Have you ever heard the saying, “Once you see something, you can’t unsee it”? I’ve heard and used this expression over the years, and it can be applied two ways. One is when you actually see something, either majestic or gruesome, and it stays with you. You see it replay in your mind over and over again. It elicits either a sense of longing or foreboding whenever its memory comes to mind. Whether by choice or by chance, its image is now etched in your mind, and you can’t unsee it.
Another use is when you either notice or someone else points out the similarity between one thing and another. For example, there is an abstract picture my mother painted hanging in our home. I always thought it looked like mountains with the sun setting behind and a stream wandering across the field below them. One day, I realized how similar the texture in this picture is to the lava fields we explored in Hawai’i. Now I can’t unsee it. Whenever I look at the picture, the peaceful mountainous landscape I once saw now wrestles in my mind with the memory of the harsh, rocky landscape left behind by Mauna Loa’s fierce eruptions.
Years ago, I had a “can’t unsee it” experience with God’s Word. Once God opened my heart to His Torah, I can’t unsee it. It has become the thing through which I not only view scripture, but how I see myself and the world around me. 2 Corinthians 3:14-18 sums this experience up perfectly. If you’re anything like me, sometimes it takes a few different ways of receiving information for your brain to fully wrap around it, so here it is in two different translations just to give us all a more vivid picture:
“But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” – ESV
“What is more, their minds were made stonelike; for to this day the same veil remains over them when they read the Old Covenant; it has not been unveiled, because only by the Messiah is the veil taken away.Yes, till today, whenever Moshe is read, a veil lies over their heart. “But,” says the Torah, “whenever someone turns to Adonai, the veil is taken away.Now, “Adonai” in this text means the Spirit. And where the Spirit of Adonai is, there is freedom.So all of us, with faces unveiled, see as in a mirror the glory of the Lord; and we are being changed into his very image, from one degree of glory to the next, by Adonai the Spirit.”– CJB
During Old Testament times, before Messiah came, people read scripture with a veil over their faces, without the full understanding of who Messiah was to be. Not just in the flesh, but as an emissary of freedom. Our freedom. Freedom from the bondage to sin. Freedom from the penalty of our sin. Freedom from the inability to resist sin and live for righteousness. Freedom from the compulsion to satisfy our fleshly desires. Freedom to overcome all that separates us from our Heavenly Father.
We are told that in Messiah we are given the ability (freedom) to flee from evil and pursue that which is good, but how will we know which is which without something to guides us? Yeshua (Jesus) said that He didn’t come to abolish the Law (Torah), but to fulfill it. He came to show us how to live according to Torah the way God intended so that we might learn to do likewise. Torah is the light that exposes sin and illuminates righteousness. (Rom. 3:20,31) The law is not a heavy burden as many believe, but a joy, a blessing, and life. (Deut. 30:19-20, Psa. 119:92-93; Rom. 7:22; 1 John 5:3… and so many more.)
It is only through Messiah that we see Torah for what it is… our freedom.
Years ago, I gave God permission to rewrite my faith. To take anything that I believed about Him that wasn’t true and get rid of it, and to strengthen what was true so that my faith might be genuine and pure. I began to read the Bible and let Him speak to me Himself instead of listening to what someone else had to say about Him. It was then that He began to open my eyes to the beauty of His Word… all of it. I began to see Torah, His law, through the lens of Messiah. And now, I can’t unsee it.
Everything makes so much more sense. Things that didn’t fit together before have now become seamless threads in a beautiful tapestry. Seeming contradictions now come together into a single truth. In our turning to the LORD through faith in Messiah, the veil truly is lifted, and we begin to see Him as He really is. Yeshua (Jesus) walked according to Torah, and we are called to walk as He walked. To imitate Him. To follow Him. And when we do, that is when we begin the transformation into His likeness, from one degree of glory to another. And the freedom that comes from Torah, from faith, from the power of His Holy Spirit in us, becomes a reality in our lives.
Just as the pharisees presented to Israel a legalistic view of the Law through works and manmade decrees, we have been presented with a false messiah who did away with the Law altogether. Neither of these views are correct. Both of them are veiled displays of the truth, keeping us from seeing and experiencing the freedom Messiah offers to us all. And hindering us from being changed into His image. If we can’t see what He looks like, how can we become like Him?
We are told that Yeshua (Jesus) is the Word made flesh. (John 1:14) We are also told that Torah is the Word. Torah was the written Word; Messiah is the living Word. They are one in the same. Yeshua is the Word of God, the living, incarnate righteousness of the God of all creation. It is in this realization that the veil is lifted from our face, and we can see clearly the glory of God. And once you see His glory, it becomes something you can’t… something you never want to unsee.
