We’ve talked a number of times on this blog about ‘One Law.’ Frankly, I’ve avoided directly addressing those who would divide the believers in Messiah with the false doctrine of ‘Bilateral ecclesiology’ or ‘Two Law.’ 
Brad Scott has a little more moxie as he calls it what I have felt in my heart… Racism.
Here is the beginning of his short, but hilarious and spot-on assessment of the recent attempts by a few misguided men to dissuade Gentiles from keeping Torah. Enjoy!
One Law, Two Sticks Position Paper
Brad’s response
For some years now this ministry has focused its attention on two important issues to us in our Father’s kingdom, the next generation and unity in the body of Messiah. These two issues have been a major part of every lecture, conference or seminar I have participated in for the last five years. A number of issues over the years have come up that I vehemently oppose but chose to ignore for the sake of that unity and to be an example for our young people as they carry on what our Father is doing in these last days. But there comes a time when something comes along that is so self serving and so incredibly repugnant that I have to speak my mind. I am speaking of the publication of another missionary position paper on how wrong and unbiblical everyone but the authors of the paper are. I am speaking of the recent long article put out by the International Alliance of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues or IAMCS. It is an article entitled: “One Law, Two Sticks: A Critical Look at the Hebrew Roots Movement.” The whole world has been waiting on pins and needles for these guys to finally solve the problem with this heretical bunch of Jewish wannabes. It is a very long article because it takes some time to impugn and slander a dozen or so brothers without coming to them personally. I am only going to address the first two paragraphs of this unsubstantiated diatribe.
I wish to begin with a disclaimer. These are only a few frustrated men that do not represent the whole of Messianic Judaism. Most leaders and members of Messianic Jewish synagogues and congregations that I have fellowshipped with are warm, loving people who just want to worship and please the God of Israel just as we do. (Article continued at WildBranch Ministries…)
Brad’s assessment is hilarious in its stark truth. And, sad.
Yes, the 60 page article Brad is responding to does ask a few questions of some doctrines that a few in the Hebrew roots community need to work on, such as strains of British Israelism, extreme ‘Name’ positions, etc… But ironically, it levels the boom on some Messianic Jews who rightly teach that God has one standard for all mankind!
You will enjoy Brad’s article and, if you choose to read the long tirade by IAMCS, you may come away a bit angered and hurt… Seems the jealousy and envy of Isaiah 11:12-13 remains…
Pray for shalom!
Update: Here is a related article by Tim Hegg, one of the targets of the paper, demonstrating their patently false claims about his teachings.
Update (7/14/2014): Here is another response to the IAMCS paper on Jane Diffenderfer’s blog.
natsab 
The “Two Law” idea is a perfect method of justifying theft. Thou shalt not steal, but for me, I can’st steal when it is convienient or the ends justify the means.
LikeLike
I really enjoy Brad Scott teaching style and personality. I give him much respect for speaking truth in humor and love. 🙂 Thanks for sharing Shalom !
LikeLike
I’m not sure I get it Pete. Am I understanding that you don’t support Jewish identity?
I admit I know virtually nothing about one law perspectives since my story has been to seek answers, and healing, for my Jewish family, not to look for validation for myself. As a non-Jewish Christian married to a Jew I’ve come know very well that there is a difference between Jews and Gentiles, but I honestly don’t see that as a negative any more than I see the distinction between male and female being negative — after all, these distinctions are created by God.
The article is troubling because it levels a charge of racism, and uses faulty logic to do it. Since there are male and female bathrooms, at least for now, using the logic of the Wildbranch blogger, we must then conclude one gender is therefore “superior” as well. I doubt he would agree.
Jews really have been created and set apart by God via their blood line and the Torah, according to the Bible. Additionally, Jews really have been put in the ghetto, persecuted, expelled numerous times from numerous countries, murdered, prevented from practicing their religion,certain professions, charged with blood libels, suffered pogroms, told their covenant with God is null and void and forced to convert or die… and mostly by the hand of those who claim to know and love the God of Israel. (I know you are aware of this. 🙂 )
But now, to acknowledge their distinction is racist? Really?
