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Can faith alone save?Is faith alone in Yeshua Enough?
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Let me first start by stating that I do not meanto imply that faith is unimportant. On the contrary, faith is a necessary aspect of salvation. The faithfulness of Yeshua bearing the cross and his ressurection are the means by which we are justified and reconciled to our L*RD G*d. The question I wish to assert is this. Is This All There Is? Not by any means! Let us explore further.
Romans 3:20-24 Because by works of law no flesh will be justified before Him- for through law is full knowledge of sin. 21 But now a righteousness of G*d has been revealed apart from Law, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of G*d through the faith of Jesus Christ toward all and upon all those believing; for there is no difference, 23 for all sinned and come short of the glory of G*d, 24 being justified as a free gift by His grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus.
Many would look at this and believe that since we are saved by "grace through faith" as many like to quote that this is all we need to be saved. This isn't the whole picture though. Our redemption in Yeshua is our way of reconciliation to G*d from the cleansing of past sins, not future ones. Verse 25 shows us this whom G*d set forth as a propitiation through faith in His blood, for a showing forth of His righteousness through the passing by of the sins that had taken place before, in the forebearance of G*d
Also 2Peter 1:9 For the one in whom these things are not present is blind, being short-sighted, taking on forgetfulness of the cleansing of his sins in time past. As you can see we are indeed justified by "grace through faith", but it is not a cheap grace and we can still fall from it. Faith and acceptance of Yeshua is merely the first step. Peter in his second epistle warns us to be diligent to make sure of our calling and election, so we don't fall and lose our eternal reward. This is not to say that there is no forgiveness of sins after we accept Yeshua. If we truly repent and ask forgiveness, we will be forgiven. However ther is no forgiveness for high-handed sin. If we sin against another, we are told that we should make things right with that person. It is our responsibility then to ask forgiveness not only of G*d, but also where possible of others we sin against.
So, what is sin? Sin is described as missing the target, a term from archery. This analogy is refering to the transgressing of the L*RD's commands. So how is it that some say that the crucifixion and ressurection of messiah has done away with the law (G*ds commands)? Through a misunderstanding of Paul. Read his letters and epistles closely and you will notice that when he talks of not following the law he is not refering to G*ds law but rather legalism. Legalism is a system of man made impositions unto G*d's Torah. Rather like rabbinical Judaism. Even the Pharisees of Yeshua's day were guilty of legalism. Paul is saying that Legalism does not save. However once we are saved, continue in your faith and be observant of G*ds laws (Torah) in their true spirit and do not sin. Our faith justifies us, and following G*d's commands or laws justifies our faith. This is at the heart of the message that James is putting forth.
Let us take a quick look at the words of Yeshua himself in regards to Torah. Matthew 5:17-19 Do not think that I came to annul the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to annul but to fulfill. Truly I say to you, Until the heavens and the earth pass away, in no way shall one iota or one tittle pass away from the Law until all comes to pass. Whoever then shall break one of these commandments the least, and shall teach men so, he shall be called least in the kingdom of Heaven. But whoever does and teaches them, this one shall be called great in the kingdom of the Heavens. As we can see here Torah is still valid and necessary, "until the heavens and the earth pass away". Some may still have a problem with this verse when looking at the fact that Yeshua came to "fulfill the Law and the Prophets". They take the word fulfill to mean do away with. The word fulfill though in no way implies to do away with, but rather means to fill up or to make whole.
Much of Yeshua's ministry on earth was devoted to showing us the proper way of following Torah. Yeshua himself was Torah observant. He was after all perfect and a wholly acceptable sacrifice. So let us open our ears and eyes and especially our hearts, and come to see that ther is no contradiction between James and Pauls Messages, and they both follow the way of Yeshua who follwed the ways of G*d. Always remember that nothing in the writings of the time of Messiah and after can contradict those in the Law and Prophets (more well known as the old testament). The first law of Hermeneutics says that scripture cannot contradict itself. G*d says in the Torah that his Laws and covenants are everlasting! Also Malachi 3:6 I Am YHVH, I change not! How then can any claim that the commands of HaShem are dead? This would be to contradict the very word of G*d himself.
Still some say that the Law/Torah was nailed to the cross. Was it? Col 2:14 is often the verse sited for this argument. v14 Having blotted out the handwriting in the ordinances against us, which were contrary to us, even He has taken it out of the midst, nailing it to the cross. First the word ordinances in this verse is not law/neumos, but rather dogma, which is man's interpretation of how to obey the law; in otherwords the ordinances here is the judgment against us. We can see then that it not the Torah/Law that has been nailed to the cross, but rather the record of our infractions, the judgments against us, which were nailed to the execution stake. Just as when Yeshua was executed the Roman government nailed a list of His "crimes" to His execution stake! So faith acceptance of Yeshua as our Messiah saves us from the penalty of our past sins and wipes out all record of that sin (because it was nailed to the cross!!!), and following G*d's laws (not in a legalistic manner) keeps us from losing that salvation. "For many are called but few chosen."
