In Order to Learn Torah -
One Must Have Peace
by Karl D. Coke, PH.D.

There is a phobia in the Christian community over observing Torah. The mere
mention that one feels led to obey any one of the Lord's commands recorded
in the Torah has caused Christians to say, "Be careful, you are placing
yourself under Law!" They are quick to speak the classic untrue Christian
cliché? "We are saved by grace; they (Jews) are saved by obeying the Law."

This phobia over living a Torah-observant life style must come to an end. It
has divided believers long enough. The freedom to follow all that the Lord
requires without fear of being rejected or labeled is over due. Only that
which the Lord writes on the tablet of each heart should be what that man is
free to obey. Jesus said in John 8:41, "I do not accept praise from men."
Further, He said in John 8:29, "The one who sent me is with me; he has not
left me alone, for I always do what pleases him." Jesus, the Lion of Judah,
never pleased man. He only and always pleased His Heavenly Father.

The Apostle Paul captured our Lord's desire to please God and not man. He
says in II Corinthians 5:9, "So we make it our goal to please him, whether
we are home in the body or away from it." Jesus, the sinless Messiah,
pleased only His Heavenly Father. We, like Paul, must make that our goal.
All believers must be liberated into pleasing only their Heavenly Father.
Those to whom the Lord is speaking about being "observant" should no longer
feel they must do so secretly. God is speaking to Believers throughout the
earth today about becoming observant. What He requires should be what they
desire.

To deal more honestly with what God requires, I now ask both Jews and
Christians two questions. Firstly, to a Jew I ask, "Are you Jewish?" Then
secondly I ask, "Are you observant?" I now ask Christians, "Are you a
Christian?" and "Are you observant?" Asking only the first question of both
allows them to hide a non-observant life-style. The second penetrates to the
heart of their faith and love of God.

Pleasing God

To become observant, one must throw off the shackles of "men-pleasing" and
worrying about being "put under the Law." Rabbi Yaakov Culi 1689-1732) wrote
in The Torah Anthology, Book Seven, "In order to learn the Torah, one must
have peace. If people discuss the Torah, it must be to attain truth, not win
arguments or display one's knowledge." God is speaking to Christians
worldwide about observing Torah. They confess they put off becoming
observant because they would be labeled and cast away by fellow believers.
Yet, their hearts long after pleasing the Lord. It is time for the releasing
of men to simply please the King of kings.

To please God without becoming a legalist or a crusader to impose the "Law"
upon others is a matter requiring great understanding. God was in Christ
reconciling Jew and Christian (Gentile believer) into one new man. Man
should not alter God's plan. Care must be given to becoming a "Believer" in
God's Messiah. Without this faith one cannot be saved. However, after
salvation, becoming observant to what He places on the heart should not
require a change from being a Christian to becoming a Jew. Observing what
the Lord places upon the heart should only change one's life-style from
pleasing man to pleasing God. The measure of whether or not one is
acceptable to God has nothing to do with being Christian or Jewish. It only
has to do with being a believer in God's written and incarnate Word.

Doing God's Word God's Way

It is not enough to do God's Word. God's Word must be done God's way. Great
care must be given to obeying God's commands by also walking in His ways.
There is a Word of God to obey, and, a way of God in which to walk. The
prerequisite to both is love. Love for God produces a willingness in man to
obey His Word. Love of God produces a willingness in man to walk in His
ways.

Men build churches, but are they building them God's way? The Church has
taught God's commands but relieves men from obeying them. The reason appears
to be that the Church doesn't know how to obey God's commands. Therefore,
the Church has settled on making converts, not disciples. It never wants to
be accused of being "Judaized." It is content to specialize in splitting
hairs over the meaning of God's laws. It rarely rises to the occasion of
requiring obedience to God's Word. "Grace" is given as the excuse, but fear
of being labeled "Jewish" is the reason behind nonobservance.

Becoming a Haredi

What is a haredi (ydir,h;)? A Haredi is a person who trembles at the Word of
God. As one rabbi, head of a small yeshiva in Jerusalem, put it, "A haredi
doesn't originate anything." A haredi is simply a God-fearer whose single
desire is to please the Lord. Haredim (plural) are those mentioned in
Leviticus 20:26 by God when He said, "You are to be holy to me because I,
the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own."
Peter had this verse in mind when he wrote, "Therefore, prepare your minds
for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given
you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children do not conform to
the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who
called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written, 'Be holy,
because I am holy.' " (I Peter 1:13-16).

Moses said, "The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised
on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways"
(Deuteronomy 28:9). God wants both: keep His commandments and walk in His
ways. According to Hosea 6:6, God desires "mercy, not sacrifice, and
acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings."

Ezekiel speaks of the current condition in the church in chapter 33:30-32.
God said to him, "As for you, son of man, your countrymen are talking
together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to
each other, 'Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.' My
people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your
words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they
express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to
them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful
voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put
them into practice."

God also reveals this lack of being observant to His ways in Isaiah 30:9-11.
He said, "These are rebellious people, deceitful children, children
unwilling to listen to the Lord's instruction. They say to the seers, 'See
no more visions!' and to the prophets, 'Give us no more visions of what is
right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. Leave this way, get off
this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!' "

I had an elder of a church I pastored stop a woman from dancing during our
praise and worship. I spoke with him and asked why he objected. He "didn't
want any of that stuff in his church" was his reply. I responded with, "The
Bible not only allows dancing unto the Lord, it actually commands it!" His
response to me was, "I don't care what the Bible says!" Such is the common
plight of God's Word within today's Church. People simply do not care what
it says.

Well, I care what the Word of God says! Further, I care how God wants me to
walk in His ways. I am haredi! I tremble at God's Word. I believe if obeyed,
God's Word guarantees blessings, and, if disobeyed has consequences.

If God is speaking to you about being observant to Torah, do so within the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Whatever you do, do it as unto the Lord. It
is kind of nice knowing you get to observe a Shabbat! Do not worry about
being labeled "Jewish." You became Jewish the day Jesus moved into your
heart.

For a more "IN DEPTH" study;  Link to "The Restoration of Torah"