- 1 Corinthians 7:17-20
Occasionally I have shared different articles that I have written on other websites. On one of these websites, I received the following comments regarding my article entitled "The Great Divide." Unfortunately, I had a limited number of characters to respond, so I have taken this opportunity, since it is my blog, to expound (below).
Here is a link to the original article: The Great Divide
Here are the comments I received:
Rose Marie:
Thank you for your article ... I agree with your remarks and would like to add something personal :
It is not so much the content of the Messianic Faith in the Jewish roots, it is not either the diverse Jewish practices that I find problematic as a Messianic Jewess myself,
NO, the problem is too often a problem of attitude. Messianic Judaism in Israel is generally Nationalist. Nationalism is not to be found in the New Covenant, except as a negative feature. To love one`s country of adoption or birth, especially Israel, to serve and be faithful to this country is one GOOD thing. To become a nationalist on the other hand is a decision taken at the exclusion of diverse minority groups of people in the Land.
This is not right according to Torah -particularly in the light of the Book of Deuteronomy-, and it is not right according to New Covenant theology either -early believers were not zealots. And it is also not right according to the Prophets !
Our Messiah is the Messiah of all nations ... He came to the Jews first, but also to the Gentiles. All the people of the earth are called to be blessed in Him. Let us not be so exclusive, please ....
Rose-Marie
Hannah:
You wrote:
"I want to start out by addressing Messianic Jews and believers, and explain how we sometimes offend Gentiles."
I wasn't sure about how you defined the offense. Do we as Jewish disciples of Yeshua offend Gentile believers when we teach that some Torah commands are covenant obligations for the Jewish people, while other commands are obligations for both Jews and Gentiles? (ie, is this what you called "a double standard"?) Or do we offend only when we allow those different obligations to separate us?
The reason I'm asking is mostly Paul's command in I Cor.7:17-20...
"Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this manner let him walk. And so I direct in all the churches. Was any man called when he was already circumcised? He is not to become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in uncircumcision? He is not to be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God. Each man must remain in that condition in which he was called."
If the Corinthians were all supposed to keep one set of "the commandments of God", Paul wouldn't have had to tell the mixed group to keep the distinction between the Jews (circumcised) and the Gentiles (uncircumcised). OTOH if they could stay unified while "each man remained" either Jew or Gentile, it seems we should be able to do that too.
I guess that leads to another question... what kinds of separation should we consider offensive? For example, should Titus have been offended when Paul and the Jerusalem elders refused to circumcise him (Gal.2:1-3), which made him different from Paul's other partner Timothy? (Acts 16:3)
Thanks for putting your thoughts into writing.
Hannah
Michael:
Thank you for commenting. BTW, this is Michael [Daniel].
So I can better understand your question, which Torah commands are covenant obligations for the Jewish people only? Circumcision? Or is Paul only saying that grown men who come to faith should not feel obligated to get circumcised, but they should still circumcise their children? For me this question is easy, because my wife is Jewish, therefore my children are Jewish. When God makes the covenant with Abraham, doesn’t he also include “those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner - those who are not your offspring (Genesis 17:12)?” Does this include Gentiles? Have we been bought by the blood of Yeshua? Are we to be considered a part of Abraham’s household as Paul says in Galatians 3:29, “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
In Acts 15, when the Council of Jerusalem tries to decide what should be required of Gentiles, they conclude in verse 21, “For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.” Is the implication that Gentiles should know the basics and will learn as they mature in their faith? Don’t the commandments include “whether native-born or an alien living among you?”
If we say that there are separate commandments for Jews and Gentiles, how do we define Jews? As the orthodox do, those with a Jewish mother or those who have converted? In that case, aren’t Gentile believers converting to a type of Judaism called Christianity? Or are you referring to only “literal” descendants of Jacob? In that case, how do we know if my wife, or any Jew, is actually a literal descendant or the descendant of someone who converted to Judaism a hundred or a thousand years ago? David was a descendant of Ruth and Yeshua a descendant of David. Yes, I understand, Ruth converted, but that goes back to my original question, haven’t believing Gentiles “converted” in coming to faith, even if in their ignorance they do not comprehend this? Aren’t Gentiles saying to the Jews, as Ruth said to Naomi, “your God will be my God?”
If you are Jewish, that is a part of your identity, and nobody is trying to take that away. If you want to continue Jewish traditions, because they are a part of who you are, that’s great. If however, you use those traditions, or your identity as a Jew to keep you from fellowshipping with non-Jews, yes that is offensive. OTOH, if you find a particular church to be antisemitic, then that is a legitimate reason not to attend those services, but it shouldn’t keep us from fellowship with them. But in our interactions with them, shouldn’t we be a light, forgiving them as our father has forgiven us?
As Rose Marie said in her comments, “let’s not be exclusive.”
Blessings,
Michael
Upon further reflection:
The bible is full of metaphors and symbolism. Sometimes it is not so clear when the bible should be taken literally or symbolically. Adding to this difficulty is the centuries of manuscripts being copied, and the text being translated to different languages from people in different cultural contexts. There are many instances where a play on words is lost in translation.
When I read the verse Hannah quoted, 1 Corinthians 7:17-20 (above), I read it literally. I believe Paul is telling Gentiles who come to faith in the Jewish Messiah should not become physically circumcised, and Jews coming to faith should not go through a surgical procedure where men would appear to never have been circumcised. Many Jews were forced to have this procedure done around the time of the Maccabees.
That being said, I don't feel this verse is saying that Jews and Gentiles should act differently after they have come to faith. Only they should be who they are, who God called them to be and keep the commands. The verse does not separate commands for Jews and Gentiles as Hannah suggests.
Last week I started my post with the following verse from 1 Corinthians 9:19-23: “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”
God called Paul to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. My wife and I were called to Israel, and even though I am not Jewish, I have become "as a Jew, in order to win Jews." Meaning, I do not allow the lifestyle I live to interfere with my witness. My brother-in-law, who is Jewish, chooses not to live a Jewish lifestyle as he was not called to live a Jewish lifestyle at this time. He does not hide the fact that he is Jewish, but like Paul he was called to the Gentiles and he does not let his lifestyle interfere with his witness. I do not think either of us are in sin because of the lifestyles we have chosen. On the contrary, I believe these are the lives that God has called us to regardless of our ethnic origin.
