Why Biblical Law is For All Believers (And Not Just Jews)

I used to think that Biblical law and keeping the commandments were only expected of Jewish people, and I hear this echoed all the time. Statements like, "I don't have to do that because I'm not Jewish," "God only wants the Jewish people to keep the food laws," "Gentiles are not under the law because of Jesus," or "Those things are just for Jews," show up in my comment section all the time. If we only listen to manmade religious doctrines, this is easy to accept as truth. But if we take a look at what Scripture actually says we will find this is not the case! All believers, no matter their ancestry, are expected to keep the commandments in the Bible!

Why Biblical law is not just for Jews:

-The Bible never says this. There is nothing in the Bible about the commandments being only for Jewish people. In fact, until the New Testament Jewish people barely get a mention in Scripture. Seriously, go reread the whole thing. You will not find a phrase like that in there. There are no instructions from YHWH about limiting the gift of his word, or the expectations of keeping his commandments to Jewish people.

-The Bible expressly says Biblical law is not just for the Israelites, but also for foreigners. Exodus 12:49, "There is one Torah for the native-born and for the stranger who sojourns among you." There was no such thing as Judaism in Exodus, so this verse does not somehow mean that the Torah is only for you if you convert to Judaism or live around Jews. It's talking about people from any part of the world joining YHWH's people by serving him. No matter where you are from, the same set of commandments apply to you.

-There were no Jews present when Biblical law was given. Not a single person in Genesis through Deuteronomy (when Biblical law was given) considered themselves to be Jewish. Not one. While the tribe of Judah was present, so were eleven other tribes! We must understand that Scripture's use of Israelite is not interchangeable with the term Judaism today. There are Jews today who did have ancestors present when Biblical law was given, but many other people groups also have ancestors who were given Biblical law!

-The New Testament says there are neither Jews nor Gentiles. I really can't imagine why this statement from Galatians 3:28 would be included in Scripture if YHWH was going to hold different people groups to different standards. Recognizing this verse makes it seem rather silly to say, "God doesn't hold me to that standard because I'm a gentile"!

-The Messiah was never impressed with claims of antecedence. John the Baptist's words in Luke 3:8, "Prove by the way that you live that you have repented from sins and turned to God. Don't just say to each other, 'We're safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.' That means nothing, for I tell you that God can create children of Abraham from these very stones." The Messiah did not count relations to Abraham as some sort of extra credit or bonus. His response to those who were relying on their physical relations to Abraham was that wasn't enough, their actions should reflect that. He said that Abraham's children would do what Abraham did (John 8:39).

-Most of us don't really know where we are from. Even if you believe that Biblical law is only for those who descended physically from the Israelites who were freed from Egypt, how do you know that none of your ancestors were there? Most of us are lucky to know anything about our ancestors after the most recent five or six generations. There is simply no way of knowing for sure whether you had ancestors there or not!

Recognizing that the Living God gave one set of instructions for all people, wherever they may be from physically or whatever their religious background is, means that we should strive to honor him by keeping his commandments! Yes, we are all sinners and won't do it perfectly. But no parent would ever say that since their children won't be able to always keep their instructions perfectly, they don't expect them to bother trying. YHWH is honored by our efforts to keep his instructions, even when we fall short.

Related posts:
Why the Biblical Holidays are For All Believers
Basics of Biblical Law
Commandments or Traditions - Understanding the New Testament

Write the Torah on Their Hearts Printable

 

Need a verse to inspire you at home? How about this significant statement from Hebrews?

"I will put my Torah in their minds and write it on their hearts." -Hebrews 8:10

Take note that this is a New Testament verse not just talking about the Torah in a positive way, but promising that it would be written on the hearts and minds of believers! This is not something that happened just in the past - this is also for us today. Print this off as a reminder of this Biblical truth. 

Click here to download this printable from Hebrews. It's free for your personal use.

How Much Biblical Law Do Believers Already Keep?

