I used to believe...
Simply my journey….
I used to believe the drama unfolding in scripture was a story about people who needed to know God was real. They needed to see His holiness so they would be shown their wickedness. I used to believe He gave them rules for the purpose of showing them they could not obey. Of course, God knew they couldn’t obey, but they didn’t know they couldn’t obey. I used to believe that the rules were so oppressive, it just added to the burden thereby confirming to each individual, that obedience was impossible.
I used to think that all of the blood sacrifices and food and drink offerings were part of the mandates that needed to be followed so that the people who sinned, unable to follow God’s commands, could still be redeemed. I used to believe that all that blood and all that gore, every single day, twice a day, showed man the weight of what his sin required to make the people right with God.
I used to believe that these sacrifices were a necessary component of one’s salvation and that after Christ atoned for us on the cross, no longer were these sacrifices necessary for mankind. I used to believe that any sacrifices after the cross were a stench in the nostrils of God having just sacrificed His own Son, and those that even continue thinking this way today, are blind. I thought any future plans to reinstitute this sacrificial system is because the bible tells us this used to be the way to salvation in the Old Testament and anyone not reading the New Testament just doesn’t understand.
I used to believe that Jews still today trying to gain their salvation by these commandments as the people did throughout the bible prior to the cross, are denying a change in the salvation plan that really happened. I used to believe that Calvary changed everything pertaining to the requirements of God. I thought that the plot developing in the New Testament was leading up to a monumental overhaul of the salvation plan. I called this the “new covenant” that Jeremiah wrote about and believed that Jesus came at a time when mankind was finally realizing his sinfulness. The blood of the animals was finally opening the eyes of people who could see they and their ancestors had sacrificed in vain. I used to believe that God was developing a story that only really came to its point in the first century for those who walked with Christ. They finally understood man’s dilemma of separation from the Creator and they no longer “worked” to resolve the dilemma. Instead, they “rested” in the knowledge of a man who did miracles, died on a cross and rose from the dead. I used to believe this was all spelled out very clearly in scripture.
I was wrong.
From the beginning, without any developing plot that took centuries even millennia to unfold, man was offered the answer to his sin dilemma. It is called “Faith”. We have incorrectly defined faith to mean “believe” and our idea of belief is information we take in, agree with and retain. But that is only part of the understanding of “Faith”. In other words, I know Yehoshua is the Son of God but unless I “believe” what He spoke while on earth, agree with it to the point that my own personal life changes and models itself according to those new beliefs, my testimony or my belief in Yehoshua is in vain. Even the demons believe He did miracles, lived, died on a cross and was raised from the dead. Even the demons know He is the Son of God. So what separates their belief from the true definition of “Faith”. It’s what I just expressed. I believe so fully and completely, to the point that I obey it. And this answer to the age old sin problem is very clearly spelled out in scripture. Abraham’s Faith caused him to obey………his actions aligned with what YHVH told him to do. We cannot say we have “Faith” and then walk contrary to what our Father says. At that point we would have to ask ourselves, in what (what word of instruction) am I believing to the point of obeying? What is my Faith resting on? If YHVH is LORD of my life, then I do what He says or He’s really not LORD, I am my own Lord.
The instructions to all mankind were spoken since the garden. These instructions did not begin at Mt. Sinai. Cain and Abel knew the requirements of God for sacrificing and Cain obviously knew that murder was sin. Noah knew clean and unclean animals as well as the necessity of blood shed for atonement. Abimelech knew adultery was sin as Abraham also knew lying was sin. All of these things happened many many years prior to the commandments handed down at Mt. Sinai. Mankind has always had the option to have “Faith”, ie; belief to the point of obey. But man did not always do so and the majority of the bible is about a wayward child being disciplined, thrown out of his home and eventually will be called back home. What I now believe the bible was clearly speaking of in the sacrificial system is Messiah, the Anointed One whose blood is the only blood that atones for sin once for all. Abraham had to have this same atoning blood just like I do and you do. Moses had to be covered by Yehoshua’s blood just like we do. But neither Abraham nor Moses ever met Yehoshua as the Messiah who came to earth through a virgin. Neither of them, according to some misunderstandings of the NT, ever claimed the name of “Jesus” for salvation nor did they express belief in his death, burial or resurrection as "the way" to life. So how could YHVH, who says He never changes, change the way to salvation, if in fact, He did so? How could Truth no longer be Truth if a new gospel message came about at the cross in the 4th millennium? Didn’t all the people living prior to Messiah’s appearance get short changed?
