People in the Hebrew Roots Movement (HRM) like to celebrate the Jewish feast days as described in the Torah. This seems fine to me unless someone is teaching that they are required or that not celebrating them somehow diminishes one’s spiritual stature. Unfortunately, many popular teachers do just that. The feasts of Israel are those described in Leviticus 23. The three pilgrimage feasts—the Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles—demanded that every male Israelite travel to Jerusalem to worship at the temple. The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are closely related and ran consecutively (Lev 23:4–8). The Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) followed seven weeks later, and connected the Passover of the exodus with the conquest. Both Passover and Pentecost were practiced by early Christians because Christ was crucified at the Passover, and the Holy Spirit personally descended upon the disciples on Pentecost (Acts 2). The Bible ends with the anticipation of one final feast: the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev 19:9).
Because Jesus fulfilled the Spring feasts: Passover-Pentecost with his death burial, resurrection, ascension and subsequent outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This leads many to suspect the Fall feasts: (Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Tabernacles) are connected to his second coming. This is somewhat compelling but not necessary. It is speculative. God nowhere promised that Jesus would return on a certain feast day and certainly never implied that observing them is required to be found in good stead when he returns. Yet Rob Skiba instructs his Virtual House Church that this is the case and those who do not celebrate them have diminished status.
While the feasts of the Lord are interesting for prophetic study, some have wandered away from biblical theology by implying new covenant believers are required to observe the Mosaic laws regarding feast observance. Russ Houck writes that Constantine, “single-handedly stopped the New Church from observing the feasts of the Lord ordained by the Bible. Robbed of its Hebrew roots, the disconnected church became paganistic in spirit and anti-biblical in its customs.”[1] But is this really so? The teaching of the New Testament is that old covenant feast observance is no longer required. This error was dealt with by Paul when false teachers in Colasse:
“I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”(Col 2:4–8)
This is exactly what is re-occuring in our own context with teachers putting folks back under the obsolete ceremonial law by implying that feast observance is needed for spiritual advancement and sanctification. There are 3 types of OT law 1) ceremonial; 2) civil; 3) moral. While God’s moral character does not change, the old covenant stipulations were only for Israelites under that conditional covenant. The conditions were violated and the old covenant was replaced by the new covenant. Rob Skiba implies that Christians should be feast observant to be “at the right place at the right time when Jesus shows up” at the 1:07:49 mark in the video below:
He misapplies Matthew 5:16-19 (as explained by Douglas Moo below) and then at the 1:10:05 mark uses verse 19 to argue that those who disagree with him are going to be “janitors in heaven.” While I am sure that hard-working custodians take exception with Rob’s degradation of their work, Skiba implies that non-observance diminishes one’s status with God. I say balderdash. The idea that there is a spiritual reward for keeping dietary or ceremonial laws is a false teaching, it is a misapplication of scripture. Paul addressed the feasts specifically:
“Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.” (Col 2:16)
Paul was addressing the false teachers in Colasse who were advocating a number of Jewish observances, arguing that they were essential for spiritual advancement.
“These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.”(Col 2:17)
The old covenant observances pointed to a future reality that was fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Heb. 10:1). Hence, Christians are no longer under the Mosaic covenant (cf. Rom. 6:14–15; 7:1–6; 2 Cor. 3:4–18; Gal. 3:15–4:7). Christians are no longer obligated to observe OT dietary laws (“food and drink”) or festivals, holidays, and special days (“a festival … new moon … Sabbath,” Col. 2:16), for what these things foreshadowed has been fulfilled or will be fulfilled in Christ. You will not be demoted for not celebrating as a Torah observant Jew.
Hebrews 8-10 explains very clearly that Christ’s atoning death on the cross was the end of the law and it is now obsolete for everyone.
“In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.”(Heb 8:13)
As to Rob’s eisegesis of Matthew 5:17-19, atheists and homosexuals also like to use this passage to ask why Christians no longer stone people or why we eat shellfish and pork or wear clothes made of different fabrics. The answer we give them is the same one we give to the HRM, those laws are now obsolete. I guess we should ask our feast-requirers why they don’t also stone people? It’s part of the same covenant stipulations. So what did Jesus mean by saying this:
“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.”(Mt 5:17–18)
Jesus “fulfills” all of the OT in that it all points to him, not only in its specific predictions of a Messiah but also in its sacrificial system, which looked forward to his great sacrifice of himself, this made the old obsolete (Hebrews 8:13). We are now concerned with “the law of Christ” as seen in Galatians 6:2. According to NT scholar Douglas Moo:
Christ has brought the OT law’s fulfillment. But the Christian is bound to “God’s law” (1 Cor 9:20–21; cf. “God’s commands” in 1 Cor 7:19 and 1 John 2:3-4 etc.). “God’s law” is not, however, the Mosaic Law, but “Christ’s law” (1 Cor 9:20–21; Gal 6:2), because it is to Christ, the fulfiller, the τέλος of the law (Rom 10:4), that the Christian is bound. In that “fulfillment” of the law, however, some of the Mosaic commandments are taken up and reapplied to the New Covenant people of God. Thus, while the Mosaic Law does not stand as an undifferentiated authority for the Christian, some of its individual commandments remain authoritative as integrated into the law of Christ. [2]
Christ’s death and resurrection changed everything — by emphasizing the Torah over the cross they are promoting error. The cross made a new paradigm, a new covenant! The New Covenant is celebrated by the Lord’s Supper which has supplanted the feast days.
“And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” (Lk 22:20)
“In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.””(1 Co 11:25)“Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.” (Heb 9:15) “and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” (Heb 12:24)
While the feasts make an interesting study and might have prophetic significance, Christians should first and foremost celebrate the new covenant with their a local church body rather than celebrating the Jewish feast days from an obsolete covenant.
[1] Russ Houck, Epidemic Examining the Infected Roots of Judaism and Christianity: How Do We Find God with All This Mess? (volume 1) (Corsicana, TX: Negev Publishing, 2012), 220.
[2]Douglas Moo, “The Law of Moses or the Law of Christ” in Continuity and Discontinuity: Perspectives on the Relationship Between the Old and New Testaments : Essays in Honor of S. Lewis Johnson, Jr. editors S. Lewis Johnson and John S. Feinberg,(Westchester, Ill.: Crossway Books, 1988), 208.
