The Blessings of Obedience

In this post, I am going to try and collect some thoughts that have been swirling around in my brain.  Pardon any randomness that is sure to occur!

Recently, I had a friend ask me about Romans 8:1 and how it works together with Romans 14:22-23.  Upon reading the two passages, which have to do with condemnation and judgment, I asked her what version she was reading.  She was working with the NIV and the Amplified Bible.  I told her to read Romans 8:1 in either the KJV or the NKJV, which come from the textus receptus Greek manuscript (as opposed to the more recently-used critical text).  Here is the difference:

NIV: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus

NKJV: There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Well, that is quite a difference.  One version shows an action associated with it, and the other does not.  But in fairness, chapter 8 continues, and both versions highlight the same concept in verse 4: that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Ooo, suddenly we have a bit of context!  The passage is speaking of walking in New Covenant Law, which is governed by the leading of the Holy Spirit and not by the laws of the flesh that are written on stone tablets under Moses.  (New Covenant law boils down to this:  Love God and love people.)

Do you see how important it is to consider context, and the full counsel of scripture, versus taking one verse out of context?  A person could read 8:1 in the NIV (and most other modern translations) and simply concur that because a person believes in Jesus, they are good to go.  Nothing else required. 

Today in the church, there is much focus on the love of God, as it applies to ourselves.  You hear it quite often in our worship music - He is jealous for me.  Oh, how He loves me.  Oh, He chases me down.  Love is love.  Etc.

And it is true.  God is love.  Scripture says so.  But balance is so critical!  Look at 1 John 4:8: He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Did you notice that this verse indicates a lack of action?  How about this one a few verses later? We love Him because He first loved us.  Action is demonstrated.  We can only truly love Him (and others) because of His great love that He showed us first.

How about the famous verse, John 3:16?  By itself, it seems that only belief is required, and nothing else.  But if you keep reading, you find that there is more:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.  But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

True belief requires action.

Matthew 5:16 says this:  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

And James drives it home in James 2:20- But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?

In other words, don't just stand there, do something!

What we do matters!

Speaking of taking verses out of context, let's visit the book of Jeremiah (which I am currently reading).  There is a verse, beloved by many and claimed as their "life verse."  You know where I am going, right?

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11.

This is a lovely verse and a wonderful promise.  In context, it was made to Israel's southern kingdom as they were getting booted out of the land for disobedience.  God was telling them to go ahead and relocate to Babylon, assuring them that if they obey His command to go, He would take care of them in a foreign land.

But what comes next is God's assurance of what would happen if they do NOT obey Him.  Nobody ever takes Jeremiah 29:17 as their life verse:
thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will send on them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like rotten figs that cannot be eaten, they are so bad. (The passage continues...) And I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence; and I will deliver them to trouble among all the kingdoms of the earth—to be a curse, an astonishment, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them, because they have not heeded My words, says the Lord, which I sent to them by My servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; neither would you heed, says the Lord.

What we do matters.

Let's visit Deuteronomy 28.  The twelve tribes of Israel are standing on the mountains of Gerazim  (blessing) and Ebal, six per mountain, to hear what causes God's blessings and curses.  The first fourteen verses outline what will happen if they live their lives in obedience to YHVH.  It is lovely, full of prosperity and fruit and rain in season and blessed work and dominion over enemies.

BUT, starting with verse 15 and continuing all the way through 68, YHVH outlines the consequences of disobedience.   And it starts out bad and gets progressively worse.  Why is the warning of the curses so long and detailed?  I believe YHVH really wanted them to understand the price they would pay for disobedience.  The detailed list includes confusion, frustration, pestilence, wasting disease, blight, mildew, famine, defeat by enemies, boils, death, oppression, robbery, scattering, expulsion from the land, and captivity.  Oh, and starvation so bad you will eat your children.  

I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing;
therefore choose life   (Deut 30:19)

What we do matters.

This same theme is carried into the New Covenant on the Mountain of Beatitudes in Matthew 5, but with a New Covenant twist.  Interestingly, Yeshua spends most of his time on the blessings and not the curses.  Verses 3-10 tell us, Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, the pursuers of righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted.  For theirs is the kingdom of heaven and they will inherit the earth. (note:  the kingdom of God will someday be on earth and the Messiah will be ruling from Jerusalem).

