No. The Torah does say in several places that the same “law,” “rule,” or “standard” applied to both native Israelites and the strangers living among them (Exod. 12:49; Lev. 24:22; Num. 15:16). But in each of these passages, the statement concerns the specific law or legal standard being discussed in the immediate context, not the entire law of Moses. In fact, the Torah elsewhere explicitly gives Israelites and foreigners different requirements (Deut. 14:21; 15:2–3; 23:20). These “one law” passages therefore do not teach that all Gentiles were placed under the Mosaic covenant, much less that Gentile Christians are obligated to keep the law of Moses today.
What Does “One Law” Mean? #
Three passages are commonly cited to argue that the law of Moses applied equally to Israelites and Gentiles:
“There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you” (Exod. 12:49).
“You shall have the same rule for the sojourner and for the native” (Lev. 24:22).
“One law and one rule shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you” (Num. 15:16).
When isolated from their contexts, these statements can sound like universal declarations that the entire law of Moses applied equally to Israelites and Gentiles. But reading the surrounding verses reveals something quite different.
The Hebrew term translated “stranger” or “sojourner” in these passages is gēr (גֵּר), referring to a resident alien or sojourner living among Israel. It does not simply mean every Gentile everywhere.
More importantly, in each of these three passages, “one law” refers to the particular matter being regulated in that passage.
Exodus 12:49 — One Law for Passover Participation #
Exodus 12:49 appears in the instructions concerning the Passover (Exod. 12:43–51). The passage begins:
“This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat of it” (Exod. 12:43).
Already, God distinguishes between native Israelites and foreigners. The Passover was required of Israel:
“All the congregation of Israel shall keep it” (Exod. 12:47).
But a foreigner was not simply commanded to participate. Instead, God provided a way for a foreigner who wished to participate:
“If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it” (Exod. 12:48).
Only then do we read:
“There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you” (Exod. 12:49).
In context, therefore, “one law” refers to the requirements governing participation in the Passover. If a foreigner chose to participate, he could not observe Passover according to a different set of rules. He had to meet the same requirement of circumcision and participate according to the prescribed manner.
It is especially important to note that Israel was still in Egypt at this point. The Sinai covenant and its complete body of legislation had not yet been given. Thus, Exodus 12:49 cannot mean that the foreigner was being placed under the entire Sinai covenant code. The context concerns the particular Passover regulations God had just given.
Leviticus 24:22 — One Standard of Justice #
Leviticus 24:22 is another frequently cited passage:
“You shall have the same rule for the sojourner and for the native, for I am the LORD your God.”
Again, the context determines what “the same rule” means.
The larger narrative concerns a man whose mother was an Israelite and whose father was an Egyptian (Lev. 24:10). After this man blasphemed God’s name, the Israelites placed him in custody until God’s will concerning the matter could be determined (Lev. 24:11–12).
God declared that blasphemy carried the same penalty whether committed by a native Israelite or a sojourner:
“The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death” (Lev. 24:16).
The passage then establishes the principle of proportional justice:
“Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death…. If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth” (Lev. 24:17–20).
Then comes the statement:
“You shall have the same rule for the sojourner and for the native” (Lev. 24:22).
The “same rule” therefore refers to the same standard of justice and punishment. A crime did not receive one penalty when committed by an Israelite and another simply because the offender was a foreigner.
Leviticus 24:22 is an important statement about impartial justice under Israel’s civil law. It is not a declaration that every Mosaic command applied identically to Israelites and Gentiles.
Numbers 15:16 — One Procedure for Sacrifices #
Numbers 15 provides perhaps the clearest example of why “one law” cannot mean identical covenantal obligations.
The chapter concerns sacrifices and supplementary offerings that Israel was to make after entering the Promised Land (Num. 15:1–12). God says:
“Every native Israelite shall do these things in this way, in offering a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD” (Num. 15:13).
For the Israelite, this is stated as an obligation.
But notice what God says about the foreigner:
“And if a stranger is sojourning with you, or anyone is living permanently among you, and he wishes to offer a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD, he shall do as you do” (Num. 15:14).
The distinction is significant. The native Israelite shall make these offerings according to the prescribed procedure. The foreigner who wishes to make such an offering is permitted to do so, but if he participates, he must follow the same procedure.
The passage then concludes:
“You and the sojourner shall be alike before the LORD. One law and one rule shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you” (Num. 15:15–16).
Thus, the “one law” concerns the rules governing the offerings being discussed. In fact, the passage itself distinguishes the obligations of the two groups: what is commanded of the native Israelite is presented conditionally for the sojourner.
So Numbers 15:16 cannot reasonably mean that Israelites and Gentiles were under every aspect of the Mosaic Law in exactly the same way. The immediate context demonstrates otherwise.
Did Israelites and Foreigners Have the Same Torah Obligations? #
No. The Torah itself contains explicit examples in which God gives Israelites and foreigners different requirements.
