The Beatitudes: Christ Magnifying the Law
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@Mem, I am willing to explain in full any passage of Paul that "seem" to be against the ""Law"" but is not. Paul was mostly speaking of elements of the law of Moses that was given apart of the Ten Commandments, give me one passage at a time and let me explain. My objective here is not trying to convince you but simply that you have the right context, and the right meaning. Peter confirmed in 2 Peter 3 that Paul is difficult to understand, his letters or epistles were specific and written for some churches and were not meant to teach the people directly. in essence I am saying Paul could not have contradict Christ in any way.
I am willing to discuss always.
I extend the same invitation to any who write to me.
I am willing to discuss always.
I extend the same invitation to any who write to me.
Fred, could you write in plain English of use a corrector like I do ( free on the internet and now built-in in word processors) to make it simpler for normal people to understand?
I understand Paul did not even "seem" to be speaking against the law. His assertion is that the law is righteous in condemning us to death, and the glory of it displayed in that. That is, the law's triumph over evil is on exhibit in the death of the sinner. But He follows with how much more glorious the ministry of life is, that is the ministry of grace that remembers sin no more in remembering Christ's atoning sacrifice to take it away, by His death, and raise those that believe, by His resurrection, to life eternal with Him.
Mem the Problem with this is found in the O.T. in the following verses, please think on it, in essence God says anyone who speaks against the Commandments is against GOD and is a false teacher and or prophet.
Notice what GOD says:
If there arise in the midst of thee a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and he give thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet... for Jehovah your God proveth you, to know whether ye love Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after Jehovah your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice... (Deuteronomy 13:1-4 ASV)
God goes even further:
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of Jehovah your God which I command you. (Deuteronomy 4:2 ASV)
So the standard God gives is very simple. Anyone who teaches people away from God's commandments cannot be speaking for God, no matter how convincing they appear. God never authorizes a messenger to contradict what He has already commanded.
That is why, whenever a passage is interpreted as teaching against God's commandments, we should stop and ask whether we have understood the passage correctly. God does not change, and neither does His standard of righteousness.
Jesus confirmed exactly the same principle:
Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till all things be accomplished. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-19 ASV)
So the question is not whether Paul opposed the law. The question is whether we are interpreting Paul in a way that would make him contradict both Moses and Christ. If our interpretation creates that contradiction, then the interpretation must be wrong, because God is consistent from beginning to end.
Here is what I added.
Isa. 42:18-21. This passage begins by rephrasing Isa. 6:9-10 and then adds that the Lord’s Messiah (v.1) would magnify (KJV) his law for the sake of righteousness, which is what Jesus did in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:20).
Jesus defined hateful speech as akin to murder (Matt. 5:21-22), and lust and divorce as akin to adultery (Matt. 5:27-32). He also urged forgiveness of insults and cooperation with minor demands of those in authority when it does not transgress major morality (Matt. 5:38-42, cf. Acts 5:29). Jesus expanded divine love to include even enemies (Matt. 5:43-48, cf. Rom. 5:6-8).
The question is whether the veil remains when the old covenant is read (2Cor 3:14).
Hello Mem,
The key to understanding 2 Corinthians 3:14 is to read it in three contexts at the same time: the immediate context of Paul's letter, the Old Testament passage he is referring to, and, above all, the teaching of Jesus. If any one of these is ignored, it is easy to misunderstand Paul's point. When these three contexts are read together, we see that Paul is not saying God's Law was abolished or that Moses became obsolete. He is explaining why many of his fellow Jews, although they faithfully read Moses, did not recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah.
But their minds were hardened: for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remaineth, it not being revealed to them that it is done away in Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:14, ASV)
Many people immediately assume that this verse teaches the Old Covenant, God's Law, or Moses himself has been abolished. Yet Paul says none of these things. His concern is not with the Scriptures, but with the condition of the people reading them.
To understand his illustration, we must return to Exodus 34. After Moses came down from Mount Sinai, his face shone because he had been in the presence of God. The people were afraid to approach him.
And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai... that Moses knew not that the skin of his face shone by reason of his speaking with him. (Exodus 34:29, ASV)
Because the people feared the glory reflected on Moses' face, he placed a veil over his face whenever he spoke to them. When he entered God's presence, he removed the veil, and when he came back to the people, he covered his face again.
This veil was a literal covering over Moses' face. It did not cover the stone tablets, the commandments, or the covenant itself. Nothing in Exodus suggests that God's Law was hidden or that there was anything wrong with it. The veil simply concealed the glory shining from Moses' face.
