Doctrinal Assessment:
The Restoration Of The Old Covenant M. Deckard Copyright 2007
Resurrecting the Doctrine of the Judaizers
The wise King Solomon once said "There is nothing new under the sun". This
is surely true of errors which from time to time pass by the body of Christ. They are
like a comet on its course through the galaxy. It shines a light for a time which some
mistake for the Sun itself rising in the darkness of night. But at it's passing and the
inevitable dawn of the true Sun, it is clear that it was but a spectacle the flew over
and garnered much attention. It becomes forgotten except in the annals of
astrology, at least until it's circuit brings it back around again in a few hundred years.
The early Church did much doctrinal battle against false teachings. These
teachings were like the fiery comet that shone forth and made many think the Son
had revealed some new thing, or resurrected some old thing to shed light on the
church. These teachings were no more than Satan masquerading himself as an
angel of light. These doctrinal fires have been stamped out by the true teachers of
the church each time they fall to earth.
Those false teachings can be identified as to the right and to the left of the
truth. For God said that we are not to turn to the right or the left. On the left were
those who mixed the Christian faith with many new thoughts that were not of the
apostles doctrine. Thoughts whose origin was actually born out of paganism and
philosophy. They couched the supernatural element of Christianity in a Gnostic
mysticism that claimed secret knowledge not revealed to the Apostles. They sought
to establish and usurp authority for themselves. No surprise, for this has always
been Satan’s goal. They taught things such as that Christ was not a flesh and blood
human being but a spirit. The apostle John put this particular fire out with his famous
passage in John 1:1 & 14
"In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was
God...The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us."
He further established the churches official doctrine of Christ having come in
the flesh in chapter one of his first epistle where he testifies that the apostles walked
not with a ghost, but with a man.
"That which is from the beginning...which we have looked at and our hands have
touched."
In chapter 4:2 he again reinforces this truth as a test of false spirits at work in left
leaning heretics.
"...every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God"
There were other false teachings to the left which can be matched up with
addresses from the epistles, but this is a sufficient example.
But there were also those whose error was to the right of the truth. In contrast
to the left, they were not offering new mystical ideas. They were reintroducing things
from established Jewish customs and traditions. They were imposing the cancelled
out written code upon the church as a necessity of a full Christian truth and
experience. It is these errors that this article will give it's attention to. For the comet
of the Judaizers has come full circle in the church world today and more specifically
our local region is facing a concerning influence from a ministry who projects a very
Jewish form of Christianity. While they deny rustling God's sheep into the old corral
of the law, the shadow they cast and the sound they make needs to be addressed
by both scripture and facts from early church history.
If a false doctrine were a seed beginning to germinate, the first leaf we
currently see unfolding is that of the observance of feasts. Without a doubt, the
observance of ceremonial feasts were institued by God through Moses for the
people of Israel to practice on set dates throughout the jewish year. However, it has
not only been suggested , but forcfully pressed that the church should have been
continuing these practices all along. They assert that the observance of feasts and
ceremonial laws of Moses were scrubbed from the proper practice of the church by
early Anti-Semitism in the church. Further more they assert that the full degree of
spiritual blessing is available only to those who practice these ceremonies.
I have heard with my own ears the assertion that if we keep the feasts as God
commanded, we will be delivered from depression and it's medication, experience
financial abundance as well as know the fullest amount of joy possible. This is an
appealing prospect, however it is argued against by scripture. Consider Galatians 3:
1-5
"You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus
Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from
you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?
Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your
goal by human effort? Have you suffered so much for nothing–if it really was for
nothing? Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you
observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?"
Paul was combating the dangerous doctrine of the Judaizers. These were
people who were Jews who had come into the church and arguably converted to
Christianity. But for reasons of pride, power, jealousy and fear of man, they began
to reincorporate the Jewish laws and compel others to do the same. The Galatians
were gentile Christians who had come under their influence and were beginning to
follow their teachings. Paul objected with the strongest of terms.
