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"Let no (pagan) therefore judge you..."
#16
I will raise up for them a Prophet like you (Moses) from among their brothers. And I will put My words in His (Y'shua's) mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And whoever will not listen to My words that He shall speak in My Name, I myself will require it of him.

And after six days Y'shua took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with Him. And Peter said to Y'shua, ?Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.? He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ?This is My beloved Son, a with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.? When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Y'shua came and touched them, saying, ?Rise, and have no fear.? And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Yshua only.

...
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#17
The context in Colossians is NOT dealing with the Mosaic Law opposing "Christians' liberty", but rather is dealing with the "Traditions of men" (vs 8 ) and again, the "Commandments and Doctrines of Men" (vs 22) which are in OPPOSITION of the Law of Almighty God, as given by Moshe.

The irony of it all, is the Roman Catholic Chruch, and the various Orthodox Churches* are the exact people that Trouble or Judge God's People for keeping the True Seventh-Day Sabbath, and instead try to impose 1st-day worship which even they admit are the traditions OF MEN and the commandments and doctrines of MEN.

This is the hypocracy that Saint Paul is warning against, as he himself "walk[ed] orderly and ke[pt] the Law" of Moshe.

The blood of millions of my brothers has been spilt, by those who persecute the remnant of Israel "which keep the Commandments of God, and have the Testimony of Yehoshua HaMashiach".

But this is told would happen, for "all who would live godly lives shall suffer persecution"

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* The History of the Orthodox Churches clearly show they began as Sabbath Keepers, then reluctantly kept Sunday Worship IN ADDITION to the Sabbath, and then slowly the Sunday worship superceded the Sabbath, all at the instigation of Rome, and its persecutions (just look at what happened to the poor children of God in India, when after 1500 years of uninterrupted Apostolic Christianity, the Romans arrived and persecuted them for "Judaizing" because they kept the Sabbath!
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#18
It seems abundantly clear that Christ is the fulfillment and goal/end of the Mosaic Torah (Matthew 5:17; Romans 10:4). I believe Paul still observed the Torah because of his Jewish heritage (Acts 18:8) and believed it to be holy, just and good (Romans 7:12), but he taught that the Torah was not created by YHWH for salvation, but to lead us to Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:24) and that it was not necessary for the Gentiles to keep, as evidenced by Paul's rebuke of Peter (Galatians 2:11-21).

Many people use Christ's statement that he didn't come to "abolish" (as the King James Version says) the Law of Moses, but that He came to fulfill it. I think a more accurate translation would be that Christ didn't come with the intention of the destroying the Law (as in being its enemy) but He came to fulfill it and complete it. Christ brought a new level of Torah, which is the Law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). He is the One through which YHWH gives us the Law He truly wants for mankind that is written on the hearts of men. Notice how Jesus moves the Torah from merely outward observance, but amplifies it by bringing it into the heart. What the Law could not do, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh.
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#19
SS2,

That was awesome...thanks for sharing The Truth.

A2S,

Based on your post there, it seems you are very bitter and need to forgive and begin to love those whom you see as enemies.

I do not allow any person to judge me about which things I observe or don't observe, as pertaining to the former covenant God established under Moses, and thank God for giving mankind a better covenant under The Messiah, which fulfills all the types and shadows, with a reality that is incomparable.

What do you think those men were trying to do to the new Christians who were coming to Christ, which The Apostle Paul had so much trouble with? For one thing, among many others....they were telling them that they had to be physically circumcised in order to be right with God. Do you say the same thing today to physically uncircumcised Christians or non-Christians seeking salvation?

And, I don't know about you...but I worship God every day of the week and pray without ceasing and I am thankful that I have two days off to focus more on my relationship with my Creator.

You said: "The blood of millions of my brothers has been spilt, by those who persecute the remnant of Israel "which keep the Commandments of God, and have the Testimony of Yehoshua HaMashiach".

Q: Who were millions? Are they not among the millions who were slain by those who tried to silence the Good News Message about salvation by Grace through Faith in Christ Jesus?


