Judaism & Christianity - Essay Example

The Significance of the Torah Today Torah refers mainly to the First Five Books of Moses. They are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deutoronomy. Primarily, the books were considered for teaching since it contains the “law” such as the Ten Commandments. While it is true that the Torah was part of the Old Testament and was written specifically for Jews, that doesn’t mean that it does not have any significance in present day living. The main argument why some people do not consider the Torah applicable to the modern day Christian beliefs is because it contains traditions and rituals appropriate then for the Jewish culture during that time.

Sacrifices were in terms of livestock or agrarian products which are now simply replaced by money. There is no need to slaughter farm animals and burn them as offerings. The rituals has ceased when the New Testament was written. The Old Testament was about the law while the New Testament is about grace that supersedes the Law through Christ. From a Christian viewpoint, Christ was offered in repatriation for the sins of this world so there is no need to perform ritual sacrifices. Even the food that were considered unclean ( fish without scales, pork, etc) during the Old Testament is not an issue anymore in the New Testament as Mark 7:19 (NIV) states “For it doesnt go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body”, thereby Jesus declared that any type of food is clean.

The second reason why the Torah is not significant anymore is because there was a change of covenant between man and God. In the Old Testament, the covenant was directly between God and Moses. However, the coming of Jesus Christ changed that covenant since He became the offering. The rules were changed since faith is needed not obedience to laws for one to be saved. Nevertheless, the Torah remains a basis for moral laws by Christians today. The website spiritus.temporis.com clarifies the importance of Torah among modern day Christians through the following statement:One common approach is found in the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) which divides the Mosaic laws into three categories: moral, civil, and ceremonial.

In the view of the Westminster divines, only the moral law such as most of the Ten Commandments directly applies to Christians today. ( “ Torah”, 2005)I agree with this because modern day Christians need not practice rituals anymore. The Ten Commandments gives Christians clear guidelines on what should be the basis of their moral actions. It would be unthinkable to hold a certain belief without knowing specific rules or guidelines which can be part of expected behavior from such beliefs.

Actually, the Ten Commandments is summarized into "Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul and strength" (Deuteronomy 6:4). This is a good starting point for moral behavior. In conclusion, although Torah is considered by many as part of the old Mosaic Law, it is not completely obsolete. People today especially those with Christian beliefs can still learn from the moral law of the Torah and apply it into their everyday living as basis for moral conduct.References:Deutoronomy 6:4 (NIV).

Holy Bible.Mark 7:19 (NIV). Holy Bible.Torah. http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/torah/christian-view-of-the-torah.html