Is Torah for Today?

There have been questions kicking around in my head for several months and I’ve finally decided to blog some of these thoughts.  This is still something I’m chewing on so feel free to share scripture and we can banter together if you like 🙂

Allen started this whole line of questioning when he brought 1 John 3:4 to me:

Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. (KJV)

Sin is transgression of the law. This of course begs the question – which law? But the answer is obvious because it’s John speaking – so clearly he’s referring to the law of God: the Torah.  Let me show you this verse in the Amplified version too:

Everyone who commits (practices) sin is guilty of lawlessness; for [that is what] sin is, lawlessness (the breaking, violating of God’s law by transgression or neglect–being unrestrained and unregulated by His commands and His will).

[By the way, you may notice I use a variety of translations, it’s because in my studies I’ve discovered that translators have often taken liberties in their interpretation of scripture, often including their own doctrinal beliefs rather than simply translating the Greek or Hebrew.  As a result, when I’m studying I will visit the same scripture in multiple translations as well as go an look up the original Greek/Hebrew words and their meanings, and in that way get a better – and truer – sense of what the word is saying.]

Sin is lawlessness – as in not living under the law (i.e. Torah), the breaking of God’s law by transgression (which Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged definition – the infringement or violation of a law, command, or duty) or neglect (which AMP defines as being unrestrained and unregulated by His commands and His will). So basically sin is either the intentional or unintentional violation of the law of God, which makes sense since in Leviticus 4, 5 and beginning of 6 it describes offerings for both unintentional and intentional sin offerings.

Under the Law

But I thought we “are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14)?  True!  We aren’t “under the law” in the sense that we are no longer under the penalty of it – else by the unlawful sexual relation laws in Leviticus 18 I should have been stoned!  The law (Torah) reminds me WHY I needed a Savior and why I am forever grateful for His giving Himself as an offering to pay for my sin.

Yet in Romans 6:15 it goes on to say “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!” So the question then becomes what is sin. And yet, we’ve already covered that – sin is transgression of the Law, the Torah.

When I hit this conclusion, I paused to consider the implications of this… I consider adultery a sin, why? It’s in Torah. I consider marrying your sibling a sin, why? It’s in Torah. I consider lying a sin, why? It’s in Torah. I consider killing a sin, why? It’s in Torah. So is it possible that I have already been using Torah to determine what is sin and what isn’t?  Yes, in most cases.  So then I consider when are the exceptions… when I don’t agree or understand the “law”.

Picking and Choosing which Laws to Follow

In the past I’ve tossed out laws (and let me digress for a moment to say “law” is a bad translation for the word “Torah”, it’s more like “instructions”) about eating (e.g. pork) or keeping the Sabbath and the Feasts, and why?  Because I LIKED bacon and couldn’t understand why God would want to deprive me of it and why it would be a big deal to Him, and what’s the big deal if I don’t rest – and is it supposed to be on Saturday or Sunday – and does it even matter! And does it matter which holidays (i.e. holy days) I celebrate as long as I honor the Lord…?   But these question gave me pause for thought, if I am offending God and/or hurting Him by disobeying something He deems is important would I want to know? YES!  Suddenly numerous scriptures come to mind:

  • Proverbs 7:2 – Keep my commandments and live, and keep my law and teaching as the apple (the pupil) of your eye.
  • John 14:15 – If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
  • John 14:23 – Jesus answered, If a person [really] loves Me, he will keep My word [obey My teaching]
  • John 15:10 – If you keep My commandments [if you continue to obey My instructions], you will abide in My love and live on in it, just as I have obeyed My Father’s commandments and live on in His love.
  • and many more…

David was a “man after God’s own heart” and in Psalm 119  it is clear at least one reason why – ALL of the 176 verses make reference to the Lord’s laws, statutes, commandments, precepts, word… otherwise known as Torah and the Prophets, or His Name. Here’s a sampling:

  • 10 – With my whole heart have I sought You, inquiring for and of You and yearning for You; Oh, let me not wander or step aside [either in ignorance or willfully] from Your commandments.
  • 33 – Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, and I will keep it to the end [steadfastly].
  • 97 – Oh, how love I Your law! It is my meditation all the day.
  • 145 – I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord; I will keep Your statutes [I will hear, receive, love, and obey them].
  • 172 – My tongue shall sing [praise for the fulfillment] of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteous.