Now for the twist...  verse 19.  It simply blows me away:
Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Did you notice that the commandment breakers are not booted out of the kingdom?  Yeshua's death lifted the terrible curses that we saw in Deuteronomy 28, but there are still consequences to disobediece.  You'll get into the kingdom if you have placed your trust in Yeshua, but you won't have much of a position there.  Compare that to 1 Corinthians 3:9-15...
For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

In other words, by the skin of their teeth.

Now compare this to Yeshua's parables of the talents in Matthew 25.  The ones who use the talents given to him by God is rewarded greatly.  The one who basically does nothing with his gift is strongly rebuked and cast into the outer darkness (fringes of the kingdom) where he will gnash his teeth (experience deep regret).

What we do matters. 

1 John 5:2-3 confirm this concept: By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

Not burdensome?  More like impossible, at least by our own power!

This is why the appointed time of Shavuot, or Pentecost, is so important.  The Jews have always celebrated the giving of the Torah - the laws of God that were written on stone tablets at Sinai - on this appointed day.  It was no coincidence then, that the Holy Spirit was given to indwell believers on this very same appointed day, when Jerusalem would have been full to overflowing with Jews on their annual Shavuot pilgrimage.

Without the power of the Holy Spirit that was given that day, accompanied by the spiritual gifts that are given to each believer, it is impossible to fulfill New Covenant Law.  

We must discover the gifts that the Spirit has given us, and use them for His kingdom purposes, if we want to hear His beloved voice saying, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

What we do matters.

Jewish Roots Doctrines and the Two Sauls

I recently met with a friend of mine; a Jewish believer in Yeshua who runs a Messianic dance ministry.  She was telling me about the different groups within the Jewish Roots movement, and sadly she reported that they all hate each other.

Hate each other?  How is this possible when one of Yeshua's main commands was that we love one another?

And yet, we are still humans, running around in these human bodies in a world that still is corrupted.  And often we forget to die to self, as the word instructs us to do.

Anyway, my friend said that there are three main groups:  Messianic Jews, Hebraic Christians, and Hebrew Roots people.  (I knew there were differences within the Jewish Roots movement but did not know they were categorized like this).

Here is a website from a Hebraic Christian congregation that explains the difference between the first two groups:

https://www.myshalom.org/hebraic_christianity

The third group, Hebrew Roots people, can be a little harder to explain since there is such a wide range of doctrines within the group. 

One of the entities that falls into this third category is the Ephraimites.  These mostly Gentile Christians claim to be a part of the ten lost tribes of Israel, so therefore they actually ARE Israel.  This doctrine also shows up as British-Israelism, Two-House (or Whole-House) Theology, and Herbert Armstrong's Worldwide Church of God.  The doctrine is heavily based on Ezekiel's vision of the two sticks coming together in Ezekiel 37.

Also within the Hebrew Roots category are people who hold to the teaching that the Messiah's death did not complete the Moses Covenant, but instead renewed it, expanded it, and wrote it on the hearts of His true followers.  For the most part, those involved advocate the need for every believer to walk what they call a "Torah-observant life."  This means that the ordinances of the Mosaic Covenant must be a central focus in the lifestyle of believers today as it was with the Ancient Jews. 

Hmm. About a third of those ordinances are centered around temple sacrifice - an impossibility to keep today since there is no physical temple.  Didn't James say something about breaking one part of the law breaks the whole thing?  But I digress.

There are a couple people I know who adhere to this third group, and their Facebook posts are rather militant.  In fact, it was a post from one of these people that is the reason for today's post.

This person was elaborating on what she called the false teaching of the Apostle Paul.  She went as far as saying his "conversion" was actually from the Antichrist, and that all of his teachings are false and that his writings should be thrown out of the Bible.

The following is a paraphrase of her example:

King Saul (who was from the tribe of Benjamin) persecuted David and his followers.  The Apostle Paul (whose Hebrew name is also Saul, and he was also from the tribe of Benjamin) persecuted the followers of Yeshua.  Since the Hebrew scriptures are a foreshadow of Messiah, therefore because King Saul was influenced by the devil and met a tragic end, therefore Paul too was influenced by the devil and met with a tragic end.

What a dangerous way to look at the Bible!  This person clearly does not understand how biblical foreshadowing works.  Biblical foreshadows are prophetic snapshots of what is to come, not an exact detail-by-detail fulfillment.

Let me use a different account to make my point.

The LORD stopped Abraham from sacrificing his beloved son, Isaac.  However, the LORD did not stop the sacrifice of His beloved son, Yeshua.  Therefore, since the fulfillment was not exactly like the foreshadow, Yeshua could not be the Messiah.

Can you see the logical fallacy?

However, there definitely is a prophetic connection between the two Sauls, but I never saw it until I read that Facebook post.  

Consider this:

If King Saul the Benjamite (and his ultimate demise) is a prophetic picture of the glorious Sinai Covenant, which is written on stone tablets and ends in death, how much more is Rabbi Saul the Benjamite (and his ultimate redemption) a prophetic picture of the New Covenant, written by the Spirit on our hearts?

Rabbi Saul puts it like this in 2 Corinthians 3:

Our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 

But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.

A story of two hills.  Which is greater?

Well.  No wonder many Hebrew Roots people take issue with the Apostle Paul.  His focus is on the glorious New Covenant and not on Moses and the Mount Sinai Covenant.

So back to the conversation I was having with my believing Jewish friend.  I asked her which of the three groups she identified with, and she said “None.  I am simply teaching people how to worship Yeshua the Jewish Messiah through dance.”  She went on to tell me that one group actually fired her for associating with those from another group.

Agghhh!

I cannot imagine that this is what the Messiah had in mind when He commanded us to love one another or when He prayed that we would be unified.

I love studying the Jewish Roots of my faith because of the richness of understanding that it brings to my faith.  But I cannot say that I fully identify with any of these Jewish Roots groups.  The congregation I attend is part of a Christian denomination, and although I am a member, I do not profess any allegiance to the denomination.

My allegiance is to the crucified and risen Redeemer – Messiah Yeshua – and to His holy Word and to His Holy Spirit dwelling within me.  

And as far as Torah observance goes, the Hebrew word Torah simply means instruction.  I believe all scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, is our instruction - our Torah, and it must be understood as a whole, complete set of instructions.  So yes, this makes me Torah observant.

Torah Torah Torah

A few years ago, I posted two blogs in regard to "keeping the law."  If you haven't read them, you can go back and read them starting here.

I have continued to study the Word of God from a Hebraic viewpoint.  This means that I come across a lot of people who call themselves Torah Observant.  However, I have found that there is a variety of opinions on what Torah obervance looks like.  Let me share more of what I have learned since the previous posts on the subject.

The word Torah means instruction.  It comes from the root word yara, which means direction; as an arrow being aimed and shot toward its target.  In this sense, the whole counsel of scripture from Genesis to Revelation is the Lord's instruction, or Torah, that leads us to the final goal.  The first place that the word Torah shows up in scripture is in Genesis 26:5, where the Lord says that Abraham kept His laws.  At this point, the Sinai covenant had not yet been given to Moses.

Torah

So am I Torah observant?  Yes!  Torah - The Instruction of God, from Genesis to Revelation.

Understanding the covenants is key.  There are seven covenants between God and man.  It is not just a matter of Old Covenant/New Covenant.  If you want more information on them, I have written on the seven covenants here.  Sorry for the rabbit trails today, but it is worth your time.

We must know what covenant we are under and then discover what is required of us under that covenant.

The fourth of the seven, given to Moses on Mount Sinai, was centered on the tabernacle, and later on the temple.  Of the 613 mitzvot (commandments) in the Sinai covenant, only 207 of them can be observed apart from the temple.  This is why there are Orthodox Jews in Israel that yearn for the temple to be rebuilt - so they can properly keep Torah!

What does that mean for us as New Covenant believers, under the blood of Yeshua?  James 2:10 tells us that if we stumble on even one precept of the law (Sinai covenant), we have broken the whole thing.  Do you see how impossible it is?  

Hebrews 7:12, speaking of Yeshua our High Priest, tells us, For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. 

Yeshua fulfilled the entire Sinai Covenant perfectly, for us, putting to death the laws of the flesh once for all.  It is finished, He said as He hung on the tree, taking on the curse for us with His dying breath.  Having fulfilled every precept of the Sinai Covenant, He is now our living Torah.

The Sinai Covenant dealt with the flesh.  The New Covenant deals with the spirit.  The Holy Spirit is our living Torah.