About Cris Putnam
A very Good article Mr Putman. This keeping of feasts is as much a deception as is implied that the Jews are God’s people. The truth is that they were God’s people of the OT and presently in “the fullness of time” only believers in Christ are God’s people of the NT. 1Pet2:9
Many within the christian realm need to understand what the Apostle means by “The fullness of time” Gal4:4
For by it, is implied the ‘New Covenant’ in which Race is nullified by Grace giving those that believe Sonship by the Spirit of God. Gal 4:5,6
What is done is done. For the Jew also must become a Son of God.
The (HRM) does not give to the Jewish people the urgency and necessity of the need for salvation, because it sucks up to the Race and mingles the old law with Grace.
As I see it, all of this attention on the Jews and the Torah feasts is poisoning the ‘simplicity & purity of the New testament Faith of Jesus Christ’ 2Cor11:3
In answer to your statement that “the keeping of feasts is as much a deception as is implied that the Jews are God’s people. The truth is that they were God’s people of the OT and presently in “the fullness of time” only believers in Christ are God’s people of the NT”. JAZ It is obvious that you do not read Scripture in context. You certainly have not read the second Book of Peter if you have that point of view.
Please do not believe the lie that our Father is a dispensationalist. He is righteous and just, and made all equal with equal opportunity to serve Him according to His Statutes, Commands and Right rulings, in other words the Torah, which He gave progressively to His chosen people as an example for all. In Gen 17:7, we read that YHVH established a Covenant with His chosen people and their seed after them in their generations, for an everlasting Covenant. By virtue of their sinful nature, like all of us, they were unable to set themselves apart onto Him according to His Instructions in Righteousness, meaning Torah, thus He made a New Covenant with them. The reason for the New Covenant is given to us in Hebrews 8:7 where we read that, “if the first Covenant had been faultless; there would have been no place for the second one”. The Apostle Paul quotes Jeremiah 31:31-34, indicating that the New Covenant is a contingency triggered by, and deriving authority from the First Covenant. YHVH declared that the Old Covenant He made with Israel was good; it was to bring life, but the people of Israel chose to wilfully break this Covenant and treat it as a vain thing (Deuteronomy 32:46,47). In Hebrews 8:10 we read that YHVH installed the New Covenant to write Torah upon the minds and hearts of His people, through the work of the Holy Spirit, according to Messiah. YHVH sent His son, Y’shuah (Messiah Jesus) as mediator or facilitator of the New Covenant which He made with the houses of Israel and Judah (Jeremiah 31:31; Hebrews 8:8; 9:15). Y’shuah Himself alluded to this in Matthew 15:24 “And He answering, said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Y’shuah Himself sealed the “Renewed Covenant” YHVH made with the house of Israel with His blood. “For this is My blood, that of the renewed covenant, which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Mat 26:28).
From the above it is very clear that the New Covenant was not made with the “church” as you and almost all Christians have been led to believe. By saying that only the believers in Christ in the NT are God’s people you are trashing the Word of YHVH. What you are saying is nothing short of “replacement theology”. By the grace of YHWH, “Christians by faith” being the wild olive tree, are grafted into and in place of the broken branches of the unbelieving Jews to become a sharer of the root and fatness of the olive tree (Israel) (Romans 11:17-29). You cannot become part of YHVH’s Covenant people through the “church” or dispensationalism. Being grafted in to the olive tree (Israel) is the only way to become part of YHWH’s Covenant people, there is no other way. The Christian belief that the New Covenant was made with the “church”, prohibits believers from becoming part of YHWH’s Kingdom people (set Apart), and that is exactly the aim of Satan. The New Covenant (Renewed) is fulfilled by the Holy Spirit writing Torah (righteousness) upon the heart of the “Coventee” which has been established by YHVH the “Covenanter” through the shedding of Y’shuah’s blood and the power of His resurrection. As the Spirit writes Torah upon one’s heart, one is being set apart onto YHVH to enter into His perfection, which comes about from abiding with Him.
The consequences of the fatal anti-Torah deception is far reaching, so much so in fact, that permissiveness and Covenant breaking is commonplace throughout Christendom. All who teach that Torah is impossible to observe are choosing to believe in the lie from Satan. When Timothy said “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16) he referred to the scripture that was available at the time, the Tanakh (Torah and Prophets).
Observing the seventh day Sabbath is not just one of the 10 commandments it is a creation ordinance given to all in Genesis before there were a “chosen people” (Gen 2:1-3). In addition, just as we are to keep the Sabbath we have to celebrate the seven feats of YHVH, as these Feasts are representative of both the Comings of Y’shuah Messiah.
If keeping the Feasts is a deception like Jaz says then the Second coming of Y’shuah is a deception, as Y’shuah’s 2nd Coming wil be in fulfilment of the three outstanding Feasts. That also means the fulfilment of the first four Feats with Y’shuah’s first Coming was a deception and never happened. That means the Torah ( First five books of OT) is a deception and the commandments and instruction in righteousness is a deception. In effect, you are saying that the very Scripture Y’shuah quoted from is a deception.
In Revelation 12:9 Y’shuah tells us that the whole world will be deceived by Satan. Do you believe this literally? If you do, make sure you are not one of the deceived.
If Jesus (no Hebrew meaning) is God, and “He is the same yesterday, today and forever” then He is the one who gave us the Torah. He tells us in Jeremiah 31 (New Covenant) that He will write the Torah on our hearts, not do away with them. Jesus (Yashua / Yahovah Saves) also tells us that if we love Him we will obey His Commandments. This includes keeping the Sabbath on it’s proper day, (Saturday) not the day to honor the Roman sun god (Sunday). We have inherited lies from our fathers Jer 16:19 and we are no better than the Hebrew people in that we have made traditions of men to be equal to or above the Law of God Mark 7:7. Furthermore, if God truly turned His back on the Jewish people because they violated His first Covenant, He is not to be trusted because He told them that He would not forget the Covenant that He made with their fathers Deu 4:29-31. Lastly, we as Gentile believers in the Jewish Messiah, do not supersede the Jews, the cultivated Olive tree which had “branches” broken off, we are wild olive branches GRAFTED IN and are not to boast against the ROOT. Rom 11
I just find it so strange that Gentile believers in the Jewish Messiah would go to such great lengths to distance themselves from His Jewishness, eagerly lapping up the rancid crumbs from the catholic table seasoning them with time and tradition to make them more palatable for the modern assembly. God help us all, in Yashuah’s name. Amen
Worship is not when and where But How.. Jn4:23
As far as I am concerned, there is no argument about Saturday or Sunday or any day for that matter.Col2:16
We indeed have the Law written upon the heart, That is what the Apostle called the “circumcision of the heart” That is as far away from the circumcision of the Flesh which the Apostle warned against Phil3:2
So; it is not so much as distancing oneself from His Jewishness, But clinging To Him who is the only way to the Father. something that the circumcision of the flesh deny to this day. Why walk in that path if indeed we know the Way to be Christ crucified?
