Why Messianic Jews follow the Old Law

Answer:

I am going to do my best to address your email as sections.

Can you separate laws in a theocracy and does God separate them?

You said "Jesus took away the sacrificial laws and the death penalty", I agree sacrificial laws are no longer in use, but I disagree with your statement that the rest of the Old Testament is still in use. I also disagree with your statement about taking away the death penalty; Jesus saved us from the second death (hell). People who remain in sin are spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:5). Under the new covenant, religion is separated from secular government. Earthly governments have the authority to impose death penalties (Romans 13:4). Christ's church does not have physical death penalties.

However, consider this: To state that Jesus took away the death penalty is to say he also changed the judicial law. You then run into the problem that the Ten Commandments were a part of the judicial law. To claim a change in judicial law is to claim the Ten Commandments were changed -- a position that you reject.

Under a theocratic physical government, there is no separation of religion and secular society. All are one. When you tithe it goes to the temple and to the priests (taxes in a sense), who make sacrifices and offerings and burn incense unto God. To take an oath that was binding by law you would get a priest (Nehemiah 5:12).

There is no longer a priesthood or a temple as found in the Old Covenant. There is only a spiritual priesthood of believers (I Peter 2:9) and a spiritual temple composed of believers (I Corinthians 3:16-17). Each Christian is a priest offering spiritual sacrifices (I Peter 2:5). Instead of a physical nation, it is now a spiritual kingdom where the capital is in heaven. Not only is the temple no longer needed, the Levites' positions are done away with in government, which means no longer land is allotted to them, or food, etc. No longer are any of the tribes supposed to have so much land, the tax system (tithing) no longer exists, the death penalty for breaking the Sabbath no longer exists (Number 15:32-36), and no longer is any food but blood forbidden or becoming unclean through physical touch (Col 2:16-23). All parts of the Old Covenant or Law depended upon a theocracy, which no longer exists as they did under the old covenant. Under the new covenant, a new law was formed. Here are few examples:

Old Covenant Law

 

"Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death. Whoever takes an animal's life shall make it good, life for life. If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him. Whoever kills an animal shall make it good, and whoever kills a person shall be put to death. You shall have the same rule for the sojourner and for the native, for I am the Lord our God" (Leviticus 24:17-22).

"If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. If a man lies with his father's wife, he has uncovered his father's nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them" (Leviticus 20:10-11).

"This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant" (Genesis 17:10-14).

"But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself" (Daniel 1:8).

New Covenant Law

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you" (Matthew 5:38-42).

"It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. ... But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler — not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. Purge the evil person from among you" (I Corinthians 5:1-2,11-13).

"Was anyone called while circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters" (I Corinthians 7:18-19).

"In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead" (Colossians 2:11-12).

"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. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. ...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 — "Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch" (referring to things that all perish as they are used) — according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh" (Colossians 2:16-17, 20-23).

"And he called the people to him and said to them, "Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person." … And he said, "Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone" (Matthew 15:10-12,16-20).

The type of punishments for one's actions have changed. The way you act toward someone who is harming you has changed. Those within the church are to be held accountable by the church; those outside the church are held accountable by God. Circumcision is no longer required. There have been significant changes in the laws between the old covenant and the new.

You claimed only certain laws have changed, without evidence or Scripture. I have shown how all the Old Law or covenant is intertwined. You can't have one without the other. There is no separation.

What is the conclusion of this matter? To change one part of the old law affects and changes the rest in some way or form. Please understand I do not believe Jesus changed the Old Law, but that he brought to its completion; thus fulfilling it (Matthew 5:17). He replaced it with a New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-33; Hebrews 8:6-7,13).

Is Jesus Returning on a Jewish Feast?

You said Jesus is returning on a feast. Jesus said, "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only" (Matthew 24:36). You do not have knowledge that the Lord Jesus Christ did not have.

Does it matter if God spoke or wrote the law and did Moses make up laws?

With this assumption, you said, "Moses did not write the Ten Commandments, God did with his finger. Moses wrote another set of ordinances, ceremonial laws, that Jesus nailed to the cross!"

Do you understand the definition of these words?

Definitions

ceremonial

adj

involving or relating to ceremony or ritual

n

1. the observance of formality, esp in etiquette
2. a plan for formal observances on a particular occasion; ritual
3. (Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms) Christianity
   1. the prescribed order of rites and ceremonies

[Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003]

ordinance

n.

1. An authoritative command or order.
2. A custom or practice established by long usage.
3. A Christian rite, especially the Eucharist.
4. A statute or regulation, especially one enacted by a city government.

[The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.]

ordinance

n

an authoritative regulation, decree, law, or practice

[from Old French ordenance, from Latin ordināre to set in order]

[Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003]

Words are interchangeable

"God uses a variety of terms to describe the Mosaical Law. Consider this portion of Psalm 19:

The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring 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 judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.
(Psalms 19:7-9)

Is David talking about six different things or one thing described in six different ways? The answer is obviously the latter. The law, the testimony, the precepts, the commandment, the fear, and the judgments all refer to the same written document." [Jeffery Hamilton]

"They did not keep God's covenant, but refused to walk according to his law" (Psalms 78:10). How did they not keep Gods covenant? They refused to walk according to His law. Covenant and law are interchangeable words. For a more in-depth study of how law, covenant, and commandments are interchangeable words see: Is covenant different from the Law?

It is true that God wrote the Ten Commandments with His finger, but He also was speaking to Moses (Exodus 24:12, 31:12-18). All laws passed down to Moses by God speaking to him. Both forms are valid and hold the same authority. God's writing is not more powerful than His spoken word. After all, God brought elements of the world into existence by His word (Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26). Speaking doesn't have more authority than writing when they both are done by God.

