Did Jesus come to cancel the Law of Moses—or fulfill it? In this compelling episode, Dr. Paul Sloan joins Dru Johnson to challenge one of the most persistent misunderstandings in modern Christianity: the idea that Jesus and Paul opposed the Torah.

Drawing from his book Jesus and the Law of Moses, Sloan explains how legalism, misunderstanding of impurity, and modern Christian readings of Paul have distorted our view of the biblical law. Instead of a rigid checklist of 613 rules, the Torah was a wisdom-guided, relational framework that assumed the realities of sin, forgiveness, and impurity—and offered ways to address them.

They explore how Jesus engaged in sophisticated legal reasoning, why Paul continued to participate in the temple sacrificial system even after his conversion, and why the “burden” of the law has been misunderstood. Sloan also critiques how Pharisees are caricatured as villains, with damaging theological consequences—especially for how Christians view modern Jews and Judaism.

This episode brings clarity to what Jesus and Paul were really doing with the law—and why recovering this perspective is crucial for theology, biblical interpretation, and interfaith understanding today.

To get your copy of Jesus And The Law Of Moses:

https://bakerpublishinggroup.com/products/9781540966384_jesus-and-the-law-of-moses

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Chapters:

00:00 Understanding the Law and Jesus' Perspective

02:22 Hurdles in Understanding the Law

05:13 Legalism and Its Misinterpretations

08:20 The Case for Jesus and Paul Abolishing the Torah

11:35 Exploring Dietary Laws and Their Implications

14:33 The Nature of Law and Forgiveness

17:31 Ritual Purity and Its Misconceptions

20:24 Pharisees: Villains or Misunderstood Figures?

23:25 Modern Implications of Ancient Interpretations

24:43 Paul's Observance of the Torah

25:33 The Role of Sacrifices in Early Christianity

31:40 Jesus and the Sacrificial System

34:04 Cultural Critique: Rabbinics and Jesus' Teachings