by Rod Thomas | Jul 18, 2014 | Podcasts
I bet you’ve heard this before: I swear to God I did or didn’t… How about: I solemnly swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth…so help me God. Hilary tells me of this one from her youth: truth that God loves? (simply saying, are you telling the God’s honest truth?) Keeping one’s word and being perceived and seen as an honest and truthful person has been a virtue that mankind has valued throughout every age; yet for the most part, a truthful and honest character has been a rare commodity since the Garden of Eden. Everyday people throughout the world are required or coaxed in to making statements that are interpreted and taken as vows or promises, of which the individual making the vow is expected to keep or make good his or her promise. When an individual fulfills or makes true his/her promises, they typically earn the respect of others. When an individual fails to fulfill their promises or vows, they typically lose the respect of others and they must then work extra hard to regain that lost trust. Yet, in most cases, lying, not fulfilling a vow, misspeaking, neglecting to make good on one’s promises; all have little to no associated consequences in our modern society. As disappointing as it may be to most, our society has gotten use to people not keeping their word or worse, making frivilous promises and vows that they have no intention of ever keeping. There is more to this whole thing about keeping one’s word and being truthful and honest. It really comes down to a question about one’s name. What do I mean by this? Well, it goes without saying that the greatest thing a human can own is not material possessions or even good health. As awesome and wonderful as material possessions and good health are to possess, there would seem to be a greater possession that one should seek after, obtain, maintain and cherish over any other: and that is a good name. Now some of you may scoff at this and I’m okay with that. But just bear with me a bit on this. I’m not talking about your legal name, although you really can’t separate your legal name from your good (or even bad name). People know us by our legal and sometimes nick names. However, when our legal or nick names are attached to certain charater traits such as honesty, truthfulness, caring, compassion, generosity, holiness, etc., that one enjoys favors with those within his/her sphere of influence. He/she is respected in their community and in some cases, throughout a region or even the world. Equally so, when one’s name is attached to evil such as lies, mistrust, dishonesty, meanness, viciousnous, and the like, the respect that is garnered is of a negative bent. These individuals are typically villainized and not trusted. Yet our world finds itself in a drought; a drought of individuals holding good names. It’s quite frustrating indeed, especially when our world is filled with sin and evil. Consider our so-called leaders in government: the overwhelming number of them are politicians through-and-through and they will tell you a lie and make promises they have no intention of ever keeping. Yet our nation has come to expect this and will even elevate these individuals to rock-star status while granting them life-time jobs as leaders in our society. In other words, in that arena, we’ve set our expectations extremely low, have we not? What about the world of business and corporations: how many businesses and corporations have lied and done their customers wrong, all for the purposes of gaining more revenue. How many people have lost their hard-earned moneys to company executives that have no conscience? What about companies that have ensured that their products were safe, all the while knowing there products posed their customers danger, resutling in the injuries and even deaths of their customers. Then there are of course the rest of us, who must contend with the dishonesty and ruthlessness of certain elements of our society that don’t even blink when they are trying to perpetrate a fraud on us, outright steal our property or even do us harm. Indeed, a good name is hard to come by these days. What is more troubling than anything, however, are those who call themselves believers (be they of Jesus Christ or Yeshua HaMaschiach) who by their inherent sinful nature are prone to not keeping for themselves a good name? Of any souls upon this planet, believers are expected to know better wouldn’t you think? I tell you: some of the worse people on the planet who are quick to lie, cheat, steal, and everything in between are believers. Conversely, the individuals who can hurt us the most in life are those who call themselves believers. How many so-called believers throughout history have done their communities and worse their fellow believers wrong by not holding fast to the commandment of our Master?
33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself (do no break an oath; do no swear falsely), but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths (keep your vows to Adonai; fulfill your vows to the Lord): 34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: 35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. 36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay (let what you say be a simple Yes and your No a simple No): for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. (Mat 5:33-37 KJV)
Yeshua, in verse 33 was referring to the following passages of Torah–
Exodus 20:7 You are not to use lightly the name of Adonai your God, because Adonai will not leave unpunished soneone who uses His name lightly. Lev 19:12 And you shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; I am the LORD. Num 30:2 “If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or takes an oath to bind himself with a binding obligation, he shall not violate his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth. Deu 23:21 “When you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay to pay it, for it would be sin in you, and the LORD your God will surely require it of you.
Yehovah’s Torah provides direction to us in terms of the making and keeping of vows. It’s super-easy to understand and follow: if you promise to do something, by all means make sure you do it and do it promptly as described in Deu 23:23–but if a vow passes your lips, you must take care to perform it according to what you voluntarily vowed to ADONAI your God, what you promised in words spoken aloud. Interestingly, Yehovah provided for the use of His name when making vows as discussed in Deuteronomy 6:13–Jehovah thy God thou dost fear, and Him thou dost serve, and by His name thou dost swear. Thus, swearing by the name of Yehovah holds tremendous relevance and reverence. Typically, when an issue comes down to one swearing upon the name of Yehovah, that issue is a big deal. Any believer with common sense should know that one must not go around swearing here and there on things and using the name of the Father in a frivilous manner. Indeed, the importance of the matter is sealed with the attaching of the name of the Creator to it. Such important issues would be treaties and covenants with other nations. No other name must ever be used to swear upon, even when dealing with the peoples of other nations and their gods. What this directive does is that it highlights the insurpassable name of Yehovah in the working of the affairs of men here upon this planet. In context, this verse of the sixth chapter of Deuteronomy was given just as the Children of Israel were preparing to enter and possess the promised land. The name of Yehovah was to be extolled above any names and above all the names of the other nations’ gods. The next verse of that chapter, verse 14, brings to full the point of verse 13: You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you…and the next verse talks about the jelousy of Yehovah in terms of Him being supplanted by these other gods–be it by worship or be it by swearing a vow. Even though Yehovah made provision in that men could use His name to make vows, Exodus 20:7 and Deuteronomy 5:11 makes it clear that one must not simply throw around the holy name of the Creator in the spirit of making vows and swearing. Mankind has a tendency of taking something holy and quite serious and over time tarnishing that very thing. Certainly, the use of the name of Yehovah to swear a vow would over time lead to a misuse of the sacred name of the Father. It’s to be expected and via the infinite wisdom and omniscience of Yehovah, He sought to make sure that He nipped this in the bud before the diluting of His name got too far out of hand. Interestingly, the use of the name of the Father was used in day-to-day transactions during the periods of the Tanakh and the Brit Hadashah throughout many regions of the middle east. It was an exceptable and even expected thing to do. In terms of the nation of israel, swearing a vow in the name of Yehovah was as Hebraic as law suites and cell phones are to Americans today. But again, the concern was the diminishing of the name of Yehovah for benign vows, more so, those vows that stood a great chance of never being fulfilled or that were meaningless and pointless in the first place. Thus Yeshua, who came to make full the Torah, simply said: Look, just don’t swear at all–Matthew 5: 33, 34. Instead of swearing, why