Church timeline & why I am no longer Torah Observant

 * Judaism 

* Roman Catholicism (1st century AD), 

* Orthodox (1054), 

* Anglican (1530's), 

* Episcopal (1780's), 

* Lutherans (early 16th century), 

* Mennonites (16th century), 

* Presbyterians (1706) , 

* Reformed Church (1624), 

* Methodist (1729),

 * Reformed Baptist (1610) 

* Free Will Baptist (1727) , 

* Primitive Baptist (1832), 

* Southern Baptist (1845),

 * Disciples of Christ (early 1800's),... 

* Latter Day Saints (1830) , 

* Church of God 7th Day (late 1850's), 

*Church of God - Anderson, IN (1881) , 

* Church of God -  Cleveland TN (1886), 

* 7th day Adventists (1860), 

* Salvation Army (1878), 

* Jehovah Witnesses (1870's), 

* 1st Church of Christ Scientist (1879), 

* Holiness (1894),

 * Pentecostal / Apostolic (1906), 

* Assemblies of God (1914) , 

* Nazarene (1908), 

* World Wide Church of God (1930's) 

* Charismatic (1960's),

 *Messianic Judaism (1960's / 1970's)

....& on & on the denominations & churches go in the 1900's & into the 2000's.... Amazing & sad all at the same time.

 Of course there are numerous splits within all these denominations as well.  Catholicism and Orthodoxy were of one accord until the Great Schism.  They were there 'in the beginning'. And they can trace their history all the way back to the beginning of the early Church.  Everything else is a splinter off Protestantism and can only trace their roots back to the Reformation. 

I'm not Jewish.  Was not born Jewish.  Never will be Jewish. Because I am not Jewish I do not have to adhere to the Jewish customs, feasts, laws, Sabbaths, ways of living. And neither does any other non Jewish Believer for that matter. Thank you Heavenly Father for that freedom for Your children! Old Testament law is not binding on Christians.  It never has been.  :-D

I got into Torah Observance / Hebrew Roots / Messianic Judaism (the evangelical kind) around late 2007 but really started getting serious in 2008.  It made me think outside the box.  It really did. I began questioning every single thing I had ever been taught as a Christian.  Did I agree with everything?  Of course not.  In late 2011, early 2012 Torah keeping started becoming more a burden for me.  I would end up breaking the last hour or so of Sabbath, I constantly had to read labels to see if anything had gelatin in it or when going out to eat ask if such and such had lard in it.  I hadn't kept any of the feast days only because I didn't study on them.  I was upset that I couldn't find any dress material (that was good quality) that wasn't mixed and so on and so forth.  It was slowly becoming that yoke of bondage for me.

I began to question Torah Observance within the Christian realm and realized you can't have it both ways.  We can't cherry pick what to keep and what we don't have to keep anymore and that's exactly what the TO/MJ/HR movements do. Look, we either keep the whole law or none at all.  We Gentile Believers are not bound to that.  

Isn't that how it goes for a Believer though?  We're constantly growing, being challenged in ways we never thought possible.

So I went to the Scriptures and for the first time in a very long time, they all made perfect sense!  I was so ecstatic!  Here is why I am no longer Torah Observant:

James 2:10
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.  (I was never able to keep the whole law.  I tried.  But failed and was guilty then of breaking the whole thing.  Thank GOD for grace!).

Hebrews 10:1
For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

Hebrews 7:19
For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.

 Hebrews 7:11-12
If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?
For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

Titus 3:9
But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.  (I want to apologize to those of you whom I have squabbled over Torah Observance vs. Christianity with.  I pray you will forgive me.  This verse really convicted me when I was trying to prove how right it was to keep the law).

1 Timothy 1:9
Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,

Philippians 3:8-10
 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Ephesians 2:14-16
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

Galatians 5:3-5
 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.


Galatians 3:10-14
 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them..
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.


Galatians 3:18-19
For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

Galatians 3:21-24
Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Galatians 2:20-21
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Galatians 2:15-17
We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.

Romans 10:4
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

Romans 8:2-5
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

Romans 7:6-7
But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

Romans 6:13-16
 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

Romans 2:12-15
For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)


Acts 15:4-6
And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.
But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.


Acts 15:23-25
And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia.
Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:
It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

Acts 13:38-40
Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

John 1:16-17
And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.


Matthew 5:16-18
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.  (Thank you Yeshua for fullfilling the law for us!)

  Knowing Jewish history is a good thing for every Believer though so you can better understand the Bible, customs, things like that.  It makes Bible reading so much more easier when you understand why they did what they did.  Too many Christians blow it off and thus have a limited and narrow view of the New Testament.  I even know Christians who don't bother reading the Old Testament for whatever reasons (it's too hard, we're in the NT era now, etc).  Isn't that sad?

Rome sweet home it is for this Believer.  HalleluYAH  \0/ \0/ \0/   Going back home to the beginning....

 

Love, 

Dawn