What I now know to be true as confirmed by every word of scritpure is that YHVH was giving mankind a picture of Messiah so that He would be recognized in His generation. Every temple article, every temple ordinance, every temple adornment, clothing, and requirement was to reveal Yehoshua. And even his name, “Yehoshua”, means “Yehovah is salvation” just as Isaiah declares, Isa 43:11 I, even I am YHVH and apart from Me, there is no Savior”. So if “Yehovah is salvation” came to earth as a man and bridges the gap between life and death, how did it help Abraham? How did Yehoshua’s blood spilling on the mercy seat in the first century aide those living 3 or 4 thousand years prior? The bible says this event was the point of the story or the answer to the dilemma from the beginning. This event was not a plan B after man realizes he can’t keep his Father’s instructions……and the cross was certainly not plan B. The Psalmist and Isaiah both wrote of the cross. From the beginning of sin entering the scene, blood needed to be shed; life is in the blood, life for life. Until spotless blood was shed 4000 years into the story, before that, man simply did what Faith requires…….believe to the point of obey. Faith offered man the assurance that YHVH will provide the way for his salvation. Obedience (faith) included the performing of the temple ordinances by the priests after Sinai and it also included sacrificing that YHVH set up from the beginning. This is why we read that Paul sacrificed and Paul taught the churches to observe the Feasts in Jerusalem which required them to bring a burnt offering. Paul submitted to the High Priest, all well after Yehoshua’s death and resurrection. Salvation has always been and will always be……by Faith…..belief expressing itself in obedience.
It is no different now after the cross. We do not have a change in the salvation plan. The way back to YHVH has always been this expressed “Faith”. And I think you’re going to find that just as the temple location began in the garden when YHVH walked with man, then in a movable Tabernacle, moving to a Temple structure and moving again now to our Body, the only “new” part of Jeremiah’s covenant is the residence of the Spirit of God and looking forward once again, to a marriage. Instead of a man-made habitation, He dwells in a God made habitation and puts the same word given to man from the beginning, wherever He dwells as He always has. We can trust Him (have Faith) when He says “I am YHVH, I change not.”
This is the gospel. Yehoshua preached the gospel. But not once did Yehoshua say, "believe that I'm going to die on a cross and you'll be saved". Nor did He say "obey My Father now but in just a little while, I'm going to be crucified and at that point, you can set aside obedience if you just simply believe I died and rose again". Yehoshua said "repent or perish" and in a nutshell, He's telling us the gospel. Have faith; saving faith that expresses itself in obeying what YHVH says to do.
The writer of Hebrews tells us that YHVH, who instituted the Levitical system and the temple ordinances because of sin, vomited His people from the land for their disobedience (to His Torah) and in so doing, destroyed the earthly temple structure and Levitical system. This was His doing from His sovereign hand making the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31 a reality. The Spirit of the Living God would now reside in a new Temple, thus making obedience to the sacrificial system or any prior temple ordinance by the Levites, an impossibility. For us, who are forbidden from doing these things (remember Saul was not a priest but sacrificed anyway), we are obeying YHVH when He tells us we are forbidden and they are not to be done outside of the temple in Jerusalem. We need to understand that to obey “thou shalt not do xyz”, we do not do what is spoken, thereby, obeying. Just as we do not lie to obey the command "thou shalt not bear false witness". When we do not sacrifice animals and do not celebrate Feasts anywhere but Jerusalem and do not stone people to death without a ruling Sanhedrin operating at the Temple, we are indeed, obeying the commands.
This new understanding of the plot of the bible has opened my eyes to every single word my Father says. I hear from Him when I read His Word of instruction, I believe Him, my belief is expressed in Faith which manifests itself in doing what I have just read in His word. This is the only saving Faith. No other plan of salvation exists or will exist. So I had a problem on my hands. The story I had previously believed was going to be challenged in every possible way. What was I going to align my thoughts, my actions, my every “belief” in, if it wasn’t the instructions He gave to mankind, His Torah? If that Torah was obsolete as I was told it was, then how was my Faith going to express itself? Here is where everything changed for me.
