Is this the most common MISTAKE in Christianity? This particular misinterpretation/justification?

Question

Paul argues it is not the "works of the law" (ie religious observance) that makes one righteous.

"Works of the law" has erroneously been interpreted to mean "works of the Torah", this is very misleading, one could then assume then that "works of Torah" are not required in Messiah. This would mean that it would be ok to steal, lie, commit adultery, and violate the Torah because no one in Messiah is under the "works of Torah".

But Paul is referring to the "Works of Tradition" and referring to those who trust in the "works of Tradition" to establish their righteousness, outside of Messiah.

Paul clearly took a beating from the Romans and the Jews for presenting Mashiyach to the world, but the beating he took back then, is nothing compared to the gang warfare against him today from false religion and Hellenized Christianity. Paul is a righteous Jew who worked with his own hands to support the Good News he brought to the world. Precious few Pastors, Professors, Rabbis or Clerics work with their own hands to financially support others while working to advance the Kingdom.

Yes X...the L-rd is ONE as Shema says.

Answer 1

Amen. Thanks for letting people know the truth. Baruch Hashem and His Mashiyach! And baruch ata!

Answer 2

No,he is talking about the works of the Law. That is practically what all of Galatians is about. Now people think he and James were at odds about this but they were not ,not really.Although James was more of a legalist ,they still had the same idea. James says "Show me your faith and I'll show you my works" where as Paul would say in essence Faith plus Nothing equals salvation.But Paul also knew that because of Faith ,Good works would blossom. Like a good tree bears good fruit,faith bears good works.
We do good works BECAUSE we are saved ,not to get saved.Which is opposite of Rabbinical Judaism.(According to Alfred Eidersheim)
So, James says 'You don't have faith without good works ' and Paul says 'You'll have good works because of your faith'.
Same place, different road.
Now Paul used the Psalms to say that a"Workman is worth his wages" and from the Law " Don't muzzle the ox (pastor et al) that treads out the corn".
Also he says "Don't I have the right to share in the money? Don't I have the right to lead a wife around like Peter does?But for YOURSAKES I labor all the more".
Like "I don't want anyone to think I'm in this for the dough".
Paul was some guy!

Answer 3

I just got back from bible study and that was what the bible study was about.
Phillipians 3:1-21 It was explained that Paul, knowing the Law, being a Rabbincal Lawyer, and persecuting or prosecuting with the Law etc.....knew the law so well and he himself followed the law so well, more than anyone else, felt he, more than anyone, had grounds to have confidence in obtaining righteousness or perfection in following the Laws, because of his knowledge. But explains that even he couldn't obtain righteousness by following the Laws no more than anyone else, even though he perfected following them. Paul was saying that they were the true Circumscised (spiritually), through their faith in Christ, not by the works of the Laws or traditions of them. Only through Christ imputing His righteousness on us is what justifies us. At this point we have not been made righteous yet, only spiritually. We will not be righteous like Him till we are glorified in the body. We are justified through Christ and righteousness belongs to Him; and He covers us with it because we haven't obtained that yet. Almost like we are borrowing His righteousness for now. Paul was saying that anything done in the flesh in an effort to obtain favor from God or salvation, or righteousness, is garbage.

Answer 4

What planet did you fall off. Torah means LAW. Been there, done that, Paul was talking about the Torah and the prophets. Let's not forget about the prophets. Even the Messiah Himself read from the prophets and the Torah was in them also. The LAW(Torah) and the prophets were fulfilled in the Messiah. FULFILLED, over , done, All one must do is to accept the sacrifice. In Paul's day, they were trying to bring people back under the law and Paul preached against doing so. Either the Messiah did it all or this is all a lie.

Answer 5

This is outside actions verses a change in the heart.

Paul describes this as a circumcision of the heart. Not of the flesh by of the innermost mind - the heart.

Paul was a tent maker and stated this in 1Thessalonians 2:9 For you remember our labor and toil, brethren; we worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you, while we preached to you the gospel of God.

Later Paul does admonish the congregation to respect the few who are "called" to be laborers: 1Thessalonians 5:12 But we beseech you, brethren, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,

Food and a place to lay their head in rest is enough for the true laborers having the circumcision of the heart.

Answer 6

Christ did not abolish the law, He ESTABLISHED it. If anything He made it more difficult.

He said that to even THINK about breaking the laws, was as good as if you'd actually done it.

The point was to drive home the fact that the necessity of His mediation for you. Without a new birth, a spiritual birth, a born again nature, even your thoughts condemn you.

Paul was a grand example of godliness. He worked, even unto death, to spread the good news (only good news to the saved) so that we might benefit.

The people who criticize his importance in this work, are not even fit to utter his name. The worldly pastors of today are only concerned with bringing more ungodly and unsaved into the title of 'christian' so that they might have enough money to pay for their mega entertainment centers and dull them to the hard truths in the bible. You can barely find any church that teaches that to believe is to repent. You must turn from your sinful and worldly practice, pick up your cross and follow Christ. That's a gospel that demands something, and will not be tolerated among those who only look for prosperity and a better parking spot. You couldn't drag me into one of those whorehouses. They pimp Christ, they trample upon His blood, and there is going to be a whole lot of shocked people come judgment day.

Thanks for letting me rant.

Answer 7

No argument here with the premise, but I'm not familiar with the phrase "works of tradition", please explain (unless I'm close enough with the following *smile*).

The way I see it, what Paul was dismissing was all the man-made laws that had risen out of the original law...or perhaps, more specifically, all the man-enforced punishments associated with the law supposedly designed to make men righteous. True righteousness doesn't and can't come from following the laws of men (out of fear of earthly punishments)...God wants his people to write his law on their hearts and follow his instructions because we want to do so not because we're forced to do so by other people!

God knows that human laws can't possibly close all the "loopholes" in his laws...that for whatever reason (our basic nature perhaps), people are compelled to find ways around the law and creating new laws to patch the holes just creates new opportunities for new holes. (The complex often ridiculous laws in any country, the US particularly, give testimony to this one). God's laws have no loopholes but until we let him write those laws on our heart, we will try to find a way around them...only when we know (not believe, know) those laws can we possibly hope to follow them.

Answer 8

You are so right. It amazes me (though I guess it shouldn't) that even today so many people have no clear idea of what Christianity is all about, or the price that Paul and others paid so that the world could know this priceless truth.

Answer 9

I'm not sure what you are asking. Are you a supporter of Paul's writings or not? I will answer with my opinion...of all the New Testament writings, I find the MOST fault with Paul's letters to the churches. They are contradictory and erronous in so many ways (by the standards of Jesus' teachings) that I can't possibly take them seriously. Blessings!

Answer 10

Interesting that Paul wrote in 1 Cor 914 "So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel."