By Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)
I. The Nazarean Codicil and the Law
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: 20
IX. The ten commandments summed up
In this study I would like to examine Torah law 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 Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law (Torah), 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 (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 Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. Mashiach is the end (goal) of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: "The man who does these things will live by them." But the righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Mashiach down)
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 kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
I Corinthians 6:9-11 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders Nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Yeshua Mashiach and by the Spirit of our God.
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 Egypt. Know therefore that HaShem your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him. Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today. If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then HaShem your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers. He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land--your grain, new wine and oil--the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you. You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor any of your livestock without young. HaShem will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all who hate you.
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 Jordan. But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of HaShem gave you: to love HaShem your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul."
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 Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire." When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Then I said: " HaShem, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, Let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have committed against you.
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 God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."
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 Desert of Sinai in the first month of the second year after they came out of Egypt. He said, "Have the Israelites celebrate the Passover at the appointed time. Celebrate it at the appointed time, at twilight on the fourteenth day of this month, in accordance with all its rules and regulations." So Moses told the Israelites to celebrate the Passover, And they did so in the Desert of Sinai at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. The Israelites did everything just as HaShem commanded Moses.
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 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.
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 Israel, says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices and eat the meat yourselves! For when I brought your forefathers out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, But I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you.
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 & 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 Bashan came out to fight against us, but we defeated them. We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh. Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do. All of you are standing today in the presence of HaShem your God--your leaders and chief men, your elders and officials, and all the other men of Israel, Together with your children and your wives, and the aliens living in your camps who chop your wood and carry your water. You are standing here in order to enter into a covenant with HaShem your God, a covenant HaShem is making with you this day and sealing with an oath, To confirm you this day as his people, that he may be your God as he promised you and as he swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I am making this covenant, with its oath, not only with you Who are standing here with us today in the presence of HaShem our God but also with those who are not here today.
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 Jerusalem. He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. 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.
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 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."
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 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.
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 Israel and the people of Judah together will go in tears to seek HaShem their God. They will ask the way to Zion and turn their faces toward it. They will come and bind themselves to HaShem in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.
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 Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms. They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God. "'My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees. They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children's children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.
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 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
X. Gentiles and the Law
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.
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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.
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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.
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This study was written by
Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David
(Greg Killian).
Comments may be submitted to:
Rabbi Dr. Greg Killian
12210 Luckey Summit
San Antonio, TX 78252
Internet address: gkilli@aol.com
Web page: https://www.betemunah.org/
(360) 918-2905
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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.