By Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)
I. The Nazarean
Codicil and the Law
IV. The
penalties and substitutionary atonement
V. Who is the
Law addressed to?
VI. Look at the
effects of "lawlessness":
VII. Salvation
by grace through faith
VIII. The law
brought freedom, not bondage:
IX. The ten
commandments summed up
In this study I
wouldf like to study the Torah and its implications for the righteous.
To begin, I need to
define the word Torah. In its general sense, Torah is the term for the
first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. However, Torah is also a Hebrew word, found throughout the Tanach,[1] which is often translated as law, but
at its root it mean connector. This tells us that Torah is law and that
the purpose of the Torah is to connect us with HaShem and to reality.
This physical world feels very real to us, but it is only a
projection of the real, the spiritual world. If we
wish to be connected to HaShem and to reality we must manipulate and use this
physical world to connect us to HaShem and to reality. The tools that we use,
in this physical world, are the command that HaShem gave us – The Torah. When
we obey the law, the commands, that HaShem put into
His Bible, we connect ourselves to HaShem and to reality.
When we ignore the
Torah (the commands, the laws of HaShem); we are disconnecting ourselves from
HaShem and from reality!
This makes the whole
subject of Torah an extremely important activity that we must see as something
that connects us to HaShem and to reality.
With this bit of
background, let us begin to view the Torah through the the Bible and the Nazarean
Codicil.
I.
The Nazarean Codicil[2] and the Law
The Law is GOOD. HaShem wants us to keep his law (Torah). Lets look at a few of these passages so that we can appreciate the emphasis and the importance of the Torah. Note the underlined portions in the following passages:
Romans 7:14-25 We know that the law (Torah) is spiritual;
but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not
understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law (Torah) is good. As
it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know
that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the
desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the
good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing. Now
if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin
living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good,
evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law;
But I see another law (Torah) at work in the members of my body,
waging war against the law (Torah) of my mind and making me a prisoner of the
law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue
me from this body of death? Thanks be to God--through Yeshua
Mashiach our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind
am a slave to God's law (Torah), but in the sinful nature a slave to the
law of sin.
Romans 8:1-9 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Mashiach Yeshua, Because
through Mashiach Yeshua the law (Torah) of the Spirit of life set me free from the law (Torah) of sin and death. For what
the law (Torah) was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful
nature, God 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, In order that the
righteous requirements of the law (Torah) might be fully met in us, who do not
live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. Those who live
according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature
desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set
on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind
controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; The sinful mind is hostile to
God. It does not submit to God's law (Torah), nor can it do so.
Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled
not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.
And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Mashiach, he does not belong to
Mashiach.
I Corinthians 7:18-19 Was a man already circumcised
when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised
when he was called? He should not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and
uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's commands
is what counts.
I Yochanan (John) 5:1-3 Everyone who believes that Yeshua is the Mashiach is
born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is
how we know that we love the children of God: by
loving God and carrying out his commands (Torah). This
is love for God: to obey his commands (Torah). And his commands are not
burdensome,
Mishlei (Proverbs) 28:9 If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even
his prayers are detestable.
Romans 7:12 So then, the law (Torah) is holy, and the commandment is holy,
righteous and good.
I Timothy 1:8-11 We know that the law (Torah) is good if one uses it properly.
We also know that law (Torah) is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers
and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who
kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, For adulterers and perverts, for
slave traders and liars and perjurers--and for whatever else is contrary to the
sound doctrine That conforms to the glorious gospel
of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
Psalm 119
The Law is spiritual:
Romans 7:14 We know that the law (Torah) is spiritual; but I am
unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
The reception of the Law by Israel was a blessing:
Romans 9:3-4 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Mashiach for the sake of my brothers, those of my own
race, The people of
All men may be divided into two classes: those who subject themselves to the Law of God, and those who are sinful:
Romans 8:6-15 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit
is life and peace; The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to
God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot
please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the
Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the
Spirit of Mashiach, he does not belong to Mashiach. But if Mashiach is in you,
your body is dead because of sin,
yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who
raised Yeshua from the dead is living in you, he who raised Mashiach from the
dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in
you. Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful
nature, to live according to it. For 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, Because those who are led by the
Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you
a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we
cry, <"Abba,> Father."
The law was never designed to bring salvation to sinners:
Romans 3:19-28 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 God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by
observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has
been made known, to which the Law (Torah) and the Prophets testify. This
righteousness from God comes through faith in Yeshua Mashiach to all who believe. There is no
difference, For all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God, And are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Mashiach Yeshua. 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 unpunished-- He 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 Yeshua. Where, then, is boasting? It is
excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of
faith. For we maintain that a man is justified
by faith apart from observing the law.
Galatians 2:16 Know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in
Yeshua Mashiach. So we, too, have put our faith in
Mashiach Yeshua that we may be justified by faith in Mashiach and not by
observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.
II Luqas (Acts) 13:38 "Therefore, my brothers, I want you to
know that through Yeshua the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through
him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be
justified from by the law of Moses.
What was the divine purpose of the law?:
Romans 7:7-10 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." But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by
the commandment, produced in me every kind of
covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from
law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that
the very commandment that was intended to bring life
actually brought death.
The Law must be understood in terms of Mashiach, or it will be misunderstood:
Romans 3:19-26 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 God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by
observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of
sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made
known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness
from God comes through faith in Yeshua Mashiach
to all who believe. There is no difference, For all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God, And are justified freely
by his grace through the redemption that came by Mashiach
Yeshua. 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 unpunished-- He did
it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one
who justifies those who have faith[3] in Yeshua.
Romans 8:3-11 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the
sinful nature, God 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, In 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. Those who live
according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature
desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set
on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind
controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; The sinful mind is hostile to God.
It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the
sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful
nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does
not have the Spirit of Mashiach, he does
not belong to Mashiach. But if Mashiach is in you, your body
is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because
of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Yeshua from the dead is
living in you, he who raised Mashiach from the dead will also give life to your
mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Romans 9:30 - 10:6 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have
obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; But Israel,
who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they
pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the
"stumbling stone." As it is written: "See, I lay in
What are the uses for the Law?
1. Restrain sin in society generally:
Romans 13:1-7 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there
is no authority except that which God has
established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God
has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For
rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do
you want to be free from fear of the one in
authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's
servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear
the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring
punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the
authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of
conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's
servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe
him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then
respect; if honor, then honor.
I Timothy 1:8-11 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know
that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly
and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or
mothers, for murderers, For adulterers and
perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers--and for whatever else is
contrary to the sound doctrine That conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
2. Bring a conviction of sin:
Galatians 3:21-25 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the
promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart
life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But the
Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner
of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Yeshua Mashiach, might be
given to those who believe. Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by
the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge
to lead us to Mashiach that we might be justified
by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of
the law.
Romans 3:20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing
the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
Romans 7:7-14 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." But
sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment,
produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from law; but when the
commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very
commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For sin,
seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through
the commandment put me to death. So then, the law is holy, and the commandment
is holy, righteous and good. Did 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. We know that the law is spiritual;
but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
Romans 11:30-32 Just as you who were at one time disobedient
to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, So they too
have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a
result of God's mercy to you. For God has bound all men over to disobedience so
that he may have mercy on them all.
3. Reveal a rule of life for HaShem's people.
A. The Law of Love:
Galatians 5:14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your
neighbor as yourself."
Romans 13:8-10 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.
B. Righteous and
unrighteous acts:
Galatians 5:19-23 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious:
sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; Idolatry and witchcraft; hatred,
discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions And
envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that
those who live like this will not inherit the
I Corinthians 6:9-11 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the
I Timothy 1:9-11 We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for
lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for
those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers,
For adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers--and for
whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine That conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
Ephesians 6:2-3 "Honor your father and mother"--which is the first
commandment with a promise-- "That it may go well with you and that you
may enjoy long life on the earth."
C. Basis of future judgement:
Romans 2:3-11 So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same
things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? Or do you show contempt
for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that
God's kindness leads you toward repentance? But because of your stubbornness and
your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day
of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God "will
give to each person according to what he has done." To those who by
persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and
who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will
be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile;
But glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then
for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.
Romans 14:10-12 You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on
your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written:
"'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.'" So then,
each of us will give an account of himself to God.
II Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment
seat of Mashiach, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done
while in the body, whether good or bad.
Matityahu (Matthew) 5:18-19 I 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. 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.
C. The goal and achievement of Mashiach's death:
Romans 8:1-4 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Mashiach Yeshua, Because
through Mashiach Yeshua the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law
was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God 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, In 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.
4. Prove that we love God.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 7:7-15 HaShem did not
set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than
other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because
HaShem loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers
that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed
you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 11:1 Love HaShem your God and keep his
requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands
always.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 11:13-15 So if you faithfully obey the commands I
am giving you today--to love HaShem your God and to serve him with all your
heart and with all your soul-- Then I will send rain
on your land in its season, both autumn and spring
rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil. I will provide
grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat
and be satisfied.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 11:22-23 If you carefully observe all these
commands I am giving you to follow--to love HaShem your God, to walk in all his ways and to hold fast to him-- Then
HaShem will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess
nations larger and stronger than you.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 30:15-16 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I
command you today to love HaShem your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his
commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and HaShem your
God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
Yahoshua (Joshua) 22:1-5 Then Yahoshua (Joshua) summoned the
Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of
Manasseh And said to them, "You have done all that Moses the servant of
HaShem commanded, and you have obeyed me in everything I commanded. For a long
time now--to this very day--you have not deserted your brothers but have
carried out the mission HaShem your God gave you. Now that HaShem your God has
given your brothers rest as he promised, return to your homes in the land that
Moses the servant of HaShem gave you on the other side of the
Ezra-Nechemiah (Nehemiah) 1:1-6 The words of Ezra-Nechemiah (Nehemiah) son
of Hacaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth
year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from
Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile,
and also about Jerusalem. They said to me, "Those
who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and
disgrace. The wall of
Daniel 9:1-5 In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was
made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom-- In the first year of his reign, I,
Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of HaShem given
to Yirimiyah (Jeremiah) the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would
last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer
and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to HaShem my God
and confessed: "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his
covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, We have
sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have
rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws.
