There are many Bible readers who view the apostle Paul’s epistles as unclear or controversial. Some Christians who believe in Jesus even think Paul was a false apostle! Did Paul mean it is necessary to maintain good works and obey God’s commandments/laws…or it isn’t necessary?
As Christians, our belief in Jesus, in salvation, in the veracity of scripture, etc., is to a large extent based upon the testimony of (eye) witnesses. For example, the four gospels testify of Jesus. Books of the Bible were composed by God’s servants, inspired by the Holy Spirit (HS). 2Ti.3:16 Paul wrote “All scripture is inspired by God, and is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness”. And according to Ps.119:172, “All Thy commandments are righteousness”.
Our Bibles, both Testaments, contain numerous righteous commandments/laws of God. Ps.119:142 “Thy law is truth.” Yet Christians today reading Paul come to varying opinions about the continuing validity of God’s laws & commandments seen in scripture. The true moral laws & principles God gave to ancient Israel…are they applicable today? Should they be obeyed by Christians, by mankind?
Let’s fabricate, make believe, a trial to simulate how a court would ‘rule’ on this issue. We’ll use the holy scriptures or their writers as the witnesses. We won’t use the historical Roman Catholic Church or other denominations, or opinions of church ‘fathers’, theologians or other people. A court ‘verdict’ can be delivered only after the witnesses have been heard. Let’s now call the Bible witnesses.
Ge.26:5 “Abraham obeyed Me, kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, My laws.” All that! That indicates Divine laws were known by gentiles well before God’s codified law was given to Moses & Israel. (see “Abraham Obeyed Which Commandments?” and “Genesis Principles Predate Moses”.)
Moses wrote in De.11:1, “Love the Lord your God, and always keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments”. Also De.4:8 “What great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole Law?” Israel had such just laws, blessed beyond other peoples!
Joshua wrote of the Lord’s exhortation to him in Jsh.1:7-8. “Be careful to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded you. For then you will make your way prosperous and have good success.” Obeying the laws God made known to ancient Israel would result in prosperity and success!
David was a man after God’s own heart (ref 1Ki.11:4, 34, 15:5; Ac.13:22). David wrote in Ps.19:7-9, “The law of the Lord is perfect. His judgments are true, righteous altogether.” That’s high acclaim!
The Preacher (Ec.12:9) taught in Ec.12:13, “The conclusion, when all has been heard: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind”. After we’ve tried other things or other lifestyles, when all is said & done…obeying God’s commandments is the bottom line for right living!
Isaiah wrote in Is.8:20, “To the law and to the testimony! If they don’t speak according to this word, it is because they have no light.” Anyone not speaking according to the Lord’s commandments/testimony is in some darkness, whether they realize it or not.
Josiah said in 2Ch.34:14-15, 19, 21, “Great is the wrath of the Lord because our fathers haven’t observed the word of the Lord, to do all that is written in this book”. This king was grieved to find God’s book of the law had been disobeyed. Josiah instituted reforms.
Jeremiah prophesied that eventually the Lord would even write His laws on peoples’ very hearts! Je.31:31-33 “I will make a New Covenant. I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it.” God’s living principles would thereby become internalized in man.
Ezekiel prophesied in Ezk.36:26-27, “I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes and observe My judgments”. The day would come when the HS would enable people to live according to God’s statutes & justice. (This passage resembles Je.31:33 above, regarding the New Covenant.)
Daniel lamented in Da.9:10-11, “All Israel has transgressed Thy law and turned aside, so the curse has been poured out on us”. Wise Daniel understood that curses can result from violating God’s laws.
Malachi wrote the Lord’s warning in Mal.4:4-6. “Remember the law of Moses My servant, the statutes and judgments I commanded him. Lest I come and smite the Land with a ban of destruction.” In the final verses of the Old Testament, future generations are exhorted & warned to remember God’s laws.
Jesus the Lord confirmed in Jn.14:21, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me”. God had promised Moses/Israel in Ex.20:6, “I, the Lord your God…showing mercy to thousands who love Me and keep My commandments.” Jesus linked real love of God to obeying His commandments. Jesus castigated those Pharisees & scribes who rejected His commandments in favor of Judaism’s oral law. Mk.7:8-11 “You set aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition.” Jesus attacked the rules & regulations of men, but never the written commandments of God, including those which He’d spoken to Moses/Israel. Jesus wouldn’t contradict the Lord Himself!
