Did Yeshua Teach a New Law? A Look at Torah and the Messiah
Did Yeshua Teach a New Law? A Look at Torah and the Messiah
Let’s start with a simple but profound statement from Yeshua:
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15)
At first glance, this seems straightforward—love for Yeshua is demonstrated through obedience. But obedience to what? Some claim Yeshua brought a brand-new law, something separate from the Torah given at Sinai. But if we listen carefully to His own words, we find that’s not the case.
“Do not think that I came to abolish the Torah or the Prophets! I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17, TLV)
The Greek word here for “fulfill” (πληρόω, plēroō) doesn’t mean “to end” but rather to bring to full expression, to uphold, or to properly teach. In other words, Yeshua wasn’t dismantling the Torah—He was clarifying its true intent. He rebuked those who nullified God’s commandments with their traditions (Mark 7:6-9) and made it clear that the Torah still stands:
“Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:19)
This is not just an encouragement to keep Torah—it’s a warning against those who claim the commandments no longer matter. If Yeshua’s goal was to replace the Torah, why would He tell His followers to keep and teach it?
Did the Apostles Abandon Torah?
The idea that Torah was set aside after Yeshua’s resurrection is a later invention, not something we find in Scripture. The apostles themselves continued observing and upholding Torah:
Paul affirmed Torah, stating that faith does not nullify it, but rather establishes it (Romans 3:31).
John defined sin as lawlessness (ἀνομία, anomia)—the violation of Torah (1 John 3:4).
James referred to the Torah as the "Law of Liberty" and instructed believers to live by it (James 1:25, 2:12).
In Acts, we see Paul participating in Nazarite vows (Acts 21:23-26), keeping Shabbat (Acts 13:42-44, 17:2), and affirming his adherence to the Torah (Acts 24:14). Clearly, the apostles did not teach that the Torah was abolished.
Did Early Believers Keep Torah?
Historical evidence confirms that early followers of Yeshua—both Jewish and non-Jewish—continued in Torah observance. One of the earliest groups, the Nazarenes, were described by the fourth-century historian Epiphanius:
“They have not ceased from the Law of Moses and keep the Sabbath and other disciplines of the Torah, just as the Jews do.” (Panarion 29:7:2)
It wasn’t until Emperor Constantine and the Roman Church in the fourth century that Torah observance was forcefully suppressed. The Council of Laodicea (364 CE) openly condemned believers who continued keeping the Sabbath:
“Christians must not Judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day... but if any be found to be Judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ.” (Canon 29, Council of Laodicea)
This wasn’t a theological shift based on Scripture—it was a political move aimed at separating believers from their Jewish roots.
Is Torah Only for Israel?
A common objection is that Torah is “just for the Jews.” Yet Scripture teaches otherwise:
“One Torah shall be for the native-born and the outsider dwelling among you.” (Exodus 12:49)
Gentiles who come to faith in Yeshua are grafted into Israel (Romans 11:17-19) and become partakers of the covenant (Ephesians 2:12-13). If we are to follow Yeshua, we must walk as He walked—in obedience to Torah (1 John 2:6).