Do Gentiles Followers of Jesus Need to Follow the Torah?
Introduction
As the early Jesus movement grew, one pressing question arose: what should the relationship between Gentile believers and the Torah look like? The first disciples were all Jewish, deeply rooted in the Torah, but as Paul expanded the message to the nations, Gentiles began joining the movement in significant numbers. This led to debates and questions that Paul and other apostles frequently addressed. Did Gentiles need to adopt Jewish practices and fully observe the Torah to follow Jesus? Or was there a different path for them? In this lesson, we will explore how the early church resolved these questions, examining how Gentiles can relate to the Torah while remaining true to their unique identity as members of the Messiah's body. Let's explore how Paul’s teaching on this subject helps us understand what role the Torah plays in the lives of Gentile believers.
The Gentile Nations
The first-generation of disciples of Jesus were all Jews practicing Judaism. Paul became the apostle to the gentiles, the apostle to the nations. He often refers to his interpretation of the gospel as “my gospel,” as seen in Romans 16:
Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! (Romans 16:25-27, ESV Bible)
Notice that Paul mentions a “revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations.” What is he talking about here? Paul claims that there is a special revelation about the gospel that had not been previously revealed. Thanks to the work of Jesus, the Gentiles are eligible to become fellow heirs of the kingdom with the Jewish people! We see this illustrated in Ephesians 3:
Show the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. (Ephesians 3:3-7, ESV Bible)
The unique thing about the gospel that Paul preached was the inclusion of the Gentile nations! As Gentiles became a part of the Jesus movement, there were many issues that arose. This inclusion of the Gentiles is under much discussion in Paul’s writings. If we don’t understand this argument, we misinterpret the point Paul tries to make. A proper understanding of Paul’s intent will demonstrate that Paul never argues against being Jewish. Paul does not argue against the Torah. Then what was he arguing about? He was arguing against a requirement that Gentiles had to become Jewish to receive the blessings and salvation of God.
Paul and Barnabas were living with a community of disciples in Antioch. The Jewish and Gentile believers most likely attended synagogue together. Some of the Jews believed that the Gentiles needed to be circumcised and become Jewish. We see an example of this in Acts 15:
But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, "It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses." (Acts 15:1-5, ESV Bible)
In Acts 15 we see some Jewish people challenging Paul’s Gentile inclusion. To settle the matter, the leaders in Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem to get a definitive ruling from James. James and the other elders and apostles convened to decide whether Gentiles must become Jewish to enter the kingdom of heaven. It all came down to one of two options: 1) Gentiles become Jewish or 2) Gentiles remain Gentiles.
At the Jerusalem Council, Peter testified:
And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” (Acts 15:8-11, ESV Bible)
Peter points out that even though Jewish disciples are covenantally obligated to keep the Torah, they have still not merited enough through obedience to escape judgement. Salvation obviously comes through the merited favor Jesus has obtained through his faithfulness. In other words, if the Jews have to rely on this grace form Jesus, the Gentiles should be no different. If God can accept them without Jewish status, why would they need to become Jewish?
