Torah Observant?

[Jim Watt]

“*TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE” MINISTRIES*

*Jim & Marie Watt*

*Tel: 253-517-9195 - Email: jmbetter at gmail.com*

*Web: www.2rbetter.org*

October 10, 2011


 *TORAH OBSERVANT: A DECEPTION? - 2011-10-17*


 *Andrew Strom's Note: Below is an excellent study of this subject by Jim
Pruitt. We already discussed the dangers of the 'Hebrew Roots' movement some
time ago. I truly don't mind people calling Jesus “Yeshua” - unless they
want to force us all to do it. Paul certainly wrote in Greek, and “Iesous”
(or 'Jesus') was the word he used. But Yeshua is fine too. However I
certainly DO mind when people start telling Gentile Christians to become
“Torah Observant” - back under the Old Law. This is deadly deception in my
view - directly opposed to the New Testament. But this movement has been
growing and we need to be aware of what the Bible clearly teaches on this
subject. Jim Pruitt's study below will help us to that.*


 *The ISIDIOUS NATURE of FALSE DOCTRINE by Jim Pruitt*


 Three issues have popped up in other areas within the public arena and it
is important to address them before they become defacto doctrine. In the
first century some of the Jewish Christians sought to impose these behaviors
on Gentile Christians and they were addressed in several places in the New
Testament (most notably in Acts 15). They are the doctrinal view that all
Christians should worship on Saturday (as opposed to Sunday), should abstain
from non-kosher foods, and that the Jewish holidays and festivals should
still be observed. Adherence to these behaviors were explicitly commanded by
God of the Hebrews in the Old Testament and most were found from the book of
Leviticus.


 However, when Christ came He fulfilled the law (Matthew 5:17-20) and
“things which were a mere shadow of what was to come” were no longer
applicable.


 Here are verses which specifically address the Sabbath and Jewish holidays
and festivals:


 Colossians 2:16-17 Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to
food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day -
things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs
to Christ.


 Romans 14:15 One person regards one day above another, another regards
every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.


 John 9:16 Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not
from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying,
“How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And there was a division
among them.


 Mark 2:27 Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man
for the Sabbath.”


 If you read these verses without preconception (i.e., without a doctrine
that you're trying to rationalize), then their meaning is perfectly clear
and self-explanatory. It's wrong to consider someone as sinning because they
don't keep the Old Testament definition of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is made
for man. If you want to consider every day holy then that's fine. If you
want to pick one day or a series of days as above others to worship God,
then that's fine, too. You won't find any verses in the New Testament which
contradicts this


 Here are verses which specifically address food (in addition to Colossians
2:16, 17):


 Mark 7:18-20 And He said to them, “Are you so lacking in understanding
also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside
cannot defile him, because it does not go into his heart, but into his
stomach, and is eliminated?” (Thus He declared all foods clean.) And He was
saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man.”


 1 Timothy 4:3-5 Men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods
which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and
know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be
rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of
the word of God and prayer.


 Romans 14:14 I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is
unclean in itself ...


 Colossians 2:20-23 If you have died with Christ to the elementary
principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you
submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not
touch!” (which all refer to things destined to perish with use) - in
accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters
which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and
self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against
fleshly indulgence.


 1 Corinthians 8:8 But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the
worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat.


 Again, These verses are self-explanatory and you will find nothing in the
New Testament which offers any contradictory stance concerning food. Jesus
declared all foods clean. The dietary restriction delineated in Leviticus no
longer apply.


 *How Is It That You Compel the Gentiles To Live Like Jews? *In Acts 15,
Jewish Christians tried to get the Gentiles to follow their traditions.
However, after a heated discussion between those who advocated having them
observe Jewish customs and the Apostles (including Paul), they only advised
them to keep a minimal set of rules. There was no mention of having them
observe the Sabbath, restricting their diet to kosher foods, or observing
Jewish holidays. In addition, in all of Paul's epistles to the Gentiles,
there is no mention of it. In fact, I can find no indication in the New
Testament or in historical records of the early church of any time where
Christian Gentiles were instructed to do so. It is not mentioned much less
commanded in the New Testament; why is it important for us to re institute
in now?


