THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE

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Q & A

with Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum

Shalom Dr Frucktenbaum,

I am studying your book "in the Footsteps of Messiah" which I am enjoying very much. There is much false teaching about, and mindful of Galatians 3 and Dr Poyner -Levison's article on the Law of Moses and the Law of Messiah. My question is, if one is saved by grace is it possible to return to being under the law and therefore lose your salvation?

Regards,
A.

Dear A.:

Thank you for your e-mail letter of February 19, 2008.

To answer your question, the primary thing to keep in mind is that salvation is by grace through faith, given as a free gift that one receives by faith. In other words, there is no work you can do to earn salvation, and therefore there is no work you can do to lose your salvation. Furthermore, once you are born again and receive eternal life, it means that you cannot lose it, otherwise it was not eternal life to begin with.

Yes, there are believers who often go back to the Mosaic Law, but even those who go back to the Mosaic Law are never able to keep it consistently. Furthermore, they fail to recognize that the Mosaic Law is not a rule of life for today, but the rule of life for today is the Law of the Messiah. Going back to the Law of Moses does not affect salvation but it does affect sanctification. That means that it will affect our spiritual growth, and also it will affect our attainment of spiritual maturity. It is not the Law of Moses that brings us to maturity today, but the Law of the Messiah.

This does not mean that it is wrong to keep aspects of the Mosaic Law. What we are obligated to keep are the commandments of the Law of the Messiah. Insofar as the Law of Moses, we are free to keep those commandments that would not contradict the Law of the Messiah (and some do) and we are certainly not free to keep the commandments that would contradict the Law of the Messiah.

For example, we are certainly free to observe the Passover but we are not free to demand that any Gentile guest has to be circumcised before he eats at the Passover table, since that part would contradict the Law of the Messiah.

So again, these issues do not affect salvation, which is by grace through faith apart from any work, but does affect spiritual growth and maturity.

Yours for the salvation of Israel,

Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum
 

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Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum teaches on the full range of Bible subjects and is considered by many to be the foremost theologian in the messianic movement. He would be happy to answer to your question.

Please email your question to the editor at yeshuastouch@hawaii.rr.com with "AMC Bible Question" on the subject line, and Dr. Fruchtenbaum will respond to you personally.

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Dr. Fruchtenbaum is founder and director of
Ariel Ministries