I don’t think male and female are interchangeable, we have specific and holy, God-given functions. I believe the same is true about Jew and Gentile. I will admit that the role of the Gentile hasn’t been well articulated in Jewish space however, and therefore it is perhaps easy to assume that we’ve been given a raw deal or given a “lesser” position, as the blogger seems to feel. I absolutely do not feel this way and hopefully will begin to articulate this soon on my blog.
LikeLike
Shalom,
I am absolutely NOT saying that. I fully support and affirm Jewish identity and their special place before the Father as physical descendants.
As I have explored in five or six posts, most linked through https://natsab.com/?s=bilateral or at the end of How to Divide a Family…, it is clear from multiple angles that our unchanging God has one definition of righteousness, one Word, one Way… however we want to term it. If we love Him we obey Him.
I keep coming back to: If the Torah is only for the Jews, then why ‘in the last days’ will the Torah go forth from Tziyon (Is. 2:1-5) and those of the nations will be punished if they do not celebrate the Feast of Booths (Zech. 14:16-21), and if they eat swine’s flesh (Is. 66:16-17), etc…?
Father will work out the details in highlighting and honoring the special distinctives in Jew and Gentile, but I am pretty sure the definition is not two differing standards by which we live.
Blessings.
LikeLike
I see, thanks for clarifying this Pete.
I suppose my understanding is different simply because within the Torah itself it creates distinctions and doesn’t attach less righteousness to those distinctions. For example, a woman has certain obligations after childbirth that men don’t have. That doesn’t make her more righteous, and doesn’t divide the family.
Not everyone is a Kohen and therefore cannot perform the priestly duties. The others shouldn’t be jealous of this, and it doesn’t mean God was playing favorites. The same Torah that instructed that only the sons of Aaron could be Kohens, said the others couldn’t, so to me it isn’t problematic and isn’t divisive and remains “one Torah” for everyone, it simply applies differently to different people.
LikeLike
I agree with you on those distinctions. Where I see the problem is when, for example, the Sabbath is considered a distinction only the Jews need to keep. The paper lists Sabbath, clean and unclean foods (specifically it said ‘kosher’ which is different, I know) and the Feasts as Jewish distinctives that Gentiles should not keep.
Page 8: “In the aftermath, many Millerite leaders began to proclaim that it was necessary for
Christians to start keeping the Sabbath to be prepared for the final return of the Lord. Not
the Sunday Sabbath, but the Sabbath of Israel.” Multiple other examples for each…
There are Jewish distinctives, the major part being ethnicity and the traditional Rabbinic interpretations of much of the Torah, but those do not remove the Torah from being the revelation of God through Moses and Israel to the world. I guess I see Judaism as a specific interpretation of the Torah, not Torah itself.
Torah, as I see it, is the Way we are called to walk in when we are bound or when we bind ourselves to the God of Israel.
I guess what I need to do is spend a few posts deconstructing that paper. The more I read and ponder the more errors I see in it. It is not consistent with a simple reading of Scripture. Rather, it follows a paradigm that is inconsistent with a God that has just scales.
When Yeshua said, ‘If you love Me, keep My commandemnts,’ was He talking about a different set of commandments than those previously given? If so, does the definition of ‘My commandments’ depend on who the hearer is? A Jew hears one thing and the Gentile another? Was He playing with words and word tricks? What if a person doesn’t know they are part Jewish, then find out? Do the scales change? Was he guilty before of not following some commandments?…
I so wish I could go back to the first century and erase 1900 years of Christian stupidity. Maybe then we can learn what the Apostles actually said and DID, rather than try to understand and remove all the filters of men from every stripe.
Apologies for my frustration. Bo Yeshua!!
