Should Christians Observe the Torah

[koberstein]

Should Christians Observe the Torah​

BIBLE TEACHINGS ON ISRAEL, MESSIANIC BIBLE TEACHINGS

Torah Observant Christians​

In Acts 15, we find the early church wrestling with a weighty question that seems to be resurfacing today: should Christians observe the Torah and follow the Law of Moses? If so, how?
Now that the way of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus was open to the Gentiles, how should they live? And what must they do in order to belong? Did Gentile believers need to take on the yoke of the Mosaic Law and adhere to a Jewish lifestyle?

Let’s see how the Word of God addresses Christians observing the Torah:​

The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them,
“Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.
“Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” Acts 15:6-11
The verdict from the apostles and elders was emphatic: Gentile believers were not required to follow the Law of Moses (Acts 15:1-32). Meaning, they were grafted into Israel’s “olive tree” not by works but by faith (Rom 11:17-24; Eph 2:8-9).
Gentiles could belong to the covenant community of faith without having to become Jewish. And all the Gentiles rejoiced.

End of the Law?​

Scriptures make it clear that those who put their faith in Jesus, whether Jew or Gentile, are not under law but under grace (Rom 6:14). No person is justified or made righteous by the works of the law (Gal 2:16-21). For Christ is the end [telos: goal, fulfillment] of the law unto righteousness for everyone who believes (Rom 10:4).
So, through Jesus, our perfect mediator, God fulfilled His word and established a New Covenant with the house of Israel. It is a covenant unlike the one made at Sinai (Heb 9:11-15).
He would take what was external – the ordinances and commands that were a copy and shadow of more perfect things (Heb 8:5; 10:1). Then, He would write His Law on our hearts (Jer 31:31-34). In light of the New Covenant, the author of Hebrews says the Law is now “obsolete” and ready to “vanish away” (Heb 8:13).
So apparently, the Law is over and done with now that we are in the dispensation of grace. Case closed, right? But perhaps it’s not so simple.

Christians Observing the Torah in the Words of Jesus​

Jesus himself declared,
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
“Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-19
Jesus did not abolish the Law. He was born under the Law (Gal 4:4-5) and perfectly fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law. The New Covenant indicated that God’s Torah (law, instruction) would be written on our hearts (Jer 31:31-34).
So wouldn’t that mean continued adherence to the Law?

From Moses to the Apostles​

Moses said in the Torah that the commandments of the Law are to be observed “throughout your generations” as statutes “forever” (Ex 12:14, 17, 27:2. 31:16). David delighted in the Law of the Lord and wrote countless Psalms about the joy and blessing of following God’s “perfect” law.
Throughout the New Testament, it appears that Paul and the other Jewish believers continued to live as Torah-observant Jews (Acts 18, 21:21-24; Rom 3:31). That is to say, the Law was part of Israel’s very identity. To Israel belong the covenants and the giving of the Law (Rom 9:4).
Paul says that “all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for training in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16). This is in reference to the Hebrew Scriptures, which includes the Law.
And yet Paul also clearly says that those who have placed their faith in Christ are no longer under the supervision of the Law (Gal 3:23-25). He adds that through the Law he died to the Law so he might live to God (Gal 2:19). In addition, he says in Romans 7:6,
But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

One New Man​

In Ephesians, Paul speaks at length of the mystery of Jew and Gentile together in Messiah. That is to say, Gentiles have been grafted into Israel’s salvation story by grace through faith (Rom 11:17; Eph 2:8).
Jew and Gentile are now “One New Man” in Yeshua, united in the means of salvation by grace through faith. Yet they are free to embrace diversity and distinctiveness in manner of life and calling. Since Gentiles were never under the Mosaic Law, why endeavor to submit to it now?
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. Ephesians 2:13-16
So who got it right? Moses, David, Jesus, Paul, or the Jerusalem Council?

Jerusalem Council on Christian Torah Observance​

The tender balance of walking out the decision of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 proved to be more than challenging. It was not as simple as a declaration clarifying that Gentiles were not obligated to follow the Law. In other words, it would imply that believing Jews would in some way continue to walk according to the Mosaic Law and Jewish customs.
The community of faith wrestled with various nuances of life under the New Covenant. For example, the balance of faith and works, the mystery of Jew and Gentile together in Messiah (One New Man), the enduring role of the Law, and the place of custom and tradition in identity.
The New Testament letters to Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, Romans, and Hebrews all address these issues at length. Moreover, volumes continue to be written to this effect. So evidently, finding balance is not so straightforward.
How far we have come from that Acts 15 conversation about how to include Gentiles into the community of faith. Two thousand years of turbulent Jewish-Christian relations testify to this.

Away from Acts 15: The Parting of the Ways ​

The decision set forth by the Jerusalem Council, although liberating for Gentiles, quickly led to a vast distancing from the Jewish context of the faith. With the rapid spread of the gospel, the face of Christianity became increasingly Gentile and distant from its Jewish roots and context.
The One New Man conversation of Jew and Gentile together in Christ took a decidedly imbalanced pendulum swing towards the Gentile side. Meaning, it veered away from unity and towards uniformity.
The conversation turned from “you don’t have to be Jewish to live among us” to “you can no longer be Jewish and live among us” to, in the most extreme cases, “you can no longer be Jewish and live”. Antisemitism, sadly, has found deep roots in Church history.
The lion’s share of Church history over the past 2,000 years has been written with the ink of the Gentiles and often with the blood of the Jews.