Paul takes this historical event and uses it as a spiritual illustration. The veil no longer represents cloth over Moses' face but blindness in the hearts of those who read Moses without recognizing the Messiah to whom Moses was pointing.
Paul immediately explains his own illustration.
But unto this day, whensoever Moses is read, a veil lieth upon their heart. But whensoever it shall turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away. (2 Corinthians 3:15-16, ASV)
This is one of the most important statements in the passage. Notice carefully what Paul does not say. He does not say the veil lies upon Moses. He does not say the veil lies upon the Law. He does not say the veil lies upon the Scriptures. Instead, he says the veil lies upon their heart. The problem is therefore not with God's revelation but with man's understanding. God's Word has not changed; the human heart is unable to perceive its true meaning.
This agrees perfectly with the teaching of Jesus. Again and again, Jesus rebuked the religious leaders, not because they read Moses, but because they failed to understand what Moses had written. "Ye search the scriptures, because ye think that in them ye have eternal life; and these are they which bear witness of me; and ye will not come to me, that ye may have life. "(John 5:39-40, ASV)
The Scriptures they searched were primarily the books of Moses and the Prophets. Jesus did not criticize those writings. Instead, He said they testified about Him, yet the people refused to come to Him.
He then made an even stronger statement.
"For if ye believed Moses, ye would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? "(John 5:46-47, ASV)
These words provide the clearest explanation of Paul's illustration. Jesus did not place Himself in opposition to Moses. He declared that Moses wrote about Him. Therefore, anyone who truly understands Moses should naturally recognize Christ. The veil is not ignorance of the text itself but blindness to the One whom the text reveals.
This same principle appears after the resurrection. The disciples on the road to Emmaus knew the Scriptures, yet they did not understand why the Messiah had to suffer. Jesus did not tell them to stop reading Moses or to replace Moses with something new.
"And beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." (Luke 24:27, ASV)
Later that same day Jesus said; These are my words which I spake unto you... that all things must needs be fulfilled, which are written in the law of Moses, and the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their mind, that they might understand the scriptures. (Luke 24:44-45, ASV)
Notice what happened. The Scriptures did not change. Moses did not change. The Law did not change. What changed was their understanding. Their minds were opened, and the veil was removed because they finally saw Christ throughout the Scriptures.
This is exactly what Paul means when he says; "But whensoever it shall turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away. "(2 Corinthians 3:16, ASV)
The veil is removed when a person turns to Christ because Christ reveals the true meaning of everything Moses wrote. The blindness disappears, not because Moses has become unnecessary, but because Moses is finally understood correctly.
This also explains the phrase in verse 14, "it is done away in Christ." The subject throughout Paul's illustration is the veil. The blindness is removed in Christ because He reveals what was hidden from those whose hearts were hardened. Just as darkness disappears when light enters a room, the veil disappears when a person recognizes Jesus as the Messiah foretold by Moses.
This understanding is completely consistent with the teaching of Christ.
Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfil. (Matthew 5:17, ASV)
Jesus never taught that Moses should be discarded. He fulfilled the Law and the Prophets by bringing them to their intended goal and revealing their full meaning. A prophecy is not abolished when it is fulfilled; it is confirmed. In the same way, Moses is not abolished by Christ but explained by Him.
The message of 2 Corinthians 3 is therefore not that Christians should stop reading Moses or that God's commandments have lost their value. Paul's point is that a veil remains over the hearts of those who read Moses yet fail to see the Messiah of whom Moses wrote. When a person turns to Christ, that veil is removed. Moses is no longer read as a collection of disconnected laws and ceremonies but as a faithful witness leading to Jesus. This is why Jesus Himself could say, "If ye believed Moses, ye would believe me; for he wrote of me." (John 5:46, ASV)
Blessings
Jesus ,His new generation Quickened Total Live His Life .Point is old testament laws didn't have The Quiickened Abode or sharing of Him to others . They are just a chosen Nation with No attributes of the Holy Spirit .So Obviously there's no fruits to be seen of the spirit .So yeah Reread see & get more of the understand of Him . if you have met me and forget me you have lost nothing but if you forget Jesus in me and forget Him you have lost everything
Reading carefully 2 Corinthians 3:12-13 actually strengthens the explanation rather than overturning it. The important question is not simply, What was fading away? but what does Paul say was fading away?
Verse 13 says:
...Moses, who put a veil upon his face, that the children of Israel should not look stedfastly on the end of that which was passing away. (2 Corinthians 3:13, ASV)
Notice that Paul does not say Moses put a veil over the Law or over the tablets. The veil was over his face. Therefore, whatever was "passing away" must first be understood in connection with the glory shining from Moses' face, because that is the subject Paul is discussing.