This post owes a debt to Andrew Gabriel Roth's article, "How Much Torah Do Christians Already Keep?" It can be found in the Aramaic English New Testament - check it out if you get a chance!

While many Christians will tell you that Biblical law is a burden or too difficult or impossible to keep, they are already following much of it! This post examines how much of the law believers are already abiding by, and takes a look at the commandments that most believers skip over.

Is it possible to keep the Biblical commandments that YHWH has given us? I think many people say no to that without knowing what those commandments actually are. The Bible is a big book, after all. Many believers have seen or heard about a totally overwhelming number of Jewish laws and often assume those are in the Bible.

It is traditionally believed that there are 613 commandments for believers in the Torah. You can debate if it's that exact number for a couple of reasons - should loving and serving YHWH be one commandment or two? are certain verses relative statements or absolute commands? - but for now, we'll stick with 613 rules as a ballpark figure. That sounds like a lot, right? If we took a test with over 600 questions, most of us wouldn't answer 100% correctly. Thankfully, it's a little easier than that.

While many of these commandments are absolutely for everyone, not all of them are applicable to you. I don't say that in brevity or believe that we should write off huge chunks of Scripture. But it's true. Because these instructions cover all sorts of things...marriage laws, Temple protocol, specific instructions for kings, Nazirite vows, agricultural practices, and so on. So if you haven't taken a Nazirite vow, those particular regulations don't need to be followed by you. If you're not married, you don't need to worry about those instructions at the moment. Paul talked about this in Romans 7.

"The married woman has been bound by the law to her living husband, but if her husband dies, she is released from the the law concerning her husband." -Romans 7:2

We can see here that we are only expected to keep the commandments for our own self and circumstances. Of course, it is hugely important than we rightly divide Scripture to do our best to follow all of the commandments that pertain to us. Of those supposed 613 commandments, more than 200 have to do with the Temple. That means that right off the bat, we have less than 400 that might pertain to us. (We should note here that the Bible makes a distinction between 'Levitical' laws, which relate to the Levitical priesthood, and what I call 'Biblical law' which are the instructions for living, more on that below.) For the most part, believers do pretty well following these. Roth estimates that most Christians are keeping between 69-87% of the laws applicable to them! For a group that typically views Biblical law as a burden, that's a pretty decent start. That's like answering, seven, eight, or even nine questions correctly on a ten-question quiz that you never in a million years thought you could pass. Maybe this is a little more doable than you thought. In fact, Deuteronomy 30:11 says that the law is not too hard for us!

What commandments are believers already keeping?

-Loving the Creator. Serving and clinging to YHWH. Loving him with all your strength. Giving thanks to him. Fearing him. Respecting his word. Not testing him.

-Treatment of others. Loving your neighbor as yourself. Not verbally attacking a stranger. Not afflicting orphans and widows. The obligation of returning lost property to its owner. Helping someone collapsing under a burden or in danger. Treating litigants impartially. Honoring of parents.

-Honesty and integrity. Not lying or speaking a false witness. Not following a majority to do evil. Not bribing a judge.

-Financial matters. Not stealing or defrauding someone. Giving charity to the poor. Not deceiving someone in business.

-Marital relations. Not to have sexual relations outside of marriage. No relations between family or step-family.

What commandments are believers not keeping?

-Remembering the name of YHWH. Not forgetting it (replacing it with terms like God or Lord) but using it with reverence and respect. Calling on it for help.

-Sabbath. Sanctifying the seventh day. Resting. Not having servants or employees work on the Sabbath.

-Biblical holidays. Celebrating them and not working on certain days. Not having or eating leaven during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

-Dietary laws. Not consuming unclean animals. Not consuming blood.

This is generalization, obviously these won't line up exactly for everyone, but for most denominations would basically agree with the above. That's it. The commandments believers aren't keeping mostly fall into those categories. And you know what? Even in modern culture today, those things are pretty doable! Start using YHWH instead of generic, incorrect terms like God and Lord. Look forward to resting each week on the Sabbath. Eat in ways that honor the Creator. Add Biblical celebrations to your calendar. You really can do this! 


