Created: Sun 03-August-2025 - 08:42

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An Opinion Piece

Christianity today seems to have removed itself from the Jewishness of our Messiah and His teachings, of the apostles, of Yeshua’s audience, and the writings of the B’rit Chadashah (בְּרִית חֲדָשָׁה - New Testament/New Covenant) which are all deeply rooted in Judaism.

A widespread doctrine has taken over the Christian church—one of “faith vs works”. One of "Christianity vs Judaism". One of "Gentiles vs Jews". The pulpits—and social media for that matter—are seemingly filled with a "Grace only" gospel which appears to be contrary even to the teachings of Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ).

Despite doctrines which appear to be confused and confusing, more and more followers of and believers in Yeshua Messiah (Jesus Christ) are finding their way through the narrow gate, trying to apply as much of God’s doctrine and teachings (through Yeshua) as they can.

Many who have been filled with the Holy Spirit embrace a lifestyle which follows Messiah: to love in His way, to be zealous in His way, to behave in His way, to eat in His way, to learn and teach others in His way.

Yeshua did not come to abolish the Torah but to give it a deeper spiritual meaning. The passage in Matthew 5:17-19^[1] appears to have been taken hostage by a Christian doctrine which seems to misinterpret these verses. In particular, the passage of Yeshua saying He came to fulfil the Torah.

This misunderstanding of Scripture has detrimental effects on believers and their walk in Messiah. Under the (man-made ordinance) doctrine that followers of Messiah—especially Gentile believers—do not have to follow and keep God's commandments anymore, the sheep will not be able to hear the shepherd's voice anymore.

In fact, one might say that the church has already silenced the voice of Messiah through their legalistic anti-nomionism. An ironic inversion of the Jewish legalistic nomionism in Yeshua's days where Scribes and Pharisees put the oral torah over the Written Torah.

The Middle Wall of Separation

It looks like Christianity over the past 1800 years managed to build up the wall of separation between gentiles and Jews. The same wall which the Judeans had built up to keep Gentiles out through a legalistic system of oral laws, traditions, and ordinances. The same wall that Yeshua Messiah tore apart through the Cross.

The oral torah was filled with restrictions and man-made ordinances, forbidding Jews e.g. to eat or socialise with Gentiles.

The Tanakh, on the contrary, is filled with God’s commandments to show charity to strangers and treat them with love and respect. Something only a few Christians today are aware of. And even fewer would acknowledge.

It feels as if many Christians today struggle with loving their neighbours, particularly if those neighbours are non-messianic and even Messianic Jews. Yet, are we not called to be impartial, go into the nations and make disciples?

Messianic Gentiles, Judeo-Christians, or Christians?

David Stern, in his Jewish New Testament Commentary, uses the term Messianic Gentiles as much as he uses "Messianic Jews".

This term (Messianic Gentile) might be a most appropriate way of characterising those believers in Yeshua Messiah who—through the Holy Spirit—feel the call to keep God’s commandments through faith.

One could say that Messianic Gentiles acknowledge their part in the New Covenant made with the house of Israel and Judah as to what Scripture says: wild branches grafted in.

They feel a sense of belonging to Messiah’s Jewishness. After all, we believe and follow a Jewish rabbi who taught the Jewish Torah to a Jewish audience. Our faith is in the God of Israel and the covenant he made through the Messiah of which Messianic Gentiles can be partakers through faith.

We see a rising movement in the world of Christianity. That of Messianic Jews and Messianic Gentiles being grafted in together to the true vine. Many Christians are awakened to the Truth. The Holy Spirit, it feels like, is working in those who the Father drew to Yeshua. Those who understand that if you are being grafted, you would receive the same life-source as Messianic Jews have: Faith in YHWH, faith in Messiah.

As much as Christianity has attempted to dispose of any Jewish roots of Messiah, the more we can now bear witness to those who are drawn back towards the Word, the Way, the Truth. YHWH is the same, from Genesis to Revelation. "Sh'ma Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad" — Hear (and obey) Israel, the Lord our God, our God is One.

A wonderful emancipation has emerged from within Christianity. Brothers and sisters receiving the zeal for Messiah. After all, the concept of Messiah (Christ, i.e. the anointed) is not Christian, nor Greek. It is profoundly Jewish. More and more sheep are flocking towards the Good Shepherd, away from false teachers and those who do not have the Holy Spirit. They might have a profound understanding of Scripture and understand how to teach Scripture. But if a Christian pastor today does not acknowledge the enduring validity of the written Torah and God's call to obey Him and keep His commandments, the Holy Spirit cannot be in that person.

Yes, this is a controversial statement.
Have we not had enough teachings about Exodus 20 (i.e. the Ten Commandments) saying that they are not binding anymore for Christians today but they are certainly a good moral compass? It is time to address such doctrines as coming from the accuser, the evil one who wants to deceive the children of God, speaking lies as the serpent did in the Garden that it is "OK to disobey" God.

