[Author's note: The following article is a response to questions raised by a serious student of the Holy Scriptures.]

FAITH AND CIRCUMCISION ARE THE SAME THING

• Yaakov's Words on Faith and Works
• Which Works Sustain Life?

THE NECESSARY THINGS OF ACTS 15: 29

• Necessary Things Include Yahweh's Righteousness
• Belief in Yah'shuah as the Messiah Essential for Salvation
• Why the Doubt?
• Do Not Impose Inappropriate Requirements on Others
• The Standard For Salvation The Same For All Throughout All Time

Shalom Brother

Yaakov, in his letter to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion, states: "2:14What good is it, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can that faith save him? 2:15And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food, 2:16and one of you tells them, "Go in shalom, be warmed and filled;" and yet you didn't give them the things the body needs, what good is it? 2:17Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself. 2:18Yes, a man will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. 2:19You believe that the Mighty One is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder. 2:20But do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead? 2:21Wasn't Avraham, our father, justified by works, in that he offered up Yitzchak his son on the altar? 2:22You see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected; 2:23and the scripture was fulfilled which says, "Avraham believed Yahweh, and it was accounted to him as righteousness;" and he was called the friend of the Mighty One. 2:24You see then that by works, a man is justified, and not only by faith. 2:25In like manner wasn't Rachav the prostitute also justified by works, in that she received the messengers, and sent them out another way? 2:26For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead."

It is therefore clear, in agreement with your comments, that faith without works is dead. But which works?

Yaakov gives us a few examples that can be examined. He mentions providing for the needy, which I understand applies to all human beings. He mentions offering up one's son on the altar. This I understand does not apply to all human beings, or to all Yahudim. This was a command that was specific to Avraham and not applicable to all human beings. Nevertheless, as it came from Yahweh, Avraham had to do it. For Avraham had Yahweh as his Mighty One, being circumcised in the heart. So also with us. Whatever commands Yahweh gives to each of us we must do, if we are indeed spiritually circumcised as Avraham was. Nevertheless, Yahweh has not given all human beings the same requirements. For just as Yahweh's command to him to sacrifice his son Yitzchak on an altar was specific to him, so also are some commands of Yahweh specific to those he gives those commands to. It would be inappropriate to extrapolate commands specific to particular individuals to include the entirety of all human beings. Therefore it is imperative that we determine which commands of Yahweh are applicable to whom, and in what circumstances, and ensure that we do not misapply them.

It is in this light that it is seen that all commands in the Torah are not applicable to all human beings in all circumstances. And with respect to the commands applicable to the Yahudim, versus those applicable to the Goyim, one should also make this distinction. For, fundamentally, where there is a distinction, it is seen that a basis for it is the land of dwelling. For the commands binding the Yahudim specific to the land of Yisrael do not bind anyone outside of the land of Yisrael, whether Yahudim or Goyim. One such example is the command of the Pesach. But if a Goy desires to so partake of a command such as the Pesach, then he must be compliant with all of its requirements, including physical circumcision, just as the Yahudim must be compliant with all of its requirements. For with Yahweh there is no partiality. But the Yahudim who are not in the land of Yisrael during the time of Pesach observance are not required to observe it outside of Yisrael. In fact, Yahweh's command was specific that his set feasts be observed at the place he was to place his name to dwell, that is at Shiloh initially and then at Yerushalayim. It should therefore be seen that not all of the commands in the Torah are applicable to all human beings under all circumstances.

As mentioned in my earlier writing, the commands I understand to be applicable to all human beings, are those with a righteous requirement, irrespective of the geographical location of the human being.

"THESE NECESSARY THINGS: 15:29 that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality, from which if you keep yourselves, it will be well with you. Farewell."'

With respect to Acts 15: 29 I agree with you that those "necessary things" are not the sum total of what the Goyim should do, but include what they must do. My understanding is that all the four necessary things include the righteousness of Yahweh, for if one does not abstain from those four things one becomes DEFILED! As Yahweh is holy, and has made holy those who are spiritually circumcised by the indwelling presence of his Holy Spirit in them, he commands them to retain their holy state. For what is holy should not be defiled. Therefore, by abstaining from these four things, the spiritually circumcised Goyim preserve their state of holiness by avoiding the defilements that come from not abstaining from these necessary things.

On this basis I say that the Goyim are bound by other laws of Yahweh which when performed have the effect of preserving their state of holiness, such as shown in the article "How to Ascertain the Righteous Requirements of the Law" at http://www.ServeYahweh.org.

It is also my understanding that one cannot be saved by undertaking the works of the law WITHOUT believing in Yah'shuah as the Messiah, as many Yahudim seem to think. For some do indeed hold that performance of the deeds of the law is sufficient for salvation. Theoretically this is sound, for the Torah does indeed include faith. Nevertheless, the practical application of this position is that one does not need to believe in Yah'shuah as the Messiah. This rejection of Yah'shuah as the Messiah, while professing belief in the writings of Moshe through undertaking the various works in the Torah, is VOID for purposes of salvation. For, in truth, such reject Moshe's own words in Devarim 18: 15-19, that all should believe the prophet like him who was to arise from among the Yisraelites, for that prophet would indeed speak Yahweh's words, which had to be done by all.

Therefore, in the debate of faith versus works with respect to salvation, the implicit unstated base is whether one can attain to salvation without believing in Yah'shuah as the Messiah. On this matter my understanding is that it is NOT possible to attain to salvation without believing in Yah'shuah as the Messiah.

On the other hand those liberal Christians who exclude righteous works as unnecessary for maintaining the state of salvation Yahweh puts one into are also in error. For those who do not perform Yahweh's righteous deeds evidently do not have Yahweh as their Mighty One, their words to the contrary notwithstanding. Therefore it is seen that faith in Yah'shuah the Messiah and righteous works go together. But the person who undertakes to perform righteous works but rejects Yah'shuah as the Messiah renders his works of no effect, and has no salvation.

Therefore, as faith without works is dead, so also are works without faith!

I will pose a question to you. It seems difficult to you that Yahweh requires the Goyim to perform fewer commandments than the Yahudim, requiring them to perform only those commandments of his that contain his righteous requirements. Why is this so?

It is my opinion that if one who believes in Yah'shuah as the Messiah thinks that it is sin not to do all the requirements of the Torah, such a one should make an honest effort to perform all of it, without betraying one's conscience. Nevertheless, the one should not make an imposition on others to so perform the entirety of the Torah. For I understand that different aspects of the Torah have different applicabilities. Therefore it would be inappropriate for one to impose a requirement of another when that imposed requirement does not in truth apply to the other.

And with respect to salvation it is my understanding that Yahweh does not change. The requirement for salvation that was applicable to Noach was also the same requirement that was applicable to Daniyel and is also the same requirement that is applicable to all human beings. As the portions of the Torah not containing Yahweh's righteous requirement were not applicable to Noach, and as Noach has effectively been saved, so also these portions are not applicable to other human beings for purposes of salvation. For if they were, it would appear that Yahweh was partial, giving some human beings a lower standard for attaining to salvation. Nevertheless, Yahweh, who makes no partiality, saved Noach by grace, and likewise saves us too by his grace. But those so saved by grace must maintain their state of salvation by undertaking righteousness, which include both the faith of Yah'shuah and the commandments of Yahweh containing his righteous requirements.

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