Torah Alignment
“Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood.” Acts 15:19-20 NASB
Contaminated – What’s in your refrigerator? That might be the appropriate modern-day question to introduce James’ pronouncement. Far too often Christian theologians have suggested that this passage eliminates all Torah requirements except the rules given to Noah. That’s probably because most interpreters in the last millennium have ignored the context of this announcement. We will not. Let’s take a longer look at what James has to say.
James is Jewish (despite the Anglicized name). He is Ya’aqob, recognized leader of the Jerusalem assembly (qehillah) of the followers of the Way. Everything about him stems from his Jewish roots and his understanding and worship of Yeshua Ha-Mashiach. When he speaks, he speaks from the authority of the Tanakh (the Hebrew Scriptures). His concern is not about how his fellow countrymen become “Christians.” His concern is about all the Gentiles who are joining the Jewish qehillah. After listening to the discussion, he determines that only four things are really required of these Gentile converts. He agrees with Sha’ul that outward circumcision is not a requirement. A Gentile does not have to become a Jew (the ritual process of becoming a Jew included circumcision) in order to be a participant in the fellowship of the qehillah. That is settled. What a Gentile must do, however, is meet four specific requirements. These requirements begin with the idea of pagan contamination (in Greek, alisgema, a word occurring only here in the New Testament). Of course, Ya’aqob wasn’t speaking Greek. So whatever he said must be related to a Jewish-Hebrew perspective. And once we begin to look there, we find something very interesting, not found in the Genesis account of Noah.
Whoever participates in table fellowship in the qehillah has fellowship with YHVH. The Tanakh makes it clear that table fellowship incorporates “clean” food and specific kosher rituals.[1] Gentiles who are entering the qehillah fellowship are required to participate in the table fellowship according to Tanakh practice. They may not participate in sacrificial meals to pagan deities because table fellowship was a symbol of worship. In other words, a person could not participate in pagan rituals and, at the same time, participate in table fellowship with YHVH. This requirement has nothing to do with “earning” salvation. Salvation is God’s gift. But it has everything to do with living a life in honor of YHVH and participating in the community called apart by YHVW. James effectively says, “You can’t keep on doing those things associated with pagan table fellowship. You have to leave all those behind.”
Now look at the four requirements. In the context of the first century, Jewish culture in Jerusalem, each of these four actions would have been considered signs of pagan worship (offerings to idols, sexual worship rituals, strangulation rather than kosher slaughter, drinking blood or using blood in ways other than those prescribed by God). So James says, “None of these can be allowed,” not because he is making a pronouncement about food but because these fellowship-related behaviors are associated with idolatry.
If you are going to participate at God’s table, you need to give up your idolatrous ways. Today, James might have a different list, a list that includes our symbols of serving other gods. Table fellowship with YHVH comes in only one flavor – His.
So, what’s in your refrigerator? And what’s in your heart? Have you put aside all those actions and elements that signal idolatry in any form? Have you determined that you will sit at God’s table according to His directions? Or are you trying to eat from your own menu?
Topical Index: table fellowship, pollution, alisgema, food, idolatry, Acts 15:19-20
[1] cf. 1 Samuel 9:13, Jeremiah 11:15, Haggai 2:12, Zechariah 14:21
What about the biggest idol of all: self? Intemperance (which is a sin) is about putting self first. Emotional eating to stuff trust issues is going to be the wrong way to digest, for sure. Even science recognizes this one. Prayer at meals includes the Holy Spirit at our table, which really, as Skip says, sits us at His. If I cannot eat every fork with gratitude to Him instead of addictive emotional responses to ME, my digestive system would be better off starving I have been thinking about this a lot lately. Thank you for the clarity, Skip!
I think you are talking to me, Laurita. Emotional eating gets right at the heart of things. I need to make some serious changes here.
Thanks Skip. Would those 4 requirements be only the beginning for gentiles to join Yeshua’s assembly? The next verse Acts 15:21 seems to imply that these gentiles would have Shabbats for learning the rest of Torah.