And he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. (Acts 15:9, ESV Bible)
Peter’s argument is in favor of Gentiles staying as Gentiles. We also see James agree with Peter’s argument and he mentions a prophecy from Amos (Acts 15:16-17):
“In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old, that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name,” declares the LORD who does this. (Amos 9:11-12, ESV Bible)
Sages teach that this prophecy refers to the restoration of the David kingdom with the coming of King Messiah. The future kingdom will include Gentiles who are called by God’s name. Here is a prophecy from Zechariah 14 that appears in the context of a vision of a future time when God’s sovereignty will be established over the entire world:
And the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day the LORD will be one and his name one. (Zechariah 14:9, ESV Bible)
Zephaniah 3 speaks of hope and restoration. There is a prophecy of a future where people from all nations will come together to worship and serve the LORD:
“For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples (nations) to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the LORD and serve him with one accord. (Zaphaniah 3:9, ESV Bible)
In Joel, we see that if anyone calls on the name of the LORD they will be saved:
And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. (Joel 2:32, ESV Bible)
In Isaiah 56:1-2, we read about a message Isaiah proclaimed. To a Jewish ear, there is no question that the message is for you. But what if you were a gentile? He says:
Thus says the LORD: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my righteousness be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.” (Isaiah 56:1-2, ESV Bible)
He says “blessed is the man,” and he says “son of man” (son of Adam), but he talks about the Sabbath. We know that from Exodus 16 that the Sabbath is the sign of the Mosaic covenant. As a Gentile, in 8th century BC, hearing Isaiah say these things, they would think that this does not apply to them as Gentiles. Isaiah is clearly speaking to the people who have a covenant with God, right?. Even if you believe in the God of Israel as a Gentile, you still have no part in these things Isaiah mentions. Apparently, many Gentiles thought that because the very next words in verse 3 is Isaiah addressing those Gentiles:
Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, “The LORD will surely separate me from his people” (Isaiah 56:3, ESV Bible)
Many Gentiles thought they are a separate category. Isaiah says you must not say that. Then in verse 6 he says:
“And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant— these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” The Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares, “I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered.” (Isaiah 56:6-8, ESV Bible)
The prophecies above are just a few of many prophecies concerning the Gentile nations and serve as a backdrop of understanding from which Paul and other apostles made decisions regarding the Gentiles. If the nations become Jewish, then it is the Jewish people following God, not the nations attaching themselves to the God of Israel. Logically, if the Jesus movement is going to reflect the anticipated Messianic kingdom of God, and to fulfill the prophecies, the kingdom requires both Jews and Gentiles.
James argues:
Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, (Acts 15:19, ESV Bible)
Like Peter, James also argues that Gentiles should stay Gentiles. The Gentiles should not become Jewish. Likewise, Jewish disciples are to remain Jewish. This idea of Jews being Jews and Gentiles being Gentiles has become known as "distinction theology.” Paul sums up this idea in what he calls his “rule in all the churches”:
Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. (1 Corinthians 7:17-20, ESV Bible)
Put simply, Jews remain Jews. Gentiles remain Gentiles. Paul says, “For neither being Jewish counts for anything, nor being Gentile, but keeping the commandments of God.” So do any of the Torah’s commandments apply to Gentiles?
Prior to the Jerusalem Council, Judaism already had laws they considered to be universal, for all humanity. These are the laws of Noah, also known as the Noahide Laws. These represent seven laws that are a set of ethical and moral principles that are believed to be the basic foundation for a just and ethical society.
The Noahide laws are not explicitly listed as a set of seven laws in one specific location in the Bible. Instead, they are derived from various verses and passages in the Book of Genesis and other parts of the Old Testament. The interpretations and understanding of theses laws have developed over time through rabbinic teachings and traditions. The categorization of these specific laws as Noahide laws is a post-biblical concept, emerging from the rabbinic tradition and discussions. For example, the Babylonian Talmud, in tractate Sanhedrin, discusses the Noahide laws in the context of Gentile obligations and how they should be adjudicated in a court of law. The Midrash contain many areas where it elaborates on the Noahide laws and provides insights into their meanings and implications. Below you will see the laws and their origins from the Old Testament:
Do not worship idols:
Do not blaspheme God (Leviticus 24:16)
Do not murder (Genesis 9:5-6)
Do not engage in sexual immorality (Genesis 2:24)
Do not steal
Do not eat the limb of an animal before it is killed
Establish courts of justice
Even if Judaism had an expectation that these laws would be incumbent on the Gentiles, the apostles decided to add some additional laws from the Torah. These additional laws were related to the fact that the Gentiles represented the get toshav, the stranger living in the midst of Israel. The ger toshav is a resident alien. James says:
For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. (Acts 15:28-29, ESV Bible)
Things sacrificed to idols - This is not the same as the universal ban on idolatry in the laws of Noah. This prohibition is a dietary law that requires Gentiles to adopt the prohibition on consuming something polluted by idolatry.