not just be honest and straight forward with others and let your yes be yes and your no be no. One then does not need to place the name of our Father in the middle of frivilous issues that can easily go sideways and thus diminsih and tarnish the name of our God. Many times when we make promises or vows, there are mitigating factors that enter the equation and thus prevent us from ever fulfilling the original promise. When that happens, not only have we misused the name of the Father, but we’ve also damaged our reputations. It’s simply better to be straight forward and a man or woman of our word. This goes a long way towards supporting who we are as believers of Messiah, as we are held to the highest of highest standards as Torah Observing Believers in Messiah. Even James, the Brother of our Lord directed, “…stop swearing oaths…let your “Yes” be simply “Yes” and your “No” simply “No,” so that you won’t fall under condemnation” (James 5:12). Consequently, there are denominational organizations out there that require their members to never swear, above all, never to swear using the name of God. The billion dollar question is: if God is not the name of the Father (for we know that God is a title), can one really use His name in vain? I’ve grappled with this question, especially having come out of denominational churchianity and during those years never knowing the true name of God. I remember growing up and being told never to use the name of God in vain. Years later I came into contact with other denominations that required that you not swear at all. I believe there are organizations that do not allow their members to even swear under oath in a court of law because it is believed by those denominations that by doing so, they are using the name of the Creator in vain. Well, knowing a lot more than I did back then, I’ve come to understand that those denominations’ directives to their members is foolish and to some degree go against the Torah provision which permits one to do so. I get that the leaders of these denominations are resting their edicts upon the passages found in Matthew, James and other books that encourage believers to avoid making vows in the first place. However, being Torah observing people of the Most High, we have the privelege of swearing vows by the name of Yehovah. Is it wise to engage in this activity as a common practice? Absolutely not. But if one finds him or herself in a situation whereby they are compelled to swear an oath, we can rest in the assurance that the Father does allow us to do so with His blessing. Not only will the one who makes and fulfills the vow shore up his or her reputation, the name of Yehovah will be magnified in the midst of the involved parties. But back to the central question: can one who does not know or utilize the true name of Yehovah take the name of the Father in vain? Further more, if one were to swear a vow using “God” as the name of the Father, should he or she be held responsible for fulfilling that vow? I believe the answer to these questions is: it depends. Is the individual in question making such a vow using God as the name of the Father making their vow in good faith, fully intending to fulfill the tenets of the vow? Further more, does that individual understand what they are saying when they make a vow using “God” as the name of Yehovah? Whether or not we know the true name of the Father, which is Yehovah (or for some, Yahweh), we have been instructed by the Master to do the right thing each and every time and to not look for excuses as to why we couldn’t fulfill our vows. Our yes must be yes and our no must be no. Plain and simple. Whether we use the name of Yehovah in vain when we make frivilous vows and not fulfill them using God in the place of the Father’s name, I believe, is a heart thing. Where is our heart in all of this swearing the vow? If our heart is evil with intentions of not keeping the vow, then we have only proceeded to diminish our standing before men and above all before Yehovah. If our hearts are pure and just and we make such vows using God instead of Yehovah, we can be assured that Yehovah knows about whom we are referring. In closing, part of being true believers in Messiah is to be honest and forthright in our dealings with our fellow man. In doing so, we will not have to resort to making vows using the name of Yehovah. Certainly, if we do use the name of Yehovah, we have the opportunity of magnifying His name above every name when we fulfill that vow. It is so easy for us to act as the rest of the world acts whereby we make certain promises and then renig or neglect to fulfill those promises. The world at large doesn’t villainize us too much when we falter in our promises. So we are quick to make promises and even swear vows when we really don’t have to. Regardless, it is Yehovah whom we let down when we don’t keep our word. We have been called to a higher standard and if we are to live the abundant life; if we are to be numbered among those who are known as Kingdom kids; if we are to conform to the very image of our Master Yeshua HaMaschiach, we have to man up and woman up and ensure that our yes’ are yes’ and our no’s are no’s, even if it takes a pound of flesh to fulfill that vow. We must from this day forward do what we have vowed to do, especially when and if the vow was made in the name of Yehovah. We trust and pray that you’ve gotten something out of this Torah Living episode. If you have, we ask you to pay it forward and refer this program to other believers in Messiah. We ask that you subscribe to this podcast either via Stitcher or iTunes. We’ve made it super easy for you to subscribe to either of these podcast platforms simply by clicking on the appropriate icon to the right side of our webpage at themessianictorahobserver.org. From there, simply follow the prompts. Again, give us your feedback and your comments either by calling 714-353-4043, or leaving a comment in the comments section that follows this post. We can not know for certain how much this message is impacting your walk with Messiah if we don’t hear from you. Until next time dear Saints, we bid you Shalom.
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by Rod Thomas | Jul 11, 2014 | Podcasts
Having observed (to some slight degree) the U.S. holiday of Independance Day this past 4th of July, the concept of “freedom” came to my mind. Indeed, the U.S. celebrates its freedom from British rule every 4th of July and has done so since the year 1776. We all know historically about the hardships the American forefathers endured as a result of being under direct subjection to British rule during the early years of this nation. Many early Americans lost their lives in pursuit of life that was free from British subjugation. In fact, the earliest forefathers came to this country to be free to worship God as they had been so led and thus freedom from the Church of England and the Holy Roman Catholic Church. Since earning her freedom, this nation has been the destination of countless millions of souls, longing and searching for freedom in one form or another. In the last 5-10-years I’ve heard repeated by some that Torah Observance is not a requirement because Christians have freedom in Christ. Typically, the context in which this doctrine of “freedom in Christ” is used is centered around believers not being bound to anything, and that includes men, sin and of course Torah. Indeed, the Bible clearly describes the freedom that believers enjoy in the context of being free from sin and being free from our old sinful nature and life. But is this all to this conceptually amazing spiritual truth? By now you should know that nothing that comes from this website and this ministry settles for just the subtle gloss over that is common to denominational churchianity. This is Torah Living–What’s the Full Meaning of Being Free in Messiah? The one key piece of reality that we all learn very early on in our walk with Messiah is that human beings are not free agents. As much as we’d like to think that we are, and indeed, many people throughout the world will beat their chests and atest that they are free agents and that they are not bound to any individual or entity. But those of us who are spiritually in the know, realize that humans by nature are bound to something or someone. On a micro-level, men are bound to multiple things: habits (some good, some bad); governments (some good, some bad); jobs (some good, some bad); relationships (some good, some bad); the cares of life; health; and religion. On a macro-level, everything that binds men can be summed up as being in 2-realms or camps: one is either bound to sin or one is bound to the Yehovah. In other words: in this world, there are 2-masters: satan and Yeshua. Now this two-sided model (for lack of better descriptor) can be further broken down in to the physical and the spiritual. In other words, whether one is bound to sin or one is bound to the Master, he or she experiences the ramifications of this in their day-to-day physical living or they realize this reality in their spirit life. If we are bound to sin, it is reflected in our day-to-day experiences–in how we think, talk, and carry ourselves. Equally so, if we are bound to sin, it is reflected in our relationship, or better, the lack thereof, with the Father. You see, Yehovah