One particularly clear example concerns food:
“You shall not eat anything that has died naturally. You may give it to the sojourner who is within your towns, that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a people holy to the LORD your God” (Deut. 14:21).
This passage would make little sense if every Gentile living among Israel were obligated to keep Israel’s dietary laws in exactly the same manner as a native Israelite. God explicitly permits the sojourner to eat something He prohibits the Israelite from eating.
And notice the reason: “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God.” Israel had been set apart from the nations and was therefore given covenantal requirements that distinguished them from the peoples around them.
We find the same distinction in Israel’s economic laws. Every seventh year Israelites were required to release debts owed by fellow Israelites, but:
“Of a foreigner you may exact it, but whatever of yours is with your brother your hand shall release” (Deut. 15:3).
Likewise:
“You may charge a foreigner interest, but you may not charge your brother interest” (Deut. 23:20).
These passages demonstrate that “one law for the native and the stranger” was never intended as a blanket declaration that Israelites and foreigners had identical covenantal obligations.
Were Gentile Nations Ever Under the Mosaic covenant? #
No. Scripture consistently presents the Sinai covenant as God’s covenant with Israel.
God told Israel at Sinai:
“If you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples” (Exod. 19:5).
The Law itself distinguished Israel from the surrounding nations. Moses told Israel:
“See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the LORD my God commanded me…. Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples” (Deut. 4:5–6).
The nations would observe Israel keeping God’s statutes; they were not themselves presented as having received the Sinai covenant.
Psalm 147 states the distinction explicitly:
“He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and rules to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his rules” (Ps. 147:19–20).
Babylonians, Egyptians, Assyrians, and other Gentile nations were never commanded to observe Israel’s Sabbath, dietary restrictions, sacrificial system, or annual feasts simply because those commandments existed.
This does not mean Gentiles were free from God’s moral authority. Scripture portrays God judging the nations for universally sinful behaviors such as murder, sexual immorality, violence, injustice, and idolatry. But universal moral accountability is not the same thing as covenantal obligation to the Law God gave Israel at Sinai.
What About Gentiles Living Among Israel? #
Foreigners living within Israel were naturally subject to Israel’s civil jurisdiction. If a sojourner committed murder or blasphemy within Israel, his foreign status did not exempt him from the applicable penalty (Lev. 24:16–22).
Likewise, when foreigners chose to participate in particular aspects of Israel’s worship, God established requirements governing their participation. A foreigner who wished to eat the Passover had to meet its requirements (Exod. 12:48–49). A foreigner who wished to present an offering had to follow Israel’s prescribed sacrificial procedure (Num. 15:14–16).
But that is different from saying the foreigner was covenantally obligated to every command given to native Israelites. The Torah itself demonstrates that this was not the case (Deut. 14:21; 15:2–3; 23:20).
What Changes Under the New covenant? #
For Christians, there is an even more fundamental problem with using these passages to require Torah observance today. Even if every gēr living within ancient Israel had been obligated to the entire Mosaic Law, that would not establish what Gentile believers are required to do under the new covenant.
Acts 15 addresses that question directly.
Some Jewish believers argued:
“It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses” (Acts 15:5).
The apostles did not respond by appealing to Exodus 12:49 or Numbers 15:16 and declaring that Gentiles had always been under the same Law as Israel.
Instead, Peter pointed to God’s acceptance of uncircumcised Gentiles through faith and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:7–11). James concluded:
“We should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God” (Acts 15:19).
And the Council’s official letter stated:
“It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements” (Acts 15:28).
If “one law for the native and the stranger” already established that Gentiles joining God’s people were obligated to keep the entire law of Moses, Acts 15 would have been the obvious place for the apostles to say so. Instead, they explicitly declined to place that obligation upon Gentile believers.
One People Does Not Mean One Mosaic covenant #
The New Testament certainly teaches that Jews and Gentiles are brought together into one people through Jesus.
Gentiles who were once “alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise” have now been “brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:12–13). Christ has made Jews and Gentiles “one” and created in Himself “one new man” (Eph. 2:14–16). Paul similarly describes Gentile believers as wild olive branches grafted into the cultivated olive tree (Rom. 11:17–24).
But Gentiles are brought near “by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13), not by entering the Mosaic covenant.
Paul makes the same point in Galatians:
“For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith…. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Gal. 3:26, 29).
The unity of God’s people under the new covenant is therefore centered in Christ. Gentiles do not need to become Jews or assume Israel’s old-covenant obligations in order to belong fully to the people of God.
Key Scriptures to Study #
- Exodus 12:43–49 — The “one law” concerns the requirements governing Passover participation.
- Leviticus 24:10–23 — The “same rule” establishes a common standard of justice for the native and the sojourner.
- Numbers 15:1–16 — The “one law” concerns procedures for offerings; the offering is commanded of native Israelites but conditional for the sojourner.
- Deuteronomy 14:21 — A sojourner is permitted to eat something explicitly prohibited to Israel.
