Followers of the Way vs. Followers of Christianity

The distinction between the Followers of the Way and the later religious identity known as Christianity is not simply semantic. It represents a major transformation in doctrine, practice, and spiritual identity. The early followers of Yahusha, commonly called Jesus, identified as Israelites and sought to walk as He walked. They were called Followers of the Way, a term used throughout the Book of Acts (Acts 9:2, Acts 19:9, Acts 24:14), and they maintained the laws, commandments, and festivals given by Yahuah (God) to the children of Israel.

In contrast, Christianity, as later defined and structured under Roman influence, departed from the Hebrew foundation and developed into a distinct Gentile religion that, over time, renounced the very commandments Yahusha upheld.

1. Identity

Followers of the Way:

• Israelites by blood (Acts 2:5, Acts 21:20)

• Known as Nazarenes or those "of the Way"

• Did not create a new religion but followed Yahusha as the prophesied Messiah

• Continued temple and synagogue observance

Christians:

• First called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:26), a derogatory label given by outsiders

• Became a separate Gentile identity

• Developed into a Roman-structured religion

• Replaced Israel with a new spiritual identity

  
  

2. Belief System

Followers of the Way:

• Believed Yahusha was the Messiah of Israel

• Saw Him as fulfilling, not abolishing, the Torah and the Prophets (Luke 24:44)

• Continued worship at the temple and upheld Torah-based teachings

Christians:

• Believed Yahusha started a universal, new religion

• Developed theological creeds influenced by Greek philosophy

• Embraced the idea that the "Church" replaced Israel (Replacement Theology)

  
  

3. Practice and Lifestyle

Followers of the Way:

• Kept the Sabbath (Acts 17:2, Acts 18:4)

• Observed dietary laws (Leviticus 11, Acts 15:20)

• Celebrated biblical feasts including Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7–8)

• Lived in community, shared goods, followed Yahusha’s example (Acts 2:44–46)

Christians:

• Shifted Sabbath to Sunday based on Roman practice (Council of Laodicea, 363 AD)

• Rejected biblical dietary restrictions

• Replaced biblical feasts with man-made holidays such as Easter and Christmas

• These Christian holidays have pagan origins. Easter comes from the worship of fertility goddesses such as Ishtar or Eostre. Christmas is tied to Saturnalia, a Roman winter solstice festival, and the birth of Mithras, a Roman sun god. Lent has connections to the Babylonian mourning period for Tammuz, a dying and rising deity. Halloween itself originates from Samhain, a Celtic festival that honored the dead and the spirit world. Although not officially tied to Lent in Christian tradition, both are rooted in pagan seasonal observances and rituals associated with death, transition, and spiritual preparation. These customs were adopted to appeal to pagan converts and to harmonize Christianity with the religious life of the Roman Empire.

• Became integrated into political and material structures

  
  

4. Commandment Observance

Followers of the Way:

• Obeyed the commandments of Yahuah as covenantal loyalty (John 14:15, Revelation 14:12)

• Understood that faith did not void obedience (Romans 3:31)

• Viewed Yahusha as one who magnified the Law (Isaiah 42:21)

Christians:

• Taught that the Law was "nailed to the cross" (Colossians 2:14, misapplied)

• Rejected Torah obedience as unnecessary "legalism"

• Focused on grace-alone salvation, detaching faith from obedience

  
  

5. View of Sin and Judgment

Followers of the Way:

• Defined sin as transgression of the law (1 John 3:4)

• Believed willful sin after knowing the truth led to judgment (Hebrews 10:26)

• Called for repentance as a return to obedience (Acts 3:19)

Christians:

• Often taught sin was automatically forgiven by belief in Jesus

• Focused on faith without works or Torah observance

• Downplayed judgment and accountability for disobedience

  
  

6. Salvation Doctrine

Followers of the Way:

• Taught salvation is for Israel and those who join Israel (Ephesians 2:12–19)

• Yahusha saves His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21)

• The New Covenant involves writing the law on the heart (Jeremiah 31:31–33, Hebrews 8:10)

Christians:

• Promoted a universal salvation without conditions tied to Torah

• Emphasized "faith alone" apart from works

• Misunderstood grace as freedom from obedience

  
  

7. Relationship to Israel

Followers of the Way:

• Identified as the remnant of Israel

• Believed Gentiles could join Israel, not replace it (Numbers 15:15–16; Romans 11)

• Expected Yahusha to restore the Kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6)