Shlama,
Chuck
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#20
ScorpioSniper2 Wrote:Many people use Christ's statement that he didn't come to "abolish" (as the King James Version says) the Law of Moses, but that He came to fulfill it. I think a more accurate translation would be that Christ didn't come with the intention of the destroying the Law (as in being its enemy) but He came to fulfill it and complete it. Christ brought a new level of Torah, which is the Law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). He is the One through which YHWH gives us the Law He truly wants for mankind that is written on the hearts of men. Notice how Jesus moves the Torah from merely outward observance, but amplifies it by bringing it into the heart. What the Law could not do, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh.

I think you are missing some points in Matthew 5:17-20. It says in Matthew 5:18 "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." My question is: Is it all fulfilled? Because there are still parts in the Torah that aren't not fulfilled yet, like the relation between Christ and the fall festivals, Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur and Sukkoth. So Torah haven't passed away.

The issue of the heart was always something in the Torah, just see the "Shema" Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Deuteronomy 6:4-5 So, the issue of the heart in the Torah has been always there, the problem is when we run away from him trying to do our own man-made rules and elevated their teaching as part of the Torah. Yeshua wanted us to be obedient to the Torah with a intention in our hearts as the Torah commands, the apostles gave a lot of clues of that in their writings.

I think Roth is trying to emphasize people outside of covenant. It that time there were a lot of pagans out there trying to stop people for practicing the Sabbath, Festivals and New Moons. Imagine the your friends were pagans and they follow their own pagan festivals (to the greek or romans gods) and then later you became a believer. They will judge you for doing the festivals of Adonai or celebrate the Sabbath.
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#21
ScorpioSniper2 Wrote:It seems abundantly clear that Christ is the fulfillment and goal/end of the Mosaic Torah (Matthew 5:17; Romans 10:4). I believe Paul still observed the Torah because of his Jewish heritage (Acts 18:8) and believed it to be holy, just and good (Romans 7:12), but he taught that the Torah was not created by YHWH for salvation, but to lead us to Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:24) and that it was not necessary for the Gentiles to keep, as evidenced by Paul's rebuke of Peter (Galatians 2:11-21).

Let me offer my two shekels worth in this discussion. When I look at the entire corpus of Scripture I see a slightly different picture.

Fulfill as I udnerstand it means to properly explain/amplify, which is what Messiah did not only by how He walked, but contextually the rest of the Sermon on the Mount magnifies the Torah as the prophet Isaiah puts it. Since Messiah kept Torah perfectly, the goal of Torh Observance is to be like Him. In Romans 6 Paul says we should nto continue to sin so that garce may abound (v.1), nor should we continue to sin because we are not subject to the penalties of breaking Torah (i.e. being "under Law") but under grace (recieving that which we don't deserve) (v.14-15). John defines sin in 1 John 3:4 as transgression of Torah (iniquity, or in Greek, lawlessness, which Thayers lists as breaking the (Mosaic) law) so Paul is actually telling us not to transgress Torah just because of God's grace. Those before Messiah came were looking towards the cross, we now are looking back at it. But our time here on earth still requires that we be a light to all men by living different from the world - that of the standards of God's righteousness as outlined in His law. Galatians 2:11-21 is simply making known the plain truth that no flesh is justified by Torah (whether Jew or Gentile) which has always been the truth; therefore, the Law, serving a different purpose, is still just as valid today so long as those confessing Yeshua as Messiah observe it by faith according to the teaching/custom/law (if you will) of Messiah (His "halacha"). Psalm 119 says all Torah laws are eternal, and Torah itself says you shall keep these things always. Forever. As a permaneant statute. But not for justification, as once again, this has never been the case (Israel was redeemed by faith from slavery FIRST, and then recieved Torah - Torah is not for an unsaved people but for a redeemed, justified people to live set-apart and be a light unto all men). To sum it up, consider what both Hillel and Messiah said - "Love the LORD and love your neighbour - upon these two laws hangs ALL of the Torah and the Prophets". The whole point of all of Torah is love. This is why John says "for this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments and His commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3).