Let us look at this quickly in a logical manner. 1John 3:4 defines sin as as transgression of the Law. This is how Torah also defines sin. the L*RD has sent Yeshua to bare the iniquity (punishment for sin) of our past sins, which shows us that he cares about how we live our lives. If the Torah is done away with, then there is no such thing as sin, as we can see from the very definition of sin in 1John 3:5. If there is no such thing as sin, then YHVH would not care how we live our lives and the death of our Messiah is for nothing! Food for thought
Baruch HaShem!In Yeshua's name!
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Should we worship on the Sabbath or on Sunday? part 1of 2
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Should we worship on the Sabbath or on the so called “L*RD’s Day”? Part 1of 2
To answer this question we need to take a look at both scripture and church history.
Some texts used as “proof” of abrogation of the Sabbath commandment are as follows:
Colossians 2:16-17 “Then do not let anyone judge you in eating or in drinking, or in respect of a feast, or the new moon or the Sabbaths, which are a shadow of coming things…”
Is this talking of doing away with the Sabbath or something else? Let us look a little further back to get the context of this verse. Col. 2:8-17 “Watch, that there not be one robbing you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Messiah. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the G*dhead bodily; and having been filled, you are in Him, who is the Head of all rule and authority, in whom also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made by hand, in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Messiah; being buried with Him in baptism, in whom also you were raised through the faith of the working of G*d, raising Him from the dead. And you, being dead in the offenses and the un-circumcision of your flesh, He made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all the offenses; blotting out the handwriting in the ordinances against us, which were contrary to us, even He has taken it out of the midst, nailing it to the cross; having stripped the rulers and the authorities, he made a show of them in public, triumphing over them in it. Then do not let anyone judge you in eating…”
For one thing, some use this verse to say that the Torah has been done away with and nailed to the cross, but as we just saw, it is not Torah but our infractions that has been nailed to the cross. This is our debt that has been erased and payed for in blood. Also let us note earlier in this text when Rav. Shaul speaks in verse 8, he is warning us to watch that we not be robbed through the traditions of men. This is the context of the cited verses, not to be judged by others based on meaningless traditions and dogma. It has nothing to do with annulling the commandment to keep the Sabbath.
Another verse often cited in favor of Sunday worship is Mark 2:27 “And He said to them, the Sabbath came into being for man’s sake, not man for the Sabbaths sake”. Let us take a look in context from verse 23 through chapter 3:5. “And it happened He went along through the grainfields in the Sabbath. And His disciples began to make way, plucking the heads of grain. And the Pharisees said to Him, Behold, why do they do that which is not lawful on the Sabbath? And He said to them, Did you never read what David did when he had need and hungered, he and those with him, how he entered the house of G*d in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the Showbread, which it is not lawful to eat, except for the priests, and he even gave to those being with him? And he said to them, The Sabbath came into being for man’s sake, not man for the Sabbaths sake. So then the Son of Man is L*rd of the Sabbath also. And again he entered into the synagogue. And there was a man who had a withering of the hand. And they watched Him, whether He will heal him on the Sabbath, that they might accuse Him. And He said to the man who had a withering of the hand, Rise up into the middle. And He said to them, Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil? To save a soul or to kill? But they were silent. And having looked around on them with anger, being greatly grieved over the hardness of their heart, He said to the man, Stretch out your hand! And he stretched out, and his hand was restored sound as the other.”
Again we can see that the cited text when taken in context has not to do with the annulment of the Sabbath but rather matters of tradition and halacha verses Torah.
Still there are other verses cited in favor of a Sunday worship, such as the resurrection of Messiah taking place on a Sunday Matt 28:1, His continued appearance on Sunday John 20:26, and the baptism of the Ruach upon the disciples on a Sunday Acts 2:1. Interesting to note here is that these afore mentioned incedents likely didnt happen on a Sunday to begin with but that is a topic for anoother lesson. So for the sake of argument we are going to assume that they indeed take place on Sunday. There is also the vision of John on a Sunday in Rev 1:10, and the mention of the disciples being gathered to break bread on the first of the week Acts 20:7, and Shaul’s mention of a tithe on Sundays to the churches of Galatia and Corinth 1Cor 16:2.
We must ask ourselves however, are these few instances compared to the abundant instances of continuing Sabbath worship in scripture, significant to the point that we must disobey G*d’s eternal command to remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy?
