Law And Grace Part 5 – Two Difficult Things (Part 1)

“Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law. As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.” -Acts 21:24 & 25

As I have stated before and will state here again, the twelve apostles continued within the Torah or Mosaic law even as late as when Paul is captured. Here we see Paul also kept the law as evidenced by his submission to the request of James and the others present at this meeting, by Paul attending this feast as well as other feasts, and other things Paul did in his journey’s. Paul did this so that by continuing in the law that he might gain some. Notice, it is not just the Jew he attempts to gain, but all them that are under the law.

“And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law.” -1 Corinthians 9:20

The first difficult question is this, if the twelve were following the law, or Torah, up until the time when Paul is captured and sent to Rome, then under what dispensation is the so called “Great Commission that they followed?” After all, the church for centuries has attempted to make the great commission one of grace, yet it was never given to Paul and we see no mention of it either in his writings or his commission on the road to Damascus. To add to this, Paul says the gospel he received was not taught to him by man and he neither received it from man, but only by the revelation of Jesus Christ himself, (Galatians, Chapter 1). Those who assume Paul’s gospel was the same as the twelve should take notice of the fact that Christ could have simply sent Paul to the twelve to get his marching orders them since Peter was the one given the keys to the kingdom. This would certainly make it easier for him to preach his gospel. Also, had his gospel been the same then there should have been no contentions from those Jews who came down from Jerusalem and stirred up strife, or those zealous Jews in Acts chapter 21. As Paul said, “And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, (as did the other apostles-my words), why do I yet suffer persecution? Then is the offence of the cross ceased,” (Galatians 1:11). Peter certainly wouldn’t have had a problem eating with the gentiles in Galatians chapter 1 since they would have followed the same law Peter and the others were under. Neither would Paul have to confront Peter about the separation he was making since there was no need to separate if the gentiles had all things common as they are supposed to have had on the day of Pentacost. Most importantly, why send another apostle, one who is not of the twelve, who is called “out of due season” to go to the gentiles with the gospel of grace, seeing one had already been chosen to go to a gentile, (Corneilius), and there was already twelve to do so? Why indeed? Because God needed another Apostle, one to carry the truth of the gospel of grace, distinct from that of the gospel of the kingdom to Israel.

One thing previously stated is the obvious difference between the two gospels is as different as the difference between law and grace, and the Jews and the gentile believers themselves. As I stated before, the difference being done away with between Jew and gentile is a spiritual one, not a practical one. While the gentiles had already received grace and their part of the New Covenant, the Jews under the apostleship of the twelve could not fully enjoy this freedom. They were still bound by the Torah, (law), because of Israel’s unbelief of her Messiah, and because of the Holy Spirit’s decision to only release gentiles from the Torah, (law). As it is written, when she shall turn to the Lord, then all Israel shall be saved. This will not occur until the fulfillement of Zacariah 12:10 when Israel sees her Messiah in person.

Until we realize that the gentile’s salvation apart from the law and by grace alone was a hidden thing in the mind of God alone, since the beginning of time, then we will never see the hidden wisdom of God in bringing salvation to the gentiles without the law.

Ephesians 3:2-9

2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
6 That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given
8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

We are confused if we think that the death and resurrection of Christ was hidden from Israel. Instead, it was the very focus and center of prophecy. That Christ would die for the sins of “my people” Israel, (Isaiah53:8) , and should rise again from the grave was witnessed to from the foundation of the world, (Acts 3:18 & 21). What was hidden was the genitles being saved apart from the law and being made joint heirs and sons of God apart from Israel because of Israel’s fall.

As I once said in another post, before this time salvation for the gentiles was by becoming a Jew, being circumcised, and baptised, and following the Torah. This is what the twelve would have also believed and is evidenced by Peter’s reluctance at Corneilus’ house and Jesus own commands for them not to go in the way of the gentiles, but only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

If we conclude the twelve were following the law, that their gospel was not identical to Paul’s since they were going to the circumcision, and this did not do away with the law for their converts, then does it not make sense the “great commission” is strictly a kingdom gospel command as evidenced by the miraculous signs attached to it which were also part of the kingdom gospel and God’s promise to Israel. If the twelve followed the law all of their lives, then doesn’t it make sense “the great commission,” being given to them while they were still under the law, was under the law and not under grace as supposed?

We have a much greater command today to make “all men see what is the hope of the gospel” and not just Israel. The hope of the gospel today is that God, because of Israel’s unbelief, concluded all under sin that he might have mercy upon all, thus bringing grace to all both Jew and gentile. That is, grace to the gentile now, and to the Jew upon Israel’s final belief, (not only in her Messiah, but her belief that the law is done away in the body of Christ at the cross). When you look at it this way, it becomes understandable why the offence of the cross, as Paul puts it, caused such anger and trouble among those Jews. It did away with the law which the Jew clung to so strongly and would not let go of. It is this truth of the gospel of Paul that the great commission did not deal with because that wall of partition had not been finally broken down.

The great commission was,

1. Given to the Apostles and disciples under the law as part of the Kingdom promise to believing Israel and thus carries the sign gifts which were also promised to those believers under it’s gospel. Israel was offered the kingdom through the great commission but she failed to receive it because of her unbelief.

2. Already carried out and all of the earth heard,

“But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth and their words unto the ends of the world. But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you. But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobeidient and gainsaying people.” -Romans 10:16-21

Israel heard the kingdom gospel and failed to believe it, and thus, salvation has gone to the gentiles through their unbelief, (Romans 11:11). Our marching orders are those of the Apostle Paul’s, which had it’s beginnings in the conversion of Saul in a very specific point in time,

“Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia-” -Philippians 4:15

It was not from man, ie. previous apostles,

“But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” -Galatians 1:11, 12

My brethren, won’t you see you are not under the kingdom gospel commands to Israel. You are not Israel! While all scripture is given by inspiration. we are not commanded to do all of those things God commanded previous generations. Let us follow our apostle, Paul, as he commanded gentile believers,
“Be ye followers of me,” (1 Corinthians 4:16, 11:1 & Philippians 3:17), for it is he who hath begotten us through the gospel, (1 Corinthians 4:15).