INTRODUCTION
Since my earliest days as a believer I’ve always felt a
special closeness with the Jewish people. I was blessed to be part of a
congregation, which understood that Israel continued to hold a special place in
the redemptive plan of Yahweh. Recently, the Holy Spirit led me to search more
diligently into the Hebraic roots of my Christian faith. Specifically, I felt
led to understand the feasts. I knew that in many ways they were symbolic
shadows of Yahweh’s redemptive plan and that they taught about Yahshua the
Messiah (Jesus Christ). I believe two other recent events influenced my
decision to search the Scriptures.
Recently, the elders (of which I am one) of our congregation
desired to implement a more biblically accurate model for receiving the Lord’s
Supper (communion). We studied numerous Scriptures that Christians normally use
to show how the Lord’s Supper should be taken. We decided to implement a model
based on our understanding of those Scriptures. The Lord also impressed upon
our pastor (and myself too) the necessity of worshiping Yahshua in spirit and
in truth. About this time I was able to introduce a new song to our
congregation called The Heart of Worship. A portion of the lyrics is as
follows:
I’ll give you more than a song, for a song in itself, is not
what you have desired
You search much deeper within, through the way things appear
You’re looking into my heart
I’m coming back to a heart of worship, and it’s all about
You, all about You, Jesus
Many in our congregation, especially our pastor, were deeply
touched by the song. It became the basis of some of his sermons in the
following weeks. For truly worship is more than singing songs about loving the
Lord. It touched me also. It reminds me of Romans 12:1-2 which states that true
worship occurs when we yield up our bodies as living sacrifices.
Thus, my search to understand the biblical feasts and the
Lord’s Supper, along with the prayer for a true heart of worship led me to the
Internet to examine what my Messianic brothers had to say. I knew very little
about Messianic believers, but I knew I could find information about them on
the Internet. So, I performed a search and began to read what various Messianic
ministries had to say about the feasts, the Lord’s Supper, and many other
subjects.
One of the first articles I found was "Is Sunday the
Christian Sabbath?" Immediately I was confronted with a different
point of view. Using the same Scriptures that I had examined a month earlier
(during my study on the Lord’s Supper), the author proceeded to paint a totally
different picture about the Lord’s Supper as I understood it. I had to admit
that the author’s conclusions were probably founded more in truth than mine
were. In fact, I was so surprised at his conclusions, I quickly read articles on
other subjects such as Replacement Theology, Law vs. Grace, Sabbaths, The Old
and New Covenants, etc. After a few hours of getting a "thumbnail
sketch" of Messianic doctrine I saw that a great challenge loomed ahead.
One by one I discovered that what I’d believed and thought about those
doctrines may have been built upon wrong interpretations, translations and
traditions handed down from previous Church generations. I decided to do a more
thorough and systematic study of the various doctrines that I’d believed as a
Christian for the past 20 years. Furthermore, I decided to be a Berean and
search the Scriptures to see whether or not the information I read was true. I
decided to lay down my doctrine, my presuppositions, and my Christian worldview
and with all humility take the position of a learner. In other words, I did not
posture myself to read what my Messianic brothers had to say in order to gun
down their arguments. After all, they are my Messianic brothers in the faith. I
came to their teachings to learn--to learn whether or not their doctrines were
founded in truth. The more I read, the more convicted I became about so many
issues. The Holy Spirit opened my eyes to see the Scriptures as never before.
This present paper is a summary of what the Lord has taught me as I
"humbly sat at my Messianic brothers’ feet," to hear what the Lord
has taught them. I decided at the beginning of the study to allow the Lord to
break down any false doctrine or wrong ideas, and He truly has.
I would like to summarize what I’ve learned in the past few
months.
Before
showing you from the Scriptures why I’ve made the three assertions listed
above, I’d like to ask the following question. If you were alive when Yahshua
ministered, would you have stumbled at His teaching (new wine) or would you
have had the proper wineskin to accept the new wine He was pouring out? Think
about it. It’s easy to say yes until you consider that He did many, many things
that seemed to contradict the Jewish worldview of the time. He was truly
a stumbling block. He offended many people with His new wine. That’s
partly why He was rejected. Still think you wouldn’t have stumbled? Consider
this. At one point Yahshua had to tell the Jews that He didn’t come to
destroy the Law (Torah) and the Prophets. In other words, He was
telling them that He wasn’t some new "cult leader" trying to draw
people away from worship of the one and only true Elohim (God) of the Old
Covenant. You see, that’s what many people thought (especially the Jewish
leaders). Have you ever wondered why Yahshua had to make that statement? He had
to make that statement because 1) His actions and teachings did not fit the Jewish
man-made traditions, or theology of His day, and 2) He did things that seemed
to contradict their most sacred beliefs concerning the Law (Torah). For
example:
On and on. Everywhere He turned He demolished their
stereotypes and preconceptions. No wonder they rejected Him. Yahshua was truly
an offense to many Jews of His day. If you had seen Yahshua "break"
many of the commandments that you had been taught, would you have rejected Him
too? Think about it.
The point I’m trying to make is this. At Yahshua’s first
coming, His apparently new doctrines didn’t fit the theology of many of
the Jews, especially the leaders. So much so that He had to make it clear
to them that He hadn’t come to destroy the Law (Torah) and the Prophets.
The majority of the Jews missed it. They stumbled at the stone. They were
offended in Him. I have a question. Is it possible that right before His Second
Coming that we as Gentile Christians could somehow stumble? The Jews had
developed all of their doctrines and beliefs concerning the coming of the
Messiah and were waiting expectantly for His appearance. But what happened? He
appeared and the majority of Judaism didn’t recognize Him! For it was Yahshua
who said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring
you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes (Luke 19:42)."
Has human nature changed? Do we really think it will be
different for us at His Second coming? Since human nature is so predictable,
how many doctrines and commandments of men do we think have been developed and
handed down within Gentile Christianity that could cause us to stumble after
we’ve been confronted with a "new wine"? The information I’m about to
present may offend many. It is not an easy doctrine. However, I have wrestled
with it for three months now and I’m convinced that Yahweh has spoken clearly
by His Holy Spirit. First, I’d like to develop the following premise. The
original calling for Yahweh’s called out ones was to be one body where Gentiles
and Jews lived their faith together. When Gentile Christians left the
original calling to be in union with their Jewish brothers, they
left a Yahweh-given source of truth and fell victim to deceptions of "the
commandments and doctrines of men."
A BRIEF SURVEY OF EARLY CHURCH
HISTORY
The New Covenant Church spread through the known world with
the blood of the martyrs as its seed. For brevity I will not recount the New
Covenant passages that show how the world was turned upside down by the
preaching of Peter, Paul and the early believers. I offer the following brief
history of the Church from the time after the apostles died until about the
1500’s. These statements are easily verified in Church history books and in the
writings of the early Church Fathers.
Soon after the apostles died (and even while they were still
alive) the adversary began sowing seeds that would cause the Gentile believers
to separate from the Messianic believers. This can be demonstrated simply by
noting that the early Church Fathers began to introduce anti-Semitic
doctrines and practices. Some of these men were even contemporaries of
the Apostles! First, Israel's birthright as Yahweh’s chosen people was stolen.
The so-called Epistle of Barnabas (dated late first century or early second)
spiritualized the Old Covenant, claiming that it only prefigured Messiah and the
Church: "Do not add to your sins and say that the covenant is both theirs
and ours. Yes! It is ours; but they thus lost it forever." One of the most
eloquent Church Fathers, John Chrysostom (344-407), whose name means
"golden mouth," denounced the Jews in the strongest language:
"…most miserable of all men…lustful, rapacious, greedy, perfidious
bandits…inveterate murderers, destroyers, men possessed by the devil…debauchery
and drunkenness have given them the manners of the pig and the lusty goat…pests
of the universe…they have surpassed the ferocity of wild beasts, for they
murder their offspring."
From as early as the second century men in the Church began
to repress the Hebraic influence of the New Covenant and teach
anti-Semitic doctrines. I offer a few selected quotes from some of the
early Church Fathers and teachings.
"Christians must not judaize by resting on the
Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honoring the Lord's Day; and, if
they can, resting then as Christians. But if any shall be found to be
judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ."
"It is not lawful to receive portions sent from the
feasts of Jews or heretics, nor to feast together with them."
"It is not lawful to receive unleavened bread from
the Jews, nor to be partakers of their impiety."
Their teachings flourished and took root within the hearts
and minds of the early Gentile believers. Until the time of Constantine, Christians
had suffered many persecutions. However, after Constantine won the battle of
the Milvian Bridge he issued the Edict of Milan in 313 AD. Although this edict
did not make Christianity the official religion of the empire, he claimed to be
a Christian, put an end to Christian persecutions and put Christianity on an
equal footing before the law with other religions of the empire. Furthermore,
Constantine showered favors upon the Church. He granted large sums of money,
and erected magnificent Church buildings in numerous places (Jerusalem,
Bethlehem, Constantinople and other places) and granted many other privileges.
With a sitting Emperor confessing Christianity, it was no longer a shame to be
a Christian. Now, being a Christian could even secure great material and social
advantages such as political, military and social promotion. As a result many
heathens and pagans entered the Church. Of course they brought their pagan
influences with them. Because of the deepening spiritual vacuum of humble
leadership in the Church of the Western Roman Empire, the Church leaders were
more than happy to pacify the heathens by allowing them to continue their pagan
practices in the name of Christianity. As a result the heathens brought into
the Church numerous unscriptural practices and "doctrines of
men," which superceded the word of Yahweh and brought further
corruption and apostasy into the Church. Obviously, throughout Church history
Yahweh has always had a remnant of truly faithful followers. But they were
always the minority and always persecuted. At the same time theology was
translated into government policy by Constantine.
The final example of anti-Semitic teachings pertains to
Martin Luther. Martin Luther (1483-1546) originally favored the Jews in the
hope that they would accept his form of the faith, even praising their
contribution to Christianity. However, most people aren’t aware that later in
his life, when he did not succeed in converting the Jews, his attitude towards
them changed dramatically. The following are quotes taken from Martin Luther’s Concerning
the Jews and Their Lies (published 1542).
First,
that their synagogues be burned down, and that all who are able toss sulphur
and pitch; it would be good if someone could also throw in some hellfire...
Second,
that all their books--their prayer books, their Talmudic writings, also the
entire Bible--be taken from them, not leaving them one leaf, and that these be
preserved for those who may be converted...
Third,
that they be forbidden on pain of death to praise God, to give thanks, to pray,
and to teach publicly among us and in our country...
Fourth,
that they be forbidden to utter the name of God within our hearing. For we
cannot with a good conscience listen to this or tolerate it..."
I mention these facts not to condemn these men. I mention
them only to show that soon after the deaths of the apostles, the devil used
men to remove Hebraic influence from the expression of the New Covenant faith.
Furthermore, he used them to sow seeds of disdain for the Old Covenant Law
(Torah). This is unfortunate because history has shown that their disciples
learned and practiced their anti-Semitism, disdain for the Old Covenant and
spiritualization of Scripture. This will become important later, when I
demonstrate that the entirety of Scripture shows that believing Gentiles are to
partake in covenant relationship with Yahweh as they are nourished from
the Israelite/Hebraic root.
By the end of the fifth century the following unscriptural practices
and "doctrines of men" were deeply rooted within the Western
Roman church.
Most of us can readily understand the obvious dangers of the
"doctrines of men" listed above. What most of us don’t readily
realize is that repression of the Hebraic roots of the New Covenant has been
just as dangerous. In fact, if the Gentile Church had remained grounded in its
Hebraic roots, it possibly would not have succumbed to the "doctrines of
men" listed above. For now, I only ask that you consider the height from
which the Church fell (beginning at Pentecost until the fifth century). This is
easily done by comparing and contrasting the actions of the early Church as
recorded in the book of Acts with those of the Church exemplified in the 12
points listed above. By the 1500’s we can add the following items to the list
of unscriptural practices and "doctrines of men" engaged in by those
who called themselves followers of Christ.
It is obvious by any standard, that by the early
fifteenth century the condition of the Church was best described as APOSTATE.
Furthermore, it is easy to understand why the Reformation was necessary.
Surely, the prophecy of the Apostle Paul found a significant fulfillment in the
Church era just prior to the Reformation.
"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will
abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
2Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been
seared as with a hot iron. 3They forbid people to marry and order them to
abstain from certain foods . . ."
"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the
last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful,
proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without
love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the
good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of
God-- 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have
nothing to do with them."
WHAT LESSONS DO THE REFORMATION
TEACH US?
Again I repeat, history clearly shows that the condition of
the Western Roman Church (the root from which Protestantism sprang) was apostate
in direct fulfillment of Paul’s prophecy in first and second Timothy (this
however does not negate a future or present apostasy of similar or greater
proportions). This apostasy was due in large part to a replacement of Biblical
authority by doctrines of men and suppression of the Hebraic roots of the New
Covenant faith. The foundation for the Reformation was to be found in people
who cherished the belief that the only authority for true faith and doctrine
was the Bible. The Reformation occurred because people began to base their
convictions on the Word of Yahweh instead of upon decrees of men. Many truths
we take for granted today were unknown to most people before the Reformation
took place.
I personally believe it would be more correct to call the
Reformation the RESTORATION. In Acts 3:19-21 Peter states
" Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that
times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20and that he may send the Messiah,
who has been appointed for you--even Yahshua. 21He must remain in heaven
until the time comes for God to RESTORE everything, as he promised long ago
through his holy prophets." As this verse clearly teaches, the Lord
will not come back until the restoration of all things. Back in Deuteronomy
29-30 Moses prophesied over the children of Israel concerning what would happen
to them in the latter days. He told of all the curses of the Law (Torah) that
would befall them. But he also told them that in the last days Yahweh would
restore them from all of the nations where he had dispersed them. He would
circumcise their hearts so that they would serve Him. No one can doubt that
Yahweh began to speed this process along when he regathered the nation of
Israel in 1948, after nearly 2000 years of wandering in the desert of the
nations. Since 1967 there has been an on-going revival amongst Jewish people.
Yahweh in His sovereignty is opening their eyes to see Yahshua as their Messiah.
Was this not prophesied in Ezekiel 37:1-10:
"1The
hand of Yahweh was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of Yahweh and
set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2He led me back and
forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley,
bones that were very dry. 3He asked me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ I
said, ‘O Sovereign LORD, you alone know.’ 4Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to
these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of Yahweh! 5This is what
the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you
will come to life. 6I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you
and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life.
Then you will know that I am Yahweh.’ ’ 7So I prophesied as I was commanded.
And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones
came together, bone to bone. 8I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them
and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. 9Then he said to me,
‘Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, This is what the
Sovereign LORD says: ‘Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into
these slain, that they may live.’ ’ 10So I prophesied as he commanded me, and
breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet--a vast
army."
Note how Israel is depicted as a valley of dry bones with no
flesh and no life. Is this not a prophetic picture of the nation of Israel over
the past 2000 years after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD by Titus and
their dispersion in 135 AD by Hadrian? The nation was dead, not a nation for
2000 years, truly a valley of dry bones. Then, the flesh coming onto the bones
symbolizes the restoration of the nation as a physical entity in 1948. But this
was only a physical restoration of the nation, not spiritual, for they hadn’t
had their hearts circumcised to receive their Messiah. But beginning around
1967 Yahweh started a revival amongst the Jewish people worldwide. The breath
(spirit) coming into the dead bodies symbolizes this. Paul taught that the
physical/natural comes first before the spiritual. First the dead, dispersed
nation of Israel was resurrected physically in 1948. Now we are witnessing the
spiritual rebirth of the nation as hundreds of thousands of Jews find true
faith in their Messiah.
We should also expect that there would be a restoration
within Gentile Christianity too. Why? Because the history of the Church
parallels the history of the nation of Israel in many ways. At the birth of the
nation of Israel and for a few hundred years afterward, the presence of the
Glory of Yahweh remained in Jerusalem. Then, after the apostasy of Solomon, the
nation quickly fell into decline and division. So likewise, the Church of the
book of Acts was powerful and turned its world upside down. But just like
Israel, it left its first love through sin and apostasy, which led to decline
and division. And how great that division has been. Since we know that Yahshua
is coming back for a bride without spot or wrinkle, what needed to happen to
that apostate Church of the 1500’s? It needed to be restored! I submit to you
that what we call the Reformation was a sovereign move of Yahweh to restore His
Bride so that eventually when He comes she will be without spot or wrinkle.
This came about as He sovereignly raised up men to restore truth that had been
lost because of the deceptions of the traditions and doctrines of men. All of
the great men of the Reformation helped restore truth. In fact most of the
current denominations broke away from the Roman Catholic Church so that they
could practice the new truths that Yahweh had shown them. This is a very
important observation. In Yahweh’s dealings with His people, if the group He
has established does not fulfill His will, He will raise up a new group of
people, anoint them to fulfill His purposes and set the previous group aside.
For example:
Each Reformer had a morsel of truth. Yahweh didn’t give any
one man all truths. Here’s a small sampling.
Other truths taught by the Reformers are as follows:
Please notice that none of the items listed above is a new
revelation. This is a very important point. Please make a mental note of what
I’m saying. None of the points listed above is new revelation. They were
already in the Bible! They were truths that existed in the Bible all through
the dark ages. So why couldn’t anyone see them earlier? Well, I’m not 100 percent
sure, but it was probably because many in the Church weren’t saved. Many didn’t
know the Scriptures. Many who knew the Scriptures possibly didn’t believe them.
Lastly, and very importantly, many people based their faith and worldview
entirely on the doctrines of men that had been passed down to them. Thus, when
the Reformers came and said, "Indulgences are wrong…We are all
priests…We’re saved by faith through grace…Purgatory doesn’t exist…Penance is
wrong etc. …" many rejected them because the reformers’ message was
foreign to their paradigms. In other words, the Western Roman Church was so
steeped in paganism and salvation by works that when Luther said salvation is
not by works but by faith, they thought he was crazy. Sound familiar? Sure it
does. The religious leaders of Yahshua’s time rejected Him because He didn’t
fit the mould of their religious worldview. He didn’t teach the Scriptures as
they did, neither did He live His life according to the traditions of men, but
according to the word of Yahweh. They had believed a lie for so long, they
couldn’t receive the truth, so they persecuted that which they didn’t
understand.
So the Reformation continued. But a strange thing happened.
