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Torah and the Believer

By Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)

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I. The Nazarean Codicil and the Law.. 1

II. Apparent Contradictions. 11

III. Ranking of the law: 13

IV. The penalties and substitutionary atonement 14

V. Who is the Law addressed to?. 14

VI. Look at the effects of "lawlessness": 18

VII. Salvation by grace through faith. 19

VIII. The law brought freedom, not bondage: 20

IX. The ten commandments summed up. 43

X. Gentiles and the Law.. 44

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I. The Nazarean Codicil[1] and the Law

 

The Law is GOOD. HaShem wants us to keep his law (Torah):

 

Romans 7:14-25 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.

 

Romans 8:1-9 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. 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.

 

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. This is love for God: to obey his commands. 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 is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.

 

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.

 

Psalm 119

 

The Law is spiritual:

 

Romans 7:14 We know that the law 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 Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises.

 

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 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 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