This morning, there were two topics presented. The first was on the Jewish Believer and the Torah, and the second was titled the Gentile Believer, the Torah and a Jewish Lifestyle.
The first topic brought up some good points. The first question asked was whether or not Yeshua had instructed Jewish believers to continue to follow the Torah, and how did He intend for them to do it. There were two take-away points from this first presentation. One, that the Messianic community has yet to really define what is meant by Torah, and two, that while believers are free to observe or not observe select miscellaneous laws, the sacrificial and moral laws are still applicable.
The second presenter gave his presentation in absentia, by video. His main point was that the Torah is how God had established His covenant with the nation of Israel, and therefore reflects His desire to preserve them as His people. He added, "Torah is not the means by which God’s people earn his favor, but the way his people learn how to live in a right covenantal relationship with him." Because it isn't a way to earn a right standing with God, it is something that shouldn't be divisive in the body, and this was the main point of his paper.
The final presenter on the Jewish Believer and the Torah focused on an exegetical view of Matthew 5:17-48. In this study, it is revealed that Yeshua never abrogated Torah observance. On the contrary, He took the physical observance and raised the bar to the n-th degree by turning it into a spiritual issue. This deepening of the Torah cannot stand in contradiction to it, but rather intensifies it.
Therefore, all three presenters gave basis for Jewish believers continuing to follow the Torah in some way, shape or form, though not all agreed on the reasons for continued observance.
We're getting ready for the afternoon session, so I will continue this later.
The first topic brought up some good points. The first question asked was whether or not Yeshua had instructed Jewish believers to continue to follow the Torah, and how did He intend for them to do it. There were two take-away points from this first presentation. One, that the Messianic community has yet to really define what is meant by Torah, and two, that while believers are free to observe or not observe select miscellaneous laws, the sacrificial and moral laws are still applicable.
The second presenter gave his presentation in absentia, by video. His main point was that the Torah is how God had established His covenant with the nation of Israel, and therefore reflects His desire to preserve them as His people. He added, "Torah is not the means by which God’s people earn his favor, but the way his people learn how to live in a right covenantal relationship with him." Because it isn't a way to earn a right standing with God, it is something that shouldn't be divisive in the body, and this was the main point of his paper.
The final presenter on the Jewish Believer and the Torah focused on an exegetical view of Matthew 5:17-48. In this study, it is revealed that Yeshua never abrogated Torah observance. On the contrary, He took the physical observance and raised the bar to the n-th degree by turning it into a spiritual issue. This deepening of the Torah cannot stand in contradiction to it, but rather intensifies it.
Therefore, all three presenters gave basis for Jewish believers continuing to follow the Torah in some way, shape or form, though not all agreed on the reasons for continued observance.
We're getting ready for the afternoon session, so I will continue this later.
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