Can
Gentile Christians keep
the Feasts of the LORD?
There is a difference between keeping the Feasts of the LORD under the law and attending the Feasts as a gesture of love, fellowship and goodwill towards other believers. As a Gentile Christian (by this I mean a non-Jewish believer) I do believe the Holy Bible states very clearly the Feasts are given mainly to the Children of Israel, but the same Bible also states God expects people of all nations to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. (Zec. 14:16-19) In association with some Messianic Jewish friends I have had the privilege of attending many Feasts of the LORD that include the Feast of Tabernacles and Passover. In addition to having joyous fellowships with the brethren I have shared with them what I have learned from our church, and also learned from them some truths concerning Christianity's Hebraic roots. Praise the LORD! HALLELUYAH!
Some teach the Feasts of the LORD were established during the Creation of the universe. Their theory is based on Genesis 1:14 that states: “Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years.” They explain the Hebrew word for “seasons” is “moed” which is the same word used for “appointed time” (Lev. 23:4) and that is how they connect it to the Feasts. I am not sure whether or not this method of biblical interpretation is correct. One thing I am very sure is that the Seventh Day Sabbath was definitely established by the One True God at the time of Creation and is confirmed in the Ten Commandments (Gen. 2:1-3; Ex. 20:8-11).
There is absolutely no biblical support for the theory that the Feasts of the LORD were established at Creation, but there is ample clear evidence that the first two Feasts, Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread, were established while the Children of Israel were still in Egypt (Ex. 12). The other five Feasts were also given to the Children of Israel while they were in the wilderness (Lev. 23).
Originally Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread were given exclusively to the Children of Israel. “And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ‘This is the ordinance of the Passover. No outsider shall eat it. But every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it. In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. And when a stranger sojourns with you and wants to keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it. One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who sojourns among you.’ Thus all the children of Israel did; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.” (Ex. 12:43-50)
When you read the above ordinances you can easily understand why the apostles and elders at the Jerusalem Conference had decided the Gentile Christians just could not keep the law of Moses that included the Feasts of the LORD. The two issues were in direct conflict with one another. When they decided it was not necessary for the Gentile Christians to be circumcised then they had also resolved the Gentile Christians could not eat the Passover Meal either.
God had it all planned. On the evening when our Lord Jesus Christ was eating the Passover Meal with His twelve apostles He instituted Holy Communion that would replace the Passover Meal. Instead of the Passover lamb the elements for Holy Communion consists of One Unleavened Bread and the Fruit of the Vine – grape juice. In this way both Jewish and Gentile Christians can partake of the Lord’s flesh and blood together. In the New Covenant the Passover is our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 5:7)
From the epistles of Paul’s to the various Gentile congregations it appears there were conflicts concerning keeping of the Feasts of the LORD. On the one hand the hardcore Jewish believers wanted to keep the Feasts in the old way, and on the other hand the new hardcore Gentile Christians wanted to get rid of the Feasts altogether. Today we also have the same situation in our Internet Forum. There are two distinctly different groups of believers with opposite views. Let us see how the apostle Paul tried to solve this problem and hopefully we can also resolve our conflicts in the same way. Here is the solution.
“One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: ‘As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.’ So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.” (Rom. 14:5-13)
This Article is the response of Paul Wong
to a discussion in the ARK Forum on July 29, 2003
For comments please write first to: [email protected]
May God bless you.
Paul Wong is a Christian minister and the
President of ARK International.
His ministry also serves as an architectural service company in Houston.
The ARK Forum on the Internet is international and non-denominational.
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