Pronomian

The term pronomia is the antithesis of the term anomia (ἀνομία): lawlessness, iniquity, disobedience, sin. The term ἀνομία is a combination of the Greek prefix α (not; negation) & νόμος (law). Linguistically, pronomia reflects “pro-law” in contrast to “anti-law” of ἀνομία.

So pronomian Christians are Christians who affirm the ongoing validity and applicability of the Torah (ie. The Law of Moses) in addition to the authority of the entire Old and New Testaments.

Notable beliefs and practices of Pronomian Christians include seventh-day Sabbath observance, observance of Biblical festivals (Passover, Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Day of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles), observance of the Biblical dietary laws, and physical circumcision of males on the 8th day.

Click here to watch a sermon by pastor Joshua on pronomianism.

The “Torah” is the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) and is commonly called “the Law” by Christians. The word Torah is the Hebrew word for direction, instruction, law and is used alongside Law to refer to the Law of God in the Bible. Another word often used for the Torah is Pentateuch, which means “the five books,” deriving its name from the fact that the Torah contains the aforementioned five books.

Pronomian Christianity distinguishes itself from the Hebrew Roots movement for a few reasons. First, it’s difficult even to define ‘Hebrew Roots’ since there is not, at least as of yet, an overarching statement of faith under which Hebrew Roots people unite, and so Pronomian Christianity by default distinguishes from Hebrew Roots by affirming the First Pronomian Statement. Second, there are questionable doctrines that litter the Hebrew Roots movement, such as flat earth, Arianism, sacred-name-onlyism, and a general disdain for the Church.

According to Christian theology, Jesus’ death on the cross serves as a sacrifice that reconciles humanity with God and atones for our sins. This means that through faith in Jesus, we can receive forgiveness for our sins and eternal life in heaven. However, this does not mean that we are no longer expected to live by God’s commandments.

In fact, Jesus himself said in Matthew 5:17-18, “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. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”

Jesus’ teachings emphasize the importance of living a life of obedience to God’s commandments, which include loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commands.”

Therefore, even though Jesus died for our sins, we are still expected to live by God’s commandments as a way of showing our love and obedience to Him. Additionally, following God’s commandments can lead to a life of joy, peace, and fulfillment, as well as help us to grow in our relationship with God.

In short, we keep God’s Law not to be saved, but because we’re saved.

Yes! Without God’s Torah (Law), there is nothing to define what is right or wrong, good or bad. God has given us his commandments as a revelation of right, moral behavior and for that we should rejoice (Psalm 119:14). The authors of the Bible are clear: the Law of God is a blessing. Check out this article from Joshua Ensley to see a few of the ways the Bible describes the Law of God.

No (Matthew 5:17-20), Jesus abolished our sin and took on our penalty for breaking the Law. If the Law really didn’t matter, Jesus would not have had to die for us, but could have just removed the Law altogether. Instead, he paid the price we owed for the deeds we committed and has now commanded us to go and sin no more—something impossible to do if there is no Law.

Check out this video by Joshua Ensley or this article by David Wilber for a longer answer to this question.

God’s Law is not ethnocentric (based on ethnicity). The Bible is clear that there are not multiple standards of right and wrong (Exodus 12:49), but that the duty of all mankind, not just the Jews, is to live according to the Torah (Ecclesiastes 12:13; Revelation 14:12). The commandments God has given us in his word are for everyone, which is why everyone, not just Jews, are guilty before him for breaking his Law (Romans 3:23).

For a longer answer to this question, see this video from Joshua Ensley.