Let us take an honest look at these citations from a historical perspective. In Acts 2:1 when the disciples were immersed in the Holy Spirit on a Sunday, this was not because there was anything significant about Sunday in particular, but rather because on this particular day it was the festival of Shavout. This festival takes place fifty days from Passover, and is the day when Torah was given to Israel at Mount Sinai. So significantly speaking the crucifixion of Messiah on Passover and the Immersion of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples on Shavout parallel these festivals and give us a new outlook on these festivals. So then when we celebrate them, they have new meaning for us and we have a deeper understanding of them. Church tradition however changed these festivals into Easter and Pentecost which always fall on a Sunday contrary to G*d’s word for us. More on this in my next segment; let me continue.
What then of Acts20v7 where Shaul is speaking to those gathered on the first of the week? If we read in context, we can see that this is the midst of his Journeys and he spoke often, and not just on the first of the week. This is merely a reference to give those to whom this was written an account of the author’s validity. In using the word “us”, the author shows his readers that he was present at these events.
Now then for one of the big ones I have heard in the churches constantly, as the main reason for worshipping on Sunday or what is often called as the L*rd’s day; the resurrection of the Messiah on a Sunday, as shown in Matt 28v1. First we must recognize that though the event itself is indeed very significant, there is no valid reason to change G*d’s commands, for they are eternal, and also because Messiah himself had said not to. Let me read. Matthew 5:17-19, “Do not think that I came to annul the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to annul but to fulfill. Truly I say to you, Until the heavens and the earth pass away, in no way shall one iota or tittle pass away from the Law until all comes to pass. Whoever then shall break one of these commandments the least, and shall teach men so, he shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever does and teaches them, this one shall be called great in the Kingdom of the Heavens.”
There are a few things to note here. Firstly, whoever breaks one of these commandments the least… interesting to note is that the least commandment in Jewish Tradition is to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy *1*. So breaking this command, according to Messiah, is grounds for being called least in the Kingdom of Heaven. Secondly, some would then say that the Law was fulfilled and is therefore nullified. Well first let us take a look at the word fulfilled. In the Greek this is Strong’s #4137, pleroo. This word means to fill up or make whole. How then does this mean to do away with? Well, it doesn’t. Thirdly, and just as important, is Messiahs statement, “Until the heavens and the earth pass away, in no way shall one iota or tittle pass from the Law until all comes to pass.” Have the heavens and the earth passed away? We are still here, and so are the earth and the heavens. If then, Messiah himself has told us to continue to observe the commands of our L*RD, including that of the Sabbath, who are we to say otherwise?
One other thing to consider, and this is important, if Yeshua is indeed Messiah, which he is, then by necessity he could not teach anyone to break the commands of YHVH, for if he did then according to scripture he would be a false prophet and not of the L*RD. We need to understand that Yeshua was a Jewish Messiah, foretold by the Hebrew Prophets, who lived and worshiped as a Jew. He followed with complete perfection, and taught us how, the commandments of YHVH, the Torah, as G*d intended. Scripture can often be used improperly and misunderstood if we do not take it in its historical and written context. Because of Yeshua, we should then realize that we have a new hope and are reconciled to the creator through Messiah, and we can now follow his commands freely and with a proper spirit. This is the freedom we are given, not freedom from Torah, for this is bondage, but freedom from man’s tradition and burden placed upon the Torah. For according to 1 John 3:4 “everyone practicing sin transgresses the Law, for sin is the transgression of the Law”.
In my next segment I shall continue with more scripture, but we will also take a look at how the church and its leaders changed the face of history.
Till then, Shalom v’Brachas!
Peace and blessings!
Amein
*1* This si one opinion in Jewish Antiquity and tradition. However there are variant opinions, one of which is given by R. Joshua of antiquity, which is that the least of comandments is that found in Deut 22:6.
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Should we worship on the Sabbath or Sunday part 2
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Should we worship on the Sabbath or the so called “L*RD’s Day” part 2 of 2
In the last segment I established scriptural authority for Sabbath worship and not Sunday. In this segment I will show some more scriptural evidence to support the truth that we are to continue observing the fourth commandment, remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. The majority of this segment however is going to focus on the history of the church and show how human authority took precedence over G*d and His word.
First however I would like to start with a quote from the Dictionary of New Testament Theology. “…We may conclude then, that although Yeshua broke through the rabbinic tradition about the Sabbath, there was no annulling of the observance of the day.”
Now then as far as church history, let us start with some background. Before the destruction of the second temple in 70 C.E. the followers of Yeshua continued to worship in the Temple. We can see in the book of Hebrews that Shaul is addressing the issue of the priesthood, now that the temple has been destroyed. Yeshua replaced the priesthood and is our high priest, and all the seven festivals commanded by HaShem in the Torah are all about Him. I will address this at another time. A quick note here though, antinomians often use the book of Hebrews as reason to say that the Torah has been replaced by Yeshua, but it is the priesthood and not the Torah that has been replaced. This letter was written to Torah observant Hebrews, who wouldn’t give a second thought to worshipping on any day but the Sabbath.