will not foster or maintain any relationship with us if we are not in an acceptable spiritual state. Now I realize that this flies in opposition to the teachings of denominational churchianity that contends that one simply needs to “come” to Jesus “just as they are.” Well, the plain and simple truth of the matter is that our Father has established standards whereby man must meet and maintain if any substantive relationship is to be had between God and man. This concept that one can live according to the way he or she prefers to live and at the same time maintain a substantive relationship with Father is utterly rediculous and quite frankly a lie from the pit of hell. Here’s a news flash dear Christian: we are the created beings. We are His children. We have been purchased with a price (reference 1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23). Thus we are not our own (reference 1 Cor. 6:19). We have absolutely no right to call the shots here, especially as it relates to our relationship with the Father. We are so fortunate to have received such truths and promises. Thus it is with a humble, willing heart, we are required to submit to the ways of Yehovah. But going back to this issue of being bound to one master or another: denominational chuchianity has done a brilliant job of minimalizing the significance of this crucial concept. Essentially, a simple formula emerged from the depths of Calvanism that has led millions of believers in the Jesus of popular Christianity over the centuries to secure their perceived salvations and relationships with the Almighty through a response to a calling made by a preacher or someone who introduces them to Christianity and then a recitation of the “sinners’ prayer.” Note that I did in fact say perceived salvations and relationships. I said perceived because there is no Biblical support for such a formula nor does Yehovah in anyway suggest that one can have a true relationship with Him going through this formula. In fact Yeshua made it pretty clear that our concepts of salvation and relationships with the Father do not jive with that of the Father: 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Mat 7:21-23 KJV) Everything must come down to the central question at hand: who do we serve? Yes, there is that servant aspect that is tied to this question and there is no getting around it, many people are adamantly opposed to being considered a servant or slave to anyone and that includes Messiah. Why? Because being a servant–a true servant–requires one to be obedient to their master. In the case of believers, being a servant requires that we obey Yeshua HaMaschioch– 15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. (Joh 14:15 KJV) The irony of the matter is that the vast majority of people on this earth do not want to be servants or slaves to anyone and many will fight to the death to be freed from any oversight by other men. Yet, each of these are unwittenly servants to satan and they are easily loyal and obedient to satan. Some even obey and are loyal to satan with gusto and pride. Why? Because our flesh agrees with the ways of the enemy. Yet it is that same flesh that is in vehement opposition to the ways of Yehovah.- 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. (Rom 8:7 KJV) Being bound and being free have always been primary concerns for men throughout the ages. Slavery and bondage are positions in life that are feared and avoided while freedom is reverred and praised–and this bears true throughout every culture and age. So these two concepts are very powerful in their meanings and ramifications for the individual in question. Indeed, being bound to someone or something has negative conotations associated with it. Often, the life of the one under bondage is miserable and at times even dire. No good comes out of being under bondage. Interestingly, men have over the ages freely bound themselves to others and to things. Additionally, men have over the ages become bonded to a person or a thing unwittenly. Thus the Jews of Yeshua’s day were forcefully subjected to Roman occupation while being freely subjected to their state’s religion: Judaism. Most of the Jews of Yeshua’s day were proud of and loyal to their faith; yet they were unwittenly under bondage to their faith. Additionally, the Jews of Yeshua’s day were mercilessly bound to sin, for Judaism was not a cure for sin as many of their sages and leaders asserted that it was. Yet the Jews persisted in their faith–often living lives of lies as depicted in the following passage: 27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. (Mat 23:27-28 KJV). And so it is with many of us today who are under bondage to religion. So many have placed their all in denominations and have been told and promised by their religion’s leaders that their eternal destinies are guaranteed and that they are inputted holy. I was in that boat. No one could tell me any different. And so I lived a life of lies, thinking I was in the ark of safety. Was I bonded to anyone or anything? I would have likely told you yes and no–that I wasn’t bonded to sin but I was bonded to Christ. The truth of the matter was that I was bonded to sin and I was not bonded to Messiah. If I was truly bonded to Messiah I would be obedient to Him and thus I would be free from sin and hasatan. This reality came only after I learned that I was bonded to my denominations, churches, preachers, doctrines, my home, my job, my lifestyle, my ambitions, and everything else but the true Master. I had been sold the bill of goods that promised that all of the things that I was bonded to were holy and acceptable to Christ. Yet I was in bondage to the wrong masters and that meant I needed deliverance and an understanding of what it meant to be free in Messiah. I needed to learn what it truly meant to have liberty in Messiah. While I was living under these false pretenses, I figured I had it good. But looking back, I really didn’t. I had no relationship with the Father apart from occasional readings of the Bible and occasional prayers that lacked sincerity and understanding. I still harbored anger and hatred and other sins in my life because I felt it was covered by the blood and thus I didn’t need to worry about it. Besides, God knew my heart. Right? It wasn’t until Yeshua came on the scene and introduced the Jew of His day to the truth that many were able to see the error of their ways. It wasn’t until Yeshua introduced to those who would listen and receive the truth, that those who would follow only Him would be able to discern a need to be free from the teachings of the Jewish leaders and from a life of sin. Torah is the only true guide for understanding what is sin and what is Godly. It was Yeshua who came to bring to the full Torah and thus free us from sin and from religion that to this day continues to grip much of the world. Yeshua said: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free…Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin…iIf the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. (Joh 8:32-36 KJV) Yeshua’s purpose from coming to this earth the first time was to set men free–consider Yeshua’s own words as He read from the sacred text that described Him: The Spirit of Adonai Yehovah is upon me, because Yehovah has anointed me to preach good tidings unot the meek; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind; to set at liberty those who are bound. (Luke 4:18) Prior to Yeshua’s coming, most Jews saw their lives as burdensome and miserable. Many were and even to this day are resentful. I vividly recall one of my supervisors, upon learning that I celebrated Passover and observed Unleavened Bread, bemoaned the season and having to abstain from certain foods that he loved. He went on to bemoan how God had placed upon him and his people such a hardship, insinuating that wasn’t it enough that they were in bondage in Egypt for so many years and then all of the other misfortunes suffered by his forefathers. I felt bad for Him. I told Him that I treasure the Feasts of Yehovah and I observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread with joy. I can only imagine that there are countless others who hold the same sentiments. Indeed, this man and others like him are enslaved in tradition and religion. What kind of life is that? Yeshua said that He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. (Reference John 10:10) What this gentlemen and all others like him are missing is that the Talmud or Judaism is a law of sin and death. On the contrary, Torah is Spirit Life and it was Messiah that brought Torah to this ultimate reality. (Reference Rom. 8:2) Thus the true follower of Messiah is freed from tradition and religion, even though he/she is forever bonded to Yeshua. The Apostle Shaul taught–Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. (Gal 5:1 KJV) Man is a created being and thus is subject to one thing or another. Thus, if man is freed from sin, he must become bonded to something other than sin–it is a spiritual rule that can not be broken. If any man desires to be free from sin (or anything else for that matter), then he or she must be bonded to or become a servant of Yeshua. Continuing in this line of reasoning then, upon becoming bound to Yeshua, we are obligated to be obedient to His direction and the Father’s way of life. Once again I take a passage from the writings of Shaul–18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. 