Christians:

• Developed a theology that the Church replaced Israel

• Created a separate spiritual entity disconnected from Israel’s promises

• Taught Israel’s identity and role were fulfilled or ended

  
  

8. Feasts and Calendar

Followers of the Way:

• Celebrated Passover (Luke 22:15, 1 Cor. 5:8)

• Observed Feasts of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Tabernacles

• Followed biblical calendar based on Leviticus 23

Christians:

• Adopted Roman calendar

• Replaced Passover with Easter (Council of Nicaea, 325 AD)

• Replaced Tabernacles and other biblical feasts with Christmas and Lent

• Holidays introduced by Christianity were rooted in pagan worship and later rebranded with Christian themes. These changes diluted the original biblical holy days and aligned the faith with Roman imperial religion.

  
  

The Misuse of Paul's Teachings by Rome

Paul (Sha’ul) never taught that the law was abolished. Yet Rome distorted his writings to construct a religion that disconnected faith from obedience. Peter even warned about this:

“Our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters... His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.” (2 Peter 3:15–16)

Rome twisted Paul’s letters in two major ways:

1. “Not Under the Law” Misapplied:

   Paul said believers are not under the law but under grace (Romans 6:14). He meant that they are no longer under the penalty of the law. Rome misused this to teach that the law itself was no longer required. But Paul said, “Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? God forbid.” (Romans 6:15)

   
   

2. Faith vs. Legalism Misrepresented:

   Paul opposed justification by works, especially forced circumcision for Gentiles. He never rejected Torah obedience. He wrote, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” (Romans 3:31) and “The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.” (Romans 7:12)

   
   

Rome took these arguments and used them to sever Christianity from Torah. This allowed them to:

• Remove Hebrew roots

• Create a new Roman faith

• Absorb paganism into doctrine

• Replace Israel with the Church

  
  

Without twisting Paul’s words, Rome would have had no scriptural basis for rejecting Torah. This manipulation was deliberate, to reshape the faith for empire control.

Historical Development of the Divergence

Council of Nicaea (325 AD): This council, under Roman Emperor Constantine, outlawed the Quartodeciman practice of celebrating Passover on the 14th of Nisan, mandating Easter on the first Sunday after the spring equinox full moon. Quartodecimans were believers, mostly from the original communities in Asia Minor, who celebrated Passover according to the command in the Torah, on the 14th day of the month Abib, also called Nisan. The term "Quartodeciman" comes from the Latin for "fourteen" (quartodecimus), referring to the 14th day of the Hebrew month. It is important to note that Nisan and Abib refer to the same month; the first month of the biblical year. Abib is the older Hebrew name meaning “green ears” of barley, while Nisan is the Babylonian name used after the exile. This council’s ruling separated Christian observance from the Torah-based calendar and outlawed obedience to the biblical command in Exodus 12.

This separated Christian observance from the Torah-based calendar.  

Council of Laodicea (364 AD): Prohibited Christians from "Judaizing" by resting on the Sabbath. Christians were commanded to work on the Sabbath and honor Sunday instead

Rise of Antinomianism: As Christianity expanded among Gentiles, doctrines emerged suggesting that the Law of Moses was no longer binding. This belief, known as antinomianism, contradicted the clear scriptural definition of sin and the role of the commandments in the New Covenant.

Summary Table

Category	Followers of the Way	Later Christians
Identity	Israelites, disciples of Yahusha	Gentile believers, separate religious group
Belief System	Fulfillment of Torah	New universal religion
Lifestyle	Torah observant	Romanized customs
Commandments	Essential to covenant	Viewed as obsolete
Sin and Judgment	Breaking Torah = sin	Sin forgiven without continued obedience
Salvation	Faith and Covenant-based with Torah on heart	Faith alone without Torah
Relationship to Israel	Remnant restored through Messiah	Church replaces Israel
Feasts	Passover, Tabernacles, Unleavened Bread	Easter, Christmas, Lent

The transformation from the Followers of the Way to the religion known as Christianity was not a natural evolution but a deliberate departure from the original path established by Yahusha and His disciples. Christianity, as institutionalized by Rome, replaced the commandments, identity, and expectations of Israel with doctrines more suitable to Gentile audiences and empire control. This separation was foretold and remains central to the identity of those who seek to return to the Way.

As Revelation 14:12 reminds us: "Here is the patience of the set-apart ones: here are they that keep the commandments of Yahuah, and the faith of Yahusha."