The Remnant​

The story of Jewish-Christian relations is deeply fractured and fraught with some of the darkest spots in human history. Could anything bridge the immense gap between us and bring healing and restoration?
God, true to His covenant promises, has miraculously preserved His chosen people throughout the generations for His name’s sake (Ezek 36; Rom 9-11).
Although the chasm between Christianity and modern Rabbinic Judaism is vast, there has always been a Remnant of Jewish believers throughout history. They maintained their distinct Jewish heritage and biblical covenant identity (Rom 11:5).
What seemed cut off and lifeless for generations, has sprouted once again. Out of ashes has come beauty. Israel as a nation is reborn. The dry bones are assembling and the breath of God is reviving the Remnant (Ezek 37).
There is a growing movement of Messianic Jewish believers in the Land and around the world. Israel – both land and people – has a way of maintaining center stage. Her very existence provokes a search for answers.

Returning to Acts 15​

In nothing short of a miracle, the Church is turning once again to the conversation of Acts 15, yet in a new context.
There is an awakening in the global Church to God’s eternal covenant promises for Israel.
This turn of attention is full of hope. It breathes new life and vision into the understanding of God’s heart for Israel, her ongoing call to be a light to the nations, and the promise that “all Israel will be saved” (Rom 11:26).
This shift stokes the eschatological anticipation for a great harvest of souls among the nations and the return of Christ. It fuels prayer and alignment and is a beautiful invitation into valuable dialogue.
And yet it also propels us back to some of the same questions the early church wrestled with. Meaning, about the One New Man and the multifaceted nuances of living out the New Covenant.

Should Christians follow the Torah?​

Believers have always wrestled with the tension between faith and works. However, there appears to be a renewed interest among many believers as to the role of the “Torah” in the life of a Christian.
Tandem with this is often a surge of interest in the Jewish roots of Christianity.
We believe this is the modern iteration of the Acts 15 conversation.
For some 2000 years, the Church has been predominantly Gentile in culture and practice, although there has always been a Remnant of believing Jews. But over the last century, we witnessed the rebirth of the State of Israel and the growth of the Messianic Jewish community.
Is that why we are now seeing a renewed interest in how Christians should relate to the Law and the Jewish roots of their faith?

The Rise of Jewish Trends within Christianity​

Why would Gentile Christians, who were never under the Law of Moses, feel a gravitational pull to “Torah observance”, often expressed in a distinctly Jewish manner?
Guaranteed, had the technology been available, we would not have seen people blowing shofars, lighting Hanukkah candles, and Davidic-dancing in the streets of Toledo in 1492. Nor in Warsaw in 1942 upon discovering that they had Jewish DNA. So why do we see such trends now?
The Church, who for thousands of years has been hostile to or largely ignorant of the Jewish roots of Christianity, is at last turning her eyes with favor towards the Jewish people. There is renewed vision and purpose in Jewish believers worldwide who may have been distant from their own ethnic and cultural heritage as Jews.
What does it mean for them to flesh out their identity as Jewish believers? Is there space given to this in the Church today? A balanced approach to the ensuing conversations is not always easy.

Finding Balance: Head, Heart, Hand​

An excellent theologian once taught that when we approach the realm of theology, we join an ongoing conversation of generations. We are invited to take a seat at the roundtable.
At times, we may either applaud or bristle at the voices that have contributed to this conversation throughout history. But wisdom would bid us first to listen and learn.
Ideally, right living should reflect a healthy balance of right belief, right heart or motive, and right action (orthodoxy, orthopathy, and orthopraxy). Imbalance in this equation is often where we see fringe groups arise. Truth is the razor’s edge between opposing heresies.
Jewish-Christian relations, questions about the Law, and the dialogue about the One New Man are not the entirety of the current conversation. Yet they are a significant part of the dialogue and may be the reason you find yourself reading this now.
There has been plenty of struggle with legalism and works-based righteousness entirely separate from the context of the One New Man or Israel.
The Gentile Church is turning favorably towards Israel and the Jewish people. This is a major shift from the historical trend. Could this be why we are seeing a renewed interest in how believers relate to the Torah? This discussion, like Acts 15, has great potential for healing and unity between Jew and Gentile. But we must both take a seat at the table to join the conversation.

The Pendulum of Extremes in Christians Observing the Torah​

The awakening in the Church towards Israel is bringing us back to Acts 15. That is, to the goal of finding balance and unity between Jew and Gentile in the Messiah, without acquiescing to uniformity.
As Christians walk the journey of identifying more closely with the Jewish Roots of their faith, we will inevitably face a lot of the same questions and dilemmas.
These include the practical expression of the One New Man, the ongoing nature of Jewish and Gentile identities as well as their cultural distinctions. And also what it means to interact with Israel’s story (past and present) and with the Jewish people in a healthy, biblical and balanced way.
For generations, the conversations about faith and works, Law and grace have been discussed from a primarily Gentile, dare we say western, perspective. Perhaps key voices have been excluded from the table for a long time.