I think the message is clear. The context of the New Testament writings were often dealing with man-made laws/customs that were stumbling blocks and a twisting around of the God's truth. Take for example the enmity of the dividing wall in Ephesians 2:14, which was all about the additional "fence" (fragmos/syaga) laws that separated Jew and Gentile because Gentiles, according to them, were unclean and not to be associated with (even their place of residence). Yet Messiah's sacrifice made atonement for all (what God has cleansed do not call unclean Peter!), and this was evidenced by the giving of the Spirit to the Gentiles by faith also, forever changing history from that point on. But this of course has nothing to do with Mosaic/Torah Law as given by God for all of Israel (whether native born, sojourner or grafted in/brought near by the blood of Messiah). Colossians 2:16 is another such passage and Paul, playing the good pastoral role, is dealing with issues in his communities in order for them to be unified and thus allow them to carry out God's plans and purposes for them so that His righteousness and salvation can spread to the ends of the earth. You can't do that when you're divided over petty issues and cultural customs that are made powerless (i.e. shown to be false or wortjless) by the outpouring of the Spirit from Messiahs's sacrifice (which comes with better promises to help us further carry out those plans and purposes He has always had for His people).

But at this point it has become all a matter of perspective. The key is to determine the right one.
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#22
What Jesus is saying is that every letter of the Torah is vital. The Law was all fulfilled by Christ's sacrifice for our sins. The Law is a unit, as set forward by James set forth in 2:10 of his Epistle. This doesn't mean that the Torah will forever apply to Gentiles and Jews alike, but that is shall always be treated as Holy Scripture.
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#23
ScorpioSniper2 Wrote:The Law was all fulfilled by Christ's sacrifice for our sins.
Where in Scripture can I find this, linguistically? The word for fulfill being used in relation specifically to the Law and His sacrifice for our sins? I'm not sure the word is ever used in the way that I think you are implying. Jesus said "But all this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets" which is quite natural, all that occurred was prophesied to happen, but yet... I don't see the concept that His keeping of the Law perfectly and being our spotless sacrifice in that regard has anything to do with absolving us from the mandate to live righteously and holy (as Torah outlines and the Spirit helps us walk out). Is this what you are trying to say or am I misreading you? The power of sin and death, our disobedience to the first covenant, all of this of course is passing away, and as such, this [re]newed covenant comes with better promises. But the relevance of Torah I see as coming into greater clarity and light with the coming of the Messiah (as Isaiah says, He will magnify the Torah). After all, it was looking towards hope yet to be revealed, and is still looking towards the final redemption when all sin will be cast out forever and we will live in the new heavens and the new earth. Do you see what I'm saying? I certainly agree though that He was emphasizing the vital importance of Torah as Holy Scripture. But I think when we turn aside the relevance of several aspects of Torah, we are missing out on the fullness that our God desires to teach, share and bless us with in this life while we await the life and world to come.
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#24
Do not be decieved....

"For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." Romans 10:4

"Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses." Acts 13:39

"Do you not know, brothers, for I am speaking to men who know the law, that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives?" Romans 7:1

"So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God." Romans 7:4

"For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:3

"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died." 2 Corinthians 5:14

"To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law." 1 Corinthians 9:20

"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Galatians 6:14

"But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." Romans 7:6

"In the same way, consider yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus." Romans 6:11

"But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law." Gal 5:18

"For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." Romans 6:14


..
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#25
As my friend Thirdwoe said, Paul went into deeper detail on the nature and duration of the Torah of Moses. Jesus is the initiator of a new and greater covenant, and this is not to say that Paul was "anti-Torah" as many Jewish people claim Christians are. Paul didn't teach that the Law was evil, but that it was superseded by the precious atonement by the blood of our God Jesus Christ.
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#26
ScorpioSniper2 Wrote:As my friend Thirdwoe said, Paul went into deeper detail on the nature and duration of the Torah of Moses. Jesus is the initiator of a new and greater covenant, and this is not to say that Paul was "anti-Torah" as many Jewish people claim Christians are. Paul didn't teach that the Law was evil, but that it was superseded by the precious atonement by the blood of our God Jesus Christ.

