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Paul and the Law - the works of the hands of flesh

~ scriptures are from the Hebraic Roots Bible, and HBR Bible Notes in italics.

Act 15:24 Since we heard that some of us having gone out have confused you with words, agitating your souls, saying, Be circumcised to keep the Torah, to whom we gave no command;

~ Acts 15:24 : Galatians 5:1-7, Romans 2:28-29

Act 15:28-29 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to put not one greater burden on you than these necessary things: To hold back from idol sacrifices, and blood, and that strangled, and from fornication; from which continually keeping yourselves, you will do well. Be true in our Master.

~ Acts 15:29 It should also be noted that as well as the sign of the first covenant that circumcision was also a cultural issue in which a Jew would not sit and eat with someone who was not uncircumcised (Act10:28). This was not written in the Torah, but was part of the Jewish oral law and was overridden by the decree of the Apostles.

Rom 2:25-29 For circumcision is only profitable if you fulfill the Torah, but if you are a transgressor of Torah, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. If then, the uncircumcision keeps the statutes of the Torah, will not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And the uncircumcision, which from its nature fulfills the Torah naturally, will judge you; who, with the scripture, and with circumcision, transgresses against the Torah. For it is not the one who is outwardly a Jew that is the real Jew, nor is circumcision that which is seen in the flesh; but he is a Jew that is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart, in spirit, not literally; of whom the praise is not from men, but from Elohim.

~ Romans 2:29 Circumcision is the sign of the Old Covenant, but baptism (full immersion) is the sign of the New Covenant. (Gal 5:1-7, Act 15:24) However, male babies should still be circumcised on the 8th day for clean and unclean health laws (Lev 12:2-3).

Rom 4:7-12 "Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom YAHWEH will in no way charge sin." Is this blessedness then on the circumcision, or also on the uncircum-cision? For we say that faith "was counted to Abraham for righteous-ness." How then was it counted? Being in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircum-cision! And he received a sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness of faith while in uncircumcision, for him to be a father of those believing through uncircumcision, for righteousness to be counted to them also, and a father of circumcision to those not of circumcision only, but also to those walking in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham during uncircumcision.

~ Romans 4:11 Circumcision was not the covenant itself, but was the sign of the covenant.

Chuck Smith
God accounts me righteous. Now comes this happiness,
this blessedness then upon only those who are circumcised, or upon those who are uncircumcised also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. But when was this reckoned? when he was circumcised, or when he was uncircumcised? (Rom 4:9-10)
When you go back into the record you find that God said of Abraham, "His faith is accounted for righteousness," before he was circumcised. Therefore, this blessedness of having your sins forgiven, of not having God impute iniquity against you because of your faith in God and trust in God comes not from a physical rite of circumcision, but it came to Abraham before he was ever circumcised.
He received the sign of circumcision, which was the seal of that righteousness of the faith which he had even before he was circumcised: that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they be not circumcised; that there righteousness might be imputed unto them also (Rom 4:11)

Rom 4:13-16 For the promise was not through Law† to Abraham, or to his seed, for him to be the heir of the world, but through a righteousness of faith. For if they who are of the law were heirs, faith would be made void, and the promise of no effect. For the Law works out wrath; for where there is no instruction in the Torah against an action, then there is no transgression. On account of this, it is of faith, that it be according to grace, for the promise to be certain to all the seed, not to that of the Law only, but also to that of the faith of Abraham, who is father of us all,

~ Romans 4:13 The point that is being made is that Abraham was not in a kingly line to simply inherit the promise of the covenant made with YHWH, but had to take an action in faith in order for him to receive the promises. Faith is an action and his faith and obedience led to YHWH making the covenant agreement with him because of his total trust in YHWH and Abraham’s obedience to Yahweh's Torah (Gen 26:3-5)

Albert Barnes
For the promise ... - To show that the faith of Abraham, on which his justification depended, was not by the Law, the apostle proceeds to show that the promise concerning which his faith was so remarkably evinced was before the Law was given. If this was so, then it was an additional important consideration in opposition to the Jew, showing that acceptance with God depended on faith, and not on works.

1Co 7:19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of YAHWEH is everything.

~ 1 Corinthians 7:19 In Jewish oral law when one was circumcised he had to adhere to many other oral rituals. Here Paul is stating that all that matters is Yahweh's commandments and not man-made oral traditions.

Gal 5:1-6 Then stand firm in the liberty with which Messiah made us free and do not be harnessed again with a yoke of slavery. Behold, I, Paul, say to you that if you are circumcised, Messiah will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man being circumcised, that he is under obligation to fulfill the whole Torah; those of you who are seeking justification in the Torah, you have been severed from Messiah; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness, which is of faith. For in Messiah Yahshua, circumcision and uncircumcision are nothing, but faith is perfected through love.

~ Galatians 5:1 The slavery would be if they were circumcised and joined the Sinai covenant they would be obligated to keep every law of Torah (Deu 27:26) and there was no way to pay the penalty of breaking them.

~Galatians 5:2 The blood of Messiah was only 'a hope to come' in the Sinai covenant but 'a reality' in the New Covenant. If they joined the Sinai covenant they would not have had the blood of Messiah to pay the penalty for their sins. Circumcision was the sign of that covenant but not the sign of the New Covenant (Rom 2:28-29, Act 15:24)

~ Galatians 5:4 Gal 3:10 quotes Deu 27:26, which states "Cursed is he that does not do every law of Torah." The Torah is perfect but humans are sinful. Paul is not speaking against the Torah here, but merely showing that circumcision is the sign of the Old Covenant in which there is no way to have the penalty of your sins removed, only death; whereas Baptism is the sign of the New Covenant where the blood of Yahshua pays the penalty for the sins we committed. Therefore, if you would be circumcised to join the covenant instead of baptized you would be joining the Old Covenant where Messiah’s blood does not forgive your sins. Paul is not condemning circumcision of our male children according to Torah on the eighth day from birth as he affirms in verse 11.

Eph 2:11 Because of this, remember that you, the nations, were then in the flesh from the beginning and you were called Uncircumcision, differing from those called Circumcision, which is the work of the hands in the flesh;

~ Ephesians 2:11 These were primarily Israelites whom Paul was writing to and because they were so long outside of the land of Israel and without the covenant promises in their Diaspora according to the oral rabbinical law these Israelites were now being considered gentiles.

Php 3:9-11 and be found in Him; not having my own righteousness of law, but through the faith of Messiah, having the righteousness of Elohim on faith, and through this righteousness that I may know Yahshua and the power of His resurrection, and be a partaker of His sufferings, even to a death like His, if somehow I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

~ Philippians 3:9 In Jewish oral law

Col 2:11 in whom also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made by hands, in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Messiah,

~ Colossians 2:11 Circumcision was the sign of the first covenant and to enter covenant relationship you need the shedding of blood (Heb 9:18; Heb 9:22). If someone was circumcised to join the New Covenant he would be joining by his own blood. This scripture is showing that the new believer when he is baptized that he is being circumcised by Messiah by the cutting off of the sins of his flesh by the Messiah's shed blood.

Heb 9:18 For this reason not even the first covenant was confirmed without blood. For when the whole ordinance had been propounded by Moses to all the people, according to the Torah; Moses took the blood of a heifer, and water, with scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled upon the scrolls and upon all the people; saying, "This is the blood of the covenant which is ordained to you by YAHWEH."

Heb 9:22 And almost all things are purified by blood according to the Torah; and apart from shedding of blood no remission occurs.

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