Living Acts 15​

Can we return to Acts 15 to walk out this conversation in the context of the community of faith – Jew and Gentile together in Messiah?
Indeed, the balance must be found in the concept that we are One New Man – unified in faith and salvation, yet distinct in calling and purpose. The invitation to learn and to participate is wide open, but our hope and salvation are found in Jesus, not in Jewishness.
At this point, it would be an inexhaustible task to unpack the vast amount of scriptures or summarize the panoply of voices that have spoken into this conversation (see below for some recommended resources for further study). These conversations are ongoing, and will not be solved in a day.
But if in any way your attention has been piqued by the initial conversation at hand, I invite you to lean in. Pull up a chair at the roundtable and listen. Then let’s join the conversation of generations. We are living Acts 15.

Shalom

 

[SteveB]

Are the Ten Commandments good to keep us in line?

The Ten Commandments
1. You shall have no other gods before Me.
2. You shall not make idols.
3. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet.

Now which one or all should you not obey?

Forgive me Father for I have sinned. What have I sinned against? His Law.

The Father says, that's why I sent My One and Only Son to die in place of a covering of sin. It was His precious Blood that I see that covers you. Forgiven for every sin past, present and future.
Now I need Him here to prepare a place for you, a dwelling place. But until He returns I will give Him the Comforter, to be with you, the Holy Spirit to teach you all things about Us.

I'm reminded of a few thoughts in Matthew, Romans, Galatians, and others about the importance of the Law.

Mat 22:36-40 WEB 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

1Ti 1:5 WEB But the goal of the commandment is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith,

Rom 3:31 WEB Do we then nullify the law through faith? May it never be! No, we establish the law.

Rom 7:12-14 WEB 12 Therefore the law indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, righteous, and good. 13 Did then that which is good become death to me? May it never be! But sin, that it might be shown to be sin, was producing death in me through that which is good; that through the commandment sin might become exceedingly sinful. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold under sin.

Rom 13:8-10 WEB 8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other commandments there are, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love doesn’t harm a neighbor. Love therefore is the fulfillment of the law.

So....
The commandment of the Law is good, right, pure, True, Just....

Psa 19:7-10 WEB 7 Yahweh’s law is perfect, restoring the soul. Yahweh’s covenant is sure, making wise the simple. 8 Yahweh’s precepts are right, rejoicing the heart. Yahweh’s commandment is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of Yahweh is clean, enduring forever. Yahweh’s ordinances are true, and righteous altogether. 10 They are more to be desired than gold, yes, than much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and the extract of the honeycomb.

By them we receive warning....

Psa 19:11 WEB Moreover your servant is warned by them. In keeping them there is great reward.

There's only one problem...

The Law is spiritual and we are carnal. Sold under sin...

So... is there any way to actually fulfill the Law/commandment?

Why yes!

Yes there is....

Rom 8:4 WEB that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Rom 8:4 KJV That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

By walking in the Spirit.

Rom 8:5-7 WEB 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace; 7 because the mind of the flesh is hostile toward God, for it is not subject to God’s law, neither indeed can it be.

Wait.... what?!

We walk in the Spirit by focusing our thinking on spiritual things.


So... yes! We can actually satisfy the righteous ordinances of the Law...

That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Oh... it gets better....

Gal 5:18 WEB But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

We're all familiar with the passage out of Philippians 4 about prayer...

Phi 4:6-9 WEB 6 In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

But have you seen this one in vss 8 and 9?
Look closely at it...

8 Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report: if there is any virtue and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 Do the things which you learned, received, heard, and saw in me,

Focusing our thinking on things that are true, pure, just, lovely, good report, virtuous and praiseworthy... gee... that is reminiscent of psalm 19....

Psa 19:7-10 WEB 7 Yahweh’s law is perfect, restoring the soul. Yahweh’s covenant is sure, making wise the simple. 8 Yahweh’s precepts are right, rejoicing the heart. Yahweh’s commandment is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of Yahweh is clean, enduring forever. Yahweh’s ordinances are true, and righteous altogether. 10 They are more to be desired than gold, yes, than much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and the extract of the honeycomb.

Look at the result of learning to focus your thoughts on spiritual things....

and the God of peace will be with you.

Anyone else interested in God Himself being with you?

Take the time to learn to focus your thoughts on spiritual things. God says he'll hang out with you.... be with you....


Thus, the only way to actually fulfill the Law is by thinking on spiritual things.

 

[101G]

Christians Observing the Torah in the Words of Jesus​

Jesus himself declared,
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
“Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-19
Jesus did not abolish the Law. He was born under the Law (Gal 4:4-5) and perfectly fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law. The New Covenant indicated that God’s Torah (law, instruction) would be written on our hearts (Jer 31:31-34).
So wouldn’t that mean continued adherence to the Law?

Deuteronomy 30:11 "For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off." Deuteronomy 30:12 "It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?" Deuteronomy 30:13 "Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?" Deuteronomy 30:14 "But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it." Deuteronomy 30:15 "See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;"

the fulfillment, Romans 10:1 "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved." Romans 10:2 "For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge." Romans 10:3 "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." Romans 10:4 "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." Romans 10:5 "For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them." Romans 10:6 "But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above" Romans 10:7 "Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)" Romans 10:8 "But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;" Romans 10:9 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Romans 10:10 "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Romans 10:11 "For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." Romans 10:12 "For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him." Romans 10:13 "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:14 "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" Romans 10:15 "And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" Romans 10:16 "But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?" Romans 10:17 "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Romans 10:18 "But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world." Romans 10:19 "But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you." Romans 10:20 "But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me." Romans 10:21 "But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people."

101G.

 

[Soyeong]

Should Christians Observe the Torah​

In Acts 15, we find the early church wrestling with a weighty question that seems to be resurfacing today: should Christians observe the Torah and follow the Law of Moses? If so, how?

The issue that they were discussing in Acts 15 was not whether follows of God should follow His command in accordance with the example that Christ set for us to follow, but whether salvation is by grace or by circumcision (Acts 15:1, 11)

Now that the way of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus

In Psalms 119:29-30, he wanted to put false ways far from him, for God to be gracious to him by teaching him to obey the Torah, and he chose the way of faith by setting it before him, so this has always been the one and only way of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus.

Let’s see how the Word of God addresses Christians observing the Torah:
The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them,
“Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.
“Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” Acts 15:6-11
The verdict from the apostles and elders was emphatic: Gentile believers were not required to follow the Law of Moses (Acts 15:1-32).

In Matthew 4:15-23, Jesus began his ministry with the Gospel message to repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand, which was a light to the Gentiles, and the Torah was how his audience knew what sin is, so repenting from our disobedience to it is a central part of the Gospel of the Kingdom/Grace. This means that Peter pointing out that Gentiles should hear the word of the Gospel and believe was making the point that Gentiles were obeying the Torah in agreement with the men from Judea in Acts 15:5. Likewise, in Ezekiel 36:26-27, God will take away our hearts of stone give hearts of flesh, and send His Spirit to lead us to obey the Torah, so Peter pointing out that God gave Gentiles the Spirit is again in support of Gentiles obeying the Torah.

Meaning, they were grafted into Israel’s “olive tree” not by works but by faith (Rom 11:17-24; Eph 2:8-9).

In Ephesians 2:8-10, we are new creations in Christ to do good works, so while Paul denied that we can earn our salvation as the result of our works lest anyone should boast, being a doer of good works is nevertheless still a central part of our salvation.

Gentiles could belong to the covenant community of faith without having to become Jewish. And all the Gentiles rejoiced.

End of the Law?​

Scriptures make it clear that those who put their faith in Jesus, whether Jew or Gentile, are not under law but under grace (Rom 6:14). No person is justified or made righteous by the works of the law (Gal 2:16-21). For Christ is the end [telos: goal, fulfillment] of the law unto righteousness for everyone who believes (Rom 10:4).
So, through Jesus, our perfect mediator, God fulfilled His word and established a New Covenant with the house of Israel. It is a covenant unlike the one made at Sinai (Heb 9:11-15).

Paul spoke about multiple categories of law other than the Torah, such as the law of sin and works of the law, so it is always important to discern which law he is speaking about out of all of the categories of law that he referred to. For example, in Romans 7:25-8:2, Paul contrasted the Law of God with the law of sin and contrasted the Law of the Spirit of Life with the law of sin and death. In Romans 3:27, Paul contrasted a law of works with a law of faith and in Romans 3:31 and Galatians 3:10-12, he contrasted saying that our faith upholds the Torah with saying that works of the law are not of faith.

The Torah leads us to do what is holy, righteous, and good, so it is a law where those traits have dominion over us (Romans 7:12), however, the law of sin stirs up sinful passions in order to bear fruit unto death (Romans 7:5), so it is a law where sin had dominion over us, and the law that Romans 6:14 says that we are not under is a law where sin had dominion over us. Furthermore, in Romans 6:15, being under grace does not mean that we are permitted to sin, and in 1 John 3:4, sin is the transgression of the Torah, so we are still under it.

He would take what was external – the ordinances and commands that were a copy and shadow of more perfect things (Heb 8:5; 10:1). Then, He would write His Law on our hearts (Jer 31:31-34). In light of the New Covenant, the author of Hebrews says the Law is now “obsolete” and ready to “vanish away” (Heb 8:13).
So apparently, the Law is over and done with now that we are in the dispensation of grace. Case closed, right? But perhaps it’s not so simple.

The Mosaic Covenant is eternal (Exodus 31:14-17, Leviticus 24:8), so the only way that it can be replaced by the New Covenant is if the New Covenant does everything that it does plus more, which is what it means to make something obsolete. So the New Covenant still involves following the Torah (Hebrews 8:10), plus it is based on better promises and has a superior mediator (Hebrews 8:6)

And yet Paul also clearly says that those who have placed their faith in Christ are no longer under the supervision of the Law (Gal 3:23-25). He adds that through the Law he died to the Law so he might live to God (Gal 2:19). In addition, he says in Romans 7:6,
But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

The Torah leads us to Christ because it is God's instructions for how to know him, but it does not lead us to Christ so that we can then be free to do what it reveals to be wickedness. In Acts 3:25-26, Jesus was sent in fulfillment of the promise to bless us from turning us from our wickedness, which is in accordance with the Gospel of the Kingdom that he spent his ministry spreading.