We can see in scripture that the disciples and early followers of Yeshua kept the Sabbath, and on the Seventh day Saturday. Some few of many examples of Sabbath worship in the synagogues among the followers of Yeshua are as follows: Acts 13:14; 15:21, Mark 1:21, Luke 4:16; 13:10, and Acts 18:4 to name a few.
So what happened? After the destruction of the temple many changes started occurring and not for reasons of scripture. Remember that the main sources of scripture, (with the exception of a few of the letters starting circulation among the Messianic community) was the TaNaKh (old testament)- which of course was not called the old- testament at that time. It is from these Holy Scriptures, and many of the traditions (which were not in conflict with Torah), that the early community of believers had learned the ways of G*d. The disciples and their letters had eventually started circulating among the old and new community of believers, many of whom had been practicing Jews or converts to Judaism. None of their words, which we have recorded in the New Testament, are in conflict with the Torah. However the times were changing because of the Roman Empire and the dispersion of the Jews after the destruction of the temple. It is here that history began yet another major shift.
Many of the new believers came from gentile and pagan backgrounds and eventually pagan customs became incorporated into the faith. Over the course of just a couple hundred years, while there were still many who followed the original faith as taught by Yeshua and the disciples, the majority had changed. What had come to be called Christianity was also very popular despite political decrees against it. Emperor Constantine had found his way to unite Rome under one banner, and had made Christianity the state religion of Rome.
Here is where things get really interesting. Constantine…
In 325 C.E on the 19th of June the convocation of the first council of Nicea took place. At the head was Emperor Constantine the 1st. This council took place mainly to settle the “question of the celebration of the Christian Passover now called easter.” This particular subject is a topic for another lesson. However in this council it was also determined that the Sabbath would be changed to Sunday. Constantine himself stated, as recorded in Eusebius’ Life of Constantine book III “ Let us then have nothing in common with the detestable Jewish crowd; for we have received from our savior a different way.” Well I don’t know who his savior was but according to history it wasn’t Yeshua of Nazareth. Constantine didn’t really become a Christian until he was on his death- bed.
Another interesting tidbit regarding Constantine is his pagan background. In his vision of a united Rome where he had supposedly seen Jesus, he also saw a cross with the sun directly behind it. Now the Sunday day of worship in Roman pagan religion was in honor of the sun, and Constantine had come from a long line of sun worshippers. In fact the name Sunday, is the English derivation of the day honoring the Norse sun goddess Sunne (also called Sunna and Sol), and in old English Sigel. Sol is the Roman equivalent to the Greek sun god Helios. This is where the practice had originated. Worship of the sun was commonplace in the Roman Empire, and the church followed suit.
Later in history we can see the trend of Human authority replacing scripture in order to avoid keeping the fourth commandment- the Sabbath. The Archbishop of Reggio at the council of Trent in 1562 declared that tradition stood above scripture! “The authority of the church could therefore not be bound to the authority of scripture, because the church had changed… the sabbath into Sunday, not by the command of Christ, but by it’s own authority.”
Folks, do we really want to continue in these traditions that do not please the L*RD or, shall we do what scripture tells us and what is pleasing to the L*RD. He has given His life for our sake that we may be reconciled to HaShem. So if we love Him, let us obey His commands…John 14:15. This includes the keeping of the Sabbath, which scripture shows us is the seventh day and not the first.
Amein (G*d the King is Faithful to do what he said).
aditional notes
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Is there room for a "Trinity" in Judaism?
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Is there room for a "Trinity" in Judaism? |
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First I would like to qualify the term "trinity"; compound unity is more accurate, but for familiarity I have chosen to use the common term known to most Christians. |
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Judaism and Christianity for the most part hold the same beliefs about G*d. Where they differ is in the concept of the “Trinity” (compound unity is better). Judaism does not accept this concept as does Christianity. In the words of Rabbi Michael Lotker in his book A Christians Guide to Judaism, "The G*d Jews worship is the same G*d Christians Worship (and for that matter the same G*d Muslims worship)...Jews do not accept the Christian concept of the Trinity, however." This rejection of the Trinity comes mostly from the Shema, a prayer central to Judaism. Shema Yisrael, Adonai Elohim, Adonai echad. Hear, Israel: The L*RD is our G*d, the L*RD is one. Deuteronomy 6:4. Let us take a look at this word for "one". "Echad" Strongs #259 Echad stresses unity/oneness but recognizes diversity within that oneness. Judaism recognizes the spirit of G*d, The Holy Spirit, as evidenced by the first chapter of Genesis: The spirit of G*d was over the face of the deep. This is the second part of the unified one. So, who is the other that G*d is speaking to when creating mankind?: Let Us make man in OUR image. This is just the beginning.
