Are we saved by keeping commandments?
We emphatically declare, “No!”
Are we not saved if we do not keep commandments?
We emphatically declare, “Possibly!”
Why?
Because a saved person loves God, and keeps His commandments out of that love, and out of gratitude, and out of the guidance of Messiah Yeshua and the rest of scripture.
Yeshua Himself said it: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” And, Yeshua is equal to God His Father, and the commandments that He teaches are those of the Father: ie, The Torah.
Do we believe we are ‘free’ in the “Gospel”? Absolutely! But, that freedom is the liberty to roam about in safety in the pasture of the Good Shepherd, who does set boundaries for us.
The fact that one is saved only by trusting in the blood of Yeshua that was shed on the tree is irrefutable:
“For it is in His compassion that you are redeemed through absolute trust [firm faith]; not of your own doing; it is the gift of God [Elohim], not [a gift] of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His creation, created through Yeshua the Messiah [HaMashi’akh] ultimately for good works, which God [Elohim] has ordained from antiquity that we should live in them. ~ Ephesians 2:8-10
So, salvation is given, then we subsequently live in ‘good works’ which are ordained from the very beginning: TORAH instructions!
Paul is consistent in his guidance, telling Titus the same:
“But after the goodness and kindness of God [Elohim] our Savior was manifested, not by works of righteousness [tzedaka] which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of The Holy Spirit [The Ru’akh HaKodesh], which He shed on us abundantly, through Yeshua The Messiah, our Savior [HaMashi’akh Moshi’einu], that being justified in His compassion, we should be made heirs to the hope of Life Eternal [Khayei Olam]. This is a true saying, and these things I want you constantly to affirm, so that those who trust in God [Elohim] may be careful to do good works continually. These things are good and profitable to men.” ~Titus 3:4-8
Paul gets even more specific about the concept in Romans:
“Therefore we conclude that it is by faith [trust/Emunah] a man is justified and not by the works of the Torah. Why? Is God [Elohim] the God [Elohim] of the Jews [Yehudim] only? Is He not also God [Elohim] of the Gentiles [Goyim]? Yes, He is God [Elohim] of the Gentiles [Goyim] also; for there is God [Elohim], who justifies the circumcision by faith [trust/Emunah], and the uncircumcision by the same faith [trust/Emunah]. What, then? Do we nullify the Torah through Emunah? What profanity! On the contrary, we firmly establish the Torah! ~Romans 3:28-31
So, in three different passages of Paul’s writings, we see that yes, we are saved by faithfully trusting in the gift offered by God in Yeshua dying on the tree for us; but, we also see that the response to that gift is walking in His commandments. Paul referred to the ones coming out of ‘antiquity’. When he said that we are created “ultimately for good works, which God [Elohim] has ordained from antiquity that we should live in them,” antiquity was not the time of Yeshua, who had only been received back to heaven at that point for about 30 years, but antiquity was MOSES, 2,000 years before Paul wrote Ephesians.
Why is that important? Because so many people say that the commandments Yeshua was talking about when He said, “If you love me, keep my commandments,” are the only two commandments He was supposed to have given: “Love God, love people”. It is true that the Torah and the Prophets hang from, or depend on, those two commandments. But, He is not dismissing the rest of them! The rest of the commands are in the Torah, which itself is depending on, drawing from those two most important commands. What people fail to see is that all the other commands teach us how either to love God, or how to love our neighbors. Yeshua was in no way dismissing the rest of the commandments. And neither did Paul. Paul proves it by telling us we walk in good works ordained by Moses in antiquity.