Peter said in Ac.5:29, 32, “We must obey God rather than men…The Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.” Rather than fearing man, obedience to God is necessary and is a key to being Spirit-filled. (see “Governmental Loyalty for Christians”.) God commanded in Le.11:44-47 e.g., “I am the Lord your God. Be holy for I am holy. This is the law to make a distinction between the clean and the unclean.” Peter said in Ac.10:14, “I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” Later as an old man, Peter still advocates holiness, which pertained to the Lord’s command (Le.11:45) regarding clean/unclean, “It is written, Be holy for I am holy” (1Pe.1:16). also see “Unclean versus Clean Food”.
James wrote in Ja.4:12, “There is One Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy”. Jesus’ relative recognized God as the one and only genuine Lawgiver. God’s laws & standards are intrinsically right!
John reiterated Jesus’ words about loving Him (Jn.14:21) in 1Jn.5:3. “This is the love of God, that you keep His commandments.” The elderly apostle defined real love as keeping God’s commandments! John wrote in Re.12:17, “The dragon was enraged and went off to make war with those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus”. Satan hates commandment-keepers! And John also warned in 1Jn.2:3-4, “The one who says ‘I know Him’, and doesn’t keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him”. Those opposed to Divine law may just pay lip-service to Jesus.
To inherit eternal life, in Lk.10:25-28 Jesus acknowledged a person should: (1) Love God…De.6:5 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul [life], with all your might.” (2) Love your neighbor…Le.19:18 “You shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.” (see “Love – Godly Love”.) The Lord had told these principles to Moses many centuries earlier. They didn’t originate with Jesus in the 1st century! God’s laws all generally come within these two broad headings…love God and love your neighbor. 187 chapters of the Bible are attributed to Moses, many of them containing God’s commands & precepts.
Jesus again, at the very end of our Bible, Re.22:14 KJV “Blessed are they who do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life”. Eternal life for both Jews and gentiles (e.g. the non-Jew Abraham in Ge.26:5) who do God’s commandments.
We’ve quoted and examined the Bible testimony/evidence of 15 witnesses. Witnesses from Genesis to Revelation attest to the laws of God! De.19:15 “A single witness shall not rise up…on the evidence of 2 or 3 witnesses a matter shall be confirmed.” A minimum of two witnesses is necessary. Jn.8:16-18 Jesus confirmed, “The testimony of two men is true”. Jesus applied De.19:15 to disputes between church brothers in Mt.18:16. “By the mouth of 2 or 3 witnesses.” (It’s not limited to murder cases.)
1Ti.5:19 Paul instructed Timothy, “Don’t receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of 2 or 3 witnesses”. He.10:28 “Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without pity on the testimony of 2 or 3 witnesses.” Even God has His unique 2 witnesses! Re.11:3 “I will grant authority to My 2 witnesses.” So we see in both Testaments…at least 2 or 3 witnesses are necessary as evidence.
So again, we’ve read 15 witnesses who are in agreement about God’s laws, etc. But, what if another single witness arises who disagrees or seems to disagree with the above 15 witnesses of scripture…whether he’s a Bible character, a church ‘father’, a modern ‘prophet’, whoever? Or what if a single witness seems to agree with those 15 witnesses part of the time, and seems to disagree part of the time?
That’s how many Bible readers view the apostle Paul. What many see in Paul’s writings is…he’s vacillating between obedience to God’s commandments/laws and indifference or laxity.
Let’s look at the question of whether or not good works (érgon Strongs g2041, Greek) are necessary for Christians. Jesus said in Mt.5:16, “Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works [g2041]”. Jesus says in Re.2:1-2, 18-19, 3:1, “I know your works [g2041]”. Jesus rebuked and urged them to repent of dead works (also ref He.6:1). James wrote in Ja.2:18, 26, “I’ll show you my faith by my works [g2041]….faith without works [g2041] is dead.” Peter wrote in 1Pe.1:17, “The Father, who without respect of persons judges according to every man’s work [g2041]”. Paul wrote in Ti.3:8, “Be thoughtful to be leading in good works [g2041]”. Paul in Col.1:10, “That you might walk worthy of the Lord, being fruitful in every good work [g2041]”. And Paul in Ro.2:5-6, “The righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his works [g2041]”. Confirming the need to maintain good works, here we’ve read 4 ‘witnesses’…Jesus, James, Peter, and Paul himself.
