Is Keeping The Law For Salvation Necessary? Hebrew Israelites Say Yes, But The Bible Says No!

If you ever speak to a Hebrew Israelite like the one I’m engaging with today, it won’t take long before you hear keeping the law for salvation is necessary.

Today’s article is a great example of the blind leading the blind into a ditch. I’m going to show you how to destroy the lies of loud-mouth Hebrew Israelites.

Arguments from the biggest Hebrew Israelite group today will get destroyed, but it gets worse. The Debate Unfolds

In this video, Israelite leader Bishop Nathanyel spoke about keeping the law for salvation. Then he sent out one of his followers. And then the leader came back to talk as well at the end.

This group teaches that keeping the law for salvation is necessary. The Bible destroys this false teaching, but pay close attention, as the leader begins talking about one of the passages that they claim teaches this as clear as day.

This is from his weekly teaching:

“So now the decrees for to keep, give me that Acts 15. Just want to touch it real quick. What decrees were they to keep?

Acts 15:19 – The book of Acts chapter 15 and verse 19: ‘Wherefore my sentence is that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God, but that we write unto them that they abstain from pollutions of idols.’

So abstaining from pollutions of idols is the commandments.”

Misinterpretation of Scripture

There’s so much to tackle here. First, let me say his goal is to link everything in this verse back to the commandments. This is how he builds the case that these believers were being taught to keep the commandments.

As Christians, we should know these things are all mentioned in other parts of the Bible. That is not a problem, but he’s making a leap that is fallacious and ignorant.

Second, for the sake of this post, I’m not going to argue about who the Gentiles in this passage are. They believe Gentiles who get saved are Israelites who don’t know they are Israelites. This goes back to their teaching that only Israelites get saved.

When Christians say Gentiles, we mean a non-Israelite. This is how the term gets used the majority of the time. And the reason this doesn’t matter is that, either way, if any Gentiles don’t need to keep the law, it destroys their teaching.

Once this teaching gets destroyed, it’s a house of cards.

Context is Crucial

The third thing is crucial for you to understand. His whole argument is that the church is saying here, this is a short way of telling Gentiles to keep the law to get saved.

You may say, “Why is it so abbreviated?” Because it’s a book. You cannot write everything out there.

[His reader yells] That’s right.

Abbreviated, and you’re supposed to have common sense to know.

Is that what the text says? The problem is, this is the exact opposite of what is happening.

Verse 19 says:

“Wherefore my sentence is that we trouble not them which from among the Gentiles are turned to God.”

The sentence is, “we trouble not.” He ignores this part of the verse because the moment you talk about this, you have to deal with what he’s talking about.

What is James talking about? I’ll show you. But this is what happens when you don’t read context. This destroys the whole argument he’s making.

The whole point of troubling that was going on was whether keeping the law for salvation was necessary.

The Context of Acts 15

Look at verses 1 and 2 of the chapter. That sets the scene for the verdict in verse 19.

“Certain men which came down from Judea taught the brethren, ‘Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.’” – Acts 15:1.

The whole point of verse 19 is because some were going around teaching, “You cannot get saved without circumcision.” Christians don’t teach this.

But look at verse 2.

“When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.” – Acts 15:2.

So the whole point of this debate is about circumcision and salvation. Is circumcision necessary for salvation?

This group of believers heads to Israel. They go to Jerusalem and meet the apostles and elders, but listen to what verse 5 says. It’s not only circumcision that was getting preached by some to get saved.

“But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying that it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.” – Acts 15:5.

Some believers argued circumcision and keeping the law for salvation was necessary. Christians don’t teach this. As you read through this chapter, it’s clear to see IUIC and other Hebrew Israelite groups are in the position of these people.

Christians are in the position of James, Peter, Paul, and Barnabas. I’ll show you.

The Christian Perspective on Salvation

You’ve got one group saying, Circumcision is necessary. Get the knife 🙂 . Keeping the law for salvation is necessary. This is what is known today as the Judaizers. These align with Hebrew Israelite groups. And others who teach a law based salvation today.

