Gal 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
Many of the Jewish believers struggled with the transition from Law to Grace and tried to merge the two in an attempt to reconcile their questions and doubts.
Many Gentiles also have had this problem and we see this admixture in many true sects of Christianity as well as various cults.
This passage alone should put the debate to bed even tough many Messianic believers would disagree. Circumcision was the very first step into entering the covenant and indeed the very first expression of the Law though it proceeded Moses. It was Abraham that God first gave this instruction and then it was codified by Moses.
A child born into a Hebrew home and circumcised would then be taught to follow the Law. It was the job of the Father to do this or to hire a tutor. Timothy being the child of a Greek father and a Jewish mother was taught only because his mother and grandmother had him tutored since his father would not have fulfilled his responsibility.
The Jerusalem Council in the Book of Acts clearly stated that the Gentiles were not required to keep the Law of Moses. They were only given certain instructions on four areas after Peter argued the case against requiring them to keep the Law as does Paul throughout his epistles.
You cannot pick and choose which laws you keep, Paul says if you are circumcised you are a debtor obligated to keep them all. You cannot mix Law and grace. This is why they had fallen from grace, in that they were walking under the Law and not grace forfeiting the benefits that Christ meant for them to have under grace. If you are justified by the Law you have made useless the blood of Christ. It has no effect or benefit for you.
If we hope for the righteousness that is by faith how can we be justified by Law? If the act that brought people into the covenant and bound them to the Law no longer means anything than as far as justification goes the Law means nothing as well. The Law is righteous, but it condemns and requires daily sacrifices. The New Covenant brings life for Christ sacrificed once and sanctified forever those who put their faith in Him.(Heb 10:10-14)
Therefore stand fast in your liberty, Your justification is in Him, not in the Law or rituals and requirements made up by men. Need more proof?
Col 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
Seek Him and He will give you the Spirit so that you can walk in liberty,
2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Maranatha!