In Romans 7:22-23, Paul delighted in obeying the Torah, but contrasted it with the law of sin that held him captive, so verses that should be interpreted as referring to the Torah should make sense for them to be referring to something that Paul delighted in doing. So it would be absurd to interpret Romans 7:5-6 as referring to the Torah as if Paul delighted in stirring up sinful passions in order to bear fruit unto death or as if he delighted in being held captive to sin, but rather that is the role of the law of sin. We need to die to the law of sin in order to be free to live for God by obeying the Torah, not the other way around.

One New Man​

In Ephesians, Paul speaks at length of the mystery of Jew and Gentile together in Messiah. That is to say, Gentiles have been grafted into Israel’s salvation story by grace through faith (Rom 11:17; Eph 2:8).
Jew and Gentile are now “One New Man” in Yeshua, united in the means of salvation by grace through faith. Yet they are free to embrace diversity and distinctiveness in manner of life and calling. Since Gentiles were never under the Mosaic Law, why endeavor to submit to it now?

Our salvation is from sin (Matthew 1:21) and it is by the Torah that we have knowledge of what sin is (Romans 3:20), so the position that Gentles are not required to obey the Torah is the position that Gentiles do not need salvation from sin or the Gospel message. Christ set a sinless example for us to follow of how to walk in obedience to the Torah and those who are in Christ are obligated to walk in the same way he walked (1 John 2:6), so the verses tha speak about those who are in Christ are not speaking about those who not walking in obedience to the Torah.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. Ephesians 2:13-16
So who got it right? Moses, David, Jesus, Paul, or the Jerusalem Council?

In Ephesians 2:12-19, Gentiles were are one time separated from Christ, alienated from Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world, which is all in accordance with Gentiles at one time not being doers of the Torah, but through faith in Christ all of that is no longer true in that Gentiles are no longer strangers of aliens, but are fellow citizens of Israel along with the saints in the household of God, which is also in accordance with Gentiles becoming doers of the Torah.

 

[Bob Carabbio]

Should Christians Observe the Torah​

Kind of a silly question!!!! The 10 Commandments are GOD'S WILL, and so remain as basic guidelines. The LAW is eternal.

OR is Killing, Stealing, Adultery, and having OTHER Gods O.K. these days???

Jesus eliminated the POWER OF THE LAW to destroy us - since we've already allowed the LAW to judge us and crucify us with Jesus on the Cross (Gal 2:20). But even though we're DEAD to the LAW, it's still as good a living practice as ever.

 

[Obadiah]

Love Fulfills the Law​

8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”[a] and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

 

[Soyeong]

Love Fulfills the Law​

8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”[a] and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Everything commanded in the Torah is either in regard to how to love God our how to love our neighbor, which is why Jesus said in Matthew 22:36-40 that those are the greatest two commandments and that all of the other commandments hang on them. So the position that we should obey the greatest two commandments is also the position that we should obey all of the commandments that hang on them, such as if we love God and our neighbor, then we won't commit adultery, theft, murder, idolatry, kidnapping, favoritism, rape, and so forth for the rest of the Torah. The greatest two commandments are a lot easier said than done, so thankfully God gave us the rest of His commandments to explain how to correctly obey them. Someone who was correctly obeying the greatest two commandments would be indistinguishable from someone who was correctly obeying the Torah because they would both be following the same example that Jesus set for us to follow, so love fulfills the Torah because it is showing a correct understanding of how to correctly obey it.

 

[Studyman]

Should Christians Observe the Torah​

BIBLE TEACHINGS ON ISRAEL, MESSIANIC BIBLE TEACHINGS

Torah Observant Christians​

In Acts 15, we find the early church wrestling with a weighty question that seems to be resurfacing today: should Christians observe the Torah and follow the Law of Moses? If so, how?

It is important in my understanding to make sure we have the Biblical "Truth" as a foundation of our study. I know this world's religions promote the belief that the Pharisees were promoting God's Law, and that the Yoke of bondage they laid on the necks of men was the "Law of Moses". But if I may, this is the opposite of what Jesus actually taught about them. Jesus said they "Taught for doctrines the commandments of men, not God. (Matt. 15, Mark 7)

The Jesus of the Bible said to His Disciples and others that were gathered to hear Him;

Matt. 23: 1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, 2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: 3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

Clearly Jesus is telling us they "Say" they teach for doctrines the Law of Moses. But they "Do Not", instead they teach for doctrines the commandments "of men". Jesus furthers this Biblical fact in the next verse.

4 For they (Pharisees, not God) bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

And again in Mark 7: 9 And he said unto them, Full well "ye reject" the commandment of God, that ye may keep "your own tradition".

In Acts 15 it is written of the Pharisees who were contending with the Apostles, "10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

This world's religions have taught me since my youth, that this "Yoke" was God's Laws placed on the shoulders of men by God and His Priest's, the Pharisees. But if I listen to what the Jesus "of the Bible" actually taught, and what the Bible actually says, I find that even though the Pharisees "SAID" they promoted the Law of God, they were actually promoting their own manmade doctrines and traditions and placing this Yoke upon the necks of men. Given these truths, the question that the early church wrestled with in Acts 15 was not whether or not to "Yield themselves" servants to obey God's Commandments. (Rom. 6:16) Rather, they were wrestling against the traditions of men the Pharisees called the Law of Moses.