 Looking at these three issues brings to mind Galatians 2 where some Jews
had secretly infiltrated the Gentile Christians in order to “spy out our
liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage.”
When Paul met with the Apostles, Peter began to refuse to sit or speak with
the Gentiles (which he would normally and which was against Jewish
tradition) because he was trying to keep from offending the Jewish
Christians who were present. But Paul wouldn't let it slide:


 Galatians 2:13-16 The rest of Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result
that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that
they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to
Cephas in the presence of all, “If you being a Jew, live like the Gentiles
and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like
Jews. We who are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles;
nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but
through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so
that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law;
since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.”


 I find no evidence in the New Testament or in the early church histories
where Gentile Christians worshiped on Saturday, ate only kosher foods, or
observed Jewish holidays. Scripture clearly indicates that these subjects
are a matter of personal choice and that we are not to allow anyone to try
and bring us into bondage by saying that God's Word says otherwise.


 *Causing A Brother To Stumble. *However, there is clear guidance concerning
not offending someone by what you eat or by what days you worship in Romans
14:


 Romans 14:2-4 One persona has faith that he may eat all things, but he who
is weak eats vegetables only. The one who eats is not to regard with
contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to
judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge the
servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand,
for the Lord is able to make him stand.


 Romans 14:5-6 One person regards one day above another, another regards
every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. He who
observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the
Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does
not eat, and gives thanks to God.


 Romans 14:14-17 I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is
unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it
is unclean. For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer
walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ
died. Therefore do not let what is for a good thing be spoken of as evil;
for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and
peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.


 Romans 14:20-23 Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All
things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives
offense. It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by
which your brother stumbles. The faith which you have, have as your own
conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he
approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is
not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.


 *Personal Choice versus Doctrine. * How should we interpret Romans 14 in
light of the other scriptures we find in the New Testament concerning food?
Should we allow doctrines such as we are discussing to be taught and
promoted without challenging them? If so, where does the deviation from
sound doctrine end? Hasn't history taught us that error uncorrected only
increases in magnitude over time?


 I think the key is the phrase “one person.” Romans 14 is talking about how
to interact with a Christian brother who has made a personal choice
concerning diet or observance of one day over another. If someone chooses to
eat only vegetables or restrict their diet in some other way because they
believe it is better for them, or they feel God leading them to do so for a
time, or any other personal reason, then we should respect that. To try and
get them to eat something which they don't want to (for whatever reason)
would be to try and cause your brother to stumble or sin because they would
be doing something that they believe is wrong. The same goes for religious
observances on a certain day. If they feel God leading them to pray, or
study the Bible, or worship on a certain day or days, then we should respect
that.


 However, it is entirely another matter when someone begins to teach their
fellow brethren that God has commanded these behaviors, and to do otherwise
is to disobey God. It then is no longer a matter of respecting personal
choice, but a matter of legalism and the “leaven of the Pharisees” creeping
in to restrict our liberty in Christ and begin to put us back into the
bondage of the law. Although its initial effects may be innocuous, such
thinking inevitably leads to further restrictions until at last we find
ourselves back trying to earn God's favor through works.


 *All Things To All Men. *One reason put forth as justification for such
restrictions is that our liberty gives offense to Jews and Muslims who still
adhere to these sorts of doctrines. Granted, it is entirely scriptural to
avoid giving offense to those of another culture or religion where it is
possible without disobeying God when trying to minister to that group:


 1 Corinthians 9:20-22 To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win
Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being
myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to
those who are without law, as without law, though not being with the law of
God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without
law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all
things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.


 But to say that such restrictions are to be observed at all times as a way
of life in order to avoid offending anyone is to misrepresent the meaning of
the passage. Paul himself didn't live like a Jew except when he was trying
to reach Jews. Paul didn't stay “weak” in order to avoid offending those who
were weak but only when he was trying to reach them.


