Are God’s Laws Destroyed – Israel United in Christ

Israel United in Christ (IUIC) promotes a legalistic theology asserting that God's laws are not destroyed and strict adherence to the Mosaic Law is required for salvation and restoration. This directly contradicts the New Covenant's emphasis on grace through faith in Yeshua's fulfillment of the Tora

Quick Answer

Are God’s Laws Destroyed – Israel United in Christ Examined? Quick Answer Quick Answer: God’s laws are not destroyed; Israel United in Christ (IUIC) fundamentally misinterprets their role post-Yeshua. The Torah remains eternally valid as God's righteous standard, but Yeshua fulfilled its sacrificial and penal aspects, inaugurating the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31). Salvation is by…

Are God’s Laws Destroyed – Israel United in Christ Examined?

Quick Answer

Quick Answer: God’s laws are not destroyed; Israel United in Christ (IUIC) fundamentally misinterprets their role post-Yeshua. The Torah remains eternally valid as God's righteous standard, but Yeshua fulfilled its sacrificial and penal aspects, inaugurating the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31). Salvation is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), not by strict adherence to the Mosaic Law, which served as a guardian until Messiah (Galatians 3:24-25).

The Scholarly Case

The foundational claim that God’s laws are "destroyed" is a straw man, often erected by groups like Israel United in Christ (IUIC) to justify their legalistic interpretations. The Hebraic-Messianic understanding has always affirmed the enduring validity of the Torah, not its destruction. Yeshua Himself unequivocally stated, "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" (Matthew 5:17 BSB). This "fulfillment" (πληρῶσαι, plērōsai) does not mean annulment or destruction, but rather bringing to completion, upholding, and embodying its true intent. The Torah, as given by Elohim, is eternal and righteous. The prophet Jeremiah foretold a "new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah" (Jeremiah 31:31 BSB). This new covenant does not replace the Torah but internalizes it: "I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts" (Jeremiah 31:33 BSB). This is a transformation of the heart, not an abolition of the divine instruction. The Brit Chadashah (New Covenant) consistently teaches that while the ceremonial and sacrificial aspects of the Mosaic Law found their ultimate fulfillment in Yeshua's atoning work, the moral principles of the Torah remain the standard for righteous living. As Yeshua taught, the entire Law and Prophets hang on the two greatest commandments: love for Elohim and love for neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40 BSB). Paul affirmed this, stating, "Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law" (Romans 13:10 BSB). The core issue is the *purpose* and *application* of the Law, particularly concerning salvation. The Brit Chadashah is clear: "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9 BSB). Similarly, "For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law" (Romans 3:28 BSB). The Mosaic Law, while holy, just, and good, was not given as a means of salvation but to reveal sin and to function as a "guardian to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith" (Galatians 3:24 BSB). Once faith in Yeshua came, believers are "no longer under a guardian" (Galatians 3:25 BSB) in the sense of earning justification through legalistic adherence. This does not mean believers are lawless. On the contrary, Yeshua instructed, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15 BSB). The Spirit of Elohim empowers believers to walk in His statutes: "And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances" (Ezekiel 36:27 BSB). This is a Spirit-empowered obedience flowing from a transformed heart, not a legalistic burden to earn salvation. Furthermore, the idea that Elohim has rejected His people Israel is a grave error. Paul emphatically asks, "I ask then, did God reject His people? Certainly not! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin" (Romans 11:1 BSB). He further reveals the mystery that "A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved" (Romans 11:25-26 BSB). Elohim's covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17:1-8) was unconditional and everlasting, and He remains faithful to His promises to the Jewish people. The inclusion of Gentiles into the commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:12) through Yeshua does not negate Israel's unique identity or future role, but rather expands the family of Elohim to include all who believe, both Jew and Gentile, as "one new man" (Ephesians 2:15). This unity in Messiah means that the dividing wall of hostility has been broken down (Ephesians 2:14), not that Israel has been superseded or replaced. The Hebraic understanding of Elohim's nature also informs this. The Shema declares, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4 BSB). This "One" (אֶחָד, echad) signifies a compound unity, as seen in "one flesh" (Genesis 2:24 BSB) or "one cluster" of grapes (Numbers 13:23 BSB). The plural "Let Us make man in Our image" (Genesis 1:26 BSB) and rabbinic concepts such as the Memra (Word) in Targum Onkelos on Genesis 1:26, or the "Two Powers in Heaven" discussions found in b.Sanhedrin 38b and b.Chagigah 14a, demonstrate a long-standing Hebraic tradition of understanding plurality within the divine unity, distinct from later Latin/Nicene scholastic categories. This rich understanding of Elohim's nature underscores the consistency of His character and His covenants, which are neither destroyed nor arbitrarily changed, but fulfilled and brought to their ultimate redemptive purpose in Yeshua HaMashiach.