Yochanan (John) 14:9-24 Yeshua answered:
"Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can
you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and
that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather,
it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say
that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the
evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith
in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than
these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my
name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for
anything in my name, and I will do it. "If you love me, you will obey
what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another
Counselor to be with you forever-- The Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor
knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will
not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not
see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On
that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am
in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them,
he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and
I too will love him and show myself to him." Then Judas (not Judas
Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and
not to the world?" Yeshua replied, "If
anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father
will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does
not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own;
they belong to the Father who sent me.
I Yochanan (John) 5:1-4 Everyone who believes that Yeshua is the Mashiach is born of God, and everyone who loves the
father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children
of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God:
to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, For everyone
born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the
world, even our faith.
II Yochanan (John) 1:5-6 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a
new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another.
And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands.
As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.
The Law is appealed to as still in force.
1. Expel the wicked:
I Corinthians 5:13 God will judge those outside. "Expel
the wicked man from among you."
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 17:7 The hands of the witnesses must be the
first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people. You must
purge the evil from among you.
2. Do not muzzle the ox:
I Corinthians 9:9 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?
I Timothy 5:18 For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is
treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages."
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 25:4 Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading
out the grain.
3. The Law:
I Corinthians 14:34 Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in
submission, as the Law says.
Bereshit (Genesis) 3:16 To the woman he said, "I will greatly
increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."
I Corinthians 11:3 Now I want you to realize that the head of
every man is Mashiach, and the head of the woman is
man, and the head of Mashiach is God.
4. Do not touch what is unclean:
II Corinthians 6:16 What agreement is there between the temple of
Yeshayah (Isaiah) 52:11 Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no
unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the vessels of HaShem.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 17:6 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.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 19:15 One witness is not enough to convict a man
accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be
established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
Matityahu (Matthew) 18:16 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.'
II Corinthians 13:1 This will be my third visit to you.
"Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three
witnesses."
I Timothy 5:19 Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought
by two or three witnesses.
Bereans (Hebrews) 10:28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died
without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
6. Honor your father and mother:
Shemot (Exodus) 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, so
that you may live long in the land HaShem your God is
giving you.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 5:16 "Honor your father and your mother, as
HaShem your God has commanded you, so that you may live
long and that it may go well with you in the land HaShem your God is giving
you.
Matityahu (Matthew) 15:4 For God said, 'Honor your father and
mother' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.'
Matityahu (Matthew) 19:19 Honor your father and mother,' and 'love
your neighbor as yourself.'"
Marqos (Mark) 7:10 For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your
mother,' and, 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.'
Marqos (Mark) 10:19 You know the commandments:
'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false
testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'"
Luqas (Luke) 18:20 You know the commandments: 'Do not commit
adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your
father and mother.'"
Ephesians 6:2 "Honor your father and mother"--which is the first
commandment with a promise--
7. Love your neighbor as yourself:
Vayikra (Leviticus) 19:18 "'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge
against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am HaShem.
Matityahu (Matthew) 19:19 Honor your father and mother,' and 'love
your neighbor as yourself.'"
Matityahu (Matthew) 22:39 And the second is like it: 'Love your
neighbor as yourself.'
Marqos (Mark) 12:31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as
yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
Marqos (Mark) 12:33 To love him with all your heart, with all
your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as
yourself is more important than all burnt offerings
and sacrifices."
Luqas (Luke) 10:27 He answered: "'Love the Lord your God
with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with
all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' "
Romans 13:9 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."
Galatians 5:14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your
neighbor as yourself."
Yaaqov (James) 2:8 If you really keep the royal law found in
Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right.
8. Be holy as I am holy:
Vayikra (Leviticus) 11:44-45 I am HaShem your
God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make
yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground. I am HaShem
who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God;
therefore be holy, because I am holy.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 19:2 "Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: 'Be holy because I, HaShem your
God, am holy.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 20:7 "'Consecrate yourselves and be holy,
because I am HaShem your God.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 20:26 You are to be holy to me because I, HaShem,
am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.
I Tzefet (Peter) 1:16 For it is written: "Be holy, because I
am holy."
9. Speak not against a leader:
Shemot (Exodus) 22:28 "Do not blaspheme God or curse the
ruler of your people.
Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) 10:20 Do not revile the king even in your
thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird of the air may carry
your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say.
II Luqas (Acts) 23:5 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.'"
10. Idolatry, fornication, strangled, blood:
Bereshit (Genesis) 9:4 "But you must not eat
meat that has its lifeblood still in it.
Bereshit (Genesis) 35:2 So Jacob said
to his household and to all who were with him, "Get rid of the foreign
gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes.
Shemot (Exodus) 20:3 "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. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, HaShem your God,
am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of
the fathers to the third and fourth generation of
those who hate me,
Shemot (Exodus) 20:23 Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do
not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.
Shemot (Exodus) 34:15 "Be careful not to make a treaty with
those who live in the land; for when they prostitute themselves to their gods
and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices.
Shemot (Exodus) 20:14 "You shall not commit adultery.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 20:10 "'If a man commits adultery with
another man's wife--with the wife of his neighbor--both the adulterer and the
adulteress must be put to death.
II
Luqas (Acts) 15:19-21
Wherefore my sentence is (1 establishing courts of
justice), that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to G-d (2
against blasphemy): (v. 20) But that we write unto them, that they
abstain from pollutions of idols (3 idolatry),
and from fornication (4 sexual immorality),
and from blood (5 murder and laws of family purity,
) And
whatever you do not want to happen to yourselves, do not do to another (6 robbery). For the rest you have Moses since
old time in every city them that proclaim him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day
(7 Flesh of a living animal).
II Luqas (Acts) 15:29 You are to abstain from food
sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these
things. Farewell.
II Luqas (Acts) 21:25 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."
11. Passover:
TaNaK:
Bamidbar (Numbers) 9:1-5 HaShem spoke to
Moses in the
Future:
Yechezkel (Ezekiel) 45:21 "'In the first
month on the fourteenth day you are to observe the Passover, a feast
lasting seven days, during which you shall eat bread made without yeast.
Apostolic times:
I Corinthians 5:7-8 Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a
new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Mashiach,
our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of
malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast,
the bread of sincerity and truth.
The Nazarean Codicil seems to indicate an abrogation of the Law in:
Romans 6:14-15 For sin shall not be your master, because you
are not under law, but under grace. What then? Shall
we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!
Romans 7:6 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.
I Corinthians 9:20 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.
Galatians 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
Romans 10:4 Mashiach is the end (goal) of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
5056 telos, tel'-os; from a prim. tello (to set out for a definite point or goal); prop. the point aimed at as a limit, i.e. (by impl.) the conclusion of an act or state (termination [lit., fig. or indef.], result [immed., ultimate or prophetic], purpose); spec. an impost or levy (as paid):-+ continual, custom, end (-ing), finally, uttermost. Comp. 5411.
I believe that these are directed to the law as misused (as in justification) or as used legalistically. Compare them with:
I Corinthians 9:21 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 Mashiach's law), so as to win those not having the
law.
Matityahu (Matthew) 5:17-18 "Do not think that I have come to
abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill
them. I 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.
Romans 3:31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we
uphold the law.
Matityahu (Matthew) 13:52 He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the
kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom
new treasures as well as old."
Matityahu (Matthew) 23:23 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and
Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and
cumin. 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.
II Luqas (Acts) 24:14 However, I admit that I worship the God of
our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is
written in the Prophets,
II Luqas (Acts) 22:3 "I am a Jew,
born in
II Luqas (Acts) 28:17 Three days later
he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled, Paul said
to them: "My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people
or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans.
II Luqas (Acts) 25:8 Then Paul made his defense: "I have
done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar."
Romans 2:14-15 (Indeed, 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, Since 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.)
Romans 2:23 You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?
Matityahu (Matthew) 23:1 Then Yeshua said
to the crowds and to his disciples: "The teachers of the law and the
Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So 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.
The ceremonial parts of the law may be the most important because it is a pattern:
Shemot (Exodus) 25:8 "Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell
among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern
I will show you.
Shemot (Exodus) 25:40 See that you make them according to the pattern
shown you on the mountain.
8403 tabniyth, tab-neeth'; from 1129; structure; by impl. a model, resemblance:-figure, form, likeness, pattern, similitude.
-------------------- Dictionary Trace ------------------ 1129 banah, baw-naw'; a prim. root; to build (lit. and fig.):-(begin to) build (-er), obtain children, make, repair, set (up), X surely.
Hoshea (Hosea) 6:3-6 Let us acknowledge HaShem;
let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains, like the
spring rains that water the earth." "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. Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets, I
killed you with the words of my mouth; my judgments flashed like lightning upon
you. For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather
than burnt offerings.
Yeshayah (Isaiah) 1:11-17 "The multitude of your
sacrifices--what are they to me?" says HaShem.
"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.
When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of
my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense
is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations--I cannot bear your evil
assemblies. Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They have become a burden
to me; I am weary of bearing them. When 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; Wash and make
yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, Learn
to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the
fatherless, plead the case of the widow.
