Torah Minded

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“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” Luke 21:33

I have been having lots of conversations lately about my belief that we should still be observing the Torah (God’s Law) as Christ-followers today. As you can probably guess, there’s been a lot of debate and pushback. And you may be one of those who right now wants to argue with me, too. But, I ask that you hang on and at least hear me out. If you still have questions or feel the need to debate, you are free to leave a response in the comments and I’d be happy to dialogue with you. I only ask that you keep it respectful if you do.

Most of the arguments to my belief sound something like this: “We’re not under the Law anymore.” “The Law has been abolished.” “Torah was part of the Old Covenant and we are part of the New Covenant.” “We’re saved by grace, not by works.” And to all of those I usually want simply to reply, yes… and no. But that isn’t usually a satisfactory response 😉

Much of the belief system behind these arguments is built upon manmade doctrines and misinterpretations of scripture that stem from a lack of knowledge of the Hebrew culture and Jewish idioms. We have to remember that the Bible was written by Hebrews and Jews to Hebrews and Jews, and the Gentiles (pagans) who have been grafted into the community of Israel through our faith in Jesus (Yeshua is his Hebrew name). And when we become a part of a community, it’s wise to learn the language, so to speak. So why does the church continue to try to interpret scripture through the lens of western Christianity?

I have been on this journey of learning the language for some time now, and I still have SO MUCH to learn. It started when I began to read God’s word for myself. I started asking questions. And I was left dissatisfied with the “church doctrine” answers I was getting that didn’t seem to line up with what I was reading. I started to ask God to show me where I had believed wrong, and to lead me in His truth. And He did. And now that I know the truth, I can’t turn back.

As I have learned about the Jewish culture of Yeshua’s day, and the true meanings behind the parables, and the figures of speech that would have been widely understood by the audience to whom they were spoken, and widely misunderstood by us today, my eyes have been opened to see God’s word in a much more vibrant, clear, that-makes-so-much-sense-now kind of way. And I’d like to share with you some of what God has shown me.

I’ve put this in a sort of Q&A type format, because I think it will help to keep the train on the track as I move through scripture. I am attempting to answer just a few of the aforementioned questions to the best of my ability, yet in a condensed, easily digestible post, although I hope it continues to stir you long after you are done reading. The points I touch on are just the tip of the iceberg, and my hope is that they will cause you to do your own prayerful seeking for the immeasurable depths waiting just under the surface of this blog.

Should Christians Observe Torah?

Q1 Wasn’t the Law given only to the Jews at Mt. Sanai?

First, I want to point out that it wasn’t only Jews standing at the bas of the mountain as God carved His words into stone tablets. There was a mixed multitude that had come out of Egypt with the children of Israel and had chosen to dwell with them as God’s people.

Second, if the Law didn’t exist until Mt. Sinai, and was only for the Jews, how did Noah (who was not a Jew) know what animals were clean and unclean? How did he know to present offerings of clean animals to God on an altar when he went out from the ark? (Gen. 8:20-21) In Genesis 12:7 it says that Abram (also not a Jew) built an altar to the Lord, which was not only before the Law was given on Mt. Sinai, but before the Lord had even made His covenant with Abram. And even before this, Cain and Abel made sacrifices to the Lord not long after their parents were sent out of the Garden of Eden. If not for the Law, how did they know to bring sacrifices and why was Abel’s offering pleasing to the LORD and Cain’s not?

The Law has been since the foundation of the world, and it is not just for the native born of Israel. Exodus 12:49 clearly states that “there shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you.” There is one God, and by default He is the God of both the Gentile and the Jew. This sentiment is reiterated often throughout the Old Testament in such verses as:

Leviticus 19:34 “Rather, treat the foreigner staying with you like the native-born among you — you are to love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt; I am Adonai your God.”

Deuteronomy 16:14 “Rejoice at your festival — you, your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, the Levite, and the foreigners, orphans and widows living among you.”

Ezekiel 47:22 “You are to divide it by lot as an inheritance both to you and to the foreigners living among you who give birth to children living among you; for you they are to be no different from the native-born among the people of Isra’el — they are to have an inheritance with you among the tribes of Isra’el.”

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul confirms this in his letter to the church in Ephesus:

Ephesians 2:11-13, 19 “Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ… So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.”

Q2 Didn’t Jesus do away with the Law when He died on the cross?

