Jughead vs The Law

Well there's an interesting approach from the Jughead School Of the Skripturz. Jughead says I should take this scripture literally to prove that ​all that's important is the Spirit. Because this actually SHOULD be taken literally. Paul is talking about whether the non-Jewish believers in Galatia should get circumcised. Will it make them better in the sight of God? No, definitely not. Only life in the Spirit will do that. Agreed.

But lest the disciples of Jughead rope us into this Archie Comics version of the scriptures, maybe we should actually figure out what this says, because this gets repeated in multiple places. Paul is consistent about two things: that Gentiles do NOT need to be circumcised (yes Jughead, you are off the hook) and that he, Paul, keeps 100% of the law no matter where in the non-Jewish world he travels.

And the law and customs NEVER lost their value, but never had the power of salvation by themselves.

Paul vs. Jughead:

Put simply, Paul, the guy who wrote most of the new testament, kept the Law. The Jewish laws of holidays, kosher eating, sacrificies, moral law, the ten commandments, the entire law. We know this because he told us so, in a story from the book of Acts, the principal text of the "spirit only folks. Here is is.

Acts 21 :17 After we arrived in Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. 18 And the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. 19 After he had greeted them, he began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.20 And when they heard it they began glorifying God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law; 21 and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. 22 What, then, is to be done? ...

​ These are Jewish followers of Yeshua, the Messiah. They kept the law. ​They had a question that was vital to them: "Paul, Are you suggesting forsaking the law of Moses and customs​ of Jewish life? ​ Because the Jewish Believers are ZEALOUS for the law! You have to clear this up, make it clear to EVERYONE what you think about keeping the law, in the most public way possible"

... They will certainly hear that you have come. 23 Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; 24 take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law. 25 But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote, having decided that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication.” 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day, purifying himself along with them, went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.

​

Was Paul a Fake?

If you think Paul advocated ditching the Law, you must think Paul was an opportunistic fake. He had to be pretending to be observant of the law to smooth things over with his hosts in Jerusalem, who you must think he regarded as heretical nut cases. But actually it's just the opposite: Paul made public display, a first century style twitter feed proclamation of his faith by binding himself with these men, who were under a Nazirte vow (yes, that's from that Old Testament, you want to ditch, JUGHEAD) and re-itereated the principle of Gal 5.

• Paul kept the whole law
• Gentiles don't need to be circumcised to gain right standing before God.