19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. 20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. 21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. 22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 6:18-23 KJV) Here’s where the rubber meets the road dear friends. This whole servant/bondage or doulos thing comes with a price. I’m not talking about the blood that Yeshua shed to purchase our salvation. Indeed, that was the greatest price ever paid for any soul in the history of this world. I’m talking about the price that comes with us abandoning our former lives for a life in Messiah. Churchianity would have her adherents live their lives with the belief that everything good and holy is automatically imputted to the believer. But as nice and warm and beautiful as that line of thinking may seem, it is horrendously misleading and false. Shaul eloquently spells the truth out for us: being free from sin but then servants of righteousness, we are obliged to yield ourselves to the life that the Father has always wanted for His human creation. The servant’s life in Messiah is fruit driven unto righteousness. It is not a life of liesure whereby a believer simply hangs out and awaits the rapture and from there to live out an eternal life in heaven as some type of angel like being. Indeed! The journey begins in the here and now. We hear and obey. We live according to the pattern established for us by Yeshua. The ensuing bondage that Believers have is not as normal men would reason: that life is a life of freedoms that empower us to live the abundant life that Yeshua spoke of in John 10:10. It is an awesome life. Not only is Yehovah served and made happy through the righteous deeds and life of His children, but mankind is served through our many acts of compassion, love, peace, servitude and our being a light to this dark world. (Reference Matt. 5:14) No one can place a price on this freedom apart from the price paid by Yeshua. We’ve come to learn from Eastern traditions of old that when a slave completed his/her mandatory time in his/her master’s home and oversight, they have the legal right to go free and make a life for themselves. They no longer are required to serve their master. However, there are provisions whereby that same released and now freed slave has an option to return to his former master and commit the remainder of his/her life in servitude to his master. There is a ceremony or tradition whereby that slave’s ear is then pierced to the door post of the master’s home and it is there that the slave pledges to freely serve his master. Blood is spilled and pain is inflicted, but both the spilling of blood and the inflicted pain is submitted to willingly. Then that servant or bond slave is forever in service to his master. We in similar fashion have given over our lives to our Master Yeshua and we become His bond servants. Instead of shedding blood and induring pain however, Yeshua took our place in that. Yet, we are obliged to serve and obey without reservation. Does our obedience and service earn us salvation? Absolutely not. However, because we are bond slaves of Messiah, we are obliged to serve accordingly. Failure to obey and serve disqualifies us from the status of being His bond servant. Any bond servant who fails to please and properly serve His master is subject to harsh punishment and in extreme cases, death. So it remains with us: failure to do what we have committed to do can lead to eternal death. I know this goes against everything that churchianity teaches…I get that. However, we made the choice to subject ourselves to Yeshua and to Yehovah’s way of life. We do not have the liberty to call the shots here or go through our lives believing that we can get over on the Father because He knows our hearts. Indeed, the Father knows our hearts and those hearts are filled with sin. It’s just simpler to submit and give our all to the Master. T+he life to be had in the Father’ house is so much better than any life that one could envision anywhere else in the world. It is a life of liberty that is free from the penalty of sin and freedom to worship the Father without a human or institutional intermediary. We have the freedom to go to the throne of grace and state our case. How marvelous is that!? Since coming in to the true Faith, I have a different view of what it means to be free. I understand clearly the concept of freedom as it relates to Americans and their country: we have freedom to worship as we see fit; we have freedom to pursue our dreams and aspirations; we have freedom to carve out a life that is fitting to us. Granted, those freedoms have over the years eroded somewhat. Nevertheless, we still live in the greatest country on the planet. Yet, with all these freedoms, the vast amount of citizens in this country are under bondage. The great thing is, that no one has to remain in that bondage.
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by Rod Thomas | Jul 3, 2014 | Podcasts
So this past Sabbath while listening to some great Messianic teachings from some of the world’s best Messianic teachers, I was taken by the passage in John where the Master described Himself as being the “light of the world.” John records the Master as thus: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12 KJV) Like many of you listening to this posting, I’ve read this passage dozens and dozens of times and never really gave it much thought beyond the thinking that the darkness of this world was replaced by the light of the Savior when He walked this earth and now as He is seated at the right hand of the Father He remains a light to a lost and darkened world. Certainly, there is some truth to this line of thinking as it seems to be the prevailing line of thought throughout denominational churchianity. But after being led by the Spirit to really try to gain a full grasp of its meaning, I embarked upon a brief journey (and boy do I love these journeys) to better understand the concept of being a light to this dark world. What exactly was the Master saying when He referred to himself as the light of the world and then later referred to us as lights to this world? In my spirit mind, I knew there must be much more to this than meets the denominational eye. And indeed, there is.
John makes great use of the “light” analogy to describe the person and mission of the Messiah. Throughout His Gospel record, John uses “light” to describe the Master and conjointly, believers are awarded the same descriptor and title. I’ve always been fascinated by light as well as I’ve always been hesitant of the dark (at times even terrified). Light, in its many facets and textures can be used to highlight a thing or enhance a thing. Light can provide clarity to things that are naturally not very clear in detail. Light often brings one a sense of security as it tends to reveal things that could cause us physical harm. Conversely, light can provide a sense of alarm, especially when dangers are revealed when those very dangers were once hidden by darkness. Light is often warm and soothing and desirable while darkness is often seen as uncertain, cold and frightening (i.e., how would most horror pictures fare at the box-office if the stories didn’t take place during the night or in a dark and dangerous place?). Conversely, light may bring shame and apprehension, especially when evil behavior is revealed by light. Darkness on the otherhand, is not a friend to man, unless man is bent on doing something questionable or outright wrong. Bottom line: as far as the Bible is concerned, light is considered good while darkness is considered bad; Yehovah, Yeshua and their legions of angels are considered light while hasatan and his legions of demons are considered dark; heaven is spoken of in terms of a place of light and beauty while this earth is often considered a place of darkenss because of the sins of man that pervades it existence; the Saints of the Most High are considered as light whereas the hearts and deeds of men throughout the world are considered dark.
The most awe-inspiring allusion to the magnificant Person of Messiah is made using the term light. Listen to the brilliant prose used by the Apostle who was loved by the Master: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. (Joh 1:1-9 KJV)
Darkness hides details and dangers, making one’s life in darkness difficult and challenging–darkness binds men and prevents them from living as they should. Light on the other hand reveals details and dangers, making one’s life in the light manageable-light frees men and allows them to thrive and live as they were meant to live. The very first thing the Father did when He was refashioning this world was to bring about light–Gen. 1:3-5-And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called night. I find it interesting that it wasn’t until Father intervened that the perpetual darkness that existed for an unknown period of time was broken up and light was allowed to peer through to His creation. Yet as undesireable as darkness (night) is, it was allowed to remain and co-exist with light (day) in order to provide a means of marking time and supporting the workings of other mechanisms of the universe.
