Robert Solberg’s Point 1: Romans 14 and “Matters of Opinion” (Food and Days)

Summary of Solberg’s Argument: Solberg argues that Romans 14 shows Paul treating dietary laws and special days (like Sabbaths and festivals) as merely “matters of opinion”, not binding commands.

Torah-Observant Response: The context of Romans 14 contradicts the idea that Paul is repealing Moses’ Law. Romans 14 says not to get in arguments about eating vegetarian or eating biblicaly clean meat. Everyone must decide by their own conscious to be vegetarians or not. In Paul’s day the complete abandonment of Sabbath or festivals was unheard-of until centuries later. Instead, Romans 14:2–3 and 14:5–6 show Paul simply urging mutual acceptance between “weak” (mostly Jewish) believers who still avoided meat and honored specific days, and “strong” (mostly Gentile) believers who did not. In Mark 7:19 Yeshua (jesus) says man can purify all foods. How does Paul and the rest of the bible define foods? 2 Timothy 4:4 because every creature of God [is] good, and nothing [is] to be rejected, with thanksgiving being received, 5for it is sanctified through the word of God and intercession. YLT So food (not unclean things) meets at least 3 biblical qualifications: received with thanksgiving, sanctified by torah, and prayer. To be sanctified by the Word, means that food must be sanctified = clean according to the word’s requirements and standards about food laws. In order to convince you that is what paul means, in Paul’s letter to non-Jews he wrote: 2 Corinthians 6:17 wherefore, come ye forth out of the midst of them, and be separated, saith the Lord, and an unclean thing do not touch, and I — I will receive you, 18and I will be to you for a Father, and ye — ye shall be to Me for sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.’ So in order to be a son and daughter of the Father, you must come out from among them and touch no unclean thing. And this was not written to ethnic jews, but non-ethnic jews, meaning people who were gentiles, but became part of israel through salvation in yeshua, being sanctified by the torah.

As far as esteeming days in Romans 14; this is not mentioning changing or abolishing the sabbath day, or the feasts, or the other holy days. Romans 14 is talking about people deciding to dedicate other days to fast and pray, worship, celebrate in addition to the instructions in the torah. This does not allow pagan rooted holidays or pagan rooted festivals; but rather days dedicated to yah.

Solberg’s Point 2: Acts 15 (The Jerusalem Council and the Four Restrictions)

Summary of Solberg’s Argument: Solberg contends that Acts 15 proves Gentile converts were not required to obey the Mosaic Law. He notes that the Jerusalem Council imposed only four restrictions (no idols’ meat, blood, strangled meat, or sexual immorality) on Gentiles, and omitted all other Torah laws (no Sabbath, no kosher rules, etc.). He argues this “starter-pack” approach shows the early church expected Gentiles never to fully adopt Torah obedience. To him, Acts 15 clearly marks a departure from Law observance for Gentiles.

Torah-Observant Response: Acts 15:19-21 is very easy to understand and follow.
The four commandments in Acts 15:20 for “Gentiles” are pre-requisate requirements in order to enter the synagogue on every sabbath and learn the law of moses (see Acts 15:21). Acts 15:20 only has 4 instructions for “Gentiles” and does not include all of the first 10 commandments and the other commandments in Exodus 20-31. Notice that in Exodus 20-31 moses received a lot more than just 10 commandments before he received the two tablets with the commandments on them. Commandments like “Do not Murder” are missing from Acts 15:20; so does that mean that Gentiles are allowed to murder, or taught that they can murder, and that they do not need to keep Torah (the law of moses)? What is the biblical use of the word “Gentile”? A Gentile is someone who is already engaged in pagan practices forbidden in Acts 15:20, and or who is not obeying the Torah, and is not sanctified (has not repented from the transgression of torah). After a Gentile has accepted salvation in Yeshua, they must be sanctified and repent from the transgression of the Torah. To do this, Acts 15:20-21 explains that they are to meet in the synagogues on every sabbath and learn the law of Moses. While some say that Acts 15 removed the requirement for Gentiles to be circumcised in order to repent from the transgression of the Torah, Acts 16 (the next chapter) says paul circumcised a non-Jew named Timothy. Acts 15 did not prohibit gentiles being circumcised or do away with the requirement, and Paul demonstrated this in Acts 16. Gentiles do not have to be circumcised as a pre-requisate to receiving salvation in Yeshua, but they must repent and be sanctified; and part of sanctification is to be physically circumcised, as Paul did to Timothy in Acts 16.