A common argument of those now reviving the feasts is that they do not trust in
these practices for righteousness or salvation. But in this passage the goal spoken
of is not righteousness or salvation. The goal is obviously the Holy Spirit and His
supernatural work in the church and the individual believer. The three spiritual
blessings mentioned above would certainly fall in this category. Paul denounced
observing the law for access to spiritual blessings. For Paul this seems just as
dangerous as trusting the law for salvation. Paul also reasserts a theme so
dominant in the new testament it is hard to wonder how someone could miss it
unless they were deliberately trying to. He said "Did you receive the Spirit by
observing the law or believing what you heard?" This is one of the many clear
crystal truths in the chandelier of grace Paul constructed to shine forth the
revelation that we are children of promise by faith, not of works.
When Paul asked if they had suffered so much for nothing, he was referring to
the persecution from the Jews because the church did not keep the ceremonial laws.
Now they were beginning to make that suffering a vain endurance for they were
about to give in to the pressure to conform to the Judaizers demands. Jesus said
"Beware of the leaven of the scribes and pharisees" and "a little leaven leavens the
whole loaf." Jesus indicated that a little legalism and a little trust in the old wine skins
was like yeast in a batch of bread dough. It was a bacteria that would grow and
multiply until it had filled the whole loaf. In more modern terms, we have a slippery
doctrinal slope when we accept any part of the Mosaic law as key to any spiritual
blessing. It will inevitably lead it's followers into more error and bondage.
In fact, Galatians tells us in Chapter 3 vs. 10 that by observing any part of the law
for any reason, one comes under a curse. Because you are not allowed to keep just
a part of the law, you must either keep the whole law perfectly, or you are a
lawbreaker and are cursed. We all know that Jesus was the only person who ever
kept the whole law perfectly and thus escaped this curse. However the fulfillment of
the law that he accomplished and the subsequent status of perfect human
righteousness was then offered as a sacrifice on the cross. This was so we who
were under the curse of sin and the law could believe in Jesus and by the same
dynamic as Abraham be declared righteous because of simple faith. Thus having
fulfilled the law of God that no one had ever fulfilled, Jesus was undeserving of the
death penalty that was previously due to all who had ever lived. None the less He
died unjustly as a sinner. This created an injustice opposite of the previous one.
That is the injustice of our crime against God which demanded of us death. In Jesus
case the injustice was He was wrongfully executed for a crime he did not commit.
God is a just judge and in Gods court, every injustice must be rectified. Satan
knew this and sought to use the law to bind us over to God's judgement of death by
tempting us always to sin. But what he could not foresee was that in crucifying Christ
(who fulfilled the law therefore did not deserve death) he created another injustice
that God was obligated to rectify. How do you make amends for a man wrongfully
executed? There have been more and more cases in modern history of wrongful
executions of innocent people. The injustice is usually rectified by settlements with
the victims family in the millions of dollars. Once Satan had Jesus tried and executed
in the civil, religious and spiritual courts and put to death, God raised him from the
dead and rectified the injustice by awarding all who call on his name with a priceless
settlement of Christs' very righteousness and and all the promises in his word. All
these blessings are credited to us by faith. The new covenant is the legal document
we reference to validate our faith withdrawels from the account. We do not need to
work or perform to access those "funds" as it were. We have only to believe that
what the covenant says is for us because we have been adopted into the family of
Christ.
So you see that to go back to the practice of the law is a slap in the face to the
fulfillment Christ accomplished for us. As if we can do it better than Him? If we go
back to attempt to improve the work Christ fulfilled, we put ourself back under the
curse of the law and outside the family of God. Galatians 5:4 Hebrews 10:28-29
I have heard it emphasized numerous times that God's law is still in effect, for
Christ did not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it. Thus they are restoring old
testament practices such as the feasts. Let's examine the supporting passage and
see the misunderstanding.
