JEW OR GENTILE

Hi all,
I've been pondering how "Jewish" should Gentile believers become once they start learning of the Jewish festivals and hidden meanings in the Old Testament and traditions?

Looking for balance
I enjoy observing the 7 (main) Jewish festivals. In our house church in Tulsa this fall we met on the Feast of Trumpets, and a couple weeks later on the Feast of Tabernacles to celebrate their rich meanings and foreshadowing. Many of us have attended a Passover Seder, or even celebrate it annually, and marvel at the types and shadows of the Lord's death and resurrection found therein.

It is beyond argument that the 4 spring festivals were fulfilled on their exact day: Unleavened bread, Passover (the cross), First Fruits (the Sunday Jesus was resurrected), and Pentecost (giving of the Holy Spirit). It's also clear we will celebrate the last festival, Tabernacles, on it's exact day, for Zechariah 14:16 says all the nations will come up to Jerusalem year by year to celebrate with the Lord. Tabernacles celebrates God living with man, thus the annual celebration for the 1000 year millennium.

So it is reasonable to think the remaining 2 festivals will occur on their exact celebration days; Feast of Trumpets (resurrection of the righteous dead and hiding away with Messiah) and The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur, a type of the cross & return of Christ). So why shouldn't we celebrate these festivals now?

What is the obligation we Gentile believers have, if any, to become part of these Jewish roots?

Old argument
This question has come up before. In Acts 13-15 Paul and Barnabus had been ministering to the Gentiles throughout the Roman Empire, teaching them of Jesus, the Jewish law, and how he fulfilled Jewish prophecy, but not requiring them to adhere to Jewish law.

But some questioned this practice. "...there arose a certain sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying that it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses." (v5)

Writing about that experience in Galatians 2:1-4, Paul said he went up to meet with the leaders in Jerusalem "...privately, lest I was in error". He wanted to make sure the freedom he taught was truly the Holy Spirit, and in agreement with the Word of God. They all met to get the mind of the Lord on the matter.

The Pharisees (which means "separated") you may recall, began as a (separatist) holiness movement about 150 BC over concerns that they couldn't tell a Jew from a Greek. The Jews at the time went to the gym like Greeks, to the spas like Greeks, to sporting events like Greeks, to the theaters like Greeks, and talked
like Greeks. So neighborhood synagogues were created as schools to train up the Jewish children in the faith and for the adults to meet and learn the Word. By the time Jesus came though, their man-made laws and traditions had become more important to them than Moses' Law, thus the conflicts with Jesus.

These Pharisee believers in Acts 15 believed Gentile believers should separate themselves (to be more holy) and follow the laws of Moses. Paul, Barnabus, and Peter argued that God himself had chosen to give Gentiles the Holy Spirit and there were no indications from God that he expected them to obey Moses (in our day we'd say 'no prophetic words'), so they should not be made to do something God had not commanded. (7-10)

James, the brother of Jesus, stood up after hearing what the Holy Spirit was doing among the Gentiles and said "...to this the words of the prophets agree. Therefore my decision is that we trouble them not, who from the Gentiles have turned to God." v19)

The Spirit and Word always agree, and his test of determining if a 'movement' is of God or not by comparing what people claim the Holy Spirit is doing against the Word remains THE way to make accurate spiritual judgements about a movement, minister, or 'outpouring'.

Their decision caused great joy among the Gentile believers as one might imagine. In short, God gave Himself to them, what could the OT law add? (v 15,19-31)

That should settle it
One would think that would be that. But the 'sect of the Pharisees' Paul dealt with in Acts 15 continued their way, to the point in Galatians 2 Paul calls them "...false brethren, who came in privately to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage." (v1-4)

Notice he said their goal was to bring people from freedom in Christ into bondage to the Law of Moses. Yet on the other hand Paul arranged his travels at one point to be back in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost; so what gives? (Acts 18:21)

The fine line is this; If one wishes to observe the Jewish customs from a position of freedom and grace, they are free to do so. But if they are compelled to obey those customs because they fear they are offending God, or think they will please him more, or are incomplete in their faith, or others compel them by condemnation or under the guise of having a higher revelation, they are in error.