LikeLike
My family and I know Brad personally and I can tell you he is NOT saying that the distinction of the jewish people is racist. I believe he is specifically talking about leaders from the IAMCS (or even more specifically those who wrote the article). In his article he says he isn’t lumping everyone into one basket…” These are only a few frustrated men that do not represent the whole of Messianic Judaism. Most leaders and members of Messianic Jewish synagogues and congregations that I have fellowshipped with are warm, loving people who just want to worship and please the God of Israel just as we do.”
It’s interesting because Messianic Jews want so badly to be recognized by their brothers who live in the land of Israel. They want to be given access to the land/citizenship but are being met with much hatred. They want to be shown mercy, grace and favor so they can walk hand in hand in close relationship with their brother without any walls of division. Ironic how what they want from their brother they are not willing to give to others!
LikeLike
Thanks for your input. Good to see you.
I think it is important to note that while I (nor, I assume, Brad) thinks this is the universal opinion of the members or congregants in the IAMCS, the paper is written as an official ‘position paper’ by the IAMCS ‘Steering Committee.’ In that regard, I find it troubling.
The irony you point out is poignant!
LikeLike
“I so wish I could go back to the first century and erase 1900 years of Christian stupidity. Maybe then we can learn what the Apostles actually said and DID, rather than try to understand and remove all the filters of men from every stripe.”
Yes, that is the problem right there!
LikeLike
I agree with all the points you made Pete. If we love Him we will keep His commandments. Not just some, but ALL or what we can keep depending on whether we are female, male, a child, etc. If it truly doesn’t matter for those who are considered gentiles then we may as well go back to the christian church or maybe even convert to islam. God’s word/Torah/commandments are not exclusive.
LikeLike
In the position paper to which Brad referred, we see that the ‘Steering Committee’ describes themselves as ‘Messianic Jews,’ and they represent the idea that they alone comprise ‘Messianic Judaism.’
As followers of Messiah, we must recognise two things:
1) That Messianic Judaism is the ‘Jewish’ version of ‘Gentile’ Christianity: Belief in Yahushua Messiah, while holding to a mixture of Scripture Truth, mixed with Traditions and Doctrines of Men;
2) All Believers are a ‘work-in-progress.’ Just as we must be gentle and kind in our approach and our dealings with those Christians who are not on the same stepping-stone as we are at the moment, we must likewise be so with our Beloved Jewish Brethren.
Remember Sanballat and Tobiah, and how they ranted. If a work is of YHWH, He will see it through. We need not be upset. We must be patient and gentle with our brothers, whether they are in Messianic Judaism or Christianity. We are all being restored, and we are all on the same path!
LikeLike
Good words!! Thanks!! Shabbat shalom!
LikeLike
I read most of this paper, and agreed with a few points, but really became bogged down with some of their issues. And got to the end of the paper which I did include here in the post just to show something. These authors of this paper do the exact same thing christianity does today concerning Acts 15. They have not included one of the most important points concerning what the Apostles were dealing with back then: works salvation. Look at Acts 15:1 Now men came down from Yehud teaching the brothers that unless you are circumcised in the manner of Torah, you are not able to have Eternal Life (salvation). And there was a great commotion and a debate between them and Paul and Bar-Naba…. verse 5: certain believers wanted the new gentile converts to keep all the Laws of Moshe and to be circimcised after salvation which is a difficult thing to do as a new convert. Reading further in Acts, Shimon states that the Father differentiates nothing between them and us because He cleansed their hearts by faith. And why demand that they keep all the Law and circumcision all at once. The Council and Ya’akov knowing how difficult it would be to place all the Law on the new converts rules to begin with 4 listed in verse 20. And here is my second point- the verse that christianity and the authors of this paper fail to read further verse 21: For from ancient generations in all cities Moshe (Law) is taught in the synagogues that on every Shabbat they read him. How did we all come into understanding? We began with the first few laws that we disobeyed continually and then as we read Moshe every Shabbat we come into understanding of more and more of Moshe (Law) command upon command, precept upon precept, here a little there alittle …and we grow in Torah understanding and Halakha.
