Created: Sat 26-July-2025 - 09:21
Do you drive on the right or left side of the road?
In whichever country you live, anybody would expect an immigrant to comply to the laws and regulations of the country you live in. Immigrants should learn and understand the laws of where you live, they should embrace your culture, they should do the things you do, and adapt to the societal environment they join into. It is a matter of respect and common sense.
Imagine you live in Europe or the USA. You drive on the right side of the road. If someone from the UK or India or Australia was to immigrate and started driving on the left side of the road (which is the law in those countries), this would cause serious havoc, damage, and law breaking.
What does this have to do with Gentiles, Jews, and the B'rit Chadashah (בְּרִית חֲדָשָׁה - New Testament/New Covenant)? Everything.
Embracing God's Law
One common misconception in Christianity today is that God's Law (Torah)—His everlasting instructions to us on how to live a holy live—was done away with. In Christ (Yeshua Hamashiach), they say, we (the Messianic Gentiles) are free from any law. You can even hear a version of the Gospel which says that the law was only meant for the Jews; and everybody who follows the law perverts the Gospel, thereby sowing the seed of anti-semitism in the world. After all, Messiah Yeshua was Jewish.
Taking our analogy from the introduction, such a doctrine would mean that if they emigrated to a country where cars must be driven on the opposite side, they would still continue to ignore such laws and drive where they are used to drive. You can imagine the havoc and uproar such a behaviour would cause.
For a society to thrive, those coming in must adhere and embrace the rules and regulations, the instructions, and the laws of that country. New members must adapt to it and depart from their old ways. This sounds familiar.
Ignorance towards God's Torah (Laws, Commandments, Instructions) is like continuing to drive on the wrong side of the road, proclaiming that you don't have to abide by the law
YHWH spoke to us in the B'rit Chadashah (בְּרִית חֲדָשָׁה - New Testament/New Covenant). He spoke His commandments to us again on the Sermon on the Mount through the mouth of Yeshua—just like YHWH spoke to us on Mount Sinai.
How are Gentiles grafted into the House of Israel?
A wonderful video might illustrate how Gentiles are grafted into the House of Israel, into the true vine which is Messiah alongside the original branches (Israel).
title: "Revolutionary Skin Grafting Technique Revealed!"
image: "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VNPZXVwAGPo/oar2.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEkCJUDENAFSFqQAgHyq4qpAxMIARUAAAAAJQAAyEI9AICiQ3gB&rs=AOn4CLCu6OqsTFQY8bkMiIj2Mc9KZoe0Tg"
description: "Discover the groundbreaking skin chip grafting technique that’s changing the game! This revolutionary method is transforming the way we approach skin graftin…"
url: "https://youtube.com/shorts/VNPZXVwAGPo?si=KxdX91P7zUbpUWQk"
Paul's theological clarification can be found in Romans 11.
Main Passages in the Brit Chadasha (New Testament)
In the New Testament, we find numerous passages that seem to unmistakably indicate that Messianic Believers (Jews and Gentiles) are to keep God's Commandments. We are not only called to believer, but to be baptised in Messiah as to become a new creation in Him.
Yeshua has called His disciples and followers to 'follow Him' in many situations.
What does 'Follow Me' really mean?
We know what it does not mean. It does not mean standing on the sidelines and watch Yeshua perform miracles. When a Rabbi back in Yeshua's day said to a Talmid (Disciple; talmidim = plural) to follow him, this was big. Typically, students had to apply to study under a Rabbi. Much like students have to apply for university nowadays.
When you follow someone, particularly a teacher, you want to emulate his manners, speech, ethics, values, behaviour.
Did Yeshua only call Jews?
Another fruitless argument by so-called Gentile Christians is the following:
"Jesus only spoke to Jews or Pharisees. None of that applies to Gentiles. We don't have to follow any Law."
While it is not absolutely certain if Yeshua only called Jews to follow Him, it is certain that He did interact with Gentiles. Considering also that He taught at the synagogue every Shabbat, it is fair to assume that in these synagogues was a mix of Jews (by birth), Proselytes (converted Gentiles),and God-fearers (Gentile believers who did not convert to Judaism).
