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When was the last time you sacrificed a lamb for your Passover seder? Or went to a religious service to offer a bullock for the guilt of your sin? Have you been careful to make pilgrimage three times a year to the Holy Temple to appear before the Lord as the Torah demands (Exod. 23:14-17)? And have you kept all the dietary laws and maintained personal cleanliness so you could participate in corporate worship? When was the last time you asked a woman if she were "niddah" so that you could safely shake her hand without becoming tamei (unclean)? Are you tempted to stone people to death who choose to disobey God's law or who dare to pick up sticks on the Sabbath day?
Questions like these are not meant to be taken lightly, and I am assuredly not trying to be flippant here, but it behooves us to take some time to sort through some of the tensions we might experience about the underlying question of whether Christians are required to follow the law of Moses or whether there is another way in light of the ministry of Yeshua...
At the outset it should be noted that many so-called "Torah observant" Messianic believers like to quote Yeshua's words from Matthew's gospel: "Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to destroy them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:17-19). These people claim this passage is the "clarion call" for Messiah's followers are to be "Torah observant" and therefore to obey all the various commandments given in the written law of Moses. However as I will endeavor to show, this cannot be the correct implication based on many, many other considerations of Scripture and from clear teaching from our Lord himself, and therefore we need to exercise care before we regard this passage to be normative regarding how we are to understand the message of the gospel...
To see this, consider that over 40% of the Torah's written commandments focus on the laws of sacrifice to be performed at the Temple, and many other laws concern various social rules for establishing a theocratic kingdom and a system of justice through courts of law. There are also various ritual laws concerning the observance of the Sabbath and the various holidays (e.g., eating unleavened bread for seven days; living in a Sukkah, etc.) as well as purity laws concerning "clean and unclean" matters related to family life. In the written Torah there are laws concerning adultery, attaining inheritance, Levirate marriage, intermarriage with non-Jews, Nazirite vows, and so on. Moreover the Torah includes many agricultural laws that apply to farming practices in Israel (i.e, shemittah, bikkurim, leket, shechet, peah laws); while still other laws apply to civil matters of servitude and debt cancellation. Then there are various criminal laws regarding punitive justice, making restitution for theft, and so on, as well as blasphemy laws, laws regarding destroying idols, laws for warfare against pagan nations, laws for stoning adulterers and rebellious children, so on. And of course there are the spiritual and moral laws, too, such as the duty to love the LORD with all your being, and to love your neighbor as yourself... (For a complete list of the 613 commandments of the written Torah, see the Hebrew for Christians article "Taryag Mitzvot" ).
Now we believe that Yeshua is the embodiment of the Torah, the "living Torah," which means that He is the expression and end of the will of God. And while Messiah indeed is the true Lawgiver of Israel, he also expected his people to use their heads and to think through matters carefully before rendering their judgments (see John 7:24). After all, why was Moses instructed to establish an elaborate legal system with judges, courts, and even a supreme court (Sanhedrin) to adjudicate questions of the law (Exod. 18:13-26; Num. 11:24-29; Deut. 16:18-20; Deut. 17:8-12)? Moreover, how were Moses and Israel to have known the means to construct the Tabernacle and its furnishings apart from reasoning and discussion about the intent of the revelation given at Sinai? Unlike some other religions of the world that have a law book to exact strict justice for every infraction and circumstance, Torah requires us to interpret its meaning and to discern the intent of the law (Lev. 19:15; Deut. 1:16; 16:18).
In light of the foregoing considerations, then, let us look at some of the ways Yeshua dealt with the question of unthinkingly following the letter of the law of Moses apart from the deeper revelation of God's healing love and grace. In what follows I will present a number of examples and vignettes from Scripture that will give us insight regarding Yeshua's understanding and application of the law of Moses.
Here is one case, reading from the Gospel of Mark: "And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" He answered them, "What did Moses command you?" They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away." And Yeshua said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment... (Mark 10:2-5; see also Matt. 19:8-9). Note here that Yeshua plainly said that the "law" on divorce was given to accommodate the evil impulses of the heart, though such a law was never intended to be enacted. In other words, there are many laws given in the written Torah that, were it not for the problem of the heart, should never need to have been written down in the first place (see Mark 7:20-23). Laws against adultery, lying under oath, stealing, dishonoring parents, turning away from God, and so on, all were given in light of the "hardness of heart" that is here referred to by Yeshua. Likewise the apostle Paul spoke of the law as being given to constrain the evil latent within the unregenerated heart: "We know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine..." (1 Tim. 1:8-10).
