Amen, my friend. Paul's own autobiographical sketch of his former life in Judaism compared to his life in Christ is absolutely stunning
Acts 22:3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel[b] according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day.
What he did leave behind was what he had been trained in, namely the strict manner of the law of his fathers. He was blameless when it came to works-based righteousness and following all of the traditions of the rabbis for how to keep the Torah.
Romans 9:30-32 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness[d] did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works.
He was making exactly this mistake of pursing the law as if it were based on works rather than pursuing it by faith. Jesus is the goal of the Torah and he had missed it, so he counted it as loss. He was now free to become a slave of righteousness leading to sanctification and to pursue the law by faith.
To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law.
Huh? Law of Christ? Yup - "Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ". (Gal. 6:2).
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