Yeshua gives us a major hint in the gospels.  When He sent out the 12 (a very Jewish number) disciples prior to feeding the 5000, He sent them to a Jewish crowd.  There was no need to give them any dietary warnings - they were kosher.  Then in Luke 10, we see Him sending out 70 (number of completeness) to a very Gentile area, prior to feeding the 4000.  What did He tell them?  Eat such things as are set before you.  There was a good chance that some of these Gentiles were going to give them pork BBQ.  

Yeshua was preparing his disciples to carry the gospel to many cultures - cultures who were never given the Sinai Covenant.  Can you imagine witnessing to someone, and they invite you to dinner, and you have to refuse them because they are serving bacon-wrapped shrimp?  The highest form of fellowship in scripture is to dine with someone.  What an insult that would be, and a stumbling block to the gospel!

Yeshua said that if we loved Him, we would obey His commandments.  What were His new covenant commandments?  Love God, and then love people.  The external precepts (flesh) were completed and the internal precepts (spirit) were magnified.  Romans 8 tells us that love is the fulfillment of the law.  This is our directive in this age of Messiah, until He comes again.

Rock and Roll... Bible Style!

Okay, now that I have your attention, I'm really talking about the connection between stones and bread. (Get it?  Rock and roll?  Stones and bread?   I know; not that funny...)

I was hanging out in Deuteronomy 8 the other day, and came across this:

So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth YHVH.

In context, we see that Moses was on the mountain for forty days with no bread, and at the end, he received YHVH's instructions - written on stone tablets.

Moses, a foreshadow of the Messiah, was given the Word - the Bread of Life - on stones.

Fast forward to Yeshua, spending His own forty days in the wilderness with no bread.  The accuser, who knows the scriptures probably better than anyone, challenged Yeshua to turn the mountain stones into bread.  Yeshua went right back to Deuteronomy 8 and quoted the aforementioned verse.

Several chapters later, we find Yeshua teaching His disciples how to pray.  About halfway through, He said "give us this day our daily bread."  Do you think He is talking about food?  Hmmm, just a few verses later He told His disciples not to worry about what they shall eat or drink.  It looks to me like He is talking about feasting on the daily Word!

We see another connection in the very next chapter, when Yeshua said Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Yeshua is saying that it is a good thing to desire the Bread, the One who fulfilled everything that was written on the stones of Sinai.

The purpose of the law, written on stone and given to Moses, was to reveal our sinful nature and demonstrate our need for redemption.  Yeshua, the Bread of Life, fulfilled the law, gave His life for us, and became our Chief Cornerstone in Whom we are to place our trust.

John 6 is full of references to bread.  The chapter begins with Yeshua feeding the 5000.  The next day, people showed up for another free meal, and were taught about the Everlasting Bread instead. 

Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. 

This caused grumbling among some of the people.  Yeshua continued, "I am the bread of life.  Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.  This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

 

Wonderful, awesome Bread!  No need to worry about gluten or carbs.  This Bread gives life!

 

Have you had your Bread today?

A Fresh Look at the Third Commandment

For a long time, the term OMG has really bothered me.  People would throw His name around so casually!  Haven't they heard the third commandment?  I even wrote a blog post awhile back called "Oh, My Bob!"  (Click here if you feel like reading it).

I must confess, I have been looking at the original language of the third commandment, and have come to realize that the commandment is saying something altogether different than what I have always thought.

(If you think this releases you to run around OMG-ing, please read Ezekiel 36:23, Joel 2:26, and many other places - His name is YHVH and it is HOLY).

The text in question is Exodus 20:7:  You shall not take the name of YHVH your God in vain, for YHVH will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

First, the word translated take.  It means to lift up.  This is the origin of placing one's hand on a Bible in a courtroom and swearing an oath, in the name of God.

Now, let's look at the word translated vain.  It means falsehood; empty lies. 

Putting the two together, we see that this verse is telling us how serious YHVH is regarding the taking of an oath.  This can be confirmed many times in scripture. 

Remember the Gibeonites in Joshua chapter 9?  They dressed themselves up as if they had come from a long way, and tricked the Israelites into making a treaty with them in order to save their hides.  The Israelites made the mistake of not consulting YHVH first.  Later, when they realized that the Gibeonites lived nearby, this is what they had to say:

But the children of Israel did not attack them, because the rulers of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord God of Israel. And all the congregation complained against the rulers.
Then all the rulers said to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by the Lord God of Israel; now therefore, we may not touch them.  Joshua 9:18-19

Even rash oaths must be honored.  Are you familiar with Jephthah's rash vow in Judges 11?  He came home from war, and enthusiastically promised YHVH that he would offer the first thing that he saw as a sacrifice.  He did not anticipate that it would be his daughter.  (Biblical scholars differ on the result of Japhtheh's vow).