The other “Shlikhim” or those ‘sent’ by Yeshua [apostles] supported this idea of faith and obedience working together: faith saving us, obedience authenticating that salvation. This is why we said that it is ‘possible’ that some who profess salvation will in fact not be saved at the judgment:
“Even so, by itself, faith [Emunah] without works is dead. For a man may say, “You have faith [Emunah] and I have works;” show me your faith [Emunah] without your works, and I will show you my faith [Emunah] by my works. You believe that there is one God [Elohim]; you do well. The demons also believe, and they tremble. Would you know, O weak man, that faith [Emunah] without works is dead? Was not our father Avraham justified by works, when he raised Isaac [Yitz’khak] his son upon the altar? You can see how his Emunah helped his works, and how by works his faith [Emunah] was made perfect. And the scripture was fulfilled which said, “Avraham trusted God [Elohim], and it was accounted to him for righteousness [tzedaka];” and he was called the Friend of God [Elohim]. You see then how a man by works becomes righteous, and not by faith [Emunah] only.” ~James 2:17-24
Yeshua’s brother, Ya’akov [James], is clearly showing here that faith is proven by the works it produces. And, he is even saying that without the works that go along with faith, there is no ‘becoming righteous’. That is what we teach, we do the commandments to walk out the righteousness that is in us by faith. It is a life-long response to our faith. Our obedience is a reflection of our being justified before God. It is the ‘evidence’. Without it, we are not saved.
Yokhanan [John] also taught this:
“And hereby we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments [mitzvot]. He who says “I know Him” and does not keep His commandments [mitzvot] is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His Word [Davar], in Him truly is the love of God [Elohim] perfected. Hereby we know that we are in Him: he who says “I am in Him” ought himself also to walk His Torah Walk [halakha].” ~1 John 2:3-6
Again, John is not just talking about two little “Jesus” commands, but the mitzvot, the instructions and imperatives of God, moral and religious. His Word, “Davar”, is The Torah! That is one way Jews referred to the first five books of the Bible, and still do. John is saying the same thing as James, that if we are not doing what God said to do, our faith is called into question, and he goes further and says that we are liars! He closes by saying that if we say we are in Him [Yeshua] then we must walk His halakha [in greek, ‘as he walked’ is actually ‘his walk’]. To John, and to all 1st century Jews, and today’s Jews, ‘halakha’ is how a Rabbi teaches his students to live out the commandments. John was telling us that if we love our Rabbi, Yeshua, we will walk the Torah the way He did.
Yeshua expressed this very same thing, and even got more scarey, since He is going to judge all of us by whether we walked the Torah in faith or not:
“It is not everyone who merely says to me, ‘My Lord [Adon], My Lord [Adon],’ who will enter into The Kingdom of Heaven [Malkhut HaShamayim], but he who does the will of My Father [Avi Sh’baShamayim] in Heaven. A great many will say to me in that day, [judgment day] ‘My Lord [Adon], My Lord [Adon], did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out devils, and in your name do many wonders? Then I will declare to them, “I have never known you; depart from Me, O you that work iniquity.”
פֹּעֲלֵי הָעָוֶל [po’alei ha’avel] is the last phrase, ‘those who work iniquity’, and that is an OT term for those who break the Torah. Yeshua was very clearly saying that even if you used the power of His Name to do miracles, but you did not do what He said to do, you will not be saved, since we know the reward of Salvation is Life Eternal with Him in His Kingdom.
The motivation, however, for doing the commandments is love, and not ‘fear’. It is not wrong however to express the consequence of not doing them, like Yeshua and the apostles did, but we should also express the motivation for doing them, which is love for God. Yeshua taught this, as did all the apostles.
“If you love me, keep my commandments [mitzvot].” ~John 14:15
“Just as My Father [Avi] has loved me, I also have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments [mitzvot], you will abide in my love, even as I have kept the commandments [mitzvot] of My Father [Avi], and abide in His love.”
Yeshua is showing here that the commandments He wants us to keep that He called “My commandments” are the very same ones that are the Father’s commandments: Torah! And love for God and for His Son’s sacrifice are our motivation for doing what He says.