Mark 7: 7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

So to resolve the problem, here is what the Apostles actually said.

Acts 15: 18 Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.

19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:

20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, (True Law of Moses) and from fornication, (True Law of Moses) and from things strangled,(True Law of Moses) and from blood. (True Law of Moses)

21 For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

So in truth, the Apostles directed the Gentile converts to obey some Laws of God right away, and then hear Moses for "doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works", just as Jesus had directed them, and just as Paul directed Timothy. (2 Tim 3:15-17)

In conclusion, the message to the Body of Christ in Acts 15 is not about whether or not to obey God, of course men who want to be "Christ-Like" AKA, "Christians" should yield themselves servants to obey God. The issue in Acts 15 was whether or not to adopt the religious philosophies of the religious sects and businesses of this world they were born into or not. Religions who teach for doctrines the commandments of men.

 

[Obadiah]

Everything commanded in the Torah is either in regard to how to love God our how to love our neighbor, which is why Jesus said in Matthew 22:36-40 that those are the greatest two commandments and that all of the other commandments hang on them. So the position that we should obey the greatest two commandments is also the position that we should obey all of the commandments that hang on them, such as if we love God and our neighbor, then we won't commit adultery, theft, murder, idolatry, kidnapping, favoritism, rape, and so forth for the rest of the Torah. The greatest two commandments are a lot easier said than done, so thankfully God gave us the rest of His commandments to explain how to correctly obey them. Someone who was correctly obeying the greatest two commandments would be indistinguishable from someone who was correctly obeying the Torah because they would both be following the same example that Jesus set for us to follow, so love fulfills the Torah because it is showing a correct understanding of how to correctly obey it.

Sounds good to me.

 

[civic]

Everything commanded in the Torah is either in regard to how to love God our how to love our neighbor, which is why Jesus said in Matthew 22:36-40 that those are the greatest two commandments and that all of the other commandments hang on them. So the position that we should obey the greatest two commandments is also the position that we should obey all of the commandments that hang on them, such as if we love God and our neighbor, then we won't commit adultery, theft, murder, idolatry, kidnapping, favoritism, rape, and so forth for the rest of the Torah. The greatest two commandments are a lot easier said than done, so thankfully God gave us the rest of His commandments to explain how to correctly obey them. Someone who was correctly obeying the greatest two commandments would be indistinguishable from someone who was correctly obeying the Torah because they would both be following the same example that Jesus set for us to follow, so love fulfills the Torah because it is showing a correct understanding of how to correctly obey it.

Christ fulfilled the law in our place and the New Covenant of His blood replaced the old covenant for NT believers. The entire book of Hebrews makes that crystal clear. Loving God and others is the NT fulfillment of the OT commandments. That's the NT believers standards.

 

[Soyeong]

Christ fulfilled the law in our place and the New Covenant of His blood replaced the old covenant for NT believers. The entire book of Hebrews makes that crystal clear. Loving God and others is the NT fulfillment of the OT commandments. That's the NT believers standards.

Nowhere does the Bible say that Jesus fulfilled the law in our place. Jesus spent his ministry teaching his followers how to obey the Torah by word and by example and he did not establish the New Covenant for the purpose of undermining anything that he spent his ministry teaching, but rather the New Covenant still involves following the Torah (Jeremiah 31;33).

Everything in the Torah is either in regard to how to love God and our neighbor, which is why Jesus said in Matthew 22:36-40 that those are the greatest two commandments and that all of the other commandments hang on them, so the position that we should obey the greatest two commandments is also the position that we should obey all of the commandments that hang on them. For example, if we love God and our neighbor, when we won't commit adultery, theft, murder, idolatry, rape, kidnapping, favoritism, and so forth for the rest of the Torah, so love fulfills the Torah because it is showing a correct understanding of what everything in it is about how to do. The greatest two commandments are a lot easier said than done, so thankful God gave us the rest of the Torah to flesh out what it looks like to correctly obey them. In other words, someone who was correctly obeying the greatest two commandments would be indistinguishable from someone who is correctly obeying the Torah because they would both be following the same example that Jesus set for us to follow. It is contradictory for someone to want to obey God's command to love while not wanting to obey His other commands for how to do that.

 

[DavidTree]

Should Christians Observe the Torah​

BIBLE TEACHINGS ON ISRAEL, MESSIANIC BIBLE TEACHINGS

Torah Observant Christians​

In Acts 15, we find the early church wrestling with a weighty question that seems to be resurfacing today: should Christians observe the Torah and follow the Law of Moses? If so, how?
Now that the way of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus was open to the Gentiles, how should they live? And what must they do in order to belong? Did Gentile believers need to take on the yoke of the Mosaic Law and adhere to a Jewish lifestyle?

Let’s see how the Word of God addresses Christians observing the Torah:​

The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them,
“Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.
“Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” Acts 15:6-11
The verdict from the apostles and elders was emphatic: Gentile believers were not required to follow the Law of Moses (Acts 15:1-32). Meaning, they were grafted into Israel’s “olive tree” not by works but by faith (Rom 11:17-24; Eph 2:8-9).
Gentiles could belong to the covenant community of faith without having to become Jewish. And all the Gentiles rejoiced.