As Christians, one of our biggest challenges is to be discerning. To discern truth is no easy matter. It is not a dilemma of true versus false. It is the wisdom to know Truth from almost truth. Do we understand something that is True from something that has the appearance, the taste, the smell and the look of truth but is not Truth?
I’ve preached for a few years now about some difficult concepts in scripture. They are not difficult to see and understand from our Father’s Torah, but have been made difficult for about 1700 years by the hand of man. For the last millennia and a half, false teaching has crept into our theology and we’ve been blinded to the truth. What is almost impossible now, is the process of unraveling the years of false doctrine to simply believe what is written in the pages of scripture.
This is my attempt to help aide that process.
Do we, as Christians, follow the law of YHVH? Is that an expectation of His? Is it what Yehoshua taught? Did the Apostles and Disciples that we read about in the NT, understand and agree that we should be following the instructions of our Father, ie; the law? And if we can answer yes, to these questions, then isn’t it a common understanding that if those closest to the earthly life of Messiah, who were taught by Him personally or received instruction by those who were, that then should guide our interpretation of the text as well? If this is what they were taught, then this is what we are taught and should be living. Modern evangelical Christianity will say “no” to the last statement that guides our behavior. I’m not sure what they would say about the biblical evidence. So I’m going to bring forth the evidence and allow the Spirit of the Living God, YHVH, Creator of heaven and earth and everything in the earth, be our Instructor.
We can all agree that we are not saved by following the law. Why?, we ask, especially in light of the findings of this search. Because even breaking one command condemns us as a lawbreaker. As a lawbreaker, we are not saved, we deserve death and we will perish. Our great need for a Savior is only identified by this dilemma. So following the law cannot possibly save anyone because everyone has broken it, ie: “sinned”. Get that solidified in your head so that when we bring to light all that is in this examination, realize we are not declaring that our righteousness saves us. But what we are concluding by the words in scripture and the lives of those who left a testimony for us, is that following the law sanctifies us. And sanctification is not optional. It is the only expression of true Faith. When we finally get that, we realize that many issues in our theology have to change. We have to surrender to what scripture is really teaching us. The Apostles and Disciples and Paul, surely would know with certainty what it looks like to be a Follower.
Biblical examination of the scriptures to answer the following question:
Does the bible teach that we should follow the “law”, “Torah”, “commandments”, “precepts”, “commands”, “statutes”, “judgments”, “testimonies”, “His word”, “works”, “what Moses wrote”, “the way of truth” “covenant” “righteous decree” “God’s righteousness” “written code"? (all words are used interchangeably for the law)
Torah means “instructions”.
The verses supporting a "yes" and a "no" answer are as follows:
Yes
YHVH:
Deut 6:24 The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. 25 And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.”
Deut 8:20 Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.
Deut 13:4 It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.
Deut 30:1 When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations, 2 and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, 3 then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. 4 Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back.
Num 15:15 The community is to have the same rules for you and for the foreigner(gentile) residing among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the foreigner shall be the same before the Lord: 16 The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the foreigner(gentile) residing among you.’”
Psalm 119:142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.
150 They draw nigh that follow after mischief: they are far from thy law.
151 Thou art near, O Lord; and all thy commandments are truth.
152 Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them forever.
153 Consider mine affliction, and deliver me: for I do not forget thy law.
154 Plead my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy word.
155 Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statutes.
156 Great are thy tender mercies, O Lord: quicken me according to thy judgments.
157 Many are my persecutors and mine enemies; yet do I not decline from thy testimonies.
158 I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word.
159 Consider how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O Lord, according to thy lovingkindness.
160 Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth forever.
161 Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word.
162 I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.
163 I hate and abhor lying: but thy law do I love.
164 Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments.
165 Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.
166 Lord, I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy commandments.
167 My soul hath kept thy testimonies; and I love them exceedingly.
168 I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies: for all my ways are before thee.
169 Let my cry come near before thee, O Lord: give me understanding according to thy word.
170 Let my supplication come before thee: deliver me according to thy word.
171 My lips shall utter praise, when thou hast taught me thy statutes.
172 My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness.
173 Let thine hand help me; for I have chosen thy precepts.
174 I have longed for thy salvation, O Lord; and thy law is my delight.
175 Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; and let thy judgments help me.
176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.
Prov 28:9 He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.
Isa 2:3 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.
