Were There Two Covenants Until A.D. 70? Was Torah Binding On The Jews?

Were There Two Covenants Until A.D. 70? Was Torah Binding On The Jews?

Those that hold to Covenant Eschatology (Don K. Preston) I believe, sees not the Gentiles under Torah till A.D 70, but the Jews were under Torah till A.D. 70. I could be wrong but this seems to be his view. Paul in [Rom 7:1-12] destroys that assertion.

First a quick note on the historical background to Romans. The Jews were kicked out of Rome I believe by Claudius in A.D. 49. Nero allowed them back to Rome in A.D. 54. So there is a couple issues Paul is dealing with. The Jews were coming back to a Gentile church. We see Paul addressing this directly in [Rom 14-15].

In [Rom 1:18-32] Paul is dealing with the depravity of the Gentiles. In [Rom 2] he deals with the depravity of the Jews. This pattern is found again I believe in [Rom 6-7]. Rom 6 he is speaking to the Gentiles about their mystical union with Christ through baptism and sanctification. [Rom 7:1-12] he is speaking to the Jewish part of the congregation.

"Or do you not know, brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law)," [Rom 7:1a]. Paul is speaking "to those who know the law," i.e. the Jews.

Paul argues that one cannot be married to Christ and the law.

"Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God." [Rom 7:4]

Paul in Galatians also speaks of dying to the law.

"For through the Law, I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.” [Gal 2:19-21]

Paul here as well as [Rom 7] speaks of our mystical union with Christ. In [Rom 7:4] he states we are to die to the law to be joined with Christ. We died to the law through the law. The law is the mechanism in which we die to it. The law breaks us, it acts like a big stick to beat us over the head to recognize the awesome holiness of God and our depravity, in need of forgiveness. We see this clearly in [Rom 3:19; Gal 3:19-22] We must be broken by the law so that faith might be worked in us by the Holy Spirit and through the proclamation of the gospel [Rom 1:16-17 cf. Rom 10:17; 1 Cor 12:3; 1 Thess 5]

In [Gal 2:21] Paul argues strongly that righteousness does not come from the law but from the cross of Christ. By faith, His righteousness is imputed (credited) to our account. We are accepted as perfectly righteous, forgiven and looked upon as perfectly obeying the law.

This mystical union here has our ugliness and sin given to Christ and we receive His righteousness. Double imputation [cf. Rom 4:1-8; 2 Cor 5:19-21]

To "die to the law'' is to have it slaying us, or to put it another way, is to see ourselves as depraved sinner's who have broken the law of God and deserve nothing but His wrath. That is the purpose of the law. To convict sinners so they might receive the "free gift" [Rom 3:24; 5:12f] of salvation.

Paul states the law arouses sin in us to bring forth fruit unto death. It works wrath [Rom 4:15].

"But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter." [Rom 7:6]

This is very similar to [2 Cor 3:7-11]

Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. [2 Cor 3:6]

In [2 Cor 3:7-11] we see a contrast between the law and the spirit. The law had glory and is done away. But the spirit and new covenant remains. This is vital.

''For if that which fades away was ]with glory, much more that which remains is in glory." [2 Cor 3:11]

Some translations have "that which is done away." But it is very clear to the unbiased reader of [2 Cor 3:6-11] that there was not two covenant's Paul was dishing out. And [Rom 7:1-12] makes it abundently clear that one cannot be MARRIED TO THE LAW AND CHRIST!

"But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died" [Rom 7:8-9]

We need to grasp what the purpose of the law is. It is to bring conviction of our awful state of depravity and sin. The law gives commands and demands. The gospel gives us life eternal and promises.   

So very clearly we see in Paul that there is no two covenants side by side. Both Romans and 2 Corinthians blows that foolishness out of the water.