Yirimiyah (Jeremiah) 7:21-23 "'This is what HaShem
Almighty, the God of
Micah 6:8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does HaShem require
of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
I Shmuel (Samuel) 15:22-23 But Shmuel (Samuel) replied: "Does
HaShem delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the
voice of HaShem? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than
the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of
divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected
the word of HaShem, he has rejected you as king."
Tehillim (Psalms) 51:16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would
bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God
are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
There is, therefore, a division of the law. Parts have precedence.
The same law of Moses in Bereshit (Genesis) through Devarim (Deuteronomy) includes the "promise" and the Abrahamic covenant, as well as the legal aspects. Paul is obviously not abrogating those promises is he? One can not have it both ways.
IV.
The penalties and substitutionary atonement
There were sixteen crimes in the Tanach (Old Testament) that called for death, only one could NOT be ransomed: premeditated murder, kidnapping, adultery, homosexuality, incest, bestiality, incorrigible, delinquency in a child, striking or cursing parents, offering a human sacrifice, false prophecy, blasphemy, profaning the Sabbath, sacrifice to false gods, magic, divination, unchastity, and rape of a betrothed virgin.
Bamidbar (Numbers) 35:29-32 "'These are to be legal requirements
for you throughout the generations to come, wherever you live. "'Anyone
who kills a person is to be put to death as a murderer only on the testimony of
witnesses. But no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one
witness. "'Do not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer, who
deserves to die. He must surely be put to death. "'Do not accept a ransom
for anyone who has fled to a city of refuge and so allow him to go back and
live on his own land before the death of the high priest.
Paul condemned the sin without requiring the penalty:
I Corinthians 5:1-5 It is actually reported that there is
sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among
pagans: A man has his father's wife. And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather
have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did
this? Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I
have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were
present. When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Yeshua
and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Yeshua is present, Hand
this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his
spirit saved on the day of the Lord.
The penalty:
Vayikra (Leviticus) 18:8 "'Do not have sexual relations with
your father's wife; that would dishonor your father...
Vayikra (Leviticus) 18:26-29 But you must keep my
decrees and my laws. The native-born and the aliens living among you must
not do any of these detestable things, For all these things were done by the
people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. And if
you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that
were before you. "'Everyone who does any of these detestable things--such
persons must be cut off from their people.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 22:30 A man is not to marry his father's wife; he
must not dishonor his father's bed.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 27:20 "Cursed is the man who sleeps with his
father's wife, for he dishonors his father's bed." Then all the people
shall say, "Amen!"
The same law was in effect without demanding that the same sanction be applied.
V.
Who is the Law addressed to?
Some say that it was to Israel and that the ten commandments were primarily addressed, and not to all mankind.
1. If this is true why did HaShem give the law to some Gentiles at Sinai?
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 29:1-15 These are the terms of the covenant HaShem commanded Moses to make with the
Israelites in Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb.
Moses summoned all the Israelites and said to them: Your eyes
have seen all that HaShem did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials and to
all his land. With your own eyes you saw those great trials, those miraculous signs and great wonders. But to this day HaShem has not
given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears
that hear. During the forty years that I led you
through the desert, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet. You ate no bread and drank no wine or other
fermented drink. I did this so that you might know that I am HaShem your God.
When you reached this place, Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of
If this is true, why do the Gentiles have this law written on their hearts?
Romans 2:12-16 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.
For 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. (Indeed, 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, Since
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.) This will take place on the day when God will judge men's
secrets through Yeshua Mashiach,
as my gospel declares.
It would appear that all people are subject to the law of HaShem.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 24:22 You are to have the same law for the alien
and the native-born. I am HaShem your God.'"
Shemot (Exodus) 12:49 The same law applies to the native-born and
to the alien living among you."
Bamidbar (Numbers) 15:15-16 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 HaShem: The same laws and regulations will
apply both to you and to the alien living among you.'"
Yeshayah (Isaiah) 2:2-4 In the last days the mountain of HaShem’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains;
it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many
peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of HaShem,
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 HaShem from Jerusalem. He will
judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will
beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation
will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
Micah 4:1-3 In the last days the mountain of HaShem’s temple will be established
as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples
will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up to
the mountain of HaShem, 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 HaShem from
Let's look at the new covenant...
Yirimiyah (Jeremiah) 31:31 "The time is coming," declares
HaShem, "when I will make a new covenant with
the house of
8451 towrah, to-raw'; or torah, to-raw'; from 3384; a precept or statute, espec. the Decalogue or Pentateuch:-law.
----------------- Dictionary Trace --------------------- 3384 yarah, yaw-raw'; or (2 Chr. 26:15) yara', yaw-raw'; a prim. root; prop. to flow as water (i.e. to rain); trans. to point out (as if by aiming the finger), to teach:-(+) archer, cast, direct, inform, instruct, lay, shew, shoot, teach (-er, -ing), through.
Bereans (Hebrews) 8:6 But the ministry Yeshua
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 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
LAW 3551 nomos, nom'-os; from a prim. nemo (to parcel out, espec. food or grazing to animals); law (through the idea of prescriptive usage), gen. (regulation), spec. (of Moses [includ. the volume]; also of the Gospel), or fig. (a principle):-law.
NEW 2537 kainos, kahee-nos'; of uncert. affin.; new (espec. in freshness; while 3501 is prop. so with respect to age):-new.
The problem with the old covenant was with the people not the law! So the new covenant is the law of Moses written or refreshed in our hearts and not on stone.
These two passages have;
1) the same covenant making God, "My covenant"; 2) the same law, My Torah (note, not a different one from Sinai).
Note the same features of inwardness (heart) in the following passages:
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 6:4-5 Hear, O Israel: HaShem our God, HaShem is one. Love HaShem your God with
all your heart and with all your soul and with
all your strength. These commandments that I give
you today are to be upon your hearts.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 10:12-13 And now, O Israel, what does HaShem your
God ask of you but to fear HaShem your God, to walk in
all his ways, to love him, to serve HaShem your God with all your heart and
with all your soul, And to observe HaShem’s commands and
decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 30:6 HaShem your God will circumcise
your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with
all your heart and with all your soul, and live.
The Psalmist declared that for some this "Heart Law" already existed.
Tehillim (Psalms) 37:30-31 The mouth of the
righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just. The law of his
God is in his heart; his feet do not slip.
Tehillim (Psalms) 40:8 I desire to do your will, O my God; your
law is within my heart."
Notice also that there was going to be an "everlasting covenant":
Yeshayah (Isaiah) 24:1-6 See, HaShem is going to lay waste the earth
and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants-- It will
be the same for priest as for people, for master as for servant, for mistress
as for maid, for seller as for buyer, for borrower as for lender, for debtor as
for creditor. The earth will be completely laid waste and totally plundered.
HaShem has spoken this word. The earth dries up and withers, the world
languishes and withers, the exalted of the earth languish. The earth is defiled
by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken
the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its
people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth's inhabitants are burned up, and
very few are left.
Yeshayah (Isaiah) 55:1-4 "Come, all you who are thirsty, come
to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what
is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me,
and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give
ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting
covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. See, I have made him
a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples. Surely you
will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten
to you, because of HaShem your God, the Holy One of
Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor."
Yeshayah (Isaiah) 61:8 "For I, HaShem, love justice; I hate
robbery and iniquity. In my faithfulness I will reward them and make an everlasting covenant with them.
Yirimiyah (Jeremiah) 32:36-41 "You are saying about this city, 'By the sword, famine and plague it will be handed
over to the king of Babylon'; but this is what HaShem, the God of Israel, says: I will surely gather
them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great
wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. They
will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of
heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the
good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant
with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to
fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. I will rejoice in doing
them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and
soul.
Yirimiyah (Jeremiah) 50:4-5 "In those days, at that time," declares HaShem, "the people of
Yechezkel (Ezekiel) 16:59-63 "'This is what the Sovereign HaShem
says: I will deal with you as you deserve, because you have despised my oath by
breaking the covenant. Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the
days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with
you. Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your
sisters, both those who are older than you and those who are younger. I will
give them to you as daughters, but not on the basis of my covenant with you. So
I will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am HaShem.
Then, when I make atonement for you for all you
have done, you will remember and be ashamed and never again open your mouth
because of your humiliation, declares the Sovereign HaShem.'"
Yechezkel (Ezekiel) 37:21-27 And say to them, 'This is what the
Sovereign HaShem says: I will take the Israelites out
of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and
bring them back into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land,
on the mountains of
VI. Look at the
effects of "lawlessness":
Matityahu (Matthew) 7:21-27 "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. Many 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?' Then I will tell
them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into
practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and
beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on
the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into
practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down,
the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell
with a great crash."
Matityahu (Matthew) 7:23 {And then will I profess unto them, I never
knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.}
458 anomia, an-om-ee'-ah; from 459; illegality, i.e. violation of law or (gen.) wickedness:-iniquity, X transgress (-ion of) the law, unrighteousness.
------------------ Dictionary Trace -------------------- 459 anomos, an'-om-os; from 1 (as a neg. particle) and 3551; lawless; i.e. (neg.) not subject to (the Jewish) law; (by impl. a Gentile), or (pos.) wicked:-without law, lawless, transgressor, unlawful, wicked.
The law was not the problem. People were the problem. Obedience to the law brought a declared righteousness. The sinner will perish whether he has the law or not:
I Yochanan (John) 3:4-6 Everyone who sins
breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so
that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him
keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
Romans 2:12-13 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. For 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.
VII. Salvation by
grace through faith
All the righteous are saved by grace through faith:
Chavakkuk (Habakkuk) 2:2-5 Then HaShem
replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a
herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed
time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait
for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. "See, he is puffed up;
his desires are not upright--but the righteous will live by his faith--
Indeed, wine betrays him; he is arrogant and never at rest. Because he is as
greedy as the grave and like death is never satisfied, he gathers to himself
all the nations and takes captive all the peoples.
