The Refiner's Fire:

We are writing about your response to the person who asked about keeping Torah (Biblical feasts, the real Sabbath, etc.) We understand that you love God and want to do His will, but would like to submit that you are NOT understanding what Torah is and are teaching false doctrine. Please read our challenges to Christianity on my website, The Refiner's Fire, and then contact us if you still cannot understand what Torah is all about.

A network of Hebraic Faith rabbis @ The Refiner's Fire

Response from the Berean Call:

Hello

We regret that our volume of mail does not allow us to engage in ongoing correspondence, but we do have liberty to respond briefly if we might be of service.

You say, "contact me if you still cannot understand what Torah is all about" and give the website, which convincingly demonstrates an unbiblical understanding. Consider just these few points:

It says, "Acts 15 is referring to man-made laws and not the Torah itself! The Jerusalem Council saw the need for Gentiles to submit to some of those laws. The Jewish community needed to be satisfied that the Gentiles were no longer idolators, and they they had forever turned their backs on this capital crime. In order to make such assurances, the apostles required the Gentile believers to take on the yoke and burden of man-made laws in the area of idolatry in order to give them a genuine, working relationship within the synagogue community. The Apostles knew that the Gentiles coming into the congregations would be learning the Torah more fully as they heard Moses each Sabbath (Acts 15:21)."

To the contrary, the passage in Acts 15 is quite explicit and an unfortunate amount of "wresting" must be done in order to shade those very plain statements. Here is the issue, plainly stated, if we but believe the inspired words of Scripture regardless of our preconceived ideas.

"But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses" (Acts 15:5). To say that they were not discussing the law is simply false. That is what the inspired writer of Scripture is saying. It is explicit and unarguable. Yet, some will argue.

The statement, "Acts 15 is referring to man-made laws and not the Torah itself" is like reading a stop sign and then explaining that it means "slow down while going through." This sort sort of interpretation only holds up until circumstances provide oncoming traffic or an officer of the law. In short, one has quite a dilemma to explain away.

This false statement is further falsified by the explanation following: "The Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 was dealing with a specific issue; was it necessary for Gentiles to become proselytes and thus take on the full weight of the man-made laws of the Sages in order to be accepted within the Jewish community."

The Scriptures say, "the law of Moses" is what is in question.

The commentator says, "the man-made laws of the Sages" is what is in question.

It's an inventive explanation, but without substance, evidence, or biblical authority. In short, tradition trumps Scripture every time man desires.

Why do we as Christians keep all the commandments except the one regarding the Sabbath? Paul wrote the epistle to the Galatians to end forever the notion that we are enjoined to keeping the commandments. As he clearly tells us, the “law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ,” and after that faith is come “we are no longer under a schoolmaster” (Galatians 3:24-25). That is not to say that we are now free to indulge in lawless activity. To the contrary, having now the faith of Christ we must fulfill the law as we grow in our walk with Christ.

For example, I do not commit adultery because I am consciously keeping a commandment, but because through the Spirit of Christ which dwells within me, I fulfill the law. The whole point of Galatians was to prove that the law was impossible to keep (man centered). Those who try to serve the Lord through this approach are soon to suffer frustration, discouragement and failure. “Who hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). Interestingly enough, a pastor shared how two members of the congregation informed him they were now going to observe the dietary laws and ceremonial laws. "Tell me," he asked them, "if your son blasphemes the Lord, will you bring him to the elders and then stone him?" "Oh no," was the shocked reply, "we're not going to keep that part." That's human, even when we say we're keeping something, we still pick and choose. As the Scriptures emphatically declare, it is the whole law which is in question.

Jesus said He had not come to destroy the law, “but to fulfill it” (Matthew 5:17). As Ephesians 2:10 promises, “...we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works” (God centered). See also Jeremiah 31:31-34).

The scriptures must be our starting point and we must observe Paul’s admonition to rightly divide the word of God (2 Timothy 2:15). It is clear that in Ezekiel 20:12 the Lord specifically states that He gave them (Israel) “my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them.” That this is a particular command to Israel is borne out by many other scriptures (Exodus 16:29, 31:14-16, Deuteronomy 5:15, etc.).

In contrast, during what some have called the first Church council, the question came up as to whether or not Gentile believers should keep the law.

“Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment…” (Acts 15:24). This same thought is in Acts 21:24-25.

Further, Acts 20:7 is a clear example of a Gentile church having a Sunday meeting at which Paul is a willing participant. Luke, excellent historian that he is, is very careful to specifically state what day of the week it is. Let’s look closer at the Greek.

A. Any lexicon will tell you that "MIA TON SABBATON" means:

1. "FIRST OF THE WEEKS": [mia = first] + [ton = of the] + [sabbaton (plural) = weeks]

2. "MIA TON SABBATON" is the common expression for "First day of the Week".

3. The only ones who say this is the weekly Sabbath are those who have no knowledge of Greek. Many merely see the word "Sabbaton" in the Greek and incorrectly assumed it referred to the weekly Sabbath!

B. If "MIA TON SABBATON" means the 7th day (Sabbath day) then it creates a contradiction between Mk 16:1 & 2:

Mk 16:1 “When the Sabbath [SABBATOU -- singular, and the normal expression for the Sabbath _day_] was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him 2 And very early on the first day of the week [MIA TON SABBATON], when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.

"MIA TON SABBATON" must be different from the Sabbath.

Further, some ask if the “Sabbath command is for the Jews only…what about the command not to murder or commit adultery.” This is a red herring. First of all, there are two series of prohibitions in the Torah for a precise reason. Much of the book of Leviticus (as well as Numbers and Deuteronomy) is given over to specific prohibitions the nation of Israel was to observe as “a special people unto me.” There is no indication that these rules apply to any other nations, unless they should desire to join Israel. Consistently, whether these prohibitions concern eating of particular foods, wearing of specific garments, or other ceremonial considerations, the Lord states to Israel, “these are unclean [or abomination] to you” (Leviticus 11:7, etc.) This is one kind of prohibition, clearly applicable to Israel. On the other hand, issues such as adultery, sorcery, child sacrifice, bestiality, incest, homosexuality, etc., are said to be abomination (period). Penalties against those who commit these things are assessed because it is “my [God’s] judgment” (Leviticus 18:4).

Finally, we also realize that we are Abraham’s seed. That is the point, as the Law was not given to Abraham, something the book of Galatians makes quite clear. The law was given 430 years after Abraham. The Law was temporary (Galatians 3:24-25), the promise to Abraham was eternal. "And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise." (Galatians 3:17-18).

Finally, as Paul notes in Romans, Christ is the olive tree, not Israel as some have misinterpreted. It is the Jews and the gentile believers who are grafted into the Olive tree. It is not a case of gentiles being grafted into Israel.

The Lord certainly has a role for Israel and the Church has never replaced Israel. "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, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit."

Thank you for writing!

Ed
The Berean Call
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