The Reformers couldn’t agree with each other. Some Reformers felt others hadn’t
gone far enough to distance themselves from the Western Roman Church. Well, to
make a long story shorter, the result of the Reformation was the formation of
many denominations. When one group didn’t agree with the established order,
they’d start a new movement. This is where we see another principle. When one
group sees a truth that they can’t practice within the establishment, they need
to go out of the establishment to practice the new truth. For example:
Unfortunately, as Yahweh continued to restore more truths to
the Church, the Church continued to splinter because the previous movement
couldn’t handle the "new wine" of the next movement. Thus, was the
Reformation. Hmmm. Was? That’s right, what do we mean, was?
Most Christians look at the Reformation as something that occurred,
past tense. You know, history! Well, I don’t think that the Reformation was an
event that ended! I believe it’s still occurring! In fact, I don’t think
Yahweh will stop restoring truths (truths we were blinded to because of wrong
theology and/or traditions of men) until, when? Until we as His body are one!
The oneness spoken of by Yahshua in John 17, as He is in the Father and as the
Father is in Him. The Reformation began in 1517 with Martin Luther’s 95 theses
nailed to the Castle Church Door in Wittenberg and it will continue until the
Bride has made herself ready to receive her Groom. In fact, that’s why we’re
experiencing this Restoration; to enable us to prepare ourselves to receive
Yahshua. Let me show you further evidence that Yahweh’s Restoration continued
throughout this century and is still occurring.
Remember what happened at the turn of the century when
Yahweh poured out the Holy Spirit on Azuza Street? Many of the established
main-line denominational Churches rejected the experience of the Baptism of the
Holy Spirit as from the devil, choosing instead to believe that the experience
had passed away with the Apostles. The newly Spirit-baptized believers couldn’t
practice speaking in tongues in the established Churches, so now we have
Pentecostals. Then Pentecostals gave rise to Charismatics. Note how Yahweh has
recently used different groups to restore praise and worship. Note also how He
has been restoring the five-fold ministry (seemingly in reverse order) since
the Reformation era. First teachers, to teach His word to people who hadn’t
known His word for centuries. Then pastors to care for the newly formed
Protestant congregations. Evangelists were next and continue even until now.
Prophetic ministry got a big push by the Spirit in the 1970’s. I’m not saying
that Yahweh hasn’t had these ministry gifts functioning all along. But clearly
He seems to have emphasized and/or breathed new life into various truths and
gifts as it has seemed fit to Him. So you see, the Restoration continues. The
tendency has been for each group to receive restoration of a truth only to sit
on it, thinking that they’d arrived. This posture is one of pride, and it
prevents us from receiving new truths that the Lord may be restoring. If we
continue to resist, He will just pour the blessing out on someone else who will
receive it. Consider the Holy Spirit Baptism. Many in the Church still think
it’s not a valid experience. Many of us know it’s valid because we’ve
experienced it. However, the greatest proof of the validity of the Holy Spirit
Baptism is the testimony of Scripture itself. The truth of the Baptism in the
Holy Spirit has been recorded in the Bible for almost 2000 years (even hundreds
more if you include the Old Covenant prophesies), yet without the work of the
Spirit of Truth illuminating our minds, we would never see or understand the
Scriptures. One of the most amazing Scriptures in the entire Bible is in Luke
24:45 "Then he opened their minds so they could understand the
Scriptures." This verse implies that without the Holy Spirit shining
His light on a particular aspect of Yahweh’s revelation, we would never see it.
This is even more staggering when you consider that Yahshua told the
disciples over and over in plain language that He would need to suffer,
die and be raised on the third day! See how needy we truly are. This is so
important to grasp! The disciples had the testimony of the Old Covenant and
Yahshua the Messiah himself telling them for three and a half years that He
needed to suffer, die and be resurrected! Yet, they did not believe, neither
did they understand until He supernaturally opened their eyes to see and
understand what had been written and what He had told them. I have a question
for you. Can you receive the fact that maybe in these last days Yahweh wants to
restore another truth that’s been in the Word for almost 2000 years? A truth
that hasn’t been well understood for 2000 years since the Apostles died?
Note, in each movement of Yahweh, people had to make choices
between continuing with their current traditions or breaking away to embrace
something that was new, and usually radically different from their previous
experience. The children of Israel’s choice not to go into the promised land
and their longing to go back to Egypt became the reason why they missed
Yahweh’s new move into the promised land. As the writer of Hebrews tells us,
they died in the wilderness for their inability to have ears to hear. When
Yahweh took His anointing off Saul and placed it on David, David’s best friend,
Jonathan, made a choice to stay with his father Saul instead of attaching
himself to David as many other men had. His family relationship to his father
was more important to him than going with Yahweh’s new move. He paid for it
with his physical life. When the Jews rejected Yahshua because His "new
doctrine" was against the traditions they’d grown up with, they made the
ultimate stumble into eternal damnation. When the Catholic Church rejected
Martin Luther’s "new doctrine" many of them probably sealed their
eternal fate since many thought they were saved by their works. If they
had only listened to Luther, perhaps more of them would have listened long
enough to catch the revelation that we are only saved by grace through faith.
Many truly born-again believers who’ve rejected the Baptism in the Holy Spirit
have missed out on a blessing. They stumbled because the restored truth wasn’t
what they’d been taught or used to. I’m not trying to sound macabre by
insinuating that anyone who doesn’t go with Yahweh’s new move is lost. I’m only
saying that for some people eternal salvation could be at stake, whereas for
others (and probably most) Yahweh’s blessings, eternal rewards and/or
maturation in Messiah may be at stake. It is a surety that people have
forfeited present and/or future rewards and blessings because they didn’t have
ears to hear the Spirit calling them to a restored truth.
So, here are some one million dollar questions.
THE MESSIANIC MOVEMENT: IS IT OF MEN
OR OF YAHWEH?
In Romans chapters 9 – 11 Paul makes it clear that:
Many Christians today are aware of the fact that Yahweh is
not through with the nation of Israel. One of the most staggering events since
the creation of the earth occurred in 1948. A resurrection occurred. No, not a
resurrection of a biological entity. A resurrection of a nation occurred! How
can a people, who were dispersed throughout the entire world 2000 years ago,
become a nation again? Even Yahweh himself represented the nation of Israel as
a valley of "dry bones." This re-gathering of the nation of Israel
ignited the faith of many Christians this century. On the other hand, many
Christians, especially the theologian types, were shocked. You see, many
Christians have believed the Replacement Theology "doctrine of
man," which unfortunately started with the Church Fathers (note the inherent
anti-Semitism in the examples listed earlier). In a nutshell, Replacement
Theology states that when the Jews rejected Yahshua, Yahweh rejected the Jews.
Currently Yahweh’s people are the "Church" and in order for a Jew to
be saved, they need to reject their Hebraic heritage and become engrafted into
a Gentile tree. Sounds a little backward doesn’t it. The re-establishment of
Israel as a nation caused many eyebrows to raise in 1948. In 1967 the Jews
recaptured the city of Jerusalem against all odds in the six-day war of 1967.
Once again Yahweh was proving that the "gifts and callings of Yahweh are
irrevocable" as stated in Romans 11:29. Now I have one question for you.
Over the centuries, how many Jews has Gentile Christianity brought to saving
faith in Yahshua the Messiah? Not very many. In fact, when you consider that
some of the Jews’ most severe persecutions and pogroms were delivered to them
in the name of Jesus Christ, "the Gentile Savior," it’s a wonder that
any Jews get saved! We may not realize this, but to most unbelieving Jews the
name Jesus Christ and the religion of Christianity is synonymous with refuse.
You see, of all people, the Jews know their history. And the persecutions
delivered to them and their forefathers by the Gentile Church in the name of
Jesus Christ are still open, unhealed, festering wounds.
Now may I ask, how many Jewish people have been brought to
the Lord since 1967? I don’t have definitive numbers yet, but it’s staggering.
Something happened in 1967 in the spiritual realm after the Jews recaptured
Jerusalem. Jews began coming to faith in their Messiah in remarkable numbers.
Until I can get my hands on concrete numbers please except these estimates.
According to an acquaintance who works for Chosen People Ministries (a Messianic
Jewish Outreach Ministry to Jewish people), in 1975 there were only three
Messianic Jewish congregations worldwide! Today, a mere 24 years later, there
are literally hundreds of Messianic Jewish congregations worldwide.
Furthermore, literally THOUSANDS of Jews have come to
faith in their Messiah Yahshua in those same 24 years. Hmmm. That’s
interesting. Think of the ramifications of those numbers. The current revival
within Jewish people is staggering, with enormous implications. Paul stated
that "blindness in part" had come upon Jews until the "fullness
of the Gentiles" had come in. The majority of these Messianic Jews meet in
Messianic synagogues on the Sabbath. They keep the feasts of the Old Covenant
and they are Torah observant. Now I have another question. Is the Messianic
movement of Yahweh or of men? Do you remember the first Messianic movement? It
occurred on the day of Pentecost in the Book of Acts. In Acts 5:38,
Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law (Torah) had this to say about the new Messianic
movement:
"Therefore,
in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if
their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39But if it
is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find
yourselves fighting against God."
I mention this Scripture only to show that we should at
least wonder whether or not the Messianic movement is of Yahweh or not. After
all, if the formation of the nation of Israel (physical restoration) was a
miracle, then how much more a miracle is the salvation of the Jewish people
(spiritual restoration). I believe the Messianic movement is of Yahweh.
However, it raises more questions:
The answer to question one is simple. In order for a Jewish
person to meet their Messiah in a Gentile Christian context, they would need to
give up their Hebraic heritage. You don’t think so. Oh yes they do. You see,
Messianics say that we should be worshipping on the Sabbath. Messianics say
that we should be keeping the biblical feasts. Messianics say that the Old
Covenant Law (Torah) is still the standard for New Covenant behavior. Not so
with Gentile Christians. Our day of worship is Sunday, our "feasts"
are Christmas, Easter etc., and realistically our standard of righteousness is
the New Covenant only ("for we are not under Law but
grace"); all are incompatible with the Hebraic roots of our Messianic
brothers. The answer to question two is also simple. The New Covenant was, is
and will always be intimately associated with the land, people and Scriptures
of Israel regardless of whether or not we Gentiles understand. To the extent
that we Gentiles try to replace the inherent Hebraic context of the New
Covenant, to that extent we err from the truth. I’ve already given a few
examples of teachings by the early Church Fathers and Church council decisions
that effectively removed the Hebraic roots from New Covenant worship as
practiced by Gentile believers.
As I’ve stated above, Yahshua is only coming back for a
bride that is without spot or wrinkle, a bride who is one, even as the Son and
the Father are one. Do we see oneness now? No. What we see is a Gentile Church
divided 1000 different ways and each of those 1000 denominations is totally different
from their Messianic brothers (who, by the way are also divided in various
ways). I submit that Yahweh will have His way. But which
"way" is it going to be. There are three possibilities, but only one
reality:
Obviously, option three is out. Option three cannot be true
because it doesn’t satisfy the condition that we be ONE in Messiah. The Father,
Yahshua and the Holy Spirit are not confused. He isn’t the author of the
diverse manner in which Messianic believers and Gentiles currently worship and
express their faith. Therefore, it seems that options one and two need to be
weighed in the balance of truth. The only standard of truth is the Bible. I
stated towards the beginning that as I studied what my Messianic brothers had
to say about New Covenant faith and worship, I was deeply convicted.
YAHWEH’S RESTORATION THROUGH THE
MESSIANIC MOVEMENT
I believe the Messianic movement is a Yahweh-ordained
restoration movement to restore the following truths:
And here is where the rubber meets the road. It’s very easy
for us to look back at the historical Reformation and see how Yahweh raised up
men and women to restore truths that had been hidden due to incorrect theology
and doctrines/traditions of men. But are we able to be confronted with Yahweh’s
truth, even though we think we already have it? Will we stumble as so many
previous people did when they were confronted with truth that didn’t line up
with their worldviews or traditions? For the most part Gentile Christianity is
impotent to reach orthodox Jews. Why is that? For one thing unsaved Jews hate
anything associated with Christianity because traditionally
"Christians" have been their most vehement persecutors. Is our
message missing something? Could it be that in these last days Yahweh has
restored truth to the Messianic believers to deliver to the Gentiles? Might
Yahweh have passed over the Gentile Christian movement to accomplish His task
of bringing salvation to the Jewish people? Will the traditions and doctrines
of the Church Fathers and Reformers prevent us from understanding Yahweh’s
restored truth concerning His feasts, Sabbath rest, worship and Old Covenant
Law (Torah)? Will Gentile Christians eventually persecute Messianic believers
because of our stubbornness in not coming to a "Gentile Root"? These
are sobering, serious questions. We must have ears to hear what the Spirit is
saying. Typically, Yahweh doesn’t shout, "Hey, this is a restoration movement
from Me!" We have the responsibility of discerning the times. When we see
literally thousands of Jews being brought into the Kingdom of God, it’s up to
us to ask the appropriate questions.
I hope that no one is offended in me because of who I am and
what I’m not. I’m just Tony Robinson, no one special. I’m not Billy Graham or
John Wesley. Nevertheless, if Yahweh can use a donkey to speak His truth then
perhaps He can use me. I’m simply giving my testimony to anyone who will
listen. To whomever reads this, I do not present this information in a spirit
of pride, but one of humility. Previously I either didn’t understand what I’m
presenting now or I didn’t believe it myself. That’s
right. I’ve been on both sides of the fence now. I know most of the arguments
against what I’m about to present because I used them. As I searched the
Scriptures in a spirit of humility, Yahweh’s Holy Spirit opened my eyes to His
Truth. I will not argue with anyone about this subject, but I will dialogue in
a spirit of meekness and love. This document is intended as a reference source
to those who seek the truth. Only Yahweh can shine His light of truth. I know
there’s nothing I can do to open anyone’s eyes. My purpose in writing this
position paper was to put together a somewhat comprehensive and scriptural
explanation/proof of the points listed in one through eight above. Hopefully, I
have provided the relevant questions and Scriptures necessary for you to make
your own assessment. Please don’t read this with the purpose of finding
evidence to prove me wrong. The Bereans of Acts 17:10-11 were noble because they
searched to see if what Paul said was true. They didn’t seek to prove
what he said was wrong. You will never understand a truth that
you previously rejected if you’re busy trying to disprove what you’re reading.
I exhort you to only use Scripture to come to your conclusions, not emotions.
In a real way, this position paper is meant for those who want to go back to
the New Covenant pattern as a basis of living their faith. That’s something you
must decide for yourself. The assertions and proof-texts in this paper will not
be consistent with non-Biblical tradition. So forget tradition for a while and
only accept what the Old and New Covenants have to say. Then let’s see if we
wind up at the same conclusion. May Yahweh bless you in the name of Yahshua the
Messiah.
The Old Covenant FORESHADOWING OF
UNITY WITHIN YAHWEH’S ASSEMBLY
Even
though the Old Covenant was made with the Israelite people, Yahweh provided a
way for believing Gentiles to be brought into covenant relationship with Him.
But it was always in a context of Gentiles leaving their pagan gods to worship
with the Israelite people as ONE assembly. First, I’d like to show that even in
the Old Covenant Yahweh allowed aliens (Gentiles) to be ONE with the
Israelites. It should be generally understood that the Old Covenant was made
with the Israelites, so I won’t bother to demonstrate that point. The fact that
Yahweh allowed Gentiles to be saved as part of the Old Covenant (if they joined
with Israel) is a foreshadowing of the two, Gentile and Jew,
worshipping as ONE in Yahshua. The point I’m making is this. If Israelites and
Gentiles worshiped together as ONE under the Old Covenant, how much more
are we to worship as ONE in the New Covenant (Ephesians 2:15b-16
"… His purpose was to create in himself one new man
out of the two, thus making peace, 16and in this one body to reconcile both
of them to Yahweh through the cross, by which he put to death their
hostility"). The following sections are provided to show the Old
Covenant foreshadowing of Jew/Israelite and Gentile/Non-Israelite as ONE in
covenant relationship with Yahweh.
Importance
of the Old Covenant--It is an amazing fact that everything written in
the New Covenant was already taught, typified, demonstrated or prophesied in
the Old Covenant. That’s right, every New Covenant doctrine, commandment, etc.,
was taught in some manner in the Old Covenant. Therefore, we should be able to
establish any doctrine based on the testimony of two witnesses (the Old
and New Covenants). Thus, I will used both the Old and New Covenants to
substantiate all of my assertions.
The Old
Covenant Laws (Torah) applied equally between Israelites and the aliens
(Gentiles) living among them. There was no difference.
"The whole community of Israel must celebrate it. 48
‘An alien living among you who wants to celebrate Yahweh's Passover must
have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one
born in the land. No uncircumcised male may eat of it. 49The same law
applies to the native-born and to the alien living among you.’"
"Then Moses commanded them: At the end of every seven
years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Feast of Tabernacles, 11when
all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place he will
choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing. 12Assemble the
people--men, women and children, and the aliens living in your towns--so
they can listen and learn to fear Yahweh your God and follow carefully all the
words of this law. 13Their children, who do not know this law, must
hear it and learn to fear Yahweh your God as long as you live in the land you
are crossing the Jordan to possess."
"This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the
tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work--whether
native-born or an alien living among you-- 30because on this day
atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you."
"An alien living among you who wants to celebrate
Yahweh's Passover must do so in accordance with its rules and regulations. You
must have the same regulations for the alien and the native-born."
"The community is to have the same rules for you
and for the alien living among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the
generations to come. You and the alien shall be the same before Yahweh:
16The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the alien
living among you."
.’ And let not any eunuch complain, ‘I am only a dry tree.’
4For this is what Yahweh says: ‘To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose
what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant-- 5to them I will give within my
temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I
will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off. 6And
foreigners who bind themselves to Yahweh to serve him, to love the name of
Yahweh, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and
who hold fast to my covenant-- 7these I will bring to my holy mountain and give
them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be
accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all
nations. 8The Sovereign LORD declares--he who gathers the exiles of Israel: I
will gather still others to them besides those already gathered.’"
Yahweh
defined the Old Covenant community of Israel as those who were native-born
(Israelite) and the aliens (Gentiles).
". . . And whoever eats anything with yeast in it must
be cut off from the community of Israel, whether he is an alien or
native-born."
"The LORD will have compassion on Jacob; once again he
will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land. Aliens will
join them and unite with the house of Jacob."
"All Israel, aliens and citizens alike,
with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark
of the covenant. . . There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that
Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women
and children, and the aliens who lived among them."
The
terms/conditions of the Old Covenant applied to the aliens (Gentiles) also.
"These are the terms of the covenant
Yahweh commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in Moab, in addition to the
covenant he had made with them at Horeb. 2Moses summoned all the Israelites and
said to them . . . All of you are standing today in the presence
of Yahweh your God --your leaders and chief men, your elders and officials, and
all the other men of Israel, 11together with your children and your wives, and
the aliens living in your camps who chop your wood and carry your water.
