In our previous articles, we have been debunking the myth that the Torah (the “Law”) is impossible to keep. We mentioned the misunderstanding of Peter’s words in Acts 15, where he refers to “a yoke … that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear” (Acts 15:10). We discussed the misconceptions within Christianity about the Torah and the perceived difficulty of following its directives. We also discussed the purpose for which God gave his Torah (Law), and listed several commandments found within the book of Leviticus as examples of these “difficult” laws. In this article, we will begin to seek an understanding of Peter’s specific terminology for his phrase, “a yoke … that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear.” What yoke was he referring to, and was it truly unbearable?
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 Observant Jews (Messianic or otherwise), and many Messianic Gentiles like myself, read Genesis 22:1-19 every morning during Shacharit (morning) prayers. It is the story of the binding of Isaac. In Hebrew it is called the Akeidah, which means “binding.” How should we understand this story from a Messianic Jewish perspective? Let’s take a look at just a few of the dozens of connections to the Apostolic Scriptures found within this story. The Akeidah is considered the last of ten tests that Hashem placed upon Abraham. Jewish literature makes reference to ten tests that Abraham passes in faithful obedience. However, there is some confusion over exactly what those tests are. Both Rashi and the Rambam have differing lists, which you can see in the chart below: |
 Towards the end of May, my family and I attended First Fruits of Zion’s 2015 Shavuot Conference at Beth Immanuel Sabbath Fellowship in Hudson, Wisconsin. As always, it was a great delight to be part of such a well-organized, well-researched and well-presented event. The lectures and discussion that took place over the course of our week-long stay helped clarify and articulate many of the concepts that we have had in our minds over the last several years revolving around Messianic Judaism. One of the primary concepts I took home from the conference is that the goal of Messianic Judaism is to become a prolepsis of the Messianic Kingdom. What does that mean? Let me explain. First, let’s define the term. According to the basic definition, prolepsis is “the representation of a thing as existing before it actually does.” In other words, it’s when an element — a concept, an event, etc. — represents something before it actually exists. |
 Recently, the internet as been abuzz with the latest story of Olympic gold medalist and all-American athlete Bruce Jenner. Jenner, world-renown for his domination of the Olympic decathlon in 1976, became an American hero and a household name in the last few decades of the twentieth century. He became known as the face and personality for Wheaties brand cereal, “the breakfast of champions.” |
 A great and chronic myth has been perpetuated within Christianity that needs to be addressed. It is the belief that the Law (i.e., the Torah) has been and always will be impossible to keep, and that Yeshua came to live out the Torah perfectly and thus "fulfill" it so his followers would not have to. This article seeks to examine the veracity of this claim and expose the problems of misunderstanding the Torah and its function. We will be examining some familiar passages, but hopefully in a new light that will begin to illuminate this subject. Three primary passages have lead many to believe the Torah to be impossible to keep: Acts 15:10, James 2:10 and Paul’s circuitous argument in Romans 6-7. This series of articles will address each of these cases. We will begin with the first passage, the famous argument Peter puts forth at the Council of Jerusalem. |
 In this series we are working to expose the myth that humans are incapable of keeping God’s Law. In our previous article we began seeking to understand what Peter was referring to when he described a yoke “that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear” (Acts 15:10). Was he referring to the Torah in this context, or was he referring to something else? We began by discussing misconceptions within Christianity and what the Scriptures themselves have to say about the Torah and the perceived difficulty of following its directives. Whereas Christianity believes that the Torah is impossible to live out, Judaism knows no such concept. According to both Judaism and the Torah itself, the Torah is God’s boundaries and guide for life. It is the minimum standard expected from members of the covenant. But many Christians are confused over this because of how we have misunderstood the words of Paul. |
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