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not
come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth
disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means
disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of
the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called
least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these
commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 5:17-19
The first key question is this: What is meant when Jesus said He would not
destroy, but fulfill the law? How will this fulfillment take place? The original Greek
word for fulfill is defined as to complete or to put into effect. Jesus fulfilled the Law by
flawless execution of it. Unmatched perfection in accordance with the moral law.
Jesus never sinned. Nor did He desire to do so.
He also fulfilled the law by doing the things the law foreshadowed in symbol and
types within the ceremonial aspects of it. For instance, He was the Passover lamb.
So the law of the Passover being fulfilled in Christ, no more lambs should be slain.
So if that is the case, why then does Jesus indicate that the writing of the law
and prophets will not pass away until heaven and earth pass away? He seems to
indicate that not everything in the Law and the prophets has been accomplished.
Everything the law and the prophets foreshadowed concerning the finished work of
redemption is accomplished, but there are other things foreshadowed pertaining to
the church, Israel and to the end times which are being fulfilled and are waiting to be
fulfilled. But continuing to carry out the ceremonies as a form of obedience to God is
not the fulfillment Jesus was referring to. If it were why did he go on in verse 20 to
say:
For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees
and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
The answer is found in vs 19 : "Anyone who breaks one of the least of these
commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the
kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be
called great in the kingdom of heaven."
What are these commandments Jesus is referring to? Look at the words that come
immediately after this statement. I will paraphrase for brevity.
•It has been said not to murder, I say do not even be angry or insulting or you are
guilty of murder. vs 21-22
•It has been said do not commit adultery, I say don't even look at a woman with
lust or you've committed adultery. 27-30
•It has been said you can divorce with proper papers, I say your divorcing is
adulterous. vs31-32
•It has been said don't break your oaths, I say don't swear oaths vs 33-37
•It has been said eye for an eye, but I say turn the other cheek and bless those
who persecute you
•It has been said love your neighbor and hate your enemy, but I say love your
enemy and you will be perfect like God.
Notice How Jesus is shifting the law from the written code to the condition of the
heart. Chapter 6 then continues on the topics of giving genuinely, praying
authentically, fasting for the right reasons and so on.
These are the commandments that Jesus wants us to practice and teach others
so as to be great in the kingdom of heaven. Do you really think God is saying "Keep
the feasts of the Jews and you will be great in the kingdom of heaven?" Contrast this
statement God made in Amos 5:21-24
"I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even
though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away
with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice
roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!"
It would seem God is more interested in what is happening in our hearts and how we
treat people that in outward ceremonies. For did not Jesus say in Matt 7:12
"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even
so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."
And in Matt. 22:38-40 Jesus said
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with
all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second [is] like unto
it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all
the law and the prophets."
In concluding this point consider this. Christ said that the law is still in effect, and
it's writing shall not be destroyed. But the law has been rewritten. Dont' stone me
yet! What I mean is that it has been rewritten like the tablets of stone were rewritten.
Remember how Moses smashed the tablets of the law to bits when he saw Israel’s
idolatry? Then He went back up to the mountain and God wrote them again In
Exodus 34. Then God established His covenant with Israel. In the same way we all
broke the law. But Christ has come and rewritten the law- but now in a place that
gives us hope and establishes God's new covenant.
"Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on
stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of
Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be
even more glorious?" 2 Cor 3:7-8
"You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written
not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but
on tablets of human hearts." 2 Cor 3:2-3
The law that was broken by our sinfulness is being rewritten on the hearts of
believers by the Holy Spirit. Now as a result we are fulfilling the law by acting in
accordance with the spirit of the law. The spirit of the law is that of justice and mercy
and goodness. The letter of the law is ceremonies and religious rites. The letter kills,
but the spirit gives life.
Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, laid out very clearly his position on the
restoration of feasts and Sabbaths in Galatians 4:9-11
"But now that you know God–or rather are known by God–how is it that you are
turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by
them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and
years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you."
again in Col 2:13-17
"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful
nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled
the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to
us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross... Therefore do not let anyone judge you
by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon
celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come;
the reality, however, is found in Christ."
