“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

The answer Jesus gave will probably surprise you.  He replied,

“What is written in the law? How do you read it?”

That's right.  When asked about the path to eternal life, Jesus referred the questioner to Father's Law.  He didn't say anything about a sinner's prayer or going to church, etc.  Jesus clearly refers the man to God's Law.  Let's have a look in the context of Luke 10:

25 Just then an expert in the law stood up to test Him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the law?” He asked him. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.[a]

28 “You’ve answered correctly,” He told him. “Do this and you will live.”

Notice the [a] footnote at the end of the man's answer.  If you click on it you'll see that he is quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.

Jesus clearly acknowledges that these two passages are the correct answer.  If one practices these two commandments they will have eternal life.

The man asks for clarification on who he should consider his neighbor.  This is important to him because the religious Jews of the day believed they shouldn't associate with foreigners.  (This is discussed briefly in a previous blog post here.)   Jesus responds with the parable of the Good Samaritan:

29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 Jesus took up the question and said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him up, and fled, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down that road. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 In the same way, a Levite, when he arrived at the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. (Notice that the Priest and the Levite avoid the man completely.) 33 But a Samaritan on his journey came up to him, and when he saw the man, he had compassion.34 He went over to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on olive oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him. When I come back I’ll reimburse you for whatever extra you spend.’
36 “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?”
37 “The one who showed mercy to him,” he said.
Then Jesus told him, “Go and do the same.”

So here you have it from the Master himself.  To inherit eternal life, practice Deuteronomy 6:5, Leviticus 19:18 and show mercy to those in need!  Don't listen to those who would tell you otherwise!

It should also be discussed that it is not up to man to decide what it looks like to love God with all of our heart and our neighbors as ourselves.  To learn this we need to study the two verses above in their contexts.  We cannot decide for ourselves. 

"No, Lord!"

This was Peter's response when he thought the vision he received in Acts 10 was about eating unclean animals.

13 Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat!”

14 “No, Lord!” Peter said. “For I have never eaten anything common and ritually unclean!” (Acts 10)

Let that sink in for a moment.  This disciple who walked with Jesus hearing all of his teachings first-hand is appalled at the notion of eating unclean animals.   Surely if Jesus was planning for his followers to disregard Father's commandments Peter would have known about it. 

Instead, Peter was clear that he has never eaten unclean animals and was so adamant that he refused the instruction given from Jesus in the vision.

Then the voice says:
15 Again, a second time, a voice said to him, “What God has made clean, you must not call common.”

Afterwards, Peter was still perplexed at what the vision could mean:

17 While Peter was deeply perplexed about what the vision he had seen might mean, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions to Simon’s house, stood at the gate.

The men sent by Cornelius were now at the gate.  They were sent because an angel of God had so instructed Cornelius in Acts 10:1-8.

The Spirit told Peter to go with these men:

19 While Peter was thinking about the vision, the Spirit told him, “Three men are here looking for you. 20 Get up, go downstairs, and accompany them with no doubts at all, because I have sent them.”

In the following verses, Acts 10:21-27, the three men explain why they are there.  Peter invites them in and returns with them the next day. 

Cornelius was expecting Peter and had many relatives and friends there awaiting his arrival.  When Peter arrived he said to them:

28 Peter said to them, “You know it’s forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or visit a foreigner. But God has shown me that I must not call any person common or unclean.

This is where we get to the meat of the matter.  Peter shares the meaning of his vision which is that he must not call any person common or unclean.  Who forbade Jewish men from associating with foreigners?  It wasn't God.  It was a Jewish man-made tradition related to the one I discussed here: Disregarding the command of God, you keep the tradition of men.

Peter goes on to explain that this is why he came as requested:

29 That’s why I came without any objection when I was sent for. So I ask: Why did you send for me?”

Cornelius answers by explaining how he was visited by the angel and told to request Peter.  Peter responds with all of the good news:  Acts 10:30-47.

