- Do we have to keep the law as found in the first five books of the Bible?
- Do you think others have to keep the law to be saved?
- Do you still use the writings of the new testament? Or just the ones about Jesus?
- Do you believe prophetic scripture in the Old Testament were solely about Israel and Jesus or do they have some duality with "the Church"?
- Answer: Technically, no one keeps ALL the Torah/Law today. Even if you were to live in the Land of Israel with a Temple and priesthood, the "individual" (depending on certain specifics) only has about a 1/3 of the Torah that is pertinent or applicable to him/her. Also, the word "Law" is a poor English word to use to truly denote what the word "Torah" means, which can be defined better as "Teachings/Instructions of Light for Living". The word "Law" has much inherent church baggage attached to it in regards to religious matters. See the article: Etymology of the word "Torah" for more details.
- Answer: I do not think anyone has to keep the Torah to be "saved" or to receive the seed of salvation. But acts of righteousness are the fruit of an individual's life that eventually develop out of the growth of that inward seed (see the article: For a Tree is Known by its Fruit). The book of James speaks of this concept and Martin Luther generally despised it. Many Christians actually observe a lot of Torah without even realizing it. They simply shy away from the commands which "they" or someone has defined as "Jewish" and thus unnecessary (according to their reasoning), such as eating clean foods, 7th day sabbath, etc. When Yeshua spoke of the heavy burden that the religious leaders of Jew-dah placed on the people, he was speaking of Jewish tradition or Jewish Halakha. Some Jewish tradition was good and even observed by Yeshua, but much of it is not Torah but instead rabbinical innovations which actually break written Torah, something Yeshua confirmed when quoting Isaiah 29:13 in Matthew 15:9.
- Answer: Yes, I frequently and actively use NT texts in my own study and teachings. But since the Bereans, Paul, and the disciples considered the Hebrew Scriptures as their "Holy Scriptures", I tend to elevate "those" Scriptures above any others instead of the other way around (i.e., NT above the OT). I have often wondered why Yeshua did not write any books or letters to later be canonized, but then I realize the Tanakh is actually a body of words that represent Him already... much of which He actually spoke in some form or another (John 1:1).
- Answer: יהוה and the Tanakh (the Hebrew Scriptures) were always about the nations. Israel was always suppose to be a light to the nations. A mixed-multitude of peoples came out of Egypt with Israel. Ezekiel 37:16 shows 10-Israel and Jew-dah both have "companions" which are from non-Israelite nations. And Ephraim was prophesied to become "the fullness of the nations" (Genesis 48:19).
Regarding prophetic duality and the Church: I believe there is NOT an entity known as "the church" for which Scripture promotes. The word Church is traced back to a word used for a pagan house of worship (Kirche, kirk, etc). See The Origin of the Word "Church". The original word in the ancient texts was "Ekklesia" in Greek and "Hekal" in Hebrew, both meaning simply "Assembly" or "House" or "Temple" or "Body" in various literal and figurative uses. In my mind, the Assembly of Israel (with all her companions) is the bride of Messiah... and He only has one bride. Yet, unfortunately she is very divided amongst herself currently... and is not technically His bride YET. Considering Revelation 19:7, the "marriage covenant" has not yet been cut or made anew or rather renewed at this time. Personally, I only see a scattered, fractured, remnant of people who are only "betrothed" and trying to prepare themselves for Him and the ultimate wedding, thus... this whole idea that "we have a new covenant now and the old one is done away with" is more than just a little amiss. We currently have NO unified assembly and NO established covenant and the Torah that our ancestors tried to keep is something we as individuals can continue to try to keep so long as the practices are pertinent to us as individuals but they are NOT necessarily binding on any particular assembly because the Assembly does NOT exist YET as a MARRIED bride. But just like a betrothed woman prepares for her husband, she can begin to wear clean garments and separate herself away from other men until the time of her wedding. Thus we can and should work actively in our lives to make ourselves ready for Him, not just mentally and emotionally, but through physical and practical living standards set forth in Torah.
The answers above are generally how I respond to family and friends when asked similar questions. My views are not set into a creed of stone and they are certainly not necessarily the views of other Two-House and Hebraic-Roots advocates around the world. Feel free to add your view and opinion below in the comments section.
Shalom in Messiah,
Hanok ben Isaak
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