{"id":18673,"date":"2021-04-14T08:15:47","date_gmt":"2021-04-14T15:15:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hoshanarabbah.org\/blog\/?p=18673"},"modified":"2021-04-14T08:15:54","modified_gmt":"2021-04-14T15:15:54","slug":"acts-15-explained-as-youve-never-heard-it-before","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hoshanarabbah.org\/blog\/2021\/04\/14\/acts-15-explained-as-youve-never-heard-it-before\/","title":{"rendered":"Acts 15 Explained As You’ve Never Heard It Before"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Acts 15<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acts 15:1, Custom of Moses. <\/em><\/strong>What is the \u201ccustom\u201d or \u201cmanner\u201d of Moses as mentioned in Acts 15:1? Likely it is the Torah principle that circumcision of both the flesh and the heart is a requirement for citizenship in the nation of Israel. However, the latter takes precedence over and is at a higher spiritual level than the former, as we will now discuss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Torah-law requires physical circumcision of males, who the spiritual heads of their families as a ritual signifying sanctification (or being set apart or being separated) from the carnal rudiments of this world, the flesh and the devil. When the father, as the spiritual representative and head of his family, was physically circumcised, it is as if his whole family (including the females) were circumcised as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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But physical circumcision as Scripture, including the Torah, teaches is but a step toward and points to the higher principle of heart circumcision, which all people (both male and female) must undergo if they are to be part of the \u201cIsrael of Elohim\u201d (Gal 6:16), which is comprised of both Jews and non-Jews, who have been grafted into the olive tree of Israel (Rom 11:11\u201332) and are not part of the nation of Israel through Yeshua the Messiah and are no longer Gentiles (in a spiritual sense; Eph 2:11\u201319). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the overall principle of circumcision comes from the YHVH Elohim. How it was specifically implemented and applied in daily life, or the exact details of how the law of circumcision was walked out, is specific to the era in which the people of Elohim lived. This is a fundamental distinction between the basic, eternal and over-arching principles of the Elohim\u2019s Torah-law compared to \u201cthe law of Moses.\u201d The principles of the former are for all time and for all people, while the latter are the specifics of how those principles were applied in the daily lives of a particular people at a particular time\u2014in this case, the children of Israel who had a physical nation governed by many laws (i.e. the law of Moses) specific to that situation. In the case of physical circumcision, it was a physical proof of citizenship, like a passport, that one actually wore on one\u2019s body. Since there is no longer a physical nation of Israel as in ancient times,  this specific law is not applicable in the same way as it was then; however, the higher principle of heart circumcision still applies today and includes both males and females. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another example of a literal Torah principle that does not apply to us today is the Torah\u2019s ox in a ditch rule. Today, how many of us now use an ox for work or transpiration? Obviously we do not, but the principle of the pulling an ox out of the ditch on the Sabbath day still applies to us but in a different way, even though most of us have never even seen an ox much less own or use one. This principle allows us to help someone in need, or to perform emergency word on the Sabbath, which would otherwise be a violation of the biblical law to rest on that day. The eternal principles of the Torah, like the laws of circumcision and ox in the ditch, never change, but exactly how these principles are applied may vary from one generation and culture to another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This concept is very different than what the Christian church teaches about the law of Moses, which they say was \u201cfulfilled\u201d by Yeshua, which they take to mean was \u201cdone away with\u201d or abrogated, so that we no longer have to do it. This concept, of course, is fundamentally flawed and illogical and is patently absurd, since it violates countless Scripture from one end of the Bible to the other that specifically uphold the validity of the Torah for all believers for all time. If the Torah was in fact been \u201cdone away with,\u201d as the church teaches, then it logically follows that it is now permissible to murder, lie, have sex with animals, not have to tithe to your church, be a homosexual, etc., etc. Of course, this is patently ridiculous, yet this is, in essence, shows the logical fallacy of what church teaches with regard to the Torah-law of Elohim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The law of Moses or the customs of Moses (which were also from Elohim) was the Torah put into a written or codified form like a national constitution that could then be referred to as a legal guide for governing a physical nation. That is the fundamental technical distinction, between the Torah and the law of Moses. The over-arching principles of the Torah are in no way nullified or abrogated by the law of Moses, since they really are one and the same, and Scripture uses the terms interchangeably, since one does not contradict the other. However, the law of Moses is the application of those principles specifically to the nation of Israel, which existed thousands of years ago in the Middle East and was basically an agrarian society with a tabernacle and priesthood, and was before the cross. Many of these conditions no longer exist for us today as the Epistle to the Hebrews points out, so how some of these eternal principles of the Torah are applied may not be the same for us today