Now let us consider Yeshua's view of the "law" of the Sabbath day. It can be assumed that Yeshua and his family surely observed the Sabbath and regularly attended synagogue (Luke 4:16). However later on, during the time of his active ministry we read that Yeshua's idea of the Sabbath included doing works of lovingkindness (gemilut chassidim): "At that time Yeshua went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, 'Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.'" But he said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the Temple is here" (Matt. 12:2-6). Here we see Yeshua's understanding that Sabbath is to be centered upon life and healing and not merely the abstention from work. When later Yeshua was accosted by the Pharisees regarding healing a man on the Sabbath day, we read that "he said to them, "Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath" (Matt. 12:11-12). This is the principle of pikuach nefesh, saving a life, which preempts other considerations of religious observance… As Yeshua said, "man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath was made for man" (Mark 2:27).
Likewise we see Yeshua "violating" the traditions of the elders that is, not observing the minhagim (customs) of the sages that were presumably intended to put "a fence around Torah" by making principles of the law even more stringent. For example, during a meal, the Pharisees accused Yeshua for allowing his disciples to eat before they ceremonially washed their hands: "Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 'Why do your discipline break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands before they eat.' He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.' But you say, 'If anyone tells his father or his mother, "What you would have gained from me is given to God," he need not honor his father.' So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: "'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men'" (Matt. 15:1-9).
Here are a few additional examples. Recall that "the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?" This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Yeshua bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more" (John 8:3-11). A few comments about this are in order. First, note the audacity of Yeshua to forgive sins, which is considered the exclusive prerogative of God (Psalm 130:4; Dan. 9:9; Psalm 103:3; Jer. 33:8; Isa. 1:8; see Mark 2:7; Luke 5:21). As Yeshua rhetorically asked, however, "Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'?" (Luke 5:23), and then proceeded to demonstrate the power of God. Secondly, note that Yeshua regularly regarded himself as the Judge of mankind, the One to whom all people shall give account (Matt. 19:28; Matt. 25:31-46; John 5:22; John 12:47-48; Acts 10:42; 2 Cor. 5:10; etc.).
The Torah clearly forbade touching those afflicted with tza'arat (or "leprosy"; see Lev. 14:1-9), though the New Testament provides testimony that Yeshua did just that. "And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean." And Yeshua stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Yeshua said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them" (Matt. 8:2-4; see also Mark 1:41; Luke 5:13). Likewise the Torah forbade touching a corpse at the expense of becoming unclean, yet Yeshua touched corpses and brought people back to life (Luke 7:14; Matt. 9:25). How was it possible for Yeshua to do these things and not be regarded as "unclean," unless he is the Authority of the Torah of the LORD (for more see the Mystery of the Red Heifer and the Gospel of the Red Cow).
Consider also that during the Time of the Second Temple, Jews were forbidden to associate with certain classes of people, such as Samaritans, Canaanites, as well as certain Romans and Greeks. Nevertheless, Yeshua took time to reveal himself to Gentiles and healed them as well: "A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink.".. The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans! Yeshua answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." The woman said to him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? ... The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things." Yeshua said to her, "I who speak to you am he" (John 4:7-26). Likewise Yeshua healed a Canaanite woman's daughter: "And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon." But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying out after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." And he answered, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Then Yeshua answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly" (Matt. 15:22-28). Another example concerns the healing of the Roman Centurion's servant (see Matt. 8:5-13). Why are these things significant? Because the Torah forbade interactions with the surrounding nations and cultures, but here we see Yeshua not only interacting with them but preaching to them and healing them and even revealing his identity to them. For instance, in the case of the Samaritan woman Yeshua explicitly told her that he was the Messiah, something he often withheld from others...
