“If you aren’t Jewish, why do you follow the Torah?”
This is a good question. There are multiple answers. First of all, I believe that when Jesus/Yeshua said “If you love Me, you’ll keep my commandments” He was referring to the Torah.
As a non-Jew… am I saying if I don’t follow the Torah, I won’t “go to heaven”? Oh my goodness- NO! It’s not an issue of salvation. It’s an issue of obedience. And one thing that those that know me must keep in mind: I DO NOT have all the answers. There is MUCH I still do not understand. This is a WALK, a JOURNEY! Do you realize many of the first Believers in Jesus as the Messiah were Jewish followers? Yeshua had many Jewish followers: they called themselves “The Way”. The label “Christian” didn’t come until many years after.
Why follow Torah? Well, the best reason is: MY EXAMPLE: JESUS CHRIST/YESHUA HAMASHIACH.
He kept Torah, perfectly. Do I follow Torah “perfectly”? That’s laughable, if you knew me. Of course not. I am far from it. But I have studied Torah for years now, and I am TRYING. I am making an effort.
It’s a misunderstanding of Scripture to believe that “Jesus did away with the Torah (the Law of Moses). ” He actually said the opposite. He said “I have not come to abolish the law and the prophets, but to FULFILL THEM”.
Another misunderstood verse in the Bible is Romans 10:4 “Christ is the end of the Law”. Again, here comes the danger of misinterpreting this verse. The word “end” here, in Greek is “telos”. It means “to bring about, fulfill”. Jesus did NOT do away with the Torah. This verse means He fulfilled the Torah, by bringing it to its full meaning. It does NOT mean: “So since Jesus came, the Torah has ended”. You must study these verses in context. Yeshua led a strictly Torah observant life. He did NOT (as some have asserted) “break the Torah” nor did He “break the Sabbath”. When Yeshua was challenged about his disciples not washing their hands before eating, the religious leaders at the time questioned Him. What was Yeshua’s response? He told them, that His disciples were not breaking any Torah commandment, but “the traditions of man”- MAN MADE RABBINICAL TEACHING: washing of the hands in a certain way, before eating.
Another question that arises is: “What don’t you eat pork?”
Why? Because in Leviticus chapter 11, God purely lays out the animals that are clean and “unclean”. A careful study of this will show the reader that God forbids the eating of “scavenger animals”. Take pork. Pigs are very unclean animals. And by that, I don’t mean that they need a bath! A pig will eat anything, even its own young. Pigs are sometimes allowed to live alongside cattle, to “clean up” after the waste of cattle and other animals. As one studies the animals that God intended us to eat, they are all herbivores- they are NOT meat eating animals. Shellfish (crabs, lobster, shrimp, clams) are also forbidden. Why? They eat the waste of the bottom of the ocean or bays- they are “bottom-feeders”. What about poultry? Duck, goose, chicken, turkey, quail, etc. are all OK. The birds that God forbids us to eat are again”scavengers”. Vultures, owls, etc. (who would want to eat a vulture anyway?)
Fish must have scales: many fish are “kosher”. An example of a non kosher fish is catfish. Again, the catfish eats from the bottom, and eats waste.
One may say, “Well, we have technology these days, and refrigerators, etc).” Health was not the only reason God forbade these animals. He wanted to set the Israelites apart from the pagan nations.
An excellent book on this topic is “Holy Cow! Does God Care About What I Eat?” by Hope Egan.
This one page could be thousands of words long. I most likely will add to it, at a later time. The point I am trying to make is: we are still free to obey the Torah. I do not try to “cram” my beliefs down others. This is how God has led ME.
It’s important to note that the Apostle Paul (Rav Sha’ul) , even after He became a Believer and follower of Jesus, led a Torah observant life. One must be careful in reading verses that “appear” to say differently. This takes study.
My friend, David’s web blog, is doing a study into the Book of Ephesians. I highly recommend his blog. On the sidebar of the main page, it will say “Recommended Reading”. His Blog is “Mishkan David”. Rick Spurlock’s blog is very good as well.
I am going to sum this up right now. I believe that the Torah is timeless. I do not believe Jesus/Yeshua ever expected Believers (Jewish or Gentile) to abandon the Torah and its instructions. It’s not a legalistic set of “thou shalt nots”. It’s a set of instructions on how God expected the Israelites to live a holy life. After much study of Scripture, Church History, and other topics, this is the path I have chosen; the one that is right for me. I invite all Christians to study the Jewish roots of Christianity.
One question that comes up is: Why is Christianity so different than it was when Jesus walked the earth? Jesus never preached “Christianity”… He preached the gospel of the Kingdom.
Another point, before I close, is this: Much of what makes up the “Torah” (the first five books of the Bible) does not apply to anyone today. There were Torah laws concerning the Levitical Priesthood, the Temple, etc. There is no temple today, right now. Even Jews aren’t bound to follow those parts of Torah.
But the ones that I believe God is slowly teaching me, I am trying to obey. It’s a walk, a journey, and it takes a long time. But God grants grace to the humble and resists the proud. Do I have all the answers? Certainly not. We all must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, the Bible says.
As it says: “Consider what I say, and let the LORD give you understanding in all things”.
Shalom and God bless you abundantly.
FMW