Harvest:
In what ways has my view of Messiah and Torah been distorted?
Am I willing to let God rewrite my faith into one that is based on the truth of who He is?
Read the whole of Psalm 119 this week and ask God to help you see His Torah the way David, a man after God’s own heart, did.
Father, thank You for sending Messiah that I might be free. I ask you right now to cause Your freedom to be a reality in my life. Show me anywhere that I am in bondage, anywhere that sin has a hold in my life. Send Your Holy Spirit to guide me into all truth. Father, You are truth, and it is Your truth that will set me free. I thank You and praise You in the name of Yeshua our Messiah. Amen
Exodus 34:12-16; 2 Kings 18:1-6; Mark 12:28-34; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18
Plant:
We are about to enter October, one of my favorite months of the year – and not just because it contains my birthday. It is the beginning of cooler weather, bonfires, and the beautiful autumn hues that grace the trees this time of year. At least trees in certain parts of the country. Here in the deep south, the trees stay green well into December when they simply turn brown then fall off their branches sometime in January.
In tribute to the season, many of us decorate our front porches with haybales, scarecrows, and mounds of mums echoing the colors of fall. Other homes incorporate into their landscape skeletons, jack-o-lanterns, and pretend graveyards ushering in another sign that October is here.
These signs of Halloween have been embraced by people of all different faiths, or even no faith at all. But for us who love God, it should not be so.
Most people say it’s OK to celebrate Halloween because they’re not worshiping the devil. They just like the decorations and candy and dressing up in costumes. There’s no harm in doing that as long as we aren’t doing it on honor of the darkness those things represent.
OK. That’s one argument. But what does God, the One we say we are worshiping, have to say about that?
First, we need to understand what Halloween is and how things like jack-o-lanterns, trick-or-treating, and dressing up in costumes came to be. I think we can all agree about the inherent evil in witches and ghosts, but what’s so bad about giving candy to a little girl who looks like a princess as she stands on our doorstep which is decorated with smiling pumpkins?
I’ll give you the short answer first. Then we’ll dive into the deep end of this pool. Anything that has to do with Satan should have no place in our lives. He is the master of tying evil up in pretty red bows and calling it good, and we fall for this trick more often than anyone would want to admit.
“And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.“
– 2 Corinthians 11:14-15
Halloween began some 2000 years ago in parts of France, Ireland, and England. It was a druid celebration commemorating the change of seasons. It was believed that on the night of October 31st, the portal to the dead was opened, and lost souls were able to come back to earth. These lost souls were thought to wreak havoc – think destruction of crops and terrorizing humans. Druid priests would seek to communicate with these spirits in hopes of procuring a milder winter.
As the years went on and Halloween was spread across Europe and into America, other rituals were developed, and more pagan customs were incorporated. Costumes were worn so people could hide their identity from the wandering spirits, or to blend in as one of them in hopes of avoiding the torment they wrought. Pumpkins were carved with scary faces hoping to scare off the evil spirits all together.
The trick-or-treating so many kids look forward to isn’t bad because it threatens to overload our children with high fructose corn syrup and artificial colors, leaving in its wake weeks of crying over how much candy they can eat in a day until it is finally finished or thrown away – although that would be enough for me to shun the practice. It is a watered-down version of a long observed pagan ritual. Just in case the costumes and pumpkins didn’t do the trick (pun intended), people would often give offerings with the hopes that it would appease those pesky mayhem makers. You can imagine how some people took advantage of this practice by showing up at people’s homes dressed as an evil spirit demanding treats to avoid getting tricked.
Today, Halloween is the Satanic high holy day, when more sinister acts are carried out in the name of darkness than on any other night of the year. Animal and human (yes, human) sacrifices. Brutal acts of rape and sexual abuse against men, women, and children, many who were prepared by their own parents for such an egregious act. Worship of the Devil is at an all-time high. It glorifies all that is evil. So why do so many God-fearing Christians take part in this day?
We don’t celebrate those things.
We just do it for the fun stuff.
We don’t dress up in scary costumes.
Everyone else does it and has been doing it for years.
That’s what Halloween used to be, but it’s not that way anymore.
We’re redeeming this day for God and use it as an opportunity to minister to our neighbors who come to our door.
The reasons are almost endless. And some of them even sound reasonable. But is our fallible human reasoning reason enough to take part in something that clearly has dark and nefarious roots? Can we truly redeem and take part in a day that glorifies Satan and still glorify God?
