Jews were a chosen race. Separated and isolated. God's laws were given to them. Both blessings and curses. We can learn from the OT laws, certainly. But to enforce the letter of the law is to not grasp the new covenant.
The great commission is to preach Jesus. As Paul and the disciples did.
Paul clashed with Peter and explains all we need to know on obedience to OT law in
Gal 2:14-21.
Gal 2:21
If I refuse to reject the grace of God. But if a person is put right with God through the Law, it means that Christ died for nothing!
Greetings brother
Jews were God's chosen people, a chosen race, so true. Why did God choose the? He chose them to be an example to the rest of the world, God's people will be blessed, the world will see them as God's people, they will see the blessings and come to God also. But as we know this didn't happen, they were blessed when they followed God's commands, but had to be punished when they didn't. Sadly they kept falling into sin and had to be constantly punished.
The Jews became the most persecuted group of people in the world, punished by God and punished by the rest of the world. It is still very clear to see this in the world today. But let us never forget, God has not forgotten them, he proved this by the fulfilment of prophesy that the Jews, who were scattered all over the world, to save them, would return to Israel. The land of milk and honey became barren, but the Jews would return and the land will be restored. 15 May 1948 Israel was again declared a state.
Amos 9:14-15
“I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them.”
Isaiah 41:9
“You, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, Descendant of Abraham My friend, you whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its remotest parts and said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you.”
Isaiah 43:5-6
“
Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, And gather you from the west. “I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring My sons from afar And My daughters from the ends of the earth.”
Let us also never forget, Christians who are born again, are grafted into the root stock of the Jewish faith. Yes they are isolated in this world, but shouldn't be isolated from Christians grafted into the root stock.
Romans 10:12-13
12
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
13
For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."
Ephesians 2:11-13
11
Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh--who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands--
12
that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise,
having no hope and without God in the world.
13
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off
have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Anyone who separates Christian's from Jews, anyone who says the Old Testament is Jews, the New Testament is Jesus, this is the era of Grace, are going against scripture. There is No distinction between Jews and Gentiles, we were once aliens of Israel, strangers from the covenant, but we are now in Christ, grafted into their root stock.
This was where a lot of issues was created in the early church, the RCC saw Christians as superior to Jews, not part of the same root stock, the RCC Christians believed Jews had to convert to Christianity, that created friction, fighting, killing and hate for Jews. No wonder they were seen as an isolated race.
The clash between Paul and Peter, seems to carry with it a lot of misunderstanding. I prefer to read the following rather than a single verse.
Galatians 2:14-21 (NKJV)
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."
Why did Paul clash with Peter? They both saw things differently, but Paul saw the Unity of the Church threatened.
Peter's response was when he was challenged to live up to the truth of the Gospel: fear and failure.
Paul's response was when he saw the truth of the Gospel being diluted: courage and defence.
It came down to the topic of Saved by Grace vs The Law. These two items are important we all agree but, they should be looked at separately not together, when they are brought together, compared together conflict always arises, as it did with Peter and Paul.
We are Saved by Grace through Faith by coming to Jesus and the Cross, we all agree I am sure.
But, the Law is still applicable today, why? Because the Law reveals sin, the blood of Christ washes it away through faith and repentance.
Individually they both have different tasks, together they fulfil God's will for every believer, Jew or Gentile.
If sin isn't revealed how do we know what it is and what we should avoid and repent of?
Likewise the Jews were a chosen race, they still are. The Gentiles were lost souls in all the world, Jesus was the remedy, He joins together all who come to Him through Jesus, as scriptures says,
IN ALL THINGS, Jews first then Gentiles, it is the same with the Bible God's Word, the OT first then the NT but both are woven together like a fine silk garment, it is the same with the Law and Grace, the Law came first to reveal sin, then came God's Grace, through Faith, through Jesus Christ, through the cross.
As the beginning is to the end, all these are the first and the last, separate items in themselves but made one through Jesus Christ our Lord.
