Letters to the Church

Avec l'effusion de l'Esprit le jour de la Pentecôte, les bénédictions pour toutes les nations de l'Alliance abrahamique ont commencé . La “ Promesse du Père ” est le Don de l'Esprit, que l'apôtre Paul relie à l'Alliance abrahamique. Les promesses faites au Patriarche s'accomplissent dans la Nouvelle Alliance inaugurée par Jésus-Christ. L'effusion de l'Esprit sur son Assemblée le jour de la Pentecôte marqua le commencement des “ Derniers Jours ”, l'Ère de l'Esprit où les promesses de Dieu sont accomplies. En raison de sa Mort et de sa Résurrection, les croyants gentils deviennent les héritiers à part entière de l'Alliance avec les Juifs croyants.

Returning to the custodianship of the Law would mean rebuilding the wall of separation between Jews and Gentiles . Paul compares the Mosaic Law to a “ pedagogue ” in its supervision of Israel “ until  the seed came ” in his Letter to the Galatians . That “ seed ,” singular, was Jesus of Nazareth. In Greco-Roman society, the “ pedagogue ” was a slave with custodial and disciplinary authority over an underage child until he reached maturity. The minority status of the child and the authority of the custodian were both temporary .

La juridiction des règlements Mosaïques sur la communauté de l'alliance a atteint sa limite avec l'arrivée de Jésus, la Postérité d'Abraham . En répondant aux affirmations selon lesquelles les Gentils doivent être circoncis, Paul a fait appel à l'expérience commune de l'Esprit reçue par les Galates.  Ont-ils reçu le Don par une “ audition de la foi ” ou “ par les œuvres de la Loi? ” Ayant commencé dans l'Esprit, pourquoi cherchaient - ils “ l'achèvement ” de leur foi basée sur la “ chair ” en se soumettant à la circoncision?

L'égalité des Juifs et des Gentils devant un Dieu impartial et juste est essentielle à l'Évangile de Paul. Ils se tiennent debout ou tombent devant Lui sur la même base . Paul a écrit sa  Lettre aux Romains  avec deux buts. D'abord, préparer le terrain pour sa visite dans la ville et son voyage missionnaire prévu en Espagne. Deuxièmement, pour faire face aux conflits entre croyants Juifs et Gentils. Dans la Lettre, Paul expliquait son Évangile, puis il discutait du statut du peuple juif et des conflits qui troublaient l'Église romaine.

The equality of Jews and Gentiles before an impartial and just God is pivotal to Paul’s Gospel. They stand or fall before Him on the same basis . Paul wrote his  Letter to the Romans  with two purposes. First, to prepare the ground for his visit to the city and his planned missionary trip to Spain. Secondly, to deal with conflicts between Jewish and Gentile believers. In the Letter, Pual explained his Gospel, and he then discussed the status of the Jewish people and the conflicts troubling the Roman Church.

The Letter to the Galatians is Paul’s response to a controversy that had developed among the congregations of Galatia. At issue was the status of Gentile believers. Must they conform to Jewish practices and submit to the regulations of the Mosaic Law to become members of the covenant community, especially the rite of circumcision ?

Insisting on a Torah-observant lifestyle results in the restoration of the old social divisions between Jews and Gentiles . The third chapter of Galatians  is pivotal to Paul’s argument in which he stresses the oneness of God’s people. The old social divisions existing under the Mosaic Legislation are inappropriate in God’s one covenant community since the promised “ Seed of Abraham ”  has arrived, Jesus of Nazareth. In his Body, “ there can be neither Jew nor Greek . ”

What identifies the people of God and determines membership in His Assembly is Jesus, especially the Messiah revealed on the cross, and  nothing else!  This does not mean that the Law of Moses served no purpose, but it is not the basis for determining who is acquitted of sin by God. Right standing before Him is obtained “ through the faith OF Jesus Christ ,” and not “ from the deeds of the Law .”

The disciples of Jesus are the Heirs of Abraham, and the future possession of the full inheritance is guaranteed by the Gift of the Spirit . Israel’s possession of Canaan was an earlier stage in God’s redemptive plan, which always envisaged something larger than Israel and a small plot of land in the Middle East. With the arrival of the Messiah and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the covenant promises found their fulfillment in the true “ Seed of Abraham ,” and therefore in his “ brethren ” and “ coheirs .”

With the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the blessings for all nations of the Abrahamic Covenant commenced . The “ Promise of the Father ” is the Gift of the Spirit, which the Apostle Paul links to the Abrahamic Covenant. The promises made to the Patriarch are fulfilled in the New Covenant inaugurated by Jesus Christ. The bestowal of the Spirit on his Assembly on the Day of Pentecost marked the commencement of the “ Last Days ,” the Age of the  Spirit when the promises of God are  achieved . Because of his Death and Resurrection, Gentile believers become full heirs of the Covenant along with believing Jews.

In  Galatians , the Apostle Paul compares the Mosaic Law to a “ pedagogue ” in its supervision of Israel “ until the seed came .” That “ Seed ” was Jesus. In Greco-Roman society, the “pedagogue” was usually a slave with custodial and disciplinary authority over an underage child until he reached maturity. The minority status of the child and the authority of the custodian over him were both temporary.

With the new era inaugurated by Jesus, circumcision is no longer a sign of membership in the covenant community .  Circumcision is an obstacle to claims that disciples must keep the Mosaic Law. In Genesis , it is the entrance rite of the Abrahamic covenant and the identifying sign of the covenant. And it is mandatory under the law given through Moses at Mount Sinai.