Yeshua also broke with Jewish religious tradition by vehemently denouncing the religious "gate keepers" of his day. He said "woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices – mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former" (Matt. 23:23). Likewise Yeshua overturned the money tables at the temple (John 2:15; Matt. 21:12; Mark 11:15); he interfered with the priestly duties at the Temple by causing the sacrifices to be stopped (Mark 11:15-19); forgave people of their sins apart from the prescribed sin offerings at the altar (Mark 2:5); and spent time with sinners and people of dubious reputation (Matt. 9:11; Luke 7:39; Luke 15:2; Luke 19:7) – indeed, Yeshua was called the "friend of tax collectors and sinners" (Matt. 11:19)! Yeshua was apparently not overly concerned with kosher law, either, and pointedly said, "Are you so dull?" Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." In saying this, Yeshua declared all foods "clean" (Mark 7:18-19). When Yeshua taught that we must forgive others and love our enemies, he likewise went against the general Jewish tradition of his day (see Matt. 5:43-44; Luke 6:27). Yeshua even claimed to forgive sins committed by one person against another, as if the sin was directed against him (Luke 7:36-49; Matt. 9:1-8; Mark 2:5-12; cp. 2 Sam. 12:13). As James later wrote, "Mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:13, cp. Psalm 85:10). Note that the law in the written Torah that states "an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" (Exod. 21:24) leaves both parties blind and in need of dental work.... The compassion (and righteousness) of God in Yeshua transcends the retributive aspects of the law.
Our Messiah clearly transcended the laws of Sabbath observance for the sake of healing and caring for others. We read in the gospel: "And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" -- so that they might accuse him. He said to them, "Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep. So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him (Matt. 12:10-14). Note how Yeshua used a kal va'chomer inference (i.e., קַל וְחמר, "light and weighty") to make his point, namely, that if a light condition is true, then a heavier one is certainly true. If saving the life of an animal is important, even if doing so involves "working" on the Sabbath day, then how much more should we save the life of a human being?
Yeshua exercised the authority that surpassed the law of Moses. In the famous Sermon on the Mount, he transcended the "outer" requirements of the law and forced the issue to be about inwardness. He said this, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire" (Matt. 5:21-22). Do not miss the "audacity" of Yeshua's words: He was plainly claiming equal authority to the words of the written Torah, and by implication, the words of YHVH Himself. Likewise he told his disciples to follow a "new commandment"(מִצְוָה חֲדָשָׁה), namely to love as He loves us (John 13:34), and this love far exceeds the requirement to love your neighbor (Matt. 5:44; Luke 6:27, 35). We are explicitly forbidden in the Torah of Moses to eat blood, and yet Yeshua said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life" (John 6:53-63). This was metaphorical language meant to teach that we draw our live from his life, similar to the analogy of the Vine and the Branches he used later when he said to his disciples: "Abide in Me, and I in you," said Yeshua. "As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me" (John 15:5).
Spiritually speaking, Yeshua does what the law of Moses cannot do, namely, deliver people from the power of sin and death. Metaphorically the law is likened to a mirror that reveals our inner condition but is powerless to change our hearts (for more on this see the article, "The Problem of Torah"). By itself the law required the divine curse based on disobedience, since this is the truth of our condition, but Yeshua sets us free from our slavery to sin. "Yeshua answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:34-36). Indeed, at the outset of his ministry Yeshua attested: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed" (Luke 4:18). This is an example of the intimation given to the prophets of the deliverance to come: "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, לא כַבְּרִית אֲשֶׁר כָּרַתִּי אֶת־אֲבוֹתָם - not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my Torah within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people" (Jer. 31:31-33). Messiah is "the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours, searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Messiah in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Messiah and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look" (1 Pet. 1:9-12; cp. Matt. 13:17; Luke 24:25; John 5:39; Acts 10:43).
Indeed Yeshua is the ultimate revelation of the truth of God: "The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him" (John 5:22-23). As he further testified to Pilate: "For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world -- to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice" (John 18:37). Yeshua has all authority in heaven and earth and we are to hear him (Matt. 28:18; Matt. 17:5). His authority clearly exceeds that of Moses and Elijah (i.e., the "law and prophets," Matt. 17:4-5), as the writer of the Book of Hebrews says: "For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses ... and Moses truly was faithful in all his house as a servant ... but Messiah is a son over his own house" (see Heb. 3:1-6). Indeed Yeshua said that he was "greater than the Temple" and the Source of all of Divine Authority (Matt. 12:6). Our Lord said he preexisted Abraham (John 8:58), that he was a prophet greater than Jonah (Matt. 12:41), and that he possessed wisdom beyond that of Solomon (Matt. 12:42). Yeshua is the LORD of the Sabbath day (Matt. 12:8) and Creator of all things (John 1:1-3, 14). Yeshua is "rosh pinnah," the Chief Cornerstone (Eph. 2:20); the Rock that will form the Mountain of God: "The one who falls on this Rock will be broken to pieces; but if it falls on anyone, it will crush him to dust" (Matt. 21:44; Luke 20:18; Isa. 8:14; Dan. 2:19-45).