Solberg’s Point 3: “Dead to the Law” in Romans 7:1–6

Romans 7:4 says:

“Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another…”

At first glance, this verse seems to suggest that believers “died to the Torah” — but careful contextual and theological reading tells a different story.

Summary of Solberg’s Argument: Solberg objects to the 119 view of Romans 7: Paul says “you also have died to the Law” (Rom 7:4). Mainstream interpreters (like Andy Stanley, quoted by 119) claim this means believers are entirely free from the Mosaic Law’s authority – even the first Ten Commandments. Solberg argues that 119 wrongly resists a plain reading of Romans 7, which suggests that in Christ we are “released from the Law” (Rom 7:6). In Solberg’s view, Paul plainly teaches Christians are not under the old covenant Law in a binding way.

Torah-Observant Response: Romans 7:1–6 uses marriage as an analogy for our union with Christ and explains that believers have died to the Law of Sin and Death. The Law itself is good and binding (e.g. Rom 7:12, 16). As 119 explains, Paul is likely emphasizing the believer’s release from the Law’s condemning power (as a “master”) so we can now serve “in the new way of the Spirit”. In Romans 7 Paul does not say “the Law is evil” – he calls the Law spiritual and righteous (Rom 7:12) and acknowledges its role in revealing sin. The old Husband we were married to was our flesh and our sin, but we are dead to sin and alive in Messiah. (Romans 6:11) Our Messiah is our new husband, as we are the bride of Messiah. The old husband (our sin) is dead, and so we are no longer under the law of sin and death (the consequences of our transgression of the law, and our bondage to sin the old husband), but now we are alive in the Messiah, our new husband, so we are no longer in bondage to sin. We were never in bondage to the Torah, because James wrote that the Torah sets us free (James 1:25, 2:12, Psalm 119:45). The Torah is Liberty and Freedom. James 1:25 But everyone who gazes into The Perfect Law of Liberty and continues in it, he is not a hearer who heard what is forgotten, but is a doer of the works, and this one shall be blessed in his work. PHBT

1. Paul’s Language: Multiple “Laws” in Romans

Paul uses the word “law” (Greek: nomos) in several nuanced ways throughout Romans:

• The Torah (Law of Moses) – God’s revealed commandments.
• The law of sin and death – the spiritual principle that sin leads to death (Rom 8:2).
• The law of sin – a force at work in the flesh (Rom 7:23).
• The law of the Spirit of life – the liberating power of the Spirit (Rom 8:2).

Thus, when Paul speaks of “dying to the law,” we must ask: Which law?

2. Context: The Marriage Analogy (Romans 7:1–3)

Paul uses a marriage analogy: a woman is bound to her husband only as long as he lives. Once he dies, she is free to marry another. Paul then applies this:

“You also died to the law through the body of Christ…”

But here’s the key: Paul is not saying the law died — we did. Specifically, we died to the condemnation and control of sin (Rom 6:6–7, 11), and were released from the penalties that the law brought upon transgressors — not from the law itself.

3. Romans 8:2 Clarifies the Issue

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

This is critical. Paul distinguishes the law of the Spirit of life from the law of sin and death. We are not freed from the Torah, but from the condemnation that comes from breaking it — sin and death.

4. The Torah Is Not the Problem — Sin Is

Romans 7:12:

“So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”

Romans 3:31:

“Do we then nullify the law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the law.”

Paul affirms the Torah repeatedly. The Torah reveals sin (Rom 7:7), but does not cause it. The believer’s issue is not with the Torah, but with sin dwelling in the flesh (Rom 7:17–20).

Clarifying Misunderstandings: The phrase “dead to the Law” often leads mainstream readers to assume Paul abolished Torah. But 119 warns this is a misunderstanding. They emphasize passages like Romans 3:31 – “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law” – showing Paul’s view that faith does not nullify the Law. Moreover, as the 119 Dead to the Law? teaching asks, why would Paul teach freedom from the Law if he elsewhere commands obedience? For example, he says Yeshua did not come to “abolish the Law” and that sin is “breaking God’s law”. A key point: Paul’s letter is punctuated by a lot of Hebrew Scriptures and Jewish logic, so “law” nearly always refers to Torah unless context signals otherwise. When Paul speaks of “the law of sin and death” (Rom 8:2) or “the law of the Spirit,” 119 notes these are different “laws” than the Law of Moses. Failing to distinguish them leads to false conclusions as 2^nd Peter 3:14-18 warns!

