971. Jews Redeemed From the Curse So Gentiles Might Receive the Promise of the Spirit

Continuing in Galatians Chapter 3, Paul was providing these believing Gentiles with a hard-hitting explanation of why they do not want to pursue works of the law—which they were never under—in order to perfect themselves. They began in the Spirit and were being coerced into thinking they needed Jesus plus works in order to be justified. This was a common mindset among believing Jews in the early church. After all, it wouldn't be "fair" for believing Jews to be required to continue in the law while non-Jewish people were let off the hook regarding that burdensome ministry.

Redemption for both Jews and Gentiles came by a promise, through faith ... and the law was not of faith. It came by inheritance, gifted to us who have received the promise of the Spirit through faith.



   
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644. Summarizing the Scripture (Part 15): What the Teachings of Jesus Were Meant to Accomplish

Generally speaking, the Bible talks about two kinds of people — Jews and Gentiles. Jesus said He came to minister to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The book of Galatians states He was born of a woman, born under the law in order to redeem those who were under the law. They needed to be redeemed from the curse the law brought. This wasn’t a ministry extended to us who were born outside of the Jewish race. Gentiles were never given the law. Many of the teachings of Jesus were not meant to be considered as Christian doctrine under a New Covenant. But rather, Jesus was often elevating or magnifying the law so the Jews could see it for what it really was, which was the requirement to keep it perfectly… it was impossible for them to enter life through those commands within the first covenant. It was meant to close their mouths and stop their boasting. Occasionally, Jesus would point to the new and better covenant that would be given to all people after His death, and both Jew and Gentile would become one, grafted into Himself.



   

610. Gentiles: Never Given the Law; Jews: Do the Law or Die (No Doer Found)

It comes as a surprise to many Christians who have spent years in church - those of us non-Jewish people (Gentiles) were never considered to be under the Mosaic law. Never. None of it. Not the dietary rules, the sacrificial statutes, or the moral laws. Only Israel had been placed under that law in the Old Covenant, before the sacrifice of Christ. The law brought a curse for those under it - they were required to do it… all of it. Under that covenant, only a doer of the law could be justified. The problem? Nobody had ever done it until Jesus came along and fulfilled the law on our behalf. A New Covenant would be established, where righteousness would be received through faith, apart from the works of the law. Gentiles who were without the law and had no covenant would be gifted with the invitation to enter into this everlasting covenant of life. We died with Christ and have been raised to walk in newness of life.



   

492. The Curse of the Law Package

Religion will tout we need to have a balance between law and grace. The problem with thinking this way is that we can't have it both ways. The Old Covenant required people to perfectly follow all the rules and commands that came as one package. Under the Mosaic Law, mankind was not given the luxury to pick and choose which rules to follow and which can be tossed aside. We've all been freed from the curse of that law and translated into the ministry of the Spirit, with a new and better covenant where God remembers our sins no more.


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