God never instructed His people to take part in or try to redeem evil things. He told us to destroy them. In Deuteronomy 12, God instructs His people to refrain from pagan practices, that we are NOT to worship Him as they worship their Gods. (Deut. 12:2-4) Adopting pagan worship practices was the very thing that led Israel (and will lead us) into captivity over and over again.
Even when Israel turned back to the LORD, many of those times were noted with an “except.” They worshiped the LORD… except they continued to make offerings at the high places. They worshiped the LORD… except they did not tear down the Ashera poles. (See 1 Kings 3:3, 22:43; 2 Kings 12:3, 14:4, among others.)
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be remembered as someone who loved the LORD… except. I want to be someone who truly loves Him with my whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. No exceptions. I don’t want to leave pagan high places or Ashera poles in my life – whether demonic celebrations tied up in pretty red bows or any other thing that opposes His glory – just because they were “fun,” “cute,” or because “everyone else does it.”
I’m including some links here, some of which contain graphic content. So, proceed prayerfully. I highly recommend doing some research, both searching the scriptures, the history of Halloween, and your heart. Ask God what He really thinks about this day, and how you can really celebrate Him in a way that will honor Him. Believe me, God’s got some really great holy days that we get to take part in that are so much fun! Way more fun than a bag full of cavities and rotten pumpkins!
Harvest:
In what ways have I accepted the influence of this world to distract from my worship of God?
What things have I accepted as harmless fun that are really evil tied up in a pretty red bow?
Where are there Ashera poles or high places that need to be torn down in my life?
Heavenly Father, may Your name be kept holy. Keep me from anything that detracts from Your glory. Let Your kingdom come, and your will be done in my life both in thought and deed. May all I do be proof that you are my LORD and King. Give me today, the strength I need to follow You with my whole heart, even when the world tries to tempt me to compromise in the name of harmless fun. Forgive me for any way that I have strayed from a pure devotion to You, and to show grace to others who have done the same, that I might be a light testifying of Your mercy and grace for all who call on Your name. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I might be able to discern the schemes of the enemy and not fall into the seemingly harmless temptations of this world. You truly are the King above all kings, the Light in this dark world, powerful, merciful, and good. Amen
“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”
Jeremias 29:13
Seed:
John 15:1-11
Plant:
I was looking up scriptures on a Bible app on my phone this morning, and as I scrolled to the end of a chapter, there was an ad that caught my eye. It was titled, “One Minute to God Per Day.”
It made me think of all the one minute devotionals and one minute Bible reading plans and one minute prayer books you can buy these days. There’s a whole subset of Christian literature out there aimed at encouraging people to spend as little time with God each day as possible. They create an idea that if we can find one minute out of the 1440 minutes we get every day, then we’re doing something good.
Good for us that we can find time to squeeze God into our busy schedules, even if it’s only for one minute. As if that singular minute is enough to carry us through the rest of our day. As if in that brief moment, we can drink up enough nourishment from the tough of our Heavenly Father to satisfy our thirsty souls. As if that one minute is enough to combat the other 1439 minutes in which the world bombards us with all the things opposed to the things of God.
Don’t get me wrong, some days we don’t have hours to spend pouring over the Word of God. In fact, that would probably be true of most days. Kids, jobs, chores, life. All of these things are vying for, it seems, more minutes than we have to give in a day. And sometimes, it seems like the things that get the least attention aren’t necessarily of least importance, they’re simply the least loud, in our face, demanding of our time.
Often, though, those things that are easiest to put off for later are the things that matter most.
One minute a day isn’t enough time to spend with God any more than it’s enough time to connect with our spouse. If I only gave my husband only one minute of my time each day, I’d be married to a stranger… if we even stayed married at all. No, one minute wouldn’t be enough at all. It wouldn’t satisfy me, it wouldn’t satisfy my husband, and it wouldn’t sustain our marriage for very long.
We need time with our Heavenly Father much more than that. And a Holy God certainly deserves much more of our time.
This “one minute” mindset robs us of the very thing we need the most. It conditions us to embrace the crumbs on the floor rather than take our place at the table where we can feast on the Word of Life. He is, after all, the Bread of Life and Living Water.
Oh, that our hearts would long for the LORD as King David, who said:
“One thing I have asked of the LORD; this is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and seek Him in His temple.” -Psalm 27:4
“For better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere. ” – Psalm 84:10
“Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing.” – Psalm 34:8-9
Our desire to spend time with the LORD speaks directly to our love for Him. The more we love Him, the more we want to spend time with Him. And the more time we spend with Him, the more we will come to love Him.