Conclusion:

Paul is not saying that believers have died to the Torah in the sense that it’s no longer relevant or authoritative. Rather, they have died to the law of sin and death — the condemnation that sin brings because of Torah violations. Far from abolishing the Torah, Paul’s message is that in Messiah, believers are empowered to walk in righteousness — which the Torah defines (Rom 8:4). Romans 10:5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.”

Solberg’s Point 4: The Deuteronomy 13 Test (False Prophets and Torah)

Summary of Solberg’s Argument: Solberg appears to reject the 119 use of Deuteronomy 13. (119 Ministries often cites Deut. 13 to argue that anyone who “entices” people to other commandments than God gave – e.g. by teaching that Torah is void – is a false prophet.) Solberg likely views this application as unfair: he might say “Deut. 13 was for ancient Israel and only concerned idols, not the Gospel.”

Torah-Observant Response: 119 Ministries teaches that Deuteronomy 12:32–13:5 is highly relevant for evaluating any teaching that would add to or subtract from God’s Torah. In their Deuteronomy 13 Test lesson, they note that Deut. 12:32 explicitly forbids adding or taking away from God’s commands, and that Deut. 13 condemns any prophet – even one who performs signs – who tries to lead people to “go after other gods” or to follow commandments other than those given by Moses. In other words, anyone who teaches that Moses’ Law is obsolete or replaced by new “commandments” falls under the same warning as an idolater’s prophet.

Zephaniah 3:1-5 and Matthew 7 agree and identify that false prophets and wolves are Torahless and will be sent to everlasting hell; in fact Zephaniah 3:4 uses the phrase hamasu torah in hebrew (the same as the terror group hamas) to describe wolves and false prophets as those who abolish, trample, violate, or do violate the law. One of the repeated themes in Matthew 7 is a warning against false prophets, wolves, and Torahlessness (lawlessness). “Matthew 7:12‘All things, therefore, whatever ye may will that men may be doing to you, so also do to them, for this is the law and the prophets. (Luke 13:22-30) 13‘Go ye in through the strait gate, because wide [is] the gate, and broad the way that is leading to the destruction, and many are those going in through it; 14how strait [is] the gate, and compressed the way that is leading to the life, and few are those finding it!(Matthew 12:33-37; Luke 6:43-45) 15‘But, take heed of the false prophets, who come unto you in sheep’s clothing, and inwardly are ravening wolves. 16From their fruits ye shall know them; do [men] gather from thorns grapes? or from thistles figs? 17so every good tree doth yield good fruits, but the bad tree doth yield evil fruits. 18A good tree is not able to yield evil fruits, nor a bad tree to yield good fruits. 19Every tree not yielding good fruit is cut down and is cast to fire: 20therefore from their fruits ye shall know them. (good fruits involve keeping Torah) 21‘Not every one who is saying to me Lord, lord, shall come into the reign of the heavens; but he who is doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens. 22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, lord, have we not in thy name prophesied? and in thy name cast out demons? and in thy name done many mighty things? 23and then I will acknowledge to them, that — I never knew you, depart from me ye who are working lawlessness. (Luke 6:46-49) 24‘Therefore, every one who doth hear of me these words, and doth do them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house upon the rock; 25and the rain did descend, and the streams came, and the winds blew, and they beat on that house, and it fell not, for it had been founded on the rock. 26‘And every one who is hearing of me these words, and is not doing them, shall be likened to a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; 27and the rain did descend, and the streams came, and the winds blew, and they beat on that house, and it fell, and its fall was great.’” Torahlessness is the wide gate taught by the false prophets and wolves. The wise man does the words. See how Matthew 7 agrees with

Zephaniah 3:1-5: 1Wo [to] the rebellious and polluted, The oppressing city! 2She hath not hearkened to the voice, She hath not accepted instruction(Torah), In Yehovah she hath not trusted, Unto her Yah she hath not drawn near. 3Her heads in her midst [are] roaring lions, Her judges [are] evening wolves, They have not gnawn the bone in the morning. 4Her prophets unstable — men of treachery, Her priests have polluted the sanctuary, They have חָמְס֖וּ תּוֹרָֽה violated, abolished, trampled, done violence to the law. 5Yehovah [is] righteous in her midst, He doth not do perverseness, Morning by morning His judgment he giveth to the light, It hath not been lacking, And the perverse doth not know shame.

From the Hebraic-root perspective, this is a warning to be extremely careful about doctrines that appear to change the Torah. 119 points out that if the Gospel message required setting aside or changing any of God’s Torah, it would violate these clear Mosaic precepts. Indeed, they cite Acts 25:7–8 and Acts 24:13–14 where Paul testified that he had offended neither temple nor law (implying he taught in accordance with the Law and Prophets). Similarly, in Acts 21 Jewish leaders praised Paul’s fidelity to the Law after hearing he taught the Gentiles only what was necessary (Acts 21:20–21).

