Answering Objections to Torah Colossians Galatians

What are the “Elements of the World” Paul Refers to in Galatians 4:3, 9 and Colossians 2:8, 20?

J.K. McKeeMay 4, 20167 min readAwaiting author

I have heard that the Torah actually composes the “elemental things of the world,” referenced in Galatians 4:3, 9 and Colossians 2:8, 20. Is there any truth to this claim? The specific clause ta stoicheia tou kosmou ( τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου )—“the elemental things/spirits of the world”—appears in full in Galatians 4:3 and Colossians 2:8, followed by the shorter stoicheia in Galatians 4:9, and tōn stoicheiōn ( τῶν στοιχείων

About the author

J.K. McKee (B.A., University of Oklahoma; M.A., Asbury Theological Seminary) is a Messianic scholar, editor of Messianic Apologetics, and a 2009 recipient of the Zondervan Biblical Languages Award for Greek. He writes Messianic commentaries on books of the Bible.

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More from J.K. McKee

Awaiting authorJanuary 28, 2015

Colossians 2:14: Was God’s Law Nailed to the Cross?

“[H]aving canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” Colossians 2:14 is a common verse that is quoted by many Christians to assert that “the Law of Moses was nailed to the cross of Jesus Christ.” But is this truly what is being said in Colossians 2:14?

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Awaiting authorJune 25, 2014

What does Galatians 3:24-25 mean that we are no longer under a schoolmaster (guardian, paidagogos)?

Question: How can you say that the Law of Moses is still to be followed by Christians today, when it is quite clear that we are no longer under a tutor? “Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Messiah, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.” (Galatians 3:24-25) This question is correct

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Awaiting authorApril 3, 2014

Sacred Name Concerns

Contents: How many of you have been in a Messianic religious setting as of late where you have heard someone use the words God, or Lord, or even Jesus Christ—and then someone gets up and publicly chastises the person? How many of you have been told that if you do not use Hebraic names and terms for the Father and the Son that your prayers will neither be heard nor

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