Paul’s Law Emphasis for Gentiles
Romans 11:13 “For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry.”
On numerous occasions the apostle Paul told the church that the Lord Jesus had appointed him as the apostle to the gentiles. The above quoted passage of scripture is one of those occasions. The reason that the Lord appointed Paul as the apostle to the gentiles is because he received specific revelation regarding the gospel to the gentiles that was different to the gospel preached to the Jews. We have already seen that Peter had been appointed by the Lord to preach the gospel to the circumcised i.e. the Jews. And so we see that when the writings of these two apostles to the church are compared, there is a distinct difference that comes to light. Firstly, let me say that when we look at Peter’s letters to the churches that we also need to include the letters of James, John and Jude in the same grouping. For in Galatians chapter two quoted earlier, Paul tells us that James and John were included in the grouping of apostles that the Lord had appointed to the circumcised, and Jude, as James’ brother, also fell into that same category. So what difference comes to light when the two groupings of letters are compared? In order to understand the significance of the difference, we need to understand the mindset of the two camps of writers. Paul was writing his letters primarily to gentile believers, whereas the other writers were writing their letters primarily to Jewish believers. Peter addressed his letters to the dispersion (1 Peter 1:1), while James addressed his letter to the twelve tribes scattered abroad (James 1:1). The dispersion and the twelve tribes scattered abroad, referred to the Jewish believers who were living among the nations of the world at that time. Let me also say however, that although both sets of letters were written to believers of different backgrounds, both sets of letters are still applicable to both Jewish and gentile believers alike, because we are one church and one body of Christ. However, Paul, in writing to gentile believers, emphasizes something that the other writers find no need to address. That emphasis is picked up in the word, “law”. Peter, John and Jude never once mention that word. James is the only one who mentions it, and he mentions it seven times. Paul on the other hand, in his letters to the churches, mentions the “law”, one hundred and forty-eight times. Clearly the Holy Spirit uses Paul to address an issue among the gentile believers, that He does not need to address among the Jewish believers. That issue is to teach the gentile believers what is acceptable for them to observe with regards to the law, and what is not acceptable. Peter and the other apostles, in writing to Jewish believers, never instruct them to stay away from the law. In fact, James admonishes Jewish believers to keep the law, for he teaches them that to break just one law, is one and the same as if they had broken all the law (James 2:10). Paul on the other hand, in writing to the gentile believers, continually admonishes them to stay away from the law. The Holy Spirit has no problem with the Jewish believers in this area, simply because, as quoted in the following passage of scripture, He gives them grace to observe the law. Gentile believers on the other hand, have not received grace in this area, because the Holy Spirit does not allow them to keep the law.
Ephesians 4:7 “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.”
Michael E.B. Maher
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