In the freedom with which Messiah has made us free, stand firm, then, and do not again be held with a yoke of slavery.

Mattityahu 11:29 Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry."

Yeshayahu 58:6 No, this is the kind of fast I want. I want you to remove the sinful chains, to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke, to set free the oppressed, and to break every burdensome yoke.

7 I want you to share your food with the hungry and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. When you see someone naked, clothe him! Don't turn your back on your own flesh and blood!

8 Then your light will shine like the sunrise; your restoration will quickly arrive; your righteous behavior will go before you, and Yahuwah's splendor will be your rear guard.

9 Then you will call out, and Yahuwah will respond; you will cry out, and he will reply, 'Here I am.' You must remove the burdensome yoke from among you and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully.

KJV - Psalm 119:44 So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever. 45 And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.

DRV - Tehillah 119:44 Then I will keep your Torah continually and on into the future. 45 I will walk about in spacious places, for I seek your procedures.

Torah provides boundaries inside of which we are free to walk about. There is no danger to us when we stay inbounds.

1 Everyone who believes that Yahusha' is the Messiah has been fathered by Elohim, and everyone who loves the father loves the child fathered by him.

2 By this we know that we love the children of Elohim: whenever we love Elohim and obey his commandments.

3 For this is the love of Elohim: that we keep his commandments. And his commandments do not weigh us down (i.e. are not burdensome)

Gal 2:4 Now this matter arose because of the false brothers with false pretenses who slipped in unnoticed to spy on our freedom that we have in Messiah Yahusha', to make us slaves.

5 But we did not surrender to them even for a moment, in order that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.

6 But from those who were influential (whatever they were makes no difference to me; Elohim shows no favoritism between people)--those influential leaders added nothing to my message.

2 See, I, Sha’ul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Messiah shall be of no use to you.

3 And I witness again to every man being circumcised that he is a debtor to do the entire Torah.

In chapter 2 Shaul was referring specifically to the events of Acts 15 – The Jerusalem Council

1 Now some men came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moshe, you cannot be saved."

2 When Paul and Barnabas had a major argument and debate with them, the congregation appointed Paul and Barnabas and some others from among them to go up to meet with the apostles and elders in Yerushalayim about this point of disagreement.

Hebrew ghnm – "minhag" – custom

Customs (minhagim) are traditions which become law – if a rabbi makes a habit of doing something, it becomes a minhag, which in turn becomes binding on all Yisrael

Minhag Yisrael torah hi – "a custom of Israel, this is law"

A minhag becomes law in Israel by the sheer fact that the community accepts it as a regular way of life, e.g. yarmulke (kippah)

Mishlei 30:5,6 Every word of Elohim is purified; he is like a shield for those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he reprove you, and prove you a liar.

Devarim 4:1,2 Now, Yisrael, pay attention to the rules and right-rulings I am about to teach you, so that you might live and go on to enter and take possession of the land that Yahuwah, the Elohim of your ancestors, is giving you. Do not add a thing to what I command you nor subtract from it, so that you may keep the commandments of Yahuwah your Elohim that I am delivering to you.

Devarim 12:32 You must be careful to do everything I am commanding you. Do not add to it or subtract from it!

The Pharisees took customs that had become law, and in order to give these customs greater weight of authority, they attributed these customs to a famous rabbi.

Thus, the "custom of Moshe" was an expression which means, "a minhag which came from (has been attributed to) Moshe"

The rabbinical "procedure" for circumcising a Gentile was credited to Moshe

"Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moshe, you cannot be saved."

Rediculous! Circumcision is a part of the Instruction which Messiah has given.

Pharisaically regulated circumcision is, however, opposed to Messiah, because in doing this, one is submitting to the authority of men rather than to the authority of Yahuwah. When submitting to men (Pharisees, Rabbis, Church leaders) one must abide by all the teachings or find oneself outside of the favor.

Devarim 4:7 In fact, what other great nation has an elohim so near to them like Yahuwah our Elohim whenever we call on him?

8 And what other great nation has rules and right-rulings as pure as this entire Torah that I am about to share with you today?

9 Again, however, pay very careful attention, lest you forget the things you have seen and disregard them for the rest of your life; instead teach them to your children and grandchildren.

Whatever Torah you subscribe to, you must do "the whole thing."

4 You who are declared right by (oral) Torah have severed yourselves from Messiah, you have fallen from favor (grace).

!xe - "chen" - 1. grace, charm (pleasant, agreeable qualities): 2. favor, popularity: to be in a position of favor

Ber 6:8 But Noach found favor in the sight of Yahuwah. 9 This is the account of Noach. Noach was a righteous man; he was blameless among his contemporaries. He walked with Elohim.

Ber 39:3 His adonai observed that Yahuwah was with him and that Yahuwah made everything he was doing successful. 4 So Yoseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant. Potiphar appointed Yoseph overseer of his household and put him in charge of everything he owned.

Shemot 33:11ff – Mosheh finds favor

Yochanan 1: 17 For the law was given through Moshe, but grace and truth came about through Yahusha' Messiah. 18 No one has ever seen Elohim. The only one, himself Elohim, who is in bosom of the Father, has made Elohim known.

