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Moses had been used of God to give Israel certain laws. First,
there was the over-all spiritual law of LOVE, or the Ten Commandments-
although Israel without the Holy Spirit could keep that law only in
the
.
strictness of the letter (in the New Testament it must be according
to the Spirit--or the obvious intent). This is called in the Bible the
. Law of God. Then, tJ::irough Moses, God gave them the "law of Moses"--
a sacrificial law of animal sacrifices, which could not justify sin,
but were a reminder of sin, and was a physical substitute for the
sacrifice of Christ. When Christ died on the cross, animal sacrifices
ceased.
There also was a ceremonial law--of physical rituals--carnal
ordinances, meat and drink offerings, etc.--to teach them the HABIT
of obedience--things to do repeatedly morning, noon, and night. The
law of rituals, including circumcision, was PHYSICAL, and a substitute
until the Holy Spirit should be given, to teach them the HABIT of
obedience.
In Galations 3:19, this law was ADDED, because of transgressions.
That is, transgressions of the spiritual LAW. In Galatians 3:24, this
ritual law is called a "schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ." In
Romans and Galatians, the term "works of the law" always refers to
these PHYSICAL laws, which were temporary until Christ. Sometimes the
single word "works" means "good works," in accord with the Spiritual
Law, and sometimes the "works of the law" when mentioned in the
context will for brevity speak of just ''the law," but the context will
make it plain the subject is the RITUALS. The Greek for "works" of
the law is ergon, which means physical effort.
Besides these temporary physical rituals, and sacrifices, God gave
them through Moses statutes and judgments--the CIVIL LAWS of their
nation. They were not necessarily temporary, or substitutional, but
were to last as long as the NATIONAL GOVERNMENT was administered over
the nation Israel.
Now the rabbis, after Ezra and Nehemiah, added some 65 "do's and
don'ts", even to the keeping of the Sabbath. They adopted the PAGAN
PENANCE--self inflicted punishment--and construed the physical
rituals as a means of justification of past sins. THIS WAS JUDAISM-
something really quite different from the religion of Moses.
Now back to Acts 15.
These Jews who had come down to Antioch still thought this system
of PENANCE was still in effect. In Galatians 5:3, Paul shows that if
a man was circumcised as a legal ritual, he became a debtor to do the
WHOLE RITUAL LAW--and the context is speaking of the RITUAL law, thought
this verse does not use "works of the law".
Paul wai quite willing to take this to Jerusalem, BECAUSE PETER
WAS THERE AT THE TIME.
This visit of Paul to Jerusalem is undoubtedly the one mentioned
in Galatians 2. Apparently, according to Galatians 2:9, the only
Apostles at Jerusalem at that time were Peter, James and John.