I never ceased to be amazed that this debate continues to this day nearly 20 centuries after the temple system, along with the old priesthood, was destroyed. So much of the old covenant of course revolved around the tabernacle and later the temple and it's earthly priesthood and rituals. All of which are long dead and gone. Exactly as Meshikha said it would be.

Yet, we still have people worrying about which day of the week they should "keep" (whatever that means) and which foods are ok to eat.

It's as if they purposely ignore the message and the meaning of the new covenant. The Jews themselves couldn't keep the law, yet some people (Jewish and Gentile) still persist in shoving it down everyone else's throats.

Amazing.

+Shamasha
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#27
Quote:I don't see the concept that His keeping of the Law perfectly and being our spotless sacrifice in that regard has anything to do with absolving us from the mandate to live righteously and holy (as Torah outlines and the Spirit helps us walk out). Is this what you are trying to say or am I misreading you?

I think that Q was for SSC....but I'll just say, that all those who are part of the Body of Christ, are one with Him...He is their life, and they are dead to the law of sin and death, it having no power over them. They have been crucified, buried, risen, and are now seated with Christ in the heavens. This is the reality of our standing with God in Christ. Christ and His Body are ONE. And by His Holy Spirit that dwells in us and moves us to act and react, we are walking in the righteousness that comes from God, not our own righteousness.

Rest in what Christ has done...you have been freed from all bondage, but do not let this freedom cause you to walk in the flesh and follow it's desire, but rather walk in the Spirit and follow where He leads.

Shlama,
Chuck
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#28
Thirdwoe Wrote:Do not be decieved....
"For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." Romans 10:4
Or, the "goal" - the goal of Torah is be like Christ. Even Jewish theology says that after the 40 year journey described in Torah you reach Messiah, therefore, messiah is the "end of Torah".

Thirdwoe Wrote:"Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses." Acts 13:39
As far as I understand it, the Law of Moses was never for justification. This does not mean the Law of Moses is without value.

Thirdwoe Wrote:"Do you not know, brothers, for I am speaking to men who know the law, that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives?" Romans 7:1

"So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God." Romans 7:4
We died to the power of the Law to condemn us to death (as the Law reveals sin and the penalty of sin is death). This does not mean the standard of righteousness as revealed in the Law is of no use. But we observe it by faith, according to the power of the Holy Spirit.

Thirdwoe Wrote:"For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:3

"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died." 2 Corinthians 5:14
We have died to the power of sin and our "old self", born from the beginning as new creatures in Messiah, living for Him (as verse 15 says) and not our old nature. And indeed, we live for Him by keeping His very commandments, as this is the love of God (1 John 5:3).

Thirdwoe Wrote:"To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law." 1 Corinthians 9:20

"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Galatians 6:14

"In the same way, consider yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus." Romans 6:11

"But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law." Gal 5:18

"For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." Romans 6:14

Being under the Law means being subject to it's penalties - i.e. curses and the ultimate consequence of sin: death. But neither have power/dominion over us because God has reconciled us to Himself by His Son. But this again has no relevance on following His commands. We simply do so by His strength, not our own.

Thirdwoe Wrote:"But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." Romans 7:6
The old way of the written code sounds a little bit funny. A more accurate rendition would be "and not in oldness of the letter". But first, let's cover being "released from the law". As the Law defines sin and condemns us to death, our free gift, the pardon available through Christ, releases us from the penalty of breaking the Law (therefore we are not bound to die), but it does not absolve us from living Holy, righteous lifestyles, of which the Law defines. However, what Christ taught very clearly as He magnified the Torah, was that it goes far beyond ritualistic observance. If our heart and spirit are not right then our works are in vain. Indeed, the letter of the law without the spirit of the law is worthless, and this in fact taught in Judaism and is not unique to Christianity (see the Midrash on Deuteronomy.. specially 6:18 if I remember correctly). But Messiah taught and demonstrated this very clearly, and so we walk after His example (we follow His halacha - which is what the law/instruction of Christ that Paul is subject to, being not without the Law of God in 1 Corinthians 9:21 is). We don't follow the oldness of the old religious rituals because now that Messiah has come and brought forth the treasures of the Torah and the Spirit of the living God has been poured out, why would anyone do such a thing?

