Nowhere in the Old Testament or in Jesus’ words in the Gospels is it written that men only needed to obey God’s Law until the Messiah was sent and died for sins, as some churches teach. What qualifies a soul to receive the benefit of Christ’s sacrifice is precisely the pursuit of obeying God’s Law. Without this, there would be no criterion, and all souls would be saved. What Jesus taught is that it is the Father who sends us to the Son. And the Father only sends those who follow the same laws given to the nation He set apart for Himself with a perpetual covenant. God watches us and, seeing our obedience, even in the face of opposition, He unites us with Israel and delivers us to Jesus. | “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:44.
In Jesus’ time, there was already a single valid plan of salvation for both Jews and gentiles, and this plan remains the same to this day. There has never been a different way to obtain forgiveness and salvation for gentiles. Salvation has always been, and still is, through Israel, the only nation chosen by God and confirmed with the eternal covenant of circumcision. The gentile who wishes to be saved by Christ must follow the same laws that the Father gave to Israel. The Father observes the faith and courage of this gentile, despite many challenges. He pours out His love on him, unites him with Israel, and leads him to the Son for forgiveness and salvation. This is the plan of salvation that makes sense because it is true. | The foreigner who joins himself to the Lord, to minister to him, and to love the name of the Lord… and holds fast my covenant, I will bring to my holy mountain. (Isaiah 56:6-7).
When God made the covenant of faithfulness with Abraham, He commanded that all the men of his house, his descendants, and the gentiles be circumcised, as a physical sign of this covenant. Whoever was not circumcised would not be part of the covenant and would be without the promised divine protection. Jesus, His relatives, friends, apostles, and disciples, all were circumcised according to this command of God. Nowhere in the Gospels did Jesus suggest that gentiles were exempt from this eternal law because the Messiah came into the world, nor did He authorize any man, within or outside the Bible, to modify this commandment for gentiles. Like Abraham, be approved in this test of faith and do not follow the majority just because they are many. | The foreigner who joins himself to the Lord, to minister to him, and to love the name of the Lord… and holds fast my covenant, I will bring to my holy mountain. (Isaiah 56:6-7).
About two thousand years before Jesus was born, God chose Abraham, his descendants, and the gentiles who lived with them, forming from this group a nation for Himself, and blessed them with the perpetual covenant of circumcision, promising never to abandon them. Jesus and His apostles came from this lineage, and it was clear that the Father sent Him to this same group: the Jews and the gentiles who are part of Israel. As it has always been, we, gentiles, achieve salvation by joining this people, obeying the same laws that God gave them. By doing this, the Father sends us to the Son for forgiveness and salvation. This is the plan of salvation that makes sense because it is true. | The foreigner who joins himself to the Lord, to minister to him, and to love the name of the Lord… and holds fast my covenant, I will bring to my holy mountain. (Isaiah 56:6-7).
Part of Satan’s attack on gentiles is to promote the idea that the God of the Old Testament was harsh and vengeful, but that with the coming of Jesus, He became more understanding, accepting what He previously did not tolerate. This view has no basis in the prophets or the Gospels. The goodness and mercy of God have never changed. He is good to those who obey Him, but He is a consuming fire to those who know the laws He gave us in the Old Testament and blatantly disobey them. Saying or singing that “God is so good” while ignoring His commandments is a serious offense. Obey and receive His blessings! | “All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.” Psalm 25:10.
John the Baptist was the only messenger of God prophesied in the Old Testament and confirmed by Jesus. Besides John, there are no prophecies, neither from the Lord’s prophets nor in Jesus’ words in the Gospels, about the sending of another man, within or outside the Bible, whose teachings we should follow. The gentile who consciously ignores God’s eternal laws based on what he read or heard from some man who emerged after Jesus returned to the Father is basing himself on human teachings. Our only guarantee against the serpent’s deceptions is to faithfully follow the laws that God gave us through the prophets and His beloved Son. Any other source of doctrine is subject to human interference. | “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 4:2.
Every primary doctrine — doctrines that pertain to the salvation of souls — must be filtered through the words of Jesus to be true. What is being preached to gentiles about salvation is not based on the Gospels and is therefore false. Jesus never taught that His Father’s Law was canceled or altered to facilitate the salvation of gentiles. For centuries, our Jewish brothers who lived until Jesus followed God’s laws in the Old Testament, including Jesus Himself, His relatives, friends, apostles, and disciples. There is nothing wrong with us; if they can do it, we can too. And not only can we, but we must, if we want the Father to send us to the Son. | “I have revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word [the Old Testament].” John 17:6.
Some people do not like the word “religion” and claim that Jesus did not have one, but this is denying the facts. Jesus was born, lived, and died as a Jew, preaching the true faith of Israel and revealing the Father, the God of Israel. What He did not do was found a new religion for gentiles, with new doctrines and traditions, nor teach a salvation without obedience to His Father’s laws. He taught that it is the Father who leads us to the Son, but the Father does not lead rebels to the Son. He leads only those who follow the laws He gave to the chosen nation in an eternal covenant. God does not send to the Son those who consciously disobey His laws. This plan of salvation makes sense because it is true. | “My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God [Old Testament] and put it into practice.” Luke 8:21.
The sacrifice of the Lamb of God for sins and the obligation of God’s children to seek faithful obedience to His holy and eternal Law were never a matter of one eliminating the other. Long before the cross, God’s Israel followed His laws and benefited from the sacrificial system for the forgiveness of sins. This divine process did not change with the cross. The Father did not send His only Son to save rebels who consciously ignore His Law, but to save the faithful who seek with all their heart to obey all the commandments given to Israel, the nation that God set apart for Himself with the eternal covenant of circumcision. This plan of salvation makes sense because it is true. | “My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God [Old Testament] and put it into practice.” Luke 8:21.
Salvation lies in living exactly as Jesus’ original apostles lived. Jesus was with them all the time, teaching them how to live in a way that pleased the Father and achieved salvation. They believed that Jesus was the Messiah sent by the Father and obeyed all the laws that God gave to Israel: they kept the Sabbath, were circumcised, wore the tzitzit, did not consume unclean foods, and maintained their beards. If we want to live like the apostles and be saved like them, we must follow these same commandments. At no point in the Gospels did Jesus teach that gentiles could live differently. Obey while you are alive. | “I have revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word [the Old Testament].” John 17:6.
