GRACE VERSUS LAW

GRACE VERSUS LAW

Hugh Fogelman

Christianity is a religion of grace. According to Christian theology this means that a person is “saved” (whatever that means); not because he keeps the Laws of God, but simply because of God’s grace. Well, what exactly is this “grace” that Christians assume is theirs and theirs alone! It assumed that if a man disregards God’s laws, or finds them too difficult to observe, then God in his mercy (aka Christian infinite grace) lets him off the hook and saves him from all his sins.

Christianity adopted Paul’s teachings ― that God’s grace was manifested through Jesus and therefore a man is saved by grace and not through the works of the law. BUT this grace is predicated upon one’s blind-faith belief in Christianity’s man-god, Jesus.

God gathered His Chosen people at the foot of Mount Sinai; there they saw and heard; there Moses received God’s Laws and commandments, the Torah (See Exodus Chapter 24). Over two million people were there; they saw and heard! Nowhere in God’s Torah ― the SOURCE DOCUMENT ― does he ever mention any Jesus or the Christian/Pauline idea of grace. It is not to be found in any word that God gave His Chosen people and mankind! NOWHERE!

You are probably wondering; well what does God ask for us to have his mercy? It has been in plain sight all along, stated right there among the Ten Commandments:

And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments (Exodus 20:6 King James Version)

Torah is the LAW ― FOREVER. It has no expiration date. Torah contains 613 Laws applicable to God’s Chosen people to keep them a nation separate and holy. It also includes the Seven Universal Laws for all mankind; the Noachide Laws.

Someone once wrote me: “Maybe I missed something somewhere but, if God had enough smarts to build the universe and the earth, He had enough smarts to give Torah as to what He wanted said. God meant what He said and He said what He meant! No New Testament interpretation was needed.”

Over 1,450 years passed after Moses received the Torah before a reinvention/recycling of paganism came about in a new religion now known as Christianity. Names changed, but the pagan story stayed in tact: virgin birth (man-god); born in stable; wine into water; healings; raising the dead; a ministry; and eventually a resurrection. There was NOTHING NEW here (See Pagan Christs ).

Christianity evolved into a religion based on faith in a man who died/was killed. Christianity claims this dead-man was God, whose grace can save one from the consequences of his sins ― namely “hellfire and eternal damnation.” Paul, the author of the majority of the Christian bible,¹ writes, in direct opposition to God’s word:

“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Being justified by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:20-24).

And again Paul tells the Romans;

“For sin shall not have dominion over you; for you are not under the law but under grace” (Romans 6:14).

Paul continues to preach that God’s word is worthless; saying in essence that God lied to the millions of people who stood at the foot of Mount Sinai and saw and heard ― who knew that when God said forever, He meant FOREVER!:

“Wherefore my brethren you also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ” (Romans 7:4).

“For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh” (Romans 8:3).

Who was Paul addressing? The Living Bible says this letter (Romans) was written to introduce Paul to the church in Rome and summarize his theological teachings. And who do you suppose comprised the early church in Rome? Yes, Gentiles. And who were these Gentiles? Yes, they were pagans trying to find an easy religion – just say “I believe” and you are forever forgiven (aka cheap grace).

Paul concludes his Romans by addressing another gentile group saying;

“If righteousness could be obtained through the Jewish law, then Christ died in vain” (Galatians 2:21).

In Paul’s new religion ― not Jesus’ religion ― people are saved by grace, not works and justified only by blind-faith in Jesus.

A few points are now in order:

First: The Law which Paul was talking about was the laws, commandments and instructions that God gave Moses which applied to the Children of Israel and as well as guidance for the Gentiles. What right did Paul or anyone have to say do not follow God’s laws, but follow mine? HE HAD NO RIGHT! NO ONE HAS/HAD THAT RIGHT! NO ONE!

Second: The Torah clearly says;

Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. (Deuteronomy 4:2).

Third: God told Moses that the commandments were not too difficult to follow;

“For this commandment which I command you this day is not too hard for you neither is it too far off”… “But the word is very near to you in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it” (Deuteronomy 30:10-19).