Let me address this issue another way. In the 110 Psalm verse 1, David writes (from the Masoretic Text) A statement of the L*RD(YHVH) to my L*RD(Adonai): sit at my right hand, until I place Your enemies as Your footstool. This comes from the original Hebrew. Notice how YHVH and Adonai are speaking to each other, and YHVH and Adonai are both names for G*d. Let us now take a look at the Messianic Scriptures, in the Gospel of Matthew Ch 22 v41, where Yeshua addresses this very passage. "While the Pharisees were gathered together. Jesus asked them, saying, what think ye of Messiah? Whose son is he? They say unto him, the son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him L*rd(adonai), saying 'The L*rd(YHVH) said unto my L*rd(Adonai), sit thou at my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?'" (KJV) We see here two names for G*d addressing two different persons, yet G*d is one. Echad, a compound unity of one. Remember we are talking of ONE G*d with three aspects, NOT three gods in one.
Let us take a look at yet another verse from the Brit Chadasha. Matt 28:19 ...immerse them in the NAME of the Father, the Son, and the Ruach HaKodesh. Take note that the word here for name is in the singular, showing us that these three are actually one/echad. This also means that to baptize in the name of Yeshua is the same as baptizing in the name of the son, is the same as baptizing in the name of G*d, or as baptizing in the name of the Spirit. Also Col 2:9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the G*dhead bodily. This is the word/G*d becoming (dwelling in) flesh as described in the first chapter of John. It is not Yeshua's person that is G*d, but His SPIRIT! Spirit is not natural but supernatural and so spirit and person cannot be the same, and so the idea of three persons in one is nonsense as any traditional Jew would maintain. But as shown, herein lays the misunderstanding on the part of both parties. A good example of this is Yeshua's dissertation to Nicodemus in John 3:13. "And no one has gone up into Heaven, except Him having come down out of Heaven, The Son of Man who is in Heaven." What!!? The Son of Man (Yeshua) who at that moment is on earth talking to Nicodemus, WHILE HE IS IN HEAVEN. This is not a mistake! Pick up a bible and read it for yourself. While Yeshua's body is on earth having a chat, His spirit is in Heaven. Because His SPIRIT is Born of G*d! His spirit is G*d, and has dwelt in (become) flesh.
Let us look at a couple of analogies to get another picture of this concept. The first I had read on a post from one of my fellow talmidim at yeshiva. If you were to take two potatoes, and cut them up and blend them together to make mashed potatoes (Or latkes for that matter YUM) then you would no longer be able to tell the two potatoes apart one from the other. They become one potato. How about marriage then? When two people become married, according to scripture, they become one flesh; ECHAD/unified. Gen 2:24 "Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become ONE flesh". First I would like to point out that this word here used for one in the Hebrew is ECHAD. Judaism recognizes this to be true. This posits the question: if two different people can become united as one/echad flesh, then why can Messiah not be united as one with G*d? Again ONE G*D in three aspects/characteristics. Chasidus explains that when a person is born here on earth, the other half of their soul is somewhere (in someone else) waiting to be found so that we can become a whole person. Therefore I would like to posit that as shown from both the original Hebrew scriptures and from the Messianic Scriptures(the New Testament), that there is indeed room in Judaism for a 'TRINITY" but not necessarily as understood by traditional Christianity.
In truth there are many attributes of G*d. In Exodus 34 there are at least 13 of them listed. Even Kaballah (which I do not recommend for study, unless you have both a solid and well grounded background in both Torah and Messiah. I am merely making point for illustration) shows under three main CHARACTERISTICS/Aspects/Names of G*D ten attributes of His nature. Of course those three Aspects are: Av- father, Ain- Mother (spirit), and Ben- son. This is where Christianity has used the concept of the three mentioned in scripture to prove a three person trinity. However this is incorrect and as I have said before, spirit is not person, because it is spirit and G*d is spirit and the Holy Spirit is G*d, just as G*d is the Holy Spirit, and the same spirit is Yeshua's Spirit, but not His person. It is ONE/ECHAD spirit in three aspects. Yeshua (his spirit) is just another aspect of G*D; Ben- son.
Hopefully this helps to reconcile some misunderstandings, for this not an easy concept. It is however grounded in scripture and in truth.
May HaShem Bless you! | |
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Should we celebrate Easter or Passover?
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Easter or Passover?
"The early development of the celebration of Easter and the attendant calendar disputes were largely a result of Christianity's attempt to emancipate itself from Judaism. Sunday had already replaced the Jewish Sabbath early in the second century, and despite efforts in Asia Minor to maintain the Jewish Passover date of 14 Nisan for Easter (hence the name Quartodecimans), the Council of Nicea adopted the annual Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox (March 21)" R.K. Bishop, Elwell's Evangelical Dictionary of Theology.