Cultural context and understanding the Scripture is important. Now, a change in temple and priesthood service as Paul mentioned above is another story completely.

Oh, and I'm free from the bondage of sin and death, but not free from all bondage as I am a slave to righteousness as Paul points out in Romans 6. A yoke is not a bad thing when it's the right one.

Just my two shekels worth.
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#29
Thanks for your comments Luc...I agree with most of your interpretations there.

Though the passage in Romans 10, in its context, is clearly speaking of the differance between a "righteousness that is based on the Law of Moses" and "the righteousness that is based on faith" in Christ's work.

And I do not say that a person who has Christ in them by the New Birth, need not walk in Christ's commands, but since it is not they who live, but Christ who lives in them...there is nothing to boast about, or take credit for doing so.

God imputes Christ's perfect righteousness to those who trust in Him. The Holy Spirit does not lead God's children into lawlessness/sin...but into a holiness that can't be reached by our own effort, through keeping all the laws perfectly.

Blessed is the man, whose trasgressions are not counted against him, but has been forgiven and covered by The Blood of the better Covenant. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ...those who walk not in the flesh but in the Spirit.

And Luc, which parts of the Law of Moses do you NOT keep? And does God condemn you for not keeping them? And since it is written that if you break the least law, you have broken them all, how does it work, if you break some of them, that you think you are keeping the Law of Moses?

Would you compel a gentile man to be circumcised, or grow his beard, or not eat certain foods, such as pork, as the Law of Moses commands, or instead tell them that it is no longer required under the new and better Covenant to be concerned with such things?

Shlama,
Chuck
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#30
Thirdwoe Wrote:Thanks for your comments Luc...I agree with most of your interpretations there.
You're welcome <!-- sSmile --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/smile.gif" alt="Smile" title="Smile" /><!-- sSmile --> And thank you! I know I'm somewhat on the defense here with Torah observance, but I want you to know that your comments are apreciated. Especially right now, as Marya is really putting on my heart the things that Yeshua calls the "weightier matters of Torah". My heart is being prepared for something big behind the scenes of what may seem like a typical internet discussion.

Thirdwoe Wrote:And I do not say that a person who has Christ in them by the New Birth, need not walk in Christ's commands, but since it is not they who live, but Christ who lives in them...there is nothing to boast about, or take credit for doing so.
This is a very excellent point that I don't think can be stressed enough!

Thirdwoe Wrote:Blessed is the man, whose trasgressions are not counted against him, but has been forgiven and covered by The Blood of the better Covenant. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ (A)...those who walk not in the flesh (B) but in the Spirit ©.
Just a side note: I find it interesting that the early Greek only has (A), the Aramaic has (A) and (B), and the Textus Receptus has (A), (B), and ©. Hmm...

Thirdwoe Wrote:And Luc, which parts of the Law of Moses do you NOT keep? And does God condemn you for not keeping them? And since it is written that if you break the least law, you have broken them all, how does it work, if you break some of them, that you think you are keeping the Law of Moses?
The parts that I do not keep are those that are not applicable (and Andrew does a pretty good job at listing these as such in his appendix). But examples would be anything related to the Temple and it's service, things specifically for priests/kings, or laws specifically meant to be kept in the land of Israel as a theocratic government (7th year of rest, Jubilee, etc.). But I do keep things like Shabbat, Biblical Kosher, Feast days, wearing of tzitzit, etc.

Condemnation though I think is the wrong word. Convicted, yes, but not condmened. For example, if I do things that are questionable on Shabbat, I am convicted and feel bad about it. Not because I'm "in trouble" but because I know that I'm taking away from that special time that the Lord desires to spend with me (either individually or with my community of faith). Not saying of course that I cannot spend time with Him on other days of the week, but there are things that must be done in life and Shabbat is the day where He gets my undivided attention and I fully rest in Him. And if I choose to do other things on Shabbat that should be done during the rest of the week, like in any relationship, I'm declaring that those are more important than time with Him.

