH gave to Moses to teach us, His people, is what causes us to be fallen from grace.

Roman 7:12 literally reads, “WhereforeG5620 theG3588 lawG3551 [of YHVH, my addition] is holy,G40 andG2532 theG3588 commandmentG1785 holy,G40 andG2532 just,G1342 andG2532 good.G18

No need for italics in Romans 7:12. Those are the actual Greek words speaking positively about YHVH’s Law.

Jewish law is very different from the Torah, the 5 Books of Moses, which he wrote to teach us YHVH’s government’s LAW. Throughout Paul’s writings, he uses ‘nomos’ – ‘law’ – alone to indicate Jewish law, and he puts the definite article, ‘ho’ for ‘the’ in English, in front of ‘nomos’ (making it ‘ho nomos’) when he is speaking of YHVH’s Kingdom Law.

So, ‘nomos’ alone is a reference to Jewish law and customs, their oral law. ‘Ho nomos’ – THE Law – is always a reference to THE Torah, YHVH’s Law which He told Moses to write down so that 3,500 years after Mount Sinai we would still have knowledge of God’s Law.

Let me give you more examples.

Galatians 4:21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? -KJV

What? Right. What!? This sentence makes absolutely no sense!

Galatians 4:21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under Jewish law,^G3551 [Jewish, my addition] do ye not hear the^G3588 law?^G3551 [of YHVH, my addition].

Now the sentence makes sense because Paul is contrasting Jewish law and customs which are against YHVH’s Law.

Why are Jewish, or even church laws, against YHVH’s Law when these purport to be trying to keep people from sinning? Unfortunately, here is where I must add from the side of the Book that Christians have been taught was “done away”. However, Paul upheld that side of the Book in all of his writings.

Deuteronomy 4:2  You shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall you take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of Yahweh your God which I command you.

Deuteronomy 12:32  Whatever thing I command you, that you shall observe to do. You shall not add to it, nor take away from it.

Both Judaism and Christianity add to and take away from what YHVH gave us. Thus, Jews and Christians are not keeping YHVH’s Law even though Paul was trying to get followers of Yeshua to do what the Jerusalem Council decreed – keep YHVH’s Law!

Here is more from Paul:

Galatians 2:4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in–who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Messiah Yeshua, so that they might bring us into slavery—

That slavery was to Jewish law.

Let’s read some other verses and watch the battle unfold over YHVH’s Word from the Jewish and Edomite point of view.

Galatians 2:15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles…

See… Paul is talking to Jews about their law here.

Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of Jewish law,^G3551 but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of Jewish law:^G3551 for by the works of Jewish law^G3551 shall no flesh be justified.

Galatians 2:19 For I through Jewish law^G3551 am dead to Jewish law,^G3551 that I might live unto God.

The reason Paul says that through Jewish law he is dead to Jewish law is because, by Jewish law’s very nature in that it perverts YHVH’s Law by adding to it, it has already killed him because it causes him to sin against YHVH, and the wages of sin is death according to Paul in Romans 6:23. Jewish law kills! There is life in YHVH’s Law!

Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by Jewish law,^G3551 then Christ is dead in vain.

The Law of YHVH specified the sacrifices that Yeshua’s death would fulfill on the Cross. When Yeshua died, He took the Law of YHVH with Him to the grave. But when He arose, He brought it back with Him, unsullied and pure again. And when He ascended to His Heavenly throne, the Law of His Father which He used to covenant with His people, went to the throne with Him. It is from this Law that the Father and Son will judge the world in the Tribulation.

Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of Jewish law^G3551  are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the^G3588 law^G3551 to do them [of YHVH, my addition].

Right here, we read Paul teaching directly from the Torah, the Law of YHVH aka the Law of Moses from Deuteronomy 27 and 28.

You can compare ‘nomos’ and ‘ho nomos’ throughout all of Paul’s writings. What he taught will become more clear. The lack of the use of italics by the English translators when they added the English word ‘the’ when there was no definite Greek article ‘ho’ is the culprit in our confusion about YHVH’s Law and what Paul taught.