Tehillah 84:11 For Yahuwah Elohim is our sun and our shield. Yahuwah gives favor and honor; he withholds no good thing from those who walk in integrity (tammim). 12 Adonai Yahuwah, how happy are those who trust in you!

57 Yahuwah is my source of security. I have determined to follow your Instructions.

58 I seek your favor with all my heart. Have mercy on me as you promised!

59 I consider my actions and follow your rules.

60 I keep your commands eagerly and without delay.

Acts 5: 29 But Peter and the apostles replied, "We must obey Elohim rather than people.

30 The Elohim of our forefathers raised up Yahusha', whom you seized and killed by hanging him on a tree.

31 Elohim exalted him to his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Yisrael and forgiveness of sins.

32 And we are witnesses of these events, and so is the Set-apart Spirit whom Elohim has given to those who obey him."

Malachi 1:9

aF'ÛyIh] taZOë ht'y>h"å ‘~k,d>Y<mi WnnE+x'ywI) laeÞ-ynEp. an"ï-WLx; hT'²[;w>

`tAa)b'c. hw"ïhy> rm:ßa' ~ynIëP' ‘~K,mi

And now plead the face of El and he will favor us. This thing being from your hand, will he lift, on account of you, the face? says Yahuwah of armies.

5 For we, in Spirit, by fidelity, eagerly wait for the expectation of righteousness.

6 For in Messiah Yahusha’ neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any strength, but fidelity working through love.

In contrast to verse 4 - those who fall from favor (through disobedience) - Shaul says that it is by fidelity to Him (faithfulness to his Covenant and His commandments) that we wait for the consummation (the return of Messiah). Our "walk" then should be one of obedience to his commands.

Scriptural circumcision is an act by which one announces his fidelity with Messiah.

Pharisaic circumcision is an act by which one announces fidelity with Pharisees and their teachings.

"Circumcision" according to Pharisaic definition is that procedure by which one has come under the authority of the teachings of the Pharisees.

Yirmyahu 9:24 If people want to boast, they should boast about this: They should boast that they understand and know me. They should boast that they know and understand that I, Yahuwah, act out of faithfulness, fairness, and justice in the earth and that I desire people to do these things," says Yahuwah.

25 Yahuwah says, "Watch out! The time is soon coming when I will punish all those who are circumcised only in the flesh.

26 That is, I will punish the Egyptians, the Judeans, the Edomi, the Ammoni, the Moabi, and all the desert people who cut their hair short at the temples. I will do so because none of the people of those nations are really circumcised in Yahuwah's sight. Moreover, none of the people of Yisrael are circumcised when it comes to their hearts, either."

18 Was anyone called after he had been circumcised? He should not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called who is uncircumcised? He should not get circumcised.

"not become uncircumcised" = follow the oral torah, thus breaking written Torah and being regarded as uncircumcised.

"not get circumcised" = don’t undergo the Pharisaic circumcision

1 Cor 7:19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Instead, keeping Elohim's commandments is what counts.

Circumcision is nothing – obedience to Pharisaic circumcision is against the written Scriptures and is an act of rebellion against Yahuwah

Uncircumcision is nothing – to be merely cut in the foreskin, but neglecting obedience to the rest of Scripture is also rebellion against Yahuwah

Both of these courses of action lead to the curses as set forth in Devarim 27-30

7 You were running well, who held you back from obeying the truth?

8 That persuasion does not come from Him who calls you.

9 A little leaven ferments the whole lump.

Cf. Matt 16:5,6, 11,12

The Pharisees has cut in on them to persuade them to obey Pharisaic legislation. But following even a little bit of man-made law "ferments" the spiritual life. It leads to disobedience to the Scriptures and thus to the curses of Torah.

10 I am persuaded concerning you, in the Master, that you shall have no other mind. And he who is troubling you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is.

11 And I, brothers, if I still proclaim circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling-block of the stake has been set aside.

Yeshayahu 8:12 "Do not say, 'Conspiracy,' every time these people say the word. Don't be afraid of what scares them; don't be terrified.

13 You must recognize the authority of Yahuwah who leads armies. He is the one you must respect; he is the one you must fear.

14 He will become a sanctuary, but a stone that makes a person trip, and a rock that makes one stumble-- to the two houses of Yisrael. He will become a trap and a snare to the residents of Yerushalayim.

15 Many will stumble over the stone and the rock, and will fall and be seriously injured, and be ensnared and captured."

12 O that those who disturb you would even cut themselves off!

This play on ideas places the Pharisees, who are so interested in "cutting" their Gentile converts, in a place where they are "cutting" themselves off by adding to and taking away from the authority of the written Scriptures.

13 For you, brothers, have been called to freedom, only do not use freedom as an occasion for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

14 For the entire Torah is completed in one word, in this, "You shall love your neighbour as yourself."

"an occasion for the flesh" = opportunity to sin, break commandment

Freedom in Messiah is not license to break the chukim and mishpatim.

Vayiqra 19:18

15 And if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

Vayiqra 19:16 You must not walk about as a slanderer among your people. You must not stand idly by when your neighbor's life is at stake. I am Yahuwah. 17 You must not hate your brother in your heart. You must surely reprove your fellow citizen so that you do not incur sin on account of him. 18 You must not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the children of your people, but you must love your neighbor as yourself. I am Yahuwah.