There is only the 'whole' of Torah - It cannot be added to, nor taken from... Either we are under it all, or we are not under it at all, which is literally impossible.
The idea that we ought to be under the “whole of Torah”, however, was entirely crushed by the Apostles, as demonstrated at the first church council. The sect of believing Pharisees insisted that circumcision AND the law of Moses ought to be entirely kept (IOW, faith + works):
The question at hand at the Jerusalem Council was whether (presumably adult) male converts had to be circumcised in order to be saved. It was not a referendum on Torah. And you will note that their reasoning included the idea that Moses was taught in every town, so that the convert could learn as they went along.
As to the rest of your evidences, they all reference the spurious notion that one can be justified by keeping Torah - That has never been my claim, nor is it my intention. I keep Torah because I love YHWH and I endeavor to be obedient. No one has ever been justified by keeping Torah except Messiah. That is not it's purpose.
Everyone *ever and always* has been saved by grace through faith, imputed as righteousness... to include every soul since the world began.
“Everyone *ever and always* has been saved by grace through faith, imputed as righteousness... to include every soul since the world began.”
This is good to hear, which means I can basically ignore everything you say on keeping “Torah”, as you are not saying that I am damned for ignoring it.
Thus, I can stand in my liberty:
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.”
(Gal 5:1-5)
None of the things you would ask me to do “profit” me in any way. But, I suppose, if a Christian wants to burden himself with the yoke of Moses, just out of self-righteousness sake, he may do so.
But as for me, I’ll fulfill all the law with love, and leave others to their vain religious acts:
Jas_2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
Rom 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
“The question at hand at the Jerusalem Council was whether (presumably adult) male converts had to be circumcised in order to be saved. It was not a referendum on Torah.”
The question at hand at the Jerusalem Council wasn’t just about “circumcision,” but also whether or not we should be “commanded” to keep the law of Moses:
Act 15:5 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
If, perhaps, you want us to believe that they still “recommend” that we follow the law of Moses, it says that nowhere in the text, but actually repudiates it. For example, prohibitions against meats, as in the Jewish dietary laws, is called a doctrine of the devil:
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.”
(1Ti 4:1-3)
All creatures are good to eat:
Ti_4:4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
Compare to Leviticus:
Lev_11:4 Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
Lev_11:5 And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
Lev_11:6 And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
Lev_11:7 And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you
“There is only the ‘whole’ of Torah - It cannot be added to, nor taken from... Either we are under it all, or we are not under it at all, “
So it follows, if I can rend the dietary laws out of the New Testament, that I can rend “all” of the laws of Moses out too, since it is “all” or nothing.
“No one has ever been justified by keeping Torah except Messiah. That is not it’s purpose.”
But how did Christ actually understand “Torah”? While, certainly, the Jews under the law were “ritually unclean,” according to the law, were they to think that there isn’t a deeper purpose in the law? Let’s ask Christ:
Mat 15:11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
Compare to Leviticus above!
How about the Sabbath?
“Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.”
(Mat 12:5-8)
If Christ is Lord of the Sabbath, may He not dispense with it whenever, and however He pleases, and lead His apostles to do however He pleases as well?
Where is your Sabbath day then? Is Christ a sinner for doing good works on the Sabbath?
From Dr. Gill’s commentary quoting R. David Kimchi in Josh. vi. 11.:
“...as he was the institutor of the sabbath among the Jews, that being a ritual, and of mere positive institution, could dispense with it, and even abrogate it at his pleasure. The Jews so far agree to this, that he that commanded the law of the sabbath, could dispense with it; they say, that
“the day on which Jericho was taken was the sabbath day; and that though they slew and burnt on the sabbath day, “he that commanded the observation of the sabbath, commanded the profanation of it”.’’
And since Christ is greater than the temple, and has all the perfections of the divine nature in him, is equal to the Father in power and glory; and even as mediator, has all power in heaven and earth given him; so as he is Lord of all other things, he is of the sabbath, and has a power of dispensing with it, and even of abolishing it; see Col_2:16 and since the Lord of the sabbath had a power of dispensing with it, and made use of it in the cases of David and his men, and of the priests in the temple formerly; the Pharisees ought not to think it strange, that the Son of man, who is equally Lord of the sabbath, dispensed with it in his disciples now.”
I will also add:
Mar_2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath
If you attempt to lord the Sabbath day over us, for example, all you do is make the “man for the Sabbath,” rather than the Sabbath for man. It becomes nothing more than a needless yoke, you who force it on us, rather than for man to enjoy, which was its true purpose.
“And you will note that their reasoning included the idea that Moses was taught in every town, so that the convert could learn as they went along.”
The part of your sentence that says “so that the convert could learn as they went along,” is nowhere in the text, and is purely your invention. And, in fact, it contradicts the scriptures, since if “the law of Moses” was to be obeyed, albeit as Christians were slowly taught it by UNBELIEVING Jews, then the contention of the believing group of Pharisees is confirmed, only slowly, and the Apostles are in the wrong for commanding against it and in living “like Gentiles”:
Gal_2:14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
How, indeed, can you presume that the Jewish Apostles, who lived like Gentiles, were compelling Gentiles to live like Jews?
This extract from your profile says that you are a "born again Christian". I never dispute the Christianity of anyone who claims to be one. That is for God to decide.
Nevertheless, we can make judgments based of observations of people's behaviors and stated beliefs and our own experiences and beliefs.
Such beliefs as Everyone *ever and always* has been saved by grace through faith, imputed as righteousness... to include every soul since the world began. are not in the belief system of any born-again Christian that I ever met, read, or read about. It sounds more like Universalism to me. So, if you don't mind sharing, could you mention the name of the religious organization (denomination?) where you worship. Also, if you don't mind, how you came to be "born-again"?
Thank you.