Yeshua is the Substance of the shadows, the antitype of the types, and the full expression of the moral pronouncements of the law. The Law of Moses could not impart life (2 Cor. 3:7-18). The law was only a "schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith" (Gal. 3:24). "But after that faith is come," Paul continued, "we are no longer under a schoolmaster" (Gal. 3:25). Paul warned regarding any who would attempt justification by the Law of Moses: "Messiah is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace" (Gal. 5:4). John said, "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Yeshua the Messiah" (John 1:17).
But let us return to Matthew 5:17-19. "Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to destroy but to fulfill them. For truly I say to you until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Note here that the word translated "destroy" (καταλύω) is set in opposition to "fulfill" (πληρόω). Not one "jot or tittle" (i.e., kotzo shel yod) will pass from the Law until all is accomplished (i.e., γένηται, come into reality). Yeshua is the Substance and meaning and expression and completion of the will of God, and his sacrificial death fulfills all that the law requires of us. Tetelestai – "it is finished" – in the sense that the demand of the law has been met in the substitutionary death of Messiah for those who trust in him for life (2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13; Rom. 8:3-4; Heb. 7:18; 10:1-31). The law itself, as recorded by Moses, is indeed sacrosanct, and Yeshua calls his followers to honor the dispensation of the law as "holy and just and good," unlike the Pharisees who disregarded the clear teaching of Torah and engaged in sophistry, confusing the lighter and weightier matters of Torah (e.g., Matt. 23:23). On the contrary, followers of Messiah must understand the absolute sanctity of the law and to appreciate how Yeshua redeems us from the curse of the law (James 2:10; Gal. 3:3; etc.).
Regarding the question of "Torah observance," let me remind you of something that is often overlooked in these discussions, and that is that normative Judaism today, that is rabbinical or "Talmudic" Judaism, has in large measure denied the "jots and tittles" of the written Torah by redefining what the Torah means, consequently denying the importance and necessity of blood atonement, claiming that prayer can take the place of sacrifices, ignoring the literal terms of the covenant (and the divine curse promised for disobedience), and making various other (man-made) reinterpretations. After the Second Temple was destroyed, Judaism was "reinvented" at the Counsel of Yavneh, where the role of the sages supplanted those of the priesthood. Bear in mind, then, that Bible-believing Christianity does not deny the authority and sanctity of Torah, and it is not Christians who disregard over 40% of the 613 laws that call for sacrificial laws to be observed - laws such as the blood atonement rituals of Yom Kippur, the laws concerning the Passover sacrifice, the laws for sin offerings, and so on. No, it's not Christianity that denies the authority of Torah (or its "jots and tittles"), but ironically enough all who claim to be "Torah Observant" yet ignore the plain reading of Torah for the sake of traditions of men -- these are the ones who deny the Torah!
The general tenor of Matthew 5:19 is that the Word of God should be regarded as inviolable. There are no "little sins" or parts that we can safely ignore in God's demand to be holy, and therefore we must take into account all that is required of us to be made right before God (Luke 16:10). Every "jot and tittle" includes the jots and tittles that concern laws about blood sacrifice and the need for atonement for sin. "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life" (Lev. 17:11). None of this should be overlooked or suppressed or denied, friends, and that is part of what this passage really means....
