Eph 2:15 NRSV He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace,
I cannot count the times some well meaning heresy hunter has called me an antinomian. I don't even pay attention these days as I have realized that evangelical doctrine and dogma is so erroneous, and so toxic that their accusations are meaningless. So much of this error is hinged on a false understanding of Matthew 5:17-20. My reason for bringing this up in the New Humanity series is that until Matthew 5:17-20 is properly understood within the entire New Testament writings, accepting the pristine gospel of grace is virtually impossible. Further to the point, until we can return to the pristine gospel of the first century church, the transformation of people and communities cannot happen. I realize this requires me posting a fairly large portion of scripture below to look in context at the seemingly contrasting passages. I will underline the portions that are contradictory.
Mat 5:17-20 NRSV "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. (18) For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. (19) Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (20) For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
In contrast with...
Col 2:13-15 NRSV "And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, (14) erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. (15) He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it."
Eph 2:13-17 NRSV "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (14) For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. (15) He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, (16) and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. (17) So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near;"
For all who would try to say that they are not contradictory, I would like to contrast the following clause with the Matthew passage; "He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances." He has abolished the Law, how much more plain can it be? How can these passages be squared with Matthew 5:18? Well, the simple answer should be sufficient but alas, the toxic doctrines of evangelicalism make it not so. But first, the simple, and I believe correct answer is as follows. Matthew 5:17-20 was spoken to an audience that was strictly Jewish. The were under the Mosaic Covenant before the cross event; before the resurrection when the vail of the Temple was torn in two. The cross event and the resurrection encapsulated the phrase "all is accomplished." When Jesus said it is finished, it was indeed finished.
But let me continue for those who are steeped in a demand for a wooden legal-constitutional reading of all scripture. This is for the literalists that demand one accept the scripture as simple to understand and forthright in its meaning. To the wooden literalist, there are far more than jots and tittles that have been removed by scripture from the Law. I capitalize law because I mean Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament. The verses are found respectively in Genesis 17 and Exodus 12, and are removed by Acts 15 and Galatians 3.
In Genesis 17 Abraham is told that all of his decedents, all of his slaves, and any male that is within his household must be circumcised. This is an absolute command as evidenced by Gen 17:14 NRSV "Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant." It is absolutely impossible to be a descendent of Abraham without circumcision. Later on in Exodus, when Moses brought the Israelites out of Egypt they were given a way that a Gentile could become part of the people of God and decedents of Abraham. Exo NRSV 12:48-49 "If an alien who resides with you wants to celebrate the passover to the LORD, all his males shall be circumcised; then he may draw near to celebrate it; he shall be regarded as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it; (49) there shall be one law for the native and for the alien who resides among you." According to the Torah there was a way for a Gentile to become a part of the people of God. It was through circumcision. The operative verse was that there was just one law for the native (Jew) and one law for the alien (Gentile.) However, according to Acts 15 and most of Paul's letters there was a second way for Gentiles to become a part of the people of God. It was in Christ Jesus. Paul wrote about it this way... Gal 3:28-29 NRSV "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. (29) And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise." The fact is simple. The death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ negated a lot more than a pen stroke or a punctuation mark. It negated a portion of the scripture itself so why would it be difficult to believe Ephesians 2:15 and Colossians 2:14?
For further clarification look at what Paul wrote about the Law in Romans. Rom 10:4 NRSV "For Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes." It is the end of the law for righteousness in other versions. This does not mean that the law cannot be instructive in how to love your neighbor. What it does mean is that one does not gain their righteousness from the works of the law. It also means that grace is the driving force in the New Humanity. It means that the antinomian accusation is invalid. But most of all, it means that the first century saints realized that the purpose of the law being abolished was to give them absolute peace with the Parent God. Truly, God was in Christ reconciling the world not counting trespasses. This peace with God, was designed by the foreknowledge and foreordination of God to supernaturally produce agape/love.