And these things are wonderful to do! I firmly believe that keeping Biblical law is a step towards abundant life. Everyone I know who has delved into those things has benefited from doing so. They would tell you that their faith has grown exponentially. They've seen their health improve as they make changes to their diets. They understand Scripture better and have a deeper relationship with the Creator. You can have all of those joys as well by taking steps to be obedient to Scripture.

It's not about being flawless.

It's not because you have to.

It's not too hard.

"Those that say they live in him ought to walk as he did." -1 John 2:6

Related posts:

The Three Types of Laws in Scripture
Basics of Biblical Law
Did the Messiah Break the Law?

Six Reasons Why Believers Should Keep the Sabbath

Keeping the Sabbath day is the only one of the ten commandments that is widely ignored by believers today. But the Bible says we should be resting on the seventh day and using that as an opportunity to worship God. This instruction hasn't been done away with; we will see that New Testament believers continued on with honoring the Sabbath, even after the Messiah's death and ascension into heaven. Let's look at a few more reasons why all believers are still called to keep the Sabbath.

Reasons believers should keep the Sabbath:

1. Scripture tells us to. We could stop the list right here and call it good, because if our Creator tells us to do something then we should, plain and simple. Honoring the Sabbath day is one of the ten commandments (Exodus 20:10), as I'm sure you've heard before these are commandments, not suggestions or principles. We are accountable for our decisions, and there are consequences to choosing to honor or ignore something that Scripture says.

2. YHWH himself rested on the Sabbath. One of the first things that Scripture tells us in Genesis 2, is that YHWH rested on the seventh day. It wasn't because he didn't have anything left to do, and it wasn't because he physically needed rest. I think there is a significance here that we miss, when the Creator literally set the example for us. Genesis 2:3 says that YHWH blessed the seventh day and set it apart because that's when he rested from his work. If he did it, we should too.

3. The Messiah kept the Sabbath. The authors of the Gospels made it plain that Yahusha honored and rested on the Sabbath day. And he always spoke of it highly! Are we followers of him and his ways? 1 John 2:6 says that if we are then we should live as he did! Observing Shabbat is a practical way to do that, no matter where or when we live. We should work to follow the Messiah's example.

4. New Testament believers kept the Sabbath after the resurrection and ascension of Messiah. Those that spoke with and walked with the Messiah continued to honor this commandment, even after he ascended from the earth. These were people that were obedient to the Messiah even unto torture and death, if he had told them to stop resting on the Sabbath then I'm sure they would have. But they kept on following his example in this manner, and not one of them ever suggested they wanted that to change or that we should do things differently.

5. Because you're busy. I know many of you are thinking that you're way too busy to set aside 1/7 of the week for rest and worship. Hear this though: you're too busy, not to do this! Life will always be pulling at you from a million different directions; it's time to take a stand against that. I think every Sabbath keeper I know would agree with me when I say that I accomplish a lot more now that I keep the Sabbath. Resting one day of the week helps me to have more energy and use my time better. If I'm not willing to keep this instruction from Scripture, that holds me back from living the abundant life that he has for me...because I'm too exhausted and overwhelmed from not letting myself rest to enjoy his fullness.

6. Your soul needs this. Do you want more peace in your life? Do you find yourself aching in need of refreshment? Are you weary and burdened? Is joy hard to find? Are you struggling with your faith or with not feeling close in your relationship with the Messiah? Do you feel like there has to be more to life? Sabbath rest helps with all of that an so much more. It's time to stop believing the lie that Sabbath keeping is too hard or not for us or a burden. It is none of those things. I'm closing in on a decade of Sabbath observance and it is joy, freedom, refreshment, and peace. You owe it to yourself and your family to walk in this gift from our Creator.