Although physical light became an integral part of the Father’s creation, there lurked a different kind of darkness somewhere in the midst of HIs creation: in the heart and mind of hasatan. This most excellent creature was the epitome of Yehovah’s creation. This most excellent being was given the title of “son of the morning,” a name that denotes brightness, light and power (reference Isa. 14:12). In order to better understand this powerful creature, the Father in His unfathomable wisdom likened hasatan unto the King of Tyrus in the following beautifully crafted passage:
12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. 18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. (Eze 28:12-18 KJV)
One sabbath worshipping, feast observing pastor I often listen to has surmised that apart from hasatan’s covering cherub duties, he was placed in charged of the Father’s creation, headquartered here on earth somewhere between Genesis 1, verses 1 and 2. When he rebelled against Yehovah and carried with him 1/3 of the angels, that rebellion resulted in the “void” and utter desolation that seems to be described in verse 2 of Genesis 1– 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Gen 1:2 KJV) Granted, there is no direct Biblical support for this theory. Nevertheless, I have to say that it makes perfect sense to me that something like this may have happened prior to that which is spoken of in verse 2–in other words, a re-creation. For me, it explains somewhat the reason for science claiming the earth to be much older (e.g., thousands and even millions of years old) than the Bible’s general accounting of the earth’s age (coming around at 6014 years old). But the point here is that darkness–spiritual darkness–reigned in the heart of hasatan and it was this darkness that spread and consumed the earth of our day–beginning in him and then working its way to Adam and Eve, and then spread on to their progeny to this very day.
However, the Holy Writ does record a couple of events where light broke through the darkness that settled upon this earth after the fall of Adam. Indeed, light–which is righetousness, truth and goodness–was manifested among men despite the prevailing darkness:
Enoch–“And Enoch walked with Yehovah after he begat Methuselah 369-years…and Enoch walked with Yehovah: and he was not; for Yehovah took him.” (reference Gen. 5:22 & 24)
Methusaleh is believed to have been like his father Enoch, having walked with Yehovah much of his 969-years, as recorded in the Book of Jasher–a non-inspired Book
Noah, who in the midst of a perverted and violent world, “…found grace in the eyes of Yehovah.” (reference Gen. 6:8)
Abraham, whom the Apostle James described as “a Friend of Yehovah.” (reference Jas. 2:23)
Moses, Daniel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah and David–these great patriarchs reflected the light of the One True Light–Yehovah!
Throughout the period of the Original Covenant (i.e., the Old Testament), these men attempted to lead men out of darkness and point them to The Light–that Light was of course Yehovah and His way of life, i.e., Torah–23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: (Pro 6:23 KJV). 105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psa 119:105 KJV) No matter how one spins it, commandments, the law, instructions for life, and the Father’s word is referring to Torah and Torah is in turn referred to as a lamp and a light.
The whole of the Father’s creative work was accomplished with Yeshua in mind. Yeshua was and remains the pure manifestation of that Light that is found only in the Person of Yehovah and in His Torah. If we take what the Psalmist says as Truth, and I have no reason to believe otherwise, then Yeshua was indeed, the walking and talking Torah–the eternal lamp of this world…the only means by which man can have a true relationship with the Father and realize eternal life:
We come to a cross-roads: if Yeshua was indeed the Light of the World as recorded in John–Joh 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness–what are we, His true disciples, supposed to do with this reality? I believe, as do many Torah Observing Believers in Messiah, that there there are 2-versions of the Master: Jesus Christ (i.e., the westernized, Paulinized savior who saves all who would simply ask Him into their hearts and lives); and Yeshua HaMashioch (the Hebraic, Torah Master who requires true discipleship in order realize true salvation). Understanding which of these 2-versions of the Master we are to follow is vital to our eternal destination and essential to our living the life abundant that Yeshua spoke of in the Gospel record. The Light of Jesus is for all to gaze upon and adore, drawing all who would be saved to give their hearts and lives to Him (whatever that really means, as there are thousands of different belief systems describing what this actually means) and await His rapturous return. The Light of Yeshua, on the other hand, is the example of The Prophet and Messiah that men must “Shema;” i.e., follow and imitate. The Light of Yeshua requires men to have some skin in the game so to speak–to be invested in their salvation and life abundant. The Light of Jesus on the other hand is there to make men feel good about themselves and aspire to a life in the heavens where one will some day in the future walk the streets of gold and from time to time tug on Gabriel’s robe. Indeed, there can be only One True Master and Light. This is an important decision that all truth seeking believers must come to terms with: will I take the easy way out and follow the light of Jesus Christ; or will I take up my cross and follow the Light of Yeshua HaMashioch? It is a certainty, the vast majority of the 2+ billion Christian adherents of this world take upon themselves the popular version that is Jesus and his light that provides mankind an easy way out of the darkness–or should we boldly say, keeps men in darkness?
If Torah is the Lamp and Yeshua is the full embodiment of Torah and thus the light as described by John, the next question that must be answered by men is: am I required to be Torah Observant? Well, that question is easy enough to answer. Being one who favors deductive reasoning to get to the bottom of most things, especially coming from an law enforcement investigative background, the course of reasoning could be as follows:
Torah was given to the Children of Israel by Yehovah under the leadership of Moshe via a covenant arrangement
The Children of Israel caused a breach in the covenant when they violated Yehovah’s commandments at Sinai; yet Torah remained in force (Isa. 58:12)
Yehovah desires that His people obey His Torah: 29 O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! (Deu 5:29 KJV)
Yeshua came not to abolish Torah but to bring Torah to its fullest potential: 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Mat 5:16-20 KJV)
Yeshua kept Torah and He kept it perfectly. He railed against the Talmud, the Takanot and Mahasin of the Rabbinic cult of His day, which ultimately led to His crucifixion. Furthermore, Yeshua’s handpicked Apostles and the hundreds of disciples also kept Torah as any well-respecting, obedient, and dedicated disciple would do: 26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. (Joh 12:26 KJV)
The Day of Pentecost sealed the breach that occurred at Sinai and the Covenant was renewed. Torah was no longer a series of commandments, rules, precepts and laws written on stone and parchment that man was required to follow without full-inner-heart felt commitment. Torah became living and from that point forward, written on every true believer’s heart–Jer 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people
Not only was Yeshua a light to the Jewish nation, but He was a light to the Gentiles as well–Luk 2:32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel
We being Gentiles have been graffed in with Israel and have effectively become fellow partakers, inheriters of the promise– 17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; 18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. 19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. 20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: 21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. 22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. 23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. 24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree? 25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. (Rom 11:17-25 KJV)
It stands to reason, deductively, that we are then obliged to keep and obey Torah and do so proudly, gladly and with zeal! Far better souls than we have done so in their brief time on this earth following Yeshua, having then to suffer a martyr’s death. What makes us so special that we insist that our salvation come to us without us having absolutely no skin in the game. Indeed, our salvation was purchased by the blood and sacrifice of the Master; thus our salvation is free. However, Yeshua’s sacrificial work only purchased the ticket for our ride to etermity. It then becomes our responsibility to do whatever is necessary to qualify for that free ticket. I’m certain you’ve heard that talking point that denominational chrisitanity loves to use: Jesus kept Torah perfectly and thus we don’t have to. If this sentiment doesn’t strike a negative cord within us, I don’t know what will. What the denominationalists are saying is that the Torah was such a burden, such a bad thing laid before men to keep by a mean and hateful God, that Messiah had to not only face death on the cross to atone for our sins; He also had to live under the yoke of Torah! Indeed!! Torah is a delight as spoken of by the Psalmist– Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. (Psa 1:1-2:1 KJV) Thus it was Yehovah’s good pleasure to gift Torah to His chosen. I can surely atest to this. I find joy in keeping Torah. I’ve come to learn more about myself through Torah-keeping than I ever knew as a “born again Christian.” Since coming in to the True Faith once delivered, I’ve come to see just how far I’ve missed the mark throughout my Christian life. Since coming in to this Faith I’ve come to see that my relationship with the Almighty was actually non-existent as I foolishly and pompously developed the terms of that relationship. I’ve come to learn that my ideas and my denomination’s ideas of what constitutes a relationship with Yehovah doesn’t cut it with Father. Since coming to the Faith I’ve come to know the sweet joy and peace that comes from keeping His Sabbaths. Since coming to the Faith I’ve come to see where I’m falling short in my daily walk with Messiah and thus each day I’m challenged to take that walk in better form than the day before and so on. Life has become the life abundant spoken of by Yeshua HaMoshioch. Indeed, I can say without hesitation that Yeshua is that light by which the true life is gained–Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12 KJV) As a result of that light and as a result of following that light, we too become a light to the world. Our light is born NOT as a result of affilitation as Churchianity would teach–that is, because we bear the name of Christian, we by affiliation become light to the world. On the contrary dear Christian, our light is born out of the fruit that we bear. That fruit consists of goodness, righteousness and truth. (Reference: Eph. 5: 9) Thus our light is action-based; dynamic; and deliciously beautiful beyond the means of human languages to describe. (Reference: Eph. 5:8) Is living the life abundant and shining our light before men easy–absolutely not. It is challenging and at times it seems impossible. But Yehovah has provided us His Ruach Kodesh to help us navigate through life’s many impediments to living the life abundant and shining our light before men.
