Addressing the Theological and Spiritual Issues of the Broad Messianic Movement
Messianic Apologetics editor John McKee reviews Ephesians 2:15b, and specifically what it meant for the Messiah to abolish “the law of commandments in ordinances.” Was this actually the Torah or Law of Moses? Or was this some kind of a man-made or artificial law, passing itself off as “torah,” which needed to be abrogated?
This is then followed by a review of important stories and issues from the past day or so, largely witnessed on social media.
Everyone who expresses trust in Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) believes that we are a part of what is commonly called “New Covenant faith.” But what is New Covenant faith? We all recognize that at the Last Supper, our Lord said, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:20, NASU). The sacrificial work of Yeshua has surely inaugurated the reality of the New Covenant, which includes complete forgiveness and permanent redemption from the power of sin, as well as people being filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Yet, not enough evangelical Protestants today are familiar with the fact that the expectation of the New Covenant, as it is commonly called, is something rooted within some distinct prophecies of the Hebrew Bible or Tanach.
Matthew 5:17-19, which prefaces the Sermon on the Mount which follows, are some of the most important verses of the Apostolic Scriptures (New Testament) for today’s Messianic movement. These verses speak of the Messiah’s intent to fulfill, and not abolish, the Mosaic Law. But what does it mean that the Messiah was to come and fulfill the Law? Does it just pertain, as is commonly thought, to the prophetic agenda of accomplishment which has been realized by the Messiah’s arrival? Or, is there a multi-layered dynamic of the Messiah’s coming to “fulfill” the Torah, which must be taken into consideration? Has the Law been “fulfilled and thus abolished,” as many people today conclude? If this is in error, then what might need to be corrected in some Believers’ view of the Torah?
Within today’s broad Messianic movement, different perspectives are witnessed as they involve the ongoing relevance of the Torah or Moses’ Teaching for God’s people. For sure, it is agreed that the Torah composes the ethnic and cultural heritage of today’s Jewish people, to which they should be faithful. Yet, how do we approach the Torah as our spiritual heritage?
This article addresses the clause “under the Law” (Grk. hupo nomon), how it is used, and what it means in its appropriate context in view of what both the Tanach and Apostolic Scriptures tell us about the significance of God’s Torah.
In theory, most evangelical conservative Christians claim to honor the Bible as if all of it is the inspired, inerrant Word of the Lord. However, in practice, the same cannot often be said, especially when it comes to many Christians’ attitude concerning their approach to the Law of Moses, or the Torah (Genesis-Deuteronomy).
I really do not get the “Messianic movement.” Jesus said that He came to bring us all new wine, and said that you can’t put new wine in old wineskins. The old way of Judaism has been replaced by the new way of Christianity.
How can today’s Messianic movement widely advocate that the Law of Moses is still valid, when the Bible is clear that Christians are not “under the Law”?
How can today’s Messianic movement widely advocate that the Torah is still valid, when Galatians is clear that the Law of Moses was a thing of the past?
How can you say that the Law of Moses is still to be followed by Christians today, when it is quite clear that Jesus terminated the Law, being its end?
