My thoughts about the Old Testament festivals are based on Colossians 2:16-17 which says, Therefore, don’t let anyone judge you in regard to food and drink or in the matter of a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of what was to come; the substance is the Messiah.
The ceremonials and sacrifices were a foreshadow of Jesus Christ. We as Christians shouldn’t surround our walk with the Lord based on fulfilled Old Testament laws except for the one that’s always active, the moral law or as the New Testament calls it, the law of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-18). Our walk in this life is solely based on Jesus Christ and the teachings of the New Testament and should reject anything contrary to that as seen in 2 John 1:9-11 which says, 9 Anyone who does not remain in Christ’s teaching but goes beyond it, does not have God. The one who remains in that teaching, this one has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home, and don’t say, “Welcome,” to him; 11 for the one who says, “Welcome,” to him shares in his evil works.
Saying that we can apply the Old Testament teachings in principle, and we should understand the O.T. based on the N.T., not the other way around. You can apply the principle behind the literal meaning but we must understand that those laws have been fulfilled in Christ and to go back to them is to reject Christs’ sacrifice and His imputation of His righteousness in keeping the law for you.
You have to be very careful with the “Hebrew Roots Movement” because they are trying to imprison Christians back into the law. The church in Galatia was headed in that same direction (keeping the law) and Paul wrote to them that they were following another gospel as seen in Galatians 1:6-8 which says, 6 I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from Him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to change the good news about the Messiah. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel other than what we have preached to you, a curse be on him!
Galatians 5:1-4
Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Take note! I, Paul, tell you that if you get yourselves circumcised, Christ will not benefit you at all. 3 Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to keep the entire law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace.
If a person wanted to follow part of the law in this case circumcision he/she was obligated to keep the rest of the law and if a person would go back to the law they would be rejecting Jesus Christ and also would be rejecting His free gift of eternal life. If we go back to the law we are telling Him that we can do a better job in keeping it than He did even though Jesus never sinned and perfectly kept the whole law. To keep the law is to trample upon His sacrifice as if it means nothing (Hebrews 10:29).
Some may say, “one must keep His holy convocations (the law) perpetually throughout all generations as it declares in the Old Testament”
In Genesis 17:13-14 it says, 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
As you can see, circumcision was an everlasting covenant but its true meaning and function is seen in the New Testament, when the covenant was fulfilled by the promised Holy Spirit after Jesus death, resurrection and ascension into heaven that you get circumcise in your heart by the Spirit of God when you put your trust in Jesus. This is seen in Romans 2:29 which says, 29 On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter. That man’s praise is not from men but from God.
Even in the Old Testament, the Lord said that the law was impossible to follow in totality. The Lord said in the Book of Jeremiah 31:31-34, 31 “Look, the days are coming”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 32 This one will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant they broke even though I had married them”—the Lord’s declaration. 33 “Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days”—the Lord’s declaration. “I will put My teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. 34 No longer will one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least to the greatest of them”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “For I will forgive their wrongdoing and never again remember their sin.”
The Lord’s teachings are written in one’s heart by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who teaches you God’s Word. God was trying to show that we will always fall short of God’s standard and only His Son Jesus Christ can live according to the law without breaking a single command which He did. We are considered righteous not because we keep the whole law but because we have placed our faith in Him who kept it flawlessly for us so that we can receive the righteousness that our works could never achieve. No one can boast and say, “I saved myself by my righteousness and good works.”
Do not let yourself be enslaved by a yoke that Christ has set you free from. We are to walk by the law of the Spirit which is based in Christ alone.
Galatians 5:16-18
16 I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Spiritual Minefield 
While I certainly agree with your bottom line, I do believe there is value in Believers at least understanding the foundation of our faith contained in the Tanakh (Old Testament). I will be posting next month on the Fall Feasts next month at http://www.h4i.us.
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There’s nothing wrong for instance, taking a day (in the shadow of the Sabbath) for the Lord to really seek Him by dedicating a day of prayer. The problem becomes when a person teaches that you have to please God by keeping the Sabbath or some type of festival. The O.T. continues to be God’s Word and it is there for us to learn but we have to recognize that we are not under the law but under the law of the Spirit. We understand the O.T. in light of the N.T.
