Saturday, April 18, 2009

General Observations: Noahide Laws

The Rainbow set as the symbol of the Covenant ...
Image license Creative Commons
1. Messianic Noahide - began to exist in first century after coming of the Messiah of Israel who was concealed by the very light through which he was revealed.
  • The Messianic Noahide has a unique relationship with both Jewish courts and Gentile courts.  This does not arise through the messianic profession of faith, which is a profession of faith in a concealed messiah.  It arises by virtue of faithfulness to the Noahide laws as defined by Jewish courts.
  • Messianic Noahides are accountable to one another and to their elders as connecting to the Jerusalem assembly as recorded in The Book of the Acts of the Emissaries/Apostles.
2. Regarding the Noahide covenant
  • the Noahide covenant is not a Torah covenant, not a grace covenant, not a redemption covenant, although it is an adjunct to all of these - even as each of these three are an aspect of the other three.  The Noahide covenant is still a covenant of judgment, but of mitigated judgment.  This mitigation is unconditional.  Even if the children of Noah do not repent and turn to seek the Creator where He may be found - He will reveal Himself in His chosen place and in His chosen way - still, even if they do not do this, the Creator guarantees in this covenant with Noah that He will not finish the destruction of the world by water.  In other words, He will not erase Noah's virtue, according to which eight souls were preserved along with representatives of all species.  This in itself does not guarantee complete grace for Adam, nor complete redemption, nor the blessing of the gift of Torah.  It only guarantees that the possibility of the re-creation of Adam through the redemption of the children of Noah will remain at the time of the end of the world.
  • for Messianic Noahides, observance can only be "prophetic" = observance speaks of a greater relationship with Torah Israel to be realized when Mashiach is fully revealed.
  • all the negative formulations are understood also as re-framed into their positive formulations
  • no idolatry, no blaspheme, have to have ultimate realization in the gentile confession of the redemption announced in the first commandment to Israel.  And as that redemption is ultimately realized in Mashiach for eternity, this Messianic redemption of Israel also must ultimately be confessed if all idolatry and all blaspheme is to be excluded.