They would have heard the weekly Torah portion read each Shabbat, so they would have continued to learn about Adonai and his ways, the covenant, the laws, and the festivals. Also, by participating in the assembly, they would have been immersed into these activities. So, if they were truly following Yeshua and the Way, eventually those things would be incorporated into their daily lives, too. Kind of like baby steps. I think those 4 things were the minimum requirement to be included in the assembly, but once you joined the assembly, you begin to assimilate into the assembly by learning about and following Torah. I know that I’m still learning and every time we cycle back around to Shabbat or to one of the ordained holidays, I learn and incorporate a little more.
But, that being said, I’m not Skip, and definitely not an expert. I could be completely wrong (and if I am, I’m happy to learn the truth). 🙂
Exactly. The four are about what they must GIVE UP to be part of the assembly. From that point on, they would learn the Jewish way of life.
As Skip said these four action steps are the GIVING UP, the teshuvah so to speak, to begin to participate in fellowship. Dare I say this is the first century “sinner’s prayer”. I can only imagine that they would have experienced in their gentile world what any one of us who are now walking in Torah Alignment experience now: ridicule, shunning, judgmental attitudes, ostracization, stigmatization… they had to know what the cost would be, as they, too, surely lost relationship with their families, relatives, friends, &c
And what about those family dinners, Leslie? Has anything really changed? Eating is the single biggest way we have to fellowship, and any difference is bound to be taken as a form of rejection. No one likes what appears to be a ‘picky eater’, because they feel that you are somehow shutting them out. Thinking about what Gayle said, eating is one way we have to share mutual emotional responses, too, either for good or for ill. I think its time for me to polish some more humility and manners so as to minimize or to get around those potential misunderstandings.
I really like your analogy to the “sinner’s prayer”. I am going to use that one, if you don’t mind. Thank you!
When are we going to prophetically critique Biblical scholars, denominational colleges, and leaders of churches?
When are we going to confront and critique scholars who have certain agendas to push and promote? Why do we not insist that they quit grinding their axes, and put something real on the grind? (I will just say, it begins with an a)
When will we have the courage to look at scholars and leaders of denominations and churches, and see if their lives have passed from death unto life? When are we going to applaud them not for the pertinent information or facts they present, but for the lives they have impacted for the glory of the Father? When are we going to quit holding them in esteem for the letters in front of their name, instead of, the living epistles to be seen by all men? Are we more interested because they can wax eloquently and move us with their words, or because they can move heaven to earth with their lives and words?
Are we willing to judge and see if their words are born from the dirt and mold of earth below? Are we bold enough to insist their words carry the power and wisdom of the age to come, where we are transformed more into the image of the Son? Its this power that will One Day break through fully into a new – (renewed?) heaven and earth!
The world is dying! Are we willing?
The above words are mine. I sent it from Mozilla Firefox and not the usual Internet Explorer.
How can the statement “Gentiles who are entering the qehillah fellowship are required to participate in the table fellowship according to Tanakh practice.” be a true claim when we read in verse
24 For as much as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:
If this is a correct translation then the apostles did not promote Torah or Tanakh to become part of the assembly of believers.
Except from repenting from the things that YHVH hates there then seems no obligation for anything else including the rituals of baptism, holy communion and baptism with the holy spirit. Emphasis that repentance is about not doing again which will then actually make all the rituals of purification also obsolete…
The question then remaining what is really required:
Micah 6, Matt 6, John 6 and now add to the list Acts 15. OR TORAH surely we cannot claim TORAH is still found in the listed requirements when the requirements do not specifically state this and the Jewish raised apostles do not specifically make such a claim… Or is it love YHVH above all and your neighbour as yourself and nothing more…
Skip you are confusing this one seeker when discussing the requirements yet you continue stating the necessity of keeping the Jewish traditional teachings… What will it be either of the referenced requirements, or Torah or only the latest documented reminder. Or should we dig deeper and ask to which era these guidelines applied… or to which phase of our repentance process!
