Today, there is again a pull for those who seek to learn Torah halachah from the “experts” (i.e., Judaism) to also adopt this “different gospel” of a way into God’s Kingdom besides Yeshua.
Here are highlights from this recorded study:
Interpreting scripture and tradition in Christianity
Pleasing God in living out our faith is more important than other people.
There is a difference between Halacha, which is the Hebrew word for “way of walking,” and Mitzvah, or a commandment. Yeshua (Jesus) corrected some Pharisees who were upset that His students weren’t abiding by an extrapolation to everyone of a Torah commandment for priests to wash before entering the Holy Place or approaching the altar (Exodus 30:18-22; 40:30-32).
“Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’ Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”
Mark 7:6-8 NASB 1995
Tradition can be OK as a practice a given denomination or a congregation might decide to take, but it must not be confused with a “thus saith the LORD.”
πείθω peitho, the Greek word rendered by NASB as “favor seeking” in Galatians 1:10 can be translated as either “persuade” or “convince.”1 That raises questions about the level of elevation of certain traditions within a given group.
Elevating a tradition (Halacha) to a Mitzvah (commandment from God) can lead to a “huge, huge problem” in understanding the kingdom of God. The misuse of a Mitvah such as circumcision as part of a Halacha of how goyim (non-Israelites) are accepted into the Kingdom of God is a key focus of the Letter to the Galatians.
Acts 15 revolves around the question of whether circumcision is necessary for salvation and how this relates to the context of the Torah and God’s direction.
The Gospel and Kingdom in Acts 15:11-12 (8:11)
The discussion centers around determining whether a message is a gospel or a good news of the kingdom by evaluating the source and the striving for acceptance or favor.
Paul emphasizes unity between Jews and Gentiles in faith, despite cultural differences.
The unbiblical division of the Temple area into sections according to the nations may have been one of a number of reasons for the Temple’s destruction. And requiring a human-ordained conversion for believers from the nations to enter the Kingdom of God could have added to that edict.
Religious converts and their knowledge (17:23)
Paul addresses criticism of his apostleship by highlighting his personal history and experience with Yeshua.
Converts to Judaism may have more book knowledge than those born into the religion, but lack practical wisdom in living it out. Converts in the 1st century would have been highly scrupulous about following Jewish customs and laws due to their intellectual value.
“Judaizers” among early believers in Yeshua appear to have been impatient with the pace of catechism and may have sought to enforce circumcision as a quick way to distinguish “friend” from “foe.”
Zeal for the preservation of scripture in Judaism, specifically addressing the change made to the covenant of Abraham.
A recurring issue in the Body of Messiah today is that some seek to learn more about Halacha from those who have been practicing it the longest. So they’ll seek out knowledge at the synagogue, and far too often come to the conclusion that faith in Yeshua is not valuable or is detrimental to retain.
Paul addresses this change in Galatians, arguing that Abraham was declared righteous before circumcision. Circumcision is a response to the covenant.
Different Jewish sects in 1st century Galatia (29:30)
Unlearning is a crucial part of the faith journey, but it can also lead to a distorted view of Jesus and the Gospel.
Paul’s former persecution of the Church is highlighted in Galatians 1:13-14.
Pharisees believed in life after death, while Sadducees did not.
Paul gets awakened to the true good news of the Kingdom (37:13)
Paul’s former persecution of the assembly of God is revealed.
Paul criticizes Peter for following Jewish practices that separates Israelite from the nations, despite those believers from the nations already having been brought into the Kingdom.
Jewish identity and Christianity in the 1st century (41:52)
There was complexity of Jewish identity in the first century, with a spectrum of practices within Israel.
Some commentators construed a tension between Paul’s Jewish heritage and his mission to the Gentiles. Such will claim Paul was playing both sides against the middle — “to the Jew I became a Jew” (1Cor. 9:19-21) — by participating in the Nazirite decommissioning ceremony in the Temple while also preaching to the Gentiles.
The tension arises from Paul’s continued association with the Jewish community and tradition despite his rejection of certain practices, leading some to question his commitment to the commonwealth of Israel and the nations’ inclusion in it.
The nature of God’s Word and Salvation (53:31)
God’s words are enduring, not limited by cultural or historical context. We must understand God’s holiness — His set-apart-ness — and our inability to set ourselves apart to that degree. Rather, Heaven calls us to respond to God’s presence and the need for divine favor to survive in His presence.
The gospel (good news) is that God is trying to bring everyone near, and the Messiah is the Way for that transformation for closer relationship with God.
Heaven’s removal of our sins, transgressions and iniquities, and remembrance of them no more is a purging process that allows for us to be a “new creation” in God’s eyes.
The importance of obeying God’s law (1:11:10)
Incorporation of laws and traditions from previous generations is a common practice in families and societies.
Understanding Matthew 5:17-19 is fundamental keeping our practice and beliefs centered on what the Messiah and His apostles actually taught. There are multiple perspectives on the Sermon on the Mount, including a Torah-friendly interpretation.
Two witnesses confirm Yeshua’s teachings on the Law of Moses, with one witness speaking to Jewish people (Matthew) and the other to Gentiles (Luke 16:16-17). Both agree on the importance of the commandments.
Understanding Paul’s background and previous way of walking is important before examining his teachings in Galatians. Paul’s argument is against tradition overriding direct commands from Heaven. A key example of that is the Torah commandment on circumcision. Paul throughout Galatians explained how the tradition of circumcision as a rite that a believer has completed a course of conversion outlined by some human authority had abrogated the the Torah instruction that it is a sign that Heaven has already brought the person into the covenant with Abraham.
- “to cause to come to a particular point of view or course of action.” (Bauer, W., F. W. Danker, W. F. Arndt, and F. W. Gingrich, eds. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3d, Accordance electronic edition, version 2.8. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.) ↩︎
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