There is no salvation by the Torah, But only by the Gospel That is applicable to Jews and Gentiles Rom1:16
Nowhere in the OT is the “Law of liberty” applied to the Torah Law. Grace is the difference between the Two.
The former works death and the latter Life.
You are correct in your assessment. What will happen in the future will be so wonderful to the world outside of Israel, in that they will stream to Zion by the thousands and some will go into Ha Shem’s House of Prayer. Those who do will be blessed by G-d. 10 men from every nation will take hold of the hem of a Jewish person’s garment and they’ll say that htey heard heard that G-d is with that Jew. Yeshua Messiah and the Festivals. Such greatness and so life giving. Ask a NT Christian if their familiar with Nehemiah and in particular Sanvellat, and Tobias. They tried to thwart the returning Jewish exiles and their efforts to rebuild the walls. Guaranteed many wouldn’t be familiar with the story. Ask a Christian if they know what a Mezuzah is, or a Menorah. Menorah, Mezuzah!! Whats that?
Duke Bennett says——YES I AGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY WITH YOUR STATEMENTS ABOVE!!! YES YES YES
I agree. Good Job.
May be I am wrong, But I am thinking that the Hebrew Root folks along with a lot of Messianic ‘s maybe got another Jesus. I am not saying that lightly, because that is what Paul the apostle of Jesus also said 2Cor11:4 and he surely is not wrong.
If we are told not to abide by the old leaven pertaining to the Law [Days, moons, feasts, ect] and these folks say differently, then they also got a different spirit by which they are prompted to abide by these things reckoned obsolete.
A different spirit provides a different spirituality with another form of worship and this is what these folks are doing. That is what it seems like to me.
First of all, the “old leaven” does not in any way, shape, or form refer to the Law of God. That is a vile comment. The old leaven is the filth of our old worldly ways. Even before I knew anything about the Feast Days of the LORD that is patently obvious. Understanding them and the fact the Christ is our Unleavened Bread of Life only increases our awareness of this indisputable truth.
Secondly, the word “Christ” is the Greek word for the Hebrew word “Messiah,” meaning “anointed.” If one is a “Christian,” they are in fact saying they are a disciple of the Jewish Savior, Messiah Yeshua or Jesus Christ. Jesus never changed religions. In fact (as has been stated here and is clear in Scripture), we have been grafted in to the Vine, the Righteous Branch. The word for “nations” in Hebrew is גּוֹי gowy which is (for the unbelieving Jew who is orthodox) a term for an unclean Gentile who does not know or adhere to the ways of the Holy God who rules heaven and earth.
Messiah called us to a narrow way. The word “narrow” is θλίβω thlibō which is a difficult compressed route. Such is the way of the Master. And we will be hated by all men for His namesake. The average “Christian” isn’t suffering persecution or tribulation for the sake of the gospel because they neither know the gospel, the Christ, or share it. As it is written, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” and again, “Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”
Maybe, just maybe, you are on to something. But maybe you’ve been adhering to what is common popular folk doctrine about Jesus. What passes as “Jesus” today in modern churches is not the Biblical Messiah Yeshua. Listen to what Jesus said, “And He said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.” Luke 16:15
Is Christmas popular around the world? Of course! Google “Christmas pagan” or “Easter pagan” and look at how the two most important days in modern Christendom are saturated with paganism and idolatry. Yet the “church” teaches nothing about the Feast Days of the LORD and the Sabbath which are perpetual in nature (see Exodus chapters 23 and 34, Leviticus 23, and Deuteronomy 16) which are the perfect picture of Messiah and the work He will perform in the hearts, minds, and lives of all who are His.
Jesus continued… “The Law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the Law to fail.” Luke 16:16-17
Even if the Sabbath was changed to Sunday (it wasn’t!) the average “believer” spends an hour in church on Sunday then goes home to watch football or the mall or whatever they please. That’s how we honor the Lord on His supposed day? How rare to find anyone who seeks God in prayer, study of the Word, and fastings. The day is just a day off to the average church goer.
Those who are anti-law have been known throughout church history as antinomians (“without law”).
I love how Psalm119 ministries tries to spin Colossians 2:16. They would argue, that Paul was arguing that Jews shouldn’t let non-Jewish christians stop them FROM celebrating the Jewish Feasts. I think they willingly ignore much of Galatians.
They hate Galatians with a vengeance Because it goes against the Grain of their belief system.
Reality is; There is no jewish Christian or gentile Christian with God. There is only the New man in Christ Col3:10,11
Amen!!!
AMEN… Let there be Light.
A verse of Scripture out of context is pretext, Now, the rest of the story; “Act 15:19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
Act 15:20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
Act 15:21 For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every SABBATH day.”
I could never understand why Gentile believers in the Jewish Messiah always seem to quote the latter part without the former.
…and your point is?
All James is asking is that the Gentiles respect the Jews by refraining from these three things:
Refraining from Immorality is an obvious command since many Gentiles went to pagan temple prostitutes.
Refraining from Idolatry is an obvious command since there were many idols and deities.
Refraining from the drinking of blood was instituted upon all mankind after the flood was also obvious.
Simply read the letter that James wrote and that Believing Jews were not to trouble the Gentiles with food laws, days and feasts. “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” -Romans 14:17
Duke, that is a non sequitur, just because he used the word “Sabbath” in Acts 15:21 for when Moses read, doesn’t in any way imply that Gentiles were bound to keep Jewish holidays. You don’t seem to have an argument.
Bob B. is correct, James delineated a minimal list of three requirements.