It is common to confuse requirements for entrance into the assembly with requirements for involvement in the assembly. Since the early Church fathers rejected the Jewish way of life, they spoke as if Paul’s statements about involvement in the assembly were the same as entrance into the assembly. But the difference is critical. Paul confronts the Jewish group who came to Galatia. He argues that ENTRANCE into the assembly is NOT dependent on any human requirement. It depends solely on God’s calling and our response to that call. This is essentially what Peter discovered at the house of Cornelius. God CALLED the Gentiles, not to become Jews but to participate in the assembly of the Kingdom. So circumcision, dietary restrictions, Shabbat, etc. have NO merit when it comes to ENTRANCE into the Kingdom. As Paul says, circumcision is nothing. That is, nothing FOR THIS PURPOSE. But circumcision (and the subsequent observance of the commandments of Torah) is EVERYTHING when it comes to participating in the fellowship of followers of YHVH. Galatian gentiles were called by God and came into the fellowship through the Messiah. That was ENOUGH. They did not need to become Jews by being proselytes. But once they came into the assembly, they took on a particular WAY OF LIVING, that is, they began to practice Torah obedience because Torah obedience IS THE WAY of following YHVH. Without it, there is no distinctive difference and no affiliation with YHVH. Therefore, Paul can argue that Torah is NOT NECESSARY in order to be called, but IS NECESSARY in order to follow.
This is the debate in the Acts 15 counsel. Peter and James agree. Gentiles must leave behind the syncretism of the Roman world. They must stop being idol worshippers. But they are called by God and therefore are welcomed in the assembly because of God’s call, not because they have become Jews. Once they have become part of the assembly, then they are taught Moses every Shabbat, that is, they learn how to LIVE LIKE PEOPLE OF THE COVENANT.
There is no confusion in the first century for this is exactly what happened. The confusion comes when the Church tries to abrogate the Torah under the claim that Paul is speaking about FOLLOWING, not about INVITATION.
Skip,
Excellent response! It was actually Peter and James in Acts 15.
Right. Sorry. I will fix it now.
Interesting, I have a couple questions relating to this subject. I am still reading Heschel’s book, The Prophets. He talks at length about many other religions and religious practices and how they came to be formalized as a religion, as well as how those gods were worshipped and experienced. What I find disturbing is that many of the attributes of these gods and the ways we worship today are remarkably similar to many pagan practices. Is a form of idolatry worship in the same manner a pagan god would be worshipped? Even if there is no physical idol before us? If we assign attributes that belong to Zeus (as an example) to God, does that mean we are guilty of idolatry?
There are no attributes which belong to Zeus.
All things originate with God.
He is the Source.
If an adjective or attribute of human language may be applied to Him at all, then it belongs to Him, first and foremost.
That pagans burned offerings (and their children) to their idols in no way invalidates the fact that the Lord instructed His people Israel to burn offerings (but not their children) to Him. Those practices did not “belong” to the pagans, those practices were ordained in Eden and codified in Torah…and corrupted by pagans.
That pagan healers and seers would pray and cure and prophecy (at least in seeming), by no means indicates that the gifts of the Spirit are somehow pagan in origin or purpose.
All things belong to God. Zeus is a figment of man’s imagination or a demonic force. Nothing more.
Excellent!!!
Thank you for a plainly explained response, Skip, it does raise more questions on the interpretation or rather understanding of the words…
Okay, so come in and listen is what is being discussed in Acts 15. It does not include come in and be part of…
Now that does not sound inline with the OT approach… If a stranger enters we are instructed to treat him as part of… As this is hospitality. Or do the Jews consider hospitality as only being in their presence…
By saying may not partake that includes things such as singing, praying, worshiping etc. those are the things that count by God as he seeks not sacrifice and offerings but charity and righteousness.
