Acts 21:24 - "take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law."
Where do you read in this verse that James was teaching Salvation by keeping the Law?? The Law is not sin, dear Joseph, and those who are saved love the Law of God and love to keep it:
J. Witness,
I just showed you where. There are other verses as well. He even verified this by saying in the very next verse: 25 As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication. Such things were still included in the Law and James was still obligating Gentiles to keep parts of it. James did not correct such thinking until finally Hebrews was written and James wrote his letter to the Jews that followed him. Christians do not keep the Law as it impales the Christ again as the scriptures teach: Heb 6:6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. This is something quite different from knowing right from wrong and doing things for such reasons. The scriptures show that it was Law and not good behavior that James was forcing upon the Apostle Paul.
J. Witness said: "But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets" ( Acts 24:14 )
A true believer believes everything that is in ACCORDANCE with the Law.
Joseph responds: Does this mean that we must keep this Law then? No! While it was in effect for Israel it served as a means of salvation for the forgiveness of sins but no longer. Of course Paul could use this in his defense but Paul did not say that he was still observing it as James demanded. He did not say that it was required that the Way keep it does he? Even James absolved the Gentiles from most of it! But he did not do that for Paul. It was after all this Law which pointed to the need for a better way which Paul now observed. Heb 10:16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. 18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. 19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21 And having an high priest over the house of God;
J. Witness said: Respecting some Jewish customs will not make you a legalist if you have really experienced the Salvation of the Lord:
"After three days Paul called together those who were the leading men of the Jews, and when they came together, he began saying to them, "Brethren, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans."
( Acts 28:17 )
And look how James is clearly the contrary of what you said:
"After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, "Brethren, listen to me. "Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. "With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, 'AFTER THESE THINGS I will return, AND I WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID WHICH HAS FALLEN, AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS, AND I WILL RESTORE IT, SO THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD, AND ALL THE GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME, 'SAYS THE LORD, WHO MAKES THESE THINGS KNOWN FROM LONG AGO. "Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. "For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.""
( Acts 15:13-21 )
Joseph answers: This is not contrary to what I said but supports it: James now found himself losing the battle against Paul as he admits and tried to end it before Paul’s views could be applied to the Jews as well. He wanted them restricted to Gentiles alone. After a very intensive battle with them Paul wrote to the Galatians with more information than what was contained in Acts: At Gal 2:6 But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man’s person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me: 7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; 8 (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:) 9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision. Paul did not choose to battle with them any longer having won this concession for the Gentiles. But the matter continued to plague him with Jews in his territories and finally the book of Hebrews corrected the problem for every disciple both Jew and Gentile. And James finally recognized this and corrected it in his letter to the Jews.
J. Witness said: Acts 15 comes before Acts 21... And in Acts 15 we see how James doesn't teach Salvation by keeping the Law, but on the contrary, he says that we must not trouble those who turn to God from among the Gentiles by saying that they must be circumcised. In brief, it is clear how you have a large imagination, Joseph. You need to accept ALL what is written in the Bible, because, if you take only parts of the Scripture and try to explain them by your imaginations, you will fall in many errors, as we have seen.
Joseph answers: And why do you think that James said that? Because he sent men to trouble the Gentiles over this earlier which is the reason Paul went to Jerusalem to correct it. Now losing the battle he does not want it to continue as it would effect what James was doing in Jerusalem with Jews. But in Acts 21 what does James do: He force Paul to shave his head and prove that he was keeping the Law. This was wrong and when he referenced this letter to the Gentiles, James proved to us all what his real intent was. It would take a few more years to correct it for the Jews as well. We have discussed all this many times here on JWD and many here understand all this very well. But I do not expect those following the teachings of men to understand it. If they cannot understand simple words like heaven, spirit, God, all things, then how can they understand something more complex?
Joseph