Bereshit (Genesis) 15:4-6 Then the word of HaShem came to him:
"This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." He 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." Abram believed HaShem,
and he credited it to him as righteousness.
Romans 4:1-25 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in
this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified
by works, he had something to boast about--but not before God. What does the
Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as
righteousness." Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as
a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts
God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited
as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness
of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: "Blessed
are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is
the man whose sin the Lord will never count against
him." 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. Under what circumstances was it credited? Was
it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! And 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. And 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. It was not through
law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir
of the world, but through the righteousness that
comes by faith. For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and
the promise is worthless, Because law brings wrath. And where there is no law
there is no transgression 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 but also to those who are of
the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As 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. Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed
and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him,
"So shall your offspring be." Without weakening in his faith, he
faced the fact that his body was as good as dead--since he was about a hundred
years old--and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through
unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and
gave glory to God, Being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had
promised. This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." The
words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, But
also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness--for us who believe in him
who raised Yeshua our Lord from the dead. He was
delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Saved by grace - not law works
Galatians 2:14-16 When I saw that they were not acting in
line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Tzefet (Peter) in front of them
all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you
force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?
"We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners' Know that a man is not
justified by observing the law, but by faith in Yeshua Mashiach.
So we, too, have put our faith in Mashiach Yeshua that we may be justified
by faith in Mashiach and not by observing the law, because by observing the
law no one will be justified.
The error was in forcing Gentiles to follow Jewish custom. No one in either the Nazarean Codicil new testament)) or the Tanach (old testament) was justified by the law
Romans 3:29 - 4:5 Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the
God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, Since there is only one God, who
will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same
faith. Do we, his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who
justifies those who have faith in Yeshua. Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded.
On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For
we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the
law.
We are justified by faith!
VIII.
The law brought freedom, not bondage:
Yaaqov (James) 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so
deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does
not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror And, after
looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But
the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting
what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does. If anyone
considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue,
he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father
accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in
their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Yeshua Mashiach, don't show
favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine
clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special
attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for
you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on
the floor by my feet," Have you not discriminated among yourselves and
become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen
those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But
you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they
not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are
slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong? If you really keep the
royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you
are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and
are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and
yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For 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
lawbreaker. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law
that gives freedom, Because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone
who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
Tehillim (Psalms) 119:32 I run in the path of your commands, for you
have set my heart free.
Tehillim (Psalms) 119:45 I will walk about in freedom, for I have
sought out your precepts.
Relationship of eternal life to the law:
Matityahu (Matthew) 19:16 Now a man came up to Yeshua and asked,
"Teacher, what good thing must I do to get
eternal life?" "Why do you ask me about what is good?"
Yeshua replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."
"Which ones?" the man inquired. Yeshua replied," 'Do not murder,
do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, Honor your
father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'" "All these
I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?" Yeshua
answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give
to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this, he went away sad,
because he had great wealth.
Marqos (Mark) 10:17 As Yeshua started on his way, a man ran up
to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked,
"what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "Why do you
call me good?" Yeshua answered. "No one is good--except God alone. You
know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not
steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and
mother.'" "Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept
since I was a boy." Yeshua looked at him and loved him. "One thing
you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." At this
the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Luqas (Luke) 6:46 "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and
do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears
my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who
dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent
struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the
one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who
built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck
that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."
Luqas (Luke) 10:25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood
up to test Yeshua. "Teacher," he asked,
"what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What is written in the
Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" He answered:
"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as
yourself.' " "You have answered correctly," Yeshua replied.
"Do this and you will live."
Luqas (Luke) 18:18 A certain ruler asked him, "Good
teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "Why do you
call me good?" Yeshua answered. "No one is good--except God alone. You
know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,
do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and
mother.'" "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.
When Yeshua heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell
everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me." When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was
a man of great wealth.
A later covenant does not nullify a previous covenant:
Galatians 3:15 Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one
can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it
is in this case. The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to
seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one
person, who is Mashiach. What I mean is this:
The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously
established by God and thus do away with the promise. For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer
depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to
Abraham through a promise. 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.
The law is a joy:
Tehillim (Psalms) 19:1-14 {For the director of music. A psalm of
David.} The heavens declare the glory of God; the
skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge. There is
no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into
all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has
pitched a tent for the sun, Which is like a bridegroom
coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It
rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is
hidden from its heat. The law of HaShem is perfect,
reviving the soul. The statutes of HaShem are trustworthy, making wise the
simple. The precepts of HaShem are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands
of HaShem are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of HaShem is pure,
enduring forever. The ordinances of HaShem are sure and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than
honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping
them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden
faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May the words of my
mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, HaShem, my Rock
and my Redeemer.
Tehillim (Psalms) 119:1-176 {Aleph} blessed are they whose ways are
blameless, who walk according to the law of HaShem. Blessed are they who keep
his statutes and seek him with all their heart. They do nothing wrong; they
walk in his ways. You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed. Oh,
that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! Then I would not be put to
shame when I consider all your commands. I will praise you with an upright
heart as I learn your righteous laws. I will obey your decrees; do not utterly
forsake me. {Beth} How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according
to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your
commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Praise be to you, HaShem; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the
laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one
rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I
delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. {Gimel} Do good to your
servant, and I will live; I will obey your word. Open my eyes that I may see
wonderful things in your law. I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your
commands from me. My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times.
You rebuke the arrogant, who are cursed and who stray from your commands. Remove
from me scorn and contempt, for I keep your statutes. Though rulers sit
together and slander me, your servant will meditate on your decrees. Your
statutes are my delight; they are my counselors. {Daleth} I am laid low in the
dust; preserve my life according to your word I recounted my ways and you
answered me; teach me your decrees. Let me understand the teaching of your
precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders. My soul is weary with sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word. Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious
to me through your law. I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on
your laws. I hold fast to your statutes, HaShem; do
not let me be put to shame. I run in the path of your commands, for you have
set my heart free. {He} Teach me, HaShem, to follow
your decrees; then I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding, and I
will keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of your
commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward your statutes and not
toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life
according to your word. Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may
be feared. Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good. How I long
for your precepts! Preserve my life in your righteousness. {Waw} May your
unfailing love come to me, HaShem, your salvation according to your promise;
Then I will answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in your word. Do not
snatch the word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws. I
will always obey your law, for ever and ever. I will walk
about in freedom, for I have sought out your
precepts. I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to
shame, For I delight in your commands because I love them. I lift up my hands
to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees. {Zayin}
Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. My comfort in
my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life. The arrogant mock me
without restraint, but I do not turn from your law. I remember your ancient
laws, HaShem, and I find comfort in them. Indignation grips me because of the wicked, who have forsaken your law. Your decrees are the
theme of my song wherever I lodge. In the night I remember your name, HaShem,
and I will keep your law. This has been my practice: I obey your precepts.
{Heth} You are my portion, HaShem; I have promised to obey your words. I have
sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your
promise. I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes. I
will hasten and not delay to obey your commands. Though the wicked bind me with
ropes, I will not forget your law. At midnight I rise to give you thanks for
your righteous laws. I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who follow your
precepts. The earth is filled with your love, HaShem; teach me your decrees.
{Teth} Do good to your servant according to your word, HaShem. Teach me
knowledge and good judgment, for I believe in your commands. Before I was
afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word. You are good, and what you
do is good; teach me your decrees. Though the arrogant have smeared me with
lies, I keep your precepts with all my heart. Their hearts are callous and
unfeeling, but I delight in your law. It was good for me to be afflicted so
that I might learn your decrees. The law from your mouth is more precious to me
than thousands of pieces of silver and gold. {Yodh} Your hands made me and
formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands. May those who fear you
rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word. I know, HaShem,
that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me. May
your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant.
Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight. May
the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause; but I will meditate
on your precepts. May those who fear you turn to me, those who understand your
statutes. May my heart be blameless toward your decrees, that I may not be put
to shame. {Kaph} My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put
my hope in your word. My eyes fail, looking for your promise; I say, "When
will you comfort me?" Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke, I do not
forget your decrees. How long must your servant wait? When will you punish my
persecutors? The arrogant dig pitfalls for me, contrary to your law. All your
commands are trustworthy; help me, for men persecute me without cause. They
almost wiped me from the earth, but I have not forsaken your precepts. Preserve
my life according to your love, and I will obey the statutes of your mouth.
{Lamedh} Your word, HaShem, is eternal; it stands
firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures.
Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you. If your law had not
been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget
your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life. Save me, for I am yours;
I have sought out your precepts. The wicked are
waiting to destroy me, but I will ponder your statutes. To all perfection I see
a limit; but your commands are boundless. {Mem} Oh, how I love your law! I
meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for
they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for
I obey your precepts. I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might
obey your word. I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have
taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my
mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong
path. {Nun} Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. I have
taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws. I have
suffered much; preserve my life, HaShem, according to your word. Accept,
HaShem, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your laws. Though I
constantly take my life in my hands, I will not forget your law. The wicked
have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from your precepts. Your
statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy
of my heart. My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end. {Samekh}
I hate double-minded men, but I love your law. You are my refuge and my shield;
I have put my hope in your word. Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep
the commands of my God! Sustain me according to your promise, and I will live;
do not let my hopes be dashed. Uphold me, and I will be delivered; I will
always have regard for your decrees. You reject all who stray from your
decrees, for their deceitfulness is in vain. All the wicked of the earth you
discard like dross; therefore I love your statutes. My flesh
trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws. {Ayin} I have done what
is righteous and just; do not leave me to my oppressors. Ensure your servant's
well-being; let not the arrogant oppress me. My eyes fail, looking for your salvation, looking for your righteous promise. Deal
with your servant according to your love and teach me your decrees. I am your
servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes. It is time for you to act, HaShem; your law is being broken.