Sorry still not in on this one…
Unless you consider participating as asking questions, responding to questions or playing leading roles within the gathering, etc. which will neither make sense as how can I gain understanding if I cannot put in right when it is said… Telling me to wait till later just confirms God is not there as even you claim he is in the now we shape the future… I agree in orderly questioning and discussions as that promotes harmony, I do not say stand up and disrupt everything. Just do not tell me to come back tomorrow… (Implying time is out lets wait for next get together)
I do not think the churches abrogate the Torah as you say, they just do not promote it as a prerequisite to seek forgiveness or worship. The longer you are involved in the church you may also discover that their guiding principles are the bones that make out the resurrected body of Yeshau – the complete 613 laws of Moses which may not be broken – they just refer to it differently so that they understand it within their height of enlightenment. They then tend to only uphold the four everlasting feasts and nothing else…
Yes some churches have moved away from these and added their own rites,,, which is wrong and we need to remind that the bones are what give the body strength not the flesh or numbers of people attending. While the Ten Commandments are the things that draw or call people to unite in a cause.
My 2c…
Just quickly. Show me one main line denomination that adopts Torah as a way of life. What about Shabbat, kosher, obligations to others, the festivals? Even Pesach has been modified. There is no doubt at all that the early Church fathers wanted a non-Jewish religion, and they got that by abrogating Torah. You might think that Christians practice the commandments, but take a closer look. They basically pick and choose, and then proclaim that NONE of them are really required. This is the essence of replacement theology and all main line church denominations embrace it in their theology if not in practice.
Slow to respond…
Main line denomination – what dogma are you referring to. As I do not follow any Christian doctrine I just randomly wonder and visit as my curiosity triggers…
I state again I found them to be the guiding principles not the dogma or doctrine. Not perfect but growing towards it, sooner or later admitting the law or part thereof are the solution to their problems… Again God perfects the called he does not only call the perfect – paradigm shift…
As for the four feasts the only one I have not found yet is the feasts of the tents as no Christian denomination even consider it, why I have not yet really even considered but will investigate once I grown in my faith…
The Christian version used to be called camp meetings and they did have their popular day, especially before we had other social media, such as telephones or television. One week a year everybody got together and stayed in tents and had solid meetings from before dawn to late at night and you had to choose which ones you wanted to go to, and it was hard to choose. The kids got their own variety of meetings and activities, which included a lot of music and nature walks and the like, rejoining their parents for the evening meetings. I made a whole childhood’s worth of friends at camp meeting. I loved it because it was the great leveler. Everybody had to gear down to the same level back then – tents. Too fun for words. It works when it works. This was Seventh Day Adventist.
Sorry never participated in such events..
Sounds as if should start with family reunion and build from there…
Seeker, would you mean Feast of Tabernacles/Tents? You should try it, reading Tanakh and having meals in your backyard in a Sukkah is exhilarating. Unlike a tent, you can view the night sky just as the Israelites did in their travels out of Egypt. Shalom.
No, not one, Skip. Even in messianic assemblies, they have one foot in and one foot out, bringing with them their christian baggage/s. They cherry pick what suits their theology, or beliefs; do NOT fully adopt the Torah way of life/living. Sigh.
Thank you Ester
I will investigate the requirements and may still get around to it…
“Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law” is a textual variant found in some Greek manuscripts, and is translated into the KJV and NKJV. Most textual critics regard it as not part of the original Acts. However, there are a few who’d vehemently argue the other way.
“a list that includes our symbols of serving other gods”
I would like to explore what our contemporary symbols include
Great idea. Let’s start one. Here’s my opening contribution:
1. The Cross. Might as well start with a bang. Why is THE CROSS at the center of most churches? Why is it a universal symbol of Christianity? Was it EVER considered a sign of worship in the first century? Absolutely NO! The cross was a place of PAGAN POWER, Rome’s claim to have the power of life and death in its hands. It represented the epitome of idolatry. Give me your loyalty or I will kill you in the most hideous way you can imagine. As I point out in my book, Cross Word Puzzles, no Jew would have considered the cross a place of atonement or forgiveness. Yet Christianity adopted it as its distinctive sign. Why the cross instead of an empty tomb? Because the cross is the ultimate ANTI-JEWISH symbol. Hung around your neck or mounted on the wall, the cross shouts, “We are NOT JEWISH! Jews killed our Jesus. We are different than Jews – and we are RIGHT!”
