Bible Question:
Why do we as Christians, NOT observe the Jewish Holy days, as set forth in the Bible? Being a part of OUR History, would not the observance of them, be beneficial to us as Christians? Ephesians 2:11-22, We are fellow citizens, and of the household of GOD, as one new man, with the Jews. Shouldn't we identify more closely, with the Jews? Whenever, however we can? NOT out of Legalism, or by LAW. But out of love for the Jewish people, by observing the Holy Days. How do we as Christians, demonstrate the Love we are told to have for the Jews? |
Bible Answer: Dear Lookinforacity, This was a real issue during the first century, I like this question Lookin.... I forgot to add God Bless you Tamara to the last post you just got, sorry.... Paul says this in Romans in answer to Christians in a mixed congregation of Jews and Gentiles who were facing this problem; Ramans 14:5-6,10-12 Apparently there were some who were celebrating the Sabbath and some who were celebrating on Sunday. In Acts we have a couple of instances where the disciples were meeting on Sundays to celebrate the rising of the Lord from the dead. However, it does not say that they did not also observe the Sabbath on Saturday. The early church saints were at first all Jewish and required that a non Jew become a Proselyte, take the vow, undergo circumsision, become a Jew first, before being allowed to be of the 'way'. We have accounts in Acts of the disciples going to the temple to worship and to preach and to teach in the synagogues and at the temple, that was where the disciples first were meeting, then came the church houses. They were all observing every Jewish holidays, they considered themselves Jews. As the church grew and became more Gentile Paul makes a point again and again for there not being a need to compel them to observe Jewish traditions, but the Jews in those congregations still did, hence the problems. The concern becomes now as it was then that whether or not Gentiles should be beholden to the traditions of Jewish worship in any form. Not now because of a perceived need to be legalistic, or the Law, but because our roots are all in Jesus and what He did and not in the Law and the Prophets to observe the ordinances created unto perpetuity for them. All these things you are considering are the ordinances for worship that stemmed from the Law and the Prophets and are representative of the covenants they were under. We are under a new covenant and have no need to be doing things that stemmed from an old convenant that never applied to us. We identify with the Jews in that we worship the God of the Jews and out of love for them revere them as being our true patriarchs. When you think about the significance of their Holy Days carefully I think you may see that they relate directly the covenants given to them. I do not think they would actually appreciate Christians observing their holy days along with our Christian days since they view us as worshipping a sorcerer and a blasphemer. I am not too sure they would see it as love, hypocrisy maybe, but not love. The reason we observe our holidays is because we worship Christ as the new covenant. We become one man with Jews when they become Christians. The OT saints are part of the same household we are in, but those who reject Christ are not true Jews in their hearts as Paul said in Romans 2. We demonstrate the Love we are told to have for the Jews by being a living witness to them of the forgiveness of the savior they reject and rejected. God Bless Tamara |