If the Torah has been nullified in Christ, why then did Yeshua himself say, “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. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-20)

Here is a perfect example of misunderstanding due to a lack of knowledge of the Jewish culture. The statement that Yeshua did not come to “abolish” the Law is a first century rabbinic idiom, which would have been clearly understood by his audience at that time. Abolish did not mean to “do away with,” rather to “misinterpret.” His second expression, “complete,” means to teach correctly. Yeshua did not come to cancel out the Torah, but to make clear its meaning, to “affirm its fullness and truth by teaching all of it in a way that is true to its intended meaning.” (Friedman, ‘Jewish Idioms in the New Testament’)

When God gave the Law to Israel, He said these things were “forever.” And when God says forever, I tend to believe He meant forever. (See Deut. 7:9, 12:1; 1 Chron. 16:15; Psalm 119:160, just to name a few.)

Q3 Maybe not all of it, but weren’t parts of the Law done away with?

Again, we see from the previous question that Yeshua did not come to destroy the Law. However, let’s look at some more scriptures that speak to this so we can get a better picture.

Mar 12:28-31  “And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 

Yeshua summed up the whole Torah with these two scriptures quoted from Deuteronomy and Leviticus (Deut. 6:4-5 and Levit. 19:18). The Torah, not just the 10 Commandments, was given so that we would know how to love God and love our neighbor. The whole Law, not just parts of it, are God’s design for how we should live our lives.

Joh 14:15  “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” 

Yeshua didn’t say, “keep some of my commandments.” He said that if we love Him, we would keep all of them. This was not out of duty or obligation, but out of love. James affirmed this when he said, “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness’—and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (James 2:17-24) 

God commanded us to care for the widow and the orphan. He commanded us to love our neighbor. He commanded us to help the poor. And we seem to have embraced these commands. But the other commands, the other “works,” – especially the ones pertaining to honoring the LORD such as the Sabbath – seem to have gone out the window and labeled “legalistic.”

Paul exhorted Timothy to continue in what he’d learned from the “sacred writings,” about which he had learned and been acquainted with since childhood (long before the NT was written), because these scriptures (again, not the NT) were inspired by God and were useful for “teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:14-17) He is here affirming that the Torah is meant to complete and equip our faith so that we can live in a way that pleases God.

In his letter to the believers in Rome, Paul said: “For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 2:12-16) 

No, we are not saved by following the Law. God’s Word makes it very clear that our works do not save us. We are saved by our faith in Yeshua and His work on the cross on our behalf. But our works, our obedience to God’s commands, are evidence of our love for God. It is evidence that we believe He is who He says He is, and He means what He says. As Paul said in his letter to the church in Rome: “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.” (Romans 3:28-31)

There are certain laws that do not apply at the present time, such as the laws concerning temple worship and sacrifice. But that is simply due to the fact that there is no longer a temple. At least not one in the form of a building. We are now the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). And we are called to present our lives as a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1; 1 Peter 2:5). So although we are not presenting lambs and bulls on the altar, we are, because of the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, to present ourselves as holy and blameless.

We are no longer under the Law of sin and death, in that we must earn our righteousness by our works, we are under the Law of grace, in that our righteousness is a gift obtained through faith. We are saved by faith, and our works are evidence that our faith is genuine.

Here are some lists of scriptures to look over. It’s a lot of scripture, but it shows a thread that continues throughout God’s Word. You cannot take one or two verses and try to form an opinion. You must look at what the Bible says from beginning to end, because it all speaks to God’s heart for His people with continuous clarity. I also suggest prayerfully reading over Psalm 119:9-20, 129-144 as it sums up what I believe a true believers view of God’s Torah should be; after all it was written by the man remembered as a “man after God’s own heart.”

Again, if you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment. My prayer is that you will open your heart to wherever God may lead you, even if that means forsaking what you thought you knew and embracing His truth.

NT Affirmations of the Torah

1 Cor 7:19 For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. 

1 John 2:3-6 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. 

1 John 5:1-3 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 

Rom 7:22-25 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. 

Rev 14:12 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. 

Matthew 19:17 And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

Galatians 3:12 However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “He who practices them shall live by them.”

God’s Word Doesn’t Change

Heb 13:8  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 

Mat 5:18  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. 

Deu 12:32  Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it. 

Luke 16:17  But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void. 

1Pe 1:24-25  For “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you. 

Rom 16:25-27  Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. 

Ecc 12:13-14  The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. 

God’s Torah is Not a Burden, But a Joy

Psalm 1:1-2 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 

Psalm 19:7-10 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 

Psalm 40:8  I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.

Psalm 119:72  The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. 

Jeremiah 15:16  Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts. 

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Rom 7:22  For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 

1 John 5:2-3  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.