End of the Law?​

Scriptures make it clear that those who put their faith in Jesus, whether Jew or Gentile, are not under law but under grace (Rom 6:14). No person is justified or made righteous by the works of the law (Gal 2:16-21). For Christ is the end [telos: goal, fulfillment] of the law unto righteousness for everyone who believes (Rom 10:4).
So, through Jesus, our perfect mediator, God fulfilled His word and established a New Covenant with the house of Israel. It is a covenant unlike the one made at Sinai (Heb 9:11-15).
He would take what was external – the ordinances and commands that were a copy and shadow of more perfect things (Heb 8:5; 10:1). Then, He would write His Law on our hearts (Jer 31:31-34). In light of the New Covenant, the author of Hebrews says the Law is now “obsolete” and ready to “vanish away” (Heb 8:13).
So apparently, the Law is over and done with now that we are in the dispensation of grace. Case closed, right? But perhaps it’s not so simple.

Christians Observing the Torah in the Words of Jesus​

Jesus himself declared,
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
“Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-19
Jesus did not abolish the Law. He was born under the Law (Gal 4:4-5) and perfectly fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law. The New Covenant indicated that God’s Torah (law, instruction) would be written on our hearts (Jer 31:31-34).
So wouldn’t that mean continued adherence to the Law?

From Moses to the Apostles​

Moses said in the Torah that the commandments of the Law are to be observed “throughout your generations” as statutes “forever” (Ex 12:14, 17, 27:2. 31:16). David delighted in the Law of the Lord and wrote countless Psalms about the joy and blessing of following God’s “perfect” law.
Throughout the New Testament, it appears that Paul and the other Jewish believers continued to live as Torah-observant Jews (Acts 18, 21:21-24; Rom 3:31). That is to say, the Law was part of Israel’s very identity. To Israel belong the covenants and the giving of the Law (Rom 9:4).
Paul says that “all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for training in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16). This is in reference to the Hebrew Scriptures, which includes the Law.
And yet Paul also clearly says that those who have placed their faith in Christ are no longer under the supervision of the Law (Gal 3:23-25). He adds that through the Law he died to the Law so he might live to God (Gal 2:19). In addition, he says in Romans 7:6,
But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

One New Man​

In Ephesians, Paul speaks at length of the mystery of Jew and Gentile together in Messiah. That is to say, Gentiles have been grafted into Israel’s salvation story by grace through faith (Rom 11:17; Eph 2:8).
Jew and Gentile are now “One New Man” in Yeshua, united in the means of salvation by grace through faith. Yet they are free to embrace diversity and distinctiveness in manner of life and calling. Since Gentiles were never under the Mosaic Law, why endeavor to submit to it now?
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. Ephesians 2:13-16
So who got it right? Moses, David, Jesus, Paul, or the Jerusalem Council?

Jerusalem Council on Christian Torah Observance​

The tender balance of walking out the decision of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 proved to be more than challenging. It was not as simple as a declaration clarifying that Gentiles were not obligated to follow the Law. In other words, it would imply that believing Jews would in some way continue to walk according to the Mosaic Law and Jewish customs.
The community of faith wrestled with various nuances of life under the New Covenant. For example, the balance of faith and works, the mystery of Jew and Gentile together in Messiah (One New Man), the enduring role of the Law, and the place of custom and tradition in identity.
The New Testament letters to Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, Romans, and Hebrews all address these issues at length. Moreover, volumes continue to be written to this effect. So evidently, finding balance is not so straightforward.
How far we have come from that Acts 15 conversation about how to include Gentiles into the community of faith. Two thousand years of turbulent Jewish-Christian relations testify to this.

Away from Acts 15: The Parting of the Ways ​

The decision set forth by the Jerusalem Council, although liberating for Gentiles, quickly led to a vast distancing from the Jewish context of the faith. With the rapid spread of the gospel, the face of Christianity became increasingly Gentile and distant from its Jewish roots and context.
The One New Man conversation of Jew and Gentile together in Christ took a decidedly imbalanced pendulum swing towards the Gentile side. Meaning, it veered away from unity and towards uniformity.
The conversation turned from “you don’t have to be Jewish to live among us” to “you can no longer be Jewish and live among us” to, in the most extreme cases, “you can no longer be Jewish and live”. Antisemitism, sadly, has found deep roots in Church history.
The lion’s share of Church history over the past 2,000 years has been written with the ink of the Gentiles and often with the blood of the Jews.

The Remnant​

The story of Jewish-Christian relations is deeply fractured and fraught with some of the darkest spots in human history. Could anything bridge the immense gap between us and bring healing and restoration?
God, true to His covenant promises, has miraculously preserved His chosen people throughout the generations for His name’s sake (Ezek 36; Rom 9-11).
Although the chasm between Christianity and modern Rabbinic Judaism is vast, there has always been a Remnant of Jewish believers throughout history. They maintained their distinct Jewish heritage and biblical covenant identity (Rom 11:5).
What seemed cut off and lifeless for generations, has sprouted once again. Out of ashes has come beauty. Israel as a nation is reborn. The dry bones are assembling and the breath of God is reviving the Remnant (Ezek 37).
There is a growing movement of Messianic Jewish believers in the Land and around the world. Israel – both land and people – has a way of maintaining center stage. Her very existence provokes a search for answers.

