Jesus' Words Only

Did Paul lie in court to Felix in Acts 24:14 that he "believed in all things through out the Law?"

Jul 10, 2022

Video Description

In Acts 24:14 -- based on the MEYER correction -- reads:

14 However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe in all things which [are] though out the Law and that is written in the Prophets….” This was spoken by Paul in 57 AD.

This serves Luke's goal of informing Theophilus of the legality of Christianity as still legitimately within Judaism. Theophilus is a magistrate at Rome to whom Luke's Gospel and Acts are addressed for his help to obtain acquittal at the upcoming trial of Paul. They succeeded.

Luke-Acts are intended to win favor with Roman magistrate Theophilus who in turn would help Christianity win an acquittal that our religion was new, and hence illegal. Mr. Mauck's book explains:

“Luke-Acts was written as a legal defense of Paul as he awaited trial before Nero and was intended to bring the gospel to Theophilus even as he gathered facts concerning the charges against Paul.” (John W. Mauck, Esq., Paul on Trial: The Book of Acts as a Defense of Christianity (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2001) at 4.)

So far we have seen Luke has to use many things that Christians would not admire about Paul, but this one is different.

In prior videos we saw:

Acts 17:24 – “God does not live in temples made of human hands.” Anti-Biblical, but very important for trial acquittal, and no loss of valid status under Judaism approved by Roman law..

Acts 16:17-18 – Python priestess for “many days” endorses Paul’s “way of salvation” until Paul exorcises her.

Acts 21:4; 10-11; 15; 24; Acts 20:22-23 – believers who were prophets “kept telling Paul” to “not go to Jerusalem” but Paul went anyway as “my spirit” constrains “me.”

Here, the embarrassment is purely for Paul's own self-contradiction with his positions in earlier writings - Gal. from 47 AD; 1 & 2 Cor. in 53-56 AD.

Gal. 3:19; 4:8-9: Paul says f you want to obey Sabbath, Oh foolish Galatians, you are following the Law “which was ordained by the angels through the hands of a mediator [i.e., Moses]” (Gal.3:19) Paul says such “foolish” Gentiles are desiring to submit to be in bondage to those who "are no gods." The Galatians thus wrongly seek to submit to the "weak and beggarly elements [i.e, angels were called elements – Vincent Word Studies]. You observe days…." (Gal. 4:8-9.)

"Elements" in that verse is explained by Vincent. In Vincent's Word Studies on Gal. 4:9, we read:

“The elements of the world are the personal, elemental spirits. This seems to be the preferable explanation, both here and in Col 2:8. According to Jewish ideas, all things had their special angels. In the Book of Jubilees, chapter 2, appear, the angel of the presence (comp. Isa 63:9); the angel of adoration; the spirits of the wind, the clouds, darkness, hail, frost, thunder and lightning, winter and spring, cold and heat.”

Based upon that passage, Martin Luther, the reformer, gave a sermon "How Christians Should Regard Moses," on August 27, 1525, and he said:

“Now the words which are here written [in the Law of Moses] were spoken through an angel. This is not to say that only one angel was there, for there was a great multitude there serving God and preaching to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai. The angel, however, who spoke here and did the talking, spoke just as if God himself were speaking and saying, "I am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt," etc. [Exod. 20:1], as if Peter or Paul were speaking in God's stead and saying, "I am your God," etc. In his letter to the Galatians [3:19], Paul says that the law was ordained by angels.”

This means Luther read it just like Paul meant it -- that the law was given by angels, not God, and even though the Bible reads as if God gave it, God did not. And hence, the Sabbath is not obligatory, per Galatians, precisely because the Torah itself because God did not give it, but angels did who are "no gods," and "weak and beggerly elements."

Paul speaks likewise of circumcision -- a command that only in voluntary circumstances could ever apply to Gentiles.

Gal. 5:2-12 NIV. 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.

Circumcision is Entirely Optional for Gentile. If a sojourner (Gentile) wishes to participate in Passover feast at someone's home -- which is voluntary, then the Gentile must be circumcised. (Exodus 12:48.) Also later, Ezekiel added prophetically that a Gentile who wished to enter the Temple had to be circumcised. Ezekiel 44:9.

 

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