Indeed, when we consider Yeshua's exposition of the inner meaning of the law given in the Sermon on the Mount, it is clear that that the role of the heart is central, and that implies an honest confession of our need for deliverance. The "whole commandment" matters, which is why Yeshua said that Moses wrote of Him (John 5:46), which is to say that all the Torah centers on the truth of Messiah and how he fulfills every detail of God's righteousness on our behalf. There is a balance called for here: the Gospel is called a "doctrine according to godliness," and the New Testament affirms that "the law, so far from being made void through faith, is established by it" (Rom. 3:31), though this applies to the moral law of God, since the ceremonial law of God (e.g., offering animal sacrifices, etc.) has been brought to fulfillment by means of the sacrificial death of Yeshua our LORD, as indeed are all the laws that pertain to the Levitical priesthood which served to foreshadow the ministry of Yeshua as the great High Priest of the New Covenant. (Remember the veil was torn from the top of the parochet to the bottom, opening the way into the Holy of Holies for the heart of faith). Indeed we literally cannot fulfill the "law" of Moses in its particular details concerning Temple observance, the establishment of a theocratic kingdom, the observance of agricultural laws of the land of Israel, and so on. Nor do we have a system of "indentured servitude" that calls for observance of the Yovel (Jubilee) laws, and so on. Furthermore we are unable to execute Torah law regarding civil and criminal matters: we do not stone people to death for certain sins nor burn down cities that have forsaken the law of God (Deut. 13:12-17). Other examples could be given, but these should suffice to make the point. Followers of Messiah are not "anti-law," though they understand the fulfillment of the law to be realized in their relationship with Messiah, the Author and Finisher of our faith. We esteem and love the truth of the law, which expresses the holiness of God, though we concede our own weakness and inability to keep the law apart from the miracle of the Spirit of God operating within us. Please note, however, that the fruit of the Spirit leads to works of righteousness that are not contrary to the law, as it is written: "But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law... the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Yeshua the Messiah have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit" (Gal. 5:18-25). Yes, τέλος γὰρ νόμου Χριστὸς εἰς δικαιοσύνην παντὶ τῷ πιστεύοντι - Messiah is the "end of the law for righteousness to all who believe" (Rom. 10:4). As it is plainly stated in our Scriptures, "the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law (χωρὶς νόμου) -- although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it -- even the righteousness of God through faith in Yeshua the Messiah for all who believe" (Rom. 3:21-22).
Paul writes that while the "law" is holy, righteous, and good (Rom. 7:12), it was nevertheless destined to obsolescence because the ministry of Yeshua the Messiah effected a new and better covenant with God (Heb. 7:12-19; Heb. 8:6). Therefore we do not reinstitute the covenant of Sinai as followers of Messiah, since doing so denies that we are made righteous by means of the finished work of the LORD (see Gal. 2:16). When Paul taught that "no one is justified by the law" (ἐν νόμῳ οὐδεὶς δικαιοῦται), he was saying that because of our sinful nature we are unable to keep the terms of the covenant given at Sinai, the "covenant of works," and therefore righteousness needed to come from an outside agency, or by means of divine intervention given for our sake... Salvation is "of the LORD."
Paul asks a rhetorical question, "If we seek to be justified in this way -- that is, by trusting in something "outside" the Sinai revelation, should we regard Messiah as the "minister of sin," since, for example, he allows table fellowship with those whom the Sinai covenant calls the ritually unclean? (Gal. 2:17). Of course not, since the love of Messiah takes away our sin and removes that which separates us from one another (Eph. 2:14). Paul goes further and says that if he were to espouse the terms of the Sinai covenant, he would be condemned as a transgressor once again (Gal. 2:18). So on the contrary, Paul says that he has died to that former covenant, and if he were to revert to it once again he would be guilty of spiritual adultery (Rom. 7:1-4). "I have been crucified with Messiah" refers to the end of the former covenantal relationship with God so that new life could be imparted (Gal. 2:19-20). We die to the former covenant (and its curses mentioned in the tochachah) in order to "live unto God." As it is written in the Book of Hebrews: "the law made nothing perfect; but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, and that is how we draw near to God" (Heb. 7:19). The cross of Messiah is the great divide between the old and new covenants.
Consequently Paul says, "I no longer live, but Messiah lives in me" (Gal. 2:20). This is the doctrine of the "indwelling Christ," or the immanent Presence of the Spirit of Messiah. The old "I" derived naturally from Adam, symbolizing the old nature, no longer operates as the source of life for us (Rom. 6:6), and new life from the Root of Messiah is supernaturally imparted (Eph. 4:24, Gal. 4:6). "Engrafted into the death of Christ we derive a secret energy from it, as the shoot does from the root" (John Calvin). The life "I now live in the flesh," that is, in the physical body, is governed by the law of faith in Messiah, who "loved me and gave himself for me." Jesus gave himself "for you," for your "exchange," as your "life-for-life" substitute upon the cross. He died for you sin and lives for your life. He is your eternal "at-one-ment" with God. Because of all this, we do not "nullify" (ἀθετέω) the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through keeping the covenant at Sinai, Messiah died for nothing (Gal. 2:21).
