The Believer & the Law of Moses

Dr. Don Meecha 

Biblical commands from the Torah must be understood in their context.  Therefore, when it comes to these commands we must remember that as believers we have a responsibility to God & His Word first & to others second.  In this mind we must also treat others as ourselves, about this, Yeshua said,  

“Love God w/all your heart & all your soul, this is the great & foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depends the whole Law (Torah) & the Prophets.”                                                                       Matthew 22:38-40

This does not mean that we remove, or replace all that was spoken before-hand by the Prophets, in the Psalms, or by Moses.  It means that all of what was spoken before-hand revealed how to love God & our neighbor.  God’s commands from the past in the Torah are not invalid.  Rather, they reveal many things to us that are profitable in dealing with our own sin & how we deal w/others.  No one would call the commandment, “Thou shall not Steal,” evil, or bad.  So, in reality, none of the commands are bad & Sha’ul insures this when he says,

 So then, the Law is Holy & the commandment is holy & righteous & good.  Romans 7:12 

The issue becomes, what are the function of the earliest commands for & in our life today?  At Light of Messiah Ministries International we believe the statement of Sha’ul to be true, that:For by grace we have been saved through faith & that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast & we are His workmanship, created in Messiah Yeshua for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.                                                                                  Ephesians 2:8-10 

And therefore, our official position on the commands of the Torah is as follows:

The civil, ceremonial & moral laws which God handed down to the children of Israel through Moses represent God’s perfect, objective standard of righteousness. This standard has never & will never change. Insofar as the Law reflects God’s character, it is not limited to any particular dispensation:

Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven & earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments & teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.                                  Matthew 5:17-19

In this then, we find that when it is all fulfilled, after the books of judgment are closed & this earth melts away:

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar & the elements will be destroyed with intense heat & the earth & its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct & godliness…”                          2 Peter 3:10-11a

Then I saw a great white throne & Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth & heaven fled away & no place was found for them & I saw the dead, the great & the small, standing before the throne & books were opened & another book was opened, which is the book of life & the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.                                                          Revelation 20:11-12

Only then will all things be fulfilled & in the mean time, we all must work out our salvation/sanctification in fear & trembling. Each of us, as believers, must wrestle w/the commandments & see what God wants us to do with them in our lives.  No one can tell anyone to do something of which they are not convicted to keep.  However, the issues must be interpreted in proper context & evaluated according to the Bible.  As it says,

Paul wanted this man to go with him & he took him & circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.                                                                     Acts 16:3 

This is something he did not do to Titus, who was full-blooded Greek:I submitted to them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles…but not even Titus, who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.                                                                           Galatians 2:3

Therefore, according to the Bible, the Law of Moses served to provide a national constitution for Israel, including maxims of order & priority. It distinguished the nation Israel as a covenant people & served to protect & preserve both in a physical sense & in a spiritual sense. The Law, also defined & highlighted personal sin (Deuteronomy 4; Romans 7:7‑13; Galatians 3:19‑24).

Is the New Covenant believer obligated to the Law of Moses?  First, it must be understood that the believer is obligated to obey all the ordinances contained therein, or none of them, for they comprise one whole Law. Second, the Law pronounces a curse on any who might fall short of perfect obedience (Deuteronomy 27:26; Romans 3:21-22, 31; Galatians 3:10; James 2:10).

Is the New Covenant believer cursed for transgressing any point of the Law of Moses? No, for Messiah Yeshua took that curse upon Himself, thereby freeing us from the condemnation of the Law. We have obtained right standing before God on the basis of Yeshua’s perfect Law‑obedience & our faith identification with Him (Romans 6:1‑11, 8:1‑4, 10:4; Galatians 3:13).

Clearly, no one is justified in the sight of God by works of the Law. For the Jewish believer, however, the Law of Moses can provide a Biblical means of expressing their God‑given Jewish identity which, in turn, provides a universal testimony of God’s faithfulness. For Gentile believers, the Law of Moses may provide opportunities to discover & enjoy the roots of their redemption and to identify with the Jewish community for the purpose of revealing the riches of Messiah.  Since we are being conformed to the image of Messiah, who came to fulfill the Law, obedience to God’s instruction, His Word, is a lifelong process (Genesis 12:1‑3; Deuteronomy 26:16‑19, Isaiah 44:1‑5; Matthew 5:17,18; Romans 6:14, 8:1,2,29; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 9:20; 2 Corinthians 5:17 Galatians 3:3‑11, 6:2; Ephesians 2:14,15; Colossians 2:16,17).