The argument then that Yeshua only spoke to Jews breaks ground for much deeper issues:
- If that was the case, how can then Gentiles participate in the New Covenant knowing that the New Covenant was not made with Gentiles but only with the House of Israel and Judah?
- How would Messianic Gentiles walk in holiness and righteousness of God if they ignored His instructions (Torah)?
- How would YHWH allow anyone to disregard His commandments?
- How would Messianic Gentiles continue to sanctify themselves until the second coming of Messiah—the bridegroom fetching His bride (believers)?
Arguments like the above open up a Pandora Box of theological inconsistencies. Yet, we must address these arguments so that those who the Father draws will come to Messiah and their hearts will be circumcised, and the veil over their eyes will be lifted.
What did God say about Gentiles?
How can we be so sure that Gentiles are not the exception of the God's rule? After all, does Yeshua not teach love and freedom from the Law? Yes, and No. When tackling this question, we shall go back into the Tanakh and read what God said about Gentiles and how they would be joined in.
One Law for All
The concept of "one law for all" in the Tanakh refers to the principle that the same laws and statutes apply equally to Israelites and foreigners living among them. This is found in various passages, notably in Exodus 12:49, Leviticus 24:22, and Numbers 15:15-16, which emphasize the same legal standards for both native-born and resident foreigners regarding matters like Passover observance, blasphemy, murder, and offerings.
Rashi comments on Exodus 12:49 as follows:
תורה אחת וגו׳ ONE LAW etc. — This is stated in addition to the similar text in v. 48 in order to declare that the proselyte is equal to the native also in respect to all other commands of the Torah (i. e. the preceding text has reference only to the Paschal offering whilst this is a general statement) (Mekhilta
Another interesting comment on the topic of strangers can be found here:
Leadership in the Wilderness; Authority and Anarchy in the Book of Numbers, Part I, Chapter 5; Leaders and Strangers 12
If the stranger can enjoy literal and metaphysical benefits such as atonement, what makes the stranger a stranger at all? Multiple times in the Pentateuch is the expression “there shall be one law for you and the resident alien” used to show legal equivalence. Like citizens, strangers can be cut off from the community for cursing God and are obliged to refrain from behaviors that engender impurity. The stranger and the citizen both enjoy the privileges of the community and are both accountable for their place in the community and for their personal relationships with God through prohibitive commands. A poor gentile or ger was counted among the recipients of communal welfare (Lev. 19:10) and enjoyed the protections of the community as a relative equal (Lev. 24:22). Who, then, was the stranger, if during this period of transition there was no land from which to claim citizenship? Who was a stranger if we were all strangers? Furthermore, what made this individual alien if he was included in the community, such that both citizen and stranger were “alike before the Lord”?
Judaism: Equal rights to stranger
What is the Talmud, VIII What is not written in the Talmud? Jew and Gentile, 4 Xenophobia? 3
In order to understand just how far hatred of the stranger is from Judaism, and therefore also from the Talmud, one should examine the legal and social standing of the “Ger”, the stranger who dwells in the Jewish state, or in an autonomous Jewish community. (The entire passage which follows concerns the “ger toshav”, that is a stranger who has settled in a Jewish area, and not the “ger tzedek”, a stranger who has been persuaded to convert to Judaism.) According to the Torah the stranger has equal rights. In Leviticus (24:22) it is written: “You shall have one law, for the stranger and for the citizen: because I am the Lord your G-d”. Besides this, it is forbidden to force or put pressure on the stranger, and in the same breath there is the commandment to love him (the stranger) “as yourself”. “And when a stranger lives among you in your land – you must do him no wrong. The stranger who lives among you should be treated as one of your own, and you should love him as yourself – because you were strangers in Egypt; I am the Lord your G-d” (Leviticus 19:33-34). Compare also with Exodus 22:20;23:3; Deuteronomy 24:17-18 and also when the whole people are assembled at Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal to hear the blessings and the curses in Deuteronomy 27:19: “Cursed is he who perverts justice due the stranger, orphan and widow; and all the people said Amen”.
