A Good Beginning
Do not in any way forsake the commandments of the Lord; but keep what you have received, neither adding thereto nor taking away therefrom. Didache, Chapter 5, Roberts-Donaldson translation
Adding/ taking away – The Didache (Teaching of the Twelve Apostles) is one of the earliest Christian documents, dating from the late 1st or early 2nd century. It is the oldest surviving written summary of church doctrine and was undoubtedly used to instruct Gentiles coming into the faith. What is important about the Didache is its very close connection to themes in the Tanakh, not least of which is this instruction based on the Torah commandment of Moses. Our efforts to recapture the thought of the earliest assemblies of Messianic believers recognizes just how crucial this instructional manual is for it clearly connects the early “church” to the existing Torah-observant Jewish community. With this background, we might reasonably ask, “When did the believing community decide that Torah no longer applied?” It certainly wasn’t true of the 1st century and early 2nd century instructions. So, what happened?
The answer is that Marcion happened. Marcion was the first to suggest that the “Old” Testament was obsolete. In fact, as far as Marcion was concerned, all of the Bible was useless and unnecessary except Luke and the letters of Paul. In other words, whatever contradicted Marcion’s theology was deemed unfit for spiritual consumption. For the first time, one of Christianity’s own theologians questioned the continuing authority of the sacred text. And even though the Church officially condemned Marcion, the seed for the distinction between the “old” and the “new” testaments was planted. Marcion believed that the God of the Old Testament was angry, vindictive and legalistic. In order to combat this Jewish, Old Testament God, it was necessary to jettison the documents that portrayed Him in this way as obsolete and culturally-dependent. Christians were not Jews and should not live according to Jewish customs.
It didn’t take long before men like Justin Martyr began to assert that the “Church” had replaced Israel and the “new” covenant of the Church made the covenant of the God of the Old Testament with the nation of Israel a thing of the past. Irenaeus capped off the trend with the connection between Adam and Christ, bypassing all of the history of Israel in one fell swoop. By universalizing the Genesis story so that it no longer presented a tribal storehouse of memories as exemplars for living but was now the grand principles of creation, God’s “intermission” with Israel could be rejected as a failed experiment subsumed under the Adam-Christ connection. Irenaeus shifted the foundation of the Old Testament by reinterpreting the prophecies of the Tanakh as though they applied to the Church. Soulen, Dacy and Dozier all document this transition. Amazingly, in spite of the good beginnings, it appears as if Christian thinking today is much more in line with these early Greek/Gentile fathers than it is with the Messianic Jews and Gentiles of the first century. Did you ever wonder why the Reformation didn’t really reform much of anything?
Topical Index: Marcion, replacement theology, Deuteronomy 4:2, Didache 5
Thanks for including some of the history that we often hear referenced. I read the Didache years ago, but I forgot basically everything it said. It’s also nice to read it through new eyes, that is, from a more Hebraic perspective.
“neither adding thereto nor taking away therefrom.” has been reiterated over and over right to the end of the Book in Revelation 22: 19:
“and if anyone takes away from the Words of the Book of this prophecy, YHWH shall take away his part from the Book of Life, and out of the set-apart City, which are written in this Book.”
yet there are folks who hold onto “New Testament teachings”, Paul’s “writings” and not budging, though Skip here has been diligently trying hard to have them in a paradigm change of mindsets from Greek to Hebraic comprehension of Scriptures.
The Torah which is translated as ‘law’ has NOT been done away with, if these folks will truly read their Bibles from beginning to end, to understand what is clean and unclean regarding food, and keeping YHWH’s Feast Days not the pagan feasts, and to fully grasp what Paul’s letters meant in context, whom they were addressed to, under what circumstances, to comprehend what he meant.
Skip has written many TW on such topics, and the video teachings taken on the Israeli tours are very clear on such topics too.
Beautiful video below-
“Christianity is a leavened apostate counterfeit pagan religion created 1700 years ago by Rome which came to be called Catholicism who in the creation of their religion didn’t even change the pagan Greek name they called themselves for 1000’s of years. If you enter into the faith of following Y’shua the Messiah you are not Christians, no more than you are gentiles but you have been grafted into the vine of Messiah Y’shua and that vine is Hebrew. You have crossed over, no longer a gentile but you have been grafted into the Hebraic vine and have been made a new creation, a new creature in Messiah. You are a seed of Abraham and have become joint heirs to all the promises given to the Patriarchs through Yahuwah’s covenants with the 12 tribes. You are not a pagan Catholic Christian you are part of the common wealth of Israel. You are an Israelite!!!”-Bill Sanford
http://youtu.be/QhsUv8XmVOo Enjoy!
The truth will set you free, be set FREE. Amein! Shalom!
Interesting, I never thought of the “joint heirs” verse before as a direct rebuttal of replacement theology. How are we “joint heirs” if we are the recipients of a “New” (different) covenant?
Gabe- exactly!
Paul’s writings has been so distorted by Christiandom teachings. Those folks forgot Paul was a Pharisee, knowing and memorising the entire Scriptures/Tanakh (before the “New Testament” was written) Word for Word, reason for his zeal in persecuting Believers before he met Yahushua, and had a wonderful paradigm change, to experience an eye-opener to Who Messiah was, and became the greatest disciple, if not apostle, and mightily used by YHWH. HalleluYAH!
“You are a seed of Abraham and have become joint heirs to all the promises given to the Patriarchs through Yahuwah’s covenants with the 12 tribes.” HalleluYAH!
Paul preached against a false gospel! And those not of the joint-heirs with our Forefathers of the Bible, are practicing and believing in that false gospel, having a different seed of the adversary planted in them. Sad!
You knew all that of course, Gabe, just gave me an outlet to pour out how sad I feel for those folks.
Sorry. And I could feel for Skip who tries very hard to get those folks out of Babylon.
Shalom to you.
!
GALATIONS 4
21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
“Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees, takes off his shoes – The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.” –Elizabeth B. Browning
Hi Dorothy,
Why should we not be under the law, if Law being Torah which means instructions?
Should not law be good for us if it keeps us on the right path?
Rom 3:31 Do we then nullify the law through faith/belief? YHWH forbid; on the contrary, we establish the law.
Is Paul contradicting himself? By no means! His writings/letters are addressed to certain communities with certain problematic issues-to the Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Colosians, and so forth.
Rom 7:22 “For I delight in the law of YHWH after the inward man.”
Law/Torah/instructions written in the inward man changes his lifestyle, mentality, attitude, manifesting in the outward man,bringing forth fruit of the Spirit after YHWH’s heart.
Ps 19:7 “The law of YHWH perfect converting the soul….”
Law/Torah/Instructions turns us back to YHWH’s paths, turning us AWAY from transgressing against Him; teaches us what clean and unclean is, what He desires from us, according to His rules.
Prov 6:23 “For the commandment a lamp