But Paul in Ro.4:6 (seemingly conversely against Ro.2:5-6) wrote of “the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works [g2041]”. Also Ep.2:8-9 “By grace you have been saved through faith, not as a result of works [g2041].” What?! Taking these two passages at face value, Paul contradicts not only himself…but Peter, James, and even Jesus too! Our wayward human nature may favor the Paul of Ro.4:6 & Ep.2:8-9…and dismiss the Paul of Ti.3:8, Col.1:10 & Ro.2:5-6, and the above words of Peter, James and Jesus! But Peter warned of lawless men who twist Paul’s writings. 2Pe.3:15-17 “Our beloved brother Paul, in all his letters are some things which are hard to understand; which the unstable distort as they do also the rest of the scriptures, carried away by the error of lawless men.” Peter indicated the lawless dislike God’s laws/commandments, and use Paul’s epistles to excuse themselves.
The phrase “works of the law” appears 7 times in Paul’s writings. e.g.: Ro.3:20 “By the works [ergon g2041] of the law [nómos g3551] no flesh shall be justified in His sight.” Ro.3:28 “A man is justified by faith, apart from works of the law.” Ga.2:16 “A man isn’t justified by the works of the law.” Ga.3:5 “Does He who gives you the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the law or the hearing of faith?” (also Ro.9:32, Ga.3:2, 3:10.) What was this “works of the law”?
The concept “works of the law”, which Paul was against, is found as Esséne rituals in the Dead Sea Scrolls 4QMMT. This related to their sectarian solar calendar, purity regulations & cooking utensils & ceremony, the intermarriage of priests with commoners, etc. (Essene law concepts weren’t continued in rabbinic Judaism. Neither’s oral law applies to Christians…they aren’t God’s commands.)
Dr. John Bergsma Dead Sea Scrolls: Paul and Works of the Law “4QMMT is a letter from the Essenes to the Pharisees about ritual purity. In 4QMMT, it’s the only use of the phrase ‘works of the law’ in ancient literature outside of Paul. These aren’t issues of eternal, moral principles; these are all issues of cultic purity. Not a reference to good works in general.” They were ritualistic works.
Martin Abegg 4QMMT, Paul, and Works of the Law “Works of the law’ in 4QMMT are extant precepts concerning acts which trespass the boundaries between the pure and the impure. Paul consciously reflected the term ‘works of the law’ which was used by the author of 4QMMT and, I would suggest, by Paul’s opponents in Galatians. MMT is couched in the exact language of what Paul was rebutting in his letter. It appears highly likely that Paul was reacting to the kind of theology espoused in 4QMMT, that a person was reckoned righteous by keeping ‘works of the law.” Via purity regulations.
4QMMT C31 ending “It will be reckoned for you as righteousness, when you perform what is right and good [regulations herein] before Him, for your own good and for that of Israel.” Ro.4:22 Paul wrote, “It was reckoned to him [Abraham] as righteousness”. A likeness of expression to 4QMMT.
Barry F. Parker ‘Works of the Law’ and the Jewish Settlement in Asia Minor “It is not a case of Paul attacking the law in Galatians. Rather, he is attacking a particular understanding of the law. His assault is not on the law but on certain ‘works of the law’. There is no place whatsoever for a random selection of works of the law. 4QMMT’s ‘works of the law’ is the linguistic equivalent of Paul’s ‘erga nomou’ (e.g. Rom 3:20, 28; Gal 2:16; 3:2, 5, 10). Indeed, it seems to be the only extant equivalent. As such, it is crucial in the understanding of Paul’s use of the phrase ‘works of the law’. Rom.3:20-22, Paul makes the point that Christ adhered to the law in its entirety and not selectively. Paul’s opponents in Galatians have twisted the purpose of the law almost beyond recognition, and Paul has no tolerance for their view. Notably, he condemns their emphasis on ‘selective works of the law’ [MMT Miqsat Ma’ase ha-Toráh]. The more disparaging language concerning law in Galatians doesn’t refer to the Torah [written] per se, but to a perversion of it. The use of ‘works of the law’ there confirms both that Paul is in (indirect) dialogue with those familiar with Essene terminology and that selectivity is in view. Although he speaks to a different audience about a different problem regarding the law in Romans, when Paul uses the phrase ‘erga nomou’ in Romans 3, the immediate context is quite similar to what he addresses in Galatians.” 4QMMT promoted sectarian selected practices (non-scriptural).
‘Works of the law’ (ergon nomou) also related to temple sacrifices. As per Le.6:1-7 – After confession, restitution, pay the fine, do animal sacrifice at the temple…for forgiveness, atonement, justification…only then did the offender become reconciled to God again. This process for Old Covenant Israel was justification by works of the Torah. And it was work! Philo The Special Laws1, p.556 re Le.6:1-7: “Pardon shall be given to such a man, who shows the truth of his repentance, not by promises, but by works. Restoring the deposit he’d received, giving up what he’d stolen or found, paying in addition 1/5 of the value as an atonement for the evil he’d done. Also go to the temple and sacrifice a ram.” The now obsolete system of ritually killing animals for expiation also was a “ministry of death” (2Co.3:7).
