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Exploring Torah in Today's World
In every generation, Torah has a voice for those willing to listen. We explore how these ancient words speak into our modern lives—offering guidance, wisdom, and a steady hand in an unsteady world. Our blogs and studies are designed to help you see how Torah applies to the questions we face everyday, from navigating personal struggles to building communities that last. The Torah offers both lessons and lifelines.
Each article, each study, connects you with a tradition that’s both timeless and timely. You’ll find discussions on themes and questions that are being discussed in the Torah Pursuant world.. There’s always something new to discover.
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𝐈𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬, 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲
Replacement theology sounds harmless at first. Few people choose it by name. Most drift into it through quiet assumptions that seem reasonable on the surface. If you believe the Church has replaced Israel in God’s plan. If you believe the Mosaic covenant has expired or lost meaning. If you believe Jewish identity no longer matters in the Kingdom. If you believe the phrase “in Christ” creates a new spiritual category that dissolves Jew and Gentile into one undifferentiated peo
Mark S. Railey
3 days ago3 min read
𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐨𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 (𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬) 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥: 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮?
According to the Torah, what do you call a Sojourner who is not Jewish but loves the Torah and might even live Jewishly? What does the Law command in respect to these Sojourners? Who are they? In the Torah, גֵּר / ger describes a Gentile who attaches himself to the God of Israel and chooses to walk in covenant loyalty, even when living outside the Land of Israel. Geography never silenced calling. Allegiance traveled with the heart. The most common Diaspora expression of this
Mark S. Railey
3 days ago3 min read
𝐃𝐎𝐄𝐒 “𝐈𝐍 𝐌𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐀𝐇” 𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐀 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐃 𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐉𝐄𝐖 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐄?
Some teachers claim that being “in Messiah” creates a brand-new identity that replaces both Jewish and Gentile identity. They say salvation equals new birth and that new birth cancels ethnic distinctions. This idea is popular because it sounds spiritual. It sounds unifying. It sounds clean and simple. But Scripture never teaches this. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲. Paul says, “If anyone is in Messi
Mark S. Railey
3 days ago3 min read
𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞, 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲
Modern culture trains us to flatten people into categories. The news speaks in blocs and voting groups. Politics speaks in labels. Statistics speak in averages. Over time, we begin to think in sameness instead of persons. Tragically, many now read the Bible the same way. Scripture never treats Jews or Gentiles as uniform groups. God does not deal with humanity through mass identity. He calls individuals to respond in faith. Among the Jewish people, some will recognize Yeshua
Mark S. Railey
4 days ago2 min read
𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐉𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 גֵּר (𝐠𝐞̄𝐫) 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 נָכְרִי (𝐧𝐨𝐤𝐡𝐫𝐢́)?
Much of today’s confusion over “One Torah” comes from a simple mistake. The Torah never treats all Gentiles as a single group. Instead, it uses clear categories with different covenant relationships. When those categories get blurred, verses meant for one group are applied to everyone, and theology becomes tangled. The first word is נָכְרִי / 𝐧𝐨𝐤𝐡𝐫𝐢́. This refers to a true foreigner, a person from the nations who remains outside Israel’s covenant life. A nokhrí may trav
Mark S. Railey
4 days ago3 min read
𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐉𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬
One Torah folks often claim that Jews and Gentiles disappear into a mystical third identity called "In Christ." By that, they mean, salvation through Yeshua. But the Torah teaches that Jews and Gentiles have different obligations and requirements. Thus, the One Torah idea is fundamentally flawed. They also teach that Acts 15 tells Gentiles to go to the Synagogue each Sabbath to learn from Moses. However, going to synagogue was a path to table fellowship and not a command to s
Mark S. Railey
5 days ago2 min read
𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 — 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬
Gentiles do not become Jews in Messiah. “You, once Gentiles… are brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:11–13 NKJV) Calling does not change at salvation. “Let each remain in the same calling in which he was called.” (1 Corinthians 7:20) One Torah does not mean one identical covenant yoke. “Why put a yoke… which neither our fathers nor we could bear?” (Acts 15:10) Acts 15 defines Gentile obligation, not a temporary shortcut. “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit… to l
Mark S. Railey
5 days ago1 min read
𝐏𝐚𝐮𝐥 𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭 “𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐡” — 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐖𝐡𝐲
Paul’s understanding of the Gentile mission arose from a convergence of Israel’s prophetic Scriptures, Second Temple apocalyptic writings, his Pharisaic training, and the lived synagogue God-fearer movement he encountered in the Mediterranean world. The Hebrew prophets foretold an end-time turning of the nations to Israel’s God without their conversion to Israel’s ethnic or covenant status (Isa 2:2–3; Zech 8:20–23; Isa 49:6). Paul explicitly interpreted his Gentile converts t
Mark S. Railey
5 days ago2 min read
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐡, 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬!
𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐨 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐡 A lot of good people feel trapped between two fears. On one side they fear lawlessness. On the other side they fear “mixture.” In that fear, some erase the difference between Jew and Gentile. Then they treat every Israel command as a universal command for all believers. No room remains for different callings in one body. The Bible does not teach that! 𝟏. 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧, 𝐧
Mark S. Railey
5 days ago3 min read
𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐲
Paganism is often misunderstood. In Scripture, paganism does not mean anything that came from non-biblical cultures. Paganism means the worship of false gods through ritual devotion. The word comes from the Latin 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑢𝑠, which described rural people who retained polytheistic worship after the gospel spread through the cities. Biblically, paganism is not about objects or language. It is about allegiance. “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3 NKJV) The
Mark S. Railey
6 days ago3 min read
𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 "𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐧"
Dear Pagan Observer, I hear your concern for holiness. That's great! Scripture calls us to guard our worship and never mix idols with devotion to YHWH. On that point, we stand together. Where your conclusion overreaches is in assuming that historical parallels equal biblical prohibition. Scripture addresses intent and worship, not reused cultural forms. Paul faced the same issue and answered it plainly: “An idol is nothing in the world” and ordinary practices are not sinful u
Mark S. Railey
6 days ago2 min read
Is the "One Torah" group the new sect of the Pharisees?
“Some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, ‘It is necessary... to command them to keep the law of Moses.’” (Acts 15:5 NKJV) Did you notice the "command them to keep the law of Moses"? How many times have you heard the One Torah folks teach Gentiles are to keep the whole Torah? All 613 Laws of Moses? This directly contradicts the clear Instructions of the disciples of Yeshua. You may study the whole Bible and obey the Torah by only doing what it commands
Mark S. Railey
Nov 301 min read
𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬
Christmas is an attempt to honor the wonder that Luke records. The birth of Yeshua is announced with glory in the heavens and hope on the earth. Angels proclaim “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14 NKJV). Shepherds hurry to Bethlehem and find the newborn King just as they were told (Luke 2:15–20). When believers try to set aside a feast or a family day to remember this moment, they are simply trying to shape this sacred story int
Mark S. Railey
Nov 282 min read
𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐎𝐧𝐞-𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬
Many believers who love תּוֹרָה / Torah and follow Yeshua do so with good hearts and honest hunger for truth. Their desire for unity appears to be holy. Their longing for obedience seems honorable. Yet along the way, some common misunderstandings creep in. These do not come from rebellion but from over-extension. In our desire to defend unity, we sometimes press Scripture farther than it actually speaks. One frequent mistake is confusing unity with sameness. Scripture never t
Mark S. Railey
Nov 282 min read
𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐀𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐞𝐝: 𝐀 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐡
Sometimes I open a social media thread about Gentiles, Torah, Israel, and identity, and it feels like someone handed me a box of tangled extension cords and said, “Good luck.” The comments start rolling in: • “Gentiles who keep Torah eventually become Israel.” • “If you want to be fully obedient, you’ll need to take the same steps Israel did.” • “Circumcision is the sign of real covenant faithfulness.” • “You’re only halfway in until you take on the whole Torah.” No one says
Mark S. Railey
Nov 273 min read
𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐈𝐬 “𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥” 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐈𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭? 𝐀 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐡-𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐘𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐚
A lot of confusion happens when a Gentile believer starts keeping תּוֹרָה / Torah, celebrates the מוֹעֲדִים / mo’edim, honors Shabbat, and loves Israel. Many begin to ask, “Does this make me Israel?” So let’s step back and look at what Scripture actually says, without leaning on rabbis, traditions, or modern denominational boundaries. Just Bible. The Torah describes several kinds of non-Israelites. Some Gentiles lived in the land because Israel did not drive out every nation
Mark S. Railey
Nov 253 min read
𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐞
Some ideas feel comforting because they give us a sense of control. They simplify the world. They offer the thrill of “hidden insight.” They confirm what we already want to believe. But comfort is not the same as truth, and a disciple of Yeshua cannot cling to ideas that feel right when they are not right. A pure heart refuses deception even when the lie makes us feel strong, smart, or safe. This is why we must let go of false teachings like “Christmas is pagan” or the claim
Mark S. Railey
Nov 233 min read
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬: 𝐀 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡–𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲
One of the most common mistakes in today’s Messianic, Hebrew Roots, and post-denominational churches is the idea that 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. Many believers assume that if Jews and Gentiles are equal in Messiah, then they must live identically, follow identical commandments, or shape their spiritual identity the same way. This sounds logical, but biblically it is 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭. Equality in Scripture never erases God-given identity. 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐚
Mark S. Railey
Nov 223 min read
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥: 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐞, 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐲 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞
Some teachings appeal to the ego before they endanger the heart. One of the most toxic is the claim that Gentile believers in Yeshua are “the true Israel,” “real Jews,” or “lost tribes returning.” It flatters pride. It promises a secret identity. It offers spiritual importance without a biblical foundation. And it has misled many sincere Torah-pursuant Gentile believers who walked away from the Church only to discover, too late, that they were being shaped by an illusion. 𝐇�
Mark S. Railey
Nov 204 min read
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
Many dear brothers and sisters love God with all their hearts. Some of them have grown wary of Christmas because they were taught that it is pagan. I understand that fear. But fear can harden the heart if we never stop to look at the fruit. Yeshua told us to judge teachings by what they produce. He said a good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad fruit (Matthew 7:17). That is where our conversation begins. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐞 A w
Mark S. Railey
Nov 174 min read
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