In the next chapter of Acts, Peter summarizes the whole ordeal.  It's clear the meaning of the vision is about going with the 'unclean' men and not about eating unclean animals:

11 The apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had welcomed God’s message also. 2 When Peter went up to Jerusalem, those who stressed circumcision argued with him,3 saying, “You visited uncircumcised men and ate with them!”4 Peter began to explain to them in an orderly sequence, saying: 5 “I was in the town of Joppa praying, and I saw, in a visionary state, an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it came to me. 6 When I looked closely and considered it, I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky. 7 Then I also heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat!’8 “‘No, Lord!’ I said. ‘For nothing common or ritually unclean has ever entered my mouth!’ 9 But a voice answered from heaven a second time, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call common.’10 “Now this happened three times, and then everything was drawn up again into heaven. 11 At that very moment, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were. 12 Then the Spirit told me to accompany them with no doubts at all. These six brothers accompanied me, and we went into the man’s house. 13 He reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is also named Peter. 14 He will speak a message to you that you and all your household will be saved by.’15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them, just as on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 Therefore, if God gave them the same gift that He also gave to us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I possibly hinder God?”18 When they heard this they became silent. Then they glorified God, saying, “So God has granted repentance resulting in life even to the Gentiles!”

Notice that at no time does Peter change his disgust at the notion of eating unclean animals, but he does change his mind about the man-made tradition about associating with Gentiles. 

Many have taken some of these verses out of context in an effort to justify their sin of eating unclean.  The reality, however, is that the context disproves their claim and actually proves quite the opposite. 

Disregarding the command of God, you keep the tradition of men.

Do you know who said this and to whom it was said?  The answer may surprise you!

Folks have been led to believe that Jesus opposed the Pharisees for promoting obedience to Father's commandments.  The gospel accounts reveal quite the opposite!

Mark 7 proves this point easily:

7 The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Him. 2 They observed that some of His disciples were eating their bread with unclean—that is, unwashed—hands. 3 (For the Pharisees, in fact all the Jews, will not eat unless they wash their hands ritually, keeping the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they have washed. And there are many other customs they have received and keep, like the washing of cups, jugs, copper utensils, and dining couches.[a]) 5 Then the Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why don’t Your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders, instead of eating bread with ritually unclean[b]hands?”

Notice that the Pharisees asked Jesus why the disciples didn't live according to "the tradition of the elders".  Someone who is unfamiliar with God's commands might assume that this hand-washing ritual is something Father commanded, but it is not.  It is a man-made tradition. 

Continuing in Mark 7:

6 He answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites,as it is written:
These people honor Me with their lips,
but their heart is far from Me.
7 They worship Me in vain,
teaching as doctrines the commands of men.[c]
8 Disregarding the command of God, you keep the tradition of men.”[d]9 He also said to them, “You completely invalidate God’s command in order to maintain[e] your tradition!

Jesus is clearly faulting the Pharisees for disregarding the commands of God while instead keeping the traditions of men.

Jesus goes on to give them another example of them disregarding God's Law:

10 For Moses said:
Honor your father and your mother;[f] and
Whoever speaks evil of father or mother
must be put to death.[g]
11 But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or mother: Whatever benefit you might have received from me is Corban’” (that is, a gift committed to the temple), 12 “you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. 13 You revoke God’s word by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many other similar things.”

Jesus clearly promotes God's commandment.  He rebukes them for revoking God's word with their man-made traditions.

Continuing please keep in mind that the original topic of conversation was about eating with 'dirty' hands.  They were not discussing which animals are clean.

Continuing Mark 7:

14 Summoning the crowd again, He told them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand:15 Nothing that goes into a person from outside can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him. [16 If anyone has ears to hear, he should listen!]”[h]
17 When He went into the house away from the crowd, the disciples asked Him about the parable. 18 And He said to them, “Are you also as lacking in understanding? Don’t you realize that nothing going into a man from the outside can defile him? 19 For it doesn’t go into his heart but into the stomach and is eliminated.”[i] (As a result, He made all foods clean.[j]) 20 Then He said, “What comes out of a person—that defiles him. 21 For from within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, 22 adulteries, greed, evil actions, deceit, promiscuity, stinginess,[k] blasphemy, pride, and foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a person.”

Someone who doesn't want to obey God's commandments will take verse 19 and run with it declaring that any animal is good to eat.  However, that isn't the context.  Furthermore, to Jesus and his audience unclean animals such as pigs, catfish, squirrel, vultures, etc were not considered food.  In this blog post it is proven that Peter was appalled at the notion of eating unclean.