 *What Does Christ-Like Mean? *Another rationalization given for these
doctrines is that they make you more “Christ-like” since these were
behaviors that we believe Jesus observed since he was, after all, Jewish.
However, if that is the reason for doing these things then where does it
end? There are many rituals and customs which were commanded by God in the
Old Testament and which were observed by the Jews of Jesus' time. Are we now
to say that God commands all Christians to observe the following:


 Christians are to be considered unclean and untouchable for period of time
after having had contact with a dead non-kosher animal (for instance,
touching bacon), during menstruation, after giving birth, and after a
seminal emission (Leviticus 1l, 12 and 15).


 * Women can't wear men's clothing and vice-versa (Deuteronomy 11:5)

* It is forbidden to wear a garment where wool and linen are mixed
(Deuteronomy 22:11)

* You can't eat the fruit of a tree for the first three years after you
plant it (Leviticus 19:23)

* Anyone who works on the Sabbath shall be put to death (Exodus 35:2)

* Anyone who curses their mother or father, commits adultery, or has sexual
relations with someone in their immediate family or of the same sex shall be
put to death (Leviticus 20:9-13)

* If you're in full time ministry, then you can't shave your head or trim
your beard (Leviticus 21:5)

* If you have a garden or are a farmer, then every seventh year you are
forbidden from sowing any seed, gathering any crops, or weeding and trimming
(Leviticus 25:4-5)


 These are just a handful of the restrictions found. If the commandments
concerning observing the Sabbath only on a certain day, eating only kosher
foods, and observing Jewish festivals are still in effect then it stands to
reason that all the others are also still in effect. Isn't it hypocrisy to
pick out one or two and choose to just obey them? Isn't that part of the
“leaven of the Pharisees” that Jesus spoke against?


 There are many aspects of Jesus' life which differs from most people today.
Unlike Jesus, most of us drive when going long distances, have homes and
mortgages, bathe daily, and use deodorant. It is obvious to even a casual
student of the Bible that trying to be “Christ-like” means to emulate His
character and not his cultural customs.


 *The Appearance of Wisdom. *There is something in our “old self”
(Colossians 3:9) which longs for religious ritual and self-abasement. It has
to do with the same reason that Christ and salvation by grace is a stumbling
block to those of other religions and non-Christians. We have trouble
accepting the fact that there isn't something which we can do to earn our
own salvation. If we can do things to show how pious we are, then we can
feel better about ourselves. It's all part of a “works” mentality (Ephesians
2:8-9) and helps to feed the most common of sins ... pride.


 The pride we take in how devout we are is something which all the other
religions of the world can relate to. Those who sincerely seek to follow
those religions must by nature focus on discipline and what they can
outwardly achieve. When your spiritual future is entirely up to what you can
accomplish by the force of your own will then you can count on many tasks
and rituals being required so that you have a means of measuring your
success. Again, this is one of the reasons that followers of other religions
hold much of Christianity in such contempt, because we insist that we are
saved by grace alone and that there is nothing we can do to merit it.


 Within Christianity, the concept of being saved by grace alone often causes
people to stumble into extremes at both ends of the spectrum. On the one
hand you find those who believe they have their “fire insurance” so they can
pretty much do what they feel is right (often phrased as “being led by the
Spirit” in order to make it sound spiritual). On the other hand, there are
those who set out to offset that very perception and go right past
sanctification and wind up in the same techniques used by other religions to
curry God's favor. Of course, we should be led by the Spirit; but the Holy
Spirit will never lead you to ignore the Word of God. And we should seek
sanctification as we continue in the process of repentance and maturity, but
that doesn't mean seeking to revive restrictions from the Old Testament
which the New Testament has removed. Doing so may have the “appearance of
wisdom” (Colossians 2:23), but is actually just a step towards putting
yourself back into the bondage of the Law.