God doesn’t demand our time. Maybe that’s why it’s so easy to put Him off. He doesn’t need our attention, but He sure does want it. He wants a relationship with us.
Harvest:
Father, thank You for loving me. Thank You for choosing me from the foundation of the world to have a relationship with You. You don’t want a robot, You want a friend. You don’t want a slave, You want a child. You want me. Remind me of the importance of abiding in You that my life might bear good fruit. Nothing else matters without You. Amen
2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 8:18-25; 1 Peter 3:3-4; Galatians 5:22-26
Plant:
When I was talking to my mother yesterday, she said something to me that I can’t get out of my mind. I’ve been pondering it, and I thought I’d share my ponderings with you.
She was telling me about a woman who lives near her who has dementia. Although she and my mother are acquainted, when they saw each other the other day the woman said to my mom, “I don’t know your name, but I know you’re a nice person because your wrinkles go in the right direction.”
Although dementia is slowly robbing this woman of many things, it has yet to steal her ability to see people. To see beyond the external to something much deeper. And she saw something in my mom, through something most of us lament over, that revealed who she was inside.
This reminded me of how our lives should be as children of God. People are supposed to be able to look at us, at our lives, and see Him inside of us.
Often times, it is our scars, our weaknesses, our circumstances, the things we may be lamenting over as a woman laments over the wrinkles invading her once youthful face, through which others are able to see the most beautiful picture of God. It isn’t our fancy clothes or salon styled hair or radiant skin through which others see our Heavenly Father. It is through the fruit of the Spirit permeating our lives regardless of those things by which they get a glimpse of Him.
Do others, when they look at me, see the mercy, grace, goodness, faithfulness, strength, and holiness of God? Do my wrinkles, scars, and shortcomings reflect His perfect love?
We aren’t going to be perfect, but I think that’s the point. We are all in need of a Savior. We all need someone to step in and fix the broken messes of our lives. But are our wrinkles going in the right direction? Are all the things that our Messiah came to redeem pointing others to our Redeemer?
Harvest:
Heavenly Father, thank You for our wrinkles. For all the imperfections in our lives that point to Your perfect love, Your perfect provision, Your perfect mercy, Your perfect strength, and Your perfect ability to redeem our lives from sin. May I continue to be transformed day by day, from one degree of glory to another, into the image of Your Son, that I would be – scars and all – a beautiful reflection of You to the world. Amen.
The devil has been waging a fierce war in my mind lately, and I can’t imagine I’m alone in this. If you’re struggling too, here is something that is helping me today:
“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14
Be still… if only my mind would be still. Be still and know that He is God. Be still and rest in Him. Be still and let my eyes find focus on the truth of who He is.
When we’re too weary to keep taking captive the bombardment of negative thoughts in our mind… or lift up our shield of faith against the barrage of arrows being launched by the enemy… or even to stand… we need only be still. He is the lover of our soul. The protector of our hearts. The victor in our battles. The calmer of our minds. The strength of our bones. The healer of our brokenness. We need only be still.
Broken. Today my heart is broken. And if my calloused, jaded, scarred, imperfect human heart is broken, I can only imagine the immeasurable ache inside the heart of our Heavenly Father.
The shedding of innocent blood. The increasing division. The crumbling economy and the bumbling politicians creating it. The acceptance of immorality. The elevation of self. The quarreling and vanity and idolatry and I could go on and on and on…. The increasing evil on all fronts is enough to shake even the most robust among us. But I don’t believe that is the main cause of the grief of God.
I believe it is the increasing distance between His heart and the hearts of those who claim to love Him.
In the face of today’s injustices, we scream about our rights. We cry out against our enemies. We hoard our goods and build our castles and seek our comforts. We surround ourselves with preachers and teachers who say what our itching ears long to hear. But what we do not do is repent. We do not weep over our own sin. And we do not forsake our flesh so that we may truly live according to His Spirit.
Life is not about satisfying our desires,
But about glorifying our God.
It is not about leaning upon our own wisdom,
But about seeking His ways.
People are consumed with the Depp/Heard trial, which, I admit, is kind of like a train accident from which you can’t seem to look away. They are throwing out opinions, theories, and rants about the recent school shootings and gun control, which is such a sad and tragic product of where our society had brought us. Politics and politicians. Who’s to blame for the economy. To vax or not to vax. But, who is crying out for true revival? Who is broken enough to turn off their phone and wait for God to speak… even if it takes a really long time to finally tune out the noise of our own thoughts and actually hear what He is is saying?