John and Paul taught this as well:
“Whoever believes that Yeshua is the Messiah [Mashi’akh] is born of God [Elohim]; and everyone who loves Him who fathered, loves him also who is begotten of Him. And by this we know that we love the children of God [Elohim], when we love God [Elohim] and keep His [God’s] commandments [mitzvot]. For this is the love of God [Elohim], that we keep His commandments [mitzvot]; and His commandments [mitzvot] are not difficult.” ~1 John 5:1-3
As we have stated several times already, the commandments that Yeshua kept and taught are not His separate commandments, but those of God. He further supported that when He said:
“He who oppresses me and does not receive my words, there is one who will judge him; The Word [HaDavar] which I have spoken, it will judge him at the last day. For I did not speak of myself; but The Father [HaAv] who sent me, He commanded me what to say and what to speak. And I know that His Commandment [mitzvah] is Life Eternal [Khayei Olam]; these things, therefore, which I speak, just as My Father [Avi] told me, so I speak.” ~John 12:48-50
“Do not expect that I have come to nullify the Torah or the Prophets [Nevi’im]; I have not come to nullify it, but to confirm it. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one yod [tenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the tiniest letter], nor a stroke [of the pen] shall pass away from the Torah until everything comes to pass. Whoever therefore tries to nullify even one of these smallest commandments [mitzvot], and teaches men so, he shall be regarded as small in The Kingdom of Heaven [Malkhut HaShamayim]; but anyone who observes and teaches them, he shall be regarded as great in The Kingdom of Heaven [Malkhut HaShamayim].” ~Matthew 5:17-19
Yeshua then taught the Torah for two and a half more chapters in Matthew. He did not abrogate it. And ‘fulfilling’ it there is completely misunderstood. The way most people interpret the verse is “I did not come to abolish the law but to abolish it,” because they ‘think’ that ‘fulfilment’ means never to do it again. It does not mean that. Even the greek word teaches better to ‘confirm’ it: plēroō means to bring to fullness…and the context of the passage shows us that ‘fulness’ is teaching and doing the commandments! The Hebrew word there means ‘confirm’ in this context as well. But, whatever English word we choose to put there for ‘pleroo’, it cannot be “abolish”. That is nonsensical.
So, how is that freedom, if Yeshua still wants us to do the commandments? “I thought we were ‘free from the law of sin and death’. Indeed we ARE!
The ‘law of sin and death’ is NOT the Torah! It is the ‘natural law’ or inclination to sin, which causes death. The Torah is Holy, and Just and Good! [Rom 7:12] In fact, Paul asks that question very pointedly, and gives and impassioned answer:
“What shall we say then? Is the Torah sin? What profanity! I would not have learned the significance of sin except by means of the Torah; for I would never have known the meaning of covetousness unless the Torah said “you shall not covet.” ~Romans 7:7
And John confirms that the Torah is what shows us what sin is, when he is teaching us to obey it:
“Whoever commits sin breaks Torah; for every sin is the transgression of Torah.” ~ 1 John 3:4
Paul supports this notion as well:
“Now, being made free from sin, you become the servants of righteousness [tzedaka, keeping commandments]. I speak after the manner of men because of the weakness of your flesh; for as you have yielded your members to the servitude of uncleanness and iniquity, [workers of iniquity break Torah] so now yield your members to the servitude of righteousness [tzedaka] and sanctification [kedushah, being separate from the world]. For when you were the servants of sin, you were free from righteousness [tzedaka]. What kind of fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end thereof is Death [Mavet]. But now, being made free from sin and become servants of God [Elohim], your fruits are consecrated, and the end thereof is LIfe Eternal [Khayei Olam].” ~Rom 6:18-22
So, Paul’s description of freedom does not create anarchy, but proper subjects in God’s Kingdom who serve Him through obedience: and His instructions about obedience are His Torah commandments.
So, we are freed from the propensity to sin, and given power not to sin, not to break the Torah, by the indwelling of the Spirit of God. We need less ‘help’ from the Spirit to keep the Sabbath and His Feasts, once the Spirit gets us to ‘see’ that God does want us to keep those commandments, as well as those that govern our behavior toward others [Love thy neighbor]. Keeping His feasts [Sabbath versus ‘sunday’ church, Passover versus Easter, Sukkot and Khanukah versus X-mas] is how we love Him, by worshipping Him when and how He instructs us, and by not mixing paganism into our faith, which is a theme replete in all of scripture.
We are actually more free when we do that! And it is that freedom which causes us to want so desperately to share His ways with others.
We are loosed from the sheep pen of false religion and set out to run freely in His Pasture, with the oversight of The One Shepherd! Not without oversight at all. Not without boundaries. Being fenced in by His Word, NOT outside of it.
David said it this way, “I will RUN in the path of your commandments, for you have set my heart free!” ~Ps 119:132
In Messiah, we are not bound by ritual obligation for salvation, but invited into a living covenant of love and obedience.
Yeshua has set us free—free to serve, free to obey, and free to love God in the way He defined, from the beginning.