Torah Observant Christianity is a dangerous movement that denies the finished work, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus said he came to fulfill the law, and the smallest part of it will not disappear until it has all been accomplished (Matt 5:17–18).
Colossians 2:17 tells us everything in the law of Moses was a shadow, a hint or precursor, pointing to the work of Jesus.
For example, cleanliness laws (including food laws) were to point to spiritual cleanliness that is required to be in God’s presence. But Colossians 2:16 tells us we no longer need to be judged by what we eat and drink.
The feasts and holy days were ritualistic presentations playing out the work of YHWH (such as in the exodus) and pointing forward to his atonement (Day of Atonement), resurrection (First Fruits), outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost), second coming (Trumpets), and millennium (Tabernacles).
The Sabbath points to the spiritual rest we find in Christ and living with Him in heaven which is an eternal rest from sin and wickedness (Heb 4:1-11). Colossians 2:16 says not to let anyone judge you for keeping a sabbath. Romans 14:5 says some believers will feel led to, and others not, are we are not to judge each other.
The entire book of Galatians is about the saving, finished work of Jesus on the cross and begins with an imprecatory curse on anyone who adds human work to the good news of the cross.
So, should Christians follow the commandments in the law of Moses?
This is not a modern question. It’s actually in the Bible, and the New Testament church already deliberated and came to a decision on this!
The Jerusalem Council ruled that Gentile converts (that’s us) do NOT need to eat kosher, do NOT need to keep a Sabbath, do NOT need to keep feasts and holy days (see Acts 15).
I am very passionate about this. I will be teaching a class next semester about how everything in the law of Moses was a shadow of Christ. It’s a beautiful element of Biblical literature!
Yes, I’m passionate. I came out of a works-based religion, a cult that mocks the finished work of Christ, and piles up a burden we cannot bear (Acts 15:10). As such, I get indignant about heresy.
I’m indignant about Arianism.
I’m indignant about Marcionism.
And dang it, I am indignant about anyone saying we are required to keep commandments from the law of Moses.
Yesterday, 5,000 people listened to a sermon in Salt Lake County saying we need to follow all the commandments of the Old Testament. This sermon said you can’t pick and choose — you can’t quote Jeremiah 29:11 for yourself and ignore commandments from the Old Testament.
(Applying principles from the classic prophets that were intentionally threaded with a universal, long-term layer is different from literal laws from a civil rule book that were NOT universal OR eternal. But that is besides the scope of this post)
This sermon was not meant to promote Torah Observant Christianity, but I fear that will be the unintended result for many people who heard it.
Or at least, it planted the seed of taking the Old Testament laws too literally for ourselves, and now the listeners (the majority of which are new Christians and are unfamiliar with most of the scriptures I’ve listed here) are primed to be open minded when they start to hear the echos of Torah Observant Christianity.
This pastor even quoted their favorite verse that fuels every argument they take. A verse that is very difficult for mature Christians and is certainty a stumbling block for new Christians, particularly when quoted out of context and with an agenda to persuade them to keep Law of Moses commandments.
This gravely concerns me.
It was a mistake. This pastor does not eat kosher or keep feasts. I bet he didn’t even realize how it came across.
I’m not sure who peer reviewed or signed off on his sermon, but there needs to be a system in place to understand and anticipate how people will hear the sermons. Not to categorize their response and put them in a box, but to be sensitive to the cultural climate and be sensitive to what might feed into popular movements or heresies.
We all need to be careful.
Please study the word and know for yourself what God asks of you, and what is heretical.
