2 Peter 3:15-17 (Lamsa Aramaic Peshitta)
“And consider that the long suffering of the Master is salvation; even as our BELOVED BROTHER PAUL also, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you. As also IN ALL HIS EPISTLES, he spoke concerning these matters, in which there are certain things SO HARD TO BE UNDERSTOOD THAT THOSE WHO ARE IGNORANT AND UNSTABLE PERVERT THEIR MEANING, AS THEY DO ALSO THE OTHER SCRIPTURES, to their own destruction. You therefore, my beloved, seeing that you know these things beforehand, beware lest you follow the ERROR OF THE LAWLESS, and fall from your own steadfastness.”
This is just as true today as it was in Paul and Peter’s day. Many do not know the difference between the written Torah of YAHWEH and the Oral Torah of the Pharisees and thus accuse Paul of preaching against the Torah of Moses and starting Christianity! We see this in:
Acts 21:21 (Lamsa Aramaic Peshitta)
“But they have been informed about you (Paul), that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to FORSAKE THE LAW OF MOSES, stating that they ought NOT TO CIRCUMCISE THEIR CHILDREN, NEITHER TO FOLLOW AFTER THE CUSTOMS OF THE LAW.”
Was Paul preaching against circumcision or something else? People mistakenly believe that Paul was preaching lawlessness/against circumcision because his words are hard to understand just as Peter said. So, when we get to 1 Corinthians 7:18-19 and Galatians 5:1-3 we are told by Christians that circumcision is not needed because Paul preached against it! And many who call themselves Nazarenes, but are Ebionites because they reject Paul, accuse Paul of apostatizing against the Torah just as we saw in Acts 21:21 (for those interested in understanding the difference between the Nazarenes and Ebionites, I cover it in the message 2nd Exodus: End Times Remnant https://youtu.be/bwQn-_liPY8?si=EhiHpK6PYF-fwxLM at timestamp 4 hours 1 minute, and 20 seconds in).
So let’s break down 1 Corinthians 7 and Galatians 5.
1 Corinthians 7:18-19 (Complete Jewish Bible)
“Was someone already circumcised when he was called? Then he should not try to REMOVE THE MARKS OF HIS CIRCUMCISION. Was someone uncircumcised when he was called? He shouldn’t undergo b’rit-milah (covenant of circumcision). Being circumcised means nothing, and being uncircumcised means nothing; what does mean something is KEEPING ELOHIM’s COMMANDMENTS.”
Many say Paul is preaching against circumcision in this verse, but how can that be when he says in verse 19 “what does mean something is KEEPING ELOHIM’s COMMANDMENTS.”
If what matters is keeping the commandments of ELOHIM, then Paul can’t be preaching against the commandment of circumcision in the Torah!
Leviticus 12:3 (Complete Jewish Bible)
“On the eighth day, the baby’s foreskin is to BE CIRCUMCISED.”
Therefore, we can conclude that Paul is using the words circumcision and uncircumcision in another way that is not being understood (2 Peter 3:15-17). Also, when Paul says, “Being circumcised means nothing, and being uncircumcised means nothing”, he again, isn’t using those terms literally, he is referring to the Jews as circumcision and the gentiles as uncircumcision! In other words, being a Jew means nothing and being a gentile means nothing because we are all one in the Body of YESHUA (Ephesians 2:17-19, Galatians 3:27-29). Paul uses these terms in the same way in Romans!
Romans 2:25-26 (Complete Jewish Bible)
“For circumcision in INDEED OF VALUE if you do what Torah says. But if you are a transgressor of Torah, YOUR CIRCUMCISION HAS BECOME UNCIRCUMCISION! Therefore, if an UNCIRUMCISED MAN keeps the RIGHTEOUS REQUIREMENTS OF THE TORAH, won’t his UNCIRUMCSION BE COUNTED AS CIRCUMCISION?”
As we see Paul is saying that if a native-born Jew is a hypocrite by telling others to keep the Torah, but he himself is a violator of it, then, won’t his physical status of a Jew be changed into a gentile status? But if a gentile keeps the commandments of the Torah better than the Jew, then won’t his gentile status be changed into that of the native born? Obedience to ELOHIM is what counts as being a “Real Jew” because circumcision of the heart leads to physical obedience of the Torah!
Going back to 1 Corinthians 7:18, Paul says “Was someone already circumcised when he was called? Then he should not try to REMOVE THE MARKS OF HIS CIRCUMCISION…”
What does Paul mean when he says to “not remove the MARK OF CIRCUMCISION?”
