The Gift of Salvation from a Torah Observant Perspective

Understanding how salvation works can be very confusing, especially within the Hebrew community, where believers in the Messiah still feel called to be obedient to Scripture's instructions. How does salvation as a free gift of the Messiah fit with the belief that we should still keep Biblical law? Do we believe that you have to do certain things in order to be righteous or saved?

Imagine being gifted with a high-end camera and all the accessories, but not knowing how to use it. DSLR cameras are more complex than point-and-shoot cameras and it's easy to see that their image quality is superior. But if you don't know how to use this camera, you'll be left feeling frustrated.

Unless you refuse to accept this gift, that camera is yours, whether or not you learn how to use it. Good camera equipment is expensive, and it holds its value well. You could keep that camera in a closet and not think about it for years, and it would still belong to you. If you came into a hard time or decided you wanted to use it, it would be there and waiting.

Whether or not you choose to use the camera, it is still yours.

If you learn to use that camera, you would benefit from that. You would be able to capture memories throughout your life, taking pictures of your family as it grows and special moments you experience. It could be a creative outlet for you. You could develop it into a business, and make a living shooting family and wedding photos professionally, giving your clients the gift of lovely pictures. Those pictures in turn could help people see their own beauty and grow in confidence. Those photographs you take could provide comfort and healing to a family grieving from losing a loved one. 

A lot of good can come from this camera! But only if you learn how to use it.

If you just accept the gift and keep it in the box, you'll still have its value at the end of your life. But you will miss out on the joys and benefits it can offer you throughout your life.

I believe salvation works in much the same way. If you ask YHWH for forgiveness, then I believe he is gracious enough to extend that to us, regardless of if we do everything he commands or have perfect theology or whatever else.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of YHWH is everlasting life in the Messiah Yahusha our master." -Romans 6:23

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. This is not your doing; it is the gift of YHWH, not a result of works that one may boast." -Ephesians 2:8-9

I don't think you have to keep the seventh day Sabbath, or eat Biblically clean, or celebrate the set apart times in order to have salvation, but I do believe that doing these things would benefit you! The Bible's instructions aren't just meaningless hoops to jump through to try and win some extra brownie points. If you honor your parents, then you will have a better relationship with them. If you don't commit adultery, there is peace and trust in your family and home. If you set apart the Sabbath day, then you benefit from physical rest and a mental-reset each week.

When the Bible gives us instructions, they are not a threat. Our salvation is from the Messiah's work, and not from my ability to perfectly follow the word. The commandments are not, "Do this or else." YHWH gives us instructions as an opportunity for direction and blessings in our lives. The commandments are, "Do this and be blessed."

Related posts:
Biblical Law: Have To or Get To?
King David's Final Advice
Traffic and Laws: The Benefits of Scripture's Instructions

Faith and Works: The Meaning of James 2:26

"It's not about works." Many of us have been taught that trying to 'earn' our salvation by what we do is an insult to the Messiah's blood. Since he paid the price for us we are free to do, well, almost anything we want so long as we are trying to serve him and mean well. We can set aside the commandments of the Creator if they aren't convenient to our lifestyle today. All we have to do is believe, any expectation on ourselves to live a certain way is an affront to the Messiah himself.

Is this what Scripture teaches? James 2:26 says that faith without works is dead. This passage makes it clear that our actions and deeds are significant to YHWH. James makes it clear that faith and works go together. Works alone aren't enough, but just having faith shows there is a conspicuous lack in our lives. This used to be a confusing concept to me (and no doubt to those who tried to remove this passage of Scripture from the Bible), I would hear it and then remember Galatians 2:16, that we are declared righteous by faith in the Messiah and not by works of the law. How do these fit together?

Let's take a step back to see that a better rendering of this passage from Galatians would be, "We are declared righteous by faith in the Messiah, and not by the works of the Aaronic priesthood." Scripture is not teaching that the commandments given to  the priests are wrong or bad, but they were only a temporary covering of sins until the Messiah came. We are not made righteous by the sacrifice of animals. It is not saying that the choices we make have no consequence before YHWH or in our lives. 

Like with the animal sacrifices, our actions alone are not going to make us righteous. You could keep every Sabbath of your life and never covet your neighbor's possessions, but without the Messiah it is not enough. However, once we have faith in the Messiah our works should reflect that! He himself said that if someone loves him they keep his commands (John 14:23), so don't think for a minute that your actions don't matter to him.

The Messiah wants us to love him, and therefore he wants us to be obedient to the commandments in Scripture. Not that our salvation depends on being able to perfectly walk that out every day. Like a loving husband, he offers grace and mercy when his bride is not perfect. Not to worry, your salvation doesn't depend on you. But you showing love to the Messiah? You get to do that by keeping his commands.