"The earliest Christians celebrated the Lord's Passover at the same time as the Jews, during the night of the first full moon of the first month of spring (Nisan 14-15). By the middle of the 2nd century, most churches had transferred this celebration to the Sunday after the Jewish feast. But certain churches of Asia Minor clung to the older custom, for which they were denounced as 'judaizing' (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, Book V, chapters 23-25). The first ecumenical Council of Nicea in 325 decreed that all churches should observe the feast together on a Sunday" Encyclopedia Britannica
Before 70 C.E., followers of Yeshua were "regarded by the Roman government and by the people at large as a branch of the Jewish religion" (Jesse Lyman Hurlbut, The Story of the Christian Church, 1954, p. 34). Christians, as the followers of Yeshua would later become called, and mainstream Judaism shared the biblical feast days, although Christians observed them with added meanings introduced by Yeshua and his talmidim. However, later, two revolts against the Roman Empire and its oppression, in 64-70 and 132-135, led to the persecution of Jews and suppression of Jewish religious practices. Jews were even driven from Jerusalem and forbidden to return under the threat of death. As the turmoil increased, some followers of Yeshua (mainly the gentile brothers, as well as those Jews who feared for their lives) began to abandon their beliefs and practices, which they felt were perceived as too Jewish. Over time many abandoned the commanded Sabbath day of rest and worship in favor of worship on Sunday, and eventually they even abandoned the Passover in favor of Easter to distance themselves from Jews.
Once again, we can see how history has taken a turn for the worst. Man’s traditions and doctrines have replaced scripture and truth. What’s worse is how Easter is not truly a holiday that should be followed by the faithful given its origins. Yet, such people as Constantine as well as others throughout the history of the church have managed to pervert the nature of truth and bring into view the ways of their pagan ancestors. History shows us that Constantine (who headed the council of Nicea, and made Christianity the state religion of Rome) not only was not a believer until he was on his deathbed, but was also avidly anti-Semitic. I have news folks, Messiah was Jewish! Not only was He Jewish, but also He lived His life as such, He taught as a Jew, and His coming was foretold in Jewish scripture, by Jewish prophets!
So, let us then take a more intimate look at the festival of Passover and at “Easter”. To begin with the majority of translations of the New Testament do not include the word “easter” among them. Most use the word Passover. Those that do however are translated from the Greek word pasha, which means Passover. So we can see that not only are these few translations, miss-translated into English, but that scripture shows that none of the early followers of Yeshua celebrated Easter in place of Passover. In fact the early followers celebrated the Passover with new meaning, since the crucifixion and resurrection of Messiah is a picture of the Passover. Yeshua is the Passover lamb. I will produce a lesson on this sometime before the Passover this year.
So what exactly is Easter? Well first off the appropriate question is WHO is Easter? Almost any dictionary will point out that Easter is Eastre the goddess of spring. Also known as Astarte, Ashtaroth, Eostre, Ishtar, etc., her festival is a spring festival of fertility rites, hence your fertile and rapidly multiplying easter bunnies. The eggs are symbolic of her consort who is reborn every year from a beautifully decorated egg. Each year the priests of Ashtaroth would take a virgin upon her alter and copulate so as to honor her.
What you may find even more interesting is that throughout the TaNaKh, we can see that Israel was put into captivity and driven from the land for worship of idols, such as Easter, and their repentance brings them back into the land and under HaShem’s protection. I bring this up because symbolically speaking “the sign” of the beast, is the observance of Easter (there will also be a literal “mark”), and the seal of the almighty is the keeping of Passover as evidenced by the commandment to don Tefillin “and it (Passover) shall be a sign for you upon your hand and as a memorial between you eyes” Exodus 13:9. Interestingly enough is when the tefillin are tied, the knots make the Hebrew letters Aleph and Shin, which stands for El Shaddai, one of the many names for G*d. For more on this symbology see Rabbi Davis’ weekly parsha commentary on Parashat Bo http://www.rabdavis.org/Bo.htm .
Let us then follow the example of Yeshua and his Talmidim, and keep the Passover and reject the goddess of spring Easter, and put away worshipping idols.
Shalom v’Brachas!
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Reconciliation of Law and Grace
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Reconciliation of Law and Grace
Today I would like to talk about the various nuances found in scripture and see if we can reconcile the concepts of Law and Grace.
I have heard many in the churches preach and teach “Grace Only” and the “Torah is done away with” etc. On the other hand I have seen many in the Jewish community trying to earn salvation by keeping the Torah, and often, by the oral traditions. Then there are those in the churches who do the same thing and try to “earn” salvation. And in the Jewish community there are those who think the Torah is obsolete and is just a guide to used as commentary, such as the reform movement. It is these mentalities that get us into hot water quite often.