12You are standing here in order to enter into a covenant with Yahweh
your God, a covenant Yahweh is making with you this day and sealing with an
oath …"
Yahweh
said that aliens would inherit a portion of the land.
"You are to distribute this land among yourselves
according to the tribes of Israel. 22You are to allot it as an
inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens who have settled among you and
who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along
with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.
23In whatever tribe the alien settles, there you are to give him his
inheritance, declares the Sovereign LORD."
Remember
that Joshua and Caleb were the only two Israelites who left Egypt that were
allowed to enter the promised land. Caleb was not a native Israelite (Genesis
15:18-20 with Numbers 32:12).
"To your descendants I give this land, from the river
of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates-- 19the land of the
Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20Hittites, Perizzites,
Rephaites, 21Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites …" Numbers
32:12 "… not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite
and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed Yahweh wholeheartedly."
Even in
the New Covenant we see that believing Gentiles who had become Israelite
proselytes met with the Jews, on the Sabbath, in the
Synagogue. Note, the Gentiles weren’t meeting apart from the Jews,
on a different day, in a different place.
"On the Sabbath they entered the
synagogue and sat down. 15After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the
synagogue rulers sent word to them, saying, "Brothers, if you have a
message of encouragement for the people, please speak." 16Standing up,
Paul motioned with his hand and said: "Men of Israel and you
Gentiles who worship God, listen to me!"
"Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God
-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been
sent."
"As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue,
and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
3explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead.
‘This Yahshua I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,’ he said. 4Some of the
Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God
-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women."
"Every Sabbath he reasoned in the
synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks."
"When the Gentiles heard this,
they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for
eternal life believed."
Yahweh
has always called Gentiles to leave their religion and unite with His people to
worship with them as ONE. Gentiles who worshiped Yahweh in the Old and New
Covenants left their gods and joined with Israel in worship of the one and only
true Elohim (God).
This is
THE classic Old Covenant passage that shows Ruth as a type of Gentile
believer. She united herself to Naomi who represents the children of Israel
and was later married to Boaz the Kinsman-Redeemer, a type of Messiah. Notice,
she said that Naomi’s God would be her God and Naomi’s people would be her
people. To the extent that we Gentile Christians worship apart from Messianic
believers, are we saying "your God will be my God, but I don’t want to
have your people as my people?" I believe Yahweh wants us Gentiles to have
the same mind in us that Ruth had. I will paraphrase what Ruth said in the New
Covenant reality that her life foreshadows: "May Yahweh deal with us, be
it ever so severely, if anything but death separates us Gentiles from you
Jews/Israelites."
UNITY WITHIN Yahweh’s ASSEMBLY
EXPRESSED IN THE NEW COVENANT
Unfortunately,
Messianic believers and Gentile Christians are not ONE. As I’ve stated earlier,
I believe Yahweh is using Messianic believers to restore certain truths to the
body of Messiah. One of these truths is that Yahweh wants Messianic believers
and Gentile Christians to be ONE. Why? Because we are one in Messiah. It is
awesome that many Gentile Christians go through great lengths to break down
racial walls (and rightfully so). This is noble and should be done; however,
does the New Covenant put an emphasis on Gentile Christians breaking down
racial walls between Gentiles? Obviously, the more racial walls that come down
the better. But is that how Yahweh meant it to be. I submit to you that the
wall the New Covenant talks about breaking down is the wall between Jew and
Gentile. That should prick our spiritual curiosity. In numerous places Yahweh’s
word mentions that Jew and Gentile are to be ONE; however, the division between
Jewish believers and Gentile believers is readily evident. The only reason that
the Jew/Gentile wall exists is because approximately 2000 years ago (after the
Apostles died) Gentiles departed from the Hebraic roots of their faith. The
result? Anti-Semitism, Inquisitions, pogroms and persecution of Jews by Gentile
"Christians" in the name of Jesus Christ. This wall must be broken
down, for it is a strong wall that truly thwarts Yahweh’s end-time purposes.
Did this wall exist in the New Covenant Church? A brief survey of the New
Covenant, our only pattern for living our faith, shows that Jewish/Israelite
and Gentile believers were ONE. They worshipped together, ate together,
celebrated the feasts together, kept the Sabbath together and kept the Law
(Torah) together (more on that later).
Despite
the separation we currently see between Messianic believers and Gentile
Christians, The New Covenant shows that Yahweh’s original intent was for
Jew and Gentile to be united as One New Man. The only pattern we should seek
must be based on the New Covenant pattern. Even if our current experience
demonstrates a polarization of Messianic believers and Gentile Christians, and
even if the Christian Church Fathers preached a separation of the two, may the
New Covenant example be true. According to the New Covenant pattern,
did Gentile believers worship in union with or apart from Jewish believers? I
submit to you that if the New Covenant pattern shows (as already demonstrated
by the Old Covenant) that Yahweh’s intention was that the two worship as one,
then each of us has a responsibility to re-establish that pattern as best we
can. What Yahweh has put together let no man put asunder!
The New
Covenant shows that Yahweh’s pattern is for believing Gentiles to be cleansed
by faith, made equal partakers in the New Covenant, and joined as ONE with the
Jewish people (as typified by Ruth). The flow is always Gentiles INTO the
Israelite root. The end result is always ONE fold comprised of Jews AND
Gentiles; not two folds with Jews meeting separate from Gentiles. The vision
that Yahweh wants us to see is that if He treats us as ONE, then we should
treat each other as ONE.
"God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them
by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9He made no
distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by
faith."
"I have other sheep [Gentiles] that are not
of this sheep pen [Jews]. I must bring them also. They too will listen
to my voice, and there shall be one flock [not two separate
flocks] and one shepherd."
"Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest
that year, spoke up, ‘You know nothing at all! 50You do not realize that it is
better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation
perish.’ 51He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he
prophesied that Yahshua would die for the Jewish nation, 52and not only for
that nation but also for the scattered children of God
[Gentiles], to bring them together and make them one [not two
separate flocks]."
"If some of the branches have been broken off, and you,
though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and
now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18do not boast over those
branches."
"Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles
by birth and called ‘uncircumcised’ by those who call themselves ‘the
circumcision’ (that done in the body by the hands of men)-- 12remember that at
that time you were separate from Messiah, excluded from citizenship in
Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and
without God in the world. 13But now in Yahshua the Messiah you who once were
far away have been brought near through the blood of Messiah. 14For
he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier,
the dividing wall of hostility, 15by abolishing in his flesh the law with its
commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one
new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16and in this one body to reconcile
both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their
hostility. 17He came and preached peace to you who were far away and
peace to those who were near. 18For through him we both have access to the
Father by one Spirit. 19Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens,
but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household
…"
This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are
heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers
together in the promise in Yahshua the Messiah."
The New
Covenant shows that Jewish proselytes and God -fearing Gentiles/
"proselytes at the gate" met together on the Sabbath in the
synagogues. A proselyte was a Gentile who converted to Old Covenant Judaism by
1) circumcision, 2) immersion in the mikveh [ritual bath] and 3) offering a
sacrifice. A God-fearer, also known as a "proselyte at the gate," was
a Gentile who had been drawn to Judaism but for whatever reason hadn’t
undergone conversion. My goal in this section is to show that when the Gospel
was presented to the God-fearing Gentiles and the Jews, Gentiles were
already worshiping with Jews (under the Old Covenant) as one.
Therefore, it’s not too hard to believe that those Jews and Gentiles who later
believed in Yahshua would continue to meet together is it? Doesn’t spiritual
common sense tell us that it would be just as easy (in fact easier) for Jew and
Gentile to worship as one under the New Covenant than under the Old Covenant?
Note below how often the New Covenant says they met together, in the
synagogue on the Sabbath.
"After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue
rulers sent word to them, saying, ‘Brothers, if you have a message of
encouragement for the people, please speak.’ 16Standing up, Paul motioned with
his hand and said: ‘Men of Israel and you Gentiles who worship
God, listen to me!’"
"Brothers, children of Abraham, and you
God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has
been sent."
"As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue,
the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next
Sabbath. 43When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews
and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked
with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God. 44On the
next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the
Lord. 45When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked
abusively against what Paul was saying."
"At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into
the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great
number of Jews and Gentiles believed."
"As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue,
and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the
Scriptures, 3explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise
from the dead. ‘This Yahshua I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,’ he said.
4Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a
large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women."
"So he reasoned in the synagogue [by
implication on a Sabbath] with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks,
as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be
there."
"Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue,
trying to persuade Jews and Greeks."
"Paul entered the synagogue and spoke
boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the
kingdom of God. 9But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and
publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him
and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10This went on for
two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the
province of Asia heard the word of the Lord."
These verses
show quite conclusively that many of the Greeks/Gentiles who believed were
already worshiping with the Jews in synagogues on the Sabbath. As an aside: It’s
a good thing that the Old Covenant Gentile believers didn’t worship apart from
the Jews on Sunday’s. They wouldn’t have been present to hear Paul’s message of
salvation in Yahshua.
These
Scriptures show that the original Church in Antioch expected the New Covenant
Gentiles to worship with the Jews together, in synagogues on the Sabbath.
The
advice given in verse 19 is curious and almost strange for our 20th
century minds/worldviews. If you brought someone to Yahshua would you tell them
to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat
of strangled animals and from blood? Not exactly what I think a new believer in
Charlotte, NC needs to know. But what if you visualize yourself as a
Torah-observant Messianic Jew (like those believing Pharisees in
verse five) still obeying kosher laws. And what if Gentiles who know nothing
about kosher laws are now expected to worship and fellowship with you?
Furthermore, realize that those four prohibitions in verse 20 were widely
practiced by Gentiles of that time. That behavior could cause some friction
couldn’t it? I think these guidelines were given as practical requirements for
fellowship between the believing Jews and Gentiles. A Gentile who participated
in any of these practices would quickly offend his Jewish brothers. It was
practical advice. And note that each requirement was taken from the Old
Covenant Law (Torah) that we’ve supposedly been freed from.
The
advice given in verse 21 is also strange unless you realize that the Gentiles
were expected to meet with the Jews, in the synagogues on Sabbaths. It only
makes sense that a new Gentile convert wouldn’t know anything about Yahweh’s
word (remember, the Scriptures they had at the time were the Old Covenant
Scriptures). He wouldn’t know how to practically live out his new faith
except by learning. This is exactly what verse 21 is stating. Verses 19 – 21
are simply stating this:
It is
not right for anyone to force you to become circumcised and trust in works for
your salvation. You Gentile believers need time to learn Yahweh’s word so that
you’ll know how to live your faith. For now please just follow these four
simple guidelines which are given to prevent conflict between you and the
believing Jews. As you learn the word of Yahweh by attending synagogue on the
Sabbaths you’ll learn what Yahweh requires of you.
The New Covenant was made with
israel, not with Gentiles
What is
a Covenant? A covenant is a legal agreement or contract between two or more
parties. Covenants contain the following elements:
I would
like to focus in on one aspect of the New Covenant--the parties. According
to the Bible, who are the parties involved in the New Covenant? Obviously,
Yahweh is one of the parties, so I will offer no scriptural proof. But who is
the other party? In the sections below I would like to provide scriptural
evidence that the other party to the New Covenant is Israel. Note, I said
Israel, not Gentiles (although I will show later that Yahweh has always
provided a way for Gentiles to be partakers of His covenants). This is
foundational to all that I present. This point needs to be understood, grasped,
believed and written within our hearts as THE TRUTH.
Old
Covenant Examples--This is the classic Old Covenant passage that identifies who
the New Covenant will be made with. This passage explicitly states with whom
the New Covenant will be made.
"The time is coming, declares Yahweh, when I will make a
New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the
house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their
forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because
they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them, declares Yahweh. This
is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that
time, declares Yahweh. I will put my law in their minds and write it on their
hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man
teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know Yahweh,’ because they
will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares Yahweh. For
I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
New
Covenant Examples--Yahshua explicitly stated that the New Covenant (with its
promise of salvation) was from the Jews for the Jews.
"I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen.
I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one
flock and one shepherd."
"You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship
what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews." This
statement by Yahshua is profound. As the Eternal Son of Yahweh, through whom
all men must receive forgiveness of sins, He would have been justified in
saying, "salvation is from Me." But He didn’t. He said it was from
the Jews!
"And you are heirs of the prophets and of the
covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through
your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ 26When God raised
up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning
each of you from your wicked ways."
"Leaving that place, Yahshua withdrew to the region of
Tyre and Sidon. 22A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out,
‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from
demon-possession.’ 23Yahshua did not answer a word. So his disciples came to
him and urged him, ‘Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.’ 24He
answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.’
25The woman came and knelt before him. ‘Lord, help me!’ she said. 26He replied,
‘It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs.’
27 ‘Yes, Lord,’ she said, ‘but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from
their masters' table.’"
"For if there had been nothing wrong with that first
covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8But God found fault
with the people and said: ‘The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will
make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.’"
Both
Old and New Covenants confirm that the New Covenant is made with the people of
Israel, not Gentiles.
Gentiles Must Be Grafted Into the
Olive Tree of Israel
As I’ve
stated earlier, although both the Old and New Covenants were made with the
children of Israel, Yahweh’s plan has always been to include the salvation of
Gentiles (non-Israelites). One of the major problems that we have as Gentile
Christians is the fact that we don’t understand our proper identity. What
identity do we Gentile believers have once we’ve obtained salvation/redemption?
And how do we experience salvation/ redemption? The New Covenant clearly states
that we obtain salvation/redemption by exercising saving faith in the
redemptive work of Yahshua. Secondly, the New Covenant shows that when we
believe we become Israelites in Yahweh’s eyes. This is the mechanism Yahweh has
chosen to bring salvation to the Gentiles. We become Israelites when we
demonstrate saving faith in Yahshua. Our identity as a Israelite is the
only basis by which we are made partakers in the New Covenant that was only
made with the house of Judah and the house of Israel. Yahshua confirmed
that although 1) salvation is only from the Jews and 2) He was only sent to the
lost sheep of the House of Israel, His plan was to bring others who weren’t
part of the Jewish fold (Gentiles) into it. John 10:16 "I have other
sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too
will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd."
The Old
Covenant has many passages that speak of Yahweh taking a people for himself
from the Gentiles. These passages are referenced in the New Covenant as proof
that Yahweh would bring the Gentiles to salvation.
"After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, Gomer had another
son. 9Then Yahweh said, ‘Call him Lo-Ammi, for you are not my people, and I am
not your God.’ 10Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore,
which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to
them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’"
Paul states that this passage is referring to the Gentiles in Romans 9:24-26
"…even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the
Gentiles? 25As he says in Hosea: ‘I will call them my people who are not my
people; and I will call her my loved one who is not my loved one,’ 26and, ‘It
will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, You are not my
people, they will be called sons of the living God.’"
In the
Old Covenant Yahweh refers to Israel as those who are, "Called by my
Name" and "Yahweh’s people."
"You are to be my holy people"
"So they will put my name on the Israelite"
"if my people, who are called by my name"
"among Yahweh's people"
"everyone who is called by my name"
The Old
Covenant says that in some way Gentiles will also bear His Name just as
the Israelites.
"In that day there will be an altar to Yahweh in the
heart of Egypt, and a monument to Yahweh at its border. 20It will be a sign and
witness to Yahweh Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to Yahweh
because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and he
will rescue them. 21So Yahweh will make himself known to the Egyptians,
and in that day they will acknowledge Yahweh. They will worship with
sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to Yahweh and keep them.
22The LORD will strike Egypt with a plague; he will strike them and heal them.
They will turn to Yahweh, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them.
23In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will
go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will
worship together. 24In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and
Assyria, a blessing on the earth. 25The LORD Almighty will bless them, saying, ‘Blessed
be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.’"
"This is what Yahweh says: As for all my wicked
neighbors who seize the inheritance I gave my people Israel, I will uproot them
from their lands and I will uproot the house of Judah from among them. 15But
after I uproot them, I will again have compassion and will bring each of them
back to his own inheritance and his own country. 16And if they learn well the
ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as Yahweh lives’--even
as they once taught my people to swear by Baal--then they will be
established among my people. 17But if any nation does not listen, I
will completely uproot and destroy it, declares Yahweh."
"In that day I will restore David's fallen tent. I will
repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be,
12so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that
bear my name, declares Yahweh, who will do these things. 13The days are
coming, declares Yahweh."
Many
passages show conclusively and clearly that Yahweh always intended to have
Gentiles as "His people," and they are found in both the Old and New
Covenants. The Scriptures in Genesis state that Abraham would somehow bless all
nations. The New Covenant clearly teaches that when we exercise saving faith in
Yahshua, we become children of Abraham, Israelites, by faith.
This is not a trivial matter. It’s necessary for us to be Abraham’s seed since
all of the promises are to His seed— Israelites —not Gentiles. In Yahweh’s eyes
our faith in Abraham, the father of faith, reckons us as Abraham’s descendents
and therefore eligible for the covenant promises (Galatians 3:14, "
He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to
the Gentiles through Yahshua the Messiah, so that by faith we might
receive the promise of the Spirit"). This is also how Yahweh has chosen to
bring Gentiles into covenant relationship, by making them His people. His
people are those who are descendents of Abraham, but only children of the
promise.
"The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your
people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 2I will
make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing. 3I will bless those who bless you, and whoever
curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through
you.’"
"‘Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed
you can count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ 6Abram
believed Yahweh, and he credited it to him as righteousness."
"6Consider Abraham: ‘He believed God, and it was
credited to him as righteousness.’ 7Understand, then, that those who
believe are children of Abraham. 8The Scripture foresaw that Yahweh
would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to
Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’ 9So those who have faith are
blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith."
"If you belong to Messiah, then you are Abraham's
seed, and heirs according to the promise."
"Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also
for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham's faith was credited to
him as righteousness. 10Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after
he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11And he received
the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith
while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who
believe but have not been circumcised, in
order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12And he is also the father
of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the
footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was
circumcised."
This is
extremely important. We shouldn’t even be talking about Gentile Christians vs.
Messianic Jews. There should only be one people of Yahweh--not two. Jews who
are Jews by blood are to be one with Gentiles who become Israelites by faith.
There are numerous Scriptures showing that once we Gentiles believe, we are no
longer Gentiles but Israelites! Since we all share the same Hebraic heritage
(some by blood and faith, some by faith apart from blood relation), and since
we are ONE in Messiah, we should live together and worship together as ONE not
as two separate entities with separate lifestyles and worship. We’re not
Gentiles! We’re Israelites! This isn’t just symbolic talk. It’s literal. Note,
I haven’t said we’re Jews in the flesh! What I’m trying to demonstrate is
that we are Israelites according to Yahweh’s definition of an Israelite!