Sojourners joining themselves to God
In Isiah 56, we find remarkable passages how God is dealing with foreigners who joined themselves to YHWH. Something that is echoed in the B'rit Chadashah (בְּרִית חֲדָשָׁה - New Testament/New Covenant): Messianic Gentiles leave their old 'religion', their old gods, their old way of life, joining themselves to Messiah and YHWH, thus becoming renewed in Spirit.
It is recommended to the reader to immerse themselves fully in the greatness of God towards Gentiles in Isaiah 56. Here are but a few highlights:
Isa 56.3
Let no foreigner who has joined himself to Yahweh speak, saying, "Yahweh will surely separate me from his people." Do not let the eunuch say, "Behold, I am a dry tree."
Isa 56.4
For Yahweh says, "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, choose the things that please me, and hold fast to my covenant,
Isa 56.5
I will give them in my house and within my walls a memorial and a name better than of sons and of daughters. I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.
Isa 56.6
Also the foreigners who join themselves to Yahweh to serve him, and to love Yahweh's name, to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath from profaning it, and holds fast my covenant,
Isa 56.7
I will bring these to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples."
Shabbat
One remark shall be made about the importance of keeping God's shabbat even for foreigners, i.e. non-Jews. Three times, the Shabbat is mentioned in Isaiah 56 alone. It is too easy for Christianity today to form an argument against keeping the Sabbath, even against keeping God's commandments based on a flawed and perverted gospel of grace. The Good News of Yeshua Messiah was indeed the abundant grace of God for our salvation; the Good News was not that God's Law was abolished.
For Israel only?
Many arguments will undoubtedly be formed to oppose these passages as "for Israel only", or by denial of the validity of the Tanakh in its wholeness.
If we believe in an unchanging, everlasting, all-knowing God, then we must accept Scripture, both the Tanakh and the B'rit Chadashah (בְּרִית חֲדָשָׁה - New Testament/New Covenant). We must furthermore accept that God is able to preserve His word for generations regardless of the corruptibility of men. We must then also acknowledge the Sh'ma—the most significant Jewish prayer—that God is One. There is not god of the old testament and a god of the new testament. There is One. There is no god for Israel and a god for Gentiles. There is One.
Yeshua and the Gentiles
Does it not seem highly unlikely that Yeshua, proclaiming that He came for the lost sheep of the House of Israel, would lower God's standards for Gentiles? Yeshua followed God's own doctrine, not His own. He only did and said what was commanded to Him by the Father.
Would it not create a greater divide between Jews and Gentiles if there were laxer rules for Gentiles in the B'rit Chadashah (בְּרִית חֲדָשָׁה - New Testament/New Covenant) than for the lost sheep of the House of Israel?
Would it not create the same tensions within society if a foreigner started driving on the wrong side of the road and insisting on their ways?
Conclusion
As Messianic Believers (Jew or Gentile), we are called to follow Yeshua Messiah, to follow His Way on the correct side of the road (analogically).
We are called to live a holy life in the righteousness of God to sanctify ourselves for the second coming of Messiah, our bridegroom.
With all the grace and goodness that Messianic Gentiles and Messianic Jews enjoy in Messiah, a believer should be delighted to walk in God's commandments, in His Torah i.e. God's instructions for a righteous and holy life.
Study Questions
-
Considering the analogy of driving on the correct side of the road, how can we better communicate the importance of observing God's commandments to those who believe they are no longer applicable to Gentiles?
-
Given the passages in Isaiah 56 regarding foreigners joining Yahweh, how can we reconcile the concept of "one law for all" with the specific instructions and promises given to those who keep the Sabbath and the covenant?
-
How do we address the argument that Yeshua's ministry primarily focused on Jews, and therefore, the commandments He taught are not binding on Gentiles?