- Deuteronomy 15:2–3 — Israel’s debt-release requirements distinguish between fellow Israelites and foreigners.
- Deuteronomy 23:19–20 — Israelites could charge interest to foreigners but not to fellow Israelites.
- Psalm 147:19–20 — God’s statutes and rules are specifically identified with Israel rather than the nations.
- Acts 15:1–29 — The apostles consider and reject the proposal to require Gentile Christians to keep the law of Moses.
- Ephesians 2:11–18 — Jews and Gentiles are made one through Christ.
- Galatians 3:26–29 — Gentile believers become Abraham’s offspring and heirs through union with Christ.
Objections & Misconceptions #
“Numbers 15:16 plainly says, ‘One law and one rule shall be for you and for the stranger.’ Isn’t that conclusive?”
Only if the verse is removed from its context. Numbers 15:1–16 concerns sacrifices and offerings. The passage says every native Israelite “shall” follow these procedures, while a sojourner who “wishes to offer” must follow the same procedures (Num. 15:13–14). Thus, “one law” means one standard governing the offering, not that the native and sojourner had identical obligations under the entire Torah.
“Exodus 12:49 says there was one law for Israelites and Gentiles.”
Exodus 12:49 occurs within the Passover regulations. The passage actually distinguishes between the groups: “All the congregation of Israel shall keep it,” while a foreigner who “would keep the Passover” is permitted to do so after meeting the requirement of circumcision (Exod. 12:47–48). Moreover, Israel had not yet reached Sinai when this command was given. The “one law” concerns the Passover requirements immediately under discussion, not the entire Sinai covenant code.
“Leviticus 24:22 says the same rule applies to the sojourner and native.”
Yes, and the surrounding verses tell us which rule: the same standard of civil justice and punishment applied to both (Lev. 24:17–22). A foreigner could not commit murder, assault, or blasphemy and receive preferential treatment simply because he was not an Israelite. The passage does not say that every Mosaic command applied identically to both groups.
“If foreigners weren’t under the same Torah, why were they sometimes required to obey Torah commands?”
Because living within Israel placed foreigners under Israel’s civil jurisdiction, and participating in Israel’s worship required them to follow God’s rules governing that worship. Neither fact means that every covenantal command given to Israel applied to the foreigner. Deuteronomy 14:21 explicitly permits a sojourner to eat something prohibited to an Israelite, demonstrating that their obligations were not identical.
“Gentile Christians have been grafted into Israel, so doesn’t Israel’s Torah now apply to them?”
Paul’s olive-tree metaphor teaches that Gentile believers share in God’s covenant blessings through faith (Rom. 11:17–24). It does not say that Gentiles thereby become Mosaic covenant members. Paul elsewhere warns Gentile believers that accepting circumcision as a covenantal requirement would obligate them to keep “the whole law” (Gal. 5:2–3).
“Ephesians 2 says Gentiles are no longer strangers. Doesn’t that mean they become Israelites and inherit Israel’s Torah?”
Paul says Gentiles who were once far off have been brought near “by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13). His conclusion is not that Gentiles become Jews under the Mosaic covenant, but that Christ creates Jews and Gentiles into “one new man” (Eph. 2:15). Their new covenant status is grounded in Christ and His reconciling work.
Why This Matters #
The phrase “one law for the native and the stranger” sounds compelling when quoted in isolation. But context changes the picture considerably.
Exodus 12:49 concerns Passover participation. Leviticus 24:22 concerns civil justice and punishment. Numbers 15:16 concerns the proper procedure for sacrifices and offerings. In each case, the same standard applies to Israelites and foreigners with respect to the particular matter being discussed. None of these passages declares that every Gentile was under the entire Mosaic covenant.
And the Torah itself confirms this distinction by explicitly giving Israelites and foreigners different requirements concerning food, debt, and interest (Deut. 14:21; 15:2–3; 23:20).
Most importantly, Christians live under the new covenant established through Jesus. When the apostles were directly asked whether Gentile believers should be circumcised and commanded to keep the law of Moses, they declined to impose that requirement (Acts 15:1–29).
Not every command God has ever given applies to every person in every covenant and every age. Christians are responsible to obey the commands God has given to us under the new covenant. We can therefore affirm with Paul that the Law is holy, righteous, and good (Rom. 7:12), learn from the Torah as inspired Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16–17), and at the same time recognize that Gentile followers of Jesus are not covenantally obligated to keep the Law God gave to ancient Israel at Sinai.
Recommended Resources #
- Thomas R. Schreiner, 40 Questions About Christians and Biblical Law
- Douglas J. Moo, The Law of Christ as the Fulfillment of the law of Moses
- Seth D. Postell, Eitan Bar, and Erez Soref, Reading Moses, Seeing Jesus: How the Torah Fulfills Its Goal in Yeshua
- David G. Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles
- R. L. Solberg, Torahism: Are Christians Required to Keep the law of Moses?