Adversary Teardown: Israel United in Christ (IUIC)

Israel United in Christ (IUIC), along with other factions within the Black Hebrew Israelite (BHI) movement like the Sicarii Israelites and The Masada Israelite School, propagates a doctrine that fundamentally distorts the role of God's laws. They assert that "being Israel means being a chosen set apart people obedient to Yahweh keeping his laws statutes and Commandments," and that salvation is contingent upon strict adherence to the Mosaic Law, including dietary laws, often reinterpreting Brit Chadashah passages like Peter's vision in Acts 10 to fit their narrative. This perspective is a clear departure from the 1st-century Hebraic-Messianic faith and represents a significant theological fault line. The BHI movement, from which IUIC draws its lineage, emerged in the late 19th century, notably with Frank Cherry's Church of God (1886) and William Saunders Crowdy's Church of God and Saints of Christ (1896). Wentworth Arthur Matthew further solidified these doctrines with his Commandment Keepers in 1919. These movements are recent innovations, bearing no historical continuity with ancient Israel or the early Messianic assemblies. Their claims that God's laws are not destroyed and must be kept for salvation directly contradict the apostolic teachings that salvation is "by grace through faith" (Ephesians 2:8-9 BSB), not by works of the Law (Romans 3:28 BSB; Galatians 2:16 BSB). IUIC's doctrine, as promoted in videos like "Identidad Arrebatada Por Las" (IUIC), insists on law-keeping for salvation, stating that people "want the gift of salvation but they believe that they can receive this without having to do anything he says." This stance completely bypasses Yeshua's atoning work and the transformative power of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) to empower obedience (Ezekiel 36:27 BSB). It places a burden on believers that even the Mosaic Covenant proved impossible to bear without divine intervention and a new heart. The Brit Chadashah teaches that the Law served as a "guardian to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith" (Galatians 3:24 BSB), but "Now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian" (Galatians 3:25 BSB). Another dangerous assertion, promoted by groups like The Olive Roots Podcast in "The Weaponization of Hebrew: Exposing the Rabbi’s "Mitzvah Tank" & Militant Agenda," is that Israel's actions are inherently destructive and that it will ultimately be 'crushed by Jesus Christ,' presented as divine judgment. This demonizes modern Israel and misrepresents the nature of Elohim, promoting a supersessionist view rooted in hostility rather than sound biblical exegesis. Paul explicitly refutes the idea of God rejecting Israel (Romans 11:1 BSB) and affirms that "all Israel will be saved" (Romans 11:26 BSB). The covenants with Israel are enduring, and while there are consequences for disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:1), these do not equate to outright destruction or eternal rejection.

Counter-Arguments Anticipated

Objection 1: Yeshua said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15). Doesn't this mean we must keep the Mosaic Law for salvation?

This objection misconstrues Yeshua's statement. His "commandments" refer to the new covenant of love and faith, not a return to the Mosaic Law as a means of justification. The Brit Chadashah consistently distinguishes between the Law as a means to salvation (which it is not) and the Law as a guide for righteous living for those already saved by grace. As Paul clarifies, "For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law" (Romans 3:28 BSB). Yeshua's fulfillment of the Law (Matthew 5:17) means its demands are met in Him, and believers are empowered by the Spirit to live out its moral principles, particularly the commands to love Elohim and neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40 BSB).

Objection 2: Deuteronomy 28 promises blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, proving that law-keeping is essential for God's favor and national restoration.

Deuteronomy 28 indeed outlines the conditional nature of the Mosaic Covenant, promising national blessings for obedience and curses, including exile, for disobedience. This demonstrates God's righteousness and the consequences of rebellion, but it does not negate the New Covenant's emphasis on grace. While Elohim's covenant with Abraham was unconditional (Genesis 17:1-8), the Mosaic Covenant had stipulations. However, the New Covenant, prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31-34, moves beyond this conditional "works-based" framework for salvation, offering a new heart and internalizing the Torah, so that obedience flows from faith and the Spirit, not from legalistic striving. The ultimate restoration of Israel (Romans 11:26) is a divine act of grace, not solely dependent on their perfect law-keeping.

Objection 3: Paul says in Galatians 3:24 that "the law became our guardian to lead us to Christ," implying the Law is now obsolete. So, God's laws are destroyed.

This interpretation wrongly concludes that the Law is "destroyed" or obsolete. Paul states that the Law served a specific, temporary purpose as a "guardian" (παιδαγωγός, paidagōgos) until Messiah came. Once faith in Yeshua arrived, believers are "no longer under a guardian" (Galatians 3:25 BSB) in terms of seeking justification through legalistic adherence. This does not mean the Law's moral principles are abolished. Rather, it signifies that the Law's demands for perfection, which no one could meet, are fulfilled in Yeshua, and believers now live under the grace of the New Covenant, empowered to fulfill the "righteous requirement of the law" (Romans 8:4) through the Spirit. The Law is not destroyed, but its function and application have been transformed through Messiah.

Position Lock

Position Lock: God's laws are not destroyed; they are eternally valid as His righteous standard, yet Yeshua HaMashiach fulfilled the Law's sacrificial and penal demands, inaugurating the New Covenant where salvation is by grace through faith, and obedience flows from a regenerated heart empowered by the Ruach HaKodesh.