Gentile Believers (“Christians”) and the Commandments of Torah

“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:19 NASB).


Should Believers in Christ (Messiah) Keep the Law (Torah)?

This is a huge question, the answer to which—though many mainline Christians will have a hard time accepting it —is yes. Yes, believers should keep the Law (more accurately understood as the Torah, or “Teachings”). The Master Himself makes this abundantly clear in several key verses (see Matt. 5:19; 19:17; Mark 10:19 pp.).

Many prefer to understand the verse that opens this essay in light of Matt. 22:40, so that they believe Yeshua to be saying, in effect, “Don’t annul (break, do away with) the two commandments to love God and others.” But consideration of the immediate context of 5:19 clearly indicates that this is not what the Master had in mind, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law [Torah] until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments [of the law or Torah], and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:17-19 NASB).

Now even though in that verse the Lord was speaking to Jewish disciples, we know that His words were intended for Gentiles as well. All His teaching was for His chosen people, Jew and Gentile alike. We know this because of such Old Testament (Tanakh) verses as Gen. 22:18, Zech. 8:23, and from New Testament (B’rit Hadashah) verses such as Acts 15:7-9 and John 10:16. So, if Gentiles are—through Messiah—now grafted into the olive tree of Israel, as Paul maintains (Rom.11:17-18), and are therefore eligible for the blessings which were promised to them through and because of Abraham, presumably the commandments of the Torah of God are also applicable to Gentiles. “For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me” (John 17:8). And again, “For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak” (John 12:49). We know that Jesus (Yeshua) has the entire Tanakh and the summary of the Torah or Law (the Decalogue) in mind from such verses as Mark 12:28-31 and 10:19. And while there is no explicit teaching from the Master to the effect that the commandments of the Law/Torah are in fact His commandments, the implication that they are is found throughout the Brit’ Hadashah, for instance in Luke 24:25-27 and John 6:68.

Many people read John 13:34 (“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another”) as well as similar statements from John’s letters in the sense that this “new” commandment is a replacement for all the other commandments found in the Tanakh. But the word in this verse, καινὴν, (kainēn), is a variant form of the Greek kainós. The Discovery Bible defines the word kainós as, “properly, new in quality (innovation), fresh in development or opportunity – because ‘not found exactly like this before.’” The new commandment is an innovation, not a replacement. Nor are we to think that we can dodge the bullet by appealing to Matt: 22:40, “On these two commandments [i.e. as found in Matt. 22:36-39] depend the whole Law and the Prophets”, the referents for which are Deut. 6:5 and Lev. 19:18. We like to understand this verse as replacing or fulfilling all the other stricter stipulations of the law. We think that we are merely to experience affectionate and respectful feelings toward God and people in general (and perhaps to perform the odd act of charity) and that thereby we are being obedient to God and meeting His requirements. I don’t think so.

The apostles also make it clear that believers show their love, not by warm and fuzzy feelings, but by keeping the commandments (e.g. John 14:21; Rom. 13:9; 1 Cor. 7:19; Rev. 12:17 etc.). So if we are to keep all of the commandments (including the commandments found in the Brit Hadashah) the next question we need to address is why we should do so.

Why are we to keep the commandments?

As both our Lord and the apostle John make clear, the reason to keep the commandments is to demonstrate our love for God through a willing and even joyful obedience to His Word (John 14:15, 21; 15:10; 1 John 5:3; 2 John 1:6). We are not to keep the commandments for the purpose of gaining merit, reward, or salvation, since it is clear from both the Tanakh and the Brit’ Hadashah that we are saved by grace through faith alone (Gen. 15:6; Hab. 2:4b; Rom. 1:17; 3:22; 5:1; Eph. 2:8-9; Gal. 2:16a etc.) and not by works.

A second reason for keeping the commandments is for our progressive sanctification (Phil. 2:12; Titus 2:11). If we are obeying the commandments for reasons other than as a demonstration of our love and thankfulness as well as our growth in sanctification, then Christ is of no use to us (Gal. 5:2).

What commandments are we to keep?

Are Gentiles to keep all of the 613 commandments of the Torah? Even though the LORD never made a direct covenant with Gentiles, the answer is yes, notwithstanding. In Exodus, the people of Israel swore to keep the commandments which were being delivered to them by Moses (Exo 19:8; 24:3, 7) but the LORD has grafted believing Gentiles into the olive tree of Israel (Rom. 11:17-18). Before, Gentiles had been “separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise” but now, through faith in Yeshua, Gentiles “who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both [i.e. believing Jews and Gentiles] one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility. So then you [Gentiles] are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets” (Eph. 2:13-14, 19-20). This means that the Torah is applicable to Gentiles. Remember too, that when someone becomes a citizen of a country (or Kingdom) that person is required to obey the constitution and laws of the new country of which he is now a member. Obedience to those laws is not optional for the engrafted citizen any more than for the native born.