Then you have the Christians. No, no, no, no, no. We don’t need to keep the laws to get saved.

They’re all arguing, going back and forth. And then Peter starts speaking in verses 7 to 11, and this is the Christian view.

“And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up and said unto them, ‘Men and brethren, ye know that how a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the Gospel and believe.’” – Acts 15:7.

Hear the Gospel and believe.

Hear the Gospel and believe.

Not circumcised and believed. Not keep the law of Moses and believe.

Hear the Gospel and believe. He continues in verse 8 and says…

“And God, which knows the hearts, bear them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as unto us.”

Peter says it’s clear it’s hear and believe, because God gave them the Holy Ghost when they heard me preaching, and believed it.

 😉  Keep going, Peter…

“And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.”

There was no difference between them and us. Their hearts got purified, cleaned up. By circumcision? No. By keeping the law for salvation? No. Peter said by faith.

If it wasn’t clear by now that Peter was a Christian, listen to verse 10,

“Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?”

Peter is speaking against people like IUIC and their forefathers—anyone who believes circumcision or keeping the law saves you. Don’t tempt God. Peter’s argument here is saying, getting circumcised and keeping the law for salvation is a yoke we couldn’t handle, or our fathers before us.

The implications of Peter’s words are clear.

Salvation by Grace

Then look at the next verse…

“But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.“

Believe in the grace of Christ to save us and them, not in circumcision or keeping the commandments of Moses. These people are in a direct argument against what Peter was saying in the Bible, but they want you to believe they are following the Bible.

Then James has his turn. He was a Christian too. Listen to what he says. He sounds like a Christian today, not like these false teachers trying to keep people under a yoke they can’t handle.

Starting with verses 14 to 15, James says:

“Simeon has declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets, as it is written.”

The Prophetic Confirmation

James says, Simon Peter is saying God has called people from the Gentiles to believe in Him. The Old Testament agrees with this. This isn’t some new invention. The Bible has been saying this from the beginning. James quotes Amos, one of the prophets from the Old Testament, and explains it…

“After this, I will return and will build again the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up, that the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, says the Lord, who does these things. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.

David’s kingdom will get restored—that’s through Christ as the king of Israel. This is why Jesus went around preaching, “The kingdom of God is at hand“. It’s here.

And that’s why the residue of men, and all the Gentiles called by God’s name will come to Him.

That quotation is talking about real Gentiles too. But like I said, this doesn’t matter for the sake of today’s argument.

James said in verse 18, God knew this would happen from the beginning. This wasn’t a surprise or shock plan that God made up in the heat of the moment.

The Verdict of James

Now, when you think about the question James is replying to, it takes on the complete opposite meaning. Some are saying you must get circumcised and keep the law of Moses to get saved. This is the argument of the most popular Hebrew Israelite groups today too.

But what does James say? Does he say they’re right? No, he says the complete opposite. James says, I agree with Peter.

“Wherefore my sentence is that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God.”

Don’t trouble them with circumcision or keeping the law of Moses to get saved. This is not necessary. Peter and James sound like Christians, not Hebrew Israelites.

The difference context makes.

Because we say this as Christians, we get attacked as saying that means we live how we want when that is not what the Bible says.

Salvation from God brings transformation from God. Click To Tweet

The Misunderstanding of Acts 15:20-21

In verses 20 to 21, when James talks about idols, fornication, and blood, this wasn’t a short way to say keep the law. He just said don’t trouble them with it, you don’t need it to get saved.

Bishop Nathanyel wants you to believe the Bible is nonsensical.

Imagine I was a fitness instructor helping you lose weight and I said in one sentence, “You don’t eat carbs if you want to lose weight,” and then said in the next breath, “Eat carbs.” This makes no sense.

James is not saying you don’t need to keep the law or get circumcised to get saved and then keep the law to get saved. But before the leader comes back, he gets his cub to talk while he looks for something. This is sad, but it shows you how false teaching spreads from the leader to the followers.

False Teaching and Its Consequences

“Aythan, talk. I got to find a picture. Go ahead, go ahead.”