I am convinced beyond doubt that this was in fact the gospel of grace that transformed so many in the first century church, and I am confident that as people begin to embrace the true gospel, and reject the different gospel, the "another gospel" that began to evolve in the second century forward that real transformation will once again take hold. Yes, people are broken. Some are addicts, some have been victims of loveless lives, but as communities spring up that proclaim the absolute love of a Parent Creator, who loves us much more that the most loving human parent is capable of, we will be able to embrace those broken pieces of humanity and together nurture one another with love as we love the creator. The truly effective gospel is one that is believed and shared in community.
In contrast with...
Col 2:13-15 NRSV "And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, (14) erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. (15) He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it."
Eph 2:13-17 NRSV "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (14) For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. (15) He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, (16) and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. (17) So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near;"
For all who would try to say that they are not contradictory, I would like to contrast the following clause with the Matthew passage; "He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances." He has abolished the Law, how much more plain can it be? How can these passages be squared with Matthew 5:18? Well, the simple answer should be sufficient but alas, the toxic doctrines of evangelicalism make it not so. But first, the simple, and I believe correct answer is as follows. Matthew 5:17-20 was spoken to an audience that was strictly Jewish. The were under the Mosaic Covenant before the cross event; before the resurrection when the vail of the Temple was torn in two. The cross event and the resurrection encapsulated the phrase "all is accomplished." When Jesus said it is finished, it was indeed finished.
But let me continue for those who are steeped in a demand for a wooden legal-constitutional reading of all scripture. This is for the literalists that demand one accept the scripture as simple to understand and forthright in its meaning. To the wooden literalist, there are far more than jots and tittles that have been removed by scripture from the Law. I capitalize law because I mean Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament. The verses are found respectively in Genesis 17 and Exodus 12, and are removed by Acts 15 and Galatians 3.
In Genesis 17 Abraham is told that all of his decedents, all of his slaves, and any male that is within his household must be circumcised. This is an absolute command as evidenced by Gen 17:14 NRSV "Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant." It is absolutely impossible to be a descendent of Abraham without circumcision. Later on in Exodus, when Moses brought the Israelites out of Egypt they were given a way that a Gentile could become part of the people of God and decedents of Abraham. Exo NRSV 12:48-49 "If an alien who resides with you wants to celebrate the passover to the LORD, all his males shall be circumcised; then he may draw near to celebrate it; he shall be regarded as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it; (49) there shall be one law for the native and for the alien who resides among you." According to the Torah there was a way for a Gentile to become a part of the people of God. It was through circumcision. The operative verse was that there was just one law for the native (Jew) and one law for the alien (Gentile.) However, according to Acts 15 and most of Paul's letters there was a second way for Gentiles to become a part of the people of God. It was in Christ Jesus. Paul wrote about it this way... Gal 3:28-29 NRSV "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. (29) And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise." The fact is simple. The death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ negated a lot more than a pen stroke or a punctuation mark. It negated a portion of the scripture itself so why would it be difficult to believe Ephesians 2:15 and Colossians 2:14?
For further clarification look at what Paul wrote about the Law in Romans. Rom 10:4 NRSV "For Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes." It is the end of the law for righteousness in other versions. This does not mean that the law cannot be instructive in how to love your neighbor. What it does mean is that one does not gain their righteousness from the works of the law. It also means that grace is the driving force in the New Humanity. It means that the antinomian accusation is invalid. But most of all, it means that the first century saints realized that the purpose of the law being abolished was to give them absolute peace with the Parent God. Truly, God was in Christ reconciling the world not counting trespasses. This peace with God, was designed by the foreknowledge and foreordination of God to supernaturally produce agape/love.
I am convinced beyond doubt that this was in fact the gospel of grace that transformed so many in the first century church, and I am confident that as people begin to embrace the true gospel, and reject the different gospel, the "another gospel" that began to evolve in the second century forward that real transformation will once again take hold. Yes, people are broken. Some are addicts, some have been victims of loveless lives, but as communities spring up that proclaim the absolute love of a Parent Creator, who loves us much more that the most loving human parent is capable of, we will be able to embrace those broken pieces of humanity and together nurture one another with love as we love the creator. The truly effective gospel is one that is believed and shared in community.
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