Torah Fulfilled:
New Testament Manifestations

The Walk of Faith

by

Dr. Clifford Denton

If our life of faith is likened to a walk, then we are right to consider where we are going and what God expects of us on the journey. The Bible contains a number of examples for us to consider.

One of the most important is the journey of the Children of Israel through the wilderness. They left Egypt and began a physical journey to the Promised Land. On this journey they were to learn all of God’s requirements for their lives. They learned the practical aspects of Torah for living their lives as a holy community of God’s people. However, this journey was also to be a spiritual journey, in which they were intended to learn to walk by faith. It is made clear in the book of Hebrews (Chapters 3 and 4), that their journey should have resulted in faith in God. It is also clear that this was the most important part of their walk with God and one in which a whole generation failed: "To whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief." (Hebrews 3:16-9)

We are intended to learn from their example. This fact is mentioned by Paul in the First Epistle to the Corinthians: "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." (1 Corinthians
10:11)

If we study the Epistle to the Hebrews carefully, we see that just as Moses led the Children of Israel to the Promised Land, so Yeshua (Jesus) leads us to our promised rest, which is the fulfilment of the Sabbath rest. He leads us to our final resting place. We are on a journey in which our physical life has to be lived, but in which we are to look forward to the final objective of our heavenly home. Just as through our physical journey, like the Children of Israel, we are to apply God’s teaching (His Torah) to become holy people; the main objective is to grow in faith for our final resting place in our heavenly home. We are warned not to fail in this important issue: "Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith." (Hebrews 4:1-2)

This gives us a very important principal for the way we understand Halakhah. When we study the foundational books of Torah (the first five books of the Bible), we find many rules that are associated with holy living. Indeed, we are people living in this world, and we need to know how to live to please God. We must consider this aspect of Halakhah in some detail, but we must realise that there is also a higher goal for our life of obedience and faith. We must not let this higher goal be a licence for sin in this world, but we must have this
higher goal in mind. If we do not lay this foundation for our Halakhah (walk of faith) then we might be tempted to form some sort of Messianic Halakhah which is based on works alone and even be diverted into the sort of short-sightedness and self-righteousness that typified many of the teachers of Torah at the time of Yeshua (Jesus). In humility, therefore, we should establish this foundational principle of our walk of faith.

Abraham is our "father" regarding this faith (Romans 4:11-16). The Book of Genesis gives us the supreme model and all the relevant details. From his first steps of faith coming out of Ur of the Chaldees, to the supreme test on Mount Moriah, we follow his progress and growth in faith and in fulfillment of the promise in Genesis 17: "You will be the father of many
nations." (Genesis 17:4-5) It is fulfilled in Revelation 7: "After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." (Revelation 7:9-10)

The covenant promise given to Abraham is the foundational issue of all Scripture. It was fulfilled through the sacrificial death of Yeshua. Our inclusion in the covenant promise is the goal and hope of our lives. We please God if we have faith which is the substance of this hope (Hebrews 11:1,6). This faith can only be acquired as a gift of God, however (Ephesians 2:8).
Our Halakhah, like Abraham’s, has in view a city without foundations whose architect and builder is God (Hebrews 11:10). There are many practical aspects of our everyday life to consider as we walk according to this faith while on this earth. This too is Halakhah. However, the supreme goal is to live in humble and thankful submission to God so that through our daily experiences we will grow in salvation faith. If we do not establish this fact, then we might fall short of the mark and consider Halakhah relating only to our interpretation of Torah in practical ways for this life.

Dr. Clifford Denton is director of Cambrian Christian College, an affiliate of the Timothy Programme International, which specialises in studies from a Torah foundation. His teaching ministry helps Christians understand the Hebraic heritage of their Christian faith by placing the teachings of Jesus in the context of the Hebrew Scriptures. Clifford, his wife Christine, and their children live in Gillingham, Suffolk, England.

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