“I’m not Lava, man. Lava is better at this than I am. Acts 15. Acts chapter 15 and verse 20: ‘But that we write unto them that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.’

Give me that real quick. Go to verse 20, verse 20 sir? Yeah. More detailed.

Verse 20: ‘But that we write unto them that they abstain from pollutions of idols.’ That goes back to the other guys before me. Exodus 20, go ahead. And from fornication and from things strangled and from blood.

Read verse 21: ‘For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.’

What are they saying? It is saying that these guys can go to the synagogue and learn the laws of Moses. So the apostles are still pushing the fact that you have to keep the laws of Moses. That was not done away with.”

A Misreading of Scripture

That’s not what James was saying. Think about this: there’s people preaching circumcision and the law of Moses as necessary for salvation. He agreed with Peter—this is not true.

Those Jews are not going to be happy about this. James says this isn’t going to change the reading of the law in the synagogues or preaching about Moses.

He’s not saying they don’t need to keep it for salvation but they can learn to keep it for salvation in the synagogues. They’re making this passage contradict itself with this false understanding.

“Even when Christ is dead, gone, and resurrected, they still enforce that the Jews or Gentiles can go to the synagogue and hear the laws of Moses in the schools there.”

No one is arguing about if you can read the Old Testament. I read the Old Testament every day. Christians read the Old and New Testament every day all over the world. Please, this is not the point of contention.

the point of contention is, is it necessary to get saved?

Peter said no! James said no! Barnabas said no! Paul said no! And Luke, who wrote Acts, and the Gospel, said no too!

God’s Decision

The cub keeps reading until verse 23 and hands back over to the leader. Before I go back to him, look at what these verses say.

Verses 20 to 22 say they sent trusted men out to deliver the verdict to the Gentiles. Verse 23 says they put it in writing too.

Aythan didn’t read verses 24 to 29, where it shares what the letter says. It confirms what Peter and James said.

Listen to verse 24. It’s the start of the letter proper:

“For as much as we have heard that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, ‘Be circumcised and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment.'” – Acts 15:24.

This is the smoking gun. The letter the apostles sent to the Gentiles says:

“We have heard some of us are troubling you and subverting your souls.”

Apostles, please tell these false teachers what they are preaching that’s troubling and subverting the souls of Gentiles getting saved.

Listen to the book.

“Be circumcised and keep the law: to whom we gave no commandment.”

We did not command them to come to you and preach, keeping the law for salvation was necessary. Or that circumcision is a must. We gave no such commandment.

So why are these people attacking Christians for saying salvation is by faith, not the law of Moses?…

They are blinded by the devil, and anyone who follows them will fall into the ditch with them.

The Final Verdict

The only thing you can do with passages like Acts 15, once you know what it says, is say it’s not Scripture. I don’t know what’s worse—to say it isn’t Scripture, or to change the interpretation to the opposite meaning like these guys do.

Verses 25 and 26 talk about trusted men sent to deliver the good news. Verse 28 destroys any attempt to attack James, Peter, Paul, Barnabas, or the whole church for that matter.

It says,

“For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things.” – Acts 15:28.

The Holy Ghost made this judgment, and we agree, and he restates avoiding fornication, blood, idols, etc.

The Gentiles hear this from the apostles’ messengers and read the letter and rejoice.

Back to Bishop Nathanyel…

“For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day.” – Acts 15:21.

So verse 21 is letting you know if they want to learn anything other than those main things, let them go to the synagogues. So don’t let a Christian tell you, “Oh no, the apostles didn’t teach the commandments.” That’s a lie. We just proved it. Everybody understand?

[Audience says] Yes, sir.

It’s clear they don’t!

Why Keeping The Law For Salvation Is Not Necessary!

You can see these guys have no understanding of how to read Acts 15 in the correct context. They are the people who got put in their place—the people preaching contrary to the disciples, like the letter said.

But would you believe me if I told you this wasn’t the only example of him corrupting the Bible to prove false teaching in this class?

Let’s say he didn’t start any better, but I’ll let you read it yourself here.

God bless, and by the way, I have no problems with carbs, just for the record.

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