Jesus just got out of his mouth that the Pharisees were ignoring the commandments of God in favor of their traditions.  So he most certainly isn't going to then tell them to ignore Father's commandment 5 seconds later.  Additionally, if Jesus were to violate this commandment he would be a sinner and he died for his own sins.

Again, the context of the encounter is regarding the ritual washing of hands.  This process is still practiced in Judaism today.  I've seen it with my own eyes and even by some that claimed to follow Jesus.  More info on the hand washing rituals here.  Again, this is not a commandment of God.

What many don't understand is that the Pharisees had TWO laws.  One was the law given from the Almighty through Moses.   Jesus referred to this as the "Commands of God" in this passage and in Matthew 5:17-19 he simply calls it the "law".   The other law that the Pharisees practiced is called the Talmud.  It is often referred to as the "oral law".  This is what they were referring to when they speak of the "tradition of the elders".   See more here.

In an earlier blog entry here, we saw how Paul was careful to observe the biblical law himself.  It's hypocritical to believe he was teaching his followers to do the opposite.  Many believe that much of the confusion over Paul's meaning results around the two different laws.  Perhaps we'll address that later.

In conclusion, Jesus faulted the Pharisees for disregarding the commands of God while keeping man-made traditions instead.  This is my witness to you as well.  Stop disregarding Father's commandments in favor of the traditions you've been handed down.

Until Heaven and Earth Pass Away......

The title above is an excerpt from my Master's teaching regarding the Almighty's commandments.

17 “Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5

Obviously heaven and earth haven't passed away so we know that nothing Jesus did or will do changes this.

To someone that studies only the last 1/4 of the Bible the significance probably stops there.  However, those familiar with Father's promise about the Law will find a much greater meaning.

What most miss is that Father called heaven and earth as witnesses when He made a promise:

19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, (Deut 30)

Notice that Father has called heaven and earth as witnesses that He has given a choice of life and death, blessing and curse.

Let's have a look at this verse in context starting 8 verses before:

11 “This command that I give you today is certainly not too difficult or beyond your reach. 12 It is not in heaven so that you have to ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?’ 13 And it is not across the sea so that you have to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?’ 14 But the message is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may follow it.

Father gave a command that is not too difficult or out of reach.   It is very near to us and we should not make excuses.

15 See, today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity.

A choice is given.

16 For I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commands, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live and multiply, and the Lord your God may bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

He gives the command to obey all His instructions so that one will receive His blessings.

17 But if your heart turns away and you do not listen and you are led astray to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I tell you today that you will certainly perish and will not live long in the land you are entering to possess across the Jordan.

One that turns away and doesn't obey His Law will be disciplined severely.

19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, 20 love the Lord your God, obey Him, and remain faithful to Him. For He is your life, and He will prolong your life in the land the Lord swore to give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Here again we see that Father calls heaven and earth as witnesses that He has given a choice of life and death, blessing and curse.

Surely this is what Jesus was referring to in the opening statement above.  Let's look at it again:

17 “Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5

 Since the context of Jesus's teaching is about the status of Father's Law, he is clearly referring to the promise Father made in Deuteronomy 30 when He calls heaven and earth as witnesses.  Jesus reminds us that heaven and earth hasn't passed away.  He goes on to say that whoever teaches against the Law would be considered least while those that practice and teach would be called great.

This notion of obeying Father's Law will seem foreign to most.   Father did know that His Law would be abandoned.  The good news, however, is that He also foresaw a return in the later years. 

From the first half of the same chapter (Deut 30):

30 “When all these things happen to you—the blessings and curses I have set before you—and you come to your senses while you are in all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you,

Once the scattered lost have experienced the blessings and curses and come to their senses.....

2 and you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey Him with all your heart and all your soul by doing everything I am giving you today, 3 then He will restore your fortunes, have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.4 Even if your exiles are at the ends of the earth, He will gather you and bring you back from there.

And the families return to Father will all of their heart and soul OBEYING everything He had instructed them to do, He will restore their fortunes and bring them back......

5 The Lord your God will bring you into the land your fathers possessed, and you will take possession of it. He will cause you to prosper and multiply you more than He did your fathers.