Rabbit trail
Paul also dealt with the Sabbath day issue in Romans 14:5-6, where he said "One man esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regards the day, regards it to the Lord; and he that regards not the day, to the Lord he does not regard it."

And again in Colossians 2:16-17: "Let no man judge you in food, drink, in respect to a holy day, or of the new moon (Feast of Trumpets), or of the Sabbath days; which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ."

In other words, if you esteem Saturday or a Jewish holy day above the rest, then what you do is unto the Lord and that is fine. The line not to be crossed is compelling another or weakening another's faith to make it a law. In this passage in Romans he dealt with vegetarians, the Sabbath, and eating meat sacrificed to idols.

To those who ate only veggies, believed one day was above the rest, or had conscience issues eating meat that had earlier been offered in sacrifice at the (pagan) temple, Paul said they were "weak in the faith" (v1). He said to receive them, but not to the point of doubtful arguments. "Let everyone be fully persuaded in his own mind." (but don't force it on others)

End of rabbit trail, back on path
Here are a few things Paul taught in Galatians about going back under the law:

"I do not frustrate the grace of God: if righteousness comes by the Law then Christ has died in vain." (2:21)
Why do something that frustrates the Father and Jesus?

"Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit are you now made mature and complete by the flesh?" (3:3)

Foolish. Yikes, that hurts. Believers, but choosing a foolish path in their faith. Consider the logic - if you have the Holy Spirit within, how can you be perfected by (external) laws? Doesn't it stand to reason that if you have the Holy Spirit within, maturity comes by walking with Him, living from the spirit man outward?

Not many miracles seen among those in bondage of the Law and religious constraints:
"He that ministers to you the Spirit and does miracles, is it by they Law or the hearing of faith?" (3:5)

Paul says that we are not servants who have to obey the master's law, but rather children of God, and our spirit calls out to Him: "Abba (daddy) Father" (4:6)

The law is not of faith (it's works), and "..a man is not justified by the works of the Law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we who believe in Jesus Christ..." (3:12, 2:16)

He says that the law was a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, but once we have Christ we are no longer under the school master, for we are all children of God now. (3:23-26)

The obligation and hypocrisy
Paul goes on to say that those who willingly place themselves under the Law have "fallen from grace" (5:4),
and if someone is under the law, if they break just one law, they are guilty of all. (5:3)

For example Matthew 23:23: Jesus told the leaders who were so concerned with the details of doing the Law that they missed the weightier matters like right judgement, mercy, and faith, to concentrate on being sure people tithed on their mint, anise, and cumin.

Paul says if believers choose to go under the Law, they must therefore obey all the law. In this example, if they tithe, then they must tithe down to their spice rack, otherwise they are guilty of all the law and have become hypocrites.

But if you choose to tithe and/or have a regular discipline of giving, there are benefits released (II Cor 9:6-11; Lk 6:38), but it's done from a position of freedom and grace, not legalism.

If you place yourself under the law, then you can't mix clothing fibers (goodbye cotton/polyester shirts), eat fish that don't have both fins and scales (goodbye shrimp/lobster/crabs/catfish), can't have cheese on that cheeseburger, tithe down to your spice rack, and a host of other laws - (613 laws in the laws of Moses) to violate one violates all.

Paul applauded their zeal, but sought to balance them, for if they were to continue in this bondage they could end up becoming inclusive, or worse, taking a stand against or persecuting those who walk in freedom in Christ. (4:18-31)

He goes on to say that in their zeal to be more Christ-like, the answer is to live by their spirit and Holy Spirit rather than legalism: "If you are led by the Spirit you are not under the Law." (5:13-26)

"You are called to liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (5:13-14)

And that sums it up. We Gentiles, or so minded Jews like Paul, may celebrate Jewish culture and festivals from a position of freedom as oft as we wish and to the depth we wish, but we shouldn't turn that freedom into a license for leaving grace to go (back) into bondage. This grace is given that we might serve one another in love.

Some thoughts this week...


Blessings,
John Fenn
www.supernaturalhousechurch.org