He’s calling us back to Himself!! He is urging us to return to the path He made for us, to walk in the ways of Ha’shem, in the righteousness of His name.
We, His church, have become a walking contradiction. It’s no wonder the term ‘Christian’ has become nearly synonymous with hypocrite, while saying things like, “Obey God, but not His law, for that doesn’t apply to us anymore.” But God said, “I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips.” (Psalm 89:34) And, “For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you, a statute forever throughout your generations. You and the sojourner shall be alike before the LORD.” (Numbers 15:15) And, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Torah or the Prophets! I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. Amen, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or serif shall ever pass away from the Torah until all things come to pass. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps and teaches them, this one shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-19)
We say, “It’s ok to sin because God’s grace will cover me.” But God said, “Go, and from now on sin no more.” (John 8:11) And, “
We say, “God’s law is a heavy burden.” But God says, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:30)
We say, “Jesus’s commands are different from God’s commands.” But Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30)
Even the apostles affirmed obedience to God’s Law and taught their congregations to do the same:
“And why would you ask what good work you need to do? Keep the commandments and you’ll enter into the life of God.”Matthew 19:17
“Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? 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 3:29-31
“Your identity before God has nothing to do with circumcision or uncircumcision. What really matters is following God’s commandments.” 1 Corinthians 7:19
“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 2:3-6
“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.” 1 John 5:2-3
“Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.” Revelation 14:12
The thing is, we have been lead to believe that obedience to God is a burden, unnecessary, and legalistic. We have been robbed of the complete joy and intimacy that comes from a life that truly follows after Him. We have traded God’s ways for man’s, and consumed ourselves with the cares of this world, forgetting that our only real treasure is the one we store up in heaven.
I have found no peace in life that compares to the one that comes only trough true intimacy with my Heavenly Father. An intimacy only formed by believing that God is who He says He is and He means what He says. We can trust Him. We can trust His Word. There wasn’t some mystical shift or change of mind that happened at the cross, rather a fulfillment of all the promises He’d made since the beginning of time. God really is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and with that we can take great comfort.
He. Is. Faithful.
But it’s strange, because this comfort also comes with a deep sadness for those in His body who have unwittingly rejected Him. Yes, for that my heart is broken. It is broken because we are turning a blind eye, and at times an angry, belligerent one, to the very thing, the only thing that will bring us life, restoration, and peace. God’s Law wasn’t made to oppress us. He gave us His Law to restore to us what what sin had taken away.
This is what we should be consumed with. This is what we should be pursuing. This is what we should be crying out from the roof tops! (Or more aptly from our social media platforms?) Because if we don’t get this, if we don’t get HIM, nothing else matters. And seeing people get this, really get it, that’s such a burden on my heart. I want everyone to know and experience just how good it is. Do you want it, too?
“But get up, and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you for this purpose—to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things you have seen as well as to the things I will yet reveal to you. I will rescue you from your own people, and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes—so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of satan to God, that they may receive release from sins as well as a place among those who are made holy through trusting in Me.’” Acts 26:16-18
“But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.” Romans 6:17-19
Leviticus 11; Matthew 26:6-13; Romans 6:1-18; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Isaiah 55:10-11; Matthew 22:34-40
Reflect:
Longstanding church tradition has upheld that the laws pertaining to clean and unclean foods have been abolished. There is no longer a statute regulating what we eat, so nothing on that all-you-can-eat buffet is off limits anymore. And the most common scripture used to support this point of view is Peter’s vision recorded in Acts 10. But is that really what the Bible says? Was Peter’s vision really about food? Or was it a metaphor for something else entirely? Here, I am going to examine the Biblical context along with historical evidence to see whether this doctrine is really correct or if we really should pass on eating that ham sandwich.
First, we need to read the entire context of Acts 10. Reading the scriptures that surround a single verse is the best way to get some clarification on its intended meaning. Here it is in the ESV translation:
¹At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort,2 a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. 3 About the ninth hour of the day[a] he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.”4 And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 5 And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” 7 When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, 8 and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
9 The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour[b] to pray.10 And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance 11 and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” 15 And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” 16 This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.
17 Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood at the gate18 and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. 19 And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. 20 Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation,[c] for I have sent them.”21 And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?” 22 And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.” 23 So he invited them in to be his guests.
The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.24 And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” 27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. 28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”
30 And Cornelius said, “Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour,[d] and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. 32 Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”
34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), 37 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
44 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared,47 “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.