Now, when James says that if we break the Law at one point we have broken all of it, I understand him to be emphasizing that every aspect of the Law is important. And so, I study every aspect of the Law and glean all that my God wishes to teach me from it. Then through the continual process of sanctification, I observe what I can; not as a form of empty ritual, but according to the Spirit: realizing that the ultimate goal is to be like Christ and bear the fruits of the Spirit. If I am not bearing fruit then my observance is in vain.

Thirdwoe Wrote:Would you compel a gentile man to be circumcised, or grow his beard, or not eat certain foods, such as pork, as the Law of Moses commands, or instead tell them that it is no longer required under the new and better Covenant to be concerned with such things?
Ah, there is that word again, "required". Required for what I ask? This is a question I routinely ask myself because it is an important one with the whole Torah Observant mvoement that exists out there these days. Requireds for justification, salvation, a place in the world to come? No. This was the whole debate with circumcision in the first place, for in the 1st century, a Gentile was not clean by any means and had to be converted in order to be saved (according to their theology). God of course proved this wrong by not only giving Peter the vision that He did, but it was confirmed when all the Jewish believers saw that Gentiles recieved the Holy Spirit the same as them.

But even if such is not required in that sense, it doesn't mean that we should not do it, or that it is void of all benefit. I think it is important sometimes to understand why God commanded such in the first place, and then to observe as one is convicted and understands (I say sometimes because statutes [chukkat] are thigns that were instructed without explanation, such as washing your hands under running water, something we only recently figured out was because it washes away the germs). But the aspects of the Torah you mention I think fall into a category that is to be addressed on a community level (using the system of Acts 15 as our model). Community halacha always needs to be established by the elders of a community as is agreeable to the will of God. For example, using the same 1st century issue addressed by the jerusalem council, if circumcision is pushed as a means of conversion because you cannot be saved without converting, I would rule against that because it goes against the will of God and His work completed in Christ. But as a command of God that one wishes to do as an outward sign and reflection of the inward circumcision of the heart, that is acceptable, and indeed, a fulfillment of the command. Doing it for the sake of ritual alone, like baptism, is worthless, because rituals are powerless if it is not for the faith and heart intention which drives you to do it. Other commands need to be addressed on an individual basis though. Like with beards, that in and of itself it debatable (see Andrew Roth's response here - <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://therefinersfire.org/beards.htm">http://therefinersfire.org/beards.htm</a><!-- m -->) and kosher is important in that it is God's instructions for what He has designed to be food and what He has designed for other purposes. It may be lawful for us to do otherwise, but is it profitable? God commanded these thigns for a reason and not only are there health benefits to kosher but there are spiritual lessons and such to be gleaned as well. But it is a patient process of learning and sanctification. So, assuming their basic needs were already met, I would encourage a Gentile to learn more, especially if they were planning on joining a community that follows such commandments.

But to once again address the term "required", I would say that there are contexts in which they would be required, and such examples would be community oneness, Jewish outreach (not for the sake of pretending so that we may "win them over", but to provoke genuine jealousy which is difficult to do when living in a manner that is contrary to the fullness of applicable Torah), OR... perhaps experience and unleash a fullness that God desires but that we ourselves haven't fully understood or grasped yet (but merely observing all we can be faith and seeing where it takes us). Every aspect of Scripture speaks to me about how it is good to keep the commandments, however, in the Apostolic Scriptures it does not define which ones or how to keep them in the detail we Gentiles may desire it (although we certainly have a basis for the "meaty matters" with the sermon on the mount and many of the things that Paul says NOT to do). One could interpret Ephesians 2:12 in the sense that Gentiles are now part of Israel's commonwealth and covenants, and therefore, assume that all of it is. But nonetheless, in some cases, prayer and faith are our best course of action and in anycase, this term "required" is certainly something to be weary of and should not be used lightly but rather have it's proper place recognized.

I think that is enough for one post. Shlama!
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