If I consider these scriptures and weigh them against my own “I don’t understand” or “I don’t like” stance on certain laws, my feelings tend to seem like poor opposition.  So I have to then draw a parallel for myself:

If a child wants to have a cookie before dinner and their parent says no, the child may not like or understand the “law” but does that invalidate the “law” simply because the child sees no harm in it…? OF COURSE NOT!

If I am God’s child (which I am) then shouldn’t I consider ALL His laws regardless of whether I fully understand or not? Isn’t it possible that Yahweh – the creator of heaven and earth, the Alpha and Omega, the Great I AM – might know something I don’t?  [gulp] Wow, to put it in that light makes me seem pretty arrogant for questioning His instructions.

Two Great Commandments

But I have to pause for a moment and consider if Torah is for today or if the commandments I need to be concerned with are the two great commandments – since these are often the ones quoted when people are defending not following Torah.  Here’s Matthew 22:36-40 AMP

Teacher, which kind of commandment is great and important (the principal kind) in the Law? [Some commandments are light–which are heavy?]

And He replied to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect). This is the great (most important, principal) and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself.

These two commandments sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets.

Verse 40 really clarifies this – the two great commandments aren’t meant to supersede or nullify the Torah, but rather they’re a cliff notes summary version!  They “sum up” the Torah and all Torah and the Prophets “depend” on them.  So again, I find myself finding all signs pointing to Torah being for today.

Even if we simply consider how Jesus (Yeshua) lived, he LIVED the Torah and as He says in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” So, He did NOT come to abolish them (though He did frequently fly in the face of the oral law, which were the traditions of men – but this is a topic for a future blog) – and yet often we view them as though He did.  He came to fulfill them – but the thing is He hasn’t completely fulfilled them yet and we are still very much supposed to be adhering to them as we see in verses 18-19:

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.

This verse also clarifies a point I made earlier, we don’t follow the Torah to be saved, because salvation comes through Yeshua (Jesus) alone (John 14:6), that’s why in Matthew 5:19 you may notice that those who relax the law are still IN heaven, they’re just the LEAST in heaven. But frankly, I personally would prefer not to be least in heaven (though I’d be thrilled to be there!), so I think this is a topic I will continue to pursue because I want to know what the Lord wants from me – not because I’m afraid He’ll zap me if I don’t do it, but because I LOVE Him and therefore I WANT to do what is pleasing to Him! So if Torah is for today, which it certainly appears it may be, then I want to know so I may follow what is pleasing to the Lord!

In Closing

I realize this is only the beginning of this topic, but the thoughts have been bouncing around in there for a while so I figured I better jump in and start somewhere.  I’m interested to see where He leads and pray this journey is a blessing to you too 🙂

24 Replies to “Is Torah for Today?”

  1. Hi Meghan! Great blog! I have struggled with the same questions. However, I believe that if we are supposed to follow the laws of the Torah, wouldn’t the Holy Spirit be convicting us?
    “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction; for whom the Lord loves He corrects” Prov 3:11 (NKJV)

    Just my two cents!

    Love
    Jennifer Barker

  2. @Jennifer – Great question! I guess I would suggest that He often IS chastening us regarding Torah (I know He is for me personally), but He often chastens based on an aspect of the Torah. So when HS chastens someone on lying, premarital sex, etc – He IS chastening to follow Torah. 

    I also have noticed that when the Lord gives us instruction and we don’t listen, He stops speaking or speaks to an area we will listen to and starts there. So I guess the primary question I’m posing is: are we willing to consider the possibility that Torah is for today? A question it sounds like He’s already had you pondering 😉

    I pray blessing and wisdom to you as you continue to seek Him!

