When we study the bible we should look through First-Century Glasses. That requires that we learn what the author had in mind and then understand what the people to whom he wrote understood the author to say.
Throughout his letters Paul refers to “us” referring to himself and the people with him while he is writing or the people to whom he is writing or mankind across all time. To understand Paul we must understand the us(s).
Paul wrote to the church in Rome “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” That is if we are children of God. He told the Christians in Corinth to “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” Reading it does not make it refer to us.
Not understanding the us(s) leads many to think they have the same background as Paul. Paul told Christians in Rome God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” It is possible that on the day Jesus was crucified Paul may have been one of the reasons most of the apostles were hiding. Jesus died for Paul while Paul was a sinner. Jesus died for me before I was.
Paul told the people of Galatia “Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian (schoolmaster) until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian (schoolmaster), for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”
That is correct for Paul and others of Jewish descendant of the time. Unlike Paul, Gentiles were never captive under. According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible which is based on the KJV classifies it as #3807 a boy-leader i.e. a servant whose office was to take the children to school; by implication a tutor; instructor, schoolmaster.
Today many people claiming to be Christian believe the Ten Commandments are part of their Christian heritage thus their strong views on Ten Commandments in government buildings and elsewhere.
In the beginning God had a relationship with Adam and Eve. Due to sin that relationship changed. Today we call it the Patriarchal Age. God dealt directly with the heads of families. When God chose Abraham-Isaac linage to provide for the Messiah the relationship changed for them and their descendants. There is nothing in the bible that indicates the relationship changed for everyone else so I must conclude the relationship remained as it had been. God dealt directly with heads of families as he had done from Adam to Abraham.
Until Cornelius, the people outside the linage of Abraham-Isaac continued with the same relationship to God as Abraham had before God told him to leave Ur. Paul defines that relationship in Romans. “. . .when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law.” That is they do the moral aspects of the law that had been in affect from the beginning.
The law given to Moses did not affect them. The Patriarchal age did not end with the beginning of what we call the Mosaic age. It paralleled it and continued until Cornelius.The purpose of the law was to preserve a people and to prepare a people. Once God selected the Abraham-Isaac linage he had to work with them. Jesus, talking about marriage and divorce, said because of the hardness of the people’s heart God changed the rules intended from the beginning. Imagine the creator of everything had to bend to the stubborn will of his creation. Of course he could have destroyed his creation but unless he was to do away with free-will he had to bend enough to ensure a remnant would remain so the Messiah could be born. Once the Messiah was born the law had fulfilled its purpose. Once the Messiah had arrived God had no need to bend anymore. Understanding this might help folks understand how Jesus fulfilled the law. It might help them to understand that the same parts of the law that justified the gentiles when they did by nature the things of the law are in Jesus' teachings. Should help them to understand that there never were two plans and that Jesus is not Plan B.
Maybe then Christians would fight to have what Jesus considered the great commandment: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind; and a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself displayed in courthouses, school buildings, and other public places.
It just might help Christians understand the United States does not have to help Israel return to their promise land so Jesus can return.
Clarifying and understanding the us(s) may be a good first step for Christians better to understand their history as well as their relationship with God.
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