Featured Messianic Jews and the law.

And again the agenda you drive is that of salvation, which is not in dispute with the article.

 

Do you not see that there are two items being challenged? Circumcision was one, and keeping the law, another. The first done before the law was later a demand of law. That is the identification marker given first, and then the law second. There was no reason for the gentiles to have to reverse the order by having the law demand their circumcision.

Jews were first born into the family of Jews, then the circumcision accomplished providing a physical identifier, finally the mind learning of the statutes of God. It is true to this day, even for the non-Jew who would join with the Jews. They must first examine themselves, take part in certain rituals culminating in circumcision, then take upon the study.

Both were dismissed by the apostles in Acts 15 as not related to Gentiles and rightly: however, according to the article the discussion nor the decision did not proclaim any Scriptures that such excused their own living responsibilities nor that of Jewish believers. The article would contend that the identification as Jew was to remain upon Jews, which meant that they would also observe the traditions of the Jews with the understanding of how such reflected the ministry of serving Christ.

 

Perhaps the article would suggest that the outreach to the Jews is hindered because of the expectations of the gentiles to remove them from the identifications, rather than showing them the fulfillment of the identifications in Christ. That is while yet they use the identifiers, they are displaying the promises of God fulfilled, and are therefore offering memorials of assurance in pictures of evidence.

Or perhaps I am assuming farther than the author might intend?

 

First, I would consider your thinking of the Messianic Judaism as "anitichrist" is unsupportable. Even the Jewish Supreme Court places the messianic Jews as Christianity.

Second, the article really isn't about terms and what is the doctrinal views of the messianic Jews, rather accepts that they are believers and works on to present from that point.

For the reader, there is a basic difference between the Torah and the mitzvah. In simplest of terms the mitzvah was developed from the Torah as explanations. It was supposedly limited to 613, but mitzvah's are added or subtracted according to the need of the Jewish community - however, none are ever to deny or refute the presentation of the Torah.


>>>>>>>>>>> the below is for the casual reader of the thread to give some education into the Miztvot and the Torah >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Perhaps it will help in this that can be confusing to casual readers.
To aid in this matter brought up, I found this short on line fromhttps://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/mitzvot-a-mitzvah-is-a-commandment/)

The Torah generally explains that the Jewish people should observe the mitzvot simply because God commanded us to do so, or because of the potential negative consequences that would result from non-compliance. Other thinkers have endeavored to prove that the mitzvot are all completely rational, logical actions which any moral and ethical people would welcome. Still others claim that the commandments actually improve us as human beings, refining us as upright and just people, or that doing God’s commandments actually has a cosmic effect upon the spiritual fabric of all creation. And some thinkers even reject the importance of asking this question entirely, arguing that the only legitimate reason for the performance of mitzvot is in order to obey God’s commandments and fulfill our part in the covenant between God and the Jewish people.

Some people observe the mitzvot because it helps them to identify and feel a part of the larger Jewish community, others because they believe themselves to be commanded to do so, and still others simply because it is pleasurable, a joy, to celebrate the Jewish holidays and home rituals. But whatever reason motivates someone to observe the commandments is, in Jewish tradition, less important than the actual performing of the mitzvot themselves: One might say that the “deed” is more important than the “creed.” That is, how we behave in this world, towards our fellow human beings and the world we live in, is ultimately of more importance than what we may believe. In the final analysis, the mitzvot are a uniquely Jewish approach to living a holy life in this world.​

As this relates to the OP article, the presentation is then that the Jewish believers do not have to disregard their heritage, but embrace the Torah/mitzot as "uniquely Jewish approach to living a holy life in this world."


It may also help the casual reader to look through the Mitzvot here: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-613-mitzvot-commandments

You will see that most of the "rules to live by" are actually Scripture principles in which conservative believers can embrace as guides to living. They are not to be taken as Scriptures, nor given as Scriptures. That is a basic difference between the Mitzvot and the Torah. This point is more often a problem to the traditional Jews because the tendency is to ascent the Mitzvot to the height of the Torah.

Hope this helps.

 

Hank, Judiazers wanted to make gentiles' into Jews.

In no manner is this thread even suggested that as an agenda, however, It was suggested that some of the thinking on the OP article could be taken to heart in evangelistic efforts to the Jewish community.

Imo, far too long (historically) the community has been persecuted rather than encouraged to embrace the Christ.

 

Perhaps in your patch of the world the messianic Jews are of the character you ascribe, but those I have met are not.

Here are a some that I have encountered:

http://baruchhashemsynagogue.org/?page_id=4

https://ecdallas.org/about-us/statement-of-faith

http://www.shalomplano.org/about/doctrines_beliefs​

In all the fellowship I have experienced, I do not find them other than part of the true church.

I have moved from the Dallas area, and many of those I once held fellowship have passed.

It is sad that such a believing assembly is not in your area.

 

I believe the article pointed out that the Acts 15 shows the presentation of the gospel be without regard to the any Torah bindings except two. However, there is no provision for such given for the Jewish believers, but rather, as exampled by Paul, they continued in the traditions of the Jews - yet as believers.

 

Leaving the article to address this issue:

This is not supported in the Scriptures.
What was ended was the presentation of Salvation to be exclusively for the Jews. No longer was salvation limited to a people who kept "eating marriage, covenants, ..." from the unclean. Rather, salvation was given even to those the Jews considered unclean.

What was NOT part of the demand concerning Peter was the he was to change his own life style. He was not required to become a gentile to win gentiles. Rather, he was not to exclude gentles from the offer of salvation, and accepting them as rightful heirs to the throne of Grace. "Take and eat" was not saying to Peter "take and become one, yourself."

In Acts 15, neither were the Gentiles to conform to that which they were not born. The gentiles were not Jews, the Jews were not gentiles. However, the two groups in salvation are one body, the same as my wife and I are individual while on the earth, yet in passing into eternity become part of one unified as the Bride.

That is the basic message of both Cornelius and Acts 15.

Going back to the article:

The article presents that it is not a matter of expulsion but of retention.

It is not a matter of "Trying to maintain them causes separation..." for there is no reason to consider such a cause as separating, but celebratory of the cultural aspects.

Leaving the article to present a correction:

You said:

Trying to maintain them causes separation from fellow Christians who are Gentiles & that became a serious problem as Gospel unity with no wall of partition was a feature of the Gospel - John 4 & Ephesians 2​

This is not correct.

What caused the disruption was those who sought to impose the custom of the Jews upon Gentiles. This lead to Paul going to Jerusalem the first time to visit with the apostles and leadership for a resolution, and such imposing was refuted by the writers of the letters.

There was no problem with Jews remaining with their customs as Jews.

There is no problem with any nationality remaining with their customs as long as they are not unrighteous.

When a heathen comes to Christ, are then they not desirous to be "clothed and in their right mind?"