So then, which laws or commandments are we to keep?

Well, since not every commandment is applicable to every person in every situation, the broad answer is that we should keep all that apply to us in any given situation. Of course that implies that we know which commandments are in fact applicable to us in the first place. And this further implies that we actually know what the commandments are. That’s one reason why we read and study Scripture: to know what God expects and desires from us. It should go without saying that the so-called Ten Commandments are universally binding. But there are many commandments that are applicable in principle yet are not able to be fulfilled today, like those commandments that depend on the Temple and priesthood for their fulfillment, such as Lev. 6:3, to remove the ashes from the altar or Lev. 5:7, to offer a sacrifice of varying value according to one’s means. The Torah itself prohibits any sacrifice from being offered in any place but the Temple, and then by duly ordained Aaronic priests (Lev. 17, especially verses 3-4, 6, 8-9 and Duet. 12, especially verses 11, 13-14, 26). And since there is no temple or priesthood any longer, any commandment that refers to the temple system is no longer applicable.

(However, there are some who believe that the Temple will be rebuilt and the priesthood reconstituted, either before or immediately after the return of Messiah. However, this cannot be possible if Yeshua is the once and final sin offering; there need be no further offerings or sacrifices made since Yeshua is the perfect and permanent propitiation for sin (Heb. 9:12, 25-27; 10:10; 1 Peter 3:18 etc.) thus making the older—provisional—sacrificial system unnecessary, Heb. 8:13. But keep in mind that the covenant being spoken of in Heb. 8:13 is passing away because it has been renewed, or fulfilled, by the Lord, not discarded. It is not a completely unique covenant being written about but rather is the fulfillment of the older covenant which was given on tablets of stone, but now, in Messiah, is being written upon our hearts, even as the prophet Jeremiah prophesied.)

But to continue, other commandments may be optional in one set of circumstances but applicable in a different set of circumstances. For instance, if one lives in an apartment in the city, and buys food from the local supermarket one need not fulfil such a commandment as Lev. 19:19, not to cross-breed cattle of different species or Deut. 22:9, not to sow grain or herbs in a vineyard. (You could even say that such a person is indeed observing these commandments by choosing to live in an apartment.) However, if such a person should buy and move onto a farm, then these commandments might very well become applicable. Some commandments are directed at the leaders of the state and judges and officers of courts of law, who are able to pass judgement, and inflict punishment on criminals after a fair trial, such as Deut. 16:18, to appoint judges and officers in every community in the land of Israel, or Lev. 25:14, to adjudicate cases of buying and selling or Exo. 23:1, not to hear a party in a suit in the absence of the other party. These commandments and many others like them are clearly not applicable in the lives of most people in society, but are certainly applicable to those who take upon themselves political and judicial roles.

However, many other commandments are universally applicable, such as Exo. 20:2 and Deut. 5:6, to know that God exists; to imitate His good and upright ways, Deut, 28:9; not to add to or take away from the commandments found in the Torah, Deut. 13:1. As well, we have moral commandments that are also applicable in all circumstances for all people, commandments such as not to stand aside when another person’s life is threatened, Lev. 19:16; not to take revenge for a wrong done, or cherish hatred in one’s heart, and not to bear a grudge against another, Lev. 19:17-18; to refrain from afflicting an orphan or widow (the weak in society), Exo. 22:21, and to give charity as one is able, Deut. 15:11.

In the case of property and land, we are not to alter property boundaries Deut. 19:14; we are not deny the property rights of others, Lev. 19:11. We are not to steal someone else’s property, Lev. 19:11, and we are to return lost property to the rightful owner, Deut. 22:1.

If we should hire someone to work for us, we must pay him his wages when due Deut. 24:15.

Some commandments must be understood and practiced in the context of the time and society of which we are a part. For instance Exo. 23:5 requires us to relieve an animal of a burden which is too heavy for it and to help a person’s beast of burden that has fallen or is in distress by the side of the road, Deut. 22:4. These commandments are literally applicable to those who own or work with livestock (ranchers, farmers and the like) but the principle of these and other similar commandments is applicable in different contexts. For instance, in the example of Exo. 23:5, the principle would apply to a situation in which one could help another person who was carrying a heavy burden, such as an elderly person lifting groceries into the trunk of her car. The principle of Deut. 22:4 would apply when a person, whose car had broken down or had gotten a flat tire, required assistance. So in cases such as these, the principle of the commandment is applicable. There are very many such commandments which are applicable in principle in differing contexts.