In Matthew 5, Yeshua reiterated the importance of an oath, to the point of cautioning us not even to do it.  James 5 repeats this caution in verse 12.  But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.

Are you with me so far?  You can search the scriptures and find much more on the importance of oaths.  The Lord God takes them very seriously.

Genesis 26:3 tells of an oath that YHVH swore to Abraham:  Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.  We can go through the book of Genesis and see this promise repeated several times.  Genesis 13:15 reveals that the promise is forever.

Hebrews 6:17 tells us that it is impossible for God to lie. 

Now that Israel is back in the land that was sworn to her by Almighty God so very long ago, there are many who would like nothing more than to see her gone, and her enemies fight tooth and nail to see that happen.   However, their fight is futile... God CANNOT lie.  His purposes WILL go forward, whether people like them or not. 

Israel has endured four major wars, countless minor wars, a media war, and a commerce war (the BDS movement, which stands for Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions against Israel).  None of these things are working for those opposed to Israel.  Zechariah 12:3 warns us "In that day I will make Jerusalem a stumbling block for all people; all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth gather against it." 

Ouch.  I don't think it gets much clearer than that. 

Love the Lord Your God With All You've Got

What is the greatest commandment?

Deuteronomy 6:5 tells us, You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.  This is part of the Hebrew shema... Hear O Israel!

The gospels add yet another word:  mind.  (See Mark 12:30).  The Greek word is dianoia, which means understanding. 

Both of these covenants are telling us to love our God with everything we've got.  I find it interesting that the new covenant adds the idea of understanding.  Knowing that salvation would be offered to the Gentiles, and that many movements and denominations within the faith would arise, God has given us provision to love Him to the best of our ability within the realm that He has placed us. 

But that does not mean, stop studying.  He gave us His word so that we can gain greater understanding as we learn more and more about Him, thereby enabling us to love Him more and more as our understanding increases!

Mark 12:31 continues and says the second commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves.  I just love what the scribe says to Yeshua after that in verses 32 and 33:  So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.  And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

I have been studying the letter to the congregation at Ephesus in Revelation 2.  The congregation was commended for its commitment to truth, and for doing good works.  It also hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans (nico means ruler and laitans means people - they didn't allow their leadership to be controlling of the people).  The rebuke they received was that they had lost their first love and were told to return to the first works.

What does this mean?  In today's terms, Ephesus had great church programs, and were busy, busy, busy.  Awesome Youth Group.  Divorce Recovery Group.  Senior Citizens Fellowship.  Women's Ministry.  Men's Ministry.  Awana.  Amazing Music and Drama Teams.  But the time they spent worshipping at the feet of Yeshua was, um, lackluster.  Too busy for that!  They had flip-flopped the greatest two commandments, serving the needs of the people first and giving God whatever was left (if there even were any leftovers).

Now, there is nothing wrong with all those programs.  People have needs, and it's great that there are ministries that can help.  BUT, unless it is done in the proper order as set forth in the Word, it will fail.  What happened at Ephesus?  The Romans came and cut down all their trees.  Erosion caused Ephesus to turn into a desolate place - their lampstand was removed.  A congregation can learn a lot from this:  Put God first, and all the loving-your-neighbor business will follow naturally.

Don't we pray this way too sometimes?  We approach God with our laundry list of things we or others need, instead of simply lavishing Him with praise and adoration. 

Matthew 6:9 gives us our model:  Our Father in heaven,  hallowed (Holy, set apart) be Your name!  Your kingdom come, Your will be done...

More Musings on the Law (Part 2)

In my last post, I spoke about the new covenant law that we are now under.  There are still a few things swimming around in my head that I would like to put down in writing.

For folks who try to keep the Sinai law today, I would like to ask:  Do you make the three annual pilgramages to Jerusalem that the law requires?  What about all the animal sacrifices that are required under Sinai law?  Do you purify yourselves following childbirth as required by the law, and then offer the appropriate animal sacrifices?  Do you go to a priest when you have any kind of skin rash?  If you do have such a rash, do you yell out "Unclean, unclean!" to anyone who passes by, and do you live separately?  If you ever have mold in your house, do you go through all the purifying rituals and then have a priest come and inspect it?  Do you follow all the requirements regarding bodily discharges?  Do you avoid cutting your hair at the sides or clip your beard?  Have you built parapets around your roof, so that if someone falls from it you won't be guilty of bloodshed?  Have you ever worn clothes that are woven with wool and linen?