1 Maccabees 1:12-14, 41-49, 52
“This proposal pleased them, and some of the people eagerly went to the king, who authorized them to OBSERVE THE ORDINANCES OF THE GENTILES. So they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem, according to GENTILE CUSTOM, and REMOVED THE MARKS OF CIRCUMCISION, and abandoned the set-apart covenant. THEY JOINED WITH THE GENTILES AND SOLD THEMSELVES TO DO EVIL.” Verse 41-45 “Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be ONE PEOPLE, and that all should GIVE UP THEIR PARTICULAR CUSTOMS. All the Gentiles accepted the command of the king. MANY EVEN FROM ISRAEL GLADLY ADOPTED HIS RELIGION; they sacrificed to idols and profaned the Shabbat. And the king sent letters by messengers to Jerusalem and the towns of Judah; he directed them to follow CUSTOMS STRANGE TO THE LAND, to forbid burnt offerings and sacrifices and drink offerings in the sanctuary, to profane Shabbats and festivals, to defile the sanctuary and the priests, to build altars and sacred precincts and shrines for IDOLS, to sacrifice swine and other unclean animals, and to leave their sons uncircumcised. They were to make themselves abominable by everything unclean and profane, so that they WOULD FORGET THE LAW AND CHANGE ALL THE ORDIANCES.” Verse 52 “Many of the people, everyone WHO FORSOOK THE LAW, JOINED THEM, and they did evil in the land…”
The entire context of what Paul is referring to in 1 Corinthians 7:18 is about CONVERSION! Paul is saying that a Jew should not CONVERT to being a gentile and walking in their lawless customs; likewise, a gentile should not convert to Rabbinical Judaism and their authority! This matches what we read in Galatians!
Galatians 5:1-3 (Complete Jewish Bible)
“What the Messiah has freed us for is freedom! Therefore, stand firm, and don’t let yourselves be tied up again to a YOKE OF SLAVERY. Mark my words --- I, Paul, tell you that if you undergo b’rit-milah (covenant of circumcision) the Messiah will be of no advantage to you at all! Again, I warn you: any man who undergoes the covenant of circumcision is obligated to observe the entire Torah!”
Let’s examine verse 1 “What the Messiah has FREED US FOR IS FOR FREEDOM! Therefore, stand firm, and don’t let yourselves be TIED UP AGAIN TO A YOKE OF SLAVERY”
Paul is saying that YESHUA freed us from the RABBINIC HEAVY YOKE OF THE MAN-MADE ORAL TORAH!
Nazarene Jewish Christianity by Ray A. Pritz page 64 (Commentary on Isaiah 9:1-4):
“The Nazarenes, whose opinion I have set forth above, try to explain this passage in the following way: When Messiah came and His preaching shone out, the land of Zebulon and Naphtali first of all were FREED FROM THE ERRORS OF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES and He shook of their shoulders THE VERY HEAVY YOKE OF THE JEWISH TRADITIONS. Later, however, the preaching became more dominant, that means the preaching was multiplied, through the Gospel of the apostle Paul who was the last of all the apostles. And the Gospel of Messiah shone to the most distant tribes and the way of the whole sea. Finally, the world, which earlier walked or sat in darkness and was imprisoned in the bonds of idolatry and death, has seen the clear light of the Gospel.”
This is exactly what YESHUA was saying in:
Matthew 11:28-30 (Hebrewgospels.com)
“Let all those who are TROUBLED AND OPPRESSED come unto Me, and I Myself will help you. And carry MY YOKE upon you and LEARN FROM ME, that I am humble and restful of heart, and you will find rest in your nephashot (souls), for MY YOKE IS RESTFUL AND MY BURDEN IS EASY.”
The Nazarenes (Paul also being a Nazarene, Acts 24:5) who followed YESHUA knew exactly what He taught. YESHUA was saying that those of you who have been troubled and oppressed by the heavy yoke of the Oral Torah/traditions of the elders of the scribes and the Pharisees need to come to Him, The Living Torah, and He will FREE YOU by teaching you the truth of the written Torah that is not a burden/heavy:
1 John 5:3 (1849 John Etheridge Aramaic Peshitta)
“For this is the love of ELOHIM, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are NOT HEAVY.”
And free you from the heavy yoke of Oral Torah/manmade commandments of the Pharisees which IS HEAVY/BURDENSOME!
Matthew 23:1-4 (Hebrewgospels.com)
“Then YESHUA said to the people and to His talmidim (disciples), ‘It is said: “The scribes and the Pharisees have ascended onto the seat of Moses—all that they say to you, you must keep and do.” However, you must not do according to THEIR WORKS, for they say but they do not do. They load HEAVY BURDENS on the peoples that THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO BEAR, but they are not pleased to touch them with their fingers.’”
