I’ve recently come to realize that there are people who believe Torah Observant Believers aren’t Christians. I was quite shocked. Despite having believed Torah observance unnecessary in the past, I would never have gone so far as to accuse them of not being Christians. On the contrary, I would have thought it pretty interesting. I’ve always had a sort of fascination with Judaism.
Before I begin, I should note that this isn’t a stab against “modern” Christians, Jews or anyone else, rather it is an attempt to explain the difference between what I have been accused of believing and what I actually believe. What I state is based on what I know, if I am mistaken, please correct me.
I’ve recently been referred to, and seen reference made to the following passage, telling me that I’m a “Judaizer”.
1 But some men came down from Y’hudah to Antioch and began teaching the brothers, “You can’t be saved unless you undergo b’rit-milah in the manner prescribed by Moshe.” 2 This brought them into no small measure of discord and dispute with Sha’ul and Bar-Nabba. So the congregation assigned Sha’ul, Bar-Nabba and some of themselves to go and put this sh’eilah before the emissaries and the elders up in Yerushalayim. 3 After being sent off by the congregation, they made their way through Phoenicia and Shomron, recounting in detail how the Gentiles had turned to God; and this news brought great joy to all the brothers. 4 On arrival in Yerushalayim, they were welcomed by the Messianic community, including the emissaries and the elders; and they reported what God had done through them. 5 But some of those who had come to trust were from the party of the P’rushim; and they stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and direct them to observe the Torah of Moshe.”
6 The emissaries and the elders met to look into this matter. 7 After lengthy debate, Kefa got up and said to them, “Brothers, you yourselves know that a good while back, God chose me from among you to be the one by whose mouth the Goyim should hear the message of the Good News and come to trust. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore them witness by giving the Ruach HaKodesh to them, just as he did to us; 9 that is, he made no distinction between us and them, but cleansed their heart by trust. 10 So why are you putting God to the test now by placing a yoke on the neck of the talmidim which neither our fathers nor we have had the strength to bear? 11 No, it is through the love and kindness of the Lord Yeshua that we trust and are delivered-and it’s the same with them.” 12 Then the whole assembly kept still as they listened to Bar-Nabba and Sha’ul tell what signs and miracles God had done through them among the Gentiles. 13 Ya’akov broke the silence to reply. “Brothers,” he said, “hear what I have to say. 14 Shim’on has told in detail what God did when he first began to show his concern for taking from among the Goyim a people to bear his name. 15 And the words of the Prophets are in complete harmony with this for it is written, 16 ‘”After this, I will return; and I will rebuild the fallen tent of David. I will rebuild its ruins, I will restore it, 17 so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, that is, all the Goyim who have been called by my name,” 18 says ADONAI, who is doing these things.’ All this has been known for ages. 19 “Therefore, my opinion is that we should not put obstacles in the way of the Goyim who are turning to God. 20 Instead, we should write them a letter telling them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from fornication, from what is strangled and from blood. 21 For from the earliest times, Moshe has had in every city those who proclaim him, with his words being read in the synagogues every Shabbat.”
- Acts 15:1-21 (Complete Jewish Bible)
And for the KJV-only and reference for the “Hebrew” words. (There isn’t a difference between the translations.)
1And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
2When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.
3And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.
4And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.
5But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
6And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.
7And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
8And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
9And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
10Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
11But we believe that through the grace of the LORD Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.
12Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.
13And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:
14Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.
15And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
16After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
17That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
18Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.
19Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
20But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
21For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.
- Acts 15:1-21 (King James Version)
Background
First, it is important to get some background information. We can’t fully understand this unless we take it into context. To begin with modern Bibles (including the KJV) generally translate Torah as “law” when it would be more accurate to call it “teaching”. (Torah Class, Intro to Genesis) The Jews began to adopt the view of Torah as law and began applying the term (Torah) to religious writing. (Torah Class, Intro to Genesis)
So, in Yeshua’s day, Torah did not just refer to the actual Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy). It also referred to the Tanakh (the Christian Old Testament, including Torah), and the Oral Torah (Hebrew tradition, today it is compiled in the Talmud). (Torah Class, Intro to Genesis) While the Jews in Yeshua’s day had many different “Torahs”, when they were talking amongst themselves they would have known which “Torah” they were talking about (Torah Class, Intro to Genesis) The Torah Class Intro to Genesis article provides a modern day analogy to this (and lots more information on this subject).
From this we can conclude that not all instances of the word “Torah” (translated law) may refer to the Tanakh or the Oral Tradition. See why we should understand the culture and context within which the Bible was written? If we understand this, we better understand all the passages about the “law” (Torah) that would seem to conflict otherwise. Wouldn’t this be a good response to the next atheist who tells you that the Bible is full of contradictions?
Different groups of Jewish believers believed different things regarding the Oral Torah. The pharisees believed that it was given to Moses on Mount Sinai along with the (written) Torah. Saducees, on the other hand rejected the idea of Oral Torah and followed a strict interpretation of (written) Torah. (Pharisees, Saducees, and Essenes) These interpretations, both incorrect and legalistic, had different consequences. You can read about them at Pharisees, Saducees, and Essenes. The article is short and informative.
So we now know some of the background for what we are getting into. I don’t consider this to be exhaustive. The main things are that Torah (law) doesn’t always refer to the written Torah and that some Jews (Pharisees) believe that oral Torah was given to Moses
What Does Acts 15 Say?
Acts 15 verse 1 says “But some men came down from Y’hudah [Judea] to Antioch and began teaching the brothers, “You can’t be saved unless you undergo b’rit-milah [circumcised] in the manner prescribed by Moshe [Moses].”". The important thing to note here is that these men were preaching that one can’t be saved unless they are circumcised. We will refer to these men as “Judaizers”. (I’m only using this term because it was what I was refered to as.)