This comes directly from Exodus 34. Moses' face shone because he had been in God's presence. The brightness was temporary. It gradually diminished, but the commandments written on the stone tablets did not diminish. God's words remained exactly the same.
Paul uses this historical event as an illustration like I said prviously. The fading glory reflected on Moses' face symbolized that the ministry entrusted to Moses pointed forward to something greater. The temporary glory gave way to the greater glory revealed in Christ. The Law itself was not fading; rather, the glory associated with that particular ministry was.
This is exactly how Paul develops his argument.
He contrasts the ministry with the glory. He never says God's righteousness, God's commandments, or God's moral standards faded away. In fact, in verse 9 he says:
For if the ministration of condemnation hath glory, much rather doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.(2 Corinthians 3:9, ASV)
The comparison is between two ministries and their glory, not between truth and error.
This interpretation also agrees with Jesus.
Jesus never taught that God's commandments were fading away. Instead He declared:
Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law... (Matthew 5:17-18, ASV)
If someone interprets 2 Corinthians 3 as teaching that God's Law faded away, then they create a direct contradiction with Christ's own words. Since Jesus is the final authority, our interpretation of Paul must agree with Jesus, not oppose Him.
The context after verse 13 is equally important. Paul immediately explains the illustration:
But their minds were hardened: for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remaineth... But unto this day, whensoever Moses is read, a veil lieth upon their heart. (2 Corinthians 3:14-15, ASV)
If Paul's point were that Moses or the Law had disappeared, then why would he say Moses is still being read? Clearly the problem is not that Moses has become obsolete. The problem is that many people continue reading Moses without recognizing the One about whom Moses wrote.
This is exactly what Jesus taught.
For if ye believed Moses, ye would believe me; for he wrote of me. (John 5:46, ASV)
Jesus did not say Moses had served his purpose and should now be set aside. He said Moses leads people to Him. Therefore, when Paul says the veil remains during the reading of Moses, he is describing readers who fail to see Christ in the writings of Moses.
There is another point worth considering. If "what was fading away" refers to God's commandments, then why did Jesus later magnify those very commandments in the Sermon on the Mount? Instead of relaxing them, He deepened them. He taught that murder begins with anger, adultery begins with lust, and that not even the smallest part of the Law would pass away until heaven and earth pass away (Matthew 5:17-28).
The simplest reading that harmonizes both Jesus and Paul is this: the fading glory belonged to Moses' face and symbolized the temporary role of the old covenant administration in pointing people to Christ. The veil represents spiritual blindness. Once a person turns to Christ, the veil is removed, and Moses is understood correctly because Moses always pointed to the Messiah.
So 2 Corinthians 3:13 cannot be used to prove that God's Law faded away. Paul's own explanation in verses 14-16 shows that the issue is not the Law, but the heart of the reader. The veil is over the heart, not over the Scriptures. Christ removes the blindness so that the writings of Moses are finally understood as they were always intended to be. Jesus Himself settled the matter when He said, "If ye believed Moses, ye would believe me; for he wrote of me." (John 5:46, ASV)
The ministry of condemnation is that which faded away from which the veil is removed whenever anyone turns to Christ. They see it for what it is, bondage. 2Cor 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom...
Best Of All
When you look across Scripture, you can actually see three distinct types of parah that God operates through.
Natural Parah (The Multiplication of Creation)
This is the physical, tangible fruitfulness we see all around us. It is God's power flowing into the material world.
When you look across Scripture, you can actually see three distinct types of parah that God operates through.
Natural Parah (The Multiplication of Creation)
This is the physical, tangible fruitfulness we see all around us. It is God's power flowing into the material world.
- The Blueprint: Found in Genesis 1:28: "Be fruitful (parah) and multiply."
- How it works: It is the growth of ecosystems, the birth of children, the harvesting of crops, and the expansion of families.
- The Purpose: To physically fill the earth with life so it is not a void, but a canvas reflecting His abundance.
- Spiritual Parah (The Multiplication of Character)
- The Blueprint: Found in Galatians 5:22: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace..."
- How it works: It is the supernatural growth of love in a heart that used to be selfish, or peace in a mind that used to be anxious.
- The Purpose: It transforms who we are. God multiplies His own character inside us, making us look more like Him.
- Kingdom Parah (The Multiplication of Salvation)
- The Blueprint: Found in John 15:8: "By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples."