  3. I know that we likely have different takes on things biblical, but I find it useful to remember the original intent when approaching the Bible. With Romans, Paul is writing a letter to the Church in Rome who literally aren’t under Jewish law, but Roman law (where temple/child prostitutes are perfectly legal). In a sense, Paul is telling them that “sin shall have no dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” And grace frees from sin..”Know ye not, that whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey,, his servant ye are to whom ye obey…” (Roman 6: 17) reminding the Roman church just what they are allowing to have dominion over them, and then this, “God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin, but have obeyed from the heart that which delivered you. Being made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” (Romans 6:18) It seems to be saying that as long as you are serving grace, you are lifted out of sin, despite whose law you are under. I think the same is probably true today.

    And a contemporary of Jesus, Rabbi Hillel, has this favorite quote, “Love God, and what is evil in thine eyes, do not to another. This is the whole of the Law. The rest is commentary.”

    Love chatting with a fellow seeker…

    jennifer

  4. So what do we do about the offerings and sacrifices? How are we to do those or is Jesus it for us? And if He is, then what do we do with that part of Leviticus? The fat and blood…we obviously don’t know how our food “comes about” by the time it makes it to the grocery store. We don’t know how it was killed or what its touched or who has touched it which brings in the law about unclean things. So what do we do? I think its fair to say just about everything in the public is unclean as are the people. Touching anything unclean makes you unclean. So what do we do? Stay home? It seems like if i go out in the world knowing this and intentionally commit sin according to the Law, then not only am i sinning, but wouldn’t i be abusing His grace and mercy as well?

    Does this mean that where i am currently with the Lord in my walk with Him isn’t enough?

    Does this mean that it is assumed then i am only listening to what i want to hear and there fore i really don’t have eyes to see or ears to hear?

    Am i not truly saved because i am not following the Law completely? Does this mean i don’t or haven’t really loved Him?

  5. @Jennifer S – LOL yes I’m sure we do have differences in our doctrinal beliefs (like on the definition of sin), but I know that those who seek Him with their whole heart will find Him and I think we both fall in that category despite some of our differences 🙂

    I actually mentioned the Romans verse because it’s one most often used to support the idea that Torah is not for today, I don’t read it that way (obviously) and you see it in a different light from either. For me the big thing I’m finding (and again this is ME and for MY walk – so no criticism of anyone else’s, this is where I’m at) is that I find far too much scripture in both New and Old Testaments that give me pause to realize that tossing Torah out completely (which mainstream Christianity does to a large extent – at least it has seemed so to me), doesn’t have biblical support. There are some scriptures I am still chewing on that could seem to support it, but I still find FAR more to the contrary for me to feel comfortable personally dismissing it.

    Interestingly, your Hillel quote sounds a lot like the Jesus quote I gave about the two greatest commandments – and so my thought toward it is the same: that the Torah gives the how-to (so to speak) on loving God and loving man… and as for me, I wouldn’t feel comfortable referring to any Holy Spirit breathed words as simply “commentary”, but again, that’s just me 🙂

    Bless you in your walk with Him!

  6. @Amanda – I’m not sure if you didn’t read the whole post or missed some parts, but I actually answered some of what you’re asking in the post – for example, that the Torah doesn’t determine your salvation, you are only saved by grace through Jesus (which I did say a couple times in the post simply because that’s such an important distinction to make). I encourage you to peek again at what I wrote because I lay it out with scripture.

    Some of your questions are addressed by Matthew 5:17 – Jesus came to fulfill the law, and though He hasn’t completely fulfilled it yet (because He hasn’t returned yet), He has fulfilled some of it – like the sacrificial system (or at least that is my understanding). As you know these are new thoughts I’ve only been chewing on for a little while – I’m not getting into all the specifics yet myself for the simple reason that I cannot become an expert on Torah overnight.

    The question I am posing in this blog is really is Torah something we need to be considering or not. As for me (and again, as I’ve stated in the post I am only speaking of the questions *I* am pondering – I am not passing judgment or criticizing anyone else’s walk), I find too much support for Torah in both Old and New Testaments to simply dismiss it as no longer valid.