If you look in the original greek text this is not there “You must be circumcised and keep the law” That was added by biased anti Semitic translators. If you study the original texts there is tons of added verses and twisted and added words that are put in to make the NT seem anti Law. It is disgusting. For example the word Covenant was added several times in the book of Hebrews to imply the Old covenant was done away with but that word is ot there at all, in context it is speaking of the earthly priesthood not being as good as the heavenly priesthood because the earthly priesthood is mere men and are passing away and corruptible. The men serving in the Temple at that time were not genuine descendants of Aaron and were not sufficient to hold their position they were not ordained the way the Torah demanded and were appointed not by God but by the Govt authorities.. Also At the time the book of Hebrews was written, the Jews knew it was only a matter of time before the temple would be destroyed and the writer of Hebrews was comforting them saying that despite the fact the earthly priesthood is not perfect we have a heavenly high priest who intercedes on our behalf because He is perfect and incoruptable. This is speaking specifically of the day of atonement and not any other sacrifices as many try to imply.
Early on in my walk with Christ, while I was still heavily steeped in the sins of my past, I felt led to celebrate Rosh Hashana with the Tashlikh custom. I gathered small stones for each sin I could think of and placed them in a bag. I carried the bag to a local stream feeling the weight of having to walk with this encumbrance. I prayed for a while and asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins. And as I cast each stone, feeling my bag get lighter and lighter, I realized this would be the first and last time I would do this tradition.
I found the experience to be extremely rewarding. However, the observance was only symbolic and expressed an out pouring of my contrite heart. I believed God was pleased with me that day because of my sincerity, but in no way required such an observance from me. That through Jesus, I have the more direct way of repentence and forgiveness. I would not ever say to another Christian that observing some Jewish feast or custom would place them in a right standing with the Lord. By the same token, I choose to remember that experience of hefting my sins and casting them off in a positive light, enriching my relationship with the one who has forgiven me.
If celebrating a feast brings you joy and enriches your relationship with God, then celebrate it. If it doesn’t, then don’t. Above all never diminish what Christ has done for us, waiting for the last and final feast that “trumps” 😉 them all, the wedding banquet.
It is the Gospel that has to be obeyed and not the Torah Law.
When Jesus returns with His Mighty Angels In Flaming Fire, The Apostle Tells us that he will deal out retribution to those who do not Know God and to those who DO NOT OBEY THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD JESUS 2Thes1:7,8
Now; The Pharisee’s believed in God, they up held the law and customs and imposed them upon all But Jesus said unto them “Ye are of your father the Devil” Jn8:44
It is obvious that many can profess God and yet have no Knowledge of Him. The animosity between Jesus and the pharisee’s is the result of Light and Darkness clashing. But there was no compromise from the Lord, He had the Gospel, The pharisee’s had the Law. The end result was The cross making a new paradigm, a new covenant!
The obedience of Faith is to the ‘Gospel’ and not to the Law, Lest Christ was crucified in vain.
It is Christ who has been appointed to Judge the Living and the Dead Jn5:22 Acts10:42 and that judgment’s criteria is obedience to the Gospel not the Law Just as Apostle says in 1Thes1:7,8,9
You who do not celebrated by the ‘Lord’s Supper’ which has supplanted the feast days. deny by your very act The cross of Christ for it was a command by the Lord Himself that it should be so unto His return.
I would not want to be found at His return Keeping The feasts rather than the supper as commanded.
It is the Gospel that has to be obeyed and not the Torah Law.
When Jesus returns with His Mighty Angels In Flaming Fire, The Apostle Tells us that he will deal out retribution to those who do not Know God and to those who DO NOT OBEY THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD JESUS 2Thes1:7,8
Now; The Pharisee’s believed in God, they up held the law and customs and imposed them upon all But Jesus said unto them “Ye are of your father the Devil” Jn8:44
It is obvious that many can profess God and yet have no Knowledge of Him. The animosity between Jesus and the pharisee’s is the result of Light and Darkness clashing. But there was no compromise from the Lord, He had the Gospel, The pharisee’s had the Law. The end result was The cross making a new paradigm, a new covenant!
The obedience of Faith is to the ‘Gospel’ and not to the Law, Lest Christ was crucified in vain.
It is Christ who has been appointed to Judge the Living and the Dead Jn5:22 Acts10:42 and that judgment’s criteria is obedience to the Gospel not the Law Just as Apostle says in 2Thes1:7,8,9
You who do not celebrated by the ‘Lord’s Supper’ which has supplanted the feast days. deny by your very act The cross of Christ for it was a command by the Lord Himself that it should be so unto His return.
I would not want to be found at His return Keeping The feasts rather than the supper as commanded.
I don’t necessarily agree with Skiba and Houck on certain things, so please don’t read this post as weighing in one way or another on their theology.
Taking a step back from the debate at hand, I don’t think we can jump into passages like Colossians 2 without first understanding what preceding revelation says. We often forget that the scriptures were not handed down all at once, and that for Paul and the Apostles, the Tanakh was the Bible of the day — and it would make little sense for them to contradict their Bible. Just like it would be extremely problematic if someone claimed to be an Apostle of the Messiah today, and then proceeded to contradict Jesus’ words in the NT.
The Scriptures must be interpreted in the historical order in which they were written. We must first ask ourselves what preceding revelation tells us about the Feasts, before we can hope to understand what Paul means in his writings — after all, Paul’s writings were some of the most difficult to understand, and easy to distort, even by his contemporary readers (2 Peter 3:16). How much easier do we think it is to distort them ~1,970 years later.
This is what Paul’s bible says about the Feasts:
Ex.12:14 “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.”‘
Ex. 12:17 “And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever.”
Leviticus 16:29 “”And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you.
Lev. 23:41 “You shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month.”
It doesn’t get much more clear than that. So we can’t just quote Colossians 2:16 out of context, and think that this settles the issue — it actually only raises more questions. Like how a learned Pharisee like Paul could directly contradict the Scriptures of his day. Would we give someone a pass for doing this today?
Perhaps there’s a better view of Colossians 2 — one that doesn’t cause Paul to contradict the Creator’s instructions. Perhaps we’ve been taking Colossians 2 out of context. Doesn’t Paul give us the context he’s speaking in right up front?
“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”
So whatever he says after this would logically fall into one of these categories:
1) Empty Deceit
2) Human Tradition
3) Elemental Spirits of the World
So when Paul tells the believers at Colossae to not let anyone pass judgement on them “in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath” (Col 2:16), we should be very careful before jumping to the conclusion that Paul is contradicting previous revelation (that is, contradicting the Bible of his day). Taking this verse in context, which of the 3 categories above would this verse fall into? It seems most logical that he is speaking about category 2 — that believers should not judge one another based on the traditions that they keep — after all, the Judaisms of Paul’s day were literally chocked full of various manmade traditions that people would have used to judge one another. Paul actually specifically mentions this in verses 20 to 22:
“20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations– 21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)–according to human precepts and teachings?”