Blood - This is a dietary law for Jewish people that also applies to Gentiles:
“If any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people.” (Leviticus 17:10, ESV Bible)
Things strangled - This is an idiom that means the meat of animals that were not properly slaughtered and bled. This is another dietary law. This one requires resident aliens within Israel to slaughter the animal, pouring out the blood on the ground.
Fornication or sexual immorality - Jewish law leaves this vague for Gentiles. The rules of sexual conduct for Jews is very strict. Leviticus 17 and 18 hold the resident alien living among Israel to the same standards of sexual purity as the Jewish people:
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, I am the LORD your God. You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD. “None of you shall approach any one of his close relatives to uncover nakedness. I am the LORD. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, which is the nakedness of your mother; she is your mother, you shall not uncover her nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife; it is your father’s nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether brought up in the family or in another home. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son’s daughter or of your daughter’s daughter, for their nakedness is your own nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, brought up in your father’s family, since she is your sister. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is your father’s relative. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s relative. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother, that is, you shall not approach his wife; she is your aunt. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law; she is your son’s wife, you shall not uncover her nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter, and you shall not take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter to uncover her nakedness; they are relatives; it is depravity. And you shall not take a woman as a rival wife to her sister, uncovering her nakedness while her sister is still alive. “You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness while she is in her menstrual uncleanness. And you shall not lie sexually with your neighbor’s wife and so make yourself unclean with her. You shall not give any of your children to offer them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD. You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. And you shall not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it, neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it: it is perversion. “Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean, and the land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. But you shall keep my statutes and my rules and do none of these abominations, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you (for the people of the land, who were before you, did all of these abominations, so that the land became unclean), lest the land vomit you out when you make it unclean, as it vomited out the nation that was before you. For everyone who does any of these abominations, the persons who do them shall be cut off from among their people. So keep my charge never to practice any of these abominable customs that were practiced before you, and never to make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 17:18, ESV Bible)
The Torah in fact has a lot of laws that apply directly to Gentile believers. A lot of laws in the Torah fall under the category of “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus taught that this applies to every human being, especially his disciples:
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12, ESV Bible)
The apostles used this as a basis for teaching the Torah to the Gentiles:
Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (Romans 13:8-10, ESV Bible)
For the whole law is fulfilled in one word:
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:14, ESV Bible)
Any law that falls under “you shall love your neighbor as yourself,” applies to both Jew and Gentile. Even though the Torah was given to the Jewish people, it is a reflection of God’s character. Therefore, it has something to say to everyone and will remain eternally relevant.
The concept of ger toshav, or resident alien, applies to the land of Israel. The apostles decided that God-fearing Gentiles should be held to this legal standard even if they lived outside Israel. James says:
For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.” (Acts 15:21, ESV Bible)
Jewish communities and synagogues existed in almost every major population center in the Roman world and Mesopotamia. During this time, Gentile disciples assembled within those synagogues. As they attended the synagogues and heard the Torah read each Sabbath, they would learn the difference between the commandments that apply to them and those that applied to the Jewish people. It is the same Torah, but it applies differently. This idea of Jew and Gentile serving God in the kingdom is the vision behind Paul’s gospel.
Conclusion
The relationship between Gentiles and the Torah is not one of exclusion or obligation to become Jewish, but rather one of inclusion in God’s redemptive plan. The apostles made it clear that Gentiles are not required to take on the full yoke of the Torah to be part of the covenant community. Instead, they emphasized a core set of principles rooted in the Torah, focusing on ethical living and faithfulness to God. The Torah remains significant, offering a reflection of God's character and a guide for righteous living, but its application for Gentiles is distinct from that of the Jewish people. By embracing this distinction, Gentiles can fulfill their calling without undermining the ongoing role of the Jewish people in God's plan.