Highlights of Paul’s Teaching Regarding the Jewish Legal Heritage

As the recognized Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul’s writings were directed to what were primarily Gentile-origined churches. But his teachings on the Law—specifically, the Law’s terminal nature—were unequivocal in their application to all men, Jews and Gentiles alike. Paul never distinguished between Jews and Gentiles regarding the believer’s relationship to the Law.

The point issue around which Paul established his teaching was circumcision. As a topic forced on him by others, Paul used the single issue of circumcision to cement the truth of the transcendent gospel’s termination of relationship to both the Jewish Law and issues of Jewish Lineage—for circumcision lay at the heart of both.

From the legal standpoint, if the gospel rendered circumcision inapplicable, then it rendered the entire Law so, because the Law is one. From the lineal standpoint, if the gospel rendered circumcision unnecessary and valueless, it also rendered relationship to the Hebrew race by native descent or by proselytization valueless because the point of circumcision was to preserve a separated racial identification.

Consequently, Paul plainly taught that no believer of any race should consider himself further obligated to matters either of the Mosaic Law or of Jewish cultural heritage (such as feasts and tribal genealogies)—whether for new birth or for any level of post-salvation righteousness and function in Christ’s body. Let’s look into the details.

- Identity Jurisdiction and Heritage Denial

At the heart of Paul’s gospel theology regarding the Law is his doctrine of identity jurisdiction. According to Paul, the Law has jurisdiction only over human identity descended from Adam (called the “old man”). But in the reborn believer, original adamic identity has been put to death on the cross with Christ (Rom. 6:6-7; Gal. 2:20) It literally dies, thus robbing the Law of its jurisdiction (Rom. 7:1-4). Because the identity over which Mosaic ordinance has jurisdiction is “crucified with Christ,” the ordinances are themselves figuratively also therefore “nailed to the cross” (Col. 2:14; Eph. 2:15), i.e., rendered of no effect.

Furthermore, the “old man” is replaced by a new spirit identity born only of God, without link to Adam. It is an entirely separate “unlike identity” outside the Law’s jurisdiction over Adam. As a Spirit-born identity, the new “child” of God can no more be under the Law’s jurisdiction than God Himself can be. Moreover, being imparted with the DNA of God’s own righteousness (II Cor. 5:17—i.e., the same Life substance of Him who already fulfilled the Law), the “new man” is doubly certified as outside the Law’s jurisdiction because the Law presides only over sinful (“lawless”) identity (I Tim. 1:9).

[Please Note: Paul never teaches the abolition or nullification of the Law itself (Rom. 3:31). What he teaches is the abolition of the identity over which the Law has jurisdiction, and thereby the effective nullification of relationship to (Covenant through) the Law. He teaches the abolition of Legal Jurisdiction through Identity Death and Replacement].  

The believer has only one intrinsic identity. The first was crucified; the other brought to Life—with no connection of descent between them. Because the identities have no lineal connection, the Covenants pertaining to each can have no lineal or practical connection. The Covenants apply mutually exclusively to mutually exclusive identities.

Finally, because remaining fleshly heritage (soul life) is linked to the original adamic identity already taken away, the born again believer must learn to die to his earthly relationship to human (national) heritage, learning to replace it with awareness of transnational spiritual allegiance to the body of Christ.  This concept of human heritage denial is at the practical heart of Paul’s use of the terms “flesh” and “the world,” set in his main context of erasing the distinction between human Jewishness and Gentileness. According to Paul’s gospel, human heritage is not something to be celebrated, but to be “counted as dung” (Phil. 3:7 KJV)     

- Verifying Jewish Release from the Law

As noted, Paul clearly set out that Gentiles were not subject to the Mosaic covenant (Rom. 6:14), and (as we shall see) even obtained a consent decree to that effect from the Council of Jerusalem. Yet though he addressed himself primarily to Gentiles, Paul’s letters also made clear that the Law’s purpose toward the Jews is terminated as well.

One way he conveyed this was by speaking to the Gentiles as if they were Jews: “But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law…but now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus…brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman [ie, Jerusalem], but of the free woman.” (Gal. 3:23-26; 4:31). Obviously, the Gentiles never were under the law’s custody or tutorship at any time. So it is plain he is including the Jews in his oration. 

All this is accented by the fact that Paul’s churches included converted Jews, members for whom he issued no separate standard of living. Jews in Paul’s churches were taught that observances of such things as “days” and “unclean foods” were purely matters of personal conscience and persuasion to be arbitrated in love, noting that those who felt bound under such were spiritually weak (See Rom. 14 and Col. 2:16-17. More on this below).

The strongest proof of Paul’s mind regarding the Jewish believer’s relationship to the Law is his own testimony. He specifically says he himself (as a Jew) is not “under the Law” (I Cor. 9:20 with Gal. 2:19-21). Even more convincingly, he goes out of his way to identify himself with the Galatians as if he were a Gentile siding against those of his own legal heritage (“our liberty”—2:3-5; “I also have become as you are”—4:12).

To all this it is said, “Well, Paul is only talking about freedom from the Law as a means of salvation.” Paul however leaves no doubt as to the scope of righteousness covered by his teaching on freedom from Mosaic Law—that it included any dimension of holiness or perfection beyond salvation.

Speaking of salvation, Paul clearly says “no one” is “justified by the Law” (Gal. 2:14-16; Rom. 3:28-30). And non-Pharisaic Messianics concur with this. But just as clearly, he says “all” who are “led by the Spirit are not under the Law” (Gal. 5:18) nor can be “perfected” by it after they begin in Christ (Gal 3:3). The “leading of the Spirit” specifically refers to the active obedience that springs from salvation, not to initial salvation itself. Consequently, there is no basis at any level of salvation or spirituality to be concerned with the Law.

- Obligation to the Law of Agape