God said His rules and regulations and way of life is not too hard; man can do it! What right did Paul have to say God was wrong? HE HAD NO RIGHT! NO ONE HAS/HAD THAT RIGHT! NO ONE!

Fourth: David wrote; “The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul” (Psalm 19:8). But apparently this did not stop Paul from denying God again and again!

Fifth: The Prophet Isaiah warns;

“To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20).

In other words, a man can “save his soul” by doing what God had set forth in Torah ― the works of God’s Laws. This is also shown by the Prophet Ezekiel when he wrote;

“But if a man is lawful and right and has not strayed from My laws, that man is just, says the Lord, that man shall surely live (Ezekiel 18:5-9).

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Paul’s theology was not accepted by the early Church in Jerusalem, supposedly headed by James, the brother of Jesus, Peter and John. These original apostles opposed Paul as seen in Acts (21:20-21) because they were observant of the Jewish law. Several of Paul’s Epistles mention the opposition he received from fellow believers. Only three associates befriended Paul in Rome, Aristarchus, Marcus and Jesus called Justus.

Paul admitted this:

“These are my ONLY fellow workers which have been a comfort to me” (Colossians 4:11).

Writing to Timothy, Paul cried:

“All they that are in Asia have turned away from me” (2 Timothy 1:15).

Just these two verses show that Paul knew his opposition was numerous. Please note that Paul’s opposition came not from the heathens or pagans, not from the Romans or Greeks, but from fellow Jewish-Christians who saw Paul’s teachings as false and directly contrary to Torah, God’s eternal word.

As more and more Gentiles entered the church and more and more Jewish-Christians were forced out, Paul won out. The minority opposition was ignored; the early church moved further and further from God. The final blow came when the ex-pagan Constantine, with a snap of his finger, made Christianity the religion of the Roman Empire. Now the Epistles of Paul were accepted as the bona fide documents of the church. This gave the early church fathers freedom to altar the writings of anyone ― even the work of the unknown gospel writers ― so as to conform to this new mandated religion.

And so, “invented Grace” won out over God’s Torah ― His eternal Laws. What is really sad, Christians today have no concept or knowledge of what they actually believe.

· If only they would step back from the trees and see the forest, they will see that their religion of LOVE is not! Christianity only “loves” those who believe in the dead man-god Jesus. All others go to Hell, as told over and over again in the Christian bible.

· By stepping back and honestly thinking for themselves, hopefully Christians will see that the concept of a virgin birth was a pagan concept borrowed from Roman and Greek mythology. They would see that the Gospels were written during the Jewish rebellion against Rome, therefore written to appease the victorious Romans, showing that they were not part of this Jewish rebellion.

· By comparing the Hebrew Bible against the Greek Bible (King James perVersion) they might see how Hebrew scripture prophecy was changed to make Jesus appear in Hebrew writings. and

· Christians might realize that the New Testament was primarily based upon the writings of Paul, who wrote: Romans; 1 Corinthians; 2 Corinthians; Galatians; Ephesians; Philippians; Colossians; 1 Thessalonians; 2 Thessalonians; 1 Timothy; 2 Timothy; Titus; and Philemon – 13 of all the writings in the New Testament. This is especially interesting since Paul never met Jesus!

Also interesting is something the pulpit never addresses. Writings attributed to James in the Christian bible, even though the author of James was not correct in his interpretation of the Law, shows he believed in the Law ― the Torah. James was warning against not keeping God’s Laws/God’s Torah (See James 2:8-12 and James 2:14-28).

Even the author of Revelation confirmed that Paul’s concept of “grace” was wrong; saying that man is judged by his works – NOT faith!

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. Revelation 22:17 (KJV)

To consolidate and solidify his empire, the ex-pagan ― Constantine, Emperor of the vast Roman Empire ― accepted the Pauline concept and the new religion of Pauline Christology. This religion is called Christianity.

Footnote:

1. There are 27 books in the Christian bible (New Testament); thirteen are Pauline Epistles, plus two of the first five books ― Luke and Acts address Paul by his friend. This leaves only three gospels and none other books which are not Pauline. Fifty-six percent of the Christian bible is Pauline; which is why this religion is more properly called Pauline Christology ― a religion about Paul’s view of Christ rather than Jesus’ religion.

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