Judaizers

This is a letter I sent to a Judaizer, who sent me a letter claiming that New Testament Christians must live by the Old Testament Jewish Law.

I commend your zeal and passion, however I do have to say that some of what you said regarding the Older Testament and the New Covenant is heretical. I am very, very familiar with Matthew 5:17-20, and you have been misled regarding the meaning of this passage. Christ was saying that the moral standard of God was not abolished, thou shalt not lie, thou shalt not steal, etc. But with all statements in the Bible, this passage must be understood within the context of Scripture as a whole.

Matthew 4:4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

The error you are making, is pulling Matthew 5:17-20 out of the context of the rest of God’s revelation, and looking at it in isolation. You are attempting to live by only some of the words that proceed from the mouth of God.

I see that you are very devout, so it saddens me to have to tell you that you are a member of a cult. I regret to inform you sir, that you are what Jesus Christ’s Church condemns as a “Judaizer,” it is a grievous heresy. Here are some passages you should seriously study (please note the term “false brethren” in verse 4, it refers directly to the heretical group you are a member of):

Galatians 2:1-3:4
1 ¶ Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me.
2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain.
3 Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.
4 And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage),
5 to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
6 But from those who seemed to be something––whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man––for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me.
7 But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter
8 (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles),
9 and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.
10 They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.
11 ¶ Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed;
12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision.
13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.
14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?
15 “We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,
16 “knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
17 “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not!
18 “For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
19 “For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.
20 “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
21 “I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”
1 ¶ O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?
2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?
4 Have you suffered so many things in vain––if indeed it was in vain?

This passage from Acts is also extremely pertinent:

Acts 11:1-18
1 ¶ Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.
2 And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him,
3 saying, “You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”
4 But Peter explained it to them in order from the beginning, saying:
5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came to me.
6 “When I observed it intently and considered, I saw four–footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air.
7 “And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’
8 “But I said, ‘Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.’
9 “But the voice answered me again from heaven, ‘What God has cleansed you must not call common.’
10 “Now this was done three times, and all were drawn up again into heaven.
11 “At that very moment, three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea.
12 “Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house.
13 “And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter,
14 ‘who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.’
15 “And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning.
16 “Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
17 “If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?”
18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”

In addition, you should make a very thorough study of the entire books of Galatians and Romans. And please do bear this in mind as you study them:

1 Thessalonians 2:13  For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.

What Christ’s apostles said, Christ said. You are attempting to create a false dichotomy between Jesus and His apostles. All of Scripture is one complete revelation:

2 Timothy 3:16  All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

Therefore, passages such as Colossians 2:16,17 and Galatians 4:19-5:14 must be taken together with Matthew 5:17-20 in order to understand each. Again, Christ was saying in Matthew 5:17-20 that there is no other standard than God’s moral standard against lying, stealing, etc. However, bear Luke 5:36-39 in mind. Christ’s Covenant is a new covenant, and it did away with the Older Covenant:

Luke 5:36-39
36 Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old.
37 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.
38 “But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved.
39 “And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’”

Colossians 2:16,17
16 ¶ So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths,
17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.

Galatians 4:19-5:14
19 ¶ My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you,
20 I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone; for I have doubts about you.
21 ¶ Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?
22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman.
23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise,
24 which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar––
25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children––
26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.
27 For it is written: “Rejoice, O barren, You who do not bear! Break forth and shout, You who are not in labor! For the desolate has many more children Than she who has a husband.”
28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise.
29 But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now.
30 Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.”
31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.
1 ¶ Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.
3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.
4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
7 You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?
8 This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you.
9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump.
10 I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is.
11 And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased.
12 I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off!
13 ¶ For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

I was also shocked to see your misquotation of John 3:16, it is not, “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten son so that man would not perish, but have ever lasting life,” as you inaccurately rendered it. It is, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

In closing I would like to offer you a very helpful resource. Even though there is no law for the Christian Church regarding a specific day of worship, this article explains why Christians worship on Sunday and addresses those who mistakenly think a Jewish Sabbath is required:

http://www.ukapologetics.net/sundayworship.htm

If Christ Returned Tomorrow

Recently I saw the following statement in a blog post:

[If Christ returned tomorrow] would you recognize Him? You would not. You would kill him . . . again. History repeats itself. You did it before – several times. You’ll do it again. Don’t kid yourself. Do you expect Him to come floating down out of the clouds in a white robe? Nonsense! He will have a new name, just as He predicted. He will appear in a different place, just as He predicted. He’ll look like one of us. And we will kill Him . . . as we always have done.