Too often we see in the churches, the grace only mentality being taught. They feel that the Torah has been done away with, and so they pick and choose what they will or won’t follow when it suits them. Because of this many people are falling away from the standard given us by HaShem, who desires nothing more than for us to seek Him and have a relationship. This has also become a bad witness. One example I saw a couple of years a go was on a website that promoted homosexuality in the Christian community. The excuse while somewhat lame for allowing this, nonetheless pointed to a deeper problem. The best one I heard was of those Christians who claim that the Torah has been done away with, yet they use verses from Leviticus to prove homosexuality was wrong, so therefore their arguments against homosexuality in Christianity are moot. While this is a weak argument at best, we can see how the grace only mentality while still picking and choosing, is indeed a very bad witness.
Moral relativism and double standards often run rampant among the churches. Many, having thrown out G*d’s standard for our lives, the Torah, have filled the void left behind with dogma. For example: don’t drink alcohol, don’t wear your skirt above the knees, don’t drink caffeine, etc... We all need some sort of standard to live our lives by, so why not just make it simple and use HaShem’s given us in the Torah? Yeshua accused the Pharisees of doing this same thing...“You hypocrites, teaching for commands the doctrines of men.” OOPS...!
Don’t get me wrong. I am not writing these things in judgment, but rather as an example of how ignorance can be a bad witness. We need to rid ourselves of ignorance and trust in HaShem and His word (ALL of His word), and let the Spirit guide us.
What then about earning salvation? Paul teaches that by grace through faith we are saved and that not of ourselves lest any man should boast. In truth I can’t argue with this because it is true. Nothing we do can save us. It is the grace of G*d alone by which we are saved, and our faith in the sacrifice of Yeshua as a redeeming act that justifies us (renders us innocent) before G*d, thereby reconciling us to Him. Yet the apostle James tells us that it is not enough to believe. Even the demons believe and they shudder. Faith apart from works is dead. If this seems contrary, you are not alone! Many feel this way. I tell you the truth however that it is not contrary, and if you’ll bare with me these things will be reconciled!
Romans 3:20-28 says “Because by works of Law, no flesh will be justified before Him – for through law is full knowledge of sin. But now a righteousness of G*d has been revealed apart from law, being witnessed by the law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of G*d through faith of Jesus Christ toward all and upon all those believing; for there is no difference, for all sinned and come short of the glory of G*d, being justified as a free gift by His grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus; whom G*d set forth a propitiation through faith in His blood, for a showing forth of His righteousness through the passing by of the sins that had taken place before, in the forbearance of G*d; for the showing forth of His righteousness in the present time, for His being just and justifying him that is of the faith of Jesus. Where then is the boasting? It was excluded. Through what law? Of works? No, but through a law of faith. Then we conclude a man to be justified without works of law.”
Compare this now to the Complete Jewish Bible and perhaps we can get a better understanding.
20 For in his sight no one alive will be considered righteous on the ground of legalistic observance of Torah commands, because what Torah really does is show people how sinful they are. 21 But now, quite apart from Torah, God's way of making people righteous in his sight has been made clear - although the Torah and the Prophets give their witness to it as well - 22 and it is a righteousness that comes from God, through the faithfulness of Yeshua the Messiah, to all who continue trusting. For it makes no difference whether one is a Jew or a Gentile, 23 since all have sinned and come short of earning God's praise. 24 By God's grace, without earning it, all are granted the status of being considered righteous before him, through the act redeeming us from our enslavement to sin that was accomplished by the Messiah Yeshua. 25 God put Yeshua forward as the kapparah for sin through his faithfulness in respect to his bloody sacrificial death. This vindicated God's righteousness; because, in his forbearance, he had passed over [with neither punishment nor remission] the sins people had committed in the past; 26 and it vindicates his righteousness in the present age by showing that he is righteous himself and is also the one who makes people righteous on the ground of Yeshua's faithfulness. 27 So what room is left for boasting? None at all! What kind of Torah excludes it? One that has to do with legalistic observance of rules? No, rather, a Torah that has to do with trusting. 28 Therefore, we hold the view that a person comes to be considered righteous by God on the ground of trusting, which has nothing to do with legalistic observance of Torah commands.
Now if we read on we can see that Torah is not done away with either! V31. Do we then make Law of no effect through faith? Let it not be! But we establish it.
One more thing to point out here is notice the use of the words faith and trust in each version. Folks these words are synonymous when it comes to our trust/faith in the Father. What Paul is saying here is that no man can earn his own salvation so that he can’t boast, but that our salvation is given by His grace alone! There is no arguing this because it is the truth. What then becomes of the Torah? Nothing! It is eternal and Holy! It is still wholly valid for us today!
How is this possible you ask? We indeed will get to that. Keep reading...