Here we have an exclusive either/or regarding how we are "justified" or "made right" before God. We either can attempt to keep the terms of the Sinai covenant as means of establishing a right relationship with the LORD, or we put our trust in the righteousness of God given through Yeshua, the great Lamb of God, the true Substance and meaning of atoning sacrifice. You can either attempt to justify yourself through keeping the contract made at Sinai, or you can trust that the sacrifice of Yeshua is the way, the truth, and the life -- but you can't do both... If Moses suffices, there is no need for the cross; if the cross suffices, there is no need for the law (i.e., the "law" understood in the terms given at Sinai with attendant blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience). It is the "for me" love of God demonstrated at the cross, however, that sustains real faith and empowers us to walk in righteousness "written upon the heart" by the operation of the indwelling Spirit (see Jer. 31:31-33).
To repeat what I hope now is rather obvious, the idea of "dying to the law" does not nullify the moral and spiritual truths of Torah of Moses, but only the legal terms of the covenant given at Sinai. Paul is not teaching "antinomianism" here. As I've stated elsewhere, "Torah" is a function word of "covenant" and all the essential moral and spiritual truths of the writings of Moses are restated (and amplified) in the New Testament scriptures. We don't die to the Torah, but rather to the verdict of sin that was against delivered by the terms of the Sinai covenant. This is vital to understand, since otherwise we will completely misunderstand what Paul was teaching. Yeshua clearly taught the laws of Torah and moved them "inward," to be made a part of the heart. He faulted the Pharisees for tithing "mint and cumin" but neglecting the "weightier matters" of the law – that is, the deeper truth to love and care for others (see Matt. 23:23). He repeatedly stressed the need for the law to be "written upon the heart" and not to be regarded as a set of external decrees written upon tablets of stone...
We never will die to "Torah," friends, but we do "die" to the older system of being made right with God by means of the offices and sacrifices of the Levitical priesthood. We have a new covenant that is really new, not a rehashed version of the Sinai revelation (see Heb. 13:10). The law of Messiah is to bear one another's burdens and to love one another (Gal. 6:2; John 13:34). We do not "die to the Torah" but instead walk it out as a matter of the heart. These matters are clearly stated in the New Testament (again, see Matt. 5-7). As John Calvin once rightly said, "It is by faith alone that we are justified, but faith that justifies is not alone."
We must be mindful to "rightly divide" (ὀρθοτομέω, lit. "cut straight") the word of truth, lest we find ourselves confusing the great covenants of God and how they are to be "walked out" in our lives (2 Tim. 2:15). There is "Torah" (תּוֹרָה) and there is "covenant" (בְּרִית). Torah is a general word that means "instruction" and is always a function of the underlying covenant of which it is part. Torah is therefore our response to the covenantal actions of the LORD God of Israel. Followers of Yeshua are therefore not "anti-Torah" even if they understand this word in relation to the new and better covenant of God (see Heb. 8:6). There is indeed a Torah of the New Covenant, just as there is Torah of the older one. Understood in this way, Messianic believers are called to be "Yeshua Observant," since that simply means adhering to the instruction of King Yeshua who is the embodiment of all genuine truth from God.
If God wills I may write more about this topic at a later time. Meanwhile you are welcome to listen to my audio podcast that continues this discussion. But God forbid that it should be said of you from our Lord himself on that day, "I never knew you..." Recall that he said "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 7:20). But what is the will of the Father but to believe on Yeshua and to receive him as Savior and LORD. Yeshua was asked: "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" He answered and said, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent" (John 6:28-29). As much as we esteem Moses and love the words of the written Torah, we must remember that Moses was a servant of the LORD who himself earnestly looked forward to coming of the Savior of Israel.
Postscript: I am not advocating the erroneous doctrine that we are justified (or minimally, sanctified) by the terms of the covenant given at Sinai (i.e., the sefer habrit given to Moses and ratified by the 70 elders of Israel). No, that view is in error for a variety of reasons (as mentioned above). I am simply saying that Christians (and Messianic Jews) must be "Torah aware" and to take seriously the plain reading, context, and intent of the Jewish Scriptures when the words of the Yeshua and His apostles are read. Every "jot and tittle" includes the laws of sacrifice that were fulfilled in the sacrificial life and death of Yeshua... Only then will the New Testament Scriptures be understood in their proper hermeneutical context...
However, those "Messianic" ministries that claim that believers of Yeshua should "observe" Torah (in the sense of following the 613 commandments written in the law of Moses) in order to "really" follow the Messiah are therefore false ministries that do not truly understand the true meaning of Torah, nor covenant, nor the truth of the gospel, and therefore I urge you to flee from their false doctrines, which are under the divine anathema:
"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Messiah and are turning to a "different gospel" -- not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the message of Messiah. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of the Messiah..." - Galatians 1:6-10
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