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| The Ascent to Mt. Sinai |
Many groups have appeared recently teaching that every Christian believer must obey the Law of Moses. The
whole Bible is God’s Word, right? So
therefore, they say, every Christian should obey the whole Bible. Sounds convincing, doesn’t it? They often refer to Num. 15:16: “There will be one law (one torah) and one legal decision for you and for the stranger (the ger) who is staying as a stranger among
you.” Since the Hebrew word torah can refer to the whole Law of
Moses, and since “stranger” (ger)
refers to non-Jews, this verse can certainly appear to say that the Law (the Torah) of Moses is for every believer, even for non-Jews.
But if it were really that simple, why did this become a subject
of controversy in the New Testament? Why
did the first generation of believers call a council to deal with it in Acts
15? Why did the apostle Paul get upset when
Gentile believers began to obey the Law of Moses? “You are released [estranged, divorced] from
Messiah, whoever is made righteous by Law; you have forfeited grace” (Gal. 5:4). There must be more to it than that.