Clarifying Misunderstandings: The mainstream often overlooks Deut. 13, Zephaniah 3:1-5, and Matthew 7 because they see Jesus and apostles as superseding Mosaic regulations. But from a Torah perspective, God’s own Word explicitly prohibits any change to His commands. As 119 stresses, Paul himself said his ministry was “according to the Way” that he “serves the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets” (Acts 24:14, ESV). There is thus a contradiction if anyone claims Paul counseled abandoning Torah commandments. Yeshua’s own words are on record: “Until heaven and earth pass away, not one iota of the Law will pass away” (Matt 5:18) and “not the least commandment” will be ignored. Scripture is clear that God’s Law is “perfect” and “just” (Psalm 19:7; Rom 7:12), and 119’s position is that true faith upholds the Law, not discards it.

In practice, “testing” new teachings against Deut. 13 means refusing to follow any doctrine that contradicts the commandments given at Sinai. If Solberg claims that belief in Messiah can set aside Torah commands, 119 replies that according to Deut. 12:32 no prophet has divine authority to remove God’s Law. Deuteronomy 13 thus supports the Hebrew-Roots conviction that Jesus/Yeshua was the promised Jewish Messiah because he fulfilled Torah, not because he abolished it.

Conclusion: Each of Solberg’s objections hinges on interpreting Paul and the New Testament in a way that separates “Law” from Christian life. The Torah-observant (Hebraic Roots) reading – as taught by 119 Ministries – holds that God’s Torah remains authoritative. Both Yeshua and Paul affirmed the Law’s value. When passages like Romans 14 or 7 speak of freedom “from the Law,” this is understood as freedom from condemnation or disputable tradition, not freedom to break commandments. Acts 15 and the Jerusalem Council are seen as cultural accommodations, not doctrinal overthrow. And Deuteronomy 13, Zephaniah 3:1-5, Matthew 7, and 2 Peter 3:14-18 reminds believers to reject any teaching that effectively nullifies God’s commands.

We encourage readers to test these perspectives by carefully reading the whole counsel of Scripture. As 119 Ministries puts it, Scripture calls for testing all teachings: if any apparent “new teaching” contradicts the Law of Moses (which Yeshua honored), it must be rejected as a false tradition.

Claim: “Keeping the Torah is not necessary for salvation or part of true repentance.”

Scripture itself defines sin in terms of Torah-obedience: “sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4) and “the Law defines sin” (Romans 7:7)119ministries.com. In other words, without God’s commandments (the Torah) there is no concept of sin to repent from. Genuine repentance means turning from disobedience, not assuming obedience is optional. As 119 Ministries notes, every mouth is “stopped” before God when we recognize that the Torah defines sin119ministries.com. Thus believers are called to live by the whole Word (Genesis–Revelation), not throw away God’s standards after Christ. To disregard Torah’s commands is to remove the very yardstick by which sin is recognized. True faith leads to obeying God’s statutes, not setting them aside (Yeshua said, “I did not come to abolish the Law… but to fulfill it”).

Yeshua Jesus said…

“I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” Luke 5:32

“You will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God.” Luke 13:3

“Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of His name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ Luke 24:46-47

Claim: “Christians can celebrate Christmas, Easter and other pagan-rooted holidays without jeopardy.”

Christmas and Easter originate in pagan worship and are “consequently discarded” for Torah-keepers historian.ministrycloud.com. Easter, Ishtar, is the bionically forbidden queen of heaven in Jeremiah 7 and 44 Easter https://www.gotquestions.org/Queen-of-Heaven.html Deuteronomy 29:14-21 and Revelation 17:8 warns that anyone who turns from the LORD to serve the gods of the nations will incur curses and have their name blotted out “from under heaven” removed from the book of life. biblegateway.com. Likewise Revelation 18:4–9 commands believers to “come out” of Babylon so as not to share in her sins or plagues biblegateway.com. Babylon’s judgment includes “death, mourning, and famine” and being “utterly burned with fire” in one daybiblegateway.com – the same fate for those who “commit fornication” with her (symbolic of idolatrous religious practices)biblegateway.com. Daniel 7 identifies these beasts as pagan nations that oppose God; Revelation shows that those entangled with them receive their plagues. In addition, Galatians 5:19–21 explicitly lists idolatry, witchcraft, sexual immorality and similar sins – the very activities of pagan festivals – and warns that “those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God”biblegateway.com. In short, Scripture consistently condemns participation in idolatrous feasts and customs.

