(Another excerpt from article I wrote about 15 years ago.)
“But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles
And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.” (Galatians 2:7-9)
This passage of scripture affirms two gospels and two churches. They are two folds made into one fold, having one Shepard. (John 10:16) Baptized by the same Spirit into the same body. And the two gospels are connected together becoming one faith. Paul preached a simple message of Christ and Him crucified. (1st Corinthians 1:23, 2:2) This is the preaching of the kingdom gospel. There are things from the kingdom gospel that must be applied to the grace gospel to achieve a full understanding of it. In my essay on the grace gospel I pulled quite a few things from the kingdom gospel because it made a better understanding of grace. Likewise the Jewish believers received and studied Paul’s epistles and a modern Jewish believer living the life of an original believer must understand Paul’s gospel in order to come into full knowledge of the truth.
Paul himself, along with the other Jewish believers who worked with him maintained their ties to the church of Peter and they continued Torah observance as they lived among the Gentiles. (Acts 21) Paul also obtained the endorsement of the Jewish Church for the Gentile church. (Acts 15) Paul never encouraged Jewish believers to stop following the Torah and he supported the doctrines of the circumcision church.
“But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches.Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.” (1st Corinthians 7:17-20)
Paul position on this point is plain to see. Those who are called to the church of Peter are meant to remain in the church of Peter. Those who are called to the church of Paul are meant to remain in the church of Paul. The establishment of the Gentile churches did not change the gospel and commandments that Jesus Christ had already given the Jewish church. However, the grace gospel was received and applied in the Jewish church just as the kingdom gospel is received and applied by the Gentile church. There are three passages on this point that I know of.
“But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” (James 1:25)
“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” (James 2:10-12)
“And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” (2nd Peter 3:15-16)
The books of James and Peter were epistles written to the Jewish circumcision believers. The law of liberty James refers to is Paul’s teaching on the law. Paul uses the word liberty ten times in the epistles always in reference to the liberty of the Gentiles regarding the Torah. The first verse from James reveals that Jewish believers were studying and accepting Paul’s doctrine on the law. James encourages those who continue in the law of liberty to do the works that the law of love demands. In the second verse from the book of James we see James telling the Jewish believers to speak and act like those who follow the law of liberty.It`s a pretty powerful endorsement of Paul’s doctrine.
The verse from second Peter is one I’ve quoted before. We see in this verse that Paul was a beloved brother to the Jewish believers and his epistles were circulated among Jewish believers and were considered scripture. The gospel of grace had a tremendous impact on the Jewish church.
God allowed the circumcision church to decline and eventually disappear for many centuries. Christians who assume that God is done with the circumcision church are gravely mistaken. The circumcision church has reappeared in our day as the Messianic movement. It is a move of God’s Spirit to restore them as God prepares to bring this age to a close.
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