Acts 10 opens with a Roman centurion named Cornelius. It describes him as a devout man who feared the Lord, gave alms, and prayed continually. Fearing the LORD meant that Cornelius had a love and reverence for God. As a devout man, he would have been one who observed the commands of God to the best of his ability, as evidenced in his giving of alms and avid prayers. This is an important distinction, because as an officer in the Roman military, following the God of the Jews could have cost him his life.
We also need to understand that there was a rabbinical tradition stating that the Gentiles, of which he was one (and not only a Gentile, but a Roman centurion at that), were considered unclean. They were not even worthy of associating with, especially in a religious context. However, Cornelius still chose to follow God. And by doing so, he even gained the respect of the Jewish people (v. 22).
One day, while he was praying (at the ninth hour of the day, one of the three times a day that the Jews all prayed, another indication that he was following all the traditions of the community of Israel) an angel appears to Cornelius in a dream and tells him that God has heard his prayers. And not only has God heard them, but his prayers and alms rose as a “memorial” before Him.
The Greek work for “memorial” here is only used one other time in scripture. It is the same word Jesus used in description of Mary of Bethany when she poured expensive oil over His head as an offering (see Matthew 26:6-13). In the same way, Cornelius’ alms and prayers were proof of his sincere love and devotion to the One True God. And because of his memorial poured out before the Lord, the angel instructed Cornelius to go find a man named Peter. Cornelius’s offering was about to get a huge blessing.
As the men Cornelius sent were on their way to Joppa, Peter too had a vision from God while he was praying (at the sixth hour, another one of the three times the Jews prayed, which shows he and Cornelius were both observing this tradition). In this vision, Peter, three times, sees “something like a sheet” being lowered from heaven, with all kinds of animals, including ones considered unclean, and a voice says, “Rise, kill and eat.” Each time, Peter protests saying he will never eat anything unclean or common. Far be it for Peter to defile himself in the eyes of God.
It’s no surprise that Peter was perplexed by this vision. In the words of Isaiah, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” (Isaiah 40:8) And at first glance, it seemed that this vision was going against something that God made very clear as a “statute forever.” (see Numbers 15:15-16) But, was that really what God was saying? Or was there some other point God was trying to get across?
There is a very important distinction we need to note here. Peter used two terms to describe the animals that were on the sheet, ‘unclean’ and ‘common.’ Unclean was a term used to distinguish the things God said were off limits. In basic terms, unclean was the opposite of clean. In the same way, common was the opposite of holy. Common didn’t necessarily mean unclean, just not set apart for the purpose of God, be it people, food, objects, or attire.
Up to this point, Jews believed that Gentiles could only worship God if they became Jews and underwent all the rituals of circumcision and ritual cleansing. If you were not a Jew, you were not allowed to worship God. Hence Cornelius’ dilemma. If he became a Jew, he would be beheaded by Rome. If he didn’t become a Jew, he wasn’t supposed to worship the Jewish God. This was a pharisaical law, not Torah. He was considered common by Jewish tradition. But the Lord said, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” (v. 25)
Cornelius’ men were perplexed as to why they were told to go find a Jewish man and bring him back with them, and Peter was confused as to why God was telling him not to call common the things He had made clean. (Again, note that God chose to use the word common, not unclean.) As they are all walking around a bit confused, Peter finally gets it. He finally understands what God was telling him, and he gives us the meaning of the vision in verse 28:
“You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.” (emphasis added)
Peter addressed the Jewish law about association with Gentiles by saying God has shown him not to call any PERSON unclean. Peter didn’t get up and kill and eat. He got up and preached the gospel to the Gentiles! Something that, up to this point, hadn’t been done. A second time, Peter affirms the meaning of the vision when he said, “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” (v. 34-35)
God didn’t suddenly declare certain “foods” clean. Nor did He ever call certain people unclean. He simply challenged Peters adherence to a manmade tradition by reminding him of the truth of His Gospel – that it has always been for all nations. He just chose Israel to be the nation through whom He’d display His love and sovereignty, to whom He’d give His loving commands, and from whom He would send His only Son as a means of salvation and reconciliation for ALL who believe.
There are several other verses that, taken out of context, are used to support the eating of unclean foods. One of which is Jesus’ statement in Mark 7:15, when He said, “There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” However, this was neither a reference to what people ate nor a giving of permission to nullify the Laws of God.