Want to learn more about the Sabbath?
Here are fifteen things Scripture says about it.
This is what the Messiah taught about Shabbat.
And why I started keeping Shabbat.

Biblical Instructions: Have To or Get To?

If there's a line I've heard more in faith discussions I can't think of it. "We don't have to do that anymore," gets blurted out at the mention of Biblically clean eating, celebrating the set apart times, and honoring the Sabbath day. It's usually followed up with some sort of explanation about how, yeah, those poor people in the Old Testament really had to do a lot of stuff, but the Messiah came to set us free from that.

Call me crazy, but I think the Messiah had something a little more significant in mind than freeing up our Saturday schedules for his time in the flesh. He didn't teach that we can eat anything we want. And I can't think of any of his parables that might lead us to believe he wanted to revamp the holiday seasons. (Changing the set apart times is something Scripture mentions the anti-Messiah will do though - see Daniel 7:25.) He called himself a shepherd, and whenever he talked about sheep his message was that he would seek them out to bring them back into his flock. He told no stories where he set them free to do whatever they wanted.

I know when most people tell me, "We don't have to do that anymore," they are just regurgitating what they've heard many pastors and believers say. Rarely, if ever, does this statement come from who has significantly studied these topics themselves. But I think what this boils down to is not trusting in the character and nature of YHWH.

A friend of mine is married to a man who used to be very abusive. Thankfully, he has found a lot of healing and their lives have changed significantly. She is no longer not allowed to leave their home or use the phone without telling him. She doesn't have to do those things anymore. But before she did because her husband was then unhealthy and mean. Have you ever heard someone say the God of New Testament is different than the God of the Old? Do you think the Creator was just a cruel taskmaster until the Messiah finally calmed him down?

YHWH stays the same. He is filled with loving kindness. He hears our cries and has mercy on us. Our names are written on his hands. He loves us and has good plans for us. And that's how has always been. He didn't change from an angry and uptight character to a more laid back one in that page between the Old and New Testaments. He has always been the same.

If we believe that he is good today, then we have to believe that he was good yesterday and at the beginning. And if we believe he has always been good then it only makes sense to believe that the instructions he has given us have been for good reason.

While I strongly believe that we are commanded to do things like celebrate his set apart times, observe the Sabbath, and follow his dietary instructions, I don't do those things "because I have to." I get to do those things! I am privileged to have instructions from the Living God on how to live.

Related posts:
Keeping the Law: Ten Commandments as Marriage Vows

King David's Final Advice
Traffic and Laws: The Benefits of Scripture's Instructions

Traffic & Laws

Most of us tend to not appreciate rules. This was definitely me when I was taking a ridiculous detour route to get to an appointment. I was running late and very unappreciative that this back road divergence had a stop sign every mile. So badly I wanted to run these so I could make it to my destination as soon as possible.

When you're driving somewhere it can be inconvenient to observe the rules of the road. When you're running late it can feel like you catch every light just when it turns red. It's frustrating to sit there and wait for it to turn green so you can be on your way again. It's extra exasperating when nothing is coming from the other way and it seems like there is no reason at all that you should have to sit there. You have your drivers license, so you know what you're doing, right?

But I think we can all agree that while they are sometimes inconvenient, traffic laws are a good thing. It would be nuts if cars from all directions whizzed through intersections without stopping. It would be dangerous to have cars passing stopped school buses or to not have vehicles slow down for construction crews or tractors. No one wants a sports car driving 100 miles an hour through a residential neighborhood or through a park. I am grateful for rules like that.

Just like with traffic laws, there are times when observing Scripture's commandments doesn't feel very convenient. Can't I just blast through this red light? I don't see anyone coming, so where's the harm? As we sit at those spiritual stop signs, we should remember that the Creator has purpose in his instructions -- whether or not we can see it or appreciate it in the moment. And let's not forget, we aren't the only ones who benefit from those instructions. By not breaking the speed limit laws I benefit from not having to pay a fine, but the other drivers on the road are safer when I am following the rules. It's not safe for others if I am recklessly operating my vehicle.