The lost tribes of Israel will be brought back to the Land.  More on this in a later blog.  For now see Jeremiah 16:14-15 in context and Jeremiah 30 & 31.

6 The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and all your soul so that you will live. 7 The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you. 8 Then you will again obey Him and follow all His commands I am giving you today. 9 The Lord your God will make you prosper abundantly in all the work of your hands with children, the offspring of your livestock, and your land’s produce. Indeed, the Lord will again delight in your prosperity, as He delighted in that of your fathers, 10 when you obey the Lord your God by keeping His commands and statutes that are written in this book of the law and return to Him with all your heart and all your soul.

It's a love affair between Father and the people.  Once again the people will show their love to the Almighty by obeying all His commandments and He will prosper them.

After all, heaven and earth are still here.  They testify to the promise the Almighty made:  Life and Blessings, or Death and Curses.  It's your choice.  I'm sure Jesus hopes you will choose wisely.   

Law vs. Covenant. What's the diff?

Law versus Covenant.  What's the difference?

My hope is to alleviate the confusion that some have regarding Father's Law (aka commandments) as compared to the agreement He made with the exodus multitude regarding this Law.

Law is defined by dictionary.com as:

the principles and regulations established in a community by some authority and applicable to its people,whether in the form of legislation or of custom and policies recognized and enforced by judicial decision.

As pertaining to the Bible, law is usually translated from the Hebrew towrah (aka torah) meaning

law, direction, instruction.

Whereas covenant has a dictionary definition of:

an agreement, usually formal, between two or more persons to do or not do something specified.

It comes from the Hebrew bĕriyth meaning

covenant, alliance, pledge.

As we see here a law refers to the regulations and instructions given a community. A covenant is an agreement or pledge usually between two or more parties.

Father's Law wasn't created during the exodus but has existed since at least Abraham.  We know this because Father blessed Abraham as a result of his obedience as seen in Genesis 26:

4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

When we check the Hebrew we find that verse 5 is indeed speaking of the Torah.

Now that we've determined that the Law predates the exodus let's have a look at the covenant.  Moses had this to say:

2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb (Sinai). 3 He did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with all of us who are alive here today.

Here we see that the covenant between our Heavenly Father and those on the exodus began at Horeb/Sinai.  Father first speaks of it in Exodus 19:

5 Now if you will listen to Me and carefully keep My covenant, you will be My own possession out of all the peoples, although all the earth is Mine, 6 and you will be My kingdom of priests and My holy nation.’ These are the words that you are to say to the Israelites.”

We see that Father offers the covenant.  If they decide to keep the covenant, Father will make them a kingdom of priests and His holy nation.  Let's see what happens next:

7 After Moses came back, he summoned the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. 8 Then all the people responded together, “We will do all that the Lord has spoken.” So Moses brought the people’s words back to the Lord.

The people accept the offer!  The rest of the chapter describes the process of getting the people ready to enter the covenant:  Exodus 9:9-25.

Then Father spoke all the words below.  (Notice that the underlined content are not actual commandments, but explanations,  promises and duration of the covenant agreement.)

2 I am the Lord (YHWH) your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.
3 Do not have other gods besides Me.
4 Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers’ sin, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commands.
7 Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses His name.
8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy: 9 You are to labor six days and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the foreigner who is within your gates. 11 For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.
12 Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
13 Do not murder.
14 Do not commit adultery.
15 Do not steal.
16 Do not give false testimony against your neighbor.
17 Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

 Looking closely we find that this isn't just a list of commandments/law.  The underlined portions are parts of the covenant agreement.  Some of the words are explanations to help us understand His nature.  In verse 4 He explains that He is jealous.  In verse 11 He explains that He rested on the seventh day of creation.  That's why the 7th day Sabbath is so special.

The remainder of the underlined portions are conditions and consequences of the covenant.

 In verse four He promises that children will be punished for the sins of their fathers up to four generations.  And for 1000 generations He will return the love of those that keep His commandments.  (Incidentally 1000 generations would equal 20-70,000 years depending on what one considers to be a generation.  Father made this promise less than 4,000 years ago according to sources I find.)  This covenant duration is still in its infancy!

