Into the Unknown and Unexpected Part 2

So what happened? I tried to live with my struggles against Christian liberty, assuming I was totally wrong to doubt that the Law had completely been done away with except for what was reiterated in the New Testament. Thankfully, God didn't leave me questioning. I met a woman who claimed that she and her family followed a Messianic faith. Although I wasn't sure what that meant, I had heard of others who followed the Torah even though they worshiped Jesus Christ as Lord. Cautiously, because I thought they were wrong, I listened to her explanations and read the material that she suggested that I read. The light bulb went off in my head. First off, the caliber of the material she referred me to was not easy, puffed, or without logic. It spoke to my heart!!

Secondly, the New Testament had been misunderstood when it came to the abrogation of the Law. Jesus followed and kept the Law Himself and never claimed that it was done away with.

Matthew 5:17-19 (KJV):

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Not until heaven and earth pass away will the Law be done away with! Well, how, then can Christian liberty be explained? How can we explain those Bible verses that seem to contradict Matthew 5? Stay tuned for part 3!!

Into the Unknown and Unexpected!!

I've been going along on this Christian journey for a long time! I am fully committed to Jesus! But, apparently, my journey hit a snag; one that caused others to wonder about my faith. Suddenly, I began to follow the Torah! Had I converted to Judaism? Had I become a Pharisaical legalist? The answer to these questions is a resounding, "No!" But let me explain.

I was totally convinced about Christianity and its truth. However, I had one bugaboo. I couldn't understand "Christian Liberty." I had a feeling that the way Christians taught it and lived it could not be accurate. Christian liberty seemed like a legitimization of sin to me.

Christian liberty, as it is sometimes explained, means that Christians are no longer obligated to follow the Torah, or the so called Law of Moses (Romans 3:20-22). Yet, the Torah has many verses that speak of the eternality of God's laws. For example:

Exodus 29:9 (KJV): And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest's office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.

Exodus 31:16 (KJV): Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.

But how could I believe contrary to all the theologians that have taught, throughout most of Church history, that Jesus had done away with the Law? Initially, I felt compelled to "go along," that  my understanding was incorrect. However, it continued to rub me the wrong way. Would God ever make this concept clear in my mind? Would I come to terms with this teaching?

If you've ever had an issue with Christian liberty, please let me know! I would love to hear from you! Stay tuned for part 2 to see where the Lord took me!

Freed From The Law?

One morning, while I was listening to a Christian radio station, I heard that the hymn "Freed From The Law, Oh Happy Condition" was the next piece that would be played. I was not familiar with this hymn, but I thought the title was bizarre. What!! We're freed from the law!! I guess it is perfectly acceptable to commit murder, theft, adultery, and even idolatry now that Yeshua came and freed us from the law!

Obviously, since I am a born again believer, I know that this was not the intent of the song. I know that "the law" the hymn writer was speaking of was the dreaded Mosaic law? Let's examine this issue a little closer.

This song reminded me of the days when some parenting advice was extremely permissive. Children were left to their own devices and allowed to figure out right from wrong on their own. Obviously, these children grew up to be spoiled and damaged. They didn't respect authority, nor did they even have a sense that anyone cared enough to train and discipline them. Human beings need law and order in their lives for proper development. From this alone, I found fault with the title of the hymn. Without law, no one is in a happy condition!

Oh, but the Mosaic law has been replaced by the "law of Christ," some would say (1 Cor. 9:21). But what is the law of Christ?

Galatians 6:2 (KJV)
² Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

According to Galatians, the law of Christ is to carry one another's burdens. While this sentiment is all well and good, it doesn't give us any concrete definable laws that show us how we are to bear one another's burdens. Gotquestions.org states that "most Bible teachers understand the law of Christ to be what Christ stated were the greatest commandments in Mark 12:28-31, 'Which commandment is the most important of all?' Jesus answered, 'The most important is, "'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." The second is this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." There is no other commandment greater than these.'" If the law of Christ is indeed the two commandments of loving God and loving our neighbor, these commandments existed in the Old Testament. Gotquestions.org is quoting from Deuteronomy. Therefore, it would seem that the law of Christ is not something new, but rather the same law as the Mosaic law (actually it's God's law, not Moses'). Reducing the entire Mosaic law to two commandments was to convey a summary, not a statement that there were only two commandments. Mark 12:31 even states that there are other commandments (see above).

Well, some would say that the "ceremonial law" (as opposed to the moral law that still exists) has been fulfilled by Yeshua and therefore we don't have to obey that anymore. However, searching through the Bible for a definition of "ceremonial law" is fruitless. When the law is spoken of, there is never any differentiation.

1 John 3:4 (KJV)
⁴ Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

We have been conditioned into believing that part of the law is no longer applicable to us. Yet, the verse that is used to show that Yeshua fulfilled the law doesn't even mean what Christianity has come to accept.

Matthew 5:17 (KJV)
¹⁷ Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

If the Mosaic law was fulfilled by Yeshua and no longer needs to be obeyed, then how about Galatians 6:2 (see above)? It says that if we bear one another's burdens we fulfill the law of Christ. If "fulfill" means it has been finished and no longer needs to be done, I guess that once we carry someone's burden, the law of Christ is fulfilled and we don't have to worry about doing it ever again! Oh, happy condition!

No, Yeshua did fulfill God's law. He obeyed it! That's all! That doesn't mean that we don't have to obey the law ourselves. Because otherwise, we ignore the guidance that God gave His people. We would then be a spoiled and damaged people. We would be left to our own devices to try to figure out what God wanted and what was pleasing to Him. To be in a happy condition we need concrete laws and commandments. He didn't leave us unloved; He gave us His laws (all of them)!

What's the Big Deal About Eating Bread with Unwashed Hands?

Now that it has been established that the parenthetical phrase of Mark 7:19 is an addition to our English Bibles and it cannot serve as the conclusion of the passage, it is important to uncover the true meaning of Mark 7:1-23. See Previous:

Let's begin with the first section of that passage.

Mark 7:1-13 (KJV)
¹ Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.
² And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.
³ For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.
⁴ And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.
⁵ Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?
⁶ He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
⁷ Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
⁸ For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
⁹ And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
¹⁰ For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:
¹¹ But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.
¹² And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;
¹³ Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

Scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem apparently had come to check out the stories and accounts that they had received regarding Yeshua. As they watched Yeshua and His disciples they were horrified to see that some of the disciples ate bread with unwashed hands (verse 2). In verses 3 and 4 Mark explained the traditions of the elders that these scribes and Pharisees held to.

These traditions had been passed down from generation to generation supposedly starting from the days of Moses. They were not written down but were orally transmitted. The point of these traditions was to fill in the details of the written Torah. The sages did not want the people to accidentally transgress the laws of God, so they made hedges to protect the people that would help keep them from actual disobedience of the Torah. Although the idea and intent were good, the Oral Law had often been treated as if it were as important as the written Torah. This is the attitude of the scribes and Pharisees who came to see Yeshua.

Why did some of the disciples not wash their hands? This seems to indicate that the Oral Law was not always observed the same by all the people. An example of Yeshua following the traditions of the Oral Law can be found in Matthew 14:19 where He said a blessing before feeding the 5,000. That is a tradition. The commandment is to say a blessing after eating (Deuteronomy 8:10).

Since the washing of hands before eating bread (which is a clean food) was a tradition, the Pharisees and scribes were out of line by raising that tradition up to the level of the Torah. Instead of directly stating this to the scribes and Pharisees, Yeshua called the men hypocrites and quoted Isaiah 29:13 (verses 6 and 7).

Isaiah 29:13 (KJV)
¹³ Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

Yeshua told the scribes and Pharisees via Isaiah that they gave God lip service, but that their hearts were far from God. They taught the traditions as if they were the commandments of God. He went on then to ask the men why they rejected the Laws of God (Torah) by their traditions (verse 9).

In verses 10 through 13 Yeshua explained a tradition where the scribes and Pharisees found a way to avoid having to honor their parents by not supplying an animal for their parents' use but claimed that the animal was going to be used for sacrifice, thereby freeing them from the obligation of providing for their parents. By doing this these men made the Word of God (Law of God) of none effect. In other words, they were using tradition to circumvent observance of God's Law. They were raising tradition to a level above the Law of God.

The point of this first section of Mark 7 has nothing to do with making all foods clean. It is a discussion on the proper place of tradition, nothing more and nothing less. Next time the second part of Mark 7:1-23 will be discussed.

Did Jesus Declare All Foods Clean?

From three different Bible verses, God has instructed mankind not to add to His prophecy or to His commandments. Please see the previous post. Yet, in the Gospel of Mark, there is an egregious example of how translation teams and commentators have ignored these warnings.

Mark 7:1-23 relates an account of a confrontation that Yeshua had with some scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem. The problem stemmed from the fact that some of the disciples ate bread with unwashed hands. The passage is rather long and complicated, but in verse 19, the New International Version states this:

Mark 7:19 (NIV) 
¹⁹ For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.")

Similarly, the New American Standard Bible says:

Mark 7:19 (NASB)
¹⁹ because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?" (Thus He declared all foods clean.)

The phrase in parentheses looks and sounds an awful lot like a conclusion and even many Bible commentators have used this verse in exactly that same manner. However, the parentheses are an indication that the phrase is not in the Greek. The Greek simply ends with the phrase "purging all the food." 

So what is up with this extra phrase? Obviously, it is an interpretation of what Mark 7:19 supposedly means. So rather than allowing the verse to be translated as it was written, someone, somewhere along the line, decided that Yeshua meant more than what He stated, that the verse by itself wasn't plain enough. The problem with this is two-fold. In the first place, the Bible was violated by having an interpretation forced on it. It also became a kind of conclusion, which makes no sense when the passage is analyzed. The second problem is that the conclusion has resulted in affirming a lie. God has warned Biblical writers, translators, teachers, and pastors not to add to or subtract from His commandments. This extra phrase subtracts from the commandments of God. Therefore, the extra phrase is incorrect. This wrong conclusion has allowed sincere believers to accept that the food laws are no longer applicable, that the law can be changed, and that other passages, particularly in Paul's writings that on the surface appear to negate the law, prove that the law has been abrogated.

Some common sense demonstrates that this line of thought is impossible!

Matthew 5:17-19 (KJV)
¹⁷ Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
¹⁸ For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
¹⁹ Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

For an understanding of the word "fulfill," please see:

Yeshua had to obey the Torah perfectly in order for Him to be qualified to be man's substitutionary sacrifice. According to Matthew 5, He also could not speak against the Torah. Therefore, it is impossible that Yeshua could have concluded that "all foods were now clean." He couldn't have even hinted at it or said that all foods would be clean after His death. 

Praise God, as Yeshua was obedient to God's commandments and became the Savior, how can we even think that our disobedience is now acceptable!

Next: Mark 7:19 explained.

Adding and Subtracting

Generally, the terms "adding" and "subtracting" refer to mathematics, but can be used in other contexts as well. These terms can even be found in the Bible as commands from God.

Revelation 22:19 (KJV)
¹⁹ And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

This verse includes a warning that no one should add or subtract from the book of prophecy called Revelation, or there would be some serious consequences to the person doing the adding or subtracting.

Jeremiah 26:2 (KJV)
² Thus saith the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD'S house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD'S house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word:

In the book of Jeremiah, God counsels His prophet to speak all the words that God had given him to speak. He was not to subtract a single word.

Ecclesiastes 3:14 (KJV)
¹⁴ I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

This verse speaks about God's work and how nothing can be added to or subtracted from it.

Deuteronomy 12:32 (KJV)
³² What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

Deuteronomy 4:2 (KJV)
² Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

Deuteronomy, in these two different places, charges that no one is to add to or subtract from the commands that God has issued His people.

So, what can be concluded from these verses? God's work, whether His plan of salvation by grace through faith, His record of prophecy specifically in Revelation, or His commandments, is complete. There is nothing necessary to add or subtract!

Then why has Christianity found it necessary to add to or subtract from God's work? Some believe that good works must be added for salvation. Wrong! Some believe that we have prophets today speaking further prophecy of God. Wrong! Some believe that the Torah is no longer applicable. Wrong!

More on this next time!

By Whose Authority?

Matthew 12:48-50 (KJV)
⁴⁸ But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
⁴⁹ And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
⁵⁰ For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

In this brief passage we learn that belonging to the spiritual family of Yeshua means that we do the will of the Father. But how do we know what the will of the Father is? Where can we find what the Father requires? At the time that Yeshua made this comment, there was no New Testament. Therefore, Yeshua's audience could only look to the Old Testament for those answers. They would have searched out the laws and requirements in the Torah.

If we ask ourselves today these same questions do we come up with different answers because we have the New Testament? Many would say, "Yes." Many would say that Yeshua fulfilled the requirements of the Old Testament Torah, so we don't have to. However, doesn't this answer cause a disconnect with Yeshua's audience? Why would Yeshua imply one thing to His audience and something different to His followers throughout the later centuries?

Also, if the requirements of following the Father's will have changed, by whose authority were these changes made? Let's look at some possibilities.

1. Yeshua changed the requirements. In the first place, in order for Yeshua to be qualified to be our Savior, He had to follow the Torah completely and perfectly. If He hadn't, He would have been a sinner and could not have been a qualified substitute for us.  We would not have had a Savior and we would still be held responsible for our own sins. There would be no eternal life! Secondly, if Yeshua had followed the Torah completely, but taught anyone else that the Torah didn't need to be followed, He would then be called, "The least in the kingdom of Heaven," according to Matthew 5:19.

Matthew 5:17-19 (KJV)
¹⁷ Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
¹⁸ For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
¹⁹ Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so , he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven (Italics mine).

 Yeshua will one day reign as King over the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, it is not possible that He would be "least" in the Kingdom and He did not have any authority to change the requirements of God's will as taught in the Torah.

2. Paul or Peter changed the requirements. Most believers would say that the requirements were changed in the New Testament and that there are many verses that indicate this. One such section noted might be Peter's vision of the sheet and the non-Kosher animals that he was instructed to eat. A careful reading of the text shows us that three times Peter indicated what the vision meant. Each time the meaning had to do with the acceptability of Gentiles coming to faith and never once were the food laws in the Torah mentioned.

Paul also makes statements that have been misinterpreted to say that the Torah has been set aside. It could also be said that Paul received this "new" understanding while he was in the desert for three years being instructed by God. However, there are some serious problems with relying on either Peter or Paul as having the authority to change Torah requirements.

Deuteronomy 13:1-5 (KJV)
¹ If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
² And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;
³ Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
⁴ Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.
⁵ And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee (Italics mine).

Both Paul and Peter had "visions." If these visions instructed the people to turn away from the way in which God had commanded them to walk in, they were worthy of death. Therefore, if we believe that Paul and Peter wrote parts of the inspired Word of God, it is impossible that they had any authority to change the requirements of God's will either.

So who are we left with? There really is no one. No one has the authority to change what God has required. No one can change what God's written Word has stated.

So, if belonging to the family of Yeshua is determined by the observance of Torah, are you a member of His family?

Trust and Obedience

This week's Torah portion is Exodus 13:17 - 17:16.

Pharaoh had finally decided to let Moses and the Israelite people leave the land of Egypt! It took ten horrific plagues to convince Pharaoh, but they were free! However, shortly after starting out on their journey to the Promised Land, Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his army after them. Eventually the Israelites encamped by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon. There was no way to move further and the Egyptians blocked them from behind.

Moses said to the people, "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace (Exodus 14:13,14, KJV)."

Our powerful God then parted the sea and allowed the Israelites to pass through on dry ground. When the Egyptians attempted to follow, the sea returned to its normal course and drowned all the Egyptians. God had fought for His people and had kept His Word.

After witnessing such an amazing event, it seems impossible that the Israelites would ever doubt God again. Yet, they did. Three days after the parting of the sea, the people murmured against Moses because of a lack of drinkable water. God met their need and then said, "If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee (Exodus 15:26, KJV)."

But even this second miracle did not keep the people from murmuring. About a month later they complained about their lack of food.

God said, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily (Exodus 16:4,5, KJV)."

Now the Israelites had a dependable source of food. Did they trust God? No. "And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. And the LORD said unto Moses, 'How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day (Exodus 16 27-29, KJV).'"

Even after all of God's care for His people they continued to complain and to disregard His laws.

But before we cast any disparaging comments on the Israelites' lack of trust and obedience, we need to ask ourselves about our own condition. If we have been saved by the grace of God through faith in Yeshua, God expects us to trust Him no matter what our circumstances may appear to be. He also expects us to obey His commands. He doesn't expect us to obey in order for us to be saved by them, but our obedience is the evidence that we have been saved. Are we obedient to the laws of God? If we are not, we must surely question our salvation.

Passover in the Millennial Kingdom

This week's Torah portion is Exodus 10:1-13:16.

In this week's portion we find the account of the Passover, the event, that in many ways, defines the Jewish people. God intended this to be so. He commanded that afterwards the Passover would be kept as a reminder of the event and the Jewish people have faithfully carried out God's command.

Exodus 12:42,47-50 (KJV)
⁴² It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.
⁴⁷ All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.
⁴⁸ And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.
⁴⁹ One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.
⁵⁰ Thus did all the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

What is interesting to note is that it was not only Jewish people who kept the Passover, but any stranger that sojourned among the Israelites. This meant that all the mixed multitude (Exodus 12:38) that came out of Egypt and stayed with the Israelites were expected to keep the Passover. There was one stipulation, though, and that was that all the males had to be circumcised. It didn't matter if you were Jewish or not. The whole congregation was under the same law.

Since then Christianity has pretty much maintained that circumcision and the observance of the Passover are only obligations for the Jews. Yet, this poses a problem for Christians in the future if they want to participate in the Passover.

Ezekiel 44:9 (KJV)
⁹ Thus saith the Lord GOD; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel.

Ezekiel is talking about a time future when the Temple will be rebuilt. Likely this is referring to the Millennial Kingdom that Yeshua will establish on the earth after His return. No uncircumcised man, Jewish or not, will be allowed into the Temple. This is where God will dwell again and believers will want to participate in that Temple worship. Being banned from entering would be devastating!

Ezekiel 45:21 (KJV)
²¹ In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have the passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten.

Again, Ezekiel is referring to the Passover and when that will be observed in the Millennial Kingdom. As believers wouldn't we want to observe the Passover, too?

Even Paul seemed to be in agreement when he stated:

1 Corinthians 5:8 (KJV)
⁸ Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Although Paul was comparing leavened bread with malice and wickedness, and unleavened bread with sincerity and truth, he wasn't telling them that the Passover was some spiritual allegory. He told them to observe the Passover IN THE CORRECT RIGHTEOUS MINDSET.

Circumcision and the Passover are not just for the Jews, but for all the believers who call upon the name of Yeshua.

A Lie is a Lie is a Lie?

This week's Torah portion is Exodus 1:1 - 6:1.

Exodus 20:16 (KJV)
¹⁶ Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

Proverbs 12:22 (KJV)
²² Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.

Ephesians 4:25 (KJV)
²⁵ Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

Based on the many verses in the Bible, it seems pretty obvious that God hates lying. Yet, is there ever a time when lying is OK? In this week's Torah portion we are confronted with this very situation.

Exodus 1:15-21 (KJV)

¹⁵ And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:
¹⁶ And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.
¹⁷ But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.
¹⁸ And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive?
¹⁹ And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them.
²⁰ Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.

²¹ And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.

Shiphrah and Puah, the Hebrew midwives, refused to obey Pharaoah's order to kill all the male Hebrew babies. Because they feared (stood in awe of) God, they would not carry out his heinous request. But when asked about why they allowed the male children to live, they fabricated a story and in essence lied to Pharaoh. Perhaps surprisingly, God treated the midwives well and gave them households of their own. Why?

Matthew 23:23 (KJV)
²³ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

In Matthew we find Yeshua chastising the scribes and Pharisees for observing the law regarding the tithing of one's increase.

Leviticus 27:30 (KJV)
³⁰ And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD'S: it is holy unto the LORD.

However, His complaint was not that they followed God's command, but rather that they used one law to demonstrate how scrupulously they observed Torah, while yet ignoring the weightier matters of the Torah, specifically judgment, mercy, and faith.

Micah 6:8 (KJV)
⁸ He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

Yeshua's conclusion was that both needed to be done.

At another time Yeshua also taught that sometimes the weightier matters can actually take precedence over the lighter.

Mark 3:1-5 (KJV) 

¹ And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.
² And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
³ And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
⁴ And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. 

⁵ And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other. 

The Hebrew midwives understood that saving the lives of the male babies was more important than telling the truth and so chose the correct path to take.

What choices are we required to make? How do we know which is the correct path? As always, our guide is the Bible, the whole Bible! It will not lead us astray.

2 Timothy 3:16 (KJV)
¹⁶ All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:   

The Torah Before Moses?

This week's Torah portion comes from Genesis 25:19-28:9.

Genesis 26:2-5 (KJV)
² And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:
³ Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;
⁴ And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
⁵ Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

God appeared to Isaac and told him to live in Canaan and not to go down into Egypt. God would be with him and bless him. God affirmed that the promises made to his father Abraham would be carried out also to Isaac and to his descendants. This was great news not only for Isaac and the Jewish people, but for all the nations of the earth as well, because through Isaac's seed (Messiah Yeshua) the whole world would be able to partake in the relationship between God and His people.

Verse 5 gives the reason for why Isaac would be so blessed. Abraham obeyed God's voice, kept His charge, His commandments, His statutes, and His laws!

But what charge, what commandments, what statutes, and what laws did Abraham obey? Traditional Christianity has long claimed that the Torah was only given to Moses and was somehow fulfilled (meaning set aside) by Yeshua's death and resurrection. However, if Christianity has been wrong about when the Torah was given, couldn't it be wrong about believers being able to set aside the "Mosaic Law?"

The Hebrew words used in verse 5 are: mishmeroti meaning "my charge or safeguards," mitzvotai meaning "my commandments," chukotai meaning "my inscribed statutes," and torotai, meaning "my instructions." This last word translated into English often becomes Law or Torah. Abraham obeyed the Torah! Although it is true that the Torah in its full sense was given to Moses at Mount Sinai, God's people were aware of many of God's desires prior to Moses. The seventh day Sabbath was revealed in Genesis 2. The rules of clean and unclean food were known by Genesis 8. And circumcision began in Genesis 21. So whatever parts of the Torah that Abraham knew about, he obeyed. And God was pleased by his obedience. If God was please by a Saturday Sabbath, the eating of clean foods, and circumcision, why would that change? How could Yeshua's death and resurrection change God's laws, especially those of a God that never changes?

Malachi 3:6a (KJV)
⁶ For I am the LORD, I change not;

May God one day see our obedience in the same way that He saw Abraham's!

Righteous Noah

This week's Torah portion covers Genesis 6:9 to Genesis 11:32.

Immediately we read:

Genesis 6:9 (KJV)
⁹ These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

What does it mean to be just or righteous? We could look to the dictionary at this point, but if we read a little further in Genesis we can ascertain why Noah was considered righteous.

Genesis 6:22 (KJV)
²² Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

Noah was obedient to all that God had commanded him. This is what made him righteous. But what had God commanded him to do? The answer is certainly that he built the ark that saved eight people from the killing flood that was to come. Despite the fact that there had never been any rain, or that there was no nearby body of water large enough to float the ark, Noah obeyed. However, this was not all that Noah apparently accomplished according to God's will.

In Genesis 7:14,15 we read about how the animals came to the ark.

Genesis 7:14-15 (KJV)
¹⁴ They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.
¹⁵ And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.

Even small children know the account of Noah and his ark and how the animals came two by two. Not all know that some animals came by sevens.

Genesis 7:2 (KJV)
² Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.

The animals that came by sevens (most likely seven pairs) were the "clean" animals. Why were there more of some animals than others?

Genesis 8:20 (KJV)
²⁰ And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

After the flood the ark came to rest on Mount Ararat. The first thing that Noah did was to build an altar to God in thanksgiving and praise for his and his family's safety. Part of the reason for the extra clean animals was for making burnt (or elevation) offerings. The other reason was for a food supply. But what are "clean" animals?

The Bible doesn't give us this answer until Leviticus 11 where it describes which animals are clean and which aren't. This has caused many to have the idea that the Law of God was not known, nor required until Moses. But the fact that Noah offered and later only ate clean animals proves otherwise. This is not to say that revelation wasn't progressively given. It is difficult to fully comprehend how much of the Law Noah actually knew. But his knowledge of which animals were clean and unclean is clear.

This also demonstrates that the requirements of the Law were not restricted to the Mosaic Covenant. Perhaps other theological notions are just as erroneous. It behooves us to be very careful in constructing theologies.

Lastly, does Genesis 6:9 really mean that Noah was "perfect?" From Genesis 9 we read about the incident of Noah's drunkenness. He obviously was not perfect in the way that we normally view perfection. But just as Noah was righteous, he was perfect. The description conveys Noah's leanings. His striving to do all that God required made him a righteous and perfect man. This does not take away from the imputed righteousness that the believer receives at the new birth in Yeshua, but it does point to our obligation to follow God's commands to the best of our ability. This makes us righteous, too.

The Difference Between the Old and New Covenants

I don't believe that I would get any arguments from other believers if I said that Christians today are a part of the New Covenant. However, there are many misunderstandings about this covenant that have caused many wrong assumptions and wrong theologies. Let's look into this issue a little more closely.

Where in the Bible do we learn about the New Covenant? We can read the entire New Testament and not find the details of this New Covenant. In order to "find" it, we must look back to the Old Testament. We can find it in the book of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 31:31-34 (NIV)
³¹ "The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
³² It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the LORD.
³³ "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
³⁴ No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

With whom does God make this Covenant? Verse 31 tells us that the New Covenant is made between God and the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Clearly, the New Covenant is not made between God and any entity we would recognize today as the Church. Isn't this surprising, considering what we've been taught? Our theology has been wrong. If we are not a part of Israel there is no covenant.

Verse 32 tells us that the New Covenant will not be like the Old Covenant. No surprises there!

What is different about the New Covenant compared to the Old? Verse 33 explains that in the New Covenant, God's Law will be put in believers' minds and will be written on their hearts. This also is not surprising. However, what Law are we talking about? Since Jeremiah is a part of the Old Testament there can only be one conclusion. There was only one Law of God in existence. It is called the Torah. The Torah of God will be in believers' minds and hearts. Our theology has been wrong.

When does the New Covenant begin? Traditional Christianity says that the New Covenant began when the Holy Spirit descended on the believers at Pentecost. Although it is true that from that time on believers were indwelt by the Holy Spirit and they are able to refrain from sin, verse 34 doesn't sound like anything we are experiencing today. "All will know Yehovah!" Also, in verse 31, both houses of Israel are mentioned, but in verse 33 they are mentioned together as the house of Israel. The New Covenant will not be fully evident until a time future when Israel's two houses are again one, and all Israel will know God!

Traditional Christianity has a long history of distancing itself from Jewishness. Yet, the plain reading of the Bible indicates that God's people are called Israel and it is with her that the New Covenant is made. If you are a believer who has been born again and has the Spirit of God living within, you are a part of Israel. You are a part of the New Covenant. However, if the only difference between the Old and the New Covenant is the location of God's Torah, we believers in Yeshua must embrace that Torah and not make excuses as to why we don't have to obey it. Jeremiah's description makes no mention of a change in the requirements of following the Torah, so let's just do it!

Fulfilled and Destroyed? or Fulfilled and Obeyed?

Matthew 5:17-20 (KJV)
¹⁷ Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
¹⁸ For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
¹⁹ Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
²⁰ For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Like many Christians I read and reread this section of Scripture without really understanding what it was saying. The words themselves are relatively simple, yet because of translation issues and historical theology, the plain meaning of the text has been lost to the majority of Christians today.

Yeshua sat on a hill with his disciples around Him (Matthew 5:1). He began to teach starting with the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12). Then He spoke about believers being salt to the Jews and light to the Gentiles (see http://eclecticchristian.blogspot.com/2015/05/salt-and-light.html) Next He told His listeners that they were not to think that He had come to destroy the Torah or the Prophets (the whole Word of God), but that He had come to fulfill them (verse 17). The religious leaders of Yeshua's day constantly accused Yeshua of violating the Torah of God, but if that were really the case and Yeshua had actually violated a single commandment of the Torah, Yeshua would not have been sinless and would not have been qualified to die on mankind's behalf. There would be no salvation nor eternal life for anyone!! What Yeshua objected to was the religious leaders' misinterpretation of the Torah and their elevating the Oral Law to the status of the Word of God. Yeshua was guilty only of violating the man made rules that the religious leaders had, that often conflicted with the Torah.

To strengthen His statement, Yeshua declared that the Torah would not pass away until heaven and earth passed away (verse 18). Since heaven and earth are obviously still present, the Torah cannot have been done away with. However, the last part of verse 18 seems to imply that the Torah would pass away when it was all fulfilled. The conclusion by many is that despite the continued presence of heaven and earth, Yeshua fulfilled the Torah and it has passed away. Logically, this conclusion doesn't make any sense, especially when verse 19 is read. According to traditional Christianity Yeshua fulfilled the Torah, so that believers now are free to worship on Sunday instead of Saturday, ham is permissible as food, and the holy days like Passover and Yom Kippur can be ignored. Yet, verse 19 says that anyone who breaks one of the least commandments or teaches men so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. Obviously, the breaking of the Sabbath, food laws, and Holy Days comes with a stiff penalty.

The problem in this section that has led to much misunderstanding is the word fulfill, which is used to translate two different Greek words. In the first occurrence in verse 17, the Greek word behind fulfill is pleroo. This word means "to fill to the full" or "to complete." Therefore, Yeshua completed (or did) (or obeyed) the Torah and showed mankind how to do likewise. The second Greek word that is translated as fulfill in verse 18 is the word ginomai, which means "to occur" or "to happen." In other words the Torah would not pass away until everything (meaning the whole of history stated in Scripture - Genesis to Revelation) had happened.

I have heard commentators try to get around the sensible meaning of this text by saying that verses 17 and 18 refer to the ritual laws, that Yeshua fulfilled them and that they are done away with. Then verses 19 and 20 refer to the moral law, that these should not be violated. However, in verse 19 the word "therefore" connects verse 19 to verse 18 and there is no hint that the subject of the sentence had changed. Also, there is no place in Scripture where God's commands are divided into ritual versus moral law. This is a man made construct that isn't Biblically based.

The religious leaders of Yeshua's day were accusing Yeshua of destroying the Torah. Let's not do the same thing today by saying that the Torah has been fulfilled and has passed away.

Doing What is Right in Your Own Eyes

Although Christians hold to a general body of rights and wrongs or moral code, they seem to have difficulty in identifying what that code exactly is. Some will cling to the Ten Commandments, but others shun the Old Testament completely and believe that the Law of Christ, loving God and one's neighbor, is the only true guideline that we have. Add to this Paul's cryptic "Christian liberty," and you have individual Christians running around, all deciding for themselves, their own code of morals and ethics. We also have the "thou shalt not judge" anyone enthusiasts, leaving true believers without a clue as to how we really are to live, at least in the details.

From Torah portion, "Re'eh - Behold" we read the following:

Deuteronomy 11:26-28 (KJV)
²⁶ Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;
²⁷ A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day:
²⁸ And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.

From this we see that God had given the Israelites detailed descriptions on how they were to live. They would be blessed if they obeyed God's commandments and would be cursed if they did not. God also said this:

Deuteronomy 12:8 (KJV)
⁸ Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes.

"Doing what is right in your own eyes" is clearly an idea that God despises. Yet, this is often how Christianity determines what is right and wrong.

"Yes, we got a divorce. God wants us to be in a happier place."

"Yes, I buy lottery tickets. If I win, I'll donate some to my church."

"Yes, we're living together. We're saving money and besides, marriage is just a piece of paper anyway."

"Yes, we go to church on Sunday, or Tuesday. God doesn't care what day we worship."

"Yes, I eat bacon. God doesn't care what we eat."

This fuzzy moral code is really a figment of our imaginations. Christians are living contrary to the Word of God and somehow they believe that God is pleased.

Deuteronomy 12:32 (KJV)
³² What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

What God has commanded, He intended His people to observe and obey. Rather than trying to determine on our own what is right and wrong, He has given us His guidelines in His entire Word, the Bible. It's about time we fully paid attention.

God's Law is Grace

Most people recognize that law, in general, is good. Justice and order can result when a society is governed by law, but without it, society would be in chaos. However, human nature has a tendency to rebel against law. We also sort law into categories of "necessary", "acceptable", and "stupid", and base our law-abiding behavior on those laws that make sense to us.