Because I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold, And because I
consider all your precepts right, I hate every wrong path. {Pe} Your statutes
are wonderful; therefore I obey them. The unfolding of your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant, longing for
your commands. Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who
love your name. Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me. Redeem me from the oppression of men,
that I may obey your precepts. Make your face shine upon your servant and teach
me your decrees. Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not
obeyed. {Tsadhe} Righteous are you, HaShem, and your laws are right. The
statutes you have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy. My zeal
wears me out, for my enemies ignore your words. Your promises have been
thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them. Though I am lowly and despised,
I do not forget your precepts. Your righteousness is everlasting and your law
is true. Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my
delight. Your statutes are forever right; give me understanding that I may
live. {Qoph} I call with all my heart; answer me, HaShem,
and I will obey your decrees. I call out to you; save me and I will keep your
statutes. I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word.
My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your
promises. Hear my voice in accordance with your love; preserve my life, HaShem,
according to your laws. Those who devise wicked
schemes are near, but they are far from your law. Yet you are near, HaShem, and
all your commands are true. Long ago I learned from your statutes that you
established them to last forever. {Resh} Look upon my suffering and deliver me,
for I have not forgotten your law. Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my
life according to your promise. Salvation is far
from the wicked, for they do not seek out your decrees. Your compassion is
great, HaShem; preserve my life according to your laws. Many are the foes who
persecute me, but I have not turned from your statutes. I look on the faithless
with loathing, for they do not obey your word. See how I love your precepts;
preserve my life, HaShem, according to your love. All your words are true; all
your righteous laws are eternal. {Shin} Rulers
persecute me without cause, but my heart trembles at your word. I rejoice in
your promise like one who finds great spoil. I hate and abhor falsehood but I
love your law. Seven times a day I praise you for your
righteous laws. Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make
them stumble. I wait for your salvation, HaShem, and I follow your commands. I
obey your statutes, for I love them greatly. I obey your precepts and your
statutes, for all my ways are known to you. {Taw} May my cry
come before you, HaShem; give me understanding according to your word. May my
supplication come before you; deliver me according to your promise. May my lips
overflow with praise, for you teach me your decrees. May my tongue sing of your
word, for all your commands are righteous. May your hand be ready to help me,
for I have chosen your precepts. I long for your salvation, HaShem, and your
law is my delight. Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain
me. I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not
forgotten your commands.
Is this legalism?
The NIV rendering is:
Galatians 3:10 All 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." Clearly no one is justified before God by
the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith." The law is not
based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live
by them." Mashiach 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."
The Jewish New Testament renders them as:
Galatians 3:10 For everyone who depends on legalistic observance of Torah
commands lives under a curse, since it is written, "Cursed is everyone who
does not keep on doing everything written in the Scroll
of the Torah." Now it is evident that no one comes to be declared
righteous by God through legalism, since "The person who is
righteous will attain life by trusting and being faithful." Furthermore, legalism
is not based on trusting and being faithful, but on a misuse of the text that
says, "Anyone who does these things will attain life through them."
The Mashiach redeemed us from the curse pronounced in the Torah by becoming
cursed on our behalf; for the Tanakh says, "Everyone who hangs from a
stake comes under a curse."
First of all, legalism must be defined. Legalism is, according to THE DICTIONARY OF RELIGIOUS TERMS, by Donald Kaufman:
1) Emphasis on the letter rather than on the spirit of the law;
2) Belief in salvation by obedience to the law rather than by the grace of HaShem or by faith;
3) Undue stress on legal details without balancing considerations of justice or mercy.
Let me give an example:
Mr. Lawabider, a devout law abiding citizen is out for a Sunday drive when he comes to an intersection with a red light. There are no oncoming cars and there are no cars approaching from the left or the right. But the man notices a large truck coming up from the rear. The truck driver is obviously approaching at a high rate of speed and Mr. Lawabider notices the truck driver honking his horn and waving to him to get out of the way. It is clear the truck driver has lost his brakes. Now Mr. Lawabider takes the last few seconds he has to decide what he will do. He decides that the law says a car must stop at a red light until it turns green. Therefore, he stays put and does not move because the light is still green. Mr. Lawabider and the truckdriver collide and are killed.
The Bible says the letter killeth but the Spirit bringeth life. Mr. Lawabider has just learned how the letter can kill! The spirit of the law refers to the intent of the lawgiver. One must know the lawgiver and have the same heart in order to properly interpret the law.
Now what was the intent of the red light law? The intent of the law was to provide safety for drivers and to save lives. If Mr. Lawabider had decided to run the red light, he would have actually been OBEYING THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW THOUGH THE LETTER OF THE LAW WOULD HAVE BEEN CONTRADICTED. As it occurred, he disobeyed the intent or spirit of the law because he did not understand the intent. He only understood the letter of the law which said to stop at a red light. Mr. Lawabider is a legalist.
Here are some fruits of legalism to watch for:
1) Denying your own guilt while openly broadcasting the other man's guilt. Legalism condemns. Therefore, it causes the person to always see other's faults, but triggers a self-preserving denial of self guilt as a protection from the same condemnation legalism would bring on one's self.
2) Doing evil that good may come while accusing one of the same
3) Whitewashing your sepulchre and thanking HaShem you are not as the other man
4) The inablility to give grace allowing HaShem to work with a person where they are,in order to take them into perfection. Requiring instead that the person correct their inability before being allowed to move in the move of HaShem. This also involves judging motives.
Legalism demands payment for sin but leaves no room for the fact that we are all sinners and fall far short of HaShem's glory. Legalism does not take into account the fact that HaShem has caused us to be washed in the blood of Mashiach so we can be free of condemnation for not being experientially perfect while on our trek to perfection.
Legalism also does not take into consideration the tremendous spiritual battle we are in. Legalism does not care that our flesh is weak but our spirit is willing. Legalism only demands that the law be satisfied.
Whitewashing the sepulchre has no affect on the dead men's bones inside. The bones have to be forced out into the open and dealt with. HaShem wants to make and mold us into the bride of Mashiach. At first the sight will not be pretty. It will be ugly and embarrassing. That is one reason why we should be doing the opposite of legalism --covering each other, especially when we have put our trust in our brothers and sisters to protect our hearts. Legalism will not cover sin but expose it and judge it. But HaShem is the judge and He has chosen to extend grace to us in this age. Sin is not ignored by HaShem, but HaShem knows the pure heart of an individual and is not judging imperfect sons and daughters who are not yet perfect. If the heart is not pure -- HaShem is the only one who knows. We cannot judge one's heart and motive.
LEGALISM IS NOT...
1. Hating sin and the world. The Bible says:
Yaaqov (James) 4:4 You
adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred
toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of
God.
2. Careful obedient living.
3. Praying often.
4. An ordered life.
5. Following a schedule or a budget.
6. Striving to conquer the sinful desires of the flesh.
7. Foregoing fun and parties in order to pray, counsel, or keep an appointment.
8. Diligently keeping your word.
9. Refusing to compromise even a little bit.
10. Carefully keeping every law of HaShem and the church.
11. Running a "tight ship".
12. Having a lot of rules and procedures to follow.
LEGALISM IS .....
1. Misapplication of
the spirit of the law.
The example of the Sunday driver shows that although the letter of the law written on paper was followed, the result was to completely violate the intent of the law.
2. Overemphasis of
legal details.
Demanding perfection from people with no consideration of their age, ability, understanding, maturity, environmental pressures and temptations. This may cause an OUTWARD compliance, but inside, hopelessness will set in and legalism becomes a tool of the devil to steal away the joy of our salvation.
3. Trying to earn salvation.
This really involves ANY works done TO ACHIEVE FAVOR with HaShem (as opposed to being motivated out of love for HaShem, which is NOT legalism).
Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- Not by works, so that no one can boast.
Galatians 2:16 Know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in
Yeshua Mashiach. So we,
too, have put our faith in Mashiach Yeshua that we may be justified by faith in
Mashiach and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will
be justified.
Titus 3:4-5 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved
us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He
saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by
the Holy Spirit,
4. Straining at a
gnat and swallowing a camel.
The legalistic Pharisees tithed even the most insignificant herbs:
Matityahu (Matthew) 23:23 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cumin. 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. but at the same time, they omitted the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy and faith.
To avoid legalism, have the heart of HaShem. Know the intent of the lawmaker. Consider the circumstances of the case, but avoid trying to find loopholes in the law, rationalizing away its true intent (a sign of impure motives).
The new covenant is Torah!!!
The NIV renders it as:
Bereans (Hebrews) 8:6 But the ministry Yeshua
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.
The Jewish New Testament renders it as:
Bereans (Hebrews) 8:6 But now the work Yeshua has been given to
do is far superior to theirs, just as the covenant he mediates is better. For
this covenant has been given as Torah on the basis of better promises.
Scripture clearly indicates that the law will have a dominant part in the messianic kingdom to come:
Yeshayah (Isaiah) 2:3 Many peoples will come and say, "Come,
let us go up to the mountain of HaShem, 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 HaShem from Jerusalem.
Micah 4:2 Many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the
mountain of HaShem, 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 HaShem from Jerusalem.
Yirimiyah (Jeremiah) 31:31 "The time is coming," declares
HaShem, "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 HaShem. "This is the covenant I will
make with the house of Israel after that
time," declares HaShem. "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
HaShem,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the
greatest," declares HaShem. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins
no more."
