Throughout the Old Testament we find the Lord making various and wonderful promises to the progenitors of the nation of Israel–Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  In Hebrews 6:12,13 the Apostle Paul cautions the Hebrew (Israelite) converts to conduction themselves so as to “inherit the promises” God made to Abraham (and later to Isaac and Jacob).  Then in Romans 15:8 he wrote that Jesus came to earth to “confirm the promises made to the fathers” (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob).  In the Greek language the word “confirm” is babaioo, meaning to make strong, to establish, to bring to pass.

Question: If the Old Testament was “nailed to the cross,” why did Jesus come to confirm the promises God made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob–the forefathers of the Israelites.  Jesus, we are told, came to work with the Gentiles, to offer salvation to them while ignoring the Israelites who had lost favor with God.  If this is the case, why, when approached by a Gentile, did Jesus say: “I have been sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mat. 15:24).  And why did He tell His apostles not to go to the Gentiles, nor to the people of nearby Samaria: “But go rather to the LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL and preach to them the Gospel of the Kingdom, heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils, freely you have received (the Gospel and the power to demonstrate it), freely give” (the Gospel TO THE ISRAELITES TO WHOM THEY HAD BEEN SENT).   Question: What Israelites would receive the promises God made to the fathers, be taught the Gospel, healed, delivered, etc?  Those who would become THE CHURCH which would be established on the Day of Pentecost (an Israelite Holy Day) as 120 or so JEWISH CONVERTS were gathered to observe the Holy Day after having observed the Passover (another Israelite Holy Day) 50 days earlier.  Where were the Gentiles at the establishment of the Church of God?  And who did Peter tell to repent and be baptized in order to become part of that church?  Thousands of Jews  who had come to Jerusalem to observe Passover and Pentecost.  Notice what Peter called these people: “You MEN OF ISRAEL” (Acts 2:22) who had come to Jerusalem from all over the world to celebrate the Passover-Pentecost Holy Day season.  The “Jews” (tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Levi) comprised only a small part of the house of Israel.  Nothing has changed.

The Apostle Paul’s relationship with Gentiles relative to the Law, the church and eternal life is a good subject to investigate relative to the focus of this series.  In Acts 9 we find him (then called Saul) in hot pursuit of those who had embraced the man called Jesus.  In order to be unhindered in his quest he asked for and received letters of authority from the chief priests in Jerusalem that would allow him to go to THE JEWISH SYNAGOGUES IN DAMASCUS, arrest Christians found worshiping there and bring them to Jerusalem to face the wrath of the Jewish hierarchy.  Question: if the Christians were to leave behind everything pertaining to the Law and prophetical writings, why would they be going to Jewish synagogues?  The question is answered in Acts 13 where we find a converted Saul of Tarsus, now called Paul, entering the synagogue in Antioch where they heard the reading of the Law (vss 14,15) and the writings of the prophets (vs 27).  Why, if the Law and the prophetical writings were anathema to Christians?  Later we find Gentiles asking Paul to speak to them the following (7th day) Sabbath (vs 42).  Gentiles were not allowed inside the Jewish places of worship.  Each synagogue had an area outside the walls where they could gather to hear the Law being read.  This area was called Solomon’s Porch.  These Gentiles knew Paul would speak to them about the Law.  The next (Saturday) Sabbath a great multitude of Gentiles gathered to hear Paul teach about Christ, the Law and the Kingdom of God–the Gospel message.

Beginning with Christ’s giving of the Law to Israel from Mt. Sinai, all, including Gentile converts (spiritual Israelites) were required to obey the Law.  He also spoke to His prophets who preached what He told them then recorded their messages.  Their writings, plus the Torah–the first five books of the Bible written by Moses–comprised the Law that all of God’s people were commanded to know, believe and obey.  God’s people do so until this day.  With the exception of the sacrificial and ritualistic “law that was added because of transgressions” against the Ten Commandment Law (Gal. 3:19), which John defines as sin in 1 John 3:4.

Recall that when the Law was given at Mt. Sinai, God (the Word Who became Jesus of Nazareth) spoke and wrote the Ten Commandments, “AND HE ADDED NO MORE and He wrote them (ten commandments) on two tablets of stone” (Deut. 5:22).  The Law was perfect as written.  He later added the sacrificial law because the people would not obey His moral Law.  His true disciples (including Gentiles–spiritual Israelites) obeyed that Law and do so today.  The Word (Jesus) would later come to earth to “magnify the Law and make it honorable (again)” (Isa. 42:21).  Paul also said that the Law IS (then and now) HOLY, JUST AND GOOD (Rom. 7:12).  There are no nail marks in God’s Law.

Without the Law there is no Christianity.  Earlier I repeated a comment that says it all: “Jesus did not nail the Law to the cross; the Law nailed Jesus to the cross.”  Jesus was nailed to the cross because men would not obey the Law, which is the definition of sin.  Jesus died for man’s sins.  Man sins when he transgresses the Law: “To transgress the Law is sin, for sin is the transgression of the Law (1 Jn. 3:4).  Satan convinced Adam and Eve to transgress God’s Law by promising them that they could do so and “not surely die.”  Their descendants are still being convinced by Satan that they can break the Law and “not surely die.”  Paul said that the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23).  Sinners saved by grace contend that the wages of their sin is eternal life, as Satan’s false prophets assure them each sun god day.  L.J.