Isa 24:5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
******there are a great deal more verses where our Father commands us to obey His Torah, but you get the point, I hope.
Yehoshua:
Matt 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. 18 For truly I tell you, 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. 19 Therefore anyone who who breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly 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.
Matt 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 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 in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you worker of lawlessness!’
Matt 23:1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you.
(the law/Torah is read from Moses’ seat)
John 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commands.
John 14:21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
John 15:10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
John:
1John 2:3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
1John 3:4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
1John 3:9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.
(sin is lawlessness, “no one who is born of God will continue to break the law”)
1John 3:21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.
Rev 12:17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.
Rev 14:11There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.
Rev 15:5 After this I looked, and I saw in heaven the temple—that is, the tabernacle of the covenant law—and it was opened.
James:
James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
Js2:14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no works? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by works, is dead.
Peter:
2Peter 3:15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position.
2Pet 2:1But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has
not been sleeping. 4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; 6 if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless 8 for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard— 9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.
2Pet 2:21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,”and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”
Jude:
Jude 3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. 4 For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. 5 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. 7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
Jd 14 “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 16 These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage. 17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18 They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” 19 These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts (psychology) and do not have the Spirit.
Paul:
Acts 21:17 When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters received us warmly. 18 The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. 19 Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 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. 21 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. 22 What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, 23 so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. 24 Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law.
Acts 23:9 There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing wrong with this man,” they said.
Acts 24:5 “We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect 6 and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him.” 9 The other Jews joined in the accusation, asserting that these things were true.
10 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. 11 You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12 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. 13 And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me. 14 However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets
Acts 25:8 Then Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.” 9 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?” 10 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. 11 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!”
Acts 26:1 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense: 2 “King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews, 3 and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently. 4 “The Jewish people all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. 5 They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that I conformed to the strictest sect of our religion, living as a Pharisee. 6 And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our ancestors that I am on trial today. 7 This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. King Agrippa, it is because of this hope that these Jews are accusing me.
Acts 28:17 Three days later he called together the local Jewish leaders. 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.
Rom 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness
Rom 1:32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
Rom 2:7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.
Rom 2:13 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. 14 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. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.
Rom 2:17 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; 18 if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19 if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself?
Rom 2:26 So then, if those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? 27 The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker.
Rom 3:19 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. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
Rom 3:31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
Rom 5:14 …even over those who did not sin by breaking a command…
Rom 6:1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 God forbid!We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
Rom 6:14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? God forbid! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
Rom7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.
Rom 8:5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
Rom 10:1 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
Rom 10:5 Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.” 6 And the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” that is, to bring Christ down 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” that is, to bring Christ up from the dead. 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim.
Rom 15:18 I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done.
No (at least Paul seems to say so)
Rom 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
Rom 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Rom 4:14 For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, 15 because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression
Rom 5:20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more
Rom 7:4 So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.
Rom 8:3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.
Eph 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Phil 3:8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.
Col 2:13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.
Gal 2:16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. 17 “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! 18 If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker. 19 “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
Gal 3:1You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? 4 Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? 5 So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?
10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”[f] 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.” 13 Christ 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 pole.
21 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. 22 But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.23 Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
Gal 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. 2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace
Conclusion:
First of all, we need to pay close attention to the words of YHVH and His Messiah Yehoshua. In fact, we need to certainly pay more attention to them than to anyone ever. YHVH is a jealous God and He will not share His glory. He demands our total allegiance. We either serve Him or serve the laws and doctrines of men, but we do not do both.
Secondly, the testimony of Peter, James, John, Jude and most of Paul’s writings, all tell us we are to follow the law, the instructions or Torah of YHVH. The law is described over and over as not having the power to save us but nevertheless, we are commanded to be holy. The law is our instruction manual. It instructs us in the ways of our Father and gives us a picture of His holiness. Following the law makes us a vessel equipped for service. It is without dispute that the works of the law set us apart from all people on the face of the earth.
The fourth commandment to keep the Sabbath holy, is the sign of the God we worship. He commanded the seventh day and never changed it to the first day, the Roman Catholic church and Constantine made that change. Sabbath is everlasting. As you read in Isaiah, the Torah will be taught to us in eternity and those who keep the Sabbath are the ones brought to His holy mountain to live forever. Does it make sense that it is abolished for a little while but will be reinstated?