Not having traffic laws could save me a little bit of time once in a while, but overall this would add danger and chaos to my life. I don't want to have to approach every intersection and wonder if the cross traffic will stop or not. I want cars to slow down or get over when I am biking on the road. I reminded myself of this when I was heading to that appointment and the drive went from frustrating to peaceful. I really am glad that these laws exist, even if that means there are consequences like being ticketed when I don't obey them.

Would our lives be better if YHWH hadn't given us any directions for how to live? I simply can't imagine that to be true. If he hadn't commanded a Sabbath day, I never would have started resting for a whole day each week. If I didn't rest on the Sabbath, I have no doubt that I would be less healthy and more stressed out. That doesn't mean it's always convenient to honor the Sabbath, but I am so thankful for it. His instructions keep us on the safe path. 

"If you keep his commands, then you will live and have increase." -Deuteronomy 30:16

Related posts:
How Much of the Torah Do Believers Already Keep?

King David's Final Advice
Biblical Instructions: Have To or Get To?

Turn Yourself Around and Live!

In The Torah contains the directions for living the way YHWH desires us to. It is often treated as ridiculous hoops to jump through to try and obtain approval from an angry God, but this is a very poor misunderstanding. The first five books of Scripture are filled with practical instructions from the God who desires his best for us.

Mainstream religion teaches that freedom is doing whatever you want. You have probably heard a pastor or "Bible teacher" claim that the Messiah came to set us free from the instructions of YHWH - so that we could incorporate traditions of other religions into our worship, eat forbidden things, work and shop on the Sabbath, etc. This idea is more consistent with the ideologies of Aleister Crowely, and Anton LaVey, "Do what you will," than anything in the Word of YHWH!

Ezekiel 18:25, 32 reads:

"Is it my ways that are unfair or your ways? Turn yourselves around and live!"

Those sentences beautifully convey the desire of a loving God for us to listen to his instructions for our own benefit. The entire eighteenth chapter of Ezekiel is reminiscent of a parent calling to a young child to turn and get off of the road. Yes, the child may believe they should have the freedom to play wherever they want but the mom and dad created the rule of staying off the street so that their child would be safe.

I can't say that I understand the 'why' behind each Torah instruction, and yes, it can be challenging to follow YHWH's directions in a society that largely doesn't, but I do know that the best life I can have is one where I follow his ways. YHWH considers our own ways to be unfair, and he is kind enough to not leave us to them or the ideas of others. No matter what your  life is like you can always turn to YHWH, and live.

Related posts:
Understanding Syncretism
Restoring the Paths to Live In

Happy Are Those Who Set Apart the Sabbath Day

Crossing Over To The Hebrew Side

Hebrew is not another word for Jewish. It’s not being born to a specific bloodline. And it is not just a language to speak. Hebrew is a step you can choose to take; a lifestyle that you can live.

The first time ‘Hebrew’ appears Biblically is in Genesis 14:13, referring to, “Abram the Hebrew.”

‘Hebrew’ is Strong’s number 5680 and means ‘one from beyond’ or ‘one who has crossed over.’ In Hebrew, the word is spelled: עִבְרִי

Crossing over. Hebrew is an action.

Abram was called a Hebrew after he left his father's house, in his home city of Ur. YHWH told him to leave all that was familiar behind. Abram was obedient to YHWH and then was given this title.

What did Abram cross over from? Joshua 24:2 says that his father, Terah, worshipped other gods, and it's probably safe to say he wasn't the only member of the community to do so. Abram left idol worship and a culture that was disobedient to the Living God, and he crossed over to things of YHWH.

The Creator has called all of us to become Hebrews. To leave behind society's norms, and the man-made traditions of Judaism and Christianity to cross over into what Scripture actually says.