- How it works: When you love someone, comfort someone, or share truth, you plant a divine seed. That seed grows in them, and then they pass it on to someone else. It is the geometric progression of goodness.
- The Purpose: To push back darkness. It is how God's love spreads exponentially from man to man until it covers the World.
- All of Him in Every Type parah
To tie it back to beautiful insight that "a list may not contain" All of Him—God is completely present in every type of parah. When a physical tree grows a piece of fruit, that is God's design. When a person acts in unconditional love, that is God's heart. He uses all these different layers of multiplication to reveal His endless, undivided nature.
Best Of All Parah cant be translated ,it has to much meaning
When you look across Scripture, you can actually see three distinct types of parah that God operates through.
Natural Parah (The Multiplication of Creation)
This is the physical, tangible fruitfulness we see all around us. It is God's power flowing into the material world.
When you look across Scripture, you can actually see three distinct types of parah that God operates through.
Natural Parah (The Multiplication of Creation)
This is the physical, tangible fruitfulness we see all around us. It is God's power flowing into the material world.
- The Blueprint: Found in Genesis 1:28: "Be fruitful (parah) and multiply."
- How it works: It is the growth of ecosystems, the birth of children, the harvesting of crops, and the expansion of families.
- The Purpose: To physically fill the earth with life so it is not a void, but a canvas reflecting His abundance.
- Spiritual Parah (The Multiplication of Character)
- The Blueprint: Found in Galatians 5:22: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace..."
- How it works: It is the supernatural growth of love in a heart that used to be selfish, or peace in a mind that used to be anxious.
- The Purpose: It transforms who we are. God multiplies His own character inside us, making us look more like Him.
- Kingdom Parah (The Multiplication of Salvation)
- The Blueprint: Found in John 15:8: "By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples."
- How it works: When you love someone, comfort someone, or share truth, you plant a divine seed. That seed grows in them, and then they pass it on to someone else. It is the geometric progression of goodness.
- The Purpose: To push back darkness. It is how God's love spreads exponentially from man to man until it covers the World.
- All of Him in Every Type parah
To tie it back to beautiful insight that "a list may not contain" All of Him—God is completely present in every type of parah. When a physical tree grows a piece of fruit, that is God's design. When a person acts in unconditional love, that is God's heart. He uses all these different layers of multiplication to reveal His endless, undivided nature.
A question every Christian should ask is this: Can the Holy Spirit lead someone to teach against what God previously commanded?
The answer from Scripture is no.
God warned Israel that even if a prophet performed signs and wonders, if he taught people to depart from God's commandments, he was to be rejected.
If there arise in the midst of thee a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams... saying, Let us go after other gods... thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet... (Deuteronomy 13:1-3, ASV)
Likewise, God said:
The prophet, that shall speak a word presumptuously in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak... that same prophet shall die. (Deuteronomy 18:20, ASV)
Jesus gave the same warning:
Beware of false prophets... By their fruits ye shall know them. (Matthew 7:15-20, ASV)
And He also said:
Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfil. (Matthew 5:17, ASV)
So when Paul speaks of "freedom" in 2 Corinthians 3:17, it cannot mean freedom from obeying God or freedom to disregard His commandments, because that would place Paul in direct opposition to both Moses and Christ. The freedom is from the veil over the heart, from spiritual blindness, and from the condemnation that comes through sin. It is the freedom to finally understand Moses correctly because he points to Christ. The Holy Spirit never leads people away from God's commandments; He leads them into their true meaning, just as Jesus taught. if you continue to think so you are in trouble with God I assure you and will not warn you again.
If Jesus fulfilled the law and the prophets (because He did, btw), then how do we fulfill the law and the prophets?
Romans 7:6
Where in Scripture is this "answer" presented?
Paul specifically teaches against physical circumcision in Galatians 5. That tells me the answer is yes.
See post 36, as for circumcision I agree with Paul that circumcision is not required for Gentiles because it was the physical sign of God's covenant with Abraham and his descendants, not a universal command for all nations. Even in the Old Testament, God showed that what truly mattered was not the flesh but the heart.
And Jehovah thy God will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. (Deuteronomy 30:6 ASV)
Jesus never commanded Gentiles to be circumcised. Instead, He told His disciples to teach all nations to obey everything He had commanded (Matthew 28:19-20). When the question arose in the early church, the apostles, guided by the Holy Spirit, decided not to require circumcision for Gentile believers (Acts 15:28-29).
Circumcision was a covenant sign for Abraham's descendants, while the New Covenant emphasizes a transformed heart that loves and obeys God. The outward sign is no longer required, but the inward reality it pointed to remains essential.