That’s just a very high-level overview of just this one passage — much more can be said about this passage, as well as many others, from a Messianic/Jewish/Hebrew-Roots (MJHR) perspective (and much more *has* been said in some of the excellent commentaries that have been written by MJHR authors).
So while I agree that keeping the feasts doesn’t save us (only faith in Christ does that), believers today are also called to be holy (set-apart) unto God in their thoughts, actions, and deeds.
we should be very careful before we interpret Paul as contradicting the bible of his day. More often than not, there are better interpretations of passages like this that don’t put Paul in the precarious situation of contradicting the Lord and Creator of the Universe.
Rob — the Torah covenant stipulations were never for Gentiles and the Jews violated the Mosaic covenant — its done away with.
Read Acts 15 it doesn’t get much clearer than that.
I reckon that Jaz makes a good point when he says [You who do not celebrated the ‘Lord’s Supper’ which has supplanted the feast days. deny by your very act The cross of Christ for it was a command by the Lord Himself that it should be so unto His return.
All the Messianic’s I know don’t celebrate the Lord’s supper, But they observe the passover feast . This is remembering the deliverance from Egypt.
The difference as I see it, is that Jesus kept the passover and in the midst of it [He abolishes it] by establishing a remembrance of what He is about to suffer.
Seems like the Messianic’s are living in the past with their feasts and looking Forward to nothing.
But we who celebrate the Lords supper are living in the present as Christ being our passover and looking forward to His return.
Why remember Egypt when it is Christ who is the deliverer. Isaiah59:20,21
This, Paul the apostle of the Lord tells us is the fulfilment of the new Covenant spoken by Isaiah in Rom10:26,27
I think feasts plus Lord’s supper is ok if one desires (there is liberty), but is not a requirement.
Celebrating feasts at the exclusion of the Lord’s Supper is not ok. Who would ever want to do that unless you are not interested in remembering the Lord’s sacrifice? Without His atoning sacrifice we are in big trouble. Without His ressurection we have no hope.
*** Passover – pictures the Death of Christ
*** Feast of Unleavened Bread – pictures the Burial of Christ
*** Feast of First Fruits – pictures the Resurrection of Christ
*** Pentecost – pictures the Descent of the Holy Spirit of Christ into the hearts of His true people
*** Trumpets – pictures God’s warnings to repent and prepare for the Judgment of Christ (Days of Awe)
*** Day of Atonement – pictures the Return of Christ, our High Priest coming out of Heaven in final Judgment
*** Tabernacles – pictures our heavenly rest with Christ and His people forever and ever
Bob B; I take it you also believe that when Jesus returns It is for the purpose of establishing an earthly kingdom with a reconstituted priesthood and the restoration of animal sacrifices, elevating Israel above all nations.
Hi Jaz,
No, I don’t. I’m amilliennial. When Christ returns, it’s all over for the wicked.
peace
Amen to that
Peace
Amen! I take an amillenial view also. Nicely put. When Christ returns (ONCE), It’s all over for the wicked. Doesn’t scripture say he will “first gather the tares?” and many other places in scripture. So refreshing to see people who actually read and understand the word through a pure lens.
The church is Israel (and Messiah is the head). Stephen referenced Israel as the church in the wilderness in Acts 7. The Old Covenant was the type and foreshadow while the New Covenant church is the spiritual reality. No longer a need for sacrifices which foreshadowed the single atoning sacrifice of Messiah. No need for earthly High Priest because Messiah is our eternal heavenly High Priest. No need for daily animal sacrifices because we are now offered up daily for His glory: Messiah once for sin and now we are crucified daily with Him, purchased by His blood and offered up for His righteousness’ sake.
Messiah is Israel. “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.” Hosea 11:1 He is the Head and we are His body. We are the spotless bride He is building and for which the gates of hell cannot prevail against. God took a rib bone from the first Adam and made (built) a woman. Messiah is taking these dry bones and causing them to live.
Amen and Amen and Amen.
Please share more of thou bestowed wisdom……….
Blessings to you three times….
Hosea11:1 Three one’s—–When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
Love it, love it, love it.
Such truth, Praise the Lord.
Following God’s Feasts is not empty deceit, neither is it human tradition, nor is it by elemental spirits of the world. The Feasts were instituted by YHWH and it IS ACCORDING to CHRIST. Those following YHWH’s Feasts are living righteous and according to HIS demands. They are doing the will of Our Father in Heaven. What is the will of our Father in Heaven? His will is to obey His statutes and commandments given in His Torah. Yahshua our Messiah Himself says in Matthew 7 that not everyone calling His name, doing miracles and driving out demons in His name will enter into the kingdom of heaven. He identifies those that do not do the will of His Father in heaven as workers of lawlessness. Workers of lawlessness are people that do not follow HIS laws. It is amazing how you have taken every part of Scripture and put the typical Hellenistic anti-Torah perception or spin it, just as Yahshua warned Christians not to do.
There is NO spiritual reward for keeping the dietary laws. Adhering to the dietary laws is doing the will of YHWH (God). Read Matthew 7:21-23 “It will not be that just everyone who says to Me, Master, Master, will enter into the kingdom of Heaven, but the ones who do the will of My Father in Heaven. (22) Many will say to Me in that day, Master, Master, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name do many works of power? (23) And then I will declare to them, from everlasting, I never knew you; “depart from Me, those working lawlessness!” (Psa. 6:8”)
With whom was the New Covenant made. Not with the Church or Christians for that matter. The New Covenant was made with Israel and Judah. Non-Jews(Gentiles) have access to the New Covenant as a wild olive branch is grafted onto the original “olive tree” (Israel & Judah), not by hijacking the covenant and starting a new religion, like the Hellenist’s did.
Fine. Now go evangelize the Jews.
Johann; The olive tree of Rom11 is the commonwealth of Israel of which Apostle Paul speaks of in Eph2:12 having made both ((jew and gentile)) into One new man …The Apostle also says that this was brought about By Christ “Abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is THE LAW OF COMMANDMENTS CONTAINED IN ORDINANCES”…..Eph2:15 You cannot have it any plainer than that!