    What I am seeing is too often we have strong beliefs for our doctrines but no idea whether scriptures truly supports them, or we find one verse that does and use that to build a doctrine around. For me, I’ve decided I want to know what the Lord says in His word and do that. This means I’m reconsidering everything – that which is good and of God will be supported out through the Word and that which is not will be brought into alignment with what the Word does say. Undoubtedly this is a process that will take the rest of my life 🙂

    As far as your current walk not being enough… I don’t understand the question, enough for what? I know you to be someone who loves the Lord passionately and pursues Him with your whole heart. You are open to correction when He brings it and you will work to implement it in your life. Does the Lord love you? Absolutely! Is He pleased with you? I believe so! But does that mean He will never teach you anything new? Does that mean you won’t ever refine your beliefs? I can only speak to my own experience and say as I have grown in the Lord my beliefs have changed and grown as well. I’m sure there are things I believe now that I may not in 5 years, I know even this topic is something that a year ago I didn’t give much thought to. And I don’t know where it’s leading me, but I sense Him drawing me and so I follow.

    Does that mean I know how to execute Leviticus 15’s bodily emissions laws? Nope not really! Do I know what to do about the blood or the fat? Nope not yet! But will that stop me from considering if I need to be considering them in the first place? Nope. Will that keep me from starting in the places where I see that I can begin? Not at all.

    If you asked your daughter to clean the house – what would you expect done? Perhaps toys picked up? Would you be mad that she didn’t scrub the toilets or make the bed? No, she is doing what she’s able to do to the best of her abilities. But 15 years from now when you ask her to clean the house won’t you expect more? It’s a growing process. And it’s humbling to be willing to be wrong and be corrected (as I know you already know!), and that’s all that I’m going through here… I’m growing. I’m asking questions. I’m being led. And I trust that the One you love and who you hear so clearly will lead you too. I extend grace to you for that growing process and simply ask that you do the same for me 🙂 I don’t mind being challenged with scriptures or questions, but at the end of the day, I just hope we can still love one another because that law – that we should love one another – is greater than anything underneath it.

    So know I love you and know when I post thoughts I’m thinking it’s truly not a backhanded way to accuse everyone else of being wrong. I’m merely sharing where I am at because I hope those who love me (or at least are interested in me) may find it interesting and yes, may be challenged the same way that I am open to being challenged by them 🙂

    Consider yourself hugged!

  7. I read this blog yesterday, but left no comment because there was so much here to think about and chew on. I read every comment posted on here this morning and tears come to me. But this is a good thing because God is taking me through a journey right now in my life that is hard for me, but by his grace and love, I will make it through it.

    Not all of my family members believe the same as I do and some feel that I am under false teachings. I do not beleieve that I am at all and i am so thankful for where God has brought me out of and to where he is taking me. I wouldn’t be in this place today if it wasn’t for his Grace and the Godly people he has placed in my life.

    With everything I have been going through the last week I have been pondering the new and old testament. How can people only believe part of the Bible and not all of it. What I know right now is that Our God is so Mighty and so Faithful that I will be able to endure what every comes my way, He will give me the strength that I need, the wisdom and the understanding.

    So I guess what I am really trying to get at “as I told my family member”, we will not always see eye to eye on everything and that is ok, God loves us all. I will not let any man come between me and God, He is the one I will run to when I am in need.

    I love you Meghan and thank you for posting this.

  8. @Tami – Thank you for your sweet words 🙂 The Lord has worked with me on being open to the fact that other’s walks in Him may look different than mine and that we should trust Holy Spirit to lead each of us even as we share (and sometimes disagree) over details. I also have seen my own beliefs change over the years which has reinforced my understanding that it’s a growing process and we all must extend grace as we grow or it can become very divisive which means we’re not walking in love and unity, which is displeasing to the Lord. So on things non-essential to salvation, I extend MUCH grace 🙂 And pray others will do the same to me. 

    I know how much it can hurt to have others accuse you of being in a cult or under false teachings – praying for you. If they miss the fruit of your life and the fruit of the Spirit in your walk, then I believe perhaps they may simply not want to hear something different than what they believe (which tends to be the case with many folks), because you are so genuinely one who walks in love! 