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We’re of like mind I believe. Some of those traditional festivals are actually fun.
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There were moral, civil, and ritual laws that were given for the edification, governance and sanctification of the Jewish people. Some of them are beneficial to adhere too in underlying theme. For instance there is a law set forth about building a banister around your rooftop – do we need to all do that today? No but keeping the visitors to our homes safety in mind is still applicable. Jesus completely fulfilled the ritual laws on the cross for sanctification, salvation, & atonement.
A great example is the woman with the issue of blood. Under Old Covenant law anything she touched would become unclean, yet Jesus was so Holy that he made her clean. Same for us. Once you are a sanctified, Spirit filled Christian, things don’t make you unclean like eating meat. Legalism is a terrible yoke to put yourself under. I’m all for reading, memorizing, and meditating on the Old Testament because it’s literally the story how man EPICLY FAILS under the law. By the time the New Testament begins you see the ABSOLUTE NEED mankind has for someone else to save them…because you just read people after people after people who begat people who begat people who begat people who constantly were prone to wickedness.
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“yet Jesus was so Holy that he made her clean. Same for us. Once you are a sanctified, Spirit filled Christian, things don’t make you unclean like eating meat.”
I liked what you said above, that is correct nothing can make us unclean in the sense of eating, touching…etc. But, we can become unclean in the sense of being disobedience to the Lord. That is how we sin and need to repent. I’m glad to see that there are some as yourself in WordPress that actually knows Scripture because lots of people that I come across, just don’t know. The big problem with that is that they can be convinced of a teaching that’s not Biblical and integrate it into their spiritual life, not knowing it’s pushing them away from the Lord. The perfect example would be to go back to the law as if their righteousness can make them holier than Jesus’ sacrifice. Of course, the false teachers won’t tell you that. They will twist the Scripture like a pretzel so you can’t tell. I appreciate your comment and the follow.
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Amen. And you are welcome!
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We have more in common than what we differ on.
I understand what you are saying with Paul. Does it seem to contradict this verse?
“For this command (The Law) is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life,”
Proverbs 6:23
Then research was Jesus following the law? The Feast?
He did not follow the Sanhedrin, and made up laws.
So we are supposed to follow him, just not the “Hebrew” part?
The Bible says the Law gives life. His burden is easy.
All most of are saying is:
1. Eat clean-easy and healthy
2. Rest on Saturday, it’s the law
3. Have 7 parties that last for days and are not Pagan in any way
4. Read the Bible
I am not sure how any of that is a burden? In fact following this I am more free than ever! Don’t think we are in any bondage by seeking out Hebrew Roots. The only bondage I find comes my fellow man. Who that thinks it’s foolish to eat clean, rest, and party. Mostly because they are not willing to research and they judge us because we are different.
It’s only difficult in our relationships. Following this you understand this scripture.
“You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
Matthew 10:22
I hope it helps see what we do. I wish you the the best as we are all seeking Him in the best we can.
By the way my background 20 years in the Church Of Christ.
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Also, what is your proof that Jeremiah 31:31-34, 31 has been fulfilled? I don’t see any proof in our world that this has happened.
This is End Times and everyone has received a download of scripture, my fellow Christian are not living like this has happened?
I long for the time when this has occurred! There will be no more argument about His Word at this point.
Grace and Peace!
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Hello itsyahushua, thanks for your comment.
“Does it seem to contradict this verse?
“For this command (The Law) is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life,”
Proverbs 6:23”
Of course, it doesn’t contradict because Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial part of the Law which was pointing to Him. We follow the Law of the Spirit of God found in Galatians. Jesus is the Word which believers follow according to:
Matthew 7:24-27
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
Jesus came not to destroy the Law but to fulfill it, Matthew 5:17.
Scripture clearly teaches that if you put yourself under the Law, you have abandoned Jesus Christ as seen in Galatians 5:1-4
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.
Whoever teaches people to keep the Law which Christ has set us free from because no one can work for salvation has severed themselves from Christ and is a false teacher damning people to hell according to Galatians 1:9.