Furthermore; The Olive Tree is not Israel in the flesh, But it is the descendants of Abraham’s faith. Apostle fully explains this in detail Gal3:16 and He further says in Gal3:18 “That the inheritance of Jews and gentiles is based on the promise made to Abraham and not the Law. It was foretold way back in Genesis that the Bond woman and her son (Israel in the flesh) were to be cast out and not be heir with the free woman (The Israel of God) Gen21:10 Gal4:30
We must understand the Grace of God as the scripture says and not our preconceived theologies. God “has shut up all men Jew/Gentile under sin that the promise by Faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe” Gal3:22 Rom11:32
It all has to do with God’s mercy and nothing to do with being a Jew or a Gentile. For it is Christ who is the “seed” of the promise and it is Faith the same Faith of Abraham which is the Holy Root that is supportive of the Tree with its branches, that is why Apostle says that Jews can be grafted back into the Tree “if they do not continue in their unbelief” Rom11:23 The Law is obsolete!
The New covenant was made with the remnant of Israel and Judah, only with the remnant of the people. The rest were hardened Jn12:40 Isaiah6:10
From the time of the return from the Babylonian captivity, God only concerned Himself with “The Remnant of the people” Hag1:14 and so it is today “The all Israel that will be saved is that Olive tree consisting of the remnant of the people Jew & Gentile and that is the work of Grace.
Jaz, the Law is obsolete? Is Psalm 119 (the longest single chapter of the entire bible) obsolete as well? What about the rest of the Psalms? Where does this “obsolesence Theology” end?
One wonders how you reconcile your view with passages like Matt 4:4, 5:17-19, 7:21-23; Rom 3:31, 6:19, 7:12; 1 John 3:4, 5:3; Rev 12:17, 14:12; etc, etc.
Jeremiah 31:33 specifically speaks of a New Covenant in which God will write his תּוֹרָה (torah) on the hearts and minds of his people — Israel. When taken in it’s socio-lingustic context, one wonders what תּוֹרָה (torah) Jeremiah is speaking about….
You like many others do not understand Who the Israel of God be. It is not them of the flesh But those of the Spirit who indeed worship in Spirit and in Truth.
i am sorry that you don’t see what The Apostle means by The bond woman and the free woman and who are the true heirs of the promise.
Until such time as you acknowledge this difference between the Two it is pointless to continue the discussion.
Law is law and Grace is grace, a man is is either under one or the other! cannot be both……
I think perhaps a better word than ‘obsolete’ might be ‘fulfilled’. Obsolete implies it was replaced with something more useful and it doesn’t contribute to the whole. Fulfilled implies the law has an integral part in the culmination of the new. If you follow Christ in love and service, you break no covenant law. It takes the authority of judgement out the phariseas hands and places it squarely on Jesus’s shoulders. We are not to be judged by the law but through grace, but we are not above the law. Our faith places us in righteous standing within the law.
Galations 3:
17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later,does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. 18 For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.
What was really made obsolete was the mediated priestly classic system of sadduces and phariseas. Those that held authority over the interpretation of the law and how it was applied and enforced. Not the law itself.
The law is designed to “control” your actions and make them compatible with the actions of a righteous person, however, you can still follow the law and have a corrupt heart. Jesus came to change our hearts and that is what becomes the new compass that directs our actions. The actions that follow a righteous heart are righteous actions (for the most part) and the ones that aren’t are corrected by a conviction of the spirit.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul and you will be following the first five commandments. Love your neighbor as yourself and you will follow the last five. It’s the love in your heart (and The faith which springs forth from that) that will place you in righteousness, not fear of The law.
Amen Hopeful; Doing unto others fulfils the Law.
Christ also, on that Torturous Cross did unto others what they deserved Praise the Lord for such Love.
AHHH!!!!! We are NOT grafted into ISRAEL, we are grafted into JESUS! Or Yeshua (if you must). This is probably the most caustic lie I have heard from HR. A close runner up is that the “foundation” is Torah. That is also a lie. The foundation is Jesus. I Cor. 3:11
And regarding Ephesians 2:15, one wonders what these “commandments expressed in δόγμα (dogma)” that Paul is referring to here. The Greek word δόγμα (dogma) is used elsewhere in the NT to refer to manmade decrees.
Excellent piece, Cris!
I’m always astounded at how little it takes to nudge some folks past sola gratis into sola gratia + something else.
Thanks Dr Boeche!
Just some thoughts on will Believers be Janitors in Heaven. I guess someone could run with this topic a long way. If we listen to the Apostle Paul, who is the Apostle to the Gentiles, then one could say No. In this dispensation the Gospel is free to both Jew and Gentile. Before you go and say here is a dispensational view (which it is)? Go look at the scriptures. Paul mentions dispensation four times I believe, and since he said “It is my Gospel” and everyman will be judged one day by my Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) , then I lean toward Paul. During conversion a man be he a Jew or Gentile is made a New Creature in Christ. One becomes a member of the Body of Christ. The Risen Savior revealed this mystery to Paul. No where in scripture is the Body of Christ written about except by Paul. Christ is the Head, and we are his Body. If that be the case then if the Lord wants to be the “DoorKeeper” then we will be right there with him. Keep Looking Up, James
I have no dog in this fight but I will say one thing:
I’d rather be a janitor in Heaven than Pope of the Catholic Church or President of the United States…especially the evil bastards now occupying those respective positions.
I was under the impression that physical labour belong to the realm of fallen humanity
We who have entered His rest shall not Toil in the Eternal kingdom of God.
What do you all think of the following article?
What was nailed to the Cross in Colossians 2:14? by Dr. Daniel Botkin
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. Col. 2:14 KJV
What was nailed to the Cross? CHEIROGRAPHON, that’s what. It might be Greek to you, but it’s a Greek word you should know if you want to understand what was nailed to the Cross in Colossians 2:14.
Many Christians erroneously believe that “the handwriting of ordinances” (cheirographon tois dogmasin) in Colossians 2:14 refers to the Old Testament Law of Moses. According to this MISINTERPRETATION, God’s Law was “against us” and “contrary to us” because it was a heavy yoke of bondage. It was an impediment, a hindrance to man’s attempt to be reconciled to God. Therefore God had to “take it out of the way” and get rid of it. He did this by nailing it to the Cross. In other words, we are reconciled to God by Christ’s abolition of His Father’s Law. So says this popular misinterpretation of Col 2:14.