    Love you much my friend 🙂

  9. Meghan,

    Awesome post! I think an important thing to establish when addressing this issue is that all God-loving Christians are “Torah keepers” to some degree. The Torah includes every commandment from “don’t have sex with animals” to “love your enemies (Leviticus 19:18)” to “rest on the 7th day” to “take care of the poor.” Some of the commandments in the Torah cannot physically be upheld today because they relate to the Temple, which doesn’t exist at this point in time. There are also various procedures regarding punishment for criminals which cannot be upheld because they are only applicable within theocratic Israel. And of course, there are also specific commandments to specific people to fulfill a specific purpose (Noah is commanded to build an ark, Abraham is commanded to take Isaac to the Alter, etc). Knowing this, if one is serious about “observing the Torah,” then one needs to be aware of these things and make good judgments based on context, just like we are to do regarding the New Testament.

    The main point of contention I’ve found to be between those who would consider themselves “Torah Keepers” and the rest of Mainstream Christianity is basically over these three commandments: The Sabbath on the 7th day, the feast days (Passover, Tabernacles, etc), and the dietary instructions (don’t eat pork, shellfish, etc). All of these commandments are just as applicable today (minus the sacrifices associated with the feast days – again, no temple) as they were in Moses’ time and Yeshua (Jesus) and the disciples’ time. No Christian would disagree that believers are still to uphold most of the commandments found in the Torah (I have yet to meet a Christian who thinks that adultery is a good idea), therefore the question isn’t necessarily “is the Torah for today”, but “what parts of the Torah are applicable to me as a 21st century follower of Christ?” As far as I have seen in my studies, there is no reason why Christians shouldn’t keep the Sabbath, feasts, and dietary requirements – especially when we’ll be keeping them anyway in the future kingdom when Yeshua returns (Isaiah 66, Zech 14).

    Shalom!

    -Dave

  10. I thought I would just throw my two cents in here on how I got on my journey to finding the roots to my faith. We had decided to homeschool and it wasn’t exactly a popular thought in my extended family. I was searching for support and I heard about a bible study for women and homeschooled children and started going. It happened to be in a very southern baptist church. In the second or third year, we studied the books of Moses and I was deeply convicted that I was missing a lot especially in regard to celebrating the feasts vs traditional Christian holidays. This led to lot’s of study and my husband totally came on board. We were led to a lot of what you’ve already talked about so I won’t go there again. What we experienced was a greater level of joy and peace when we did. Now the enemy stepped in and has seeded my husband with a lie that he’s not yet been able to sort out. It’s kind of left us in a bit of a limbo as we can’t step back in to the traditional ways but we’ve been halted on the path we were traveling. This resistance and opposition only magnifies to me that we were on the right path. In this journey, we are for sure the odd balls in most groups we come across and I’ve been stretched in the receiving and extending grace to others. I’ve been shown that some have destinies in the traditional settings even when they believe the same as I do. They often live out their differing beliefs quietly and there are others who have destinies to blaze new trails and lead others out of man evolved traditions. It is exactly why our relationship with Yehovah is so very important as He only can lead us on our life’s calling.

    OK I hope I’ve not veered off topic ~ horribly sleep deprived today!

  11. “This verse also clarifies a point I made earlier, we don’t follow the Torah to be saved, because salvation comes through Yeshua (Jesus) alone (John 14:6), that’s why in Matthew 5:19 you may notice that those who relax the law are still IN heaven, they’re just the LEAST in heaven.”

    Even Jews who don’t believe in Jesus don’t believe they follow the ceremonial Torah to get to heaven, only the moral laws are required for that. Some also have the theory that all Jews go to heaven regardless simply due to covenant membership, but only good gentiles go to heaven (i.e. gentiles have to keep the Noachide laws, moral laws). I would caution against the idea that faith in Jesus saves apart from morality, for it certainly does not. Paul misuses Psalm 32 in Romans 4. Read that passage Romans 4:5-7 and then go read Psalm 32. Where in that Psalm does David “describeth the blessedness of the man to whom the Lord imputes righteousness without works”???? He doesn’t. So it is in all places where Paul asserts faith alone and tries to back it up from the Tanach. For example, Genesis 15:6 says “he believed the Lord and counted it to him as righteousness” (i.e. Abraham believed God and counted God as righteous) but Paul paraphrases it “Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness” so that he can twist the Tanach to teach his heresy. Beware.

