By Matthew Moshe Nolan

You teach that believers should obey the Law, yet the writings of Paul teach that we are not under the law but under grace.  How do you reconcile this?

Answer:

Firstly, it is important to note the Greek language of RAV SHAUL’s (Paul) day possessed no word group corresponding to our words “legalist,” “legalistic,” or “legalism.”  Therefore, the Greek language lacked convenient terminology for expressing vital distinctions between Divine written TORAH (Law) and legalistic, man-made observances also translated as “law.”  Law is the Greek word nomos (Strong’s #3551).  When translators came across the Greek word nomos, they injected their particular theology into the translation.  Nomos can mean any law:  written TORAH, oral law, legalistic law of sin and death, law of adultery, or anti-TORAH and is translated simply as “law.”  This infers to many “the Law of Moses” when, in reality, the text was referring to rabbinic oral legalistic observances in contradiction to written TORAH.  The result:  The baby has been thrown out with the bath water!  Brethren have inherited a lawless gospel when, in fact, the text was instructing us to follow written TORAH and not be “under the law” of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  Dead Sea Scrolls’ manuscript 4QMMT reinforces this truth.  An error in translation has led to TORAH-lessness (lawlessness)—the very apostasy that RAV SHAUL warned us to avoid.  If RAV SHAUL taught against the TORAH, then YHWH’s people would have called him a false prophet and he would fail the litmus test of the TORAH in regards to Prophets (Devarim/Deuteronomy 13).