=PS;3582536]1.
Paul was a godly Jew under the law and believed himself to be blameless.
I disagree with this whole premise for the following reasons. I have shown the scriptures which expose this before.
Paul was a Pharisee who murdered innocent people who didn't follow THEIR RELIGIOUS Traditions which were "Commandments of men". He was not a "G
odly Jew". As to the Law of the Pharisees, yes, he followed it perfectly.
2. But after his conversion he perceived the law to be "spiritual" (Rom 7:14) and not physical. Therefore all his law keeping had been in vain and instead of being blameless he was actually condemned by the law. (Rom 7:10)
Because you adhere to your religious foundation that is false, ie; Paul was a "Godly Jew", this also is a false statement because he was not a "Law keeper" as was Zechariahs, but a "Law Transgressor" as were the mainstream preachers of his time. His "law keeping wasn't in vain as you preach, because he wasn't a "law keeper". His "worship" was in vain.
Matt. 15: "they worship
Me in vain, teaching for Doctrines the Commandments of men".
Paul teaches a little leaven, leavens the whole lump. You preaching in this matter is a perfect example of this truth. Because you believe a lie "the Pharisees were obeying God", everything built on this belief is also a lie. "Paul was a Godly Jew".
3. When Paul understood this he entered a third phase in which he now knew he was "dead to the law by the body of Christ," (Rom 7:4) and by the power of the indwelling Spirit was, "free from the law of sin and death" (Rom 8:2) while at the same time, "the righteousness of the law" was being wrought in him (not by him) through the indwelling spirit of Christ that resides in those who live according to the Spirit, and not according to human nature. (Rom 8:4)
Since your foundation is wrong, you are also mistaken about the rest of Paul's teaching. God's Law has always been spiritual, and those who "knew Him" like Zechariahs and Jesus, knew this. They knew the OT was written centuries ago for their admonition. Before Paul was a "Godly Jew", as a disobedient Pharisee, He didn't know this. When He converted and followed God's instructions instead of the Mainstream Church doctrines of His Time, He understood this as well. As did Zechariahs and Peter and all others who "Repent, Turn to God, and bring forth works worthy of repentance".
As Jesus promised in John 14 "And I will manifest Myself to them", that is, those who have His Commandments, and Keeps them. Paul didn't do this but Zechariahs did. this is why Paul didn't know Jesus when he came, but Zechariahs and the wise Men did.
(Romans 7 is the record of past conflicts and defeats as experienced by a man renewed under the new law in Christ.)
There is only ONE "Word which became Flesh", He didn't teach differently in the old testament than He did in the New.
Like His Gospel was to the Mainstream Preachers of His time, So also is His true teaching to the Mainstream Preachers of our time.
Not to the Zechariahs of our time, but to all those who "transgress the commandments of God by their own religious traditions.