What does it mean to "fulfill the law?":
II Melakim (Kings) 23:24 Furthermore, Josiah got rid of the mediums
and spiritists, the household gods, the idols and
all the other detestable things seen in Judah and Jerusalem. This he did to fulfill
the requirements of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had discovered in the temple
of HaShem.
Matityahu (Matthew) 5:17 "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.
Yochanan (John) 15:23 He who hates me hates my Father as well. If
I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of
sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and
my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They
hated me without reason.'
Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should
restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each
other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Mashiach. (Torah of Mashiach)
Matityahu
(Matthew) 5:17-24 "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. I 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. 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. For 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. "You have heard that it
was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be
subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother
will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is
answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger
of the fire of hell. "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the
altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, Leave
your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your
brother; then come and offer your gift.
Yeshua did not abolish the Law, He fulfilled it! (What does fulfill mean?)
Audience:
Matityahu (Matthew) 4:25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.
Matityahu (Matthew) 12:1-13 At that time Yeshua went through the
grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were
hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat
them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "Look! Your
disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath." He answered,
"Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?
He entered the house of God, and he and his
companions ate the consecrated bread--which was not lawful for them to do, but
only for the priests. Or haven't you read in the Law
that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are
innocent? I tell you that one greater than the temple
is here. If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not
sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is
Lord of the Sabbath." Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, And a man with a shriveled hand was there.
Looking for a reason to accuse Yeshua, they asked him, "Is it lawful to
heal on the Sabbath?" He said to them, "If any of you has a sheep and
it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it
out? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to
do good on the Sabbath." Then he said to the man, "Stretch out
your hand." So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as
sound as the other.
The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. (there is no indication of the Sabbath stopping)
* Audience - the Pharisees
II
Luqas (Acts) 13:4-5 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went
down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis,
they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. Yochanan
(John) was with them as their helper.
Barnabas and Saul taught in the Jewish synagogues!
II
Luqas (Acts) 13:13-26 From
Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where Yochanan
(John) left them to return to Jerusalem. From Perga they went on to Pisidian
Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down. 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." Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said:
"Men of Israel and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! The God of
the people of Israel chose our fathers; he made the people prosper during their
stay in Egypt, with mighty power he led them out of
that country, He endured their conduct for about forty
years in the desert, He overthrew seven nations in
Canaan and gave their land to his people as their inheritance.
All this took about 450 years. "After this, God gave them judges until the
time of Shmuel (Samuel) the prophet. Then the people asked for a king, and he
gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin,
who ruled forty years. After removing Saul, he made
David their king. He testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse
a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.' "From
this man's descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Yeshua, as he promised. Before the coming of Yeshua,
Yochanan (John) preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. As
Yochanan (John) was completing his work, he said: 'Who do you think I am? I am
not that one. No, but he is coming after me, whose sandals I am not worthy to
untie.' "Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.
Paul and his companions kept the Sabbath. audience:
II Luqas (Acts) 13:16 Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand
and said: "Men of Israel and you Gentiles who
worship God, listen to me!
II Luqas (Acts) 13:26 Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.
II
Luqas (Acts) 13:42-48 As Paul
and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people
invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. When
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. On the next Sabbath almost the
whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the
crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul
was saying. Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: "We had to speak
the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider
yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For this is what
the Lord has commanded us: "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'" When the Gentiles
heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were
appointed for eternal life believed.
Paul and Barnabas kept the Sabbath. The whole city kept the next Sabbath.
audience:
II Luqas (Acts) 13:44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city
gathered to hear the word of the Lord.
II Luqas (Acts) 13:48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were
glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal
life believed.
II
Luqas (Acts) 15:1-29 Some 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." This 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. The 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. When 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. Then 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." The apostles and elders met to
consider this question. After much discussion, Tzefet (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. God, who knows the heart, showed
that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.
He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by
faith. Now 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? No! We believe it is
through the grace of our Lord Yeshua that we are saved, just as they are." The whole assembly
became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the
miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. When they finished, Yaaqov
(James) spoke up: "Brothers, listen to me. Simon has described to us how
God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for
himself. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is
written: "'After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its
ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, That the remnant of men may seek
the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these
things' That have been known for ages. "It is my judgment, therefore, that
we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 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. For Moses has been preached in every city from
the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on
every Sabbath." Then the apostles and
elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some
of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose
Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, two men who were
leaders among the brothers. With them they sent the following letter: The
apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria
and Cilicia: Greetings. We have heard that some went out from us without our
authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. So we
all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends
Barnabas and Paul-- Men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord
Yeshua Mashiach. Therefore we are sending Judas and
Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. It seemed good to the
Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following
requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood,
from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do
well to avoid these things. Farewell.
The controversy was about circumcision.
The law is read and preached in every city on the Sabbath.
Gentiles were required to keep a part of the law.
II Luqas (Acts) 21:18-29 The next day Paul and the rest of us went
to see Yaaqov (James), and all the elders were present. Paul greeted them and
reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: "You
see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are
zealous for the law. They have been informed that you teach all the Jews
who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to
circumcise their children or live according to our customs. What shall we do?
They will certainly hear that you have come, So do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. Take these men, join
in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their
heads shaved. Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports
about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. 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." The next day Paul took
the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification
would end and the offering would be made for each of them. When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews
from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple.
They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, Shouting, "Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who teaches all men
everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has
brought Greeks into the temple area and defiled this holy place." (They
had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed
that Paul had brought him into the temple area.)
Yaaqov (James) and the elders praised God because the Jewish converts were saved and zealous for the law.
Paul lived in obedience to the law.
Gentiles believers were not initially required to keep the whole law, probably because it was assumed that they did not know what to keep.
II
Luqas (Acts) 6:8-60 Now Stephen,
a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders
and miraculous signs among the people Opposition arose, however, from members
of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was
called)--Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as
the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen But
they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke Then
they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak
words of blasphemy against Moses and against God. So they stirred up the people
and the elders and the teachers of the law. They
seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin They produced false
witnesses, who testified, "This fellow never stops speaking against this
holy place and against the law For we have heard him say that this Yeshua of Nazareth will destroy this place and change
the customs Moses handed down to us. All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin
looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an
angel Then the high priest asked him, "Are these
charges true? To this he replied: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The
God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia,
before he lived in Haran 'Leave your country and your people,' God said, 'and
go to the land I will show you. "So he left the land of the Chaldeans and
settled in Haran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land
where you are now living He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of
ground. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would
possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child God spoke to
him in this way: 'Your descendants will be strangers in a country not their
own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years But I will
punish the nation they serve as slaves,' God said, 'and afterward they will
come out of that country and worship me in this place. Then he gave Abraham the
covenant of circumcision.
And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised
him eight days after his birth. Later Isaac became the
father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the
twelve patriarchs "Because the patriarchs were
jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into
Egypt. But God was with him And rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of
Pharaoh king of Egypt; so he made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace
"Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan,
bringing great suffering, and our fathers could not
find food When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers
on their first visit On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he
was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph's family After this, Joseph sent for his
father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five in all Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our fathers
died Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought
from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a certain sum of money "As the time
drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people
in Egypt greatly increased Then another king, who knew nothing about Joseph,
became ruler of Egypt He dealt treacherously with our people and oppressed our forefathers by forcing them to throw out their newborn
babies so that they would die "At that time Moses was born, and he was no
ordinary child. For three months he was cared for in
his father's house When he was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter took him and
brought him up as her own son Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the
Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action
"When Moses was forty years old, he decided to
visit his fellow Israelites He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian,
so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian Moses thought
that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but
they did not The next day Moses came upon two Israelites
who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, 'Men, you are
brothers; why do you want to hurt each other? "But the man who was mistreating
the other pushed Moses aside and said, 'Who made you ruler and judge over us Do
you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday? When Moses heard
this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons
"After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai
When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to look more
closely, he heard the Lord's voice 'I am the God of your fathers, the God of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.'
Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look "Then the Lord said to
him, 'Take off your sandals; the place where you are standing is holy ground I
have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their
groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to
Egypt. "This is the same Moses whom they had rejected with the words, 'Who
made you ruler and judge?' He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God
himself, through the angel who appeared to him in the bush He led them out of Egypt and did wonders and miraculous signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea and for forty years in the
desert "This is that Moses who told the Israelites, 'God will send you a
prophet like me from your own people. He was in the assembly in the desert,
with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers; and he
received living words to pass on to us "But our fathers refused to obey
him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt They
told Aaron, 'Make us gods who will go before us.
As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt--we don't know what has
happened to him! That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf.
They brought sacrifices to it and held a celebration in honor of what their
hands had made But God turned away and gave them over to the worship of the heavenly bodies. This agrees with what is written in
the book of the prophets: "'Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings
forty years in the desert, O house of Israel You
have lifted up the shrine of Molech and the star of
your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into
exile' beyond Babylon "Our forefathers had the tabernacle
of the Testimony with them in the desert. It had been made as God directed
Moses, according to the pattern he had seen Having received the tabernacle, our
fathers under Yahoshua (Joshua) brought it with them when they took the land
from the nations God drove out before them. It remained in the land until the
time of David Who enjoyed God's favor and asked that he might provide a
dwelling place for the God of Jacob But it was Solomon who built the house for
him "However, the Most High does not live in houses made by men. As the
prophet says "'Heaven is my throne, and the
earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord.
Or where will my resting place be Has not my hand made all these things?
"You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just
like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit Was there ever a prophet
your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming
of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him- You who
have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not
obeyed it. When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth
at him But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the
glory of God, and Yeshua standing at the right hand
of God "Look," he said, "I see heaven
open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. At this they covered
their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him
Dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses
laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul While they were
stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Yeshua, receive my spirit.Then he fell
on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin
against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.