The paper quoted the Acts verse stating the 4 commands but doesn’t go further with Moshe being preached week after week in the synagogue.
Acts 15 and the Jerusalem Council:
The controversy over Gentile Torah observance in our time is exactly the same one
addressed by the Apostles. As Paul preached the gospel among the Gentiles, certain men
were insisting that the Gentiles must be instructed to keep the law. For this very reason,
“It was determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others should go up to Jerusalem
unto the Apostles and Elders about this question.” (Acts 15:2)
When they came to Jerusalem, and declared all the wonderful things that God was doing
among the Gentiles, there were certain Jews who were believers in Yeshua, who were
Pharisees, that rose up saying: “It is necessary to circumcise them and command them to
keep the law of Moses,” (Acts 15:5). Peter was the first to dispute the point, having
already seen how God poured out His Spirit upon non-Torah observant Gentiles. (Acts
10:44-45).
Yet, the Apostles were quite clear on answering the question brought before them. The
Gentiles need not be instructed to be circumcised, nor do they need to be instructed to
keep the law of Moses. They determined that “we trouble them not which from among
the Gentiles are turned unto God” (Acts 15:19). As today’s Messianic Jewish leaders, we
fully agree. It is not our calling to bring the Gentile world into Torah observance.
As the Apostles said later, referring to their own decision recorded in Acts 15:
“As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they
observe no such thing, except that they keep themselves from things offered to
idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.” (Acts 21:25)
Those were just a couple of the many errors I saw in this paper.
Chris
LikeLike
I just noticed this from above in the paper: “Yet, the Apostles were quite clear on answering the question brought before them. The Gentiles need not be instructed to be circumcised, nor do they need to be instructed to keep the law of Moses. They determined that “we trouble them not which from among the Gentiles are turned unto God (Acts 15:19) ” So the authors of this paper are saying that the Gentiles don’t need to keep the law of Moses. Where do they think that the 4 commandments came from that the council agreed upon? They all come from, none other than, the Book of Leviticus, chapters 17 and 18. I could go on and on with errors in this paper- I shall stop.
Chris
LikeLike
If I have time, I hope to ‘deconstruct’ some parts…
Truly, Judah and Ephraim need to lay down their arms, learn some humility and come together in unity to see how we can help each other instead of hindering each other…
Shalom!
LikeLike
Agreed. I have read numerous Christian commentaries on Acts and they all skip or completely ignore Acts 15:21 because it destroys so many false Christian paradigms.
Thanks for these comments!
LikeLike
Ultimately their can be only two sides in this issue. These are the very two sides as illustrated by Cain and his “brother” Able. Notice they are brothers. Both set out to worship YHWH. Able represents that Revelation 14:12 class, while Cain represents that broad class of religionists as illustrated by Nimrod all the way through to the end time Babylon. Revelation 13:16 “the number of man” . Man made religion is the issue. The upcoming “battle of Har Megiddo” is the final battle over worship. It is a battle between truth and error, the final battle between YHWH and Ha Satan.
The enemy can and will employ force in this battle. We can only war using THE WORD OF GOD, we will prevail for greater is He who is with us!
LikeLike
Pingback: One Torah, Two Approaches to God? | natsab
My response to this letter was not an academic one. This has been tried many times in the past. Academic responses are simply ignored. My response was purely emotional. The point was not a misunderstanding of self worth in the body on either side of the issue. I was not addressing the Biblical difference between Jew and Gentile. The point is that the commandments of the one Father of all who choose to follow Him are not a Jewish thing. Keeping His Torah blesses the believing Gentile as much as it does the believing Jew.
LikeLike
Brad,
Thank you so much for dropping by and commenting. I agree with and understand your intent as I agree and advocate for One Torah, Certainly, I share your frustration with bilateral ecclesiology and those who espouse it.
Your tongue in cheek response to the IAMCS’s paper was perfect. Yes, sometimes pointing out the absurd is the only tool remaining in the box. Thanks!
Shalom and blessings to you and yours at http://www.Wildbranch.org
LikeLike