There is a danger, however. That danger is falling for the wrong light. The brilliant Apostle Shaule warned the Corinthian ekklesia that their members, being zealous and well-meaning followers of him as he followed Yeshua, must be always alert to being decieved by counterfeit light. I will let the Apostle explain in his inimitable way about this danger:
I would like you to bear with me in a little foolishness- please do bear with me! 2 For I am jealous for you with God’s kind of jealousy; since I promised to present you as a pure virgin in marriage to your one husband, the Messiah; 3 and I fear that somehow your minds may be seduced away from simple and pure devotion to the Messiah, just as Havah was deceived by the serpent and his craftiness. 4 For if someone comes and tells you about some other Yeshua than the one we told you about, or if you receive a spirit different from the one you received or accept some so-called “good news” different from the Good News you already accepted, you bear with him well enough! 5 For I don’t consider myself in any way inferior to these “super-emissaries.” 6 I may not be a skilled speaker, but I do have the knowledge; anyhow, we have made this clear to you in every way and in every circumstance. 7 Or did I sin in humbling myself so that you could be exalted, in proclaiming God’s Good News to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other congregations by accepting support from them in order to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and had needs, I did not burden anyone: my needs were met by the brothers who came from Macedonia. In nothing have I been a burden to you, nor will I be. 10 The truthfulness of the Messiah is in me, so that this boast concerning me is not going to be silenced anywhere in Achaia. 11 Why won’t I ever accept your support? Is it that I don’t love you? God knows I do! 12 No, I do it- and will go on doing it- in order to cut the ground from under those who want an excuse to boast that they work the same way we do. 13 The fact is that such men are pseudo-emissaries: they tell lies about their work and masquerade as emissaries of the Messiah. 14 There is nothing surprising in that, for the Adversary himself masquerades as an angel of light; 15 so it’s no great thing if his workers masquerade as servants of righteousness. They will meet the end their deeds deserve. (2Co 11:1-15 CJB)
Indeed, I fear that many well-meaning believers are following after a counterfeit light. It is this counterfeit light that is leading millions down a road towards destruction. Conversely, I think that many would see those of us who have elected to follow after the light of Yeshua HaMaschioch to be following the counterfeit light and thus we are doomed for destruction. In my heart of hearts I do not believe the light of our Messiah to be counterfeit, not only because I have faith that the light of our Messiah is true, but also because we have the Bible as our proof-positive. We are not lead to a light based upon the teachings and doctrines of a denomination, but lead to The Light through the auspices and direction of Ruach HaKodesh and the Bible. We can not condemn nor pompously look down upon our brothers and sister who are under bondage to denominational churchianity. We are all on a life’s journey and we are all at different places in our search for truth. The vast majority of those that find themselves under denominational churchianity bondage have no idea that they are blinded to the Truth. It will require the grace of Yehovah and the intervention of Ruach HaKodesh to release them from that bondage and open their eyes to the Truth–to the True Light. In other words, there by the grace of Yehovah go I–just saying.
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The take-away in all of this is simple. Light is the name of Messiah as evidenced in Daniel 2:22: 22 He reveals deep and secret things; he knows what lies in the darkness; and light dwells with him. (Dan 2:22 CJB) As our light, Yeshua’s purpose as it relates to us, His disciples, is not as churchianity would suggest and have us believe–that of simply admiring and gazing upon the light of Jesus. On the contrary, the purpose is for us to follow Him–Yeshua HaMoschioch–and submit ourselves to Him. In following and submitting ourselves to Him, we take direction from Him. Every bit of Yeshua’s direction is built on the firm foundation of Torah. Thus when we take our direction from Yeshua, our lives are forever changed; we obey Torah; Torah is written in our hearts as opposed to simply in our minds. In following and submitting to Him, we live that life abundant spoken of in John 10:10. That life abundant is not limited to the world tomorrow, but is for the here and now. And by submitting and following Him, we too become lights to the world and we never have to fear walking in darkness ever again. Halelujah!
by Rod Thomas | May 18, 2014 | Blog, Podcasts
Christianity today is in a tremendous flux, and has been so since the last apostle John died in the late first century of the Common Era.
Paganism and heathenism remained strong adversaries of the true Faith and despite common 21st century belief in the overwhelming popularity of first-century Christianity, history strongly suggests that the Faith once delivered was rather small in terms of the number of people actually claiming an affiliation with it. Judaism, after the fall of the Temple in Jerusalem in 68 of the common era (experts have recently adjusted the date of the fall and destruction Jerusalem from 70 to 68 C.E.), Judaism took its side next to Christianity as a persecuted and outlawed faith as Jews scattered and hid themselves throughout the Roman Empire.
A semblance of the original Faith remains today.
Well, it appears pretty evident from the pages of our Bible, specifically in the Renewed Covenant (or the New Testament as popularly titled), that the original Faith delivered to the first-century saints by the Master, Jesus Christ, is not the same Christianity that we find throughout the world today.
Despite some variances in the practice and support issues like circumcision and other less weightier matters of the Law (or Torah) that formed the absolute foundation of the Faith once delivered, the tenets and belief system of the original Faith was homogeneous and true to the original teachings of Jesus and His disciples; and this ran throughout the empire and in every home and synagogue (yes, synagogue) of the general eklessia.
But something changed.
The challenges to the original Faith were more subversive than overt and the resultant changes occurred over the course of many years, decades and ultimately centuries. However, as early as the 60’s of the Common Era, the original Faith was slowly infiltrated by individuals with questionable and even unsavory agendas and dispositions. Jude, the brother of our Master, Jesus Christ, recognized this and announced his concern to the general ekklesia as such: For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. (Jud 1:4 KJV).