What we are going to have to come to terms with is a few of Paul’s statements. Either Paul is schizophrenic, double minded, just plain deceptive, a false teacher or Paul is none of those things and he is speaking oftentimes about a different law. We need to pay attention to the plot of the New Testament. The Pharisees and teachers of the law had added so many commands and subjected the people to those commands as if they are as weighty as Torah. Yehoshua broke those commands all the time, ie: washing hands, picking grain on Sabbath. When we follow the commands of men, just “who” are we actually following, man or YHVH? That is why it is so important to use all of scripture to declare our doctrine.
Deuteronomy 13 says that anyone who comes along and teaches anything other than what YHVH said, that person is to be stoned as a false teacher. And quite interestingly in the passage, YHVH tells us that this is a test to see who we will follow. Messiah must pass this test as does every other prophet and teacher that is speaking for the Most High. Yehoshua comes along in the first century and speaks “only what the Father gave” Him. He speaks the words of Torah. He confirms the Torah and tells us very clearly not to conclude that the Torah (law) is done away with, any part, even the smallest.
Many years later, we read letters from Paul where he is speaking out of both sides of his mouth. He is seemingly contradicting himself. He is certainly contradicting all of the others…..at least we think he is. So we have a problem. Remember, this is a test for us to see who we will follow. Paul had to pass this Deuteronomy 13 test. Astoundingly, he did. He defends his life and the charges against him that he is teaching against the law. He is not doing so and he is found innocent. If that does not send off warning signals in your brain, you need to read that statement again. He is not teaching anyone against Torah and he is found innocent of teaching anyone, Jew or gentile, against the law of YHVH.
So what is actually going on with Paul? Does he have mental issues? Or perhaps Paul is being misunderstood. The letter to the Colossians is a perfect example. The verses in Col 2 that seem to be speaking about the Torah, are actually not speaking about the Torah at all. These verses are bookended by the context that tells us what Paul declared was “nailed to the cross”. It was the laws of men.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.
22 These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings.
As well, to the Galations, Paul tells us in the opening chapter what he is addressing.
turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all.
contrasted by:
11 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
Paul is in a serious contention over circumcision. This letter follows a previous letter (we don't have a copy) that was a result of the Jerusalem council’s decision in Acts 15. We see in Acts 15 that circumcision is not the immediate requirement for a gentile coming into faith, but we cannot ignore vs 21. It says “for Moses is read in the synagogues every Sabbath”. What does this have to do with what the gentiles “turning to God” need to do? I think it is obvious but it is overlooked. There is an expectation that new converts will be learning Torah on Sabbath. Start with weightier matters that have to do with the temple of the Spirit of God (our bodies) and then learn the rest of Torah as we walk out our faith. If Paul was throwing out the law, would he have circumcised Timothy at the beginning of the journey to deliver a letter that supposedly does away with the law that includes circumcision? If you believe so, then you are dealing with a deceitful Paul and you should not listen to anything he says.
What the Galation church was facing now, was not just normal circumcision. They were dealing with REcircumcision of an adult male, cutting more of the flesh than previously cut. This is an oral man made law to recut an adult and draw blood, even evolving into drawing blood away orally by the Rabbi as done in many places today. The Pharisees and teachers of the law were demanding a blood covenant to the laws of man, which became what they call their Talmud. That is the “law” Paul is referencing in Galations and that is the law that Titus refused to submit to. It is “a different gospel and no gospel at all”. Paul is very angry that men are demanding other men to follow their laws and forcing a blood covenant of compliance. He says very plainly, “I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!”
This covenant is called "Brit Periah" (cutting more of the flesh) as opposed to "Brit Milah", which is biblical circumcision. You can research these terms and easily read Talmudic teaching.
The letters to the Romans, Philippians and Ephesians all must be understood by their context. We must read very carefully having already determined our loyalty to YHVH. Remember, He is testing us to see “who” we will follow. I believe if we will assign our loyalty to the Father, He will begin to show us how to reconcile some of Paul’s statements that have been twisted to mean what they do not mean. Peter tells us it is the “error of the lawless” who are twisting Paul’s words. Let that not be us!
The articles on this site are as a result of my journey the last few years to really study these contradictions and try to make some sense out of them. All scripture is to be used for our doctrine. We cannot use some and leave out the others that seem to say the opposite. We have to reconcile apparent differences because the Word is "God breathed". He did not make mistakes and He did not contradict Himself.