Some of you are probably wondering where guys like Kinbar and Kinzer and Leman and Boaz (sadly it's a long list) get the idea that Shabbat is meant to keep Jews and Gentiles separated. They get it from their Rabbinic Authority. Since I've been reading a lot of Abraham Chill this past week, I'll go ahead and quote him again:
"[A Jew keeping Shabbat] draws a line of demarcation between holy and profane, the Shabbat and the weekday, the Children of Israel and the Gentiles of the world," (pg. 115 of The Minhagim by Abraham Chill).For the record, the Inclusionist camp of Messianic Judaism does not feel that way. The New Covenant extends the Sinaitic Covenant to include non-Jewish Believers.
AN ILLUSTRATION:
My daughter (the most amazing girl in history) likes to imitate her daddy. "Look, daddy! I'm being like you!" she says. I love that. How much more does Yeshua love it when we imitate Him? Don't listen to the Exclusionists who tell you (non-Jews) that you are hurting Israel's distinctiveness by keeping sign-commandments like Shabbat. Don't listen to liars like Boaz Michael who tell you that you have been excluded from the people of Israel. What was it Michael said? He said something like the following:
"...Paul is not necessarily arguing that Gentile converts are citizens of Israel; rather, taken together, these Gentile converts and Jewish people constitute the 'commonwealth of Israel,' which David Rudolph describes as ' a multinational expansion of Israel proper that has emerged in the form of the Church.' It must be further noted that these Gentile converts are called 'heirs together with Israel' in Ephesians 3:6...again implying that they do not take on the identity of Israel...To reiterate, had Paul desired to make his readers believe they were a part of Israel, or Israelites, he would have surely made it clear. However, the one time he comes close to teaching this in Ephesians 2-3, he uses distancing language--'commonwealth of Israel' rather than 'Israel'; 'together with Israel' rather than 'as a part of Israel'..." (Twelve Gates, Fronczak and Michael).
How Satan loves such writing and those teachers who distort the Word!
To those who are Gentiles in the Flesh (but Israelites in the Spirit) I say: You are included in the People of G-d! You are family! You are Israel along with the Jew.
May G-d bless ALL OF ISRAEL!
Speaking of distorting the word, I was just commenting to this effect yesterday on FFOZ's blog... Toby Janicki, who I was discussing with, as usual did not respond with anything relevant, but instead linked me to FFOZ's doctrinal stance, that being their Divine Invitation theory... What was interesting, is that they dedicate a very small paragraph titled: Circumcised and Keeping the Law = Being Jewish on page 22. So they base that unless a gentile becomes a "Jew", they are not really part of Israel or at least not in the way that a gentile who became a Jew is. While their argument is based on something that does not even exist in the scriptures, and more specifically the Torah, point in case, there is no validity to their claims, they simply accepted a tradition followed in the first and replaced the scriptures with this understanding instead. Yet they build majority of their understanding of gentiles who hold faith in Messiah based on this fairy-tale doctrine. For such a strong doctrine, don't you think God would have mentioned it at least once in the Torah?
ReplyDeleteBad teaching and bad scholarship is what it boils down to. I plan on commenting more on their blogs, as there are so many people there that are confused by their teaching and message, which is terrible and sad, hopefully I can show them something else, at least a different opinion.
As a former victim of these men, I would like to thank you for all of your efforts. Know that your efforts help!
DeletePeter, I agree with the content of your post whole-heartedly, but I would caution you to guard your electronic tongue. As much as the Satan loves when people distort the Word, I am sure he is equally as pleased when such a distortion causes others to speak evil against one another. Let us all endeavor to vehemently oppose Mr. Michael and his colleagues' positions without forsaking respect and gentleness.
ReplyDeleteIf you agree with the content then why do you say it involves speaking evil?
DeleteI would not call Boaz a liar. I don't agree with his and his groups teachings, I think it causes people to stumble, but I am willing to retract previous comments I made that he has ulterior motives (money). I think that the guy really believes the crap he teaches, and instead of being the deceiver, He is the one who is being deceived.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I can attest for is his integrity. He was one of the few who called me after my last surgery to find how I am despite our bitter feud. None of you did. Give the guy a break, we must not take love out of the equation.
So you think it's a good idea to have someone who is deceived going around the world teaching others? What about showing love to the victims of deceptive teachings? How can we say we love those victims if we keep silent?
DeleteNo one told you to keep silent, and no one told you to disengage, fight fire with fire. Satan causes even the most pious man to be deceived, we need to convince them of that, but how far can we go attacking their character?
ReplyDeleteI'll try.
Deleteto be gentler to him, that is.
DeleteFirst, I believe the rabbinic doctrine makes perfect sense, when you understand Israel as the people of G-od (comprised both of physical descendents from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the ones who join them)and "gentiles" as pagans: idol worshippers - which may be the view the rabbis had, and I believe is the view of Scripture. We must try to understand this things in a world seen by the rabbis of old, before ecumenism and before the noahides [which, I do believe, the way they are understood today is something kind of new, and a misreading, conformation of the later rabbinical data - http://torahresource.com/EnglishArticles/NoachideETS2.pdf ]. We must try to understand this in world divided between the one who worship the tru G-d and the ones who don't - try to understand that cristianity, when the rabbis said those things, was still yet to be relevant for the rabbis as something separate from judaism or already a perceivaple pagan religion.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with this people of mainstream messianic judaism(the ones you call exclusivists), but we do have to look with love: just as christian conceps still trap our thoughts every now and then, so does traditional judaism's, and we should debate with love and stuff, without calling anyone names. I DO BELIEVE we should take the 2000 years of christian-jewish differences when considering the ones with different opinions/beliefs than us in the messianic movement.
Shalom
It's difficult to be loving to someone who is actively attacking your family . But like I said to Dan in the above comment, I'll try to be gentler toward him.
DeleteThanks for visiting and commenting by the way. Shalom!
I know it is hard! But ain't that the message of the gospel?
ReplyDeleteI thank you for the space! Great blog, really!
Lehitraot