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“Ye are not under law but under grace” |
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Gentiles were never under the Mosaic law whereas Israelites were. Gentiles could bring themselves under it by being circumcised as Paul says: “And I witness again to every man [who is] circumcised, that he is debtor to do the whole law” (Galatians 5:3). Note Paul says: the whole law and not just part of it. The law is indivisible (see James 2:10); we cannot rightly pick and choose what we will keep. Paul goes on to say; “As many as are justified by law; ye have fallen from grace” (Galatians 5:4). The object of the circumcision was to get justification by it and as Paul says (see above), if you follow that line you must keep the law in toto, which as we learn elsewhere is beyond man’s natural ability (Acts 15:10). |
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It isn’t that the Mosaic law hasn’t value for us as Christians, but that we are not under it. Paul speaks to those who were desirous of being under law (Galatians 4:21). We, if we are residents of the United Kingdom, are under English law and not that of, say, the United States, though we might be able to learn something from the law of that Country. Similarly we can learn things from the law of Moses even though we are not under it. |
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As to circumcision, it is nothing in itself (1 Corinthians 7:19; Galatians 5:6). One may be circumcised for medical reasons, but that is not doing it as a religious rite. Paul went so far as to circumcise Timothy so as not to offend the Jews (Acts 16:3), but he was not doing it because it ought to be done as the Galatians and certain believing Pharisees thought: “If ye shall not have been circumcised according to the custom of Moses, ye cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1; see also verse 5). There were those in Galatia compelling Christians to be circumcised (Galatians 6:12). There is no rule that we mustn't be circumcised, but there is nothing gained by doing it so far as our salvation is concerned. It may be noted that the circumcision advocated above was only of males (see Galatians 5:3) ; it did not apply to women. Were they not in need of salvation aswell ? |
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