Jesus was a Torah observant Jew, who not only lived in obedience to the Law, but taught others to do the same. And He went on to clarify what he meant in verses 20-23, when he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Here, just like He did in Matthew 5, Jesus points out the mitigating factor – one’s heart. Following God’s Law does not make one clean. If you are following the Law to make others believe you are righteous, you are, as Jesus called the Pharisees, a whitewashed tomb. No matter how clean the food is that you eat, because your heart is full of pride and sin and deception, you will never be made clean. Obeying the Law out of a desire to appear holy is legalism. Obeying the Law out of devotion to the One who saves you is faith and love. It’s the heart of man which causes him to sin by disobeying the Laws of God. And it is a man’s heart that determines not only if he will follow them, but why.
But what about Mark 7:19? Doesn’t it parenthetically state, “Thus he declared all foods clean,”? First of all, the parenthetical statement was a translator’s interjection in certain translations of the Bible. It is not part of the original text.
It could be argued that yes, He did indeed declare all foods clean. However, He did not declare all things food. Although it was not in Mark 7 that He did this. All things that are considered food is laid out in Leviticus 11. They are things that God, Himself, told us were good for food, and the things that were not to be considered food ever.
So Jesus did indeed say that all foods are clean. But, He also gave us explicit instructions and guidelines on what exactly constitutes food. That which is considered not to be food is then unclean and should not be eaten.
There are two types of negatives in the Hebrew language: temporary – meaning don’t do right now, and permanent – meaning don’t do ever. The word used throughout Leviticus 11 in verses 4, 20, 24, 41, and 43-44, is the permanent form of the negative. The statutes concerning what are and what are not foods were permanent, statutes forever.
Jesus was not saying you can eat anything you want and call it food. He said that all things that are food can be eaten without hesitation. The ceremonial washing of hands required by Levitical law was not important. Observing the fences put around God’s Laws by the priests and Pharisees didn’t matter. What God commanded, His Laws, were the things that we needed to uphold, to observe, and to obey. As Jesus himself said, “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)
Respond:
Putting man made doctrines and interpretations aside, God’s word is very clear. His word never changes. His law never changes. Sin will always be sin. Instead of continuing to justify why it’s ok to dismiss the laws God laid out for us to follow, why don’t we, instead, look at why we have such a hard time choosing to follow them. Like Jesus pointed out in Mark 7, it all comes down to the motivation of our heart.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart. Examine me, and know my anxious thoughts, and see if there be any offensive way within me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24
“For I tell you that unless your righteousness is far greater than that of the Torah-teachers and P’rushim, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven!” Matthew 5:20
For a long time, I didn’t understand this verse. I wondered what Yeshua (Jesus) meant when He said our righteousness had to surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees. What did that mean? How could we achieve a greater righteousness? Was it simply through our belief in Yeshua? Was there something else we were supposed to do? This seemed like such a vague statement with no real answer. At least not one anyone was telling me about.
Our Bibles are set up in a strange way. I know it’s for ease of reference, but the divisions of chapters – and even within the chapters, the verse numbers, the headings over certain portions of scriptures, it can tend to make the Bible seem like lots of unconnected teachings rather than one cohesive, continuous story. And this is exactly where my confusion came in. No one had ever connected the dots for me between this verse and the ones immediately following. They were separated by a section heading making them look like Yeshua had somehow switched topics and began talking about something else entirely. And that is exactly how it had been taught to me in church and Sunday school for years.
The verses just before this (Matt. 5:17-19) tell us that not one command in God’s Torah (Law) will pass away until heaven and earth pass away. That if anyone relaxes one of these commands and teaches others to do the same, he will be counted as least in the Kingdom of Heaven. However that’s exactly the opposite of what we are taught in traditional churches. We’re told that not all of the Laws apply to believers today. You know, like that one about clean and unclean foods, or the one about the Sabbath. So, when Yeshua said this, He didn’t really mean all of the Law was still in effect. He just meant some of it. Right??In the section just before this, Yeshua is telling His followers to be salt and light. (Matt. 5:13-16) He says it is our “good works” that will give God glory and draw others to Him. But what works did He mean?
Do you see how this gets confusing when we try to digest God’s Word in bits and pieces separated from the verses around it?
You see, Matthew 5:17-20 explains verses 13-16, telling us how we can be salt and light: by obeying God’s Law. Those acts of obedience are the good works that bring God glory. And verses 21-48 explain how our righteousness is supposed to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. These aren’t separate topics that just happen to be on the same page. They are all a continuous teaching, one part explaining or expanding upon the other. And when we read the scriptures this way, much of our confusion gets replaced with clarity only God’s Word can give.
