117 – American Torah – “How do you interpret disobeying God’s TORAH as being 'submissive’?”
From Law to Liberty: Embracing the Freedom Found in Christ
Torah observance among Christians has been increasing for years, and I believe it is primarily because so many are in possession of an unsatisfying dead counterfeit form of Christianity. The ironic allure of religious legalism, the belief that we can earn God's favor by adhering to a set of rules and regulations, can be an invigorating, but self-righteous deception. The Torah Observant movement, with its emphasis on keeping the Laws of Moses, totally misses the heart of the Gospel message: the fulfillment of the law in Jesus Christ. "For all who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law’" (Galatians 3:10).
Jesus did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). He lived a perfect life, obeying every precept of the law, and then offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins, taking upon Himself the curse that we deserved. Through faith in His sacrificial fulfillment, we are set free from the burden of the law of Moses, and empowered by the Holy Spirit to live a life of love and obedience to the Law of Christ (Mat 28:20, 1 Cor 9:21). "For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God" (Galatians 2:19).
The quality of our faith is evidenced by the fruit of our lives. "A tree is recognized by its fruit" (Matthew 12:33). Do we exhibit the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that are the hallmarks of the Spirit-filled life (Galatians 5:22-23)? Or are we consumed by legalism, self-righteousness, and judgment?
There is a vast difference between knowing about God and truly knowing Him. The Pharisees, though experts in the law, failed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah because their hearts were hardened by religious pride. They knew the words, but they did not know the Word, the living God who stood before them. "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life" (John 5:39-40).
Friend, if you are clinging to any part of the law of Moses for your salvation, if you are trying to earn God's favor through your own efforts, you are missing the freedom and power that comes from a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ. Turn away from the empty rituals of religion and embrace the life-giving grace of the Gospel. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). Come to Jesus, lay down your burdens, and receive the gift of eternal life. Live a life of love, empowered by His grace, and you will fulfill the entire law. (Romans 13:10)