  12. @Rey – I think we will have to agree to disagree on a number of points. For one, I don’t believe Paul was a heretic. I believe that the scriptures (from Genesis to Revelation) are the inerrant word of God. Romans 4 seems to be referring to Psalm 32:1-2. And on Genesis 15:6, I think you might have a translation issue because what I’m looking at definitely mirrors what Paul said, “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”

    I do believe that salvation is by Yeshua (Jesus) alone (Ephesians 2:8-9), but that part of the proof of that salvation is a desire to walk according to the Word (which includes Torah) – this is why faith without works is dead (James 2:17). I think some of the confusion may be arising from the difference between salvation (sozo) and righteousness (dikaioo).

    Bless you as you pursue Him with your whole heart 🙂

  13. I don’t know if this is a site for women only (for that is all of the responses I see), but I have to say that it is a wonderful thing to see Followers of Messiah striving for knowledge in the Word of God. I would like to comment if I may, in John 1:1 where it speaks of the Word being with God in the beginning; is not just a truth about “WHO” Yeshua (Jesus) is, but “WHAT” He is as well, He is the WORD of GOD. The idea of the “Word” of God in Judaism, IS the TORAH (the Disciples were not “Christian” they were of Judaism). All that the Father speaks IS TORAH, it is all instruction for our benefit, it is the path to righteousness and it is the light to our feet. It guides us AND it is the direction to finding Him, Yeshua came to show us how to Walk with the Father and it is through Him that we have life, the Torah of God. Now we know that we don’t live by the Torah but by God, if we walk as Yeshua walked, we will walk in the Torah, and by the Torah, that is Gods Will, His spoken Will for our lives. Yeshua didn’t come to save us from the Torah, but in the Torah, like He didn’t come to save us IN our sin, but from it. That which He nailed to His cross taking it away was not the Torah, but the curse of it, the curse was against us not the Torah itself. Deuteronomy 11: 26 -28 mentions it as so:

    26Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;

    27A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day:

    28And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.
    Thank you for your time, and again, it is a wonderful thing to see you all talking as such about the Word of God, keep searching for His face, and you will find it… He has promised.

    In Messiah Yeshua
    Louis G.

  14. Sorry Dave didn’t see your name there (thought earlier it was only for women)
    I have one more comment about the sacrifices, it was mentioned earlier if we are supposed to obey those ceremonial laws as well or if that is what Messiah came to complete. He did come for us as a sacrifice wholly supported by scripture, He was our Yom Kippur sacrifice, the other sacrifices were voluntary ones that the people did to show their thanks to the Father, not to atone for sin (except for the daily sin sacrifice). The Yom Kippur was for the Day of Atonement only, that was when the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies and conduct the sacrifices, it was a lengthy, but beautiful representation of our Messiah and what He did for us (i’m sure even though i obviously wasn’t there) And according to scripture, the sacrifices cannot be done outside of the Temple, only where God commands they be done, which was at the Temple. So no Temple, no sacrifices. I read in the Talmud where the Rabbis speaking of the Temple sacrifices (written about 40 years after Yeshua) said that none of the miracles that ALWAYS happened before to show Gods approval continued to happen, they stopped. There was always at least 1 of about 6 or 7 miracles that would occur during the sacrifices, but it was said that they stopped, for which the Rabbis had no answer of why, but WE know why, it, in my opinion at least was no longer necessary. the scriptures makes mention of an old covenant passing away, we know that it is not the Torah or Word of God, for His Word stands fast Forever:

    Hebrews 8:13 says:

    In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
    and not a few years after this verse was written, did it vanish away, the sacrifices vanished, due to the destruction of the Temple. Now the temple, according to scripture, is within each of us, if we follow Yeshua and walk as He walked. His law or Instruction of living, is “written on the tablets of our heart” that is Yeshua our Messiah, where He lives in us. Isn’t Gods Word beautiful, it’s like a puzzle, not something to confuse us, but so that we will spread it out, put together in nice piles the pieces that look alike, study it, and find out how it so beautifully fits together. Continue seeking Him always, there is no better delight in this world or in the one to come.