A closer look at the ‘inconsistent’ Paul of Ro.4:6 and Ep.2:8-9, Ferrar Fenton 1903 translation: Ro.4:6 “The man to whom God grants righteousness apart from rituals.” Ep.2:8-9 “You are saved by a gift through faith, not from rituals.” Paul here had in mind ritualistic works, not good deeds or morality. Which makes sense, because Paul went on to say in v.10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works”. Would Paul contradict himself in consecutive verses; that works aren’t done in v.9, and yet the same works should be done in v.10? Rather, Christians needn’t do rituals, but should do good deeds and moral obedience. Thus, Paul in these two passages doesn’t contradict the Paul of Ti.3:8, Col.1:10 or Ro.2:5-6…nor does Paul contradict Peter, James, or Jesus regarding works.
Sacrificial & ritualistic works were not the Decalogue/10 Commandments, nor were they God’s dietary laws for health. Obviously it requires no work to: rest on the sabbath day, refrain from murder or theft, refrain from eating pigs, mice, bats, cats, dogs, or from drinking blood! A person can refrain from violations of those written principles even by staying in bed…no ‘works’ are involved whatsoever!
How did Paul view the written moral laws/commandments of God? Paul wrote in Ro.3:31, “Do we nullify the Law through faith? By no means! On the contrary, we establish the law.” Then in Ro.7:12-14, “The Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. For we know the Law is spiritual.” (The Holy Spirit had given the Law to Moses.) Paul goes on to say in v.22-25, “I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man…I myself with my mind am serving the law of God.” It seems God was writing His laws upon the heart/mind of Paul too. As Jeremiah prophesied. Paul told gentile converts in Ep.6:2, “Honor your father and mother”, quoting the very Law of Ex.20:12, De.5:16.
The above verses are examples of Paul’s testimony not contradicting what the HS inspired the other 15 witnesses. That is the true Paul. Again, 2Ti.3:16 Paul himself wrote, “All scripture is inspired by God”. Paul even says in Ro.8:7, “The carnal mind is hostile toward God, for it doesn’t subject itself to the Law of God, it is unable to do so”. Folks may sit in church on Sunday morning, yet are unable to subject themselves to God’s laws. According to Paul, that’s indicative of a carnal mind, unable to really obey God’s spiritual law. Some may call Jesus “Lord, Lord” (Lk.6:46), but not really obey the Lord.
We ‘called the witnesses’ in our simulated trial…Gentile, Israelites, Jews…Prophets, Priests, Kings. From Genesis to the final chapter of Revelation! Jesus had said in Jn.17:17, “Thy word is truth”. Since our Bibles include 13 letters (87 chapters) bearing the name of Paul, we tend to overlook the fact that he is solely just one witness! And although Paul’s epistles aren’t essential for us to inherit eternal life, Christians would prefer a clear, consistent understanding of Paul.
Would a sound-minded judge throw out the testimony of 15 separate witnesses to side with 1 whose testimony seems inconsistent? Needless to say, a just judge would side with 15 righteous witnesses, and disregard any (supposed) contrary testimony of merely 1 witness! And we saw where Paul too acknowledged the need for 2 or 3 witnesses; and read where he agreed with the 15 Bible witnesses.
Also we saw verses where Paul exhorted good works. And Paul’s reference to “works of the law” related to Jewish sectarianism/Éssenism which Paul opposed, and to sacrifices.
Finally, the writer to the Hebrews quoted Jeremiah in He.8:8-10. “Behold, I make a new covenant. I will put My laws in their minds and will write them upon their hearts.” Here a final ‘witness’ confirms that God writes His laws within New Covenant believers. The moral principles & laws which the Lord gave ancient Israel, the people He loved (e.g. De.7:7-8), are being written on yielded hearts. (also see “Two Covenants – Heart of the Matter”.)
We’ve heard/read the ‘witnesses’ of scripture. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury…how will you decide? As for me, I believe the verdict is…God’s moral laws/commandments and good works are valid for Israel, gentiles, Christians, all mankind! Praise God, our Lawgiver (Ja.4:12)!
This series about Paul is continued in “Paul the Apostle (2) – The Chameleon?”.
Bible Topic Exposition 