Originally Posted by RSiscoe
How can you say it had nothing to do with food? The voice told him to "kill and eat". To which Peter replied "I never did eat any think that is common or unclean". Then, the voice responded: "that which God hath cleansed, do not call common".
The subject is dealing with eating unclean food, which the voice said "God hath cleansed". So how can you say it has nothing to do with food? You have to ignore the subject to make that claim.
Now, after this vision Peter is sent to the Gentile Cornelius, and, in my opinion, this is not unrelated to the sheet descending three times (since it probably also signified that the Gentiles were no longer to be considered unclean), but you cannot apply it to the Gentiles only and ignore what is explicitly said. And what was explicitly said is this "Far be it from me; for I never did eat any thing that is common and unclean. And the voice spoke to him again the second time: That which God hath cleansed, do not thou call common", thereby showing that the unclean meats had been made clean.
He is referring to the Judaizers who were attempting to have the Christians incorporate the Jewish law in with Christianity (which, based on your posts, seems to be an error you yourself have fallen into). They mingled Christianity with the works of the law - the deitary laws, ceremonial laws (such as circumcision, etc.) with the Christian religions.
If that was true, then circumcision would have been part of the oral Torah, since that is one of the practices the Judaizers promoted, which is why the apostles spent so much time arguing agaisnt this in their epistles.
You confirmed what I thought. You are like the Judaizers of old. Our Lord did not just do away with the oral law; he fullfilled and nullified the written Torah as well, which is why circumcision - which was part of the written law - is not longer necessary.
You need to read the book of Hebews, which was written to explain that the Old law merely prefigured what was to come, and is now no more, as well as the letter to the Ephesians and Galations. Read the letter to teh Galatians slowly and carefully and see what it says in chapter 4, beginning in verse 21. I personally have never heard anyone comment on this verse. My guess is that you will be surpised to see what (or who) Paul compares the Old Law to.
The Old Covenant was revoked when it was fulfilled by Jesus. The Old Testament Levitical priesthood is no more... it doesn't exist. The priest of the old Law were the descendants of Aaron, and the lineage of that priesthood has long since disapeared. God destroyed the Old Covenant almost 2000 years ago, after establishing the New.
Hebrews: "Now in saying new, he hath made former the old. And that which decayeth and groweth old, is near its end" (Heb 8:13).
It came to its final end in 70AD, a few years after the letter to the Hebrews was written. The Temples was destroyed, the unbelieving Jews were scattered, and the New covenant, which replaced the Old, grew to cover the world.
"My people did not hear My voice, and Israel harkened not to Me... They gave me gall for My food, and in My thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink... Let their eyes be darkened, and their back bend down always. Pour out Thy indignation upon them: let Thy wrathful anger take hold of them. Let their habitation be made desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in their tabernacles, because they have added to the grief of My wounds. Add Thou iniquity upon their iniquity; and let them not come into Thy justice. Let them be blotten out of the book of the Living, and with the Just let them not be written" (Psalms 80: 12;62:22-29).
Heaven and earth have not pased away, that is true. But what did Jesus say? He said that not one jot or tittle shall pass from the las "til all be fulfilled". Well, what did Jesus come to do? He explains in the portion of the quote that you left out...
Mt. 5:17: "Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill"
Jesus said the Old law would not pass until it was fulfilled, and Jesus filfilled it. It has now been nullified and replaced with the New, as the book of Hebrews explains.
I've seen a tendency for years now of Christians attempting to mingle the Old and New laws, which is what the Judaizers of old did, and what you are now doing.
Beware of this deadly error, which is condemned over and over again in the New Testament.
Galatians 3:1-10 "O senseless Galatians, who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish, that, whereas you began in the Spirit, you would now be made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so great things in vain? If it be yet in vain. He therefore who giveth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you; doth he do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of the faith?
"As it is written: Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice. Know ye therefore, that they who are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing, that God justifieth the Gentiles by faith, told unto Abraham before: In thee shall all nations be blessed. Therefore they that are of faith, shall be blessed with faithful Abraham. For as many as are of the works of the law, are under a curse. For it is written: Cursed is every one, that abideth not in all things, which are written in the book of the law to do them."
Notice that he says "written in the book of the law", thereby showing that it was not simply the oral Torah that was nullified, but the written on as well.
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