"See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I [Moses] command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply" (Deuteronomy 30:15-16).

It was God who told Moses what to say. To say Moses made the laws is not accurate; he was just the messenger (prophet) to the people from God. Here we see commandments that Moses told the people were commandments of the Lord God.

Was the Old Covenant just for the Jewish nation?

The simple answer is yes, but if a foreigner wanted to live in the country, visit, or was a slave they had to adhere to the laws of the land, just like any other country.

"And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat of it, but every slave that is bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him. No foreigner or hired servant may eat of it. It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you" (Exodus 12: 43-49).

Context is always vital to interpreting the Scripture. God is not saying the whole world has to submit to the Old Law or covenant. He is talking to His people, the Israelite nation only. If someone not of their bloodlines decides to stay in their country, they must adhere to the laws of Israel. If you go to a different country, you must follow the laws of the land you visit. If you start breaking the law, you will be punished for it. The same thing applied to a foreigner who wanted to live or stay in their country; they had to abide by Israel's laws. Once again remember that the old covenant was the laws for a physical theocratic nation.

The same point is made in Ephesians about the Law just being for the Jewish nation:

"Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh--who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands-- that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from 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. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone" (Ephesians 2:11-20).

Paul was pretty clear on what he said: "aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world." If you read all the bold areas you will see that your assumption is wrong; Gentiles were not a part of God's people under the old covenant.

Are genealogies or bloodlines important to God?

I am glad that you like to trace your history. It is a fun thing to do. That's awesome you come from the same tribe Paul was from. I am a mutt, to be honest. I am told by my parents that I have over 20 different bloodlines in me. I honestly would like to someday look at all the bloodlines. However, I hope you don't think your genealogy is important in regards to having a relationship with God. Paul said:

"If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee: as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ" (Philippians 3:4-7).

"As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith" (I Timothy 1:3-4).

"For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him" (Romans 10:12).

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28).

"Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all" (Colossians 3:11).

In Jesus Christ, there is no longer any importance of bloodline or keeping of genealogies, which is a good thing. We all come into God's grace as equal children in the same way. It doesn't matter if you're Jew or Gentile.

Were the Ten Commandments ever called anything else besides commandments?

"There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses put there at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt" (I Kings 8:9).

"Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron's staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant" (Hebrews 9:1-4).

"Moses said, "So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone. And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might observe them in the land which you cross over to possess" (Deuteronomy 4:13-14). Moses called the Ten Commandments God's covenant. Are you prepared to state that the Ten Commandments changed while the Law of Moses remained fix? Or consider Psalm 78:10, "They did not keep the covenant of God; They refused to walk in His law." In two parallel constructs "the covenant of God" and "His law" are used to refer to the same work.

"The prophet Jeremiah spoke of a day when the covenant would change. "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah - not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people" (Jeremiah 31:31-33). [ Jeffery Hamilton]

"And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God" (Exodus 31:18).

As we see in Jeremiah the New Covenant was made when Jesus came and became effective upon His death. The Old Covenant, which includes the 10 commandments, was done away with because God said, "But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second ... In that He says, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away" (Hebrews 8:6-7, 13).

Why did Jesus keep the Old Covenant?

See:

• Jesus' Relation to the Law of Moses
• The "Jesus Was Born Under the Law" Argument
• How can the Sabbath be moved when Christ said he did not come to destroy the law?
• Posts dealing with the Ten Commandments
• Posts regarding the Sabbath
• Were the Ten Commandments Nailed to the Cross?
• Where does it say the commandments were nailed to the cross? If we are not to keep the commandments, then we would be free to sin.

When it says to follow God's commandments in the New Testament what does that mean?

We already established we are under a new covenant established by God Himself. Also, it has been shown that the words law and covenant are interchangeable. What law are we under now?

"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2).

"But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing" (James 1:25).

"If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well" (James 2:8).

"So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty" (James 2:12).

When it speaks of his commandments in I John 2:4-7; II John 1:6; Revelation 12:17; and Revelation 22:14, the law being talked about is the Law of Christ, the Royal Law, and the Law of Liberty. God, the Father, and God, the Son, (Jesus) are one. If it says to follow God's commandments, it is also talking about Jesus' commandments.

As the Gospel of John 1: 1-5, says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

To follow God's commandments is to follow the Law of Christ, the New Covenant which we are under.

Will Jesus Return as a Jewish Rabbi?

You said, "he left as a Jewish rabbi and he will return as a Jewish rabbi!"

I know of no reference he will return as a rabbi. Rabbi was just one of many terms used to describe Jesus (John 1:49). Blue Letter Bible did a good job of listing many of the terms. See "Names, Titles and Characters of Jesus Christ." If Jesus just returns as a rabbi, I would be disappointed. I rather see him as my King, my Savior, and my mediator when we are before God's throne. There are so many names of Christ describing his majesty and power that to see him only as a rabbi is to put him on the plain of every other man, which Jesus certainly is not.

Was Jesus born on December 25^th?

I do agree with you that Jesus was not born on December 25^th. For the history of how that all got started see: Holiday Observances. Yes, there is a holiday called Hanukkah and Jesus did celebrate it, but it wasn't ordained by God and it wasn't Christ's birthday. It was a man-made holiday.

 

You have a passion for God, but you need to use it in the right manner, as Paul said, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (II Timothy 2:15).

Alan and Leia Feaster