Deuteronomy 29:14-21 If people do the ways of the nations (pagan customs, pagan rooted holidays, rituals, traditions, sunday worship instead of shabbat, eating unclean things…) their names will be blotted out of the book of life. Revelation 17:8 and Revelation 18:4,9 say that those who wonder at the beast do not have their names written in the book of life. Daniel 7 says that the beasts are nations, and Revelation 18:4,9 say that those who participate in the ways of the nations by committing fornication with her, will share in the same punishments of Babylon, Egypt… including plagues, death, grief, famine, and being consumed by fire, all in one day. Galatians 5:19-24 says that those who do witchraft, fornication… will not enter the kingdom of God; therefore they will go to hell. So those who do pagan rooted traditions, customs, holidays, will have their names removed from the book of life, and they will go through all the plagues, death, grief, famine, be consumed by fire, and not be in the kingdom of God. Likewise Revelation 18:4–9 commands believers to “come out” of Babylon so as not to share in her sins or plagues

• 119 Ministries observes that Christmas and Easter “directly came from the ways and days used to worship false gods”historian.ministrycloud.com. God gave us His own appointed festivals instead.
• Deuteronomy 29:20–21 promises that God will “blot out” the names of those who break covenant by serving other godsbiblegateway.com.
• Revelation 18:4–9 likewise urges God’s people to leave the sinful system (Babylon) and avoid its plaguesbiblegateway.combiblegateway.com. Those who “drink her wine” (participate in her idolatry) will share her fate.
• Galatians 5:19–21 declares that “idolatry and witchcraft” (Greek pharmakeia, associated with sorcery and cultic rituals) and “sexual immorality” keep people out of God’s kingdombiblegateway.com. Pagan holidays involve exactly these prohibited practices.
• Revelation 2:14–15 condemns the “teaching of Balaam” and “the teaching of the Nicolaitans,” which included idolatry and immoral worship119ministries.com. (The name “Nicolaitan” is linked to Nicolas/Balaam, a figure of apostasy.) Paul’s command to believers not to be “unequally yoked” with unbelieversbiblia.com reinforces that we cannot mix God’s ways with pagan ways. Nicolas (Santa Clause, Saint Nicolas) is who the NICOLAITANS followed in Revelation (2:6, 15) and the Lord hates this. Nicolas is the Greek for Baalam, or Baal, and as Revelation 2 points out, tied to Baaliq, Baalam, (has various spellings) 2 Corinthians 6 says that yeshua jesus has no concord with Baalam, and agrees with Revelation 17:8 and Revelation 18:4,9 that you must come out from among them, and touch no unclean thing, to be sons and daughters of the father. Christmas also includes the Biblically forbidden Christmas Tree in Jeremiah 10, that israel used to worship baal. https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/encyclopedia-of-the-bible/Nicolaitans

Together these passages show that joining in pagan-rooted festivals or customs is grievous idolatry. The New Testament echoes the Old: if we continue in willful sin (transgressing God’s Law) after knowing the truth, there is no further sacrifice for those sins (Hebrews 10:26-27). By contrast, genuine repentance means abandoning sin – including pagan worship – and obeying God’s commands. Therefore participating in Christmas, Easter, Sunday (sun worship), or eating things declared unclean is not a neutral matter; it is warned to bring spiritual judgment and even removal from the Book of Life unless forsaken (Deut. 29; Rev. 18; Gal. 5) biblegateway.combiblegateway.combiblegateway.combiblegateway.com. In sum, 119 Ministries teaches that believers must “come out” from the ways of the nations (pagan customs) and walk in Torah-obedience if they want to truly honor the Creator and avoid the curses described in Scripturehistorian.ministrycloud.combiblegateway.com.

Sources: 119 Ministries teaching materials119ministries.comhistorian.ministrycloud.com119ministries.com and Scripture (Deut. 29:20-21biblegateway.com; Rev. 18:4-9biblegateway.combiblegateway.com; Gal. 5:19-21biblegateway.com; 2 Cor. 6:14-17biblia.com; etc.).

Sources: Quotations are from Scripture and from 119 Ministries’ teachings (including their Pauline Paradox series, Deuteronomy 13 Test, Acts 15, and Romans 7 explanations), as noted above. For example, Jesus’ words and Paul’s letters are cited in 119’s materials, and key concepts are explained in 119 transcripts and articles. These illustrate the Torah-observant position that God’s Law endures unchanged.