Not to mention that the cross is a very important occult symbol, used in ancient Babylon (and today, of course) in the worship of Mithras and Tammuz (bet those women in the temple that Ezekiel saw in vision “weeping for Tammuz” had a cross somewhere). It was also popular in various other religions, in various forms. It was not an ‘unclaimed’, or neutral, symbol!
It was not known in Christendom until the fourth century; the first record of it being the vision of a cross Constantine had in the sky before his supposed conversion, and before a battle he felt doomed to lose. The New Age people I know like it a lot. I think it is a symbol of antichrist because it keeps Him dead. Very dead.
Empty tomb symbol, however, as far as I know still has not been claimed by anybody. I am going to vote with Skip. Who is for empty tomb? One “Aye!” over here.
There is something of a middle ground in the Catholic church. I have many ancestral cousins who were Resurrection order priests, many of them high school teachers, charismatic and very dedicated to their work. They were an “order” apart from a “typical” diocesan priest for example and their symbol was the resurrected messiah with hands upraised and no cross.
And then is also the example of the Nazi crooked cross of horrendous “christian” (in name, small ‘c’) infamy.
I have often asked those who ‘hold onto the cross’ these questions. “If the method of execution for Yeshua had been lethal injection or electric chair, would you really wear a syringe or little chair on a chain around your neck?”
“Would we hang them on the walls of our buildings?” How about singing – “The old used Syringe” – ok, ok – I’ll stop now…
The scripture that came to mind was Galatians 6:14. Any ideas on what Paul meant by his statement about only boasting in the cross or execution stake?
Mel
14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world
is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
This is the only cross I also believe in and have no other symbol.
The early followers adopted the fish as a sign of gathering. So do the Jews have the seven candles as symbols and the wearing of certain clothes… Are they truly part of the 613 laws?
That is correct Skip. Yeshua said the first one with out sin cast the first stone… I also always judged denominational teachings even Torah, but then asked why are these things always referenced…
The answer who is not directly against us is actually on our side irrespective of how distanced the view is. Guide back with love not with rules…
Hello Seeker when a Jewish heritage and finding the Messiah through that we always understood that the seven-branched Candelabra was for the seven Covenants very meaningful no occultism there.
Opening statement hello Seeker we are Jewish Heritage group.
Okay, but is it Torah requirement or rabbinic view…
Hi Brett
The same as the seven gifts in 1 Cor 12?
So…I’ve seen the story of the adulteress used a LOT for various things…
What does it do to your theology to learn that the entire pretty famous story of Christ and the adulteress just is not present in the older manuscripts. It’s not there. The stuff around it is there…but it’s not there. One has to move forward to texts some 200 years younger than the oldest archaeological manuscripts extant to find that story….
Vashra- The many confusing discrepancies and inconsistencies in the NT reveals its fabrication, and adding into. Consider the Four Gospels, they do not appear to be written by eye-witnesses, having different perspectives. The contents are different from each other. Shalom!
This would be why that song about clinging to the Old Rugged Cross just plain weirded me out. It would be like watching people on Martin Luther King day march around with big pictures of a the gun that shot him….
Symbols can be kind of slippery. What I mean is that it’s difficult to attach one universal meaning to any given symbol. Take for instance the native Americans who used both “crosses” and “swastikas” in their art. I’ve seen images of a “swastika” and the “Star of David” on an old Indian blanket. Google it. : )
Recently I have friends who are freaking out about the star of David symbol being pagan. I wonder if there are any symbols that are completely free of pagan meaning.
Just as meaning in words is determined by the people who use them, so the meaning of symbols is determined by the culture that uses them. So the real question is this,”How does the Church USE the symbol of the cross?” Is it the same way that the first century Jewish followers of the Messiah used that symbol? If not, why not?