 *Conclusion. *There appears to be a wider (and more bizarre) variety of
false doctrines among Pentecostals and Charismatics (which I consider myself
a member of). I think the reason for this is that we have swung more towards
the experiential in our efforts to know God, and have begun to neglect the
Word of God. The Word of God should be our standard against which we measure
any experience or compulsion which we believe is from the Spirit. If we did
so, then many of these aberrations could be avoided.


 1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to
see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone into
the world.


 In summary, we need to respect the personal choices of our fellow
Christians even if we find no Biblical basis for them as long as they do not
actually conflict with God's Word. However, when false doctrines begin to be
taught which go beyond personal choice and declare that God has commanded
something which His Word contradicts, then we need to address it before it
multiplies and mutates. Satan (although better known for his tactical
methods eliciting immediate gratification) has been around for thousands of
years and acts strategically as well. He can take the long view to achieve
his means and, failing to get us to abandon our faith outright, he will use
methods both subtle and gross in an attempt to bend our passion for God.
Remember brothers, that each bizarre doctrine, sect, and denomination which
is in the world today started but with a single man.


 Galatians 5:9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.


 Galatians 5:1-4 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep
standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Behold I,
Paul, say to you that if your receive circumcision, Christ will be of no
benefit to you. And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision,
that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been severed
from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen
from grace.


 Romans 7:6 But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that
by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in
oldness of the letter.


 *NOTE**: * In 1 Corinthians 9:1-27 Paul is revealing most clearly his
position as Apostle to the Nations - we Gentiles. He became like us - to win
us - just as our Lord Jesus became man that as Son of God He could become
Savior of the human race - the lost seed of Adam - both Jews and Greeks.


 Marie and I have attended a Messianic Jewish Congregation since 1990. When
I noted that our Jewish leaders were treating us as Gentile believers - as 2
nd class citizens - and not giving us the right to vote - I challenged such
leaders, but received a silent response. In the light of Paul's teaching of
the *Mystery* of the One New Man of Ephesians 2:11-22; 3:1-13 - that *
Gentiles* are equal fellow-heirs with Jews in this unfolding mystery, such
needs to be challenged. Then when we read Acts 15 and the Book of Galatians,
we realize that legalizing Torah Observance is entirely contrary to the New
Testament Gospel and Covenant.


 I wrote the above Note early in 2008, and give it now as an appendage to
this article by Jim Pruitt, forwarded by Andrew Strom of New Zealand. To
read my full note - open our Website *<www.2rbetter.org>*, click on
“Interlinear” - and scroll down to 1 Corinthians 9:1-27 and the Note at its
close.


 As many of you are aware - I have as a motto: “Let God say what *He* wants
to say - and let the Bible mean what *it* want to mean.” So I believe the
above article ought to be read. *Jesus* and His New Covenant takes
precedence over Moses' Old Covenant word. The latter is a *shadow* or *type*,
and must be interpreted in the light of the New. When Peter and Barnabas
were led astray in this area - it should not be surprising that we still
have modern Judaizers leading congregations of the “One New Man” astray. And
Jesus said that when such Judaizers make converts from Gentiles, they often
become twice the sons of Gehenna as their Judaizing mentors.


 It is important to note that today *not even Jews* can be fully Torah
Observant since the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. Of the 613
commandments to observe in the Torah, 200 can no longer be observed since
the Temple Destruction. So how can Jews and Gentile converts to this,
require Gentiles to be Torah Observant, when not even Jews can now do so? In
the light of this, the article by Jim Pruitt becomes yet more relevant.


 From 1998-2007 I led as a rabbinical pastor Congregation Beth Chesed in
Tacoma. It was clear to my wife and myself that many of our people had a
strong penchant to lay a legalistic burden upon us to come under the bondage
of becoming Torah Observant. We stood against this - and because of our past
experience feel we have the right to add this note to the above article, and
with Jim Pruitt add our warning also. J.A.Watt


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