Perhaps He has already returned; perhaps we have already killed Him. Perhaps mankind is today suffering the consequences of its actions. Mankind is asleep. It’s time to wake up.

 

I responded by posting this comment:

These verses of Holy Scripture explain how Christ will return, and what will happen when He does:

1 Thessalonians 4:16,17

16  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

17  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

Matthew 24:26,27

26  “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.

27  “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Take care.

 

The key phrase in critiquing the statements made by this individual is “unsubstantiated claim.” He makes claim after claim with absolutely no evidence to substantiate his assertions.

The claim that we would not recognize Christ upon His heavenly return has nothing in the Bible to support it, indeed it contradicts Matthew 24:30. The claim that we would kill Christ again also clearly contradicts 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17, both these claims contradict the word of God and are therefore incorrect, at least if he is attempting to Biblically justify his statements. If he is simply making things up that contradict the Bible, he should say so up front to his intended audience of Christian readers. Otherwise he seems to be trying to deceive them, hoping they don’t actually know what Scripture says about these topics.

I found this statement particularly appalling, “Do you expect Him to come floating down out of the clouds in a white robe? Nonsense!” It is not nonsense, Christ was crucified for His unwavering testimony to this very fact:

Mark 14:62  Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

 

And He will indeed be recognized upon His glorious return:

Revelation 1:7  Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.

 

Following these errors, he claims “He will have a new name, just as He predicted.” Notice that no Scripture is cited for this claim. Where did Christ predict that He would have a new name? In the sense that all of Scripture is God’s word, it may be said that He predicted it in Revelation 19:12. However, it was not a prophecy that Christ spoke in His earthly life to His disciples, it is a revelation given to John in a vision. I note this simply to point out the way the author is being so intentionally vague, this is because he wants to lead his readers wherever he wants, while keeping them blinded in a cloud of ignorance. I will quote the full passage addressing the vision John received below. This is incredibly significant because you will see that verses 11, 13, 16, and 17, clearly reveal that the rider of the white horse is Jesus Christ. This means Christ will not be “difficult to recognize for Christians.” The whole point of giving this revelation is to ensure that Christians will understand who Christ is and what He is doing at that time. In brief, by not citing the Scripture his reference is from, and the context it is from, the individual making these statements hopes to deceive his readers.

Revelation 19:11-21

11 ¶  Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.

12  His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.

13  He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

14  And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.

15  Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

16  And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

17  Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God,

18  “that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.”

19  And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.

20  Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.

21  And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.

 

Next he says, “He will appear in a different place, just as He predicted.” Scripture citation please. Again he intentionally leaves his readers in ignorance of the passage he allegedly cited, hoping to thereby deceive them.

When Christ returns for His Church, it will be done as 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17 explains. After the Church is gathered to Christ, the Lord will fight in the battle of Armageddon, but as shown in the passage of Revelation above, Christians will know who the Lord is and what He is doing at that time, despite the fact that He happens to have a name written that no one knows except Himself. He will also have all the names we know Him by.

Philippians 2:10  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,

 

We know His name now, we will know His name when He comes “with the clouds of heaven” for His Church, we will know His name when He fights the battle of Armageddon, and we will know His name when we bow before Him on Judgment Day.

Next he tells us, “He’ll look like one of us.” How does he know that, nothing in the Bible says what He will look like then. “And we will kill Him . . . as we always have done.” That’s not what all the Scriptures I’ve cited say, (notice again that he cites no Scripture whatsoever to substantiate his claims.)

And then we enter what I’ll call his closing perhaps, “Perhaps He has already returned; perhaps we have already killed Him. Perhaps mankind is today suffering the consequences of its actions. Mankind is asleep. It’s time to wake up.”

Perhaps he should read the Bible and stop making things up.

Please read this outstanding article for helpful information about Christ’s return: http://www.gotquestions.org/difference-Rapture-Second-Coming.html