Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Role Of Torah In Paul's Letters And Matthew

 

            Faith of ancient Judaism was focused on the Law or Torah. Since the faith of early Christians came out of Judaism, they had to define the place for the Torah in their life. However, there was a problem. Many Christians had different opinions about the role of the Torah. The letters of Paul and the gospel of Matthew both attempt to explain how the Law should fit into the faith of Christians. Although the role of the Torah in Paul's letters and the Gospel of Matthew are different, they have some similar ideas.
             Paul's opinion regarding the Torah was that a person does not get to heaven by obeying laws. Many early Christians were concerned about whether the men had to be circumcised or not. Paul said that circumcision was not necessary to be a follower of Jesus, because it is more important for a person to accept Jesus Christ into his or her heart. This is proved in Galatians 2:16 where Paul said, "Yet we know that people don't receive God's approval because of their own efforts to live according to a set of standards, but only by believing in Jesus Christ." Paul also mentioned that Christ's death would have been pointless if we could receive salvation by only obeying rules. According to Paul, Christ's death freed us from the laws such as circumcision, just as a wife is freed from marriage if her husband dies.
             In Romans 7:10, Paul said, "I found that the commandment which was intended to bring me life actually brought me death." By this, He meant that sinful passion aroused from the Law and distorted the Law. Paul was not saying that the Torah was sin, but that the law of sin within us causes us to rebel against the Torah. Salvation, which is a relationship with God through the risen Christ, was what Paul preached. He taught that ethical behavior was a consequence of Salvation.
             In the book of Matthew, the role of the Torah is different in some ways. Matthew 5:19 says, " So whoever sets aside any command that seems unimportant and teaches others to do the same will be unimportant in the kingdom of heaven.


Essays Related to Role Of Torah In Paul's Letters And Matthew