Galatians Studies

Book of Galatians    Misunderstanding the law in Galatians IV

Koot van Wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)

Visiting Professor

Kyungpook National University

Sangju Campus

South Korea

Conjoint Lecturer of Avondale College

Australia

7 November 2011

On Paul’s understanding of Torah, Jesus, Ceremonial laws, Faitha and Works

           What we have found so far, is that Paul was citing from his memory and that may not have been always. It is possible that later scribes rewrote or adapt his citations to conform to the corrupt reading of the LXX, and the case of "the righteous shall live [out of] faith" is one example maybe, but we cannot prove this easily. One thing is for sure, he is not using the byzantine LXX in his citation in Galatians 3:10 since he did not use the word "man" for "cursed is [the man] who. . . ".

           What Ellen White said about it, as one can see on the site of the EGW estate online, will be dealt with in a separate chapter. Let us say, leave the best for last. First we need to see the content of Paul's thinking so as to appreciate what he has to say about any of his books in the New Testament.

1. Jesus is the Torah and the Torah is Jesus.

2. The Ten Commandments is the character of God and the two are unthinkable without each other.

3. If the ten commandments condemns a sinner, Jesus also.

4. The ceremonial laws are contracted in Jesus and without Jesus the ceremonial laws have no value.

5. Christ came and became the Lamb of God transforming the Old Testament period lamb for God in Himself.

6. The Ten Commandments expected 100% obedience for Adam before the Fall and without compromise from God, also expected that obedience after the Fall.

7. Jesus also expects 100% obedience still. Nothing has changed.

8. The ceremonial laws without the ten commandments are unthinkable since both points to Christ. The ten commandments condemns the sinner who lacks perfection and points to Christ who has. The ceremonial law system was pointing to Christ as Messiah and future function in this capacity as priest and highpriest on our behalf in Heaven. It moved from a fixed location on earth into a human-divine personality that functions all that was before in Himself. He is the new Temple since 31 CE. The Sanctuary Message by Adventism stress this point.

9. The person who relies on Christ for his salvation is doing so because He died for us to buy us out from the condemnation of the ten commandments that we were under.

10. Think about it, if Christ had to die because we fell short of the keeping of the ten commandments, will He rescue us to keep on sinning? Then He died in vain.

11. If we are liberated from the keeping of the ten commandments life is meaningless and risky and reckless.

12. Can one say, throw away the ten commandments, give me ethics of the Mount of Olives? The ethics of Christ is the wrapping paper around the ten commandments. Without the ten commandments, there is no ethics of Christ. That includes the Sabbath command.

13. If no human could keep the ten commandments perfectly since Adam and if Christ did, in human form, then Christ has the legitimacy to become the standard Himself. He is the ten commandments in body, life and actions. Is it the end of the ten commandments? Then it is the end of Christ since it is His character.

14. To follow the example of Christ is to follow the ten commandments since Christ is the ten commandment. Ten commandments with legs, mouth, ears, touch, feelings and eyes.

15. The ten commandments diagnosed the problem in the sinner and points him/her to Christ. The ceremonial law offered solutions for the problem by pointing to Christ provided there was a relationship and also faith.

16. There is no difference in the salvation method of the Old Testament or the New Testament. Both required a faith relationship.

17. In John 8, when Christ solved the problem of the sinner, the woman caught in adultery, He forgave and then said: go and sin no more. Sin is the transgression of the ten commandments. Not to sin means to keep the ten commandments, not advertising that one is liberated from the ten commandments.

18. Liberated? Yes, from the condemnation of the ten commandments but not from the ten commandments. We are liberated from the condemnation of breaking the Sabbath by not keeping it, but not from keeping the Sabbath.

19. Paul sometimes sounds angry with the ten commandments, but he realizes its proper value and did not want to cancel it. Even in Romans he asked whether we can sin so that grace can be more, but he said absolutely not.

20. Paul sometimes emphasizes faith as if the law is in contrast with faith. It sometimes seems as if he is emphasizing that faith only is important not works of the law. However, Paul does have a balanced view since the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5, expected from the saved sinner is the ten commandments in verity! That includes the Sabbath. Protecting the edges and sanctity of the Sabbath has blessings in it that only those who participate in it can experience and testify about.

Let us look at some powerful statements by Hans La Rondelle:

a. For Israel all the other gods were false gods because none of them have demonstrated their salvation-historical experience from Egypt as Yahweh did. Because of this salvation experience, therefore they are to keep His commandments. It is structured on salvation (Hans La Rondelle, Perfection 1984: 104).

b. Israel's perfection is her imitatio dei (La Rondelle 1984:105). "The prerequisite to enter and inherit the promised land is complete following of Yahweh" (see Deuteronomy 1:32 "he has wholly followed Yahweh").

c. Love God with all your heart is not just Israel's response to His love but God creating in their hearts a change (see Deuteronomy 30:6, 14; Jeremiah 32:39ff.) (La Rondelle 1984: 100).

d. It is consequence perfection not prerequisite perfection (ibid).

e. Perfection is "wholehearted obedient walk [halak] or fellowship with God" (La Rondelle 1984: 101).

f. Imitatio dei and imitatio christi is not different (La Rondelle 1984: 170). Imitatio dei of the Old Testament is the same as imitatio christi of the New Testament.

g. "Jesus does not call His followers to His interpretation of the Torah, not to a Greek Philosophical concept but to surrender to His person as Messiah, as the One who speaks and acts in God's stead" (La Rondelle 1984: 169; also Rengstorf).

h. "Perfect wholehearted love of the Father in Christ acts is to be reflected and concretely manifested in the wholehearted perfect love or service of His earthly sons in their inter-human relationships" (La Rondelle 1984: 171).

i. Love also forgives and is necessary in perfection (so Ridderbos, Koninkrijk, 224 op. cit. La Rondelle 1984: 173). Forgiving love is for Christ sake. Our enemies are not those whom we harbor hostility against but those who harbor hostility against us (cited from D. Bonhoefer by La Rondelle 1984: 173).

j. The imitation of Christ by converted souls is not a human imitation of a Divine copy, but it is God reproducing Himself within the heart of man (La Rondelle 1984: 178 citing W. F. Lofthouse, "Imitatio Christi" in Exposition of Theology 1953/54: 338-342 especially 342).

Paul sees no difference between Christ and the ten commandments or Christ and the ceremonial law