Abraham wasn't born a Hebrew. He became it when he left his own ways to follow YHWH's. You can become one too.

Related posts:

What is a Hebrew?
Why I Started Celebrating the Biblical Feasts

The Summary of the Torah

A summary is a shortened, condensed version of something. A summary of Lord of the Rings would be, "Good and evil collide in a quest to destroy the ring of power." Obviously, there is more to the story, as roughly half a million words in the books and twelves hours of film attest to. But still, it's not a bad description for a mere thirteen words.

Recently Galatians 5:14 was given to me as a reason for not keeping Scripture's instructions. It says:

The whole of the Torah is summed up in one sentence: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

The person elaborated that if he simply 'loved his neighbor' he would be keeping the general idea of the Bible without being bothered with the technicalities of specific instructions.

If Peter Jackson had chosen to base the Lord of the Rings movies solely on the summary of the books, "Good and evil collide in a quest to destroy the ring of power," his films would undoubtedly have very little in common with the original story penned by JRR Tolkien. Aragon and Gandalf and the Shire would have been left out. The battles fought would have been different. The ring would have been destroyed by ten female dwarves, or whatever else. Sure, he might have made a good versus evil movie, but it wouldn't be Lord of the Rings. Jackson and his team opted to base the films on the whole of the books and not just a simple summary. Otherwise it would have been impossible to accurately portray the story as told in the book.

The Torah is filled with specific instructions. This takes out the guess work for us. How do we actually love our neighbors? The Bible commands us not to sleep with their husband/wife, to return lost property o the owner, to pay our workers on time, and to treat litigants equally in court, among other things. We don't have to stop here, but can we love our neighbors if we aren't following these instructions?

If we love our neighbors we should treat them the way the Torah instructs.

Related posts:
Departing From Torah Breaking
How Much of the Torah Do Believers Already Keep?

Understanding Galatians

Is Keeping Biblical Law Possible?

This post takes examines the common Christian belief that keeping Biblical law has always been impossible, and that it can't be done today. We will see that this idea does not fit with God's words says about this.

We have often heard that the commandments given to Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai are simply too hard for us to keep. If that is so, doesn't that seem a bit ridiculous - why would YHWH bother? Why make up a bunch of rules just to get rid of later?

Since the commandments are likened to a marriage contract, it would be helpful to start there. At our wedding, my husband and I vowed to love, honor, and care for one another. Do we do these things perfectly? 100% of the time? No. Does that mean we shouldn't even try? Of course not!

The Messiah always upheld Scripture's commandments and instructed us to keep his commands if we love him (John 14:15).

Just as each of us have specific ways we want to be loved, so does our Creator - in whose image we were made. Saying, "I love you" is important in a relationship, but stopping there will lead to trouble. Your actions need to back that statement up. Doing things for your spouse, spending time together, supporting one another - these are things that demonstrate your love. Should we be surprised that the Living God wants more from us than simply phrases like, "I believe in you," or "I love you"? After all, he made us in the very image of himself.

When YHWH gave the law he was not doing so to be cruel or to overcomplicate things. He did not do so out of punishment, but rather to teach people how to have a better relationship with him, and how to have an abundant life...by following Biblical law. And he told us that we really can do what he says.

"For this commandment which I am giving you today is not too  hard for you, it is not beyond your reach." -Deuteronomy 30:11

That settles it. If God says his word isn't too difficult to do, then it's not too difficult. He knows that we are humans, and he knows we fall short so many times. But he does expect us to try our best to follow his instructions. 

The Messiah said, "Blessed are these that  hear the word of YHWH and put it into practice." In the Messiah's day the New Testament hadn't been written. The only thing he could have been referring to was the Old Testament, and that includes Biblical law. The commandments are practical steps we can take to honor the Living God through our actions. Jesus said it was a good idea to keep it. And we can.

Related posts:
How Much of Biblical Law Do Believers Already Keep?
Basics of Biblical Law
The Three Types of Laws in Scripture