Mark 7:9
“And He (Jesus) said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition......13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.” This is what people are not hearing and why there is so much trouble in the church.This is what our Apostle to the Gentiles is saying and what those of us who have chosen to become the willing (by death and the faith of Christ) have been revealing also. As we all have heard and responded "yes" Lord, unlike Israel, the world and yes even the church as we know it are in unbelief. It (the church) is in apostasy because it sticks to the traditions of man in its legalism and religious ceremonies, rituals and holidays. In fact we might say it is stuck in the first covenant (that area where God places all at the time of conversion for the sole purpose of developing in us obedience and dependency in the Holy Spirit) if it weren't for the fact that it mixes both covenants into one. Thereby nullifying both and some denominations and groups do practice the lower covenant that being the first by way of the ignorance of man. Now this is the teaching and meaning of the letter to the Romans and is found in the first eight chapters.
Now we'll return to Paul's letter to the Corinthians. This is the cause of what the Lord revealed to the Apostle Paul and put into his month His words to proclaim to the Gentiles. Now we want to remember what it says about this in I Corinthians chapter 15 - where we just left off with the clearest explanation of the Gospel and let's start with verse 5.
I Corinthians 15:5
"And that he was seen of Cephas (Peter) then of the twelve:" Remember the word `twelve' was used as a generalized term for a group of people. Just like the Sanhedrin, or the seventy that were sent forth, it was the same way with the disciples; they were known as the Twelve, although here Paul was speaking of the eleven others, yet he could rightfully call them the Twelve. That happens a couple of other places in scripture and we know that all 12 of them were not there. Now verse 6:
I Corinthians 15:6-8
"After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, (which is now about 60 AD or 30 years after the crucifixion) but some are fallen asleep. 7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 8. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due (or ahead of the ) time. Seen on the way to Damascus and we feel at other times through his ministry.
Let's go all the way back to the Book of Acts chapter 22 and begin with verse 17. Here we want us to see why the Apostle Paul is making such a big deal over his having seen and heard all these things from the resurrected and then ascended Christ. We're always trying to get people to see that, if we stay in the Four Gospels (and there's nothing wrong with reading the Four Gospels. Don't misunderstand us), that was Christ's before the finished work of the Cross. That was before the atoning Blood had been shed, and our alter prepared for us, it was all under the Law (Gal. 4:4). Which is where we're placed by God for our training and teaching by the Holy Spirit to turn our self sufficiency to dependency on Him and the development of obedience to God's word and voice. The very things that Israel refused to do or to believe.
Everything that Christ said was in accordance with the Jewish legal system, their corral or yoke of bondage and slavery. We can find nothing of the Gospel of God's Grace back there. Peter carries that on in the early chapter of Acts. But all this apostle talks about is the crucified, buried, and risen Lord who has now ascended to glory. Oh what a difference. We take the little Jewish epistles at the end of our New Testament, James, I and II Peter, I, II, III John, Jude and Revelation, do we know what? The word `Cross' is not even mentioned. We won't see the word `Cross' in those little Jewish epistles. For them it was not the pinnacle of information like it is for Paul. Paul says, "We preach Christ crucified." All he knows is the work of the Cross our gate or door into the promised New Covenant of Eternal Life. And it's all because Paul saw our Lord in resurrection power - he saw Him in His ascension Light of Glory. The thing still hidden to those who practice the letter of the old Law under the curse which it carries, for the letter kills but the spiritual gives Life. They do it unwittingly because of the traditions of man and who is the spiritual ruler of natural man? Satan. Yes Satan influences even the church system which hangs to the first covenant which was only to serve as a corral and tutor for training and teaching until Christ came. Can we see it, yet?
Acts 22:17-21
"And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, (Paul had already been out into the Gentile world) even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance; 18. And saw him (the Lord Jesus) saying unto me, `Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem; for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.' 19. And I said, `Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee: 20. And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, (back there in Acts chapter 7) I also was standing by and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.' 21. And he (the resurrected ascended Lord) said unto me, `Depart: (from Jerusalem) for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.'" Do we see how clear that is? Now if we will come back to Galatians again and verse 12.
Paul is, by Holy Spirit inspiration, distancing himself from the Twelve Apostles of the Hebrews to keep his apostleship pure from any of the legalism of Judaism (of which Peter, James and John were the epitome, and stayed within the corral). Now verse 12:
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