The first three to four centuries of the church’s existence is hailed as somewhat of the golden years where millions flooded the pews and understanding of God, the Son, and the faith gradually solidified. Scholars go further to describe the foundational changes our Faith underwent as it morphed and took shape during these first three centuries in terms of a “progressive revelation.” By the tail-end of the third and into the first quarter of the fourth-century, the administration of our faith was overseen and controlled by the Universal Church or the Roman Catholic Church which seized complete interpretative and authoritative control of the faith.
(… it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. (Jud 1:3 KJV)). (I contend that it is high time that this remnant come out of hiding and blow this great commission out of the water as the Master commanded.)
No well knowing scholar or teacher of the Bible can ever truly compare the nascent church heading in to the 2nd century (i.e., the church as it existed before the death of the last apostle) and say (1) that Christianity today is the faith that was taught to and practiced by the first century saints as evident in the content of the apostolic epistles of the renewed covenant; and (2) that Christianity today is how the Master envisioned and intended that it would be just prior to His ascension to heaven from the Mount of Olives. From the death and resurrection of Messiah to the death of the Apostle John, it appears from the book of Acts and apostolic epistle accounts that the faith was uniform in its appeal and doctrinal make-up as evident by Paul’s statement to the Ephesian ekklesia: “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Eph 4:4-6 KJV)”
Today, depending on what source you tap, our faith has fractured into some 20,000 to 30,000 denominations.
Many will contend that the fragmentation was part and parcel of the so-called progressive revelation movement that the universal church contends took hold of the church from the second-century to today. But is this in fact the case? Is or was there a “progressive revelation” that occurred or is occurring; and is this progressive revelation a true movement of the Holy Spirit?
When it comes to such weighty matters as our eternal destiny and our daily walk with the Master, we cannot fall into the trap of “group think.” According to Wikipedia, Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people, in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. Group members try to minimize conflict and reach a consensus decision without critical evaluation of alternative viewpoints, by actively suppressing dissenting viewpoints, and by isolating themselves from outside influences. A true disciple of Jesus Christ must be a “freethinker,” bold and willing to stand up for what he or she knows is of God and against what he or she knows is not of God.
We are compelled to follow the teachings of the Master, not the teachings and doctrines of denominations. And the teachings of the Master are contained in our Bibles.
We are commanded to follow Father and follow Father alone through Jesus our Lord. We are to follow no man. Jesus made it abundantly clear as to whom we must follow: 26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. (Joh 12:26 KJV) Thus, when we follow Jesus, and Jesus alone, it is then that the Father honors us in this life and the life to come.
One of the things that I’ve come across in my studies is a change in how we perceived and understood the Law or Torah as believers of the true faith spoken of by Jude. There is sizable evidence that the first century church actually obeyed Torah, despite orthodox christianity’s teachings to the contrary. A simple read of the entire book of Acts is proof enough that the first century, nascent church, observed Torah without exception. The apostles, even Paul, were staunch proponents of Torah keeping by the believer of Christ; again, despite teachings to the contrary. Even gentile congregations were Torah observing.
Why then would the church abruptly discard the Law at some point soon after the death of the last apostle and then teach a faith that anathematizes the law?
As more and more gentiles came in to the Christian Faith, and as persecutions and challenges battered the ekklesia, anti-Semitism slipped in and forced the church to move away from anything having to do with the Hebrew roots of the Faith. As hatred towards the Jews grew and spread throughout the Roman Empire and ultimately within the ekklesia, it stands to reason that those who came in to the church with unsavory intentions were successful in convincing the ekklesia to abandon the Torah/Law.
I submit to you that the post apostolic church (i.e., the ekklesia after the death of the Apostle John) gradually replaced the Hebrew foundations of the original Faith with Greek religious principles (e.g., the introduction of life after death and the believer’s spirit going to heaven and the non-believer going to hell at the time of death; the Trinitarian concept; the belief that Jesus was God come down to earth in the flesh; and other infused teachings and principles). By the fourth-century, the universal church, headed by Roman Emperor Constantine, had all but transitioned Christianity from its original Eastern/Palestinian/Hebraic/Apostolic construct to that of a Western/Paulinized/Greek construct.
When one asks a Christian on the street what role the Law or Torah plays or should play in their Christian life, the often terse reply that one receives is that “the Law was nailed to the cross of Christ” and thus we are no longer under the curse of the law–as if the law was a terrible thing that was placed upon those poor, unsuspecting Israelites.
Indeed, the denominations have done a great job of indoctrinating its people in an anti-Torah doctrine and mindset. I would submit that the denominations haven’t had to do too much convincing of their members of the “grace for law” exchange that has occurred in Christianity over the last 2000-years. Sadly, the problem seems to fall mainly at the Apostle Paul’s feet as this great man’s writings seem to have done a splendid job creating doubt in the minds of the faithful regarding the applicability of the Torah/the Law to the lives of believers.
Indeed, Paul was probably one of the most brilliant minds of his day and of His Judaic culture. Luke records the words of Paul, who summarized his background as follows: “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city and trained at the feet of Gamli’el in every detail of the Torah of our forefathers. I was a zealot for God, as all of you are today.” (Act 22:3 CJB)
One of the primary Pauline epistles that seems to have caused the greatest confusion around the relevance and applicability of the Law/Torah in regards to the Believers is found in Colossians 2. Paul writes: And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; (Col 2:13-14 KJV)
I use two very simple study techniques to get clearer understanding of what certain passages and phrases might mean: (1) after reading the entire chapter or even the chapter before to gain a better understanding of the context in which the passage is being written, I break down the verse and examine the words as they are literally translated from Greek to English–or Hebrew to English; and (2) check out other translation renderings. What I have found is that translators have from time-to-time opted to use certain phraseology and words to explain or define a passage in order to provide the reader with their personal understanding of what the author was trying to get across. One must bear in mind, however, that the translator, in his or her translation efforts, may be leaning to their own denominational understanding and biases of the passage and may be missing the true intent of the author altogether. Sometimes this error is seen (such as clearly seen in such passages as Mark 7:19 where the context of the Master addressing the manmade traditions of Judaism has nothing to do with the parenthetical insertion of (Thus He declared all foods clean.) (Mar 7:19 NAS)
But going back to Paul’s writing to the Colossae ekklesia: In this particular instance, the term ordinances implies some type of written decree. Eh, not really hitting the mark of actually meaning Torah or the Law, but for the sake of argument, let’s assume it could mean law and let’s then proceed. When the phrase “handwritten decree” is then connected to the passage, it now reads something to the effect, “blotting out the handwritten decree that was against us…” From what we know of the Law, the Law was never formulated and given to Israel as an instrument against the nation’s well-being. In fact, it served as a means to protect the Israelites FROM curses. Additionally, the Law/Torah has never been referred to as a decree. Wouldn’t it have been much easier for Paul to have simply written, “blotting out the Law of God that was once against us, He nailed it to the cross?” Now, I’ve heard throughout my Christian life a lot of vehemence against Jews and the Law, and how the Law is a curse. If one were then to hold such vehemence against the Law and the people of the Law, it wouldn’t be too difficult for that person to simply force the term ordinance to mean the Law/Torah. But again, is this truly what this verse and phrase is referring to? Let’s look at another translation of the exact same verse which reads: He wiped away the bill of charges against us. Because of the regulations, it stood as a testimony against us; but he removed it by nailing it to the execution-stake. (Col 2:14 CJB)
Ordinances in this translation mysteriously changes to that of a “bill of charges against us.” Understanding the context in which the passage was written becomes crucial to understanding the phrase “handwritten decree/ordinances against us.” One would learn from a study of the Hebraic roots of our faith that a handwritten ordinance or decree was simply a bill, a document that stipulated a debt that one owed to the holder of the note or decree. The terms of the debt was stipulated in the decree or ordinance and the debtor was expected to uphold the tenets of the ordinance and pay the debt. Obviously, we see this principle displayed today with our mortgages, car notes, and other credit card purchases.