    Louis G.

  15. Louis – thanks for your comments 🙂 This isn’t just for women, but since the focus of my ministry (Dyed4you) is largely women that’s who often follow here too 🙂

  16. The Torah of Mashiach is love. Visit http://hebrew4christians.com It is an excellent site for Torah study. According to Yeshua, Torah is the whole bible not part. We are not obligated to keep the Sabbath. Yeshua did most of his healing work on the Sabbath and said his Father was always at work. I am unable to keep Sabbath at the moment. I used to feel like if I didn’t keep it I would be bound for Hell thanks to one of those sacred name groups but when I found the Hebrew 4 Christians ministry, I felt so much better. We should keep Sabbath. It will bring blessing. The feasts will bring blessing, but we are not obligated. Our salvation does not rest on it.

  17. @Tabitha – My hubby and I have definitely been blessed by Hebrew4Christians as well as a number of other sites. Good suggestion 🙂

    And you are definitely correct that our salvation does not rest on observing Sabbath or not; however, not to observe it is very definitely sin. 1 John 3:4 defines sin as transgression of the law (Torah) and Torah very definitely tells us to keep the Sabbath (and the feasts as you’ve noted). And you are correct that you’re blessed if you keep them because Deut 28 tells us if we follow God’s Torah we’ll be blessed. Conversely if we don’t we’ll be cursed – this doesn’t necessarily mean damned to hell, but it makes it clear we are to be pursuing obedience.

    If you find yourself in a position where for some reason you are unable to observe the Sabbath but have a desire to, I encourage you to ask YHWH what He wants you doing to observe it. I’ve heard of people who had to work on Sabbath giving the money they earned away, others have quit their jobs to find ones where they could be off on Sabbath… YHWH always meets us where we’re at. He loves to see His children trying to do what He’s asked 🙂

  18. To Meghan’s comment above, you are right on the money, The Eternal One makes it abundantly clear we are to keep His Sabbath, the sabbath was made for man not man for the sabbath. It is Our Father’s Sabbath, therefore it is called the Sabbath of the Lord our God, and He has given it to us, to test us and see if we will obey Him or not. All of His commandments are steadfast and endure forever, that doesn’t mean until Yeshua came to change the requirement for us to follow them, in fact many Christians, however well meaning they may be, mis-speak when saying Yeshua came to remove the law or YHVH’s requirements to obey them, YHVH does not change, and the Father and Son are one in will purpose and in character, neither one will go against the other, in will, character or purpose. Their will is that we are obedient just as Yeshua showed us what that is by PERFECTLY obeying the Torah, doing good IS not work, it’s YHVH’s will for us to Love one another, YHVH’s Torah is His character Holy Just and Good, and that is what we as well are called to be and do, and their purpose is to teach us how to be Holy just as He [Father] is Holy. Yeshua is also called the Word made flesh, that is more than YHVH just speaking creation into existence through Yeshua, it is the Scriptures altogether, His Torah is Yeshua, and to say we don’t have to obey Torah is to say we don’t have to obey Yeshua or the Father. God Bless.

  19. Pingback: Meghan W » Blog Archive » What Pursuing Torah Looks Like

  20. Pingback: Meghan W » Blog Archive » Knowing… revisited (1 John 2:3)

  21. Pingback: Meghan W » Blog Archive » Qadash (H6942)

  22. thank you so much meghan loved every thing. like moses at times i dont have the word but i can say sepley wow:) are abba gives us his command an all the torha because he does love us an for a big boneis of his love he gave us his onley son so we can heir an do shma all that is retin man where would any of us be with out his love an his son we paise you abba father love an shalom

  23. Pingback: Meghan W » Blog Archive » Being Holy (1 Peter 1:14-16)

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