Unlike the days of Moses, the faithful to God are NOT now under the dietary or ceremonial law stated in the Torah. Among other things, Paul (a faithful Hebrew follower of Jesus) wrote:
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. (Col 2:16)
What an important verse that is in our day for the followers of Jesus. Sadly, with aggressive Saturday Sabbath (especially SDA) proponents and Hebraic Roots type people in abundance trying to convert as many Christians as they can to their false doctrines, Col. 2:16 focuses on false teachings and shows Christians are not under the dietary or ceremonial laws as in Moses’ day. Other verses also collaborate.
Christians Are Not Under The Dietary Law
The first part of Col. 2:16 says we should not let anyone judge us by what we eat or drink. Why? Because Christians are not under any dietary law! Jesus taught:
What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.’ (Mat 15:11)
You would think the Torah people would desist their proselyting after the clarity of that, but they don’t. Wrong words are the problem, not food as in Moses’ day. Eating the ceremonial foods, cited under the Mosaic dietary law, do not strengthen us spiritually.
Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them. (Heb 13:9)
But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. (1 Cor 8:8)
The only New Testament restriction related to food is connected with idols, bloody meat and eating blood, which have nothing to do with blood transfusions (as the Jehovah’s Witnesses wrongly say). If a Christian wants to eat pork, rabbit or other meat forbidden in Moses’ day (Lev. 11:6,7), he can do so without sinning! Obeying God is not related to avoiding that type of food anymore.
As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. (Acts 21:25)
See also Acts 15:20, 29.
Christians Are Not Under The Ceremonial Law
Hebraic Roots people say, Didn’t Jesus and his disciples keep the Jewish feast days, such as Passover? Yes, but that later changed, as implied in Col. 2:16 and elsewhere. Christian Scripture says we are not to allow another to judge us over a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day! Paul also taught the Roman Christians:
One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. (Rom 14:5,6)
Such leniency about a special day unto the Lord definitely never existed in Moses’ day. Back then it was the strict Saturday Sabbath alone! Now things are different for God’s faithful who keep his commandments, according to the Holy Spirit, who inspired the New Testament writers. Christians also keep the Passover in a very different and new way, unlike found in the Torah and unknown by Moses:
Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast–as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Cor 5:7,8)
Jesus is the Passover lamb and the Passover bread we are to eat now is not tangible bread that we chew. It has nothing to do with Torah regulations! In fact, such Torah regulations are in grave error now!
Spiritual Jew Circumcision
Circumcision, and its importance, is also very different now:
No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God. (Rom 2:29)
It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. (Rom 9:6)
The salvation needed now is to be a spiritual Jew. To be a spiritual Jew our heart needs to be changed by the Spirit of God, which occurs when one repents and places his faith in Jesus (Acts 20:21 cf. 2 Cor. 5:17). Mosaic type circumcision has no value anymore religiously! It is the pure in heart who will see God (Mat 5:8)! Paul also stated:
Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. (Gal 6:15)
Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts. (1 Cor 7:19)
1 Cor. 7:19 substantiates the moral law and holy living under saving grace.
The Moral Law
Paul taught and upheld the moral law, but NOT the dietary or ceremonial law! To prove this all one has to do is look up the various times he wrote about not committing idolatry, adultery, murder, bearing false witness, etc. Especially see 1 Cor. 6:9,10; Eph. 5:5-7; Gal. 5:19-21, etc. He also clearly stated he upholds the [moral] law, which saving faith in Jesus doesn’t nullify:
Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law. (Rom 3:29-31)
The final death blow to the Hebrew Roots people is what Hebrew Paul warned of under the control of the Holy Spirit:
Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. (Gal 5:2-4)
Christians who convert over to such a belief system will lose their salvation by doing so! Christ will no longer be of any value to such people, who have fallen from grace through such false doctrine. Galatianism has resurfaced its ugly poisonous head in our day and Christians need to be warned, as Paul did. The focus now is to be on the Lord Jesus, not Jewish customs, terms, etc. GOD BLESS YOU.