Our eyes and ears must be opened to the Truth. The Word of God. The Messiah Yeshua of Nazareth. We must rise together in love and humility, teaching and doing what Yeshua told us. Have the lax teachers today not read what Yeshua said in Matthew 5:17-19?

Whoever breaks the least of the Torah mitzvot and teaches men so shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven.

Have we forgotten that the Truth will set us free?
Have we not read that Peter warns us that Sh'aul's writings can be hard to understand and easy to be twisted by uneducated men?

Those believers in Messiah who were drawn by the Father feel an innate desire to keep His commandments. Not to gain salvation. This we have received by grace from God. Something, even Non-Messianic Jews believe: There is no way to twist God's arm, no good deed that could gain anyone salvation. No, we have freedom in Messiah to obey; and even when we transgress His commandments, the condemnation i.e. the wages of our sins have already been paid up in full on the Cross.

Yeshua died for our sins.
Is that not a good enough reason now to keep God's commandments?

And as opposed to the brethren who were brought in to the churches of Galatia pressuring gentile believers to a full conversion to Judaism, we see now through Scripture that in Messiah we have freedom.

New Covenant Seal

As in the original covenant which is still intact for the Jews, there is also a seal.

The seal being circumcision in the flesh done by hands in the original covenant, it is now the circumcision of the heart done by God in order to receive God’s promise ie the Holy Spirit

In both, faith is required, circumcision is required, a promise is made by God, and obedience and good works are produced in the partakers.

Free to obey, not free from Torah

Messianic Gentiles know their place in God’s redemption plan. They embrace the fact that they are now free to obey and keep God’s commandments because Yeshua took away the condemnation, our sin-debt.

No Christian would possibly proclaim that we stopped winning after we were saved. So then if we continue to sin, we transgress the Torah. Yet, although the most common penalty for transgressions is death, we can sit at the feet of Yeshua knowing that He died for the sins of the world.

This unique freedom which God gave us through His abundant grace is what makes followers of Yeshua wanting to obey.

Free from the Law?

Many Christian churches today are not standing on the Torah, as Paul explains in Romans 3:31^[2]. Most will ignore the deeper meaning of Sh'aul's writings by not understanding his Jewish context. Paul was a highly educated Pharisee. He knew Scripture better than possibly any modern-day scholar. He upheld the Torah, and taught others to do so.

Gentiles are not free from the Law. Because they were never under the Law. How can you proclaim freedom from something you never considered to be under?

Many Gentile Christians follow a flawed argumentative chain:

1. The law was given to Israel, not gentiles
2. Gentiles are under the new covenant, not the old covenant
3. The law was nailed to the cross
4. Therefore, we (gentiles) don't have to follow the law

Do you see the flaws?
If you were never expected to stop at a red traffic light, how can you celebrate if this law was to be abolished?

The argument has holes.

You can't have the cake and eat it. Neither can you claim freedom from something you supposedly were never obliged to uphold.

The world (incl Christians) will hate you

Yeshua told His disciples that the world would hate them because of His name. He did not make an exception. He did not say "the Jews will hate you". Nor did He say "Gentiles will hate you". Today, we see many Christians who name-call those fellow believers who keep God’s commandments as Judaizers, Pharisees, or worse.

We were told. We were warned. Yeshua saw it coming.

When we start doing the things which Yeshua taught, we are called names. It seems as if we have come full circle. Did not those Pharisees (not all) who Yeshua opposed in their zeal of upholding the oral Torah and their traditions over God's commandments hate Him, too? Did they not call Him names?

Embrace the Hate

As it is written in the B’rit Chadashah (בְּרִית חֲדָשָׁה - New Testament/New Covenant), rejoice in the fact that people hate you. Because God and Yeshua are glorified through it. Just as He suffered for us, we shall take our cross and suffer for His name.

Christians today, particularly those of the “faith vs works” doctrine, will oppose anything that merely resembles (Messianic) Judaism. Certainly, Messiah gave us freedom from the oral Torah. God gave us freedom from the circumcision in the flesh. Yet, there is still circumcision…of the heart. God tells us in the prophets that he will circumcise our hearts himself. There is no work that we need to do to gain salvation.

Yet, there is work to do after salvation to produce good deeds before the Son of Man will come and judge everyone according to their deeds.

Faith produces obedience. It produces (hopefully) good works. Good works not according ot our own understanding, but to God's standards which He gave us in the Torah and the Tanakh.
The cross did not abolish God’s instructions (Torah) on how His chosen people (Jews and Messianic Gentiles who have faith in Messiah) are supposed to live in His righteousness.

God does not leave a guessing game to us. He tells us exactly how he wants us to live.
And with the Holy Spirit, we have received an enabler to keep God's commandments.

Scripture Study Notes

1. How does the concept of "Messianic Gentile" reconcile the apparent tension between Paul's teachings on grace and the continued observance of the Torah?
2. What specific examples from the New Testament can be used to support or refute the claim that Christians are "free from the law"?
3. Given the historical context of the relationship between Judaism and Christianity, how can the modern-day conflict between Messianic Judaism and certain Christian denominations be better understood and potentially resolved?

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Footnotes