Notice also that no time frame is ever given for the Law---only the Covenant!  The Law has existed at least since Abraham.  I suspect it goes back to Creation as Father Himself rested on the Sabbath.  He reminds us of this in the Ten Commandments.

The next three chapters consist of additional commandments.  Just before the covenant ceremony Father makes additional promises such as this:

25 Worship the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. I will remove illnesses from you. 26 No woman will miscarry or be childless in your land. I will give you the full number of your days.  (Exodus 23)

Father promises immediately before the covenant ceremony that He will prevent famine, illness, miscarriages, being barren and dying young.

7 He then took the covenant scroll and read it aloud to the people. They responded, “We will do and obey everything that the Lord has commanded.” (Exodus 24)

Moses reads the covenant aloud and they agree to obey everything.

I believe that as long as the Covenant agreement was kept (the Law obeyed) that Father would keep them from famine, illness, miscarriages, being barren or dying young.   If not, then what does that say about one's faith in the Almighty?  Is He a man that would break His promise?

Do you or anyone you love experience the bad things listed above?  If so, have they examined the words of the covenant to see if they are in violation?  If not for themselves, why not for their children?

Again, the duration is 1,000 generations (20-70,000 years).  No where does the Almighty say "until Jesus comes".  If Jesus had brought us something better then why do you and yours experience the bad things that Father said wouldn't happen?

Don't take my remarks to be against Jesus.  They are not.  He is my Master and my primary life goal is to follow all his teachings.  We will discuss Jesus and the new covenant in later blog entries. 

What about Paul?

The apostle Paul has to be the most misunderstood figure in the Bible.  Either that or he was a hypocrite.   Please allow me to explain.

Most of you reading this will already know that I am a huge proponent of being obedient to the Almighty's commandments.   In nearly every conversation I have with those who disagree, they will always refute the teachings of Jesus using the words of Paul.

Why does Jesus teach one thing and Paul another?  They don't.  Please indulge me for a moment.

For example, Jesus tells us to practice and teach all of Father's commandments:

19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5)

 Later in Acts 9 we see Jesus pick the disciple named Ananias to heal Paul's blindness:

10 There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. And the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias!”   

“Here I am, Lord!” he said.

11 “Get up and go to the street called Straight,” the Lord said to him, “to the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, since he is praying there. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him so he can regain his sight.”

In Acts 22 we see this disciple described by Paul as being a devout man according to the law:

12 Someone named Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good reputation with all the Jews residing there, 13 came and stood by me and said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ And in that very hour I looked up and saw him.

Earlier we see Jesus teach that whoever practices and teaches Father's commands will be great in the kingdom of heaven.  Now AFTER the resurrection we see Jesus personally choose a disciple that is a devout man according to the law as his disciple to heal Paul.

Let that sink in.  If Jesus's feelings on the law changed at the resurrection then why did he choose a devout keeper of the law to heal Paul?

Now let's have a look at how Paul behaved:

On one occasion upon his return to Jerusalem, Paul learns there is a rumor that he has been teaching the Jews to stop following Father's commands that came through Moses:

20 When they heard it, they glorified God and said, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law. 21 But they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to abandon Moses, by telling them not to circumcise their children or to walk in our customs. (Acts 21)

So there were thousands of BELIEVING Jews who are ZEALOUS FOR THE LAW.  They heard a rumor that Paul was teaching against such obedience.  What do the believing brothers recommend Paul to do?

22 So what is to be done? They will certainly hear that you’ve come. 23 Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have obligated themselves with a vow. 24 Take these men, purify yourself along with them, and pay for them to get their heads shaved. Then everyone will know that what they were told about you amounts to nothing, but that you yourself are also careful about observing the law.

The brothers recommend to Paul to participate in a Nazirite vow in order to prove that he is also CAREFUL ABOUT OBSERVING THE LAW.   If you aren't familiar with this vow, see Numbers 6.

Does Paul oblige?  Yes, he does!

26 Then the next day, Paul took the men, having purified himself along with them, and entered the temple, announcing the completion of the purification days when the offering for each of them would be made.

 Paul participates in the Nazirite vow to prove he is careful about observing the law. 

In this incident alone we see thousands of believing Jews are still zealous for the Law.  We see the believing brothers tell Paul to complete the vow in order to disprove the rumor and show that he is observing the Law.  Ultimately we see Paul do the vow surely for the same reason.

