Galatians 5: To what extent do we follow the Old Testament?

[Road2Damascus]

In Galatians 5, we read this:

2 I, Paul, give you my word that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you at all.

3 I give my assurance once again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law;

4 once you seek to be reckoned as upright through the Law, then you have separated yourself from Christ, you have fallen away from grace.

5 We are led by the Spirit to wait in the confident hope of saving justice through faith,

6 since in Christ Jesus it is not being circumcised or being uncircumcised that can effect anything – only faith working through love.

catholic.org/bible/book.php?id=55&bible_chapter=5

So, related to the Mosaic Law, perhaps the Code of Leviticus, this seems to largely play that Law down as said I believe, “if you violate one, you violate all”. What is our approach to the Old Testament? Does the New Testament totally supplant it? Partially? Thank you for any comments.

I believe there is a broad approach to this question, the total picture and also, the detailed look, what Paul was implying. In some ways, it sounds like Paul is rebuking the old law so this is an important point. Circumcision here for me, seems to me to mean the Mosaic Law in total so to speak. But I’m listening and may be wrong.

Also, I do enjoy the NIV translation on this, especially 4. “You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ.” Alienated, it seems to drive home the point more and that verse 4 seems very serious.

2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 *You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. *5 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.- NIV

I hope all of this is proper and again, I thank you.

 

[JRKH]

To me the answer to this lies here:
Mt 22:36-40 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, " YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' 38 "This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 "The second is like it, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ 40 “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
Christ reduced the entire law down to “Love” - Agape.

Paul building on this basically says that those who look for salvation through the law (of which circumcision was the initial and visible sign), are taking the wrong path Since Salvation is through Christ and through Love.

Peace
James

 

[InnocentSmith]

Jimmy Akin wrote an article that might be helpful

The Law of God

 

[Nate13]

The sermon on the mount is the fulfillment of the Old law and shows what God really wanted for the Israelite’s all along if only they would have trusted him. Jesus is walking through the same motions as Moses did to get the 10 commandments to show us this. All of the laws that Moses instated after he had come down from the mountain with the 10 commandments are non binding in an of themselves. Notice that these laws come from Moses not from God as the 10 commandments did and other commands God gave to Adam and Eve for example. All of the laws that Moses laid down after the 10 commandments were put in place because of the weakness of the Isrealite’s. Divorce was not in the original plan, but the Israelite’s couldn’t cut it so he ended up allowing it in some cases. The animal sacrifices were put in place to hit home to the Israelites that they weren’t supposed to worship them. The additional laws were either put in place to prevent the Israelite’s from committing even worse sins or to hit home the fact that they needed to stop trusting in themselves and to put their trust in God.

 

[MatthewCaligari]

In my opinion, considering the New Testament is hidden in the Old, and in the Old lies the New, to some extent the Old Testament we do have to follow the Old…

But an example of some parts we do not have to follow…
Leviticus… About the ways of eating certain foods, and certain foods forbidden…
Christ declares ALL FOODS CLEAN

 

[JRKH]

The sermon on the mount is the fulfillment of the Old law and shows what God really wanted for the Israelite’s all along if only they would have trusted him. Jesus is walking through the same motions as Moses did to get the 10 commandments to show us this. All of the laws that Moses instated after he had come down from the mountain with the 10 commandments are non binding in an of themselves. Notice that these laws come from Moses not from God as the 10 commandments did and other commands God gave to Adam and Eve for example. All of the laws that Moses laid down after the 10 commandments were put in place because of the weakness of the Isrealite’s. Divorce was not in the original plan, but the Israelite’s couldn’t cut it so he ended up allowing it in some cases. The animal sacrifices were put in place to hit home to the Israelites that they weren’t supposed to worship them. The additional laws were either put in place to prevent the Israelite’s from committing even worse sins or to hit home the fact that they needed to stop trusting in themselves and to put their trust in God.

Nicely put.

The thing to remember is that God had basically been working to bring us back to him after the fall in the Garden. What happened there changed our knowledge (and thus culpability) so much that it took a long time to get us ready for Christ’s coming.
Much of that time was governed by “external law” which is summarized in the ten commandments, and built upon by the law of Moses.
Christ came to announce and demonstrate the internalizing of the Law. He announced it in the sermon on the mount and summarized it in two laws (Mt 22:36-40) and He demonstrated it for us by His entire ministry, passion, death and resurrection.

Peace
James

 

[wisdomseeker]

In Galatians 5, we read this:

catholic.org/bible/book.php?id=55&bible_chapter=5

So, related to the Mosaic Law, perhaps the Code of Leviticus, this seems to largely play that Law down as said I believe, “if you violate one, you violate all”. What is our approach to the Old Testament? Does the New Testament totally supplant it? Partially? Thank you for any comments.

I believe there is a broad approach to this question, the total picture and also, the detailed look, what Paul was implying. In some ways, it sounds like Paul is rebuking the old law so this is an important point. Circumcision here for me, seems to me to mean the Mosaic Law in total so to speak. But I’m listening and may be wrong.

Also, I do enjoy the NIV translation on this, especially 4. “You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ.” Alienated, it seems to drive home the point more and that verse 4 seems very serious.

I hope all of this is proper and again, I thank you.

I would have to read the whole chapter to know what St Paul is talking about. St Paul is not against the circuncision. what he is against is the fact that the jews refuse to believe in Christ and put the emphase on teh circuncision. St Paul had his companion circuncised. the Apostles were not against the Laws but against the Jews who placed the Law above Jesus Christ. the Law is not abolished. we still follow the laws but we don’t place the law above Christ. We need the Law and Christ.