This view is flawed for a few different reasons. First, it contradicts the Biblical truth that God’s Law, properly understood, is neither “against us” nor “contrary to us”. According to the Bible, God’s unadulterated Law is a blessing not a burden (see, e.g., Deut. 4:5-9, PS 19, PS 119, Rom 7:22, 1 Tim 1:8 and many other passages).
A second reason this view is flawed is because it portrays Jesus as a slick lawyer who finds a legal loophole to thward God’s justice. Jesus gets us off the hook by simply abolishing the commandments that we broke. “You’ve been accused of breaking the Sabbath? No problem. I’ll just abolish that commandment.” But Jesus said we are to not even think that he came to abolish the law. (See Matt. 5:17-19).
A third reason this view is flawed is because of the meaning of the long work CHEIROGRAPHON. A study of this word will reveal exactly what it was that got nailed to the Cross in Col 2:14. When you see what really got nailed to the Cross, you will find it far more liberating than believing that Jesus blotted out His Father’s commandments.
The Greek word Cheirographon is a compound word that is formed by comging the two words cheir (“hand”) and grapho (“to write or engrave”). In its simplest sense, the word means a hand-written document.
Other than in Colossians 2:14, the word cheirographon appears nowhere else in the Greek New Testatment, nor does it appear anywhere in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament. However, the word does appear in extra-Biblical Greek documents. It is in these documents that we learn that cheirographon is a legal term. It is a word that was used to refer to the written evidence of a person’s guilt in a courtroom. It is the written record of a person’s crimes – the laws he has broken and the penalty he owes for his lawbreaking. In ancient times the accuser would present the cheirographon from the middle of the courtroom, called tou mesou, “the middle” – the exact same term Paul uses when he says the cheirographon is taken “out of the way [tou mesou].”
Because cheirographon and tou mesou are legal terms, you must think of cheirographon in a legal context to understand its meanding and to appreciate the significance of Paul’s statement in Col. 2:14. You must picture yourself in the context of the Heavenly Courtroom. God is the presiding Judge. You have been arrested and brought into the Courtroom of God. You stand accused of breaking God’s laws.
In God’s Courtroom, there is a prosecuting attorney: Satan, the Adversary, the Accuser of the brethren. In his hands the Adversary holds a cheirographon, a legal written document. It is a written record of every sin you have ever committed. It is a detailed account of every time you broke God’s Law. The cheirographon lists the dates, the times, the locations, the testimony of witnesses, and all the other details of your law-breaking. The information on this written document is not based on hearsay or unfounded suspicions. It is recognized by the Court as a legal and legitimate document. The Adversary holds in his hands the indisputable proof of your guilt, along with the penalties that the Court prescribes for such crimes and he presents the cheirographon to the Judge.
Fortunately, you have an Advocate with you in the Courtoom of God. “And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous” (1 John 2:1). Your Advocate does not deny the truth of the charges brought against you. Your Advocate admits that the information on the cheirographon is true. You have indeed committed all these crimes and you do indeed deserve the penalty which is prescribed on the cheirographon. However, your Advocate says, the penalty for all your crimes has already been fully paid. Your Advocate paid the penalty himself when He went to the Cross and took upon HImself the sins of the world and bore the punishment for your sins.
Because the penalty has already been fully paid, the Judge tells Satan that his cheirographon is inadmissible evidence in the Heavenly Courtroom. Therefore the cheirographon that was against us, which was contrary to us, is taken out of the way. It is removed from tou mesou, the middle of the courtroom occupied by the Accuser. Then it is nailed to the cross like a banner, proclaiming Messiah’s triumph over sin on our behalf. By paying the penalty for our sins, Yeshua spoiled the Adversary’s plans to condemn us with the cheirographon. That is why the very next verse says “And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it” (Col 2:15)
This removal of the chierographon is something entirely different from the erroneous assumption that God’s Law got nailed to the cross. The word “law” (Greek, nomos) does not even appear anywhere in the entire Book of Colossians, neither in the Greek text nor in the KJV translation. Of course God’s commandments are alluded to in conjunction with the cheirographon (tois dogmasin, “of ordinances”), because in order to accuse us, the Adversary obviously has to list which commandments (“ordinances”) we broke. But it is not the commandments of the Law which are removed. Rather it is the written record of our law-breaking that is removed from the Courtroom.
This understanding of the cheirographon as the legal record of a person’s sins can be seen not only in Gentile Greek literature, but in Jewish Greek literature as well. The Greek text of the apocryphal book The Apolcalpse of Elijah describes and angel holding a book. The book is called a cheirographon and it contains the record of sins. The tradition Jewish Avinu Malkenu prayer likewise paints a similar picture. This prayer is in Hebrew, so it obviously cannot use the Greek work cheirographon. However, it describes a scenario similar to Col. 2:14 when it asks God to “erase all the documents that accuse us.”
God does more than erase all the documents that accuse us. If God merely erased the reocrd of our sins, the Adversay could point to the smudged cheirographon and say that someone tampered with the evidence. So God does something better than just erasing the record of our sins. God takes the cheirographon and removes it from the Courtroom, leaving the Accuser empty-handed, with absolutely no evidence to condemn us, and with no power to punish us. The cheirographon is nailed to the Cross like a banner to declare our victory. Thus the instrument that Satan intended for evil God uses for good.
God nailed the cheirographon to the Cross (verse 14) and thereby spoiled principalities and poweres, making a show of them openly and triumphing over them (verse 15). But what about verse 16, “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holdy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days”? Does the removal of the chieorgraphon mean that we can now be gluttons and drunkards and Sabbath-breakers? Does the fact that Jesus paid the penalty for our law-breaking mean that it is okay for us to return to a life of law-breaking?
The Apostle Paul is not saying that God’s dietary laws and holy days are unimportant. The context of these verses in regards to the imposing of man-made rules and regulations. Six times the words man or men appear in Colossians Chapter 1: “And this I say, lest any man should beguile you” (vs. 4); “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men” (vs. 8); “Let no man therefore judge you” (vs. 16); “Let no man beguile you” (vs. 18); “why…are ye subject to ordinances (Touch not; taste not; handle not; which all are to perish with the using) after the commandments and doctrines of men?” (vs. 20-22).