Returning to Acts 15​

In nothing short of a miracle, the Church is turning once again to the conversation of Acts 15, yet in a new context.
There is an awakening in the global Church to God’s eternal covenant promises for Israel.
This turn of attention is full of hope. It breathes new life and vision into the understanding of God’s heart for Israel, her ongoing call to be a light to the nations, and the promise that “all Israel will be saved” (Rom 11:26).
This shift stokes the eschatological anticipation for a great harvest of souls among the nations and the return of Christ. It fuels prayer and alignment and is a beautiful invitation into valuable dialogue.
And yet it also propels us back to some of the same questions the early church wrestled with. Meaning, about the One New Man and the multifaceted nuances of living out the New Covenant.

Should Christians follow the Torah?​

Believers have always wrestled with the tension between faith and works. However, there appears to be a renewed interest among many believers as to the role of the “Torah” in the life of a Christian.
Tandem with this is often a surge of interest in the Jewish roots of Christianity.
We believe this is the modern iteration of the Acts 15 conversation.
For some 2000 years, the Church has been predominantly Gentile in culture and practice, although there has always been a Remnant of believing Jews. But over the last century, we witnessed the rebirth of the State of Israel and the growth of the Messianic Jewish community.
Is that why we are now seeing a renewed interest in how Christians should relate to the Law and the Jewish roots of their faith?

The Rise of Jewish Trends within Christianity​

Why would Gentile Christians, who were never under the Law of Moses, feel a gravitational pull to “Torah observance”, often expressed in a distinctly Jewish manner?
Guaranteed, had the technology been available, we would not have seen people blowing shofars, lighting Hanukkah candles, and Davidic-dancing in the streets of Toledo in 1492. Nor in Warsaw in 1942 upon discovering that they had Jewish DNA. So why do we see such trends now?
The Church, who for thousands of years has been hostile to or largely ignorant of the Jewish roots of Christianity, is at last turning her eyes with favor towards the Jewish people. There is renewed vision and purpose in Jewish believers worldwide who may have been distant from their own ethnic and cultural heritage as Jews.
What does it mean for them to flesh out their identity as Jewish believers? Is there space given to this in the Church today? A balanced approach to the ensuing conversations is not always easy.

Finding Balance: Head, Heart, Hand​

An excellent theologian once taught that when we approach the realm of theology, we join an ongoing conversation of generations. We are invited to take a seat at the roundtable.
At times, we may either applaud or bristle at the voices that have contributed to this conversation throughout history. But wisdom would bid us first to listen and learn.
Ideally, right living should reflect a healthy balance of right belief, right heart or motive, and right action (orthodoxy, orthopathy, and orthopraxy). Imbalance in this equation is often where we see fringe groups arise. Truth is the razor’s edge between opposing heresies.
Jewish-Christian relations, questions about the Law, and the dialogue about the One New Man are not the entirety of the current conversation. Yet they are a significant part of the dialogue and may be the reason you find yourself reading this now.
There has been plenty of struggle with legalism and works-based righteousness entirely separate from the context of the One New Man or Israel.
The Gentile Church is turning favorably towards Israel and the Jewish people. This is a major shift from the historical trend. Could this be why we are seeing a renewed interest in how believers relate to the Torah? This discussion, like Acts 15, has great potential for healing and unity between Jew and Gentile. But we must both take a seat at the table to join the conversation.

The Pendulum of Extremes in Christians Observing the Torah​

The awakening in the Church towards Israel is bringing us back to Acts 15. That is, to the goal of finding balance and unity between Jew and Gentile in the Messiah, without acquiescing to uniformity.
As Christians walk the journey of identifying more closely with the Jewish Roots of their faith, we will inevitably face a lot of the same questions and dilemmas.
These include the practical expression of the One New Man, the ongoing nature of Jewish and Gentile identities as well as their cultural distinctions. And also what it means to interact with Israel’s story (past and present) and with the Jewish people in a healthy, biblical and balanced way.
For generations, the conversations about faith and works, Law and grace have been discussed from a primarily Gentile, dare we say western, perspective. Perhaps key voices have been excluded from the table for a long time.

Living Acts 15​

Can we return to Acts 15 to walk out this conversation in the context of the community of faith – Jew and Gentile together in Messiah?
Indeed, the balance must be found in the concept that we are One New Man – unified in faith and salvation, yet distinct in calling and purpose. The invitation to learn and to participate is wide open, but our hope and salvation are found in Jesus, not in Jewishness.
At this point, it would be an inexhaustible task to unpack the vast amount of scriptures or summarize the panoply of voices that have spoken into this conversation (see below for some recommended resources for further study). These conversations are ongoing, and will not be solved in a day.
But if in any way your attention has been piqued by the initial conversation at hand, I invite you to lean in. Pull up a chair at the roundtable and listen. Then let’s join the conversation of generations. We are living Acts 15.

Shalom

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