The Jews were condemned for not obeying the law of Moses.
II
Luqas (Acts) 18:18 Paul stayed on
in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria,
accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because of a vow he had taken.
Paul kept a Nazirite law from Bamidbar (Numbers) chapter six.
II
Luqas (Acts) 22:2-16 When they
heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. Then Paul said:
"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under
Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as
zealous for God as any of you are today. I persecuted the followers of this Way
to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, As
also the high priest and all the Council can testify.
I even obtained letters from them to their brothers
in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished. "About noon as I came near
Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. I fell to the
ground and heard a voice say to me, 'Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?'
"'Who are you, Lord?' I asked." 'I am Yeshua of Nazareth, whom you
are persecuting,' he replied. My companions saw the light, but they did not
understand the voice of him who was speaking to me. "'What shall I do,
Lord?' I asked." 'Get up,' the Lord said, 'and go into Damascus. There you
will be told all that you have been assigned to do.' My companions led me by
the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.
"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. He stood beside me and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at
that very moment I was able to see him. "Then he said: 'The God of our
fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to
hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all men of what you have
seen and heard. And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.'
Ananias was a devout observer of the Law.
II
Luqas (Acts) 24:10-16 When the
governor motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: "I know that for a
number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my
defense. You can easily verify that no more than twelve
days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. My accusers did not find me arguing
with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in
the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. And
they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me. However, I
admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a
follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that
agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, And I have the same
hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection
of both the righteous and the wicked. So I strive
always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.
Paul agrees with the law and the Prophets.
II
Luqas (Acts) 25:7-11 When Paul
appeared, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing
many serious charges against him, which they could not prove. Then Paul made
his defense: "I have done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or
against the temple or against Caesar."
Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to
Paul, "Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and
stand trial before me there on these charges?" Paul answered: "I am
now standing before Caesar's court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done
any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. If, however, I am guilty
of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges
brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me
over to them. I appeal to Caesar!"
Paul kept the law and did not violate it.
Romans
3:23-31 For all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God, And are justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that came
by Mashiach Yeshua. 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
unpunished-- He 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 Yeshua. Where, then,
is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law?
No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith
apart from observing the law. Is God the God of Jews
only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of
Gentiles too, Since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through
that same faith. Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all!
Rather, we uphold the law.
The law of Mashiach is the same as HaShem's law:
I Corinthians 9:19-23 Though I am free and belong to no man, I
make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 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 Mashiach'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 men so that by all possible means I might save some. I
do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may
share in its blessings.
Matityahu (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. I 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. 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.
Romans 13:8-10 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.
Galatians 5:14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your
neighbor as yourself."
Luqas (Luke) 10:25-28 On one occasion an expert in the law stood
up to test Yeshua. "Teacher," he asked,
"what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What is written in the
Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" He answered: "'Love
the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your
neighbor as yourself.' " "You have answered correctly," Yeshua replied. "Do this and you will live."
I Corinthians 7:19 Circumcision is
nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's commands is what counts.
Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him.
Were you a slave when you were called? Don't let it trouble you--although if
you can gain your freedom, do so. For he who was a
slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who
was a free man when he was called is Mashiach's
slave.
I Yochanan (John) 5:2 This is how we know that we love the
children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.
This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not
burdensome,
Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you
who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also
may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill
the law of Mashiach.
Yaaqov (James) 2:8 If you really keep the royal law found in
Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right.
Tehillim (Psalms) 19:1-14 {For the director of music. A psalm of
David.} The heavens declare the glory of God; the
skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their
voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the
ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a
tent for the sun, Which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat. The law of
HaShem is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of
HaShem are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of HaShem are
right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of HaShem are radiant, giving
light to the eyes. The fear of HaShem is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances
of HaShem are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By
them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can
discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from
willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of
great transgression. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight, HaShem, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Question: Are we not under grace rather than law?
II Luqas (Acts) 15:13-22 When they finished, Yaaqov (James) spoke
up: "Brothers, listen to me. Simon has described to us how God at first
showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a
people for himself. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it
is written: "'After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, That the remnant of men may
seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does
these things' That have been known for ages. "It is my judgment,
therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are
turning to God. 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. For Moses has been preached in
every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues
on every Sabbath." Then the apostles and
elders, with the whole church, decided to choose
some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They
chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, two men who
were leaders among the brothers.
Gentiles were required to keep only a minimal part of the law, until they had time to learn the books of Moses on the Sabbath. Notice, for example, that they were not required to love God or to love their neighbor! Surely they would learn this as "Moses" was preached in the synagogue.
The Apostles, elders, and the whole church kept the Sabbath.
II Luqas
(Acts) 21:18-29 The next day Paul
and the rest of us went to see Yaaqov (James), and all the elders were present.
Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. When they heard this,
they praised God. Then they said to Paul: "You see, brother, how many
thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.
They have been informed that you teach all the Jews
who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our
customs. What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, So do
what we tell you. There are four men with us who have
made a vow. Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their
expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved.
Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but
that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. 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." The next day Paul took
the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification
would end and the offering would be made for each of them. When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province
of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him,
Shouting, "Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who teaches all men
everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has
brought Greeks into the temple area and defiled this holy place." (They
had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed
that Paul had brought him into the temple area.)
You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.
but that you yourself (Paul) are living in obedience to the law.
An offering would be made for each of them:
Bamidbar (Numbers) 6:1-27 HaShem said to
Moses, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'If a man or woman wants
to make a special vow, a vow of separation to HaShem as a Nazirite,
He must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar
made from wine or from other fermented drink. He must not drink grape juice or
eat grapes or raisins. As long as he is a Nazirite, he must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the
seeds or skins. "'During the entire period of
his vow of separation no razor may be used on his head. He must be holy until
the period of his separation to HaShem is over; he must let the hair of his head grow long. Throughout the period of his
separation to HaShem he must not go near a dead body.
Even if his own father or mother or brother or sister dies, he must not make
himself ceremonially unclean on account of them, because the symbol of his
separation to God is on his head. Throughout the period of his separation he is
consecrated to HaShem. "'If someone dies suddenly in his presence, thus
defiling the hair he has dedicated, he must shave his head on the day of his
cleansing--the seventh day. Then on the eighth day he must bring two doves or
two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. The priest is to offer one as a sin offering and the other
as a burnt offering to make atonement
for him because he sinned by being in the presence of the dead body. That same
day he is to consecrate his head. He must dedicate himself to HaShem for the
period of his separation and must bring a year-old male lamb as a guilt
offering. The previous days do not count, because he became defiled during his
separation. "'Now this is the law for the Nazirite when the period of his
separation is over. He is to be brought to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
There he is to present his offerings to HaShem: a
year-old male lamb without defect for a burnt offering,
a year-old ewe lamb without defect for a sin offering, a ram without defect for
a fellowship offering, Together with their grain offerings and drink offerings,
and a basket of bread made without yeast--cakes made of fine flour mixed with
oil, and wafers spread with oil. "'The priest
is to present them before HaShem and make the sin
offering and the burnt offering. He is to present the basket of unleavened
bread and is to sacrifice the ram as a fellowship offering to HaShem, together
with its grain offering and drink offering. "'Then at the entrance to
the Tent of Meeting, the Nazirite
must shave off the hair that he dedicated. He is to
take the hair and put it in the fire that is under the
sacrifice of the fellowship offering. "'After the Nazirite has shaved off
the hair of his dedication, the priest is to place in his hands a boiled
shoulder of the ram, and a cake and a wafer from the basket, both made without
yeast. The priest shall then wave them before HaShem as a wave offering; they
are holy and belong to the priest, together with the breast that was waved and
the thigh that was presented. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.
"'This is the law of the Nazirite who vows his offering to HaShem in
accordance with his separation, in addition to whatever else he can afford. He
must fulfill the vow he has made, according to the law of the Nazirite.'"
HaShem said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his sons, 'This is how you are to
bless the Israelites. Say to them: "'"HaShem bless you and keep you;
HaShem make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; HaShem turn his
face toward you and give you peace."' "So they will put my name on
the Israelites, and I will bless them."
Paul was participating in a Nazirite vow and was providing the offering!
II
Luqas (Acts) 18:18 Paul stayed on
in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria,
accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off
at Cenchrea because of a vow he had taken.
Paul also apparently took a Nazirite vow! (with the associated sacrifices)
II Luqas (Acts) 20:1-7 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for
the disciples and, after encouraging them, said good-by and set out for
Macedonia. He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement
to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, Where he stayed three months. Because the Jews
made a plot against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to
go back through Macedonia. He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from
Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy
also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. These men went on
ahead and waited for us at Troas. But we sailed from Philippi after the
Feast of Unleavened Bread, and five days later
joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven
days. On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul
spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on
talking until midnight.
Paul apparently observed the "Feast of Unleavened Bread".
Paul also kept the Sabbath as he was conducting a havdalah service to conclude the Sabbath.
II
Luqas (Acts) 28:13-28 From there
we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on
the following day we reached Puteoli. There we found some brothers who invited
us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome. The brothers there had
heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and
the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these men Paul thanked God and
was encouraged. When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with
a soldier to guard him. Three days later he called together the leaders of the
Jews. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: "My brothers,
although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our
ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed
over to the Romans. They examined me and wanted to
release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. But when the
Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar--not that I had any charge
to bring against my own people. For this reason I have asked to see you and
talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this
chain." They replied, "We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of the
brothers who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you.