Quickly, here are a few more examples:  (Click on the Bible references to open them in a new window)

In Acts 23:1-5 Paul faults a member of the Sanhedrin for violating the law.  Upon learning he's the High Priest, Paul backs down according to Father's law of Exodus 22:28.

Immediately following in verses 6-9 Paul is still calling himself a Pharisee.  Also it's quite interesting to note that the scribes of the Pharisees defend Paul finding no fault with him.  If Paul was teaching the people to disregard Father's commandments given through Moses they would certainly find fault with that!

What had Paul done or said that the unbelieving Jews found fault with?  Paul tells us in Acts 23:6 and Acts 24:12-21.  He is in trouble for preaching the resurrection of the dead!   See also Acts 26:8.

Paul goes on to say that he hasn't done anything against the "law of the Jews"( Acts 25:7-8 ) or the "customs of our ancestors" (Acts 28:17-18).

Paul adds that he was seized because he went to the Gentiles teaching them to repent and do works worthy of repentance:  Acts 26:20-22. 

Please pay close attention to that last verse (22) where Paul says:

To this very day, I have obtained help that comes from God, and I stand and testify to both small and great, saying nothing else than what the prophets and Moses said would take place—

Please don't gloss over that.  Paul testifies that he has said nothing other than what the prophets and Moses said would take place!   In other words, if we believe Paul taught anything other than what is found in the Old Testament then we are in ERROR!

What about Paul's writings you say?  Let us recap before we continue.

1. Jesus obeyed the Law and taught others to do the same.
2. Jesus picked a man to heal Paul who was devout according to the Law.
3. Thousands of believing Jews, who were zealous for the Law, were troubled by the false rumor that Paul was teaching Jews to abandon the Law.
4. The believing brothers told Paul to participate in a Numbers 6 Nazirite vow to prove his dedication to obeying the Law.
5. Paul proves his dedication to the Law by completing the vow.
6. Paul submits to the High Priest according to the Law.
7. The scribes of the Pharisees defend Paul as they find no fault with him.
8. Paul says he hasn't done anything contrary to the law of the Jews or the customs of their ancestors.
9. Paul states that he is detained because of preaching the resurrection and teaching Gentiles to repent and perform works worthy of repentance.  
10. Paul exclaims that he has taught nothing other than what the Old Testament Prophets and the Books of Moses said would take place.

As I stated originally, people often refute the teachings of Jesus by quoting the writings attributed to Paul.  They do this while completely ignoring all of his actions described in the Book of Acts! 

Indeed, if I were to take books such as Romans or Galatians outside the context of the rest of the Bible, I would probably be of the opinion that the bulk of Churchianity is under today.  

So how can Paul's writings say one thing and his actions another?  Is he a hypocrite?  After all, Paul continued to identify as a Pharisee and Jesus regularly faulted them for being hypocrites.  See Matthew 6, 15, 23 and Luke 12 & 13.  

No.  I don't believe Paul was a hypocrite.  As I said before, I believe he is misunderstood.  How can there be such a huge misunderstanding?  That answer lies in 2 Peter 3:

15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.  16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position.

Peter warns that Paul's letters contain things that are hard to understand.  He adds that ignorant and unstable people distort the meaning of these writings.  We are warned not to be carried away by the "error of the lawless".

This isn't that hard to believe when we remember that even back in Acts 21 above there were misunderstandings and/or distortions about what Paul was teaching.

I would very much like to have the originals of Paul's letters and be versed in the language he was using.  As for now, 1900+ years later, all we have are translations of copies of translations, etc.

In conclusion my position is that I don't want to succumb to the error of the lawless by following distortions of the teachings of Paul.  Instead, I choose to learn to practice the same law that he went out of his way to practice and that Jesus commanded us to practice.  If we claim that Paul taught contrary to his actions then he was a hypocrite.   Why would you follow a hypocrite?

My Master, the Messiah, wouldn't choose a hypocrite for such a noble task.

I encourage you to leave behind the lawless teachings of the ignorant and unstable.  Instead I hope you will walk as Paul walked.....as Ananias walked......as thousands of believing brothers walked......and ultimately as Jesus walked.