as they were in ancient times. For example, we can no longer stone people for willfully breaking the Sabbath, committing adultery or homosexuality, or being a witch, even though the Torah dictates the death penalty for these sins. That does not mean that such people will not eventually die for their sins. The wages of sin is still death, and YHVH will ultimately pronounce a death penalty upon all unrepentant sinners (i.e. the lake of fire) at the white throne judgment. We humans just do not carry out the death penalty upon such law breakers here and now as occurred under the law of Moses because we do not possess the civil authority to do so, since we do not have a physical nation over which we are in control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201ccustom of Moses\u201d with regard to circumcision is based on Exodus 12:48, where the law required that all males to be circumcised before being allowed to partake of Passover. In other words, to be part of the physical nation of Israel, one had to become circumcised and observe the Passover and all Israel was required to do so (Exod 12:47). Foreigners were forbidden from keeping the Passover (Exod 12:43) until they were circumcised. Based on this Torah-law, the Pharisees of the first century got the idea that circumcision was a prerequisite for salvation. In opposition to this false concept, Paul points out in Romans chapter four that Abraham was justified by faith, not by the rite of circumcision. After all, Abraham come into a relationship with YHVH 24 years before being circumcised. Therefore, the custom of physical circumcision as a prerequisite for inclusion within the nation of Israel was merely a physical requirement to be part of a physical nation. It is, however, not<\/em> a requirement to be part of the spiritual nation of redeemed Israel or, as Paul calls it, the Israel of God (or Elohim, Gal 6:16), of which the saints are a part. Circumcision was not a requirement for Abraham to be saved, and it is not a requirement for us to be saved either, again, as Paul points out in Romans chapter four. The custom of Moses requiring Israelite men to be circumcised was necessary in order to protect the sanctity and integrity of the physical nation of Israel from foreign and pagan influences and was not prior to or subsequent to the physical nation of Israel intended to be a prerequisite for eternal salvation as Paul, again, makes clear in Romans chapter four.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Acts 15:10, Yoke on the neck. <\/em><\/strong>Many Christian commentators teach that Peter is making a reference to the Torah when he speaks of a yoke being put around the neck of the people of Israel meaning that Torah-observance was an impossibility. Yet, Moses told the Israelites that Torah-obedience wasn\u2019t impossible (Deut 30:11\u201314), and that it would be a source of life to them (v. 19), and would be a source of wisdom and understanding for them, thus eliciting the curiosity of the surrounding nations (Deut 4:6\u20138). Were Moses and Peter at odds with each other thus violating the unity of Elohim\u2019s Word (John 10:35)? Or was Peter referring to something else other than the Torah-law of Moses? At issue in the Acts 15 Jerusalem council was whether circumcision was a prerequisite for salvation (Acts 15:1). True, the Law of Moses required all male children to be circumcised on the eighth day (Lev 12:2\u20133), and all males to be circumcised in order for one to partake of Passover (Exod 12:43\u201349). This later requirement may be construed to mean that circumcision is a prerequisite for salvation, and evidently some of the Pharisees of that day held to this belief. However, in the Testimony of Yeshua, neither Yeshua nor the apostolic writers make salvation dependent on the rite of physical circumcision. This position is correct, since Abraham come into a spiritual relationship with YHVH some 24 years before he was circumcised, as Paul states in Romans chapter four. The emphasis in the Testimony of Yeshua, rather, is placed on circumcision of the heart, which is the higher spiritual principle\u2014even as it was in Moses\u2019 day (Deut 10:16; 30:6)\u2014to which physical circumcision pointed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Peter speaks of a yoke that hindered the Gentiles from coming into the kingdom, to what is he referring? He is referring to the non-biblical concept circulating among some of the Jewish converts to Yeshua that circumcision was a prerequisite to justification leading to salvation, which is something it was never intended to be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many Christians today erroneously think that the yoke Peter was referring to was obedience to the basic requirements of the Torah. Rather, what he was referring to was the customs Moses established (which become known as the law of Moses<\/em>), which exceed the basic requirements of the Torah. In this case, it was the custom the circumcision as a requirement for inclusion in the nation of Israel and is based on the Passover requirements found in Exod 12:43\u201349. Elsewhere, Paul makes no mention of the Gentiles needing to be circumcised to become part of Israel, but only a spiritual relationship with Yeshua is required (Eph 2:11\u201318).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The yoke that Peter is referring to, and as we\u2019ve already noted, is the concept that a man can redeem himself from sin by his own good works including Torah-obedience. If this were true, then this would leave a sinner carrying the yoke of his own sin and the consequences of that sin, which is death\u2014a yoke that no man can bear. For if we seek to be saved through works rather than through the faith in the Messiah, then his sacrifice to pay for our sins is of no benefit to us. This is the context of Peter\u2019s statement in Acts 15:10, for in verse nine he mentions having one\u2019s heart purified by faith (in Messiah\u2019s death for our sins), and in verse 11 he talks about being saved \u201cthrough the grace of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.