We are still under the Moral Law which the N.T. calls the Law of the Spirit. See below
Galatians 5:16-24
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
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“Also, what is your proof that Jeremiah 31:31-34, 31 has been fulfilled? I don’t see any proof in our world that this has happened.”
Here is my proof that Jesus Christ fulfilled Jeremiah 31:31-34. See below
Hebrews 10:11-18
11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,
16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws on their hearts,
and write them on their minds,”
17 then he adds,
“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
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Huh? That scripture is a prophecy of something to come. How can you prove that every believer can quote the word from beginning to end with out studying it?
Because if it’s in their hearts couldn’t they be able to do this?
I think that passage is tied the words of Jesus when he says that we will be able to speak His words under the duress of percussion in the end times.
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We are all under the Law, What? You may say. Define law… define lawlessness.
So now are you really saying you don’t want to be under the law? You want to be under lawlessness? What scripture says is that through Jesus he has set us free, broken the Curse of sin and death. Adam put us all under that curse at the fall. The law that we are set free from is not free from God’s Law, no. It’s free from the Ultimate Trial Lawyer-Satan THE ACCUSER. God made the rules, he didn’t and never contradicts Himself.
The Accuser is going around like a roaring Lion seeking those to DEVOUR. He is looking for LEGAL authority. He is looking for those under the law of sin and death. Like it or not God set up a legal system. He’s the judge, this implies we are under LAW. How can He be a Judge if we are not under the law?
The Ten Commandments
Do you believe they are in place today? If so, do you believe this is the Law and you are under it? Which commandments are no longer valid? For the ones that are no longer valid who changed this and why? What scripture says that they are no longer in place?
Once again I am afraid you are confused to what we are trying to do. I am under the law meaning, I rest, party more often, and eat different. No bondage here.
Brother, we have more in common than we do apart.
Once again I wish you the best as you study the word and run away from the teachings of humans.
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You are trying to fit your theology into the text, don’t do that. Just read what the passage says. The new covenant is found in Christ whose law is written in our hearts. Referring to the Holy Spirit which was promised as Joel 2 states.
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“So now are you really saying you don’t want to be under the law? You want to be under lawlessness?”
Apparently you didn’t read my post or my reply. I don’t appreciate you misquoting me or making me saying something that I never said. I have told you that we are under the law of the Spirit as found in Galatians 5. Christians are not lawlessness but under the law of Christ through the Holy Spirit.
You are trying to make Christians becomes slaves again which shows that you have abandon Christ like Galatians 5:1-4 clearly says.
You have been deceived into thinking that God wants you to go back to that which He set you free in Christ Jesus and are trying to make it in to heaven through your own righteousness by keeping the law.
Galatians 3:1-3
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
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Brother,
We will just have to agree to disagree on it.
I agree with you! to let the bible interpret the bible. Let no man do it, including yourself! I don’t have a “theology” I used too but I tore it all apart and got out from under doctrines of men an d the teachings of the “church” .
Many Christians miss understand Paul. Paul was the ultimate Jew. He is very hard to understand unless you see him for who he was, a Torah observing Jew that never broke Torah.
I wish you the best in your journey.
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I think we are closer on this than you think.
I admit that I know very little, and what I do know is all rubbish compared to the cross and salvation. For that matter we all know very little, one day it will be made clear and we will all know. I long for those days!
I pray for the Grace of God to be on all of us that call on His name! I pray that He returns soon and puts an end to the insanity of Babylon that we are living in.
Grace and Peace to you!
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Let me ask you a question if you don’t mine. What made you or what was the factor that made you decide to go back to the Law or interpret it that way?
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“I do know is all rubbish compared to the cross and salvation.”
I would agree with you whole heartily with that statement.
But Scripture does say that we can know the Truth, that is why we have Scripture and the Holy Spirit who reveals truth based upon God’s Word.
I will keep you in my prayers for sure. Can I ask you for your name? My is Alex.
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I am not under the law anymore than you are. I went and studied the roots of how Sunday was changed into the Sabbath, Christmas, and Easter roots as well.
I am free from the Law of Sin and death.