James tells us in chapter 2 of his letter in verses 14-20 “My brothers, what is the gain if anyone says he has faith, but he does not have works? Is faith able to save him...so also faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself. But someone will say, You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that G*d is one. You do well; even the demons believe and shudder. But are you willing to know, O vain man, that faith apart from works is dead?”
Do not fret, for there is more, and soon we see how they both, James and Paul are correct and not even contrary to one another.
Let us take a further look at these two books for following the verses mentioned in each is an example given of Abraham; these also seem contrary but in truth compliment one another.
Romans 4:1-3 “What then shall we say our father Abraham to have found according to flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works he has a boast- but not with G*d. For what does the scripture say? ‘And Abraham believed G*d, and it was counted to Him for righteousness.’”
Now for James 2:21-24 “Was not our father Abraham justified by works, offering up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith worked with his works, and by the works the faith was made complete. And the scripture was fulfilled, saying, ‘And Abraham believed G*d, and it was counted for righteousness to him;’ and he was called, ‘friend of G*d’. You see then, that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.”
...And here we have it. In simple terms, we are saved by the grace of G*d alone, through faith, so that we are not able to boast. The Blood of Messiah has atoned for our past sins, and thereby we are purchased by G*d and reconciled to Him. Out of love we obey and are therefore counted as righteous, and our faith is justified as we are justified by our faith. Yeshua said in John 14:15 “if you love me, keep my commandments.” His word is everlasting, as Yeshua said Himself. We are then to keep his commandments if we truly love Him. Grace saves us and through faith are we justified; following HaShem’s eternal commands, justifies our faith. Let us bear out our obedience through love, and not a legalistic mindset for the law does not save, but teaches us what sin is, so that we do not. We are new creatures in Messiah. 1 John 3:4 says “those practicing sin, practice trespassing of the Torah, for sin is the trespassing of the Torah.” Being newly reborn in Messiah we are to put these old practices aside and become children of the most high G*d.
Amein!
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Where do we go from Here?
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Where do we go from Here?
A wise man once said that when we think we know everything and that we can be taught nothing, then this is when we truly stop learning.
The day that you stop learning is the day that you start decreasing your rewards and start suffering from frustration and lower levels of satisfaction.
--Brian Tracy
It is only when we forget all our learning that we begin to know.
--Henry David Thoreau
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival.
--W. Edwards Deming
Study in earnest to show yourself approved unto G*d, a workman who needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.
-- 2 Timothy 2:15
Just when we think we know all there is to know it is often found that we are either operating in pride or are simply lacking the desire to know more. If we simply take time out of daily lives to meditate on the scriptures HaShem has placed on the earth for us to know Him, then we find that not only do not know everything, but our relationship with HaShem will benefit. When we have the desire to learn, then we can absorb His teachings and start to do wonderful works for the kingdom.
I tell you truly the gospel we are to bring forth is that the kingdom has arrived. Is this not promised in the Holy Scriptures? Messiah came and taught us about and left us to inherit the kingdom of HaShem. We are co heirs and rulers. John 14 testifies to this. When Yeshua came He testified to this, as does the TaNaKh. When Yeshua came He brought the kingdom with Him, and His kingdom is not of this world. We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against the powers and principalities, of the darkness of this age, against the spirits of evil in the heavenlies… Eph. 6 This is part of the kingdom in which we operate. G*d’s kingdom, the kingdom of Heaven, which contains all the spirits of good and evil, created by G*d to serve His purposes. When we serve His purposes while operating in the spirit, then we are in the Father and He is in us, just like the first born among brethren, Yeshua HaMashiach.
I ask then how are we ever to achieve this state and receive the promises of HaShem if we refuse to learn? When we confess Messiah Yeshua and believe unto righteousness we are then given the ability to become children of the Most High, the unique one among gods, YHVH. Psalm 82:6 I have said You are gods, and all of you sons of the Most High… So then should we consider it blasphemy or heresy to be called Son of G*d and heir to His kingdom? “Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If He called those gods with whom the word of G*d was – and the Scripture cannot be broken- do you say of whom the father sanctified and sent into the world, You blaspheme, because I said, I am Son of G*d?” John 10:34-36… For as many as received Him, to them He gave authority to become sons of G*d, to the believing into His name; who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but were born of G*d. John 1:12-13
Romans chapter 8 especially verses 10-17 is very clear on this point. If, then we have the authority to become sons of G*d, what next? We have to act like sons of G*d. John 14:15-21 If you love Me, keep My commandments…In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you. He that has My commandments and keeps them, it is that one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me shall be loved by my Father, and I shall love him, and reveal Myself to him. So we can see that if we confess Yeshua we are authority to become children of HaShem; and if we believe unto righteousness (put HaShem’s commands into practice and do His works) then we are children of the Most High and we have power and authority to work in His Kingdom (which is not of this world, and yet affects it).
We will get to this next time as well as what it means to ask something in His Name.
Good Shabbas.
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