\u201d This is salvation by grace through faith in Yeshua, which is not based on works (of Torah-obedience). Paul refers to this same salvation \u201cformula,\u201d if you will, in Eph 2:8\u20139. Paul elsewhere reiterates Peter\u2019s idea of a circumcision\u2013works based formula for salvation being a yoke when in Gal 5:1\u20134 he refers to circumcision for salvation as \u201ca yoke of bondage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acts 15:11, Saved in the same manner as they. <\/em><\/strong>The means of salvation in the Tanakh or Old Testament and in the Testimony of Yeshua or New Testament are the same: by grace through faith. Paul makes this discusses this in detail in Romans chapter four when he explains that Abraham was justified by faith, not by works. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acts 15:20, We write to them. <\/em><\/strong>These were the four requirements that the apostles imposed on the new converts to Yeshua for coming into the congregation of the saints. This is how the process worked in that day: First the gospel was preached in the streets (outside the church). Second, the Gentiles accepted the gospel message, believed in Yeshua and were baptized. Third, they were invited into the fellowship of the believers. Fourth, they were discipled in the ways of biblical righteousness. As the saying goes, first you catch the fish, then you clean the fish. This process takes a while. That\u2019s where verse 21 comes into play (see notes at v. 21).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This verse also lists the four requirements the apostles imposed on new converts before they could be admitted into the fellowship of believers. Some of these strictures were culturally specific to that era, such as not eating meat sacrificed to idols. The other three requirements are applicable today and are actually from the Torah-law of Moses. These are: abstaining from sexual immorality, and properly butchering meat, and not eating blood. These last two requirements were important elements of the biblical dietary laws as found in the Torah or law of Moses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Curiously, and hypocritically, many in the mainstream church who use Acts 15 as \u201cproof\u201d that the Torah-law is no longer applicable to believers in Yeshua at the same time totally ignore the four requirements that the apostles imposed on the Gentiles in this verse. How many Christians actually follow the dietary requirements listed in this verse, which are from the Torah? How many sermons have you heard in the church about koshering your meat to get all the blood out of it before you eat it? So, if one believes that the apostles are freeing believers from the Torah, and all that Gentiles now have to do are these four requirements listed in this verse, then why aren\u2019t Christians at least scrupulously obeying these minimal requirements?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sexual immorality. <\/em><\/strong>Gr. porneia<\/em>\u00ad\u2014a generic term referring to any and all sexual immorality, that is, any sexual activity that Scripture explicitly or implicitly forbids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acts 15:21, Moses\u2026synagogue\u2026every Sabbath. <\/em><\/strong>Why did James make this statement? What is he really saying here? What is the relevance to the previous discussion of mentioning that Moses is preached in the synagogue every Sabbath? The inference is that the saints can learn all about the legal requirements of the Torah (the practical aspects of how to love Elohim and one\u2019s neighbor [Mark 12:29\u201331; Rom 123:8\u201310], how to love Yeshua [John 14:15], how not to sin [1 John 3:4] and how to walk in righteousness [Ps 119:172], how to know Elohim [1 John 2:3\u20136]) by going to the synagogue each Sabbath. Why else mention this? If the law was done away with, then what is the relevance of this statement? There is none!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acts 15:24, Keep the law. <\/em><\/strong>The issue here is not whether Torah-obedience is necessary for a redeemed believer, but rather whether circumcision and following the customs of Moses (as opposed to the eternal principles of the Torah) is a prerequisite for salvation as verse one of this chapter clearly states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Insights on the Acts 15 Jerusalem Council<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThose who follow the [religious sect that requires] circumcision<\/strong> [or any other religious ritualistic works as precondition for salvation]\u201d mentioned in Acts 10:45 are analogous to modern Orthodox Jews (this group includes many modern Messianic Jewish para-church organizations) who, to one degree or another, follow rabbinic and Talmudic traditions and who emphasize the division of Jews and Gentiles in their organizations and congregations. The Jews of Acts 10:45 were part of the same group that is mentioned again in Acts 15:4. For them, non-Jews could not keep the Torah and become part of the Israel unless they first went through a conversion process including being circumcised as prescribed by Jewish tradition. This rite is still a requirement to become a member of most modern-day Orthodox synagogues. While modern Messianic Jewish Christian organizations do not require the rite of circumcision to be performed on new converts, many still follow a great number of non-biblical Jewish traditions or the \u201coral traditions\u201d of the Jewish sages that are found in the Babylonian Talmud. This includes the wearing of kippas, an emphasis on Jewish liturgy, adherence to the rabbinic religious calendar, not pronouncing the Hebrew names of Elohim, and celebrating the extra-biblical Jewish holidays to name a few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acts 15:10 refers to the yoke of the Jewish Pharisaical conversion process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n