The law that man makes is not always just, sometimes it becomes corrupt and perverted, but God's law is always just and good. Still, mankind often desires to rebel or to find reasons why obedience is not necessary.

This seems to be the situation in the church today. An entire theology has been developed in order to explain why the Torah is no longer applicable. Well-meaning and sincere believers in Messiah read the Bible from a Greek perspective, ignore its Jewish base, misunderstand texts that are used to prove the Torah's obsolescence, and then ignore those texts that prove Torah is still necessary. The bottom line is that we want to reduce the law to its smallest number and then become our own determiners of the standards in those areas outside the purview of our whittled down law. We are trying to usurp God's own role!

The Torah portion of this week is called, V'et'chanan, which means "I pleaded." The portion covers Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11.

This title comes from the Hebrew root "chanan," which is often translated as "grace." In traditional Christianity grace and law are seen as opposites, yet this is a very incorrect and skewed view. God has been extending grace to mankind since the very beginning of creation, it did not start with Messiah's human birth or His death and resurrection. The most visible evidence of God's grace to us, besides Messiah's gift of salvation, is His written Word, the Bible. Therefore, the Torah, the law of God, is a gift of grace to us. Each law, each sentence, and each word demonstrates God's love toward us. He has shown us how he wants us to live and how we can please Him.

So why don't we accept His gift? Why do we want to be the deciders of what is right and wrong when God has already told us?

Deuteronomy 4:5-8 (KJV)
⁵ Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it.
⁶ Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.
⁷ For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for?
⁸ And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?

If we decide our own standards, how will we fulfill this passage of Scripture, that says obedience to Torah is to be the reason why the nations take notice?

And how can we fulfill the following in the end times?

Isaiah 2:2-3 (KJV)
² And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
³ And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

If we want to be witnesses and show our neighbors that we are truly different, we need to start practicing Torah living. It cannot save us, but it is the evidence of salvation.

Did Paul Teach Against Torah?

Christianity has traditionally taught that Yeshua has fulfilled the Torah in the sense that believers no longer have to observe and keep Torah. Part of this understanding comes from Paul's supposed teachings that seem to agree that believers are no longer under any obligation to the Torah. But is this accurate? Let's examine this a little further.

Acts 21:17-26 (KJV)
¹⁷ And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.
¹⁸ And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.
¹⁹ And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.
²⁰ And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:
²¹ And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.
²² What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.
²³ Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them;
²⁴ Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.
²⁵ As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.
²⁶ Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.

Paul had come into Jerusalem in order to complete the Nazarite vow that he had taken. When he had arrived, the brethren received him gladly (verse 17). The next day, Paul visited James, the leader of the Jerusalem assembly and half brother to Yeshua. The elders of the assembly were also there (verse 18). Paul then gave them many details regarding his ministry to the Gentiles (verse 19). Notice that Paul gave all the credit to God. When the elders heard Paul's report, they glorified the Lord (verse 20). They then related to Paul about the thousands of Jews which had come to faith and were zealous of the Torah. However, these Jews had heard about Paul and how he was teaching the Jews to forsake Moses, saying that they should not circumcise their children nor walk in their Jewish customs (verse 21). James wondered what they should do, because the multitude would certainly learn that Paul had come (verse 22).

Apparently, the Jerusalem believers found Paul's teachings to be scandalous. Yet, James and the elders received Paul wholeheartedly and didn't believe that Paul was teaching against Torah.

James and the elders had a suggestion for Paul. There were four other men in their assembly who had also taken a vow (verse 23). Paul was encouraged to go with the four, purify themselves, pay all their expenses, and have their heads shaved (verse 24). In this way, the multitude of believers would see that the rumors surrounding Paul were nothing and that Paul himself kept Torah (like observing a Nazarite vow).

If Christianity persists in saying that either Paul didn't keep Torah or that he taught against Torah, it is accusing Paul of the very same things that the Jewish believers accused him of. Also, James and the elders thought that Paul did indeed keep Torah and did not teach against it.

In verse 25 James continued speaking. He did point out that the Gentiles had not been obligated to do anything more than keeping away from things offered to idols, blood, strangled animals, and fornication. This is in keeping with the Jerusalem council's decision in Acts 15. However, from that passage Gentiles were expected to learn more about Torah as they participated in the synagogues every week on the Saturday Sabbath. The Acts 15 obligations reflect a starting point.

Acts 15:20-21 (KJV)
²⁰ But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
²¹ For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

Then in verse 26 Paul agreed with James' suggestion to carry out the completion of the vow.

In this passage of Acts Paul was observing a Torah prescribed vow and he agreed to complete the vow with four others and pay for their expenses to show that he was strictly continuing to follow Torah. He did not want the Jerusalem believers to think that he was teaching against Torah or telling the Jewish believers to stop observing Torah. But Christianity has believed in the rumors and has taught a Torahless faith that Paul so desperately wanted to dispel. This anti-Torah teaching is just as scandalous today as it was in Paul's day!

Romans 13:8-10 - Love & Fulfillment

Paul turned from the believers' responsibility to government to their responsibility to others.

Romans 13:8-10 (KJV)
⁸ Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
⁹ For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
¹⁰ Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

According to verse 8 believers are to owe nothing to anyone except love, because that is the fulfillment of the Torah. Paul went on to list several of God's commands like, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not kill," "You shall not lie," and "You shall not covet." All God's commands regarding the treatment of others falls under loving your neighbor as yourself (verse 9). So, if believers do no ill to their neighbors they have fulfilled the Torah (verse 10).

The overarching theme of the behavior of believers is love. Any action taken must be with the good of others in mind. Therefore, when multiple actions are compared, the one that demonstrates love is the correct action to take.