The interpretation of these ceremonies of the law are beneficial and full of
blessing as used in edification and learning, even the reenactment for the purpose
of full visualization is a beneficial thing. But when people begin call them new
testament forms of worship and to attach supernatural significance to the practice of
these rituals and assert that to neglect them is a loss of blessing or favor, they are
Judaizing the Church and their teaching should be dismissed. Their ministry should
be avoided.
Paul the Apostle vigorously steered the sheep of his flock away from "letter-
men" of the law. Their adherence to the ceremonies of the law where but the
covering for hearts full of pride and greed and ambition. People were their subjects
and their audience more than their family and their flock. They sought to make
merchandise out of a new and different wave of teaching. They coveted celebrity
status and a presence on a larger stage.
Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to
alienate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them. Gal 4:17
Much is made by those who are now advancing these practices that the early
church fathers actually continued to practice these feasts until the time of
Constantine began to establish a state church and subsequently quashed the
Jewish roots of the Christian faith. This assertion is difficult to accept considering the
passages detailed above. The Apostle Paul was pushing the gentile believers away
from a Jewish distinction in worship, not towards it. Consider Paul’s account of
confronting Peter over what he saw as improper pressure to conform to Judaism in
the mere social sense.
"When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly
in the wrong. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles.
But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the
Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group.
The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas
was led astray. When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the
gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile
and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish
customs?" Gal. 2:11-14
Paul did not beat around the bush. He would not tolerate any pressure on the
Gentiles to conform to Jewish ways for any reason. This sentiment was perpetuated
through the next generation of church fathers who continued the fight against the
Judaistic errors. Consider Ignatius, the Bishop of Antioch, appointed personally by
the Apostle Peter. He was a direct understudy of the Apostle John. Ignatius was not
some disciple who lived hundreds of years after the Apostles. He was a 2nd
generation leader of the New Testament Church. He lived between 35 and 105 A.D..
He as well had very strong views on the Judaizing influence being mixed into the
Christian faith and worship. Here are direct quotes from his letter to the church of
Magnesia, an area in Eastern Greece. This was written 200 years before the
Constantine Era.
“Let us not, therefore, be insensible to His kindness. For were He to reward us
according to our works, we should cease to be. Therefore, having become His
disciples, let us learn to live according to the principles of Christianity. For
whosoever is called by any other name besides this, is not of God. Lay aside,
therefore, the evil, the old, the sour leaven, and be ye changed into the new leaven,
which is Jesus Christ. Be ye salted in Him, lest any one among you should be
corrupted, since by your savour ye shall be convicted. It is absurd to profess Christ
Jesus, and to Judaize. For Christianity did not embrace Judaism, but Judaism
Christianity, that so every tongue which believeth might be gathered together to
God.”
In light of this clear position by a disciple of the original disciples, how can we
believe that the early church was maintaining the observance of old testament
customs and rituals, let alone trusting them for any spiritual manifestation. Any
benefit of the covenant God has established can be attained to only by faith in the
blood of Christ. Any additions to that are in error and lead the saints astray. As it is
written-
You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying
the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. "A
little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." I am confident in the Lord that
you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the
penalty, whoever he may be." Galatians 5:7-10
In closing, this doctrinal study is not intended to bring disdain to Jews. I take
seriously the warning of Romans 11 not to gloat or exult over the Jews, nor to
consider them so cut off from God's promise that they are beyond recovery. My
hearts desire and prayer for Israel is that they may be saved. My hearts desire and
prayer is that all people would be saved. My purpose is to equip Christians with
discernment and steer them away from a subtle deception in the church that
capitalizes upon the desire of people to honor the God of Israel. God is honored by
worship done in spirit and in truth. To insure our worship is truly in spirit and truth,
let us not feel a need to conform to customs, cultures or ceremonies that God has
already fulfilled in Christ.
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