[aron]

Regarding Bricklayer's comments, they have validity except he fails to distinguish Jew from non-Jew. Peter kept the whole law, indivisible, as did Paul, as did James. But the main thrust of the NT gospel was that in Christ Jesus the gentiles have access through faith.

Paul wrote, "there is neither Jew nor Greek but one new man", but he also wrote that there was neither male nor female, and no more slave or free, but then he told females to be quiet and slaves to obey their masters. I may say, "I have neither right leg nor left leg (separated, apart, antagonistic) but they are one (coordinated, together) in my body". But I still have a right leg and a left leg. I still have two legs. If you see Paul writing in Ephesians 2:14, he even uses the word "two". He clearly differentiates, even while affirming commonwealth.

So with Jews and non-Jews in the NT. But what happened is that non- Jew church leaders became antagonistic against law-keeping Jewish believers, eventually against all law-keeping Jews (who were law-keeping by definition, it was their culture). Eventually we saw the Orthodox pogroms, the RCC inquisition, the Protestant holocaust, of non-Jew 'Christian' persecution of law-keeping Jew.

Regarding the law of Christ, I tried to affirm bear bear by saying that the royal law of James 2:8 showed Paul and James were holding forth the same gospel message. Love one another, not just lip service but in sharing with those who can't repay you. That was Jesus' core teaching. Give to those who cannot repay you. On this, hangs the law and the prophets.