But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are
talking against this sect." They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day,
and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. From morning
till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to
convince them about Yeshua from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. Some
were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. They disagreed
among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement:
"The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through
Yeshayah (Isaiah) the prophet: "'Go to this people and say, "You will
be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never
perceiving." For this people's heart has become callused; they hardly hear
with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with
their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I
would heal them.' "Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has
been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!"
Paul said to them: "My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors…”
We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of the brothers who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you.
Romans
7:1-25 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? For 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. So 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. So, my brothers, you also died to the law
through the body of Mashiach, that you might belong to another, to him who was
raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. 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. 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.
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." But
sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment,
produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from law; but when the
commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very
commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For sin,
seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through
the commandment put me to death. So then, the law is holy, and the
commandment is holy, righteous and good. Did 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. We know that the law is spiritual;
but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not
understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And
if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is,
it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that
nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire
to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I
want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing. Now if I do
what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in
me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is
right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; But I
see another law at work in the members of my body,
waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of
sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me
from this body of death? Thanks be to God--through Yeshua
Mashiach our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am
a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
The law has authority over a man only as long as he lives.
We have been released from the law so we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
The law is not sin.
The law is holy and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.
If I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.
In my inner being I delight in God's law.
Bereans
(Hebrews) 8:7 - 9:4 For if there
had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no
place would have been sought for another. But 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. 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 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.
For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember
their sins no more." By calling this covenant "new," he has made
the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.
Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly
sanctuary. A tabernacle was set up. In its first room
were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the
Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place,
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.
Yochanan (John) 1:14-18 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of
the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Yochanan
(John) testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of
whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before
me.'" From the fullness of his grace we have all
received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses;
grace and truth came through Yeshua Mashiach. No one has ever seen God, but God the
One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.
Both law and grace came from God.
Romans
4:1-16 What then shall we say
that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this
matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by
works, he had something to boast about--but not before God. What does the
Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as
righteousness." Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to
him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but
trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is
credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the
blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
"Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are
covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.
"Romans 4:9 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. Under what circumstances was it credited?
Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before!
And 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. And 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.
It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that
he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by
faith. For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the
promise is worthless, Because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there
is no transgression. 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 but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the
father of us all.
Abraham was credited with righteousness because he believed God.
Righteousness was credited to Abraham before his circumcision. (circumcision seems to be a post salvation work.)
Romans 5:12-21 Therefore, just as sin entered the world
through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men,
because all sinned-- For before the law was given, sin was in the world. But
sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned
from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by
breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of
the one to come. But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by
the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace
and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Yeshua
Mashiach, overflow to the many! Again, the gift of
God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin
and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one
man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive
God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in
life through the one man, Yeshua Mashiach. Consequently, just as the result of
one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of
righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as
through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also
through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. The
law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased,
grace increased all the more, So that, just as sin reigned in death, so
also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal
life through Yeshua Mashiach our Lord.
The law was added so the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.
Romans
6:13 Do not offer the parts of
your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but
rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to
life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For
sin shall not be your master, because you are not under
law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law
but under grace? By no means! Don't you know that when
you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the
one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to
obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you
used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to
which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become
slaves to righteousness.
For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
Galatians 2:17 - 3:13 "If, while we seek to be justified in Mashiach, it becomes evident that we ourselves are
sinners, does that mean that Mashiach promotes sin? Absolutely not! If I
rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker. For through the
law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified
with Mashiach and I no longer live, but Mashiach lives in me. The life I live
in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself
for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be
gained through the law, Mashiach died for nothing!" You foolish
Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Yeshua
Mashiach was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one
thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by
believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the
Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Have you
suffered so much for nothing--if it really was for nothing? Does God give you
his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because
you believe what you heard? Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was
credited to him as righteousness." Understand, then, that those who
believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify
the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be
blessed through you." So those who have faith are blessed along with
Abraham, the man of faith. All 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." Clearly no one is justified
before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith."
The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these
things will live by them." Mashiach 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."
For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. (The law brought the knowledge of sin.)
I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Mashiach died for nothing! (righteousness cannot be gained through the law.)
We receive the Spirit by believing what we heard in the gospel.
I
Corinthians 5:1-9 It is actually
reported that there is sexual immorality among
you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his
father's wife. And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with
grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? Even though I
am not physically present, I am with you in spirit.
And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were
present. When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Yeshua and I am with
you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Yeshua is present, Hand this man over
to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on
the day of the Lord. Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little
yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you
may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Mashiach, our Passover
lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old
yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with
bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth. I have written you
in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people--
Paul encouraged the Corinthian church to celebrate the festival of Passover.
IX.
The ten commandments summed
up
Matityahu (Matthew) 22:35-40 One of them, an expert in the law, tested
him with this question: "Teacher, which is the
greatest commandment in the Law?" Yeshua
replied:" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and
the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
How do we 'love our God'? (we keep His commandments!)
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 6:4-7 Hear, O Israel: HaShem
our God, HaShem is one. Love HaShem your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your strength. These commandments
that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress 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.
I Yochanan (John) 5:1-4 Everyone who believes that Yeshua is the
Mashiach is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as
well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and
carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And
his commands are not burdensome, For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world,
even our faith.
Yochanan (John) 14:15 "If you love me, you will obey what
I command.
Yochanan (John) 14:21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he
is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too
will love him and show myself to him."
Yochanan (John) 14:23 Yeshua replied, "If anyone loves me,
he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and
make our home with him.
The law was NOT too difficult for us to keep:
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 30:10 If you obey HaShem your God and keep his
commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to
HaShem your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Now what I am
commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.
It 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?" Nor 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?" No, the
word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey
it. See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For
I command you today to love HaShem your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep
his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and HaShem
your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. But if your
heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow
down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will
certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the
Jordan to enter and possess. This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses
against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.
Now choose life, so that you and your children may live And that you may love HaShem your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to
him. For HaShem is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he
swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then
Where in Scripture is there any command to any Gentile nation to keep the law of Moses?
II Luqas (Acts) 15:19 "It is my judgment, therefore, that we
should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 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. For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath."
Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church,
decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and
Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, two
men who were leaders among the brothers.
* * *
Berachoth 5a R. Levi b. Hama says further in the name of R. Simeon b. Lakish: What is the meaning of the verse: And I will give thee the tables of stone, and the law and the commandment, which I have written that thou mayest teach them?[4] ‘Tables of stone’: these are the ten commandments; ‘the law’: this is the Pentateuch; ‘the commandment’: this is the Mishna; ‘which I have written’: these are the Prophets and the Hagiographa; ‘that thou mayest teach them’: this is the Gemara.[5] It teaches [us] that all these things were given to Moses on Sinai.
* * *
The number of people called to the Torah varies in accordance with the sanctity of the day. Thus, on Monday and Thursday, fast days, Purim and Chanukah, three people are called on; on Rosh Chodesh and Chol HaMoed, four are called; on Festivals and Yom Teruah, five; on Yom HaKippurim, six; and on the Sabbath, seven.
Torah is our teacher that leads us to faith in Mashiach Yeshua. Torah then becomes our walk in faith. We don't obey Torah because we "have to", but because we "get to"! Torah is not bondage, because an absence of Torah is bondage. Torah is like a fabulous feast. We obey Torah because it is the perfect way of faith in Yeshua.
Keeping the Torah enables us to see Yeshua, and to know Him, in ways that are impossible without the Torah. Those who don't eat kosher only are depriving themselves of a relationship with the Creator which is impossible without keeping kosher. Oh, and did I mention that keeping kosher enables you to eat the best tasting food ever created?
No, I pity those who fail to follow the ways of Torah. They are content to eat moldy bread crumbs under the table. They are content to conduct a long range letter relationship with their Creator. They don't ever get to enjoy the warm closeness that comes from abiding with Mashiach. They are content to be ignorant of the best that Mashiach has for us. This is sad....
Those who have experienced the rewards of keeping the Torah, and the righteousness that come through that faith, are radiant! They KNOW their Mashiach. He has revealed to His Torah keepers, secrets that are unimaginable to those who ignore Torah.
When Mashiach finally fulfills all of the Torah, we will then be able to see the immense depth of His love for us. His first coming was just the preview for the coming full length movie. What a glorious sight the future holds for those who love Mashiach and keep His commandments! These are the ones who truly love Mashiach, because they know Him!
Psalm 119 expresses the incredible joy that can be yours if you follow the ways of Torah, because Torah is just another way of saying Yeshua. Follow Torah and you have followed Yeshua. The giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai is the greatest gift that God has ever given those He loves. Halleluyah!!!
Try looking at the Pharisees as hypocrites who taught the right way, but failed to DO the Torah that they taught others to DO. Mashiach considered their teaching as THE WAY to follow. He commanded us to DO what they taught.
Mashiach commanded us to imitate Him! Paul commanded us to imitate him! Neither of these men ever willfully disregarded Torah. They followed it to the letter and they commanded us to do the same. Not, because they wanted us to be enslaved, but because they wanted us to be free! Obeying Torah is the only way to be free.
Those who say they have faith; and those who say they love Yeshua, yet fail to obey Torah, are liars! Our faith and love of Mashiach is demonstrated by our obedience to Torah.
* * *
This study was written by Hillel ben David
(Greg Killian).
Comments may be submitted to:
Greg Killian
7104 Inlay St SE
Lacey, WA 98513
Internet address: gkilli@aol.com
Web page:
http://www.betemunah.org/
(360) 584-9352
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[1] Tanach is an acronym for: Torah (law), Neviim (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings). This is how Jews, and Yeshua, referred to the so called ‘Old Testament’.
[2] The so called ‘New Testament’, which is neither ‘new’ nor a ‘testament’.
[3] The Hebrew word emunah means ‘faithful obedience’.
[4] Ex. XXIV, 12.