Shalom everyone.
1. When Reading the Bible: Context, Audience, History and Ability to Connect EVERYTHING is key in understanding G-d’s perfect word.
2. A small modern parable: Do you have faith in your future spouse before you take the leap of “_____” into marriage? Ok. Once you get married, do you simply state in your heart alone, “I love my spouse” and leave it at that? No! Your marriage would end in a matter of weeks. A marriage is a sacrifice from each partner and to “listen” to what the other needs or asks (of course nothing sinful) and this especially goes for MEN (to be submissive to their wives).
Now you have faith in G-d and His Messiah? Good. Everything on earth “believes”, but if you are not fulfilling your role as a Jew or Gentile, male or female, than your faith is nothing but flat air.
3. Avraham built his faith step by step. In fact if you count, Avraham goes through 10 major trials right up to the Akadia (binding of Yitzchak). However He OBEYED perfectly with a LOVING yet WILLING heart to follow G-d’s Commands (mitzvot), Ordiances and Decrees, even if he didn’t understand them, because He knew in His heart that EVERYTHING G-d does and asks, is perfect and GOOD. Only humans make justifications to ignore G-d’a perfect commands.
So Yes, faith like Avraham leads to works, but those who simply do works to acclaim for their OWN SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS, is WRONG. Do you not love your family or enemies more today since you a have faith in Yeshua? I hope so. This is part of the labour Jews and Gentiles are called to do. So you think these works are in vein because you misread Paul?
4. Paul’s Context: Depending on the verse, you must remember most of the time, Paul is speaking to Gentiles in the context of SOME (NOT ALL) Jewish Sadduccees (these even in Judaism today are noted as heretical, because Jews don’t proselytize) who were forcing Jewish conversion on the Gentiles. Why? Well you must remember that Gentiles always had a place in heaven (Righteous Gentiles - Noachide followers) before Yeshua’s death but if you wanted any part of being PART of Israel, you HAD to have a Brit Millah (circumcision).
Gentiles now no longer needed a Brit Millah to be PART of the Israelites, through Yeshua’s death on the cross (Praise G-d!!!), but this was a very difficult situation to deal with. So for the most part, Paul who was sent to the Gentiles, was going ALL OUT to protect them from being put under the Torah (WHICH OS PERFECT....because who made it??? - *trick question lol*). Now the Sadduccees went one step further with their heretical teachings because they believed that Self righteousness in the Torah and being EXTRA righteous = salvation(which was perversion of the Torah). So of course Paul sounds “anti-Torah” but when you understand the context, HEAVEN FORBID is that the case. For he himself is a Pharisees and Jews have a different role to play.
5. If someone argues that no “works” as an output of faith is necessary, then explain the following commandments given to Gentiles:
- Acts 15:20-21 (4 of 7 Noachide laws)
- 1 & 2 Corinthians is FILLED with “laws” from Paul to follow (Jew or Gentile) and some could say these are “man made traditions” but even I agree Paul is write because his thinking is that of a Rabbi (what do you think he studied for 3 years back in Jerusalen After he was saved? Christian theology???)
- Matt 23:1-3: The Master himself tells us to LISTEN to the Pharisees just don’t do what’s they do (because many unfortunately at the TIME were hypocrites
and the Talmud fully agrees)
I hope this helps