Do we wonder what kind of morality God expects of us? Gentile Christians have adopted the libertine freedoms of Western culture, so that they often ignore even the most obvious Commandments. But God did not give us a license to sin. Messianic Jews also struggle with the Law of Moses, wondering if parts have been abrogated. The rabbis would have us continue to observe the Talmud. But there is a middle way, for Christians who love God and desire to know and serve him as devoted children. We keep the Torah as it is written, and follow the words and example that Jesus left for us.
Pslams 89:34 (God will not change his word.)
Matthew 5:17-19 (Christ will fulfill the law.)
Mark 7:7-9 (Men prefer their own laws.)
Part One:
We believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Thus we follow his teachings and try to observe the Commandments the way He did. If there is anything to add to the Torah, it must be found in the Gospels, and be as inspiration from the Word of God. Of course, we shall begin with the stone tablets that God gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai.
The Ten Commandments:
I. I am the Lord thy God, alone to worship.
II. Make no graven images (idols).
III. Don't take God's name in vain.
IV. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
V. Honor your mother and father.
VI. Do not murder.
VII. Do not commit adultery.
VIII. Do not steal.
IX. Do not bear false witness.
X. Do not covet anything your neighbor has.
These are the basic foundation of the kind of morality that God expects from us, and they are the ideas that allow for a peaceful world. Then we move on to the most important commands to keep in mind always.
A. Love the Lord thy God with all your heart, all your mind and all your strength.
B. Love your neighbor as yourself.
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
"Be merciful, as your Father in Heaven is merciful."
And remember the texts of the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) and the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:7-49).
And finally, Jesus taught by example:
"Love one another as I have loved you."
Keep the Jewish festivals, calendar and multi-year cycles. (7th year fallow & Jubilee) Jesus never told us that the festivals were not important. And He observed the ones that were important in his time. But don't say that the ones the rabbis invented after the days when He was with us are obligatory.
Try to follow as much of the Torah's laws as seem applicable to your situation, because you love God and you want to please Him. But don't assume that they are meant to be burdensome and difficult. Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Rather, the Law is plain and simple, even without hedges or layers. "The Sabbath was made for Mankind." It's a good festival to take a break from work once a week and give thanks to God. Observe it every week if you can, and follow the tradition you know. Yes, it's one of the Ten Commandments, but allow that doing some urgent good when needed is also acceptable. It is not an excuse for ignoring suffering. God said, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." And then when the Sabbath is done, come to church, to continue in God's praises and receive his grace.
Part Two:
Changing God's laws, usurping his authority to rule, denies his holiness and Kingship. There is a difference between drawing up laws for a state to use in controlling crimes, or to insure the smooth functioning of society, and imposing new religious observances. Anything devised by men must be viewed as being the accumulations of culture. We don't claim any divine inspiration for that. The Torah and the Gospels remain the foundation, but the rest is extra. We should know where our imperatives really stand. Follow the Lord your God, not the inventions of men. But if you think God wants us to be unruly, and dismiss the dictates of the government, read Romans, chapter 5.
The Talmud is a perfect example of how people change their scriptures so that they can ignore God and follow the laws of men. And when you point out problems in the text, they will accuse you of taking things out of context. This is exactly what a Muslim does when you try to quote Hadith to him. Is that the example to be following?
But the basic problem is this: the whole focus of the Oral Law has changed. We used to say that we were building a hedge around the law to help our people to avoid transgressing it by accidently getting too close to doing it wrong. Fine. That made sense, of a sort.
But now, they keep saying that the Pharisees were looking at the Torah, and seeing that there's something missing, so they have to restore what has been lost. Nothing has been lost! GOD DOES NOT ALLOW HIS WORD TO BE LOST! There is no need to "restore" any lacunae in the Torah. Moses did not forget anything that was revealed to him. If you really think there is something missing, something wrong with the Torah, then you don't really believe in God.
Moses did not need an oral tradition to help him to decide how to obey and apply the laws in the Torah. In most cases, those laws are clear enough for everyone to understand. There is no need even for a hedge, unless you have a question about what a word means that you can't decide... like "seethe" in the separation of meat and milk in the rules of kashruth. But the problem of that comes because we don't have neighbors who sacrifice baby calves to Baal anymore. Nor do we eat foods sacrificed to idols. Those laws forbid us to imitate the pagans.
The rabbis have become so scrupulous that they want to continue to observe laws that are obsolete, so they make something up "to restore the Torah." Honestly? This is sad and deplorable. And the whole Talmud can fall under this criticism. What is this about the "sabbath goy"? Moses said that the stranger among you shall not be made to work on the Sabbath. But the rabbis have made an exception. You want to restore the Torah? Get rid of the Oral Law! It is flawed, and an unnecessary burden on the faithful. Let us love God, and be mindful of his precepts. Do not venerate the laws of men.
The rabbis clearly said that the Oral Torah was written by men. Rabbis have always said that it is the result of debates between teachers and scholars. They never said that God took the initiative and inspired anyone to say something. But they still say that strict orthodox jews have to obey it AS IF it is the inspired word of God. This is putting men's words in the place of God.
If you can't find your rule spelled out clearly in the Tanakh, or the Gospel, then forget it. God doesn't need it. If He did, it would be there. No wonder Muhammad said that the Jews had corrupted the Torah. They changed it by adding the "Oral Law." Shameful !!
Part Three:
However, none of the foregoing is meant to suggest in any way that we can be justified by works alone. We do not merit our salvation, but God gives it to us freely, because of his love. We are chosen by his love, and are able to have faith because of the grace He pours into us. It is only because we believe that we are able to say that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, and the Son of the Living God. And it is the Holy Spirit who prompts us to make such a confession. As a result, our faith sets us free from the snares of this world, and shows us from where our help comes. And when we call on Him by faith to save us, that is what He has wanted, and so He does. We are saved by our faith alone.
The works that we do only show that we are changing, that our aim is no longer just to serve ourselves or the biddings of this world. We show by our works that we love God, and we desire to be his children in his Kingdom. If we have no works, in other words, if we do not try to follow the Law or to obey Jesus's commands, then our profession of faith is worthless, for if we truly had faith we would love Him and want to please Him. We can not say that we love God, and then go back to "business as usual" and continue to seek only our own advantage, and disregard how we displease Him. That is neither love, nor faith. If this is how we behave, then we are right to fear the fires of Hell.
The claim to faith, without works of love, is a lie. But at the same time, following the Law, no matter how faultlessly, without love and loyalty and trust in God, is not faith. It is only pretense and an attempt to earn salvation. We are saved by his grace, the gap between us is too wide otherwise. And by our love, loyalty and trust in Him, He knows our faith. "Your faith has saved you. Go, and sin no more."
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