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Where did you studied or find that info at? Basically, what site directed you to leave Grace (not under the Law) to that which are under the law according to the O.T.?
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I have not left grace! That’s funny to me that you think that! Lol.
It’s a movement of the Father. He is calling us back to His roots and out of Babylon!
Research the pagan origins of church, Sunday sabbath, Christmas and the phallic origin of the tree and wreaths, Osiris… the books banned from the Cannon but quoted in the Bible. That’s where I would start. Read the word forever in the accounts of the Passover in the OT. Study the Word without church teaching. Let it interpret its self.
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“the books banned from the Cannon but quoted in the Bible. That’s where I would start.”
Do you believe in the inerrency of Scripture?
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Absolutely!
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Okay, good
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Here’s to us all being under this, found at the end of Galatians.
“And those who are of Messiah have impaled the flesh with its passions and the desires.”
Galatiyim (Galatians)
Blessings to you and your family.
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Yes, we have impaled it through faith alone in Jesus Christ.
I would like to challenge you to read the whole Book of Galatians and ask the Lord to speak to you concerning our friendly debate.
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I ask the same of you as well!
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After you have read the whole Book come back and tell me what you thought.
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I re-read it today already. Paul wasn’t speaking to pagans but to Jews that were forcing people to live under the Pharisees teachings of which Paul says he used to be the chief. So scholars say he was on the fast track to becoming their leader. I digress. The Pharisees Were putting the people under a yoke of slavery.
The weak elementary matters are not God’s law but man’s. That is where I stand on it. I agree with Paul!
Thanks for pushing me to look at it again. Iron sharpens Iron!
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Is circumcision man’s laws? Is keeping the whole law man’s laws? Of course not, Paul was talking about the whole law. Galatians was warning about Judaizers who were trying to make Christians keep circumcision which is not man’s law but O.T. laws and Paul’s response was that if you keep that one law you have to keep them all. Paul continues to say that if we choose to keep the whole law then we would abandon Christ and forfeit His grace. You cannot follow the law and Christ at the same time. You have to choose one. Christ kept the law for us but if we try to keep the law then we are rejecting Christ’s work and are trying to do it on our own efforts. Righteousness doesn’t come through us but that righteousness comes only through faith in Christ.
I pray that you may understand that Jesus is your righteousness and we live now according to the direction of Holy Scripture based upon the N.T. teachings of Jesus Christ. The ten commandments are still God’s Word but the Sabbath was fulfilled in Christ. Now Jesus is our Sabbath rest through faith in Him. We can apply the principles of the O.T. laws but not live according to it (ceremonial law) because Christ lived it for us and fulfilled them which the law pointed to Him.
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Once again. I believe in Grace, not works. Yes We are all Under Gods Law. Jesus frees us from the law of sin and death.
I pray that you too will one day understand that the whole Bible is tied together and than you are believing in replacement theology.
I too spent 30 years of my life believing that the NT replaces it all. I have been where you are.
I have studied the scriptures for 30+ years now and I have learned that I don’t know half as much as I think I do! I have more questions than I have answers!
Bottom line. We are both saved by grace and have more in common that what separates us.
We both are flawed humans who really don’t know half as much as we think we do! Once again all we can do is study and work it out with fear and trembling.
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“I pray that you too will one day understand that the whole Bible is tied together and than you are believing in replacement theology.”
Sorry to disappoint but I do not believe in replacing the Jews. The Scripture is clear that the Jews are not only getting saved today (Messianic Jews) but in the end times all Israel will be saved. I hope that answers that.
I don’t know what you have learned but you seem to have a lot of misconceptions.
We can knows the essentials of Scripture and the Holy Spirit on a daily bases is helping me personally to understand God’s Word. Not only me but all those who have the Holy Spirit in their hearts.
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I am done arguing, we both are firm in what we think.
Again I am a humble servant who reserves the right to be wrong! None of us can claim to have it all figured out.
I read your bio and you have an amazing testimony. Let’s not argue anymore, please join me in the following daily prayer.
I pray that the Lord will reveal all the people caught up in ritual abuse, what has been done in secret will be revealed, and that the captives are set free!
I asked that you join me in this.
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