So, we now know that “Judaizers” believed that you couldn’t be saved without being circumcised. Torah Observant believers believe that salvation comes through Christ alone, circumcized or not. So right off the bat, we see that these are two different sets of beliefs.
Verses 2-4 explain how Paul and Barnabas traveled to Jerusalem and gathered with other believers.
Verse 5 says “But some of those who had come to trust were from the party of the P’rushim [Pharisees]; and they stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and direct them to observe the Torah of Moshe [Moses].”" The key thing to note here is that the Judaizers are Pharisees.
What do Pharisees believe? They believe that the Oral Torah came from Moses as well as the written Torah. The question is whether or not the “Torah of Moshe” refers to the written Torah. I’m not sure, but there are two scenarios, either it does or it doesn’t.
If it does refer to Oral Torah (Scenario 1), then the Judaizers thought it was necessary for believers to adopt the Oral Torah (in addition to the written one). Torah Observant Believers do not believe this. The Oral Torah (Talmud) is not Scripture, it is more like commentary or church doctrine. In this scenario, the question is whether or not Oral Torah should be followed.
If it does not refer to Oral Torah and rather to written Torah (Scenario 2), then the Judaizers believed that following written Torah was necessary for salvation and therefore must be observed. Torah Observant Believers do not think your salvation is dependent on obedience to Torah, rather that salvation is through Yeshua alone, not through Torah. Torah observence is done out of obedience to and love for God. The question being asked in this situation is whether or not Torah observence is a “must”. Note the question is just about “must” not “must or must not”.
Verses 6-11 cover a speech Peter made. I’m not going to look at every verse, but there are a few things that need to be noted. First, verse 9 says “that is, he made no distinction between us and them, but cleansed their heart by trust.” So, God makes no distinction between the Jewish and the Gentile believer. Therefore, what each should do is the same.
Second, verses 10-11 say ” So why are you putting God to the test now by placing a yoke on the neck of the talmidim[disciples] which neither our fathers nor we have had the strength to bear? 11 No, it is through the love and kindness of the Lord Yeshua that we trust and are delivered-and it’s the same with them.”" I don’t think we can take the first verse without the second which is so often done.
We need to remember that the Judaizers thought following Torah was necessary for salvation. So what is Peter saying here? Read the whole thing. The yoke isn’t (written) Torah. The yoke is trying to be saved through works (scenarios 1 &2) by obeying Torah (or salvation through Torah) and possibly obeying Oral Torah (scenario 1). As I’ve stated before, salvation is through the Messiah, not Torah.
In verse 12, Paul and Barnabas tell of what they have been doing. In verses 13-21, Ya’akov (James) talks and comes to a conclusion. Again, I’m not going to talk about every verse.
In verse 19, he says “Therefore, my opinion is that we should not put obstacles in the way of the Goyim [Gentiles] who are turning to God.” So, clearly they don’t want to prevent the Gentiles from becoming believers or to confuse them. Requiring them to follow Torah could confuse them into believing that it was necessary for salvation or even turn them away from God.
Faith is a journey. Obeying Torah for its own sake or to gain our salvation is wrong. We obey Torah, rather, because we follow Yeshua’s example and out of love for God and in obedience to Him. It is not where our salvation is found! See The Torah of Righteousness for more information.
He continues in verse 20, stating, “Instead, we should write them a letter telling them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from fornication, from what is strangled and from blood.” All four things mentioned are related to idol worship, which was a common practice amongst the gentiles at that time. By doing these things, the Gentile believers would be able to show the Jews that they no longer worshiped idols. (Should Believing Gentiles Follow Torah?)
In verse 21 he says “For from the earliest times, Moshe has had in every city those who proclaim him, with his words being read in the synagogues every Shabbat.” This implies that the Gentile believers were in the synagogues on the Sabbaths. Why else would this comment be made? Furthermore, it is likely that they were observing the Sabbath and the rest of (written) Torah too. Funny how this comes at the end of a passage used to say we shouldn’t Torah?
I believe it more likely that scenario 1 is correct rather than scenario 2, but no matter which is correct, it still stands that this passage doesn’t say Gentile believers musn’t observe Torah. Should Believing Gentiles Follow Torah? explains scenario 1 in more detail.
Conclusion
Torah Observant Believers are those who believe that salvation comes through faith in the Messiah alone. No amount of works or Torah obedience can save us. Rather, we obey Torah out of a love for Adonai and His commandments.
A “Judaizer” is one who believes that Torah (and possibly Oral Torah) are somehow necessary for salvation in addition to faith in the Messiah.
To say that a Torah Observant Believer is a “Judaizer” and has rejected the Messiah is false and the passage from Acts 15 does not say we must not observe Torah, rather it affirms the fact that our salvation is through the Messiah, not through Torah.
Works Cited
“Book of Genesis, Introduction, week 1.Old Testament Torah study for Messianic Jews and Christians.” .:: Torah Class, Old Testament study for Messianic Jews and Christians; Exploring Hebrew Roots of Christianity ::. 17 June 2009 <http://torahclass.com/text/stc_genesis/STCwk1text.html>.
“Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes.” Jewish Virtual Library – Homepage. 17 June 2009 <http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/sadducees_pharisees_essenes.html>.
“Should believing Gentiles follow Torah?” The Refiner’s Fire. 17 June 2009 <http://www.therefinersfire.org/should_gentiles_keep_torah1.htm>.
“The Torah of Righteousness.” The Refiner’s Fire. 17 June 2009 <http://www.therefinersfire.org/torah_and_righteousness.htm>.
