[aron]

Originally Posted by DeadManWalkin

Dear 'aron',

I apologize and extend you my deepest regrets for my callous and heartless post.

I allowed myself to be overwhelmed by passion.

I hope you will forgive me.

No worries. I occasionally do the same thing, I'm sure. "Forgive, even as ye are forgiven". So, no worries

Originally Posted by DeadManWalkin

__Paul had already had the gospel made known to him (by revelation, as you correctly pointed out) and now it was simply 'confirmed' to him by those who had been with Jesus.

I see your point. Thank you. Always happy to consider alternatives to my views. I think we tend to read our concepts onto the text, looking for confirmation, rather than allowing the text to shape our concepts. So your comments are helpful indeed.

Originally Posted by DeadManWalkin

Dear 'aron',

... in the post you have said that the epistle to the Hebrews doesn't say that Hebrews can't be Hebrews, but it does say that they should not return to their Jewish customs.

I'm confused. Is there any difference between those two things?

What does it mean to be a Hebrew?

Perhaps, you'd care to explain..

I suppose you missed my homespun analogy, or thought it unworthy. However, my thinking went like this. Suppose a Chinese became a Christian. Can he still celebrate Chinese New Year? If he can, and remain a Christian, then why can't the Hebrew, as well? How is it that the only race that can't be themselves any more are the Hebrews? Does that position make any sense?

Originally Posted by DeadManWalkin

You say Paul was a pharisee all his life and that he never left it.

At the end of Acts, Paul said, "I am a Pharisee". I don't know if the Greek or some other translation would help, but my English translation seemed pretty plain. I didn't try to read too much into it, I think.

Again, the Chinese can say, "My Chinese culture is dung to me", and so can the Scot and the Swede. But I won't forbid the Scot from wearing a kilt, the Chinese from eating dumplings. If being a Pharisee was dung to Paul, why did he still say, "I am a Pharisee"? Either he was talking out of both sides of his mouth, or it really didn't matter.

Some observe some days, some don't. So said Paul. Some eat certain foods, some don't. So said Paul. The issue was insisting on foods, or days, or customs, as a requirement of the salvation pathway. Paul had done that, prior to meeting Christ on the road outside of Damascus (Acts 9:3), now he insisted on nothing, and wouldn't allow others, not for a moment (Gal 2:5). No, the cross nullified all that. Paul was dead to the world and the world was dead to Paul. But he was still a Pharisee, albeit a Pharisee that was crucified with Christ.

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Back to the topic at hand. The law of Christ, the royal law, the new commandment, made external distinctions such as male and female, Jew and Greek, slave and free, Pharisee and non-Pharisee, null and void. To Paul they were now just dust, detritus of world completely gone. What was left? Just, love one another. (But notice that Paul still tells wives to obey husbands, slaves to obey masters, etc. He's willing to acknowledge the temporal, corporeal order, even while declaring it as rendered void)