Understanding Acts 15 and Galatians: A Jewish Perspective on Torah and Salvation

Authored by @greywarden100
Published on Hive

Greetings, Christian friends on Hive! As a Jew who embraces Yeshua as the Jewish Messiah, I’ve dedicated years to exploring the Torah and New Testament with a deep appreciation for their Hebraic roots, often sharing these insights with diverse faith communities. Passages like Acts 15:1-5 and Galatians 3:10-13 are frequently misunderstood by Christians, who sometimes see them as dismissing the Torah or labeling its observance as cursed. I aim to shed light on the truth: these texts tackle a specific concern—Jewish believers from a particular Pharisaic faction who wrongly insisted that Gentiles needed circumcision and their interpreted “law of Moses” for salvation. The Torah, given to Israel, remains a divine gift, and Yeshua, our Jewish Messiah, fulfills it rather than nullifies it. With guidance from Messianic Jewish scholars like Tim Hegg, I invite you to join me in this journey of understanding.

The Hebraic Context of Acts 15 and Galatians

The early followers of Yeshua were Jews, part of Judaism, distinguished only by their belief in Him as Messiah (Acts 2:46, NIV: “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts…”; Acts 21:20, NIV: “Thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law”). Acts 15:1-5 describes a dispute within this Messianic Jewish community, where “certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: ‘Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved’” (Acts 15:1, NIV). This led to the Jerusalem Council. Similarly, Galatians 3:10-13, written by Paul (Sha’ul), a Torah-observant Jew (Acts 21:20), critiques a works-based salvation, not the Torah itself. Both texts reflect a 1st-century Jewish debate, not a rejection of Judaism or the Torah.

Acts 15:1-5—A Specific Pharisaic Faction, Not the Whole Movement

The individuals involved were not a broad representation of Pharisees or Scribes but a specific group of Jewish believers in Yeshua from the Pharisaic tradition (Acts 15:5, NIV: “Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, ‘The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses’”). The term “Pharisees” refers to a diverse Jewish sect known for oral traditions and strict observance, but this faction’s teaching that Gentiles must be circumcised “according to the custom taught by Moses” for salvation was not a universal Pharisaic doctrine. This “custom taught by Moses” likely reflects their particular ritual practices, distinct from the Abrahamic circumcision (Genesis 17:10, NIV: “This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised”), which predates Moses and was a covenant sign, not a salvific requirement.

Historically, Pharisees varied in their views, with some advocating Gentile inclusion through proselytism, but the demand for salvation through circumcision was an isolated interpretation by these believers. Tim Hegg notes that this group’s stance likely arose from their zeal to maintain Jewish covenant boundaries, misapplying Pharisaic traditions (Hegg, The Letter and the Spirit). This distinguishes them from the broader Pharisaic movement, which did not universally impose such a requirement, and from non-believing Pharisees who opposed Yeshua’s followers (e.g., Acts 8:1, NIV: “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem”).

The core issue was their false teaching that “you cannot be saved” unless circumcised (Acts 15:1, NIV), a works-based doctrine contradicting the Torah’s focus on faith (Genesis 15:6, NIV: “Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness”) and the Messianic message of grace through Yeshua, affirmed by the Council (Acts 15:11, NIV: “No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved”).

The “Law of Moses” as Pharisaic Interpretation

In Acts 15:5, the phrase “law of Moses” likely refers to the oral traditions or interpretations of this specific Pharisaic faction, not the written Torah. This aligns with Yeshua’s words in Matthew 23:2-3 (NIV): “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.” Here, “Moses’ seat” symbolizes the authority of religious leaders to interpret the Torah, which this group extended to Gentiles with a salvific twist. David Wilber argues that the Council addressed this misinterpretation, not the Torah itself (Wilber, Messianic Jewish Theology).

The Four Essentials and Synagogue Learning

The Jerusalem Council’s ruling (Acts 15:20, NIV: “Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood”) required Gentiles to follow these halachic guidelines, drawn from Leviticus 17-18, ensuring fellowship with Jewish believers, not a salvific code. Unlike the later Noahide Laws (formalized post-2nd century), these were practical applications for the 1st century. Acts 15:21 (NIV: “For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath”) suggests Gentiles were to learn the Torah in synagogues over time. This reflects integration, not salvation by works, countering the faction’s demand.

Galatians 3:10-13—Works vs. Faith

Galatians 3:10-13 (NIV) states:

“For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.’ Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God… Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.”

Christians often misread this as the Torah being cursed, but Paul, a Torah-observant Jew, critiques this specific faction’s salvific imposition. The “works of the law” likely refer to circumcision and other boundary markers they demanded, not the Torah’s commands. The “curse” (from Deuteronomy 27:26) applies to failing to obey perfectly for salvation—a standard no one meets—redeemed by Yeshua’s sacrifice (Galatians 3:13, NIV: “He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus”). Hegg argues this targets legalism, not the Torah, which remains valid (Galatians 3:21, NIV: “Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not!”) and a blessing for Jews (Hegg, The Letter and the Spirit).

Yeshua’s Fulfillment, Not Abolition

As a Jew, I affirm that Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah, fulfills the Torah (Matthew 5:17, NIV: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them”), not abolishes it. The Torah guides Israel in covenant faithfulness, not salvation by works, a distortion introduced by this Pharisaic faction. Gentiles are included through faith (Romans 11:17, NIV: “If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in”), as the Council decided, without adopting their interpretations.

A Jewish Appeal to Hive Christians

I urge you to see Acts 15 and Galatians through a Hebraic lens. The issue was not the Torah but a false doctrine from a specific group of Pharisaic believers. Yeshua, our Jewish Messiah, renews God’s eternal covenant with Israel (Jeremiah 31:35, NIV: “This is what the LORD says… only if these decrees vanish from my sight… will Israel ever cease being a nation before me”), inviting Gentiles by faith. Rejecting misinterpretations, you can:

• Honor the Torah’s role for Jews and its wisdom for all.
• Recognize Yeshua’s redemption from sin’s curse, not the Torah’s end.
• Anticipate a future where Torah and covenant continue (Ezekiel 37:26, NIV: “I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant”).

Sources and References

1. Hegg, Tim. Why We Keep Torah: 10 Persistent Questions. TorahResource, 2011.
2. Hegg, Tim. The Letter and the Spirit. TorahResource, undated.
3. Wilber, David. Messianic Jewish Theology: A Concise Introduction. First Fruits of Zion, 2020.
4. First Fruits of Zion. Torah Club series, undated.
5. The Holy Bible, New International Version. Zondervan, 2011. (Key passages: Acts 15:1-5, Galatians 3:10-13, Matthew 23:2-3, Genesis 17:10, Leviticus 17-18, Jeremiah 31:35, Romans 11:17, Ezekiel 37:26).
6. Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece, 28th Edition. Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2012. (For Greek text of Galatians 3:10).