The Apostle Paul did not write saying people should stop keeping Torah (the Law of Moses). He simply pointed out that it is no simple matter to simply keep Torah. You get problems like reverse-psychology. Like dieting, when focusing on food and counting calories actually increases the appetite. You get misunderstandings and mishandling of Torah with heresies and schisms. In the end it does not make you a permanently righteous person because it leads to pride and self-righteousness. Paul had kept it to the letter from childhood. He excelled in it with ultimate understanding of it beyond that of most who have less ability to keep it and keep on keeping it. But it did not stop him hating followers of the Messiah. It made him more keen to stamp them out and kill them. Then he met the Messiah, the Son of Man. Suddenly he saw a way to permanently remain righteous no matter what happened: A trustworthy rabbi living righteously for aeons past before Abraham and forever into the future. The Messiah Himself.
Following Him, keeping His teachings; and being kept by Him in return. This was a more certain and viable long term eternal prospect of righteousness. This Messiah is ever righteous and ever lives and He cleanses from wrongdoing and heals. He makes righteous and keeps righteous those who believe in Him and keep His teachings. Paul knew that in keeping Torah he was having to do so as an individual struggling against his natural tendencies. Keeping the teachings of Messiah, on the other hand, meant having the eternally living, ever righteous, utterly competent teaching and healing master of righteousness, the Messiah Himself, to ever help him: This Messiah who is there with God at God’s right hand.
By the time Paul was doing this it was the Holy Spirit who was imparting the Messiah so Paul in following the Holy Spirit was thereby following the Messiah. The same applies today.
Paul stated explicitly in his letter to the church in Ephesus, Ephesians chapter 4: “... That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin” : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.”
This corresponds to teachings of the Messiah such as recorded in John 8 where we see how strongly the Messiah condemned lying and hating and giving the devil a foothold: “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” But this Ephesians passage aside, Paul usually focused on the Holy Spirit as teacher, since the Holy Spirit applied the Messiah’s teachings and way - as seen in Galatians and Romans 8. This is still the same today and forever - Messiah is forever and leads into righteousness forever. Forever cinsistent.