For what one earns from sin is death; but eternal life is what one receives as a free gift from God, in union with the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord. (Rom 6:23 CJB). God requires holiness in order to establish a relationship with man.
Nowhere in Colossians 2:13, 14, can one apply Torah as being the thing that was nailed to the cross.
I believe there is sufficient evidence in the Holy Writ to support the Law/Torah being a necessity in the believer’s life.
Look at seven (7) reasons why the Law is a necessity for believers to follow and observe. I will of course provide in the show notes what I believe to be supportive Biblical passages:
1. The Master Himself proclaimed that the Law would remain till all (heaven and earth) came to pass away—
2. The Master taught His disciples and followers directly from Torah–
- Mat 7:12
- Luk 10:26
- Joh 8:17
- John 10:34
In all His teaching, why didn’t Jesus disavow Torah? Many will confuse the Master’s challenges of the teachings of the Pharisees and Scribes (Judaism) with the Torah/Law. But one has to always remember that the Pharisees adhered to the Talmud and not Torah. The Jewish nation practiced Judaism or Talmud which was designed by the rabbis to be a fence around Torah to prevent one from ever violating Torah. The problem with the Talmud? Although one might think that the rabbis were noble in their quest to make provision on behalf of the Jews so as to not violate Torah through a laundry list of rules and regulations, it became of such a burden to the Jewish people, that it was virtually impossible to keep. Thus, the misconception that Torah is impossible to keep. Secondly, the Father commanded that we not add to or subtract from the Law/Torah (reference Deu 4:2)
3. Torah or the Law was the basis for much of prophecy–
- Mat 11:13
- Luk 24:44
- Joh 15:25
- Heb 10:1
If a believer’s life is devoid of Torah/the Law, how then can he or she truly understand the true Faith once delivered?
4. John believed that Torah is an essential part of the believer’s life–
Seems to me that the Master has provided us with a three fold formula for our life in Messiah: (1) Torah, (2) Grace, and (3) Truth.
- Rom 3:19-31; 4:13-16
- 1Jo 3:4
5. Christianity has been described as Pauline Christianity whereby the doctrines, beliefs, and teachings of most Christian denominations are based almost entirely upon the writings of the Apostle Paul. Denominational Christianity generally teaches that Paul taught a gospel that was anti-Law/Torah. I came across several verses in his body of work where he actually defends the Law/Torah as being relevant to the Faith—
6. The Apostle Paul liked believers of Jesus Christ as spiritual Israel. If this analogy holds true, wouldn’t it be a fair assumption that the Law would apply to Christians?—
In this last passage, we see clearly that the Father fully intended that His Law/His Torah apply to everyone, be it Israeli or Gentile. There isn’t much to debate here.
7. If a hand-picked, anointed Apostle of Jesus Christ revered the Torah, wouldn’t it stand to reason that all believers should equally revere the Law/Torah?–
The Catholic Church early on asserted her authority to change the meaning of and the interpretation of scripture. According to http://www.catholicbasictraining.com/apologetics/coursetexts/6j.htm, “the Church is infallible in her teaching and in its role in interpreting scripture.” The article goes on to relate that the inapplicability of the Law/Torah was passed down to us by “Apostolic Succession over the past 2000-years.”
Following Jesus then requires that we do whatever He says do. Jesus said, “If you love me you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) Everyone of Jesus’ commandments came from the Law with the exception of the one new commandment that He gave to His followers as recorded in John 13:34. If Jesus commands us to keep His commandments and Jesus’ commandments were from the Law, it would stand to reason that the Christian who elects to not keep the Law/Torah is not a true disciple of Jesus Christ. So strict was Jesus in His requirement that His followers obey the Law/Torah, that he posed the following warning: So whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvot and teaches others to do so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys them and so teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Mat 5:19 CJB)
Churchianity, however, teaches that complete obedience to the Law/Torah is impossible. Well, that I have to say is a boldface lie. The Law/Torah requires that we not steal, lie, commit adultery, fornicate, murder, eat that which has been deemed unclean by the Almighty; and that we observe His holy days and love Him and love our neighbor. Granted, there are other commandments, but I think I hit upon the big ones.
So I ask you, what is the difficulty in keeping any of the above commandments? Oh, and if by chance we need assistance in meeting those standards, Father has made available to us a helper, the Holy Spirit. (John 14:16) If we desire to have that special relationship with the Father today, tomorrow, and throughout all eternity, we must conform to His standards and obey His laws and commandments. There are no free lunches in life; yes, even with God there are no free lunches.
by Rod Thomas | May 16, 2014 | Podcasts
Shalom Saints in Training! Today is the 16th Day of the 2nd Biblical Month and the 27th day of the Counting of the Omer. My morning Torah study and time with Father brought me to Number chapter 18. Here Yehovah provides for the well-being of the Levitical priesthood. Unlike any other tribe in #Israel, the Levites received their entire sustenance and income from the other tribes when those tribes came before Yehovah to offer sacrifices. What I found most interesting in this chapter was the #mitzvah that Aaron and his sons (i.e., the Levitical priesthood) would not have any inheritance or own any property. This was not the most compelling mitzvah however. The most compelling part of this mitzvah is Father’s explanation for the Levites not owning any property-“You are not to have any inheritance in their land; I AM YOUR PORTION AND INHERIANCE AMONG THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL” (vs. 20).
We, as true Believers of Messiah have been called to be priests as #Yeshua is the Cohen Gadol forever. As priests of the Most High, our life, our joy, our purpose, our all, should become entirely focused and centered upon Yehovah. How much of our lives is spent seeking and chasing after rewards and wealth and all the trappings that this life has to offer when we’ve been told through this prophetic shadow picture that Yehovah is to be our portion and inheritance? I have to tell you, this passage spoke very loudly to my soul. I’ve spent so much time chasing after earthly success and reward when the reality should be that Yehovah has called you and me to a much greater office. That office provides successes and wealth beyond the mundane things of this life. Our relationship with the Most High is greater than any earthly success or wealth and it takes a special set of eyes to actually grab hold of this pearl. Granted, we are instructed to provide for ourselves in terms of our food, clothing, and shelter-especially as it relates to us in the 21st century. However, our focus, as kings and priests, must not be upon earthly successes and wealth-but it must be upon our priestly calling and serving the Father with total abandonment.
May you walk in the power and might of #RuachHaKodesh this day and may we claim our priestly heritage and serve the Father in Spirit and Truth. Shalom.