James 2:10 says, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it."

Do you see how impossible it is?  Yeshua HAD to fulfill all of them, so that when he created One New Man out of Jew and Gentile, all could live together in the body of Messiah - the Kingdom of God - living by the Spirit instead of the law.

Romans 3:21-23 says "But now apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus the Messiah to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"

Ephesians 3:6 says, "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 Messiah Jesus"

Galatians 3:28 says "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Messiah Jesus."

Let me be clear on one thing:  Jews are not required to become Gentiles in order to come to faith in their own Messiah!  They should never be required to give up the feasts they celebrate (since they all point to the Messiah anyway), or be forced to celebrate the pagan-rooted holidays of Christmas or Easter or to eat ham.  Remember, Jewish believers in Messiah also have the privilege of being led by the Spirit.  Besides, who are among those that they are going to witness to?  Most likely family members and other Jewish people.

When witnessing to different groups of people, we would be wise to follow the words of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:  "To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Messiah's law), so as to win those not having the law.  To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.

(Part 3, written three years later, can be found here)

Here a law, there a law, everywhere a law law... (Part 1)

Ever since I became interested in the Jewish roots to our faith, I have come across many different ideas on the keeping of the law, or "Torah observance."  Some are "Moses" folks; those who believe the 613 commands of Mt. Sinai given to Moses are still in effect today, end of story.  Then there is the church, in which I have often heard, "nope, we are under grace, end of story."  It made me scratch my head for a long time.  But I think I get it now, so I will try to explain it to the best of my ability.

First of all, covenants.  God deals with man through covenants.  Some are forever, and some are temporary.  God made a covenant with Adam that his seed would crush the head of the serpent.  God also made a covenant with Noah that He would never again destroy the earth with a flood.  Abraham was promised many descendants and the land of Israel.  These are all permanent, irrevocable, non-conditional covenants.

When the children of Israel escaped from Egypt, God made a covenant with them at Sinai which required action on their part - a conditional covenant. They were given a large set of laws to obey, including the TEN BIG ONES written on stone tablets.The covenant made at Sinai with Moses was conditional on Israel's obedience to the law (which was impossible).  It was needed to demonstrate just how unable each one of us is to keep it. (It was added because of transgression, see Galatians 3:19).  But check out Jeremiah 31:31-32:

 “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.
³² 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.

No human being was ever able to perfectly keep the commands of the Torah.  Except the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus), who came and kept the Sinai law perfectly.  In doing so, He became our substitute.  2 Corinthians 5:15 says, "God made him who had no sin to be a sin offering for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Great!  So we are not under the law, right?  Wrong!  We are under NEW COVENANT law!  This law is summed up in two things:  Love God and love people.  The externals of the Sinai law were eliminated, but the internals of the heart were magnified!  For example, even by looking at a woman with lust, you have commited adultery with her.  If you hate your brother, you have committed murder.  An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth becomes turn your other cheek (Matthew 5:38...)  See what I mean?  Yeshua was preparing people for the change in covenants.

Just a little side note here.  The church, who often says that we are under grace and not law, still likes to hang their hat on the tithing part.  What would you say if I said you are not required to tithe anymore?  Stop cheering, I heard that!  Because if it is true that the internals are magnified, you'd better be prepared to give a lot more than ten percent, according to the leading of the Spirit.  The early church members sold EVERYTHING and gave liberally to others who were in need.

Anyway, I digress.  When the LETTER of the law was fulfilled by the Messiah, the covenant changed so that we are now under the SPIRIT of the law.  What does this mean?  It means that when we become a believer, we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who is our counselor. Keeping the New Covenant law is only possible through an intimate relationship with Yeshua the Messiah, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life.  He is the one Who will guide you. 

If you are prompted by the Holy Spirit to give up bacon or not work on Saturday, then by all means, you'd better obey His leading.  BUT, you are not to judge someone who is receiving a different leading on such matters.  Colossians 2:16-17 says:  "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. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Messiah".

We have freedom through the Messiah!  I love how Galations puts it:
"For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman.  His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.
These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar...    Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise... Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman."


For part 2, click here