The Sabbath and dietary laws of the Bible are not commandments of men; they are commandments of God. Paul is not telling us we can disregard the commandments of God; he is telling us we can disregard the commandments of men – men who would impose heavy burdens upon God’s people, burdens that God did not command, burdens that turn Sabbath-keeping into a burden instead of a blessing. Some teachers in Colosse were doing this, just like some Pharisees did. “For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders” (Matt 23:4)
The Orthodox Judaism of today evolved from the Judaism of the Pharisees and it still retains some of the leaven of the Pharisees. Like the Pharisees of old, modern day rabbis expect Jews to abide by hundreds of rabbincal rulings that prescribe exactly how to keep the Sabbath and all the rest of the Torah. The rabbis prescribe how to keep the Sabbath in such great detail that a person never has to be led by the Spirit; theoretically he will never find himself in a situation where he has to hear from God and make his own decision about how to obey the Torah. The rabbis have already prescribed every detail. They even have man-made laws that govern bug-killing on the Sabbath. They tell Jews which kinds of bugs can be killed and under which circumstances these bugs can be killed. If you happen to kill te wrong kind of bug, or you kill the right king of bug under circumstances that the rabbis have not authorized, then you have violated the Sabbath according to their view. This is just one of the many examples of doctrines and commandments of men that put God’s people in bondage.
God’s unadulterated Law does not put people in bondage; it liberates. “So shall I keep Thy law continually forever and ever. And I will walk at liberty” (Ps. 119:44f).
God wants us to keep HIS commandments, but we can disregard man-made commandmenst that men have added to God’s commandments. Adding to the commandments of God, as the rabbis do and as the Pharisees did and as some teachers at Colosse did, perverts the Law and turns it into “a yoke…which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear.” (Acts 15:10). In contrast to this man-imposed yoke, Yeshua says, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matt. 11:29f).
Yeshua does not say that the yoke of Torah is nailed to the Cross and abolished. He only says that His teaching of Torah is light compared to that of the Pharisees, who taught a Torah weighed down with additional, excessive, man-made demands. Then immediately after Yeshua’s statement about His light yoke, the very next verse begins a story that demonstrates the contrast between the Pharisees’ yoke and Yeshua’s yoke. The Pharisees’ interpretation of Torah would condemn the hungry disciples for plucking and eating a bit of grain as they walked through a field on the Sabbath. Yeshua’s yoke would permit the hungry disciples to do what they did in those circumstances, just as David and his hungry ment were permitted to eat the priests’ shew-bread in their unusual circumstances.
As a Jewish grandmother once remarked about the disciples plucking grain on the Sabbath, “You mean these were hungry Jewish boys with no place to eat on Shabbat? Why didn’t those Pharisees invite them to dinner instead of scolding them?”
The cheirographon, the record of our law-breaking, has been taken out of the Courtroom and nailed to the cross because Yeshua paid the penalty for our law-breaking. But this does not give us a right to return to a life of law-breaking. As Yeshua said to the woman takin in adultery, so He says to us: “Neither do I condemn thee: go and sin no more” (John 8:11).
T A Jackson, Thank you, I learned something, and funny in the last week I was thinking about this very issue of ordinances nailed to the Cross. I will have to read this again a few times. God Bless, Jimmy
The “ordinances nailed to the cross” are our violations of the law, basically your criminal record. Jackson’s argument is against a strawman because no one thinks that passage it means the Torah was nailed to the cross. BUT we do know that the OT laws were the covenant stipulations of an obsolete Mosaic covenant with Israel and have been replaced by the new covenant explained in Hebrews 8. Just read Hebrews 8; it’s spelled out clearly.
Cris, Last night after reading and writing a response to T A Jackson. It dawned on me those were “My Sins” which were nailed to his cross. Everyone I have or will break in this life. If we are in Christ we fulfill the Law. An example of course many people think we should worship on the sabbath, but Jesus is our Sabbath Rest. The Law is a SchoolMaster to show us we can’t live up to them. In truth the Law is a death sentence. I am in a hurry. I hope this makes sense, but I will say again I believe there is some truth in the article. Only it is more specific, like you say personal, my criminal record and yours. Praise the Lord, James
“Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,”(Ro 5:20)
I’ve read most of the posts, and am happy to see that you all seem to be kind and respectful when you disagree. I think that one thing that really hurts the body of Christ is the nastiness that many “Christians” have toward others who disagree with them! Jesus wants unity (not uniformity!) in His body. He also wants us to love one another because that is our witness to the world. Anyway, this grandma of10 enjoys all the things you write, Mr. Putnam, keep on preaching and teaching Jesus!!! Blessings too all!
I am very interested in all the things you speak and write about. You have provided a lot of eye opening information to me and I greatly appreciate it. It has assisted in making the Bible make even more sense to me. However with this one article I have a question for you: Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy is one of the commandments….are you saying the commandments are not to be followed any longer? I believe that the 10 commandments are to be kept and followed. So could you please explain where you are getting your line of thinking on this issue please? Thank you sincerely, Your sister in CHRIST
The OT law including the Decalogue was for OT Israel; Unless the laws are reaffirmed in NT they are obsolete. Interestingly, 9 of the 10 commandments are reaffirmed in the NT and the only one that was not was the Sabbath. With Jesus’ atonement, and our justification by faith (Rom. 5:1), we are not required to keep the Law–the Law was created to show our sin(Ro 3:20). The Sabbath was only a shadow of things to come (Col. 2:16-17). We are not under Law, but grace (Rom. 6:14-15). The Sabbath is fulfilled in Jesus because in Him we have rest (Matt. 11:28). We are not under obligation to keep the Law and this goes for the Sabbath as well.
Hi again….sorry I thought this might help in the understanding of my earlier question: It states in the Bible to pray for the peace of Jerusalem….pray that CHRISTS return is neither in the winter or on the Sabbath…..so they are to keep the Sabbath are they not? Thank you yet again… Sincerely, Your sister in CHRIST
Bonnie, If I might stick my nose in just for a moment? Your last comment is a good reason to believe in the removal of the Body of Christ before the Tribulation begins. During the Tribulation you will have the Jews with a Temple on the Temple Mount. The Law will have been reinstated (hence the Sabbath Law will even more so be in operation). The Lord placed a 490 curse on the Jewish people. Many Bible Scholars believe that 483 years have been fulfilled, and there is a remaining 7 year time period which we call the Tribulation. Daniel 9:24-27 Explains that this time period is determined against the Jewish people and the City of Jerusalem. If we are in Christ? He is our Sabbath Rest. I hope this helps? God Bless, James
He was talking to Jews not gentiles.
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