Scripture interprets Scripture. When we are uncertain or have questions, just look through the Bible to see what other books and chapters have to say. If something doesn’t make sense or seems contradictory, look at the historical and cultural context. (A lot of confusion comes in because we don’t understand the Hebrew customs and idioms) And most of all, pray. Before you know it, clarity will show up in such a way that you won’t be able to miss it. But, you have to be willing to look for and listen to God’s voice, not man’s.
Now, let’s get back to the explanation of my initial confusion over the verse from Matthew 5…The righteousness of the Pharisees was an outward one. In Matthew 23, Yeshua calls the Pharisees “whitewashed tombs.” He says, “Likewise, you appear to people from the outside to be good and honest, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and far from Torah.”
You see, our righteousness is not supposed to be outward only. That’s why Yeshua goes on in the rest of Matthew 5 telling us that sin is not only what we do, but what we think. It’s not only about what other’s see when they look at us, but what God sees inside our hearts. That’s how our righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, when our obedience isn’t just in word or deed, but something that is ingrained into our hearts and minds. Something we do out of love, not obligation.
This made me think of all the whitewashed tombs walking around in the church today. We say we believe in God, but our lives don’t look anything like the Bible says it should. We dismiss God’s Law. We intermingle with the world. We easily compromise our convictions – most willingly when it’s done in the name of harmless fun. We think that because we go to church, or call ourselves “Christian,” that it’s somehow enough. There’s nothing else we need to do and we can just keep on living the way we were before. But, that’s not what Yeshua meant when He said our righteousness should surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees. That’s being exactly like the scribes and Pharisees.
So many people believe and teach that obeying the Law is legalism. But, it’s not. Obeying the Law out of obligation is legalism. Using it to try to earn salvation is legalism. Trying to give the appearance of holiness is legalism. And building fences around God’s commands just to make sure you don’t break them is legalism. But, obedience because we want to please God is not legalism. In fact, Yeshua said that if we love Him, we will obey His commands. (John 14:15)
We are called to separate ourselves from this world. (2 Cor. 6:14-18; Col. 3:1-17) We are told to be holy as He is holy. (1 Pet. 1:13-25) And we cannot do that if we continuously compromise the standard to which God has called us.
I don’t want to be lukewarm. I want to be all in when it comes to following Messiah. I don’t want to only love God a little. I want to love Him with my whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. (Mark 12:30)
There are too many false doctrines and false teachers out there for us to go sit in church and blindly accept what they say as truth without doing our own prayerful research. Some of the teachings and doctrines that have been widely taught and accepted as true don’t really line up with what scripture teaches. They are simply things that have been taught for centuries and few people have challenged them. Maybe we figure that because someone went to a fancy school and stands in font of a podium, they know what they’re talking about. And I’m not saying they don’t. But, we should know God’s word well enough to know a counterfeit when we see it, no matter how good it sounds or how long it’s been around. If we can’t spot a counterfeit, that’s all the more reason for us to study it.
So, instead of blindly following the culture of this world – or even of the church – let us be like the Bereans, who “eagerly welcomed the message, checking the Tanakh (scriptures) every day to see if the things Paul was saying were true.” (Acts 17:11) Let us study to show ourselves approved. (2 Tim. 2:15) And let us come to a point where we hold God and His Word so dear that we can say with David (a man after God’s own heart…) –
“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.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.”
“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,
1John 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.
1Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’a head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10Then the disciples went back to their homes.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic,b “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”18Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
19On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews,c Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”20When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”22And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
Jesus and Thomas
24Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin,d was not with them when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
26Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”28Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
The Purpose of This Book
30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Reflect:
Jesus’s followers were deeply grieved after He died on the cross. They still did not understand what God was doing. But once He had risen and appeared to them they suddenly understood everything! Has there been a time or situation in your life that looked so grim but, almost suddenly, God showed you how He was working it out for good?
John ends this chapter of his account of Jesus’s life by saying these things are written so we who read it might believe. How has reading John’s story helped your belief?
Respond:
Heavenly Father, You have revealed Yourself to me through Your Son, Jesus. Through Him I have salvation, reconciliation, and hope. Thank You for sending Your Son so that, through faith in Him, I might live. Place in me a desire to seek You out through Your word so that by it You would continue to reveal Yourself to me. In Jesus’s name I pray, amen.
Footnotes: a7 Greek his b16 Or Hebrew c19 Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time d24 Greek Didymus
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.
A Scarlet Cord 