However, traditional Christianity has gone beyond Paul's intent and generally has believed that Paul was saying that the individual Torah laws weren't important, that as long as a believer responded in a loving way to others, Torah was fulfilled. In essence Christianity has determined that the only law regarding others that anyone needs to be concerned about is, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Rather, Paul was placing a hierarchy over the details. Each of all the Torah Laws are still in force, but deciding which one might take precedence in any given situation could be determined by asking, "Am I loving my neighbor as myself if I take this action, or another?"

This way of looking at the Romans passage fits in with Yeshua's comment to the Pharisees in Matthew.

Matthew 23:23 (KJV)
²³ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Before the Pharisees should have tithed their mint, anise, and cumin, they should have treated their fellow man with love. Their tithes (following a Torah law), although good in principle, gained them nothing because other weightier (loving) Torah laws were ignored. They did not fulfill the Torah by their actions.

Any time believers act in love towards others they fulfill the Torah. It is something that can be done over and over again. When Christianity removed Torah from believers' obligations, it removed their guidelines on what love looks like. Without Torah, believers no longer know what God expects and they are left choosing actions based solely on feelings. Without knowing the Torah how can the believer ever fulfill it?

God's Failure. Really?!

The Mosaic Law is often viewed as God's first attempt at creating a holy people for Himself. Unfortunately, it was a failure. The people couldn't keep all those laws and the sacrifices were never able to remove sin. God needed to do something else, so He sent His Son to be the final sacrifice that would actually work. His people would never have to even try to keep all those Laws again because of Grace, and no further sacrifices would ever be needed. God would have His holy people!

This little scenario is nothing more than a fantasy, a creation of anti-Semitic theology of partial truths. For example, it is true that no one can keep all of God's Laws. This situation was true in the Old Testament days as well as in the New. Grace was man's only hope. Grace was given by God when He gave the people the Laws, so that they knew what was required, and grace was given when the people accepted His covenant. Grace was given when the people made the sacrifices that covered them and allowed them to be in God's presence in the Tabernacle or the Temple. Grace was given during Yom Kippur. Grace was given when Yeshua died and rose again. The penalty for sin was paid. But grace doesn't eliminate the Laws. Yeshua's paying for the penalty of sin doesn't give man a license to violate the Laws. He paid too high a price for man to stomp on the Mosaic Law, which He kept so faithfully and perfectly. He is man's example!

Secondly, it is true that the sacrifices could not remove sin. However, that was never their intended goal. They made atonement, or covered the sin of God's people so that they could enter God's presence. Even the book of Hebrews speaks about the success of the sacrifices.

Hebrews 9:13-14 (KJV)
¹³ For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
¹⁴ How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

If the sacrifices sanctified, or made holy, the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Messiah purge the conscience? Hebrews was making a "light to heavy" comparison. Messiah's sacrifice removed sins, but the sacrifices of bulls and goats also succeeded in covering the people, a lighter result!

Also from Leviticus it is evident that the sacrifices worked exactly as God intended.

Leviticus 9:22-24 (KJV)
²² And Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them, and came down from offering of the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and peace offerings.
²³ And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people.
²⁴ And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.

The last part of this fanciful story is the claim that any who insist upon the obedience to the Mosaic Law are legalists. Somehow it is believed that they are acting as modern day Judaizers (which insisted on following all the minutiae of the Oral Law which were traditions not the Law of God). However, obedience out of love for God can never be legalistic. Rather, disobedience (lawlessness) demonstrates a lack of faith. Disobedience can never result in a holy people!

Romans 10:5-10 - The Righteousness of the Torah

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While mankind strives to obtain righteousness by deeds, the Torah specifies that righteousness can only come by trust. Messiah Yeshua and His righteousness is the goal of the Torah. Paul continued.

Romans 10:5-10 (KJV)
⁵ For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.
⁶ But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
⁷ Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
⁸ But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
⁹ That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
¹⁰ For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Paul began with a quote from Leviticus (verse 5).

Leviticus 18:5 (KJV)
⁵ Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.

Traditional Christianity has believed that Paul was making a contrast between salvation by grace through faith and the Torah's supposed salvation by works. This makes Paul's phrase, "For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law," seem to be a negative. Man can never come up to God's righteousness by doing the works of the law. However, Paul's repetition of Leviticus 18:5 and its positive connotation about salvation (life) being found in the Torah must be used in the same way. Paul, too, was saying that there is life in the Torah! Repeatedly, Paul has shown that salvation has always been through faith, that the Torah has taught this very thing.

Verse 6 continues to apparently contrast faith and works by the unfortunate translation of the Greek "de" into the English "but." Rather, the context of verses 5 and 6 imply "moreover" or "furthermore" as a better translation of "de" (David Stern. Jewish New Testament Commentary. Jewish New Testament Publications, Clarksville, MD, 1992, pp. 397-8). In this case, verses 6 through 8a further explain verse 5, which comes from Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 30:11-14 (KJV)
¹¹ For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.
¹² It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
¹³ Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
¹⁴ But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.

The gist of both Deuteronomy 30:11-14 and Romans 10:6-8a is that mankind's effort to affect salvation is neither necessary or possible. God's grace has provided both Messiah and the Torah so that "Israel may 'hear...and do'" (Stern 400).

Verses 8b-10 describes the faith that Paul had been preaching. Although faith is initially a mental activity, it means nothing if it is not accompanied by confession (a willingness to be open and forthright about what is believed). In other words actions must be consistent with faith. Also, the object of faith in Yeshua is only viable if that faith includes the belief that God raised Messiah from the dead. The heart believes and the mouth confesses!

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