Of course the commandments concerning marriage, divorce and our sexual relations are of obvious importance and have had a profound influence on human society. According to the traditional listing of the commandments by Maimonides, there are 66 such commandments. The subject is too large for an essay of this type. Suffice it to say that these commandments are fundamental for any civilized society, and the absence of them will cause a society to degenerate and fall apart.

Additionally, there are the commandments regarding the holy convocations or appointed times such as Pesach (Passover) Shavuot (Weeks) and Tabernacles to name three from Lev. 23. Nor may we ignore the Sabbath. These are all part of the Torah, which now applies to Gentiles. (Admittedly, not every aspect of every mo’ed, i.e. appointed time, can be kept or celebrated, as many aspects of these appointed times depend on a Temple and a serving priesthood. Nevertheless there are still many aspects of the moedim that can be kept and celebrated.)

Minimum applicability for Gentiles (Acts 15:28-29)

“For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”

With these words, the Council of Jerusalem expressed the conclusion of its deliberations concerning the issue that it had confronted: the need of Gentiles to be circumcised and thereby take upon themselves the legally binding yoke of the entire Torah, by becoming—in a fully legal sense—a member of the Sinai covenant; to become Jews in other words.

Remembering the Halachic (legal) authority given by Yeshua to the apostles (Matt. 16:19; 18:18) and consequently to the leaders of the Ekklesia, the Council of Jerusalem had every right to decide on matters that could be legally binding on the Ekklesia (i.e. “Church”) as a whole. Because of this authority, (and the endorsement of it by the Holy Spirit) the decision reached by the Council became the rule for all Gentile believers. This Halachic decision was never repealed by the Council and with the death of the last apostle (John?), it became impossible to either repeal or alter the decision reached, at least until the Messiah’s return, when He may choose to repeal it. This means that the decision is still in effect for every Gentile believer.

In addition to proper sexual relations within the bond of marriage to a person of the opposite gender, the other three terms involve dietary restrictions. (A comprehensive explanation of these four stipulations can be found in an essay on the website “torahresource.com.”) In brief, these four stipulations were put in place as a fence against any involvement with idolatry, preventing Gentile believers from joining with their Jewish brothers and sisters in fellowship and worship. Believers are still required to avoid involvement with idolatry. As well, believers are specifically to avoid ingesting blood as well as the flesh of animals that still retain some blood in the tissues due to non-kosher forms of slaughter (things strangled.) Strangling can refer to literal strangulation, as often occurred as part of pagan worship of the time, but also to the strangulation from blood entering the wind-pipe due to improper or unfit methods of slaughtering. All four restrictions are in force in principle. But they are also in full force in practice by virtue of their placement in the Brit’ Hadashah and by the fact they have never been amended or rescinded.

I believe the verse, “For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues” (Acts 15:21), indicates that the members of the Council fully expected Gentile members of Messianic synagogues to gradually learn and practice the Torah as a result of their compromise solution which allowed Jew and Gentile to continue associating with one another.

Conclusions

So what may we tentatively conclude from this brief study? It seems that we need to obtain a sound understanding of the various commandments in Scripture (as I’ve said, both the Tanakh and the Brit’ Hadashah). This can only happen by actually reading the commandments in their scriptural context and meditating on their relevance to us in our various situations and circumstances (Psalms 119:15, 48). Moreover, as I’ve indicated, the commandments are often dynamic, so that a commandment may be applicable in one situation but not in a different situation. Other commandments are applicable for all believers at all times in all circumstances as in the commandment to “love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deut 6:5) and the commandments concerning incest, sodomy, fornication and other such abominable activities. I believe we must look at the various commandments and seek to know those which are relevant to us and understand why they are so, and then as a matter of faithfulness and love to determine how to apply each one, that is, to live it out in our walk of sanctification. But in this we must not maintain a legalistic or inflexible attitude, especially toward those whose understanding is at variance with our own. Indeed, we are commanded not to do so, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matt. 7:12).


(In addition to the regular reading and study of Scripture, one could become more acquainted with the individual commandments. A list of all the traditional 613 commandments can be found at Judaism 101. A similar list of New Testament commandments can be found on the Web but many, if not most, of these commandments are really encouragements or admonishments rather than outright commandments. Even so, it’s a formidable list.)