“Also the sons of the foreigner, who join themselves
to the Lord...
Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath and holds fast to My covenant- even them I will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer... For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Isaiah 56:6-7
It has always been God’s design to bring all nations to Himself through Abraham’s seed. In the past two thousand years we have seen this plan realized. However, as we move into the next millennium, God's move is changing. It began in 1948 with the formation of the state of Israel, and the return of God’s people to the land and Himself. There is also a calling on the church to provoke the Jewish people to jealousy so they will be saved. (Rom.11:11) The Messianic movement was born as an outreach and a place for believing Jews to worship without being forced to give up their traditions.
Many Christians and Jews have misunderstood the Messianic vision. The most common accusation from the church is that we are reverting to legalism when we are supposed to live by grace. Many say we should not observe Jewish traditions, nor is it possible for a Jew to remain a Jew after he or she is "born again". Christians cite many of Paul’s writings in defense of their position.
However, observance of the biblical Feasts of the Lord (outlined in Lev. 23) is not legalistic. It rather uncovers a rich heritage which belongs to every Christian, bringing to us a deeper knowledge of God. To get to the heart of the issue, let’s ask three questions:
- What is the balance of faith and works?
- How does the Law of Moses apply to the Christian?
- Why would a Gentile feel led to observe the Feasts?
Firstly, faith and works work hand-in-glove. If one has no hands, gloves are useless! But the idea that Christians do not have to obey God’s laws produces hypocrites who compromise our witness. We cannot have an amorphous idea of “obeying God”. He has clearly defined in His Word what we should do. As we remain in the Vine, we produce the fruit of righteousness - it is our position in Him which produces obedience.
The New Testament can seem confusing. The epistles of the Corinthians are juxtaposed beside Galatians: the former deals with the sin of permissiveness, and the latter with the sin of legalism. But next comes Ephesians, which cracks open the mystery. In Yeshua we are both free from the Law and free to live righteously. It teaches us how to be holy but not “holier-than-thou”.
Even those who consider themselves free from keeping the law invent rules of conduct and traditions. They become legalistically attached to extra-biblical rituals, such as not smoking, not drinking, not dancing, wearing certain clothes, and putting up Christmas trees. These things are not commanded in Scriptures but have cultural origins, and sometimes Scriptures are used to defend them.
So we come to the second question. How does the Torah relate to the Christian? If we are still accountable to the Law, then what of freedom in Christ? Let’s look back at the first Believers, who were Jewish, and their struggle.
The book of Romans deals with this topic in depth. Paul writes in Rom.3:28: “...we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.” Indeed, we are not to count keeping the Sabbath, or the feasts, or even the Ten Commandments as our justification before God. Our faith justifies us even if we break every command, which is actually what we have done. But he goes on in verse 31, “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.”
How can this be? Our justification is by faith, but the law is still in effect! What does faith do, if it does not free us from the law? Let us recall Paul’s exhortation in Rom. 6:13-14: “And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law, but under grace.” Sin is disobedience to God’s law. What is our freedom, then? Our freedom is from bondage to sin, but we do become slaves to righteousness. (Rom. 6:18) No one is the law unto himself. Either you are free from sin, or free from righteousness- either living under the law of the Spirit of life, or dying under the law of sin and death. (Rom. 8:2) If the law of Moses does not apply to the Gentile, then Yeshua would have only died for the Jew, and everyone else would have required no salvation. (Rom.2:14-16)
What about the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15, which outlined only a few requirements for the Gentile believers to keep? Aren’t we off the hook? After all, Peter said during that debate, “Why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?” (vs.10). However, we must remember that the legalistic Judeans (in vs 1) were requiring circumcision for salvation. The yoke to which Peter referred was salvation by works, not the Old Testament. The Gentile believers were not commanded to avoid keeping the law of Moses. In verse 21 James said, “For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.” Gentiles can hear the law of Moses and obey it more closely if they so wish, but it is not an issue of salvation.
It is of course ironic to note that in this passage the controversy is, “How can a Gentile remain a Gentile and still be born again?”
The last question is the biggest: Why should a Gentile keep the feasts and the Sabbath? God does not require Gentiles to observe these laws for salvation, so why bother with them? Two reasons come to mind: for a greater understanding of our own Messiah, and to remember.
Remembrance is more than mental acknowledgment; an action is required. Each feast and the weekly Sabbath has a specific focus upon history, Yeshua’ life, and prophecy. Going through the cycle each year reminds us of each important aspect of God’s eternal plan.
It is interesting to speculate about the end times and Yeshua’ return, but hearing the Shofar blasts during Rosh Hashana (the Feast of Trumpets) sends shivers down my spine. Taking monthly Communion constantly brings us back to reexamining our hearts and minds, but partaking of the matzah and wine during the Passover seder, its original context, brings one to tears. The depth of meaning becomes so clear. It is no longer just a bit of bread and a sip of wine, but part of an ongoing tale of deliverance and redemption. Each feast is full of meaning waiting to be discovered. We can take hold of the inheritance of the olive tree. God has grafted us in! (Rom. 11:17-18)
Obeying the Torah is not a matter of salvation, and not a way to get into God’s “good books”, but rather a way for us to sanctify ourselves. The fruit of our salvation is offering ourselves as instruments of righteousness. Observance of the Feasts reminds us of who we are in Messiah and our final victorious end. It is so exciting to be included in God’s appointed times. Let’s “taste and see” the blessings of God as we explore the Feasts and the Torah.
written by Rachel Abrams, Beth Shechinah
© 2001, Beth Shechinah, except where copyright otherwise indicated. For permissions to use material from this site, email Messianic Leader,
Cal Goldberg.