Peter says the same thing YESHUA did concerning the heavy yoke of the Rabbinic Judaism Oral Torah!
Acts 15:10 (Complete Jewish Bible)
“So why are you putting ELOHIM to the test now by placing A YOKE ON THE NECK of the disciples which neither our fathers NOR WE HAVE HAD THE STRENGTH TO BEAR?”
Therefore, Paul and Peter are both preaching the same doctrine that YESHUA taught, which is to turn from the Oral Torah and obey the written Torah!
Continuing with Galatians 5: 2-3
“Mark my words --- I, Paul, tell you that if you undergo b’rit-milah (covenant of circumcision) the MESSIAH WILL BE OF NO ADVANTAGE TO YOU AT ALL! Again, I warn you: any man who undergoes the covenant of circumcision is OBLIGATED TO OBSERVE THE ENTIRE TORAH!”
Many teach that if you are physically circumcised that you must keep the Torah and that YESHUA will be no advantage to you. Again, how can that be when in 1 Corinthians 7:19 Paul said nothing matters except to keep the commandments and one of the commandments that ELOHIM gave is circumcision! So, how can one who is circumcised no longer belong to YESHUA when YESHUA said He did not come to get rid of the law?!
Matthew 5:17 (Hebrewgospels.com)
“Moreover YESHUA MASHIACH said to His talmidim (disciples), ‘Do not think that I came to throw down the Torah and the Prophets, on the contrary, I came TO CONFIRM.’”
Paul’s words align with those of YESHUA as he also confirmed the Torah! We see this in 1 Corinthians 7:19 which we read earlier and in Romans.
Romans 2:13 (Complete Jewish Bible)
“For it is not merely the hearers of Torah whom ELOHIM considers righteous; rather, IT IS THE DOERS OF WHAT TORAH SAYS who will be made righteous in ELOHIM’s sight.”
Romans 3:31 (Complete Jewish Bible)
“Does it follow that we abolish Torah by this trusting? Heaven forbid! On the contrary, we CONFRIM TORAH.”
Paul warns that the one who is circumcised is obligated to observe the entire Torah! What is Paul saying? From the verses above we clearly see that Paul says we should obey the Torah. So, is he completely contradicting himself? Let’s examine how David Stern used the word “Torah” in Galatians 5:3! Torah as used in David’s Sterns translation is defined in the glossary on page 1596 as:
“Torah *----literally, “teaching,” but usually translated “Law” because Greek uses nomos (“law”) to render Hebrew Torah. (1) The Five Books of Moses, the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), called the Written Torah. Mt 5:17. (2) That plus the Nevi’im (Prophets) and K’tuvim (Writings), i.e, the whole Tanakh. Yn 10:34. (3) That PLUS ADDITIONAL MATERIAL (THE ORAL TORAH) CONSIDERED IN VARYING DEGREE AUTHORITATIVE IN JUDAISM, GA 5:3.”
So, as we see Paul is not preaching against the written Torah, rather, he is preaching against the Oral Torah of rabbinical Judaism. In summation, Paul is saying in 1 Corinthians 7:18 and Galatians 5:1-3, if you convert to Rabbinical Judaism that rejects YESHUA as the Messiah and Son of YAHWEH and accept their authority, then, the Messian is of no advantage to you and you will be INDEBTED TO KEEP THE ENTIRE ORAL TORAH OF THE RABBI’S, because you will have to learn their manmade laws, and learn their expansive interpretation of scripture, then be circumcised according to THEIR ritual to become “Jewish” and be accepted by them! This type of conversion means that the individual has chosen to reject YAHWEH’s authority, His written Torah and its proper interpretation for the teachings of men!
Matthew 15:7-10 (Hebrewgospels.com)
“Rightly did Yeshayah (Isaiah) speak about you, saying, ‘This people which honors Me with words but their heart is far from Me, they honor Me in vain, IMPOSING YOUR INSTRUCTIONS AND COMMANDMENTS OF THE MEN.’”
Isaiah 29:13 (Complete Jewish Bible)
“Then YAHWEH said: ‘Because these people approach Me with empty words, and the honor they bestow on Me is mere lip-service; while in fact they have distanced their hearts from Me, and their ‘fear of Me’ is just a MITZVAH (COMMANDMENT) OF HUMAN ORIGIN…’”
The same question remains today as it did then, will you follow YESHUA and the truth? Or the commandments of men?
Will you turn from the burdensome Oral Torah as Paul did and cling to YESHUA and the perfect Written Torah of YAHWEH? Let’s walk in the complete truth of the Nazarene Qumran Way.
As always may YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name!