“But now, separated from the law.[Thora] God’s righteousness is revealed (witnessed by the law [Thora] and the prophets), but a righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ, which is for all and comes upon all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:21-23

Christian misconceptions about the Torah

There are two misconceptions about Torah that I have heard frequently among Christians. I’m sketching it a bit edgy and exaggerated here, but that’s actually how I heard it:

One misconception reads a “law” at the word Torah, interprets today’s ideas of law into it and concludes that the Jews are all on the way “legally”. They are on the “wrong track”, so to speak, and Christians have the truth. Jesus would have abolished the law and brought grace instead (as if the Old Testament, the Tenach, did not speak of grace). Thus the one misconception.

The other misconception is that the law is the solution to our problems, and we should follow the commandments and prohibitions ourselves. We should embrace the law because it is a universal law. This view is expressed in the fact that, for example, the 10 Commandments are to be regarded as the basis for our life and thinking. Christians should keep the commandments. Some take this even further and say we should take far more precepts from the books of Moses as a guide to life. We should keep the Sabbath, celebrate festivals and such things. It is possible that much good can be derived from it, but that is not the point here.

Neither view does justice to the biblical account. Both views fail to recognize the change Paul outlines here in Romans. If we consider the two assessments as thesis and antithesis, Paul is concerned with a synthesis.

The Torah is good, but …

Paul takes a different path. He actually talks about the law, but does not place the law centrally. The law was just one example. His real concern is with the righteousness from God, which is so very different from the unrighteousness of men (the subject is dealt with in Romans 1:18-3:20).

Here is a comparison: If the injustice of people, the contrast to a holy and living God, and one’s own failure to reach one’s goal are the actual problems, then this could be described in figurative language as a disease. The law could be interpreted as “symptom control” or putting a band-aid on the wound. Paul is now not talking about a symptom cure, but is making a diagnosis, after which a proper and good treatment of the causes can be made. The treatment, that is the Gospel. This is about solving the real problems, not fighting the symptoms.

The comparison is lame, of course, and certainly does not do justice to the Torah’s task in every respect. Paul, however, is not talking about all possible points of view here in Romans, but he is highlighting something that is important to him. He is thus speaking primarily to the Jews in the Roman community. They are familiar with the Torah and the Prophets. For them, therefore, he makes clear where the Gospel is different from what they have known so far. In order to recognize the change more clearly, it is worth taking a look back. One chapter before Paul has already written something about justice:

In Romans 2:13 he wrote:

“For it is not the hearers of the law who are justified with God, but the doers of the law will be justified.”

So Paul wrote a chapter earlier. Where is the difference now? This verse in chapter 2 is not about the righteousness of God, but about the righteousness of men who act according to the law. Accordingly, the Law of Moses allows people to be justified according to their own actions. This concerns one’s own activity, with all its limitations. However, God’s own righteousness is on an entirely different scale. Mankind knows other problems than that we can correct them only by our own actions. It’s not about your everyday life or mine alone, but a larger perception of humanity. We should carefully distinguish our human possibilities from God’s own actions.

The justice of God

Paul is concerned with righteousness from God. He writes: “But now … God’s justice has been revealed”. That is his theme. The apostle is not concerned with the law and certainly not with devaluing the Torah. He clarifies only the following, namely, that God’s righteousness originated “apart from the Law” (“apart from the Torah”). So not “by” the Torah, or by obeying commandments and prohibitions. Our efforts may bring about a certain kind of human justice, but they certainly do not bring about “God’s justice.” There it is about God Himself and what He does, precisely not about what I can bring about.

Paul aims at a change of perspective. The Good News is not built on your or my doing, but on God’s doing. This is so different from what we ourselves are used to. People tend to place their own actions centrally. That’s understandable, you might say; you’re closest to yourself. The change of perspective is now here: Paul points to God’s action. It is about the justice that He Himself brings about. In the previous chapters the apostle made a devastating “diagnosis”. Now it is not a matter of “treating the symptoms”, but of “curing the disease”.

While the Torah talks a lot about what people should and should not do (specifically, this is entrusted to the people of Israel with a covenant), it is still not about legalistic thinking. In the Old Testament we find lively references to the fact that it is not a matter of outwardly following instructions. For example, we read:

“

For in goodness I delight, not in sacrifices, and in the knowledge of God more than in burnt offerings.”


Hos 6:6 (cf. Mt 9,13 and Mt 12,7)

So there are concerns that are weighted higher than just following the rules. Besides, there are bigger problems facing humanity than just coping with everyday life. There are problems that can be called fundamental problems of mankind. These include our mortality or the injustice of all people. Paul therefore draws the circles much larger. Just as God created heaven and earth, He also brings about a comprehensive solution and redemption. It’s all about the big picture. It is about His justice. The apostle has a great God and speaks of His action.

Whoever thinks here that it seems far too complex and that it is only a matter of making progress in everyday life, underestimates the complexity of our existence. If you would like to take care of your own car only (as an example for everyday life), you still need roads to drive on. In the first 11 chapters of Romans, Paul deals with the basics of the gospel. This is the infrastructure and in comparison it is the road network. Once this is cleared up, he can move on to the way of life in the final chapters.

Much of the Bible concerns the great lines. How we put this into practice is up to interpretation. It is helpful if we understand how the big lines run so that we can more easily find an implementation for everyday life.

Separately but witnessed

Two things are said about God’s justice in relation to the Torah:

1. God’s righteousness was revealed separately from the Law (Torah)
2. God’s justice is witnessed by the Law (Torah) and Prophets.

The revelation of God’s righteousness is not through the law, but separate from it. This is not a valuation or devaluation, but the indication of another way through which the righteousness of God arose. The law was not a prerequisite for the righteousness of God. After all, God is free to do as He pleases. He is God.

At the same time, however, the essence of this righteousness of God is obviously witnessed by Torah and Prophets, i.e. that they already point to it.

God’s world

Paul continues to not explain these things in detail, but we do get hints. We don’t have to understand everything, but for the Jewish listeners in the Roman community it should be clear with these short references that the Gospel is not about following the commandments and prohibitions of the Torah, but something different and unique happened. This uniqueness is good news related to God’s own work. The Torah was not a prerequisite for this, but we can still derive references to these extraordinary measures of God from the Torah and the prophets.

After all, it’s not just about my everyday life or yours, but about a future for this world. His world!