According to Galatians 3:29 and Galatians 4:28 we are Abraham’s seed according
to the promise.
"If you belong to Messiah, then you are Abraham's
seed, and heirs according to the promise."
"Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of
promise."
"Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may
be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring--not
only to those who are of the law [Jews by birth who believe] but
also to those who are of the faith of Abraham [Gentiles who believe].
He is the father of us all [even though we aren’t all his blood
relatives]. 17As it is written: ‘I have made you a father of many
nations.’ He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he
believed--the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as
though they were."
The
Scriptures also state that we are no longer Gentiles but fellow
citizens of Israel.
"Therefore, remember that formerly you
who are Gentiles by birth and called ‘uncircumcised’ by those who call
themselves ‘the circumcision’ (that done in the body by the hands of men)--
12remember that at that time you [Gentiles] were separate from
Messiah, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners
to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in
the world. 13But now in Messiah Yahshua you who once were far away
[Gentiles] have been brought near through the blood of Messiah."
Did you
see it? Before our union in Messiah we were (past tense) "excluded
from citizenship in Israel." But now in union with Messiah we’ve obtained
citizenship in Israel not a separate entity called the Church!
The
Scriptures state that when we come to Messiah, we are to become grafted into
olive tree of Israel, not the other way around. As we read Scriptures from
Genesis to Revelation note the flow, Gentiles joining something
Israelitish!
"If some of the branches [unbelieving Jews by blood]
have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot [believing
Gentiles], have been grafted in among the others and now share in the
nourishing sap from the olive root, 18do not boast over those branches. If you
do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.
19You will say then, ‘Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.’
20Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by
faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. 21For if God did not spare the
natural branches, he will not spare you either."
We used
to be Gentiles, but not any longer.
2You know that when you were pagans (Gentiles),
somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.
This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles
are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and
sharers together in the promise in Yahshua the Messiah."
I saved
these next verses for last because they are so powerful. You may think that I’m
taking these verses too literally. You may think that we’re Israelites only in
a spiritual sense; however, the Bible is very clear on this matter. Gentiles
who have faith are considered Israelites. This is so clear that the
opposite is also true. Jews by blood who don’t believe in Yahshua as
Messiah are literally not considered Israelites! That’s right.
Those who don’t believe essentially lose their Israelite inheritance and are as
a pagan in Yahweh’s eyes. What if I could show you Scriptures that conclusively
show that a Jew by blood who doesn’t believe in Yahshua is not counted in
Israel? Would it then be easier to believe that when Gentiles exercise faith
they literally become Israelites (children of Abraham)?
"They answered him, ‘We are Abraham's descendants.
. .’ ‘Abraham is our father,’ they answered. ‘If you were Abraham's
children’ said Yahshua, ‘then you would do the things Abraham did.’
40As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth
that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41You are doing the
things your own father does. ‘We are not illegitimate children,’ they
protested. ‘The only Father we have is God himself.’ 42Yahshua said to them,
‘If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am
here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. 43Why is my language not clear
to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44You belong to your
father, the devil…’"
"For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship
by the Spirit of Yahweh, who glory in Messiah Yahshua, and who
put no confidence in the flesh-- 4though I myself have reasons for such
confidence." Note what Paul is saying. Who are they of the true
circumcision? Those who glory in Yahshua. By implication those Jews by blood
who don’t "glory in Yahshua Messiah" are not of the true
circumcision.
"A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly,
nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29No, a man is a Jew if he is
one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not
by the written code."
if you are a Gentile and if you have a circumcised heart,
you are the real JEW/Israelite! A Jew by blood who doesn’t have a circumcised
heart is not a JEW/Israelite!
From
Genesis to Revelation the Scriptures declare that Yahweh’s people are not those
of the flesh, but of the promise and of the spirit. Think about it. Esau and
Jacob were twin brothers. Wasn’t Esau a descendant of Abraham? Yes he was. Yet he
was not the child of promise. So, although he was circumcised and had Abraham
as his father, in Yahweh’s eyes, HE WAS NOT AN HEIR THROUGH THE PROMISE! And
that’s LITERAL! By the same token through our faith we become Abraham’s seed
even though we may be Gentiles by birth. Who do the Scriptures state are really
Yahweh’s chosen people?
"It is not as though God’s word had failed. For
not all who are descended from Israel are Israel [not all
Israelites by blood are true Israelites]. 7Nor because they are his
descendants are they all Abraham's children [Note, to be Abraham’s
children is also to be Israel]. On the contrary, ‘It is through Isaac that your
offspring will be reckoned.’ 8In other words, it is not the natural
children who are God's children, but it is the children of
the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring. 9For
this was how the promise was stated: ‘At the appointed time I will return, and
Sarah will have a son.’ 10Not only that, but Rebekah's children had one
and the same father, our father Isaac. 11Yet, before the twins were
born or had done anything good or bad--in order that God's purpose in election
might stand: 12not by works but by him who calls--she was told, ‘The older will
serve the younger.’ 13Just as it is written: ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I
hated.’"
Oh the
depth of Yahweh’s wisdom! It is critical to understand our (Gentile
Christians’) TRUE identity; more than lip service, more than head
knowledge. Once we see that we are Israelites we will be able to relate properly
to the Law (Torah).
A Few Words About The Law (Torah)
Before
tackling the subject of whether or not we are subject to the Law (Torah) I want
to give a few definitions. These definitions have proved to be very
enlightening and must be comprehended in order to understand the arguments that
follow.
Understanding Apparent Biblical
Contradictions
Many
doctrines of the Bible contain statements that seem to contradict
each other. Is the answer always either/or? Part of the problem we face when
trying to deal with Paul’s teachings on the Law (Torah) stems from our Western
mode of thinking. We view things as black/white, yes/no, and either/or. However,
the Jewish mindset is different. It can handle an apparent oxymoron, or
contradiction better than a Western mind. In fact, the issue of Law (Torah) vs.
grace is but one example of many apparent contradictions in the
Bible. Another apparent contradiction is that of salvation by faith or by
works. The Bible seems to say that both are true.
The
Scriptures state that salvation is by faith.
"For we maintain that a man is justified by faith
apart from observing the law."
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through
faith--and this
not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- 9not by works, so that no one can
boast."
The
Scriptures state that salvation is by works.
"Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous
for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?"
"17In the same way, faith by itself, if
it is not accompanied by action, is dead."
"You see that a person is justified by what he
does and not by faith alone."
Now, at
first glance it seems as if these passages contradict each other. Immediately
our Western minds begin to choose sides. Martin Luther chose sola fides
(salvation by faith alone). Augustine chose works. Who is right? In a way both
are right. The context of these Scripture shows that the authors are talking
about faith and works as it applies to the life of the believer in two
different stages of maturity. Paul’s concern was how one is initially brought
into relationship with Yahweh. James’ concern was how one lives his faith. The
Bible speaks of two types of righteousness: 1) behavioral righteousness,
righteous deeds done by a person and 2) forensic righteousness, being
righteous in the sense that Yahweh has cleared a person of guilt, forgiven
their sins, and regenerated them. Forensic righteousness is given to us the
moment we’re born again. It is the subject that Paul is concerned with.
Behavioral righteousness is the subject that James is concerned with. More
Scriptures that deal with behavioral righteousness are listed here.
"Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)"
"20for man's anger does not bring about the righteous
life that Yahweh desires."
"Anyone who breaks one of the least of these
commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called
least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these
commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you that unless
your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of
the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."
"But you, man of Yahweh, flee from all this, and pursue
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness."
Note
that the context in the book of James is not how to be made forensically
righteous. It is how to live your faith in a practical manner. To just say
"I believe" has no practical value.
May we
learn a lesson from this example. Just because Scriptures seem to contradict
one another is not a reason to choose sides, one against the other. Determine
how they are to be harmonized. The subject of Law (Torah) vs. grace is
equally harmonious.
THE BIBLICAL VIEW OF THE LAW (TORAH)
Although
my goal is to provide Scriptures and arguments to demonstrate that the Law
(Torah) is still to be obeyed (in the context of the New Covenant, not the Old
Covenant) I know that there are many misconceptions concerning the Law (Torah).
Therefore, let’s settle once and for all what the Bible says about Yahweh’s Law
(Torah). Forget tradition. Let’s hear the testimony of Scripture concerning
Yahweh’s Law (Torah). No matter what we currently believe, let’s diligently
listen to what the Old and New Covenants say concerning the Law (Torah). Once
we understand and believe what the Bible says about the Law
(Torah), then we can progress on with the obvious consequences of that
knowledge.
You
have just been presented a Biblical view on the characteristics of the Old
Covenant Law (Torah) and its relationship to the believer. Based on what you
read above, have you detected that the Old Covenant Law (Torah) was negative in
any way, evil, sinful, old and outdated, needing to be replaced, temporary,
something that needed to be "broken down," "abolished,"
"blotted out," "nailed to Yahshua’s cross," "taken away,"
"only a shadow," "a rudiment of the world," "something
that’s going to perish with using?" I didn’t think so. Remember, forget
any doctrines that are popping into your mind that don’t line up with what
you’ve just read. Base your answers on what the Bible says about Yahweh’s Old Covenant
Law (Torah). As to the question of how a believer is to relate to Yahweh’s Law
(Torah), base your answers on David’s mindset (see entire Psalm 119), a man
after Yahweh’s heart.
New Covenant Believers Obeyed the
Law (Torah) Instead of Abolishing It
We need
to understand how to properly relate to the Old Covenant Law (Torah). Either
it’s valid or it isn’t. As Gentile Christians we’re so double-minded about the
Law (Torah). On the one hand we say that the Bible teaches us to tithe. But
immediately someone objects, "we’re not under the Law, we’re under
grace." We say "Thou shall not murder" is still valid, but since
we’re not under Law (Torah) we don’t have to keep the Sabbath (remember,
keeping of the Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments just like ‘Thou shall not
murder’). Hmmm, sounds a little confusing to me. To help us discern truth,
let’s hear what the Scriptures have to say about the Old Covenant commandments.
Were the Old Covenant commandments done away with when Yahshua came, or after
He died, or when He ascended or whenever you choose? Is the New Covenant the
new "Law" of grace for Christians? Let me make one point. When we
read statements in the New Covenant about Yahweh’s commands or Laws, it’s
referring to the New and Old Covenant Laws. Remember, when the New Covenant
writers wrote their epistles, etc., there was no canon of New Covenant
Scriptures. There is evidence within the New Covenant that Peter recognized
some of Paul’s epistles as Yahweh-breathed Scriptures. II Peter 3:15-16
"Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear
brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that Yahweh gave him.
16He writes the same way in all his letters,
speaking in them of these matters. 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." I mention it only to let you know that I
realize that fact. Nonetheless, many years passed before any New Covenant
Scriptures were even written. During that time (literally decades) the New
Covenant believers used the Old Covenant Scriptures. That fact alone tells us
that the Old Covenant wasn’t done away with!
The
following assertions are made to show that the Old Covenant Law (Torah) with
its commandments is still valid and is to be used as a basis of hope, behavior
and instruction in righteousness in New Covenant faith.
The Old
Covenant Law (Torah) is the basis for the Renewed Covenant and is to be obeyed
not as delivered by Moses, as a Law written in stone, but as delivered
by Yahshua, in grace and truth. Both the Old and New Covenants provide
evidence that the New Covenant is simply the Old Covenant renewed with better
promises and an emphasis on the spirit of the Law as opposed to the letter of
the Law.
Old
Covenant Texts
"The time is coming, declares Yahweh, when I will make
a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah…This
is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares
Yahweh. I will put my law in their minds and write it on their
hearts."
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in
you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
27And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my
decrees and be careful to keep my laws."
These
verses clearly state that the New Covenant will involve Yahweh writing
His Law (Torah) in the hearts and minds of His people by His Spirit, exactly what
the Holy Spirit (the Comforter) does. The context shows it’s Torah, not New
Covenant principles. This isn’t my interpretation. It’s what the text says.
He’s going to write Torah on the hearts of New Covenant believers! The only
question remaining is whether or not we will believe what it says. The
following Scriptures show that Yahweh’s original intent was to have His Old
Covenant Laws (Torah) written on the Israelites’ hearts and minds.
"6These commandments that I give you today are to
be upon your hearts."
"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds;
tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads."
New
Covenant Texts
"… For in my inner being I delight in Yahweh's law… the law of my
mind…I myself in my mind am a slave to Yahweh's law…"(Clearly,
the context of Romans 6 – 8 demonstrates Paul is talking about the Torah)
"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing
debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the
law. The commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not
steal, Do not covet,’ and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed
up in this one rule: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to its
neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."
By
walking in love we fulfill the Law (Torah). Note, this verse doesn’t state that
we aren’t accountable to Law (Torah). It states that as we walk in love we
fulfill the Law (Torah). Why do we need to fulfill the Law (Torah)? Because
it is still valid!
"But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant
heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of Yahweh's wrath,
when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6Yahweh will give to each person
according to what he has done. 7To those who by persistence in doing good seek
glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8But for those who are
self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and
anger. 9There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil:
first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10but glory, honor and peace for
everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11For Yahweh
does not show favoritism. 12All who sin apart from the law will also perish
apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.
13For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it
is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14Indeed, when
Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law,
they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15since
they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their
consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even
defending them. 16This will take place on the day when God will judge men's
secrets through Yahshua Messiah, as my gospel declares."
"The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time
has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets
and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great--and
for destroying those who destroy the earth. 19Then Yahweh's temple in
heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant.
And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake
and a great hailstorm."
Here we
see that when it’s time to judge the saints (II Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:10-12) and
pour wrath on the ungodly, the ark of the testimony in heaven is opened. This
is appropriate since the Law (Torah) is in the ark of the testimony and
it will be the basis of judging the saints who’ve obeyed it (for rewards only,
not salvation). Furthermore, it will be the basis for pouring out Yahweh’s
wrath on those who’ve disobeyed it.
The New
Covenant shows that the Law (Torah) is still to be obeyed in that it is
referenced as the basis (standard) for New Covenant behavior.
Deuteronomy
25:4 is appealed to as a basis for paying ministers.
"Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the
grain."
"For it is written in the Law of Moses: ‘Do not muzzle
an ox while it is treading out the grain.’ Is it about oxen that God is
concerned? 10Surely he says this for us, doesn't he? Yes, this was
written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they
ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. 11If we have sown
spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from
you? 12If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all
the more?"
"The elders who direct the affairs of the Church well
are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and
teaching. 18For the Scripture says, ‘Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading
out the grain,’ and ‘The worker deserves his wages.’"
This
verse is an excellent example of how Old Covenant Laws are still to be obeyed,
not as Laws written in stone (For the Law [Torah] came through Moses) but as
Laws written in our hearts (grace and truth came through Yahshua). Thus, we
have revealed the TRUTH (or the deeper spiritual meaning that
Yahweh had in mind all along) that Yahweh was concerned with seeing to it that
people are paid their proper wages; for the goal of all the commandments is to
love your neighbor as yourself.
Isaiah
52:11 is appealed to as a basis for remaining separate from the world.
"Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean
thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the vessels of Yahweh."
"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do
righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have
with darkness? 15What harmony is there between Messiah and Belial? What does a
believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16What agreement is there between
the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living Yahweh. As God
has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God,
and they will be my people.’"
Deuteronomy
19:15 and 17:6 are appealed to as a basis for properly handling accusations.
"On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall
be put to death, but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of only one
witness."
"But if he will not listen, take one or two others
along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three
witnesses."
:1 "This will be my third visit to you. ‘Every
matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’"
Timothy 5:19 "Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless
it is brought by two or three witnesses."
Exodus
20:12 is appealed to as a basis for children honoring their parents.
"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may
live long in the land God your Elohim is giving you."
"For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and
‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’"
"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is
right. 2‘Honor your father and mother’--which is the first commandment with a
promise."
Leviticus
19:18 is appealed to as a basis for loving our neighbors.
"Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of
your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am Yahweh."
"The commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not
murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not covet,’ and whatever other commandment there
may be, are summed up in this one rule: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
10Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the
Law."
"Yahshua replied, ‘Do not murder, do not commit
adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19honor your father and
mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.’"
:8 "If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture,
‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right."
Leviticus
11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7; 20:26 are appealed to as a basis to live holy lives.
:7 "But just as he who called you is holy, so be
holy in all you do; 16for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’"
"But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in
all you do, 16for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’"
Exodus
22:28 is appealed to as a basis for not speaking against a leader.
"Do not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your
people."
"Paul replied, ‘Brothers, I did not realize that he was
the high priest; for it is written: Do not speak evil about the ruler of your
people.’"
Numerous
Old Covenant Scriptures are referenced as a basis to abstain from idolatry,
fornication, strangled animals and blood.
:3 "You shall have no other gods before me. You
shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or
on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5You shall not bow down to them or
worship them; for I, Yahweh your Elohim, am a jealous Elohim, punishing the
children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those
who hate me, 6but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me
and keep my commandments."
"Instead we should write to them, telling them to
abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of
strangled animals and from blood."
"As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them
our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from
blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality."
New
Covenant Scriptures state that the Law (Torah) is still valid.
"Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at
all! Rather, we uphold the law."
"You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by
breaking the law?"
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who
are in Messiah Yahshua, 2because through Messiah Yahshua the law of the Spirit
of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law was powerless
to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, Yahweh did by sending his
own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned
sin in sinful man, 4in order that the righteous requirements of the law
might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature
but according to the Spirit."
Romans
8 clearly shows that the Law (Torah) still plays a role in the life of a
believer--not, however, as a means of salvation but as a
moral and ethical guide, obeyed out of love for Yahweh and by the power
that the Spirit provides. This is the fulfillment of Jeremiah 31:33-34 (a
prophecy of the New Covenant). Yahweh's aim in sending his Son was that
believers might be enabled to embody the true and full intentions of the Law
(Torah) according to the Spirit. How can the Law's righteous
requirements be fully met? By no longer letting the sinful nature hold sway but
by yielding to the directing and empowering ministry of the Holy Spirit. That
is grace!
"Then Yahshua said to the crowds and to his disciples:
2The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3So you must
obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for
they do not practice what they preach."
"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. 18I tell you
the truth, 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. 19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these
commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the
kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called
great in the kingdom of heaven."
As I’ve
stated earlier, there is nothing in the New Covenant that wasn’t taught in some
manner in the Old Covenant. This is further proof that the Old was not done
away with. Furthermore, it buttresses the fact that the New is the Old (with
the Spirit). We often look at the Sermon on the Mount as a New Covenant
teaching. Do your own study and see how many verses in that Sermon were already
taught in the Old Covenant. In the Sermon on the Mount, not once did Yahshua
invalidate the authority of Old Covenant commands in the life of a New Covenant
believer. In fact, He explicitly stated 1) that he didn’t come to destroy the
Old Covenant commands, 2) that until heaven and earth pass away not
one small portion of the Old Covenant commands would pass away and
3) that whoever teaches the Old Covenant commands will be great
in the kingdom to come whereas anyone who taught people to break Old
Covenant commands or whoever breaks Old Covenant commands
will be least in the kingdom to come. Furthermore, He brought out the higher
moral principles that the Old Covenant commands taught.
Most of
the confusion concerning whether or not we are still under the Law (Torah)
revolves around statements that Paul made in some of his letters. Before going
on, I think it’s proper to realize that the subject of how New Covenant
believers relate to the Old Covenant Law (Torah) is one of the more complicated
doctrines of Scripture. Yahshua himself taught many things that seemed
to contradict the Law (Torah). Furthermore, at times He seemed not to
follow/live the Law (Torah) as written. To remove any doubt about whether or
not He was breaking the Law (Torah), He stated in Mat 5:17-19 that He
did not come to abolish the Law. I submit to you that Paul’s
actions and teachings were just as confusing as Yahshua’s. In fact, many times
Paul defended himself with words similar to Yahshua’s. It was Peter who
reminded us in II Peter 3:15-16. . . "Bear in mind that our Lord's
patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the
wisdom that God gave him. 16He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking
in them of these matters. 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." If Paul really taught that
the Old Covenant Law (Torah) was no longer valid for the New Covenant believer,
then we should be able to find clear statements by him repudiating the Law’s
validity. To the contrary, all through the New Covenant Paul categorically
denies the accusations that he doesn’t follow the Law (Torah)! In other
words, if we’re no longer under the Law (Torah), and if Paul taught so, then he
had many, many opportunities to say so. He could have put the issue to rest by
saying, "Yes, it’s true. We’re no longer under the Old Covenant
Laws." Instead, we continually find Paul stating the opposite; that he
did follow the Law (Torah). Paul’s actions (under the grace and truth
of the New Covenant) were just as confusing to the first century
legalists as they are to us who have made the mistake of choosing grace
apart from Yahweh’s Law (Torah).
It is
interesting to note that the non-believing Jews accused Paul of teaching Jews
(those living among the Gentiles) to apostatize, telling them not to have their
sons circumcised and not to follow the traditions. Today, Gentile Christians
state that Paul taught (believing Gentiles) that the Law (Torah) was abolished.
Determine from these Scriptures whether or not Paul thought that the Old
Covenant Law (Torah) was still valid for all New Covenant believers.
Furthermore, decide whether or not Paul himself remained Torah observant all of
his days as a believer.
We’ve
seen that Paul continued to observe the Law (Torah). Did the other New Covenant
saints continue to obey the Law (Torah)?
"When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers received us
warmly. 18The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the
elders were present. 19Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had
done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20When they heard this, they
praised God. Then they said to Paul: "You see, brother, how many
thousands [literally tens of thousands] of Jews have believed, and all of
them are zealous for the law." Please realize that Acts 21 is
well over 20 years after Yahshua’s death.
"A man named Ananias came to see me. He
was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by
all the Jews living there."
"Then the survivors from all the nations that have
attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD
Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 17If any of
the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the
LORD Almighty, they will have no rain. 18If the Egyptian people do not go
up and take part, they will have no rain. The LORD will bring on them the plague
he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of
Tabernacles. 19This will be the punishment of Egypt and the
punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of
Tabernacles."
"As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will
endure before me, declares the LORD, so will your name and descendants endure.
23From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another,
all mankind will come and bow down before me, says the LORD."
"Many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to
the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us
his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from
Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem."
It’s the Ministry of the Spirit vs.
the Letter, Not Law vs. Grace
The New
Covenant is not new in that it is a covenant separate/apart from the Law
(Torah). It is "new" in this way; instead of Yahweh giving us His Old
Covenant Law (Torah) written in tablets of stone, He personally writes His Old
Covenant Law (Torah) on our hearts with His Spirit. As one reviews the
purpose of the Old Covenant and the necessity of a New Covenant, the question
should arise: Why was a New Covenant necessary? Yahweh’s word tells us why a
New Covenant was necessary. The problem was not the Law (Torah). The writer of
Hebrews states explicitly that the "problem" with the Old Covenant
was that the people disobeyed it.
"For if there had been nothing wrong with that first
covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8But God
found fault with the people…"
In
Romans chapter 7 Paul begins explaining how the Law (Torah), by pointing out
sin, made sin alive within us, thus, bringing death. He repeatedly states that
the Law (Torah) was not thereby sinful when it "revived sin" within
men. As with Hebrews 8:7, Paul is showing that the problem was NOT the Law
(Torah) but the people who refused to obey it!
"For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the
sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore
fruit for death. 6But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been
released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in
the old way of the written code. 7What shall we say, then? Is the law sin?
Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the
law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not
said, ‘Do not covet.’ 8But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the
commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law,
sin is dead. 9Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came,
sin sprang to life and I died. 10I found that the very commandment that was
intended to bring life actually brought death. 11For sin, seizing the
opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the
commandment put me to death. 12So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is
holy, righteous and good. 13Did that which is good, then, become death to me?
By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced
death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might
become utterly sinful."
Now
let’s use our spiritual common sense again. We have a broken covenant. There’s
no problem with Yahweh’s side of the deal (His Law). There is a problem with
the people with whom the covenant was made (because of sin they kept breaking
it). In order to make the covenant work, which do you change-the Law or the
people. It would seem to me that you would change the portion that has the
problem: THE PEOPLE! That’s exactly what Yahweh did! Romans 8 shows us
that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to set us free from the Law of sin and
death—not Yahweh’s Law (Torah). It was the law of sin and death that caused us
to break the Old Covenant Law (Torah). Since people didn’t obey the Old
Covenant commandments written in stone, He now 1) writes them on our hearts and
2) enables us to obey by the power of His Spirit. These are the two functions
of the Holy Spirit. Remember, the Old Covenant saints didn’t have the Holy
Spirit within them to empower them. During the Old Covenant the Holy Spirit was
only given to leaders and prophets for ministry empowerment. The personal
in-dwelling of the Spirit for all believers was reserved for the New Covenant.
Listed
below are examples from the Old Covenant, which show that the New Covenant
involves Yahweh writing His Torah (NOT
"New Covenant" principles) on our hearts.
"The time is coming, declares the LORD, when I will
make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It
will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by
the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I
was a husband to them, declares the LORD. This is the covenant I will make
with the house of Israel after that time, declares the LORD. I will put my law
(Torah) in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and
they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man
his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the
least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their
wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in
you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
27And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be
careful to keep my laws."
In
context these verses clearly show that the New Covenant involves the ministry
of the Holy Spirit writing the Old Covenant Torah on the hearts and minds of
New Covenant believers!
Examples
from the New Covenant show the New Covenant involves Yahweh writing His Torah
on our hearts.
"But the ministry Yahshua has received is as superior
to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one,
and it is founded on better promises. For if there had been nothing wrong with
that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But Yahweh
found fault with the people and said: ‘The time is coming, declares the
Lord, when I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with
the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their
forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because
they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them,
declares the Lord. This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws (Torah) in their
minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be
my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother,
saying, know the Lord, because they will all know me, from the least of them to
the greatest."
"But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been
released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and
not in the old way of the written code."
It is
the ministry of the Holy Spirit to write Yahweh’s Torah on the heart of the New
Covenant believer. Old Covenant saints (as a whole) did not have the Holy
Spirit as we now have. They weren’t baptized in the Holy Spirit. Only those in
leadership had the spirit rest on them for ministry.
"…But Moses replied, ‘Are you jealous for my sake? I
wish that all the LORD'S people were prophets and that the LORD would put
his Spirit on them!’"
The New
Covenant teaches that "The Promise of the Father" given to Abraham in
the Old Covenant Scriptures was not limited to salvation by faith in Messiah.
In fact, the promise was for the outpouring of the Spirit in the lives of
Yahweh’s entire congregation.
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit
comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea
and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
"You are witnesses of these things. 49I am going to
send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been
clothed with power from on high."
The New
Covenant teaches that the purpose of the Holy Spirit is to teach us.
"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now
bear. 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all
truth."
"But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all
of you know the truth," and I John 2:27 "As for you, the
anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone
to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that
anointing is real, not counterfeit--just as it has taught you, remain in
him."
The
ministry of the Spirit is also to empower us to obey.
"…because through Messiah Yahshua the law of the Spirit
of life set me free from the law of sin and death."
"And if the Spirit of him who raised Yahshua from the
dead is living in you, he who raised Messiah from the dead will also give
life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
12Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful
nature, to live according to it. 13For if you live according to the sinful
nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds
of the body, you will live, 14because those who are led by the Spirit
of God are sons of God."
Hebrews
8:6b teaches that the New Covenant has been given as Torah. Wondering
where your Bible says that? You won’t find it because most translations
mistranslate this verse. Why, possibly because most translators believe that
Christians are "free from the Law"? This possibly is an example of
how incorrect theology could effect a translation.
Bible
translation acronyms:
First,
let’s look at some translations.
In the
KJV passage above, the Greek word translated "established" is
"nenomothetetai." This is a compound word formed from
"nomos" and "tithemi." "Tithemi" means "lay,
put, place, make." As I’ve stated earlier the word nomos means law in
general, but Torah when the context requires that interpretation. In a
non-Jewish context it should mean "to make law," i.e. to legislate or
enact law. However, in a Jewish context, and specifically in the book of
Hebrews, nomos should properly be translated Torah. Other compound words
related to this one are used in the New Covenant and they always refer to the
Torah.
"12There is only one Lawgiver and Judge,
the one who is able to save and destroy."
The
Greek word translated "Lawgiver" is "nomothetes." This too
is a compound word from nomos. The verse clearly shows that Yahweh is the one
who gives the Law (Torah). The context shows that James is not talking about
human law, but Torah.
"Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine
glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple
worship and the promises.
The
Greek word translated "the receiving of the Law" is
"nomothesia." This too is a compound word from nomos. This phrase
"the receiving/giving of the Law clearly speaks of the giving of a Law to
Israel. The context shows that Paul is not talking about human law, but Torah.
In fact, according to David Stern, "In the Septuagint ‘nomothetein,’ which
is the active voice of the verb in our verse [Romans 9:4], is used more than a
dozen times to mean ‘instruct,’ the context always implying ‘instruct in Torah’
(and at the same time implying that instruction in Torah involves not
only the legal component but the full range of God’s ‘Teaching’ – the literal
translation of ‘Torah’)."
The
original word we began to look at, nenomothetetai is used in one other
place in the New Covenant. It is used in Hebrews 7:11. I
will list every translation for you. Please review how this word was translated
in Hebrews 8:6 above, then note how it’s translated below.
Note
how each translator stated that the people had "received the Law," or
had "the Law given to them," the obvious implication was the Law as
in Torah. I have one question. Why wasn’t Hebrews 8:6 translated that the New
Covenant was "given as the Law?" Could incorrect theology and centuries
of anti-Semitism in the Church be the culprits. I personally think that the
translators couldn’t translate the obvious meaning because their
theology wouldn’t allow it. The anti-Semitism that started with the Church
Fathers as a small amount of leaven has truly worked its way through the batch.
I pray that Yahweh would open the eyes of everyone who reads this, even as my
eyes were opened when I was confronted with His truth.
The
statement "the New Covenant has been given as Torah," has far-
reaching implications. The New Covenant, which is the Old Covenant 1) renewed
and 2) written on our hearts by the Spirit, helps complete the Old Covenant
even as Yahshua said He came to do (Matthew 5:17-19). It means that
non-Messianic Jews are in disobedience by not believing in their Messiah.
Furthermore, it means that we Gentile Christians have been engrafted into the
olive tree of Israel and called out to be Torah observant. Yes! Torah
observant, not as under the Old Covenant, but as under the Renewed Covenant!
The Relationship Between the Law,
Faith and Justification
Before
dealing with passages that apparently assign negative attributes to the Torah
and works of the Law, it is best to see how the Old and New Covenants view the
relationship between the Torah, works of the Law, justification and faith.
Furthermore, we’ve already looked at Scriptures demonstrating that the Torah
(Old Covenant) is eternal and perfect. This is important because the Scriptures
that seemingly assign negative attributes to the Law (Torah) must
be interpreted in light of the overwhelming number of Scriptures that
demonstrate the absolute eternality and perfection of the Law (Torah).
The current translations show apparent contradictions between the Old Covenant
Law (Torah) and the New Covenant of "grace," just as there are
apparent contradictions as to whether or not we are saved by grace or faith.
Instead of choosing between one or the other, we must 1) examine context and 2)
make interpretations based on what the whole Bible has to say about the
subject.
The Old
and New Covenants both define the purpose of the Old Covenant Laws. It is
important to understand why the Law (Torah) was given. Maybe this will help us
to understand it so that we can relate to it properly. It was given to make the
Jewish people ever aware of their sin so that they would gladly receive the
forgiveness in Messiah.
The Law
(Torah) was introduced to teach us what sin is:
"What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly
not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law.
For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said,
‘Do not covet.’"
"Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his
sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of
sin."
The Law
(Torah) was added to teach us how to love our neighbor:
"The entire law is summed up in a single command: Love
your neighbor as yourself."
The Law
(Torah) was added to restrain sin:
"What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was
added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise
referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a
mediator."
Both
the Old Covenant and the New Covenant state that justification and the
imputation of righteousness to an individual (whether they are an Old Covenant
believer or a New Covenant believer) is based on faith not works.
"Then the word of the LORD came to him: ‘This man will
not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.’ 5He
took him outside and said, ‘Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if
indeed you can count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ 6Abram
believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness."
"…but the righteous will live by his faith…"
"Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to
him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5However, to the man who does not work but
trusts God [or has faith] who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited
as righteousness. 6David says the same thing when he speaks of the
blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 7Blessed
are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8Blessed is
the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him (quoted from
Psalm 32:1-2)."
"We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’ 16know
that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Messiah
Yahshua. So we, too, have put our faith in Messiah Yahshua that we may
be justified by faith in Messiah and not by observing the law, because by
observing the law no one will be justified."
"For we maintain that a man is justified by faith
apart from observing the law."
As you
can see both the Old and New Covenant plainly declare that man is justified and
imputed righteousness by faith. The Old Covenant Law (Torah) never stated that
people were justified by works of the Law (Torah) (apart from faith). And
that’s the key, apart from faith. It should be understood that
works done apart from faith (trusting Yahweh) are works done in
self-righteousness.
Both
the Old Covenant and the New Covenant teach that justification, forgiveness of
sins and the imputation of righteousness to an individual (whether they are an
Old Covenant believer or a New Covenant believer) is based on the reception of
grace. As Gentile Christians, most of us believe that we are "no longer
under Law" but "under grace," as if grace is a New Covenant
phenomenon. Part of the confusion concerns Romans 6:14, which I will deal with
later. More confusion is caused by not understanding John 1:17.
"From the fullness of his grace we have all received
one blessing after another. 17For the law was given through Moses; grace and
truth came through Messiah Yahshua. 18No one has ever seen God, but God the One
and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known."
The KJV
translates verse 17 as "For the law was given by Moses, but grace
and truth came by Messiah Yahshua." Whenever you see a word in Italics in
the KJV, it means that that word was not in the Greek manuscript. It was added
by the translator(s).
We’ve
already looked at Scriptures that unanimously declare the Law (Torah) to be
holy, righteous, good, eternal and perfect. In fact the Law (Torah) testifies
and points the way to Yahshua. So why would the translator(s) feel the need to
insert the word "but" as if to imply that the Law (Torah) was
inferior and without grace and truth? It’s the result of the negative view of
the Law (Torah), that it was intrinsically inferior to the New
Covenant. The Law, grace and truth are all from Yahweh and all are good. The
grace and truth revealed by Yahshua were all based on the Law (Torah)! Read the
Sermon on the Mount where Yahshua brought out the deeper spiritual meanings of
the Law (Torah).
Romans
3:22-26 will help us determine whether or not grace is a New Covenant concept
separate from the Old Covenant.
". 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in
Yahshua Messiah to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by
his grace through the redemption that came by Yahshua Messiah. 25 God
presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did
this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he
had left the sins committed beforehand (i.e., under the Old
Covenant) unpunished-- 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present
time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in
Jesus."
This
verse clearly shows that the most important "grace" that we can
receive was bestowed upon "all," meaning the Old and New Covenant
saints. Yahshua’s sacrifice is the basis for Yahweh having justified the Old
Covenant saints as well as the New Covenant saints. Grace for salvation and
justification is not a New Covenant concept. It’s found in the Old Covenant
too. The presence of grace is taught throughout the Old Covenant. The Hebrew
word "chanan," meaning grace, is sometimes translated mercy,
lovingkindness or favor.
"But Noah found favor [grace] in the eyes of the LORD."
The
most important difference between grace in the New Covenant vs. the Old is that
we now have the Holy Spirit to 1) write His Laws on our hearts and 2) empower
us to obey His commandments.
When
the Scriptures state that we aren’t justified by "works of the Law,"
or "observing the Law" what types of works of the Law
are they referring to? The answer to this question is central in understanding
Paul’s apparent ambivalence to the Torah. This next section is the most
important section in this paper. Without grasping this section you will fail to
understand that Paul was not ambivalent concerning the Law (Torah). Please,
please read carefully and thoughtfully. The following discussion is based on
Romans 3:20a.
Romans
3:20a
These
phrases "observing the Law" and "deeds/works
of the Law" and their misunderstanding are the foundation for most
of the incorrect theology concerning Law (Torah) vs. grace. In these phrases,
"Law" is understood to be Jewish Law, the Law of Moses and the Torah.
And that is correct, so far. But this verse is usually ascribed one of three
misinterpretations. I will reword the verse so as to draw attention to the
misinterpretations.
No
one will be declared righteous by doing the good works commanded in the Old
Covenant Law (Torah). I believed this in the past. After all isn’t that what the verse
states? Well, think about it. Let me state it another way. No one will be
declared righteous who obeys Yahweh’s holy, eternal, and perfect Law, not in a
legalistic spirit, but with an attitude of humility and faith in Yahweh.
Get my point. If the person in the preceding sentence isn’t imputed
righteousness, then no one can. If my bold type re-wording of Romans 3:20a is
true as written, then it is stating that no one in the Old Covenant was
declared righteous! Has the light bulb gone on yet? Don’t you see that Romans
3:20b, with the phrase "works/deeds of the Law," couldn’t possibly be
interpreted as I’ve stated it? However, at face value, doesn’t that seem to be
its obvious meaning? Obviously, "works/deeds of the Law" must mean
something other than true faithful obedience to Yahweh’s commands! It couldn’t
possibly mean that if a person did what Yahweh commanded IN FAITH that he still
wouldn’t be declared righteous! The most important works that the Law (Torah)
commanded were to love Yahweh and our neighbor as ourselves, in an attitude of
trusting faithfulness to Yahweh. That was the entire message of the Law
(Torah). Moses stated in Leviticus 18:5 that "the person who does
these things," who does the righteous works commanded by the
Torah, "will attain life through them." Surely attaining life
is equivalent to obtaining Yahweh’s righteousness. So as you see, what seemed
to have been the most obvious interpretation sounds ridiculous when you analyze
it. Was not Yahshua found to be righteous because He fulfilled the Law (Torah)
without sinning. Remember Yahshua’s response when John the Baptist initially
refused to baptize Him? Yahshua stated it was necessary for Him to be baptized
to "fulfill all righteousness," i.e., to fulfill the righteous
requirements of the Old Covenant Law (Torah). Yahshua is the only human who
ever fulfilled everything the Law (Torah) required WITHOUT SIN. The end result
was that He was declared righteous! It should be plain to anyone that someone
who obeys Yahweh’s holy, eternal, and perfect Law, not in a legalistic
spirit, but with an attitude of humility and faith in Yahweh will
indeed be declared righteous. And that person was Yahshua.
No
one will be declared righteous by doing the good works commanded in the Old
Covenant Law (Torah) because no one can live up to its demands. This too is absurd since the Torah
was given to be obeyed. Deuteronomy 30:11-14 "Now what I am commanding you
today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12It is not up in
heaven, so that you have to ask, ‘Who will ascend into heaven to get it and
proclaim it to us so we may obey it?’ 13Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you
have to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may
obey it?’ 14No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your
heart so you may obey it." Furthermore, Yahweh instituted the sacrificial
system so that if anyone fell short of the commandments he could be brought
back into right standing with Yahweh. Through repentance and faith in the
efficacy of the blood sacrifice, the Old Covenant believer could maintain a
right relationship with Yahweh.
No
one will be declared righteous by doing the bad works commanded in the Old
Covenant Law (Torah). This misinterpretation is ludicrous! We’ve already seen that the Law
(Torah) is eternal, perfect and holy. There are no bad works in it. If this
were true then Yahshua would be unrighteous since He obeyed every Old Covenant
command without sinning one time.
I think
interpretation #1 is the most prevalent. Why do we Gentile Christians think
that no one will be declared righteous in Yahweh’s sight by obeying the Old
Covenant Law (Torah)? Because somewhere in our Christian walk we’ve picked up
the notion that the Old Covenant Law (Torah) is inferior to the New Covenant.
We’ve been taught that the Law (Torah) is inferior, inadequate, legalistic,
separate from Yahweh’s grace and abolished. So what does Romans 3:20b,
especially the phrase "works/deeds of the Law," really mean? It
simply means works of the Law (Torah) done as follows:
Get it?
Does Romans 3:20b make sense now? Let me re-state Romans 3:20a as based on the
arguments I’ve presented.
Therefore
my previous rendering of Romans 3:20a is not correct-No one will be
declared righteous who totally obeys Yahweh’s holy, eternal, and perfect Law,
not in a legalistic spirit, but with an attitude of humility and faith in
Yahweh. However, for an Old Covenant saint the following statement is
very, very true- Anyone will be declared righteous who
obeys Yahweh’s holy, eternal, and perfect Law, not in a legalistic spirit, but
with an attitude of humility and faith in Yahweh.
Remember,
James 1:26 states, "… so faith without works/deeds is dead." The
point that Paul is trying to make is that works apart from faith are dead.
It is
now easy to see that Paul’s contention was with works done in a spirit of
legalism. Another way of stating this is that he was fighting against works
done apart from faith. Obviously, if anyone does works in a legalistic manner,
boasting, and apart from love for Yahweh and our fellow man, then those works
are done without faith. For as faith without works is dead, so are works
without faith dead.
Unfortunately,
Gentile Christianity has misinterpreted some of Paul’s statements and developed
an entire theology that says "The Law was abolished," and
"Messiah is the end of the Law." This has occurred because we left
our Hebraic roots. Anti-Semitism gave rise to poor theology, which gave rise to
(some) poor translations with the final result-misunderstanding. For example,
Yahshua stated very clearly in Matthew 5:17-19 "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. 18I tell you the truth, 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. 19Anyone
who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the
same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and
teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
Sounds like the Law wasn’t abolished to me. How about you? But then we read in Romans
10:4 "Messiah is the end of the law so that there may be
righteousness for everyone who believes." Hmmm. Sounds like a
contradiction (I’ll have more to say about Romans 10:4 later). It looks like we
have a choice. So which one will we choose and why? During the first few
centuries after the apostles died, the reason Gentile Christians didn't choose
to follow Torah was probably because of anti-Semitism. Nowadays, it’s mainly
because of tradition (1900 years worth) and because we view the Law (Torah)
carnally. When confronted with obedience to the Law (Torah) we immediately have
the following types of thoughts:
And the
list goes on. Further evidence to confirm that Paul understood
"works/deeds of the Law" to be works done in a legalistic manner
without faith can be found in the Old Covenant. In fact, if the Israelites had
been like we Gentile Christians, they could have used the following as proof
texts to show that Yahweh really didn’t want animal sacrifices any more.
"What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with
you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that
disappears. 5Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets, I killed you with
the words of my mouth; my judgments flashed like lightning upon you. 6For
I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt
offerings."
"‘The multitude of your sacrifices--what are
they to me?’ says the LORD. ‘I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood
of bulls and lambs and goats. 12When you come to appear before me, who has
asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? 13Stop bringing meaningless
offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and
convocations--I cannot bear your evil assemblies. 14Your New Moon festivals and
your appointed feasts my soul hates. They have become a burden to me; I am
weary of bearing them. 15When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide
my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands
are full of blood; 16 wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil
deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, 17 learn to do right! Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of
the widow.’"
"This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel,
says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices and eat the
meat yourselves! 22For when I brought your forefathers out of Egypt and spoke
to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and
sacrifices, 23but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and
you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well
with you."
"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does
the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with
your God."
"But Samuel replied: ‘Does the LORD delight in
burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD?
To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of
rams. 23For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like
the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has
rejected you as king.’"
"You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17The sacrifices of God are
a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."
At
first glance it seems that the prophets are directly contradicting Yahweh’s
commands for animal sacrifice. Upon closer examination, it’s easy to discern
that Yahweh’s ultimate purpose was for sacrifice to be coupled with obedience
and faithfulness. Apart from faith and obedience the sacrifices meant nothing.
Or to put it another way, to obey the Old Covenant Law (Torah) concerning
animal sacrifice legalistically, thinking they would secure blessings apart
from obedience to, and faith in Yahweh, was wrong. Works without faith (and by
implication according to the letter/legalistically) are dead.
More
evidence to confirm that Paul meant "works/deeds of the Law" to be
works done in a legalistic manner without faith can be found in the synoptic
gospel accounts of Yahshua’s confrontations with the Pharisees. They thought
that their blood descent from Abraham and their legalistic observance of the
Laws would guarantee them eternal life. Using our understanding of
"works/deeds of the Law" as legalistic observance of the Law (Torah)
apart from faith, we see that the Pharisees exhibited every negative aspect of
legalism as defined by the Yahshua and Paul.
"You diligently study the Scriptures because you
think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures
that testify about me, 40yet you refuse to come to me to have life."
"He answered, ‘Haven't you read what David did
when he and his companions were hungry? 4He entered the house of
Yahweh, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread--which was not
lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5Or haven't you read in the
Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are
innocent? 6I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. 7If you
had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not
have condemned the innocent. 8For the Son of Man is Lord of the
Sabbath.’"
"Yahshua replied, ‘And why do you break the command of
God for the sake of your tradition? 4For God said, ‘Honor your father and
mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ 5But
you say that if a man says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever help you might
otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’ 6he is not to ‘honor
his father’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of
your tradition.’"
"…Then Yahshua said to the crowds and to his disciples:
2 ‘The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3So you
must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they
do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4They tie up heavy loads
and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a
finger to move them. 5Everything they do is done for men to see…
23Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give
a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more
important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have
practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24You blind
guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. 25Woe to you,
teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the
cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26Blind
Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also
will be clean. 27Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!
You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the
inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. 28In the same way,
on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full
of hypocrisy and wickedness …’"
In the
passages above Yahshua told His disciples to obey the Law of Moses as taught by
the Pharisees. His caution was that they not do what the Pharisees do, being
that the Pharisees were hypocrites. Not once did he say the Law (Torah) was
burdensome. However, look at the language He uses concerning the legalistic
perversion of the Law (Torah). It’s the legalistic perversion of the Law
(Torah) that is a "heavy load [burden or yoke]" upon men, not the Law
(Torah). It’s the legalistic perversion of the Law (Torah) that causes one to
neglect the weightier matters of the Law (Torah) like justice, mercy and
faithfulness, while giving to much attention to minute details. It’s the
legalistic perversion of the Law (Torah) that caused the Pharisees to strain at
gnats and swallow camels. It’s the legalistic perversion of the Law (Torah)
that caused the Pharisees to be so concerned with outward cleanliness instead
of inner purity.
One of
the greatest examples of the perversion of the Law (Torah) was when the chief
priests refused to put Judas’ money in the treasury stating that accepting it
would be a violation of the Law (Torah) since it was "blood money."
They are the very ones who condemned Yahshua to death, spat on Him, struck Him
with their fists and mocked Him.
The
point I’m trying to make is that the Old Covenant, the gospel accounts and the
epistles all state the same thing with one accord. Can you see the picture the
entire Bible is painting? Works of the Law 1) apart from faith, 2) done in
legalism, 3) without love for Yahweh or our fellow man, are sin. Works done 1)
in faith and 2) with love are what the entire Bible teaches that we should do.
Understanding Paul’s Terms for Works
of the Law
The
following discussion is based on information found in the Jewish New
Testament Commentary by David Stern. I would prefer not to use arguments
based on the Greek texts; however, I believe that it would be beneficial.
Although I don’t read Greek, I think that certain arguments based on the Greek
text will provide more information for the reader to make a more informed
decision.
The
Hebrew word Torah literally means instructions or teachings. The Greek
word nomos was used to translate the Hebrew word Torah when the
Tanakh was translated into Greek (the Septuagint). The Greek word nomos
literally means "law," as in legal instructions. Thus, when reading
the Greek it is necessary to examine the context to determine whether the
writer is referring to a man-made law (the true sense of the Greek word) or the
Torah (Law of Moses).
Paul
uses the term en nomo, properly translated "in law." It can be
translated "in connection with the Law," or "within the
framework of the Law," to promote the idea of someone who is living
according to the Old Covenant Law (Torah). This is a person living according to
the Law (Torah) and relating to it properly (faith demonstrated by works, and works
done in faith to Yahweh), e.g., Yahshua, Mary, David etc. This is not the
phrase Paul uses to indicate someone living in legalistic bondage to the Law
(Torah), e.g., the Pharisees. In the following three verses Paul uses en
nomos to communicate the idea of someone living within the framework of the
Law (Torah) (i.e., someone obeying Yahweh’s holy, eternal, and perfect Law
(Torah), not in a legalistic spirit but with an attitude of humility and faith
in Yahweh).
"All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart
from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the
law."
"Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to
those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced
and the whole world held accountable to Yahweh."
"To those not having the law I became like one not
having the law (though I am not free from Yahweh's law but am under
Messiah's law), so as to win those not having the law."
Paul
uses the phrase upo nomon, literally "under law," to express
the idea of someone living under the bondage of legalism or legalistic
interpretation of Yahweh’s Holy Law (Torah). Although upo can have the
neutral sense meaning "in the framework of" (e.g., under his
tutelage), it can also have the negative connotation of oppression as in
"in subjection to," or "burdened by." When Paul used the
phrase upo nomos he is clearly bringing the oppressive and subjugative
sense of the word. Evidence for this is that upo nomon typically occurs
in the context of oppression, slavery, imprisonment, or being controlled by
evil desires.
"What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at
all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under
sin."
"For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under
law, but under grace."
"So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under
the basic principles of the world."
Note
that in Romans 6:14 under grace is followed by the exhortation to yield
ourselves unto obedience as slaves of righteousness.
When
Paul uses the Greek phrase erga nomou, literally "works of
law," translated "works/deeds of the law," he does not mean
works done in obedience to the Torah as Yahweh prescribed them, in faith. He
means works done as a consequence of legalistic perversion of the Torah. We’ve
already seen in that "works/deeds of the Law" cannot mean deeds done
in obedience to the Torah as Yahweh prescribed them. The Greek words used in
Romans 3:20a are erga nomou. Paul, uses this phrase to mean legalistic
works done apart from faith to earn righteousness. This is abundantly clear if
we realize that Paul and Yahshua always had positive things to say about the
Law (Torah), but negative things to say about its legalistic perversion. It is
unfortunate that most translations do not recognize this point. It has been the
cause of so much misunderstanding. The Complete Jewish Bible translates Romans
3:20b as follows:
"For
in his sight no one alive will be considered righteous on the ground of
legalistic observance of Torah commands, because what Torah really does is show
people how sinful they are."
You may
think that using a Messianic Jews’ interpretations aren’t as compelling. So I will
give you quotations from two Gentile Christian scholars concerning this
"works/deeds of the law" issue. There’s one reason why we haven’t
heard more on this subject from Gentile Christians. It is because most
Christian leaders don’t want to hear it, choosing instead to believe that
"we’re free from the Law." The following quotes are taken from the Jewish
New Testament Commentary by David Stern.
"So
that my defense of this interpretation will not appear to be special pleading.
I make my case by quoting from two distinguished Gentile Christian scholars
without any Messianic Jewish axe to grind. C.E.B. Cranfield, in his commentary
on the book of Romans, writes:
"…it
will be well to bear in mind the fact (which, so far as we know, had not
received attention before it was noted in [Cranfield’s article in] the Scottish
Journal of Theology, Volume 17, 1964, p. 55) that the Greek language of Paul’s
day possessed no word-group corresponding to our ‘legalism,’ ‘legalist’ and
‘legalistic.’ This means that he lacked a convenient terminology for expressing
a vital distinction, and so was surely seriously hampered in the work of
clarifying the Christian position with regard to the law. In view of this, we
should always, we think, be ready to reckon with the possibility that Pauline
statements which at first sight seem to disparage the law, were really directed
not against the law itself but against that misunderstanding and misuse of it
for which we now have a convenient terminology. In this very difficult terrain
Paul was pioneering. If we make due allowance for these circumstances, we shall
not be so easily baffled or misled by a certain impreciseness of statement
which we shall sometimes encounter (C.E.B Cranfield, The International
Critical Commentary, Romans, 1979, P. 853)."
Cranfield
is right—except for his speculation that he was the first. Forty-three years
earlier Ernest De Witt Burton, in his classic commentary on Galatians, also
made clear that in the present verse "nomos" means
"legalism" and not Yahweh’s Torah:
"Nomou
is here evidently used…in its legalistic sense, denoting divine law viewed as a
purely legalistic system made up of statutes, on the basis of obedience or
disobedience to which men are approved or condemned as a matter of debt without
grace. This is divine law as the legalist defined it. In the apostle’s thought
it stands for a reality only in that it constitutes a single element of the
divine law detached from all other elements and aspects of divine revelation;
by such detachment it misrepresents the will of Yahweh and his real attitude
towards men. By erga nomou Paul means deeds of obedience to formal
statutes done in the legalistic spirit, with the expectation of thereby
meriting and securing divine approval and award, such obedience, in other
words, as the legalists rendered to the law of the Old Covenant as expanded and
interpreted by them. Though nomos in this sense had no existence as
representing the basis of justification in the divine government, yet erga
nomou had a very real existence in the thought and practice of men who
conceived of the divine law after this fashion…. The translation of this phrase
here and constantly…by ‘the works of the law’…is a serious defect of [versions
that have it] (E. Burton, The International Critical Commentary, Galatians,
1921, p. 120)."
Although
this may seem new to you, there are other Christian scholars who have long
understood that we are not "free from the Law" as is popularly taught
in most Christian groups today.
Passages of Scripture That Apparently
View the Law (Torah) As Negative
Certain
decisions and statements made at the Jerusalem council are often quoted as
"proving" that we are no longer "under the Law."
Furthermore, this Scripture is used to state that the Law (Torah) was a burden.
1) Acts
15: 1-11 "1Some
men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: ‘Unless
you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot
be saved.’ 2This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and
debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other
believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this
question. 3The Church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through
Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news
made all the brothers very glad. 4When they came to Jerusalem, they were
welcomed by the Church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported
everything God had done through them. 5Then some of the believers who belonged to
the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, ‘The Gentiles must be circumcised
and required to obey the Law of Moses.’ 6The apostles and elders met to
consider this question. 7After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed
them: ‘Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that
the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8
God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy
Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9He made no distinction between us and
them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10Now then, why do you try
to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither
we nor our fathers have been able to bear? 11No! We believe it is through
the grace of our Lord Yahshua that we are saved, just as they are.’"
It is
plain to see from verse one that the question under consideration (see end of
verse 2) was not whether the Gentiles needed to obey the Law (Torah). The
question was whether or not Gentile believers needed to be
circumcised "according to the custom taught by Moses" TO BE SAVED!
The yoke spoken of in verse ten is not the Law (Torah), but the legalistic
perversion of it requiring the Gentiles to perform a work to EARN salvation.
Further proof is given in verse eleven where Peter states that it is through
"the GRACE of our Lord Yahshua that we are SAVED"
in contradistinction to salvation by the WORK of being
circumcised. That is, grace apart from legalistic perversion of the Law
(Torah). Again, the question under consideration was "How is one
saved," not "Should one keep the Law?" The answer, given by
Peter is that we’re SAVED by the grace of our Adonai Yahshua!
Note
also that this yoke of legalism was prescribed by men. It is a
commandment/doctrine of men. If followed it would have nullified the Word of
Yahweh as Paul later explained in Galatians.
We’ve
already seen in that Romans 3:20 teaches that "works/deeds of the
law" were not faithful obedience to Yahweh’s commandments, but the
legalistic perversion of them.
2)
Romans 6:14
"For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law,
but under grace."
Romans
6:14 is an excellent example of how Paul uses the Greek construction upo
nomon to indicate legalistic observance of the Law. The point is that we
are to live en, "within the framework of" the Law instead of upo,
"in subjection to" legalism.
3)
Romans 7:4
"So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body
of Messiah, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the
dead, in order that we might bear fruit to Yahweh."
I have
some questions. Which part of the Law (Torah) have we died to?
GET MY
POINT? I’m trying to show that the things listed above are not things we should
need to die to. Why would it make any (spiritual) common sense to die to any of
the things listed in above? I submit to you that we’ve died to certain
aspects of the Law (Torah), not the entire Law (Torah).
Which parts of the Law (Torah) do you think we should need to die to? Or, which
parts of the Law (Torah) has the vicarious death of Yahshua allowed us to die
to? Paul explains that we’ve died to three aspects of the Law (Torah).
Paul shows that apart from the Law (Torah) sin is dead.
Verses 5-14 demonstrate that the Law (Torah) had within it the capacity to
"stir up sin" with humans. Note, it’s a weakness with us,
not the Law (Torah). We have died to this aspect of the Law (Torah)
through Yahshua’s death because now we have the Spirit of Yahweh to write His
laws in our minds and hearts and empower us to live victoriously!
Verses 15-25 show that there is another law, called the
law of sin and death, which holds us in bondage and produces guilt.
This law of sin and death is somehow activated by Yahweh’s Law. However, we
have died to this aspect of the Law through Yahshua’s death because now we have
the Spirit of Yahweh to write His laws in our minds and hearts and empower us
to live victoriously! For the law of the Spirit of life in Messiah Yahshua has
set us free from (i.e., we’ve died to) the law of sin and death.
This verse taken with Galatians 3:13 "Messiah
redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is
written: Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree," shows how we’ve died
to the Law. Thus, we have died to all of the curses, penalties, and
condemnation found in the Law (Torah) through our union with Yahshua. Further
evidence that we died only to certain aspects of the Law (Torah) and not the
entire Law (Torah) is found in Paul’s argument in verses 7:1-4.
4)
Romans 7:1-4
"Do you not know, brothers--for I am speaking to men who know the
law--that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives? 2For
example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive,
but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. 3So then, if
she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an
adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not
an adulteress, even though she marries another man. 4So, my brothers, you also
died to the law through the body of Messiah, that you might belong to another,
to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to Yahweh."
The
death of the woman’s husband freed her from one aspect of the Law
(Torah), her marriage. It did not free her from all other obligations of the
Law (Torah). So likewise, we’ve been freed from certain aspects of the Law
(Torah), listed above. All other aspects of the Law (Torah) are still to be
fulfilled in our lives; such as James 2:8 "If you really keep the
royal law found in Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing
right."
5)
Galatians 2:10-14
"10All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written:
‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book
of the Law.’ 11Clearly no one is justified before Yahweh by the law, because,
‘The righteous will live by faith.’ 12The law is not based on faith; on the
contrary, ‘The man who does these things will live by them.’ 13Messiah redeemed
us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written:
‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’ 14He redeemed us in order that the
blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Messiah Yahshua,
so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."
Verse
10--As I’ve shown earlier, Yahweh expected everyone to obey His Law (Torah). He
had provisions in it for forgiveness of sin when necessary. Thus
"observing the law" must mean legalistic observance of the Law
(Torah). This verse is not saying that if you fail any one Law (Torah), you’re
under a curse! It’s stating that anyone who trusts in the legalistic perversion
of the Law (Torah) for justification will not be saved. Why? Because the Law
(Torah) itself states that you’re imputed righteousness (and by implication,
justified) through faith, not by works.
Verse
11--Here’s the proof that the Old Covenant Law (Torah) taught justification by
faith, not legalistic works.
Verse
12--Obviously following Yahweh’s Law (Torah) is to be based on faith as
Habakkuk 2:4 clearly states. It is legalistic perversion of the Law (Torah)
that is not based on faith. It’s basing our salvation on works that are not
based on faith. In fact, this is the heresy of most religions and the heresy of
most unbelievers. They feel that Yahweh will "let them into heaven" because
of their good works!
6)
II Corinthians 3:4-11
"Such confidence as this is ours through Messiah before God. 5Not that we
are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence
comes from God. 6He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant--not
of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives
life. 7Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on
stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the
face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, 8will not the
ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9If the ministry that condemns
men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings
righteousness! 10For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the
surpassing glory. 11And if what was fading away came with glory, how much
greater is the glory of that which lasts!"
In this
text it appears that the Old Covenant could be viewed negatively since it is
said to produce death. Since we know that Paul believes the Law (Torah) to be holy,
eternal and perfect, what point is he trying to make? The Law (Torah) brought
death in the following ways:
The
point Paul is making here is not that the New Covenant is better than the Old
Covenant but that the ministry of the Spirit is better than the ministry of the
letter. He teaches that the letter without the Spirit is death. This is exactly
what Yahshua taught in John 6:63 "The Spirit gives life."
The
greater glory is found in the fact that the New Covenant is the Old Covenant
Laws (Torah) written not in stone but in our hearts by the Spirit! This is one
of the main arguments of this paper; that the Old Covenant Law (Torah) was not
abrogated but renewed by having it written in our hearts by the Spirit. Thus
the Old Covenant is the foundation/basis of the New.
Apparent contradictions
This
section has been added to closely examine the few texts that are usually
referenced to prove that the New Covenant believer is no longer under the Old
Covenant Law (Torah). Most of the misconceptions concerning Law (Torah) and
grace arise from poor translations, extra-biblical Church tradition (i.e.,
traditions and teachings of men) and bad theology. Since the Law (Torah) is
still to be obeyed in the New Covenant we must seek reconciliation of passages
that seem to contradict each other. In other words, if the
following passages seem to contradict the fact that the Law
(Torah) is still valid, then instead of choosing one or the other as true, we
need to see how both can be accommodated by proper interpretation. Hopefully
the discussion concerning the apparent contradiction of salvation by works vs.
faith has shown how apparent contradictions can be totally harmonized by proper
exegesis.
Unfortunately,
we have inherited incorrect theology, particularly from an heretic named
Marcion. Marcion rejected the Old Covenant completely. He taught (approximately
150-200 AD) that the God of the Old Covenant was a mean, cruel God, whereas the
God revealed in the New Covenant was a God of love. He believed Paul’s message
of grace opposed the Law (Torah) to the extent that he deleted the portions of
Paul’s teachings that disagreed with his views. He later established his own
Church, merging his views (which included asceticism, celibacy and violent
antagonism towards Judaism) with elements of Gnosticism. Although he was
condemned as a heretic, his teachings maintained their influence for centuries.
Later, the Roman Catholic monk, Augustine championed Marcion’s ideas concerning
grace and opposition to Yahweh’s Old Covenant Laws. At the time of the
reformation men such as John Wycliffe (who first translated the New Covenant
into English) and Miles Coverdale (who first translated the entire Bible into
English) were heavily influenced by Augustine. You must remember that the
reformers were former Roman Catholics; therefore, it’s not unusual that they
maintained some of the Catholic theological tendencies. So, although the
reformers did well by explaining that salvation is by faith, they also
maintained erroneous views concerning grace and Yahweh’s Old Covenant.
1)
Colossians 2:13-14
"When you were dead in your sins and in the un-circumcision of your sinful
nature, God made you alive with Messiah. He forgave us all our sins, 14having
canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that
stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross."
This is
an example of a poor translation. As written, it seems to imply that the
"written code, with its regulations," refers to the Law (Torah). This
is what I’ve always thought. The KJV renders the phrase as "the
handwriting of ordinances." The interpretation that this is the Law
(Torah) is strengthened because the verse states that it "was against
us". However, I offer the following two possibilities:
The
phrase "written code" (in the NIV) is translated
"handwriting" in the KJV. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (SEC) shows
that the Greek term translated as handwriting is cheirographon, which
means something handwritten, especially a legal document or bond. This
legal bond is actually a certificate of debt! Isn’t that
what the New Covenant teaches, that all have sinned (Rom. 3:23), and that
before we come into union with Messiah, we owe a sin debt to Yahweh? To further
substantiate this as the proper interpretation of the words "written
code," note the following. When a prisoner was crucified it was customary
to nail a list of his crimes on the stake. A perfect example of this was the sign
placed above Yahshua’s stake, which read, "Yahshua of Nazareth the King of
the Jews" (John 19:19-24). Was that not the "crime" that Yahshua
was accused of? Clearly, this verse could not literally mean that the Law
(Torah), which is Holy, good, perfect, and eternal was nailed to Yahshua’s
stake. It was our certificate of debt, or our bond, that was nailed to His
stake.
The
words, "with its regulations," (in the NIV) are translated as
"ordinances" in the KJV. SEC shows that the Greek term translated as
ordinances is dogma, which means man-made rules, laws, precepts, etc.
Paul is not even talking about Yahweh’s Laws in this verse. The context of
chapter 2 clearly shows that Paul is writing to the Colossians concerning the
dangers of the commandments of men, not the Law (Torah) of Yahweh. Note
these phrases which establish the context of verse 14. In verse
22 Paul says that these are all destined to perish with use. Certainly he’s not
talking about Yahweh’s Law (Torah), which the Bible declares is ETERNAL.
"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow
and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition
and the basic principles of this world rather than on
Messiah."
:18 "Do not let anyone who delights in false
humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the
prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his
unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notion."
"Since you died with Messiah to the basic
principles of this world [once again, how could "basic principles
of this world" apply to Yahweh’s Law?], why, as though you still belonged
to it, do you submit to its rules: 21‘Do not handle! Do not
taste! Do not touch!’? 22These are all destined to perish
[obviously not Yahweh’s Law, since Psalm 119:89 says of Yahweh’s Law,
"Your word, O LORD, is eternal, it stands firm in the heavens."] with
use …"
This
word dogmatizo (an obvious derivative of dogma) is used in Colossians 2:20,
Luke 2:1, Acts 17:7 and Eph 2:15. In every instance it is an
ordinance or decree of man, not one of Yahweh’s laws. In the following verses
when Yahweh’s Laws, decrees or ordinances are spoken of, the Greek word dikaioma
is used; Luke 1:6, and Hebrews 9:1,10.
So what
was nailed to the cross? Our certificate of debt to sins resulting from
following the traditions and commandments of men (which make the Word
of Yahweh of no effect). Doesn’t that line up with the rest of Scripture?
Didn’t Yahshua teach this? Mark 7:7-8 "They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men. 8You have let go of the commands
of Yahweh and are holding on to the traditions of men."
Remember,
one who translates must use his own judgment when deciding how to translate a
word. Most translators mistranslate the Greek word cheirographon (which
literally means certificate of debt or bond) so that readers think the Law
(Torah) was nailed to the cross.
Finally,
I offer the following arguments based on spiritual common sense.
"Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat
or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a
Sabbath day. 17These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality,
however, is found in Messiah."
Note
the word therefore, which means, "In light of what I’ve just told
you…" Since the debt of sin that results from us giving heed to doctrines
of men has been nailed to the cross, don’t let those people (the deceivers)
judge you in connection with religious festivals, etc., according to their pagan
traditions.
Again,
remember the context. From verses 4, 8 and 18 we see that the Colossians were
being judged by the deceivers regarding those things in verse 16. They were
imposing their doctrines of men, or dogma, on the Colossians.
Paul
was actually dealing with two separate issues, both of which involved placing
the yoke of commandments of men on the necks of the Colossians. These
were:
Do you
see the folly? We’ve been taught for centuries that Colossians 2:16 should be
interpreted as Paul telling believers that the Holy days were over, not necessary,
etc. Now do you think that any of the items in 1 –10 above are referring to the
Old Covenant Torah? The Torah is the opposite of all those man-made concepts
listed by Paul. It’s time to arise so that Messiah will give us light!
Thus
the context dictates that the Gentile believers not allow themselves to be
judged by opinions based on traditions and commandments of men (those of the
Judaizers and the Gnostics)! The Gentile believers had every right to
participate in religious festivals, Sabbaths, etc., without being judged as a
second rate citizen in Yahweh’s Kingdom just because they hadn’t undergone
physical circumcision, immersion in the mikveh or, offered an animal sacrifice.
Furthermore, Paul encourages them not to be judged by those of the Gnostic ilk
who worshipped angels, practiced asceticism and followed after celestial mumbo
jumbo! In fact, understanding the context PROVES that the Colossian believers
were involved in celebrating the feasts of Yahweh. That’s why Paul is pressing
them not to let others judge them (in connection with the feasts) and thus
steal their prize of obedience to the festival commands. Note how understanding
Jewish tradition and the historical context helped to interpret what Paul was
saying.
3)
Romans 10:4
"Messiah is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for
everyone who believes."
This is
an erroneous translation for those speaking English in the 20th
century. In fact, there’s almost no excuse for the error, as you will see. As
stated, the verse implies that once one is found in Messiah they are
free from obeying the Law (Torah). I offer the following explanation.
Note
the erroneous theology of the Phillips and WNT translations, implying that
legalistic obedience to the Law made one righteous before Yahweh. As was shown
earlier, neither the Old nor New Covenants teach that righteousness is attained
by legalistic works of the Law. Although the NASB translated it incorrectly,
they at least added the footnote.
Once
again, I offer an argument based on spiritual common sense. Since Yahweh’s Law
(Torah) is holy, good, perfect and eternal, how could it
come to an end?
4)
Ephesians 2:14-16
"For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed
the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15by abolishing in his flesh the
law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself
one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16and in this one body to
reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their
hostility."
First,
let’s look at how various translations translate this verse:
The
dividing wall--surrounding the Jewish Temple was a wall on which hung a sign
stating, "boundary fence." This wall forbade foreigners from entering
by penalty of death. There was also a court for women only. This is the wall
Paul spoke of. It’s interesting to note the origin of this wall. Was it
prescribed in the Old Covenant Law (Torah)? No it was not. In fact, Yahweh made
it clear that the Israelites were not to mistreat foreigners in their midst
since they themselves were once aliens in Egypt, Exodus 23:9 "Do
not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because
you were aliens in Egypt." We’ve already seen in previous sections that a
Gentile who joined himself to Israel was to be considered equal with the
Israelites. We even saw that Caleb, one of the two spies who entered the
promised land, and received an inheritance was a Gentile proselyte. So where
did the wall come from? The commandments of men. The wall shouldn’t have been
there in the first place. To understand its origin we must understand the
Jewish viewpoint at the time.
In Acts
10:28 Peter states, "He said to them: You are well aware that it is
against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile
or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or
unclean." The word translated "law" is a poor translation. Remember,
the Greek word that normally translates Torah is nomos. In the
Greek the word found in Acts 10:28 is not nomos, therefore it shouldn’t
be understood as Torah as is implied in the above quote from the NIV. The
actual word from the Greek is "athemitos," which does not mean
unlawful or against Torah. It means taboo, out of the question, not considered
right, against standard practice or contrary to cultural norms. Thus, the Law
(Torah) was not the source of the wall or the idea that Jews weren’t to associate
with Gentiles. Although the Torah doesn’t state that Gentiles themselves are
unclean or common, many of their products and practices were regarded as
conveying ritual impurity. That’s why it was taboo to associate with Gentiles,
not because the Law (Torah) forbade it.
It is
evident when Paul states that Yahshua, "has destroyed the barrier, the
dividing wall of hostility," he is referring to the temple wall that was
erected to separate Gentiles from Jews. Furthermore, the origin of the wall was
not found in the Law (Torah)! It was created through extra-biblical Rabbinical
traditions and ordinances, i.e., the traditions and commandments of men!
It is
plain to see that the dividing wall is something that Yahshua destroyed, and
rightfully so. For He has truly made us one in Him. All of the translations
above bring this interpretation out.
All of
the translations then state in various ways that the Law (Torah) was
"abolished," or "annulled." Once again, theology determines
interpretation. As you can see from Young’s Literal Translation, it’s not easy
to translate that verse. In fact, (excluding YLT) four translations explicitly
state that the law of commandments was abolished. Although two
translations state that the enmity was abolished, one equates the enmity
with the Law (Torah) while the other states that the enmity is the Law (Torah).
How do these interpretations square with Yahshua’s statement in Matthew 5:17-19
that He didn’t come to destroy the Law (Torah) or the Prophets? If He didn’t
come to destroy them then who are we as mere men to say that they’ve been
destroyed? We’ve already seen that the Law (Torah) is holy, eternal, and
perfect. So why should it be annulled?
The
fact is, the Law (Torah) was not annulled. Once again, examination of the Greek
shows that the word translated ordinances is "dogma." As I’ve shown
above, usage of the word dogma does not refer to Yahweh’s
commandments. It refers to decrees of men! Could it be that what was abolished
was the dogma of the traditions and teachings of men, specifically the one that
instituted the dividing wall? Obviously, yes. To be true to the teachings of
the entire Bible, both Old and New Covenants, there’s really only one
conclusion. It was the traditions and commandments of men which caused the enmity.
In other words, it was a perversion of Yahweh’s Laws that caused enmity.
Yahshua broke it down by making Jews and Gentiles into the one new man. Why
would Paul state that the Law (Torah) was abolished when he endeavored so
diligently to keep it? I’ve seen two other translations which I believe capture
the meaning as Paul intended it to be. These translations take into account the
weight of Old and New Covenant Scriptures that clearly refute any idea that
Yahweh’s holy, eternal and perfect Law (Torah) needed to be abolished.
Furthermore, they take into account the fact that it was the ordinances of men
(dogma), that caused enmity between Jew and Greek which indeed needed to be
destroyed.
"(When Yahshua was here) in physical form, he made
useless [katargeo] the antagonism (between the two) caused by the opinions of
men [dogma] concerning the Law of Commandments, so then through him one new man
was made from the two." David Hargis (Messianic Rabbi)
"For he himself is our shalom--he has made us both one
and has broken down the m’chitzah [wall] which divided us by destroying in his
own body the enmity occasioned by the Torah, with its commands set forth in the
form of ordinances…" CJB by David Stern
Other
than the dividing wall there are other ways that the Law (Torah) caused (or
shall we say, occasioned) enmity between Jew and Gentiles.
The New Covenant View of Law (Torah)
It’s
been my assertion that the Torah was not abolished. In this section I’d like to
present what I’ve learned about how Torah is to be lived by New Covenant believers.
I will only cover a few issues. Hopefully my presentation of these issues will
show you that the Torah is applicable to 21st century believers.
The
very concept of a New (Renewed) Covenant implies changes, transformation and/or
a shifting of priority. There are two words for "new" in the Greek,
"kainos" and "neos." "Neos" means something which
has never existed before, whereas, "kainos," means freshness and/or
renewal of something which has existed before.
Vines
Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Covenant Words has this to say about kainos:
"denotes ‘new,’ of that which is unaccustomed or unused, not ‘new’ in
time, recent, but ‘new’ as to form or quality, of different nature from
what is contrasted as old. ‘The new tongues,’ kainos of Mark 16:17
are the ‘other tongues,’ heteros, of Acts 2:4. These languages, however,
were ‘new’ and ‘different,’ not in the sense that they had never been heard
before…they were new languages to the speakers…"
Vines
Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Covenant Words has this to say about neos:
"signifies ‘new’ in respect of time, that which is recent…"
So we
see that the word in the Greek (and the Hebrew also) means renewed and implies
new as to form, quality and of a different nature from what is contrasted as
old. Our job is to determine how is the New Covenant "new" in form
and quality. Furthermore, how is it "new" as in of a different
nature from what is contrasted as old.
The New
Covenant speaks of this transformation of the Old Covenant by the New Covenant
in Hebrews 7:12.
, "For when there is a change of the priesthood, there
must also be a change of the law."
You may
say, "How does this verse teach that the Old Covenant is transformed in
the New Covenant? The Greek word translated "change of the law" is
"nomou metathesis." There’s that word again, nomou. Literally, the
phrase is, transformation of Torah. Note, this means a transformation of
the Old Covenant Law (Torah), not an abrogation or abolishment. It is our
responsibility to determine how the New Covenant transforms the Torah (Old
Covenant).
The New
Covenant teaches that with the coming of Yahshua, the Old Covenant was
renewed/transformed, not abolished. It was renewed in various ways. The Old
Covenant consisted of Yahweh writing His Laws on tablets of stone. The New
(Renewed) Covenant consists of Yahweh writing His Laws in our minds and in our
hearts by His Spirit. In fact, Scripture shows that it was His original intent.
This is one way that the Old Covenant has been renewed, as in new in form and
quality, and of a different nature from what is contrasted as old. Note, the
Old Covenant was not abolished. So let’s review the facts.
The Old
Covenant contained Yahweh’s Laws written in stone.
"The LORD said to Moses, ‘Come up to me on the mountain
and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and
commands I have written for their instruction.’"
"4The LORD wrote on these tablets what he had
written before, the Ten Commandments he had proclaimed to you on the
mountain, out of the fire, on the day of the assembly. And the LORD gave them
to me. 5Then I came back down the mountain and put the tablets in the ark I had
made, as the LORD commanded me, and they are there now."
"Now if the ministry that brought death, which
was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the
Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory,
fading though it was, 8will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more
glorious?"
"…which had the golden altar of incense and the
gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna,
Aaron's staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant."
Pertaining
to Yahweh’s original intent, where did He want His Law (Torah) to be located?
"This observance will be for you like a sign on your
hand and a reminder on your forehead [i.e., in your mind] that
the law of the LORD is to be on your lips."
"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds;
tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads."
"This is the covenant I will make with the house of
Israel after that time, declares the LORD. I will put my law in their
minds and write it on their hearts."
"These commandments that I give you today are to
be upon your hearts. 7Impress them on your children. Talk about them
when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and
when you get up. 8Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your
foreheads. 9Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your
gates."
How has
the New Covenant "transformed" the Old with reference to Yahweh’s
original intent?
"But God found fault with the people and saidB: ‘The
time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with
the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 9It will not be like the
covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead
them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I
turned away from them, declares the Lord. 10This is the covenant I will make
with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put
my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.’"
"Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we
need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2You
yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.
3You show that you are a letter from Messiah, the result of our ministry, written
not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but
on tablets of human hearts."
"But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been
released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and
not in the old way of the written code."
So as
we see the New Covenant simply writes Yahweh’s Torah on our hearts and
minds--this was Yahweh’s original intent. This is but one example of how the
Old Covenant has been not abolished but transformed by the New (Renewed)
Covenant. Note, the Old Covenant Laws stated that Yahweh’s Laws were to be on
our hearts and in our minds. That’s exactly the work of the Spirit in the New
Covenant! Therefore, we have fulfilled the essence of the Old Covenant command.
It need not be abolished. The only difference is how the commandment
is being fulfilled. In this example we see how the New Covenant
emphasizes Yahweh’s original intent and a higher spiritual purpose of His
command.
The Old
Covenant taught that Yahweh would dwell with His people and be their God. He
also said that His people could only worship where He caused His Name to dwell.
In the
Old Covenant Yahweh dwelt with His people in the Tabernacle/Temple. His
original intent was always to dwell with His people in His Tabernacle.
"Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I
will dwell among them. 9Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings
exactly like the pattern I will show you."
"So I will consecrate the Tent of Meeting and the altar
and will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. 45Then I
will dwell among the Israelites and be their God."
"Then to the place the LORD your God will choose
as a dwelling for his Name--there you are to bring everything I command you:
your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the
choice possessions you have vowed to the LORD. 12And there rejoice
before the LORD your God, you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and
maidservants, and the Levites from your towns, who have no allotment or
inheritance of their own. 13Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings
anywhere you please. 14Offer them only at the place the LORD will choose
in one of your tribes, and there observe everything I command you."
How has
the New Covenant "transformed" the Old with reference to Yahweh’s
original intent?
"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's
temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? 17If anyone destroys God 's
temple, God will destroy him; for God 's temple is sacred, and you are that
temple."
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of
the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You
are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your
body."
"As God has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among
them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.’"
"…so that Messiah may dwell in your hearts
through faith."
"In him the whole building is joined together and rises
to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22And in him you too are
being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his
Spirit."
"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now
the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.
They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their
God.’"
Once
again we see that the New Covenant fulfills the Old Covenant commands. Yahweh’s
original intent was to literally dwell with His people just like in the garden.
We should even expect our current experience of "how he dwells in us"
to change. For as we see in the book of Revelation, His tabernacle in heaven
comes down to earth! Since we are the temple of Yahweh wherever we worship IS
where His name dwells. As a matter of fact, Yahshua taught this in John
4:21-24, "21Yahshua declared, ‘Believe me, woman, a time is
coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in
Jerusalem. 22You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship
what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23Yet a time is coming and has
now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and
truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is
spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.’"
John
4:21-24 is an excellent example of why people thought Yahshua was trying to do
away with the Mosaic Law. It was unlawful for them to sacrifice anywhere other
than at the Temple where He had caused His Name to dwell. Here comes Yahshua
saying that in the near future worship will not be in this mountain or in
Jerusalem [at the temple]. To an orthodox Jew under the Old Covenant that
statement was heresy! That’s why Yahshua had to state explicitly that He didn’t
come to destroy the Law (Torah) and the Prophets. He came to transform the Old
Covenant by bringing out its deeper spiritual meanings and Yahweh’s original
intent. So, 1) Yahshua knowing that Yahweh would dwell IN His people as the
Holy Spirit, and 2) knowing that our physical bodies ARE the temple of Yahweh
under the Renewed Covenant prophesied in John 4:21-24 that true worshippers
wouldn’t worship at the Temple in Jerusalem. So when we worship in the New
Covenant we still fulfill Yahweh’s Old Covenant commands even though we’re not
worshipping in Jerusalem. His original intent (the higher spiritual intent) is
already contained in the Law (Torah). However, this does not negate the fact
that worship in the Temple in Jerusalem will be restored before the millennium.
The Old
Covenant taught that forgiveness of sins was only secured by offering a
sacrificial substitute for the sinner. This sacrifice could only be offered by
a Levitical priest. In the Old Covenant, how did the worshiper 1) secure
forgiveness and 2) Who was the agent used to secure this forgiveness?
"When anyone is guilty in any of these ways, he
must confess in what way he has sinned 6and, as a penalty for the sin
he has committed, he must bring to the LORD a female lamb or goat from
the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement
for him for his sin."
"But if just one person sins unintentionally, he
must bring a year-old female goat for a sin offering. 28The
priest is to make atonement before the LORD for the one who erred by
sinning unintentionally, and when atonement has been made for him, he will be
forgiven. 29One and the same law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally,
whether he is a native-born Israelite or an alien."
"For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have
given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the
blood that makes atonement for one's life."
So we
see that the only mechanism for forgiveness of sin was by animal sacrifice. The
only person who could offer the sacrifice was the Levitical priest.
What
was Yahweh’s original intent for forgiveness of sins?
"The multitude of your sacrifices--what are they to
me?" says the LORD. ‘I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams
and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls
and lambs and goats. 12When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of
you, this trampling of my courts? 13Stop bringing meaningless offerings!’"
"But Samuel replied: ‘Does the LORD delight in
burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD?
To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of
rams. 23For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like
the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has
rejected you as king.’"
"You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17The sacrifices of Yahweh
are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O Yahweh, you will not
despise."
"Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but
my ears you have pierced; burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.
7Then I said, ‘Here I am, I have come--it is written about me in the scroll. 8I
desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.’"
"Therefore, when Messiah came into the world, he said:
‘Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared
for me; 6with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.’
7Then I said, ‘Here I am--it is written about me in the scroll--I have come to
do your will, O Yahweh.’ 8First he said, ‘Sacrifices and offerings, burnt
offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them (although
the law required them to be made)’. 9Then he said, ‘Here I am, I have
come to do your will.’ He sets aside the first to establish the second.
10And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of
Messiah Yahshua once for all."
"The next day John saw Yahshua coming toward him and
said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’"
"All inhabitants of the earth will worship the
beast--all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the
Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world."
These
verses show that the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin.
Furthermore, Hebrews 10:5-10 says that Psalm 40 is a prophetic announcement by
Yahshua that He would be our sacrifice. They also show that the entire
Old Covenant Torah was not set aside, but the Old Covenant sacrificial
system. Elsewhere in the book of Hebrews we read that the Levitical
priesthood has also been set aside. These verses clearly teach that
Yahweh’s plan was for Yahshua to die as our sacrificial lamb.
How has
the New Covenant renewed the Old with reference to Yahweh’s original intent?
The Old
Covenant commands are still fulfilled when we believe in Yahshua’s sacrificial
death. The Old Covenant commands have simply been transformed by revealing
Yahweh’s original intent. Yahshua fulfills the requirements of the sin offering
of the Old Covenant. Furthermore, He is now our high priest for matters
pertaining to forgiveness of sins we continue to commit. However, the
Scriptures teach that some types of sacrifices can now be offered by believers
(not the sin offering). Thus we fulfill the Old Covenant through the Renewed
Covenant.
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart…"
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of
him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."
"Through Yahshua, therefore, let us continually
offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name.
16And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such
sacrifices God is pleased."
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God 's
mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to
God--this is your spiritual act of worship."
The
message is that the New Covenant has transformed the Old Covenant, not
abolished it. This is how we are to reconcile the two. Some commands have been
transformed by their fulfillment. Other commandments were superceded by the
Word of Yahweh Himself. This was true in the Old Covenant also when Solomon’s
Temple superceded the portable Tent of Meeting. As we’ve seen above Yahshua’s
sacrifice was performed to fulfill the sin offering. Other commands were
re-prioritized instead of abolished. The Biblical Holy Days/Festivals
(especially Passover) weren’t abolished but took on new meanings. If you wonder
why we don’t stone people any more it’s because the penalties for our sins were
executed already in Yahshua’s death. So as you see, the New Covenant doesn’t
abolish the Old Covenant, it upholds it! Time does not permit me to write about
clean and unclean foods, keeping the Sabbath, etc. But I will say that it is
our responsibility as New Covenant believers to let the Holy Spirit write the
Old Covenant Laws on our hearts so that we know what to obey and how to obey
it.
May Yahshua’s Words Settle the
Matter Forever
In
numerous ways the Bible teaches us Yahweh’s Old Covenant Law (Torah) has not
been abrogated/abolished. Until a few months ago I believed the Law (Torah) had
been abolished. The most convincing argument follows. What did Yahshua say
about the Law (Torah)?
"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.
18I tell you the truth, 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. 19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these
commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the
kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be
called great in the kingdom of heaven."
The
only question that should be raised is; what did Yahshua mean by fulfill? Some
think that since Yahshua fulfilled the Law (Torah) it is unnecessary for us to
fulfill them. In other words, He fulfilled it for us and it (the Law [Torah])
is reckoned as fulfilled in us by our faith in Him. It doesn’t follow that we
don’t need to obey the Law (Torah) because He "fulfilled it" for us.
In fact, Paul makes this point in Romans 3:31 "Do we, then, nullify
the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law."
The
Greek word translated fulfill is "pleroo," which could be translated
"to complete." Literally it is "to cram, level up or make
full." Figuratively, it is "to furnish, satisfy, execute (an office),
or finish (a task). Concerning the figurative meaning Yahshua finished
the task by satisfying the righteous commands of the Law
(Torah). He obeyed everything. This meaning is implied when Yahshua told John
that He needed to be baptized. Fulfill simply means to obey.
"Yahshua replied, ‘Let it be so now; it is proper for
us to do this to fulfill[OBEY] all righteousness.’ Then John
consented."
Concerning
the literal meaning Yahshua came "to make full" the meaning of the
Torah! Isn’t that what He did on the Sermon on the Mount. He didn’t negate any
of the commands He taught about. He brought out the higher spiritual meaning of
the Laws. Furthermore, He revealed Yahweh’s original intent for each of the
Laws. Note, He never said, "I’ve abolished these Laws." Truly, He
gave them deeper meaning by filling up, leveling up or cramming them with
Yahweh’s deeper truth. Furthermore, He brought out those deeper meanings so
that we could live them more fully, thus, fulfilling His will in our lives.
Read this quote from Anglican Christian Brigid Younghughes:
"…‘I
came not to destroy, but to fulfill.’ And surely ‘to fulfill’ means to
complete, in the sense of bringing to perfection, not, as Christians have all
too often interpreted it, to render obsolete; to fulfill in such a way as to
perfect a foundation on which to build further (Christianity’s Jewish
Heritage, West Sussex: Angel Press, 1988, p.8)."
If you
are still not convinced that Yahshua intended for us to keep the Law (Torah) I
offer this last example. One of the central Laws of the Old Covenant was the
Sabbath. To show that Yahshua intended His disciples to continue to observe the
Sabbath, which is one of the Old Covenant Laws, I offer the following verses:
"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the
whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. 15So
when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes
desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel--let the reader
understand--16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17Let no
one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18Let
no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19How dreadful it will be in
those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20Pray that your
flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21For
then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world
until now--and never to be equaled again."
This
passage shows beyond a shadow of doubt that Yahshua expected His disciples to
be observing the Sabbath even in the time frame just preceding His second
coming! If the Sabbath was done away with (along with the other Old Covenant
Laws) then why this admonition? Please, in light of everything the Scriptures
state concerning the Law (Torah), take the obvious meaning. The Law (Torah)
with the Sabbath command was not abolished by Yahshua. After all, He said in
Matthew 5:17-19 that He did not come to destroy the Law and the Prophets!
Let’s
look at Matthew 7:21-23, "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will
enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is
in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy
in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’
23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you
evildoers!’"
The
Greek word translated "evildoers" is "anomia." In a
non-Jewish context, anomia means, absence of law. But as I’ve stated before, nomos
is the Greek word the Jewish people chose to translate the Hebrew word Torah.
Therefore, the translation should read "… Away from me, you who act as if
there’s no Torah." Once again we see the translators have done a
disservice to the translation. The proper translation puts an entirely
different meaning on this verse. Note the following verses that should be
translated Torah. Each one of these verses used the Greek word nomos, the
context clearly shows that it’s the Old Covenant Law (Torah) that’s being
referenced, not some "New Covenant Torah" that’s separate from the
Old. Don’t they have a different flavor now?
"If you really keep the royal Torah found in
Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right. 9But if you
show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the Torah as lawbreakers.
10For whoever keeps the whole Torah and yet stumbles at just one point
is guilty of breaking all of it. 11For he who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’
also said, ‘Do not murder.’ If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder,
you have become a Torah breaker. 12Speak and act as those who are going
to be judged by the Torah that gives freedom, 13because judgment without
mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over
judgment!"
"The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the
Torah."
Whether
modern translators willfully mistranslate by removing the Jewish flavor or
whether they do it simply because of tradition, I don’t know. It is a
well-documented fact however, that soon after the apostles died there was a
pre-meditated attempt to expunge Hebraic influence from the Scriptures. This
paper has attempted to show you the "fruit" of that effort.
Concluding Remarks
So how
are we to properly relate to the Old Covenant Torah? What about kosher laws,
dress, etc.? It is my current belief that each believer must allow the Holy
Spirit to teach and guide them. We must all honestly seek to understand the
entire revelation that Yahweh has given us. The Jerusalem Council in Acts 15
demonstrated that Gentiles do not need to become Jews (circumcision, mikveh and
animal sacrifice) in order to obtain salvation; however, they were still
expected to grow in knowledge of the Law (Torah). I will not be dogmatic on
those issues. One of my goals in writing this paper was to simply dispel the
notion that the Old Covenant Law (Torah) was abolished or that we are
"free" from it. This paper is the result of approximately six months
of intensive study. I’m already aware that I don’t have answers to every
question that can be raised. Furthermore, I’m sure that I will continue to grow
in knowledge and understanding. Therefore, I will be dogmatic only in stating
that the Old Covenant Law (Torah) was not abolished! It is our
responsibility as believers to determine how Yahweh wants us to apply it (as it
is expressed in the New Covenant) in our lives. It is my prayer that anyone who
reads this document does so with an open mind. We are in a time of restoration
of all things spoken of by Yahweh’s prophets. Will you reject a truth Yahweh is
trying to restore because it doesn’t line up with your experience? I believe
the Bible is clear. I also believe that we’ve experienced so many hundreds of
years of traditions of men that it’s difficult to see the truth. That’s
unfortunate. I’ve stood on both sides of this issue and I am persuaded that
Yahweh has led me in my choices. I used to reject this teaching because I was
never presented this truth in a comprehensive way. I always had a few
"proof texts" here and there to rifle down arguments. But now that
I’ve viewed the witness of the entire Bible, I’ve come up with one conclusion.
The Law (Torah) was not abolished.
I’m
not negating anything that Yahweh has done in my past or yours! I’m not saying that our walk as
Gentile Christians was of the devil. That would be ludicrous. Yahweh has truly
done great things for us, mainly because of His infinite mercy. Please, don’t
hear what I’m not saying. I’m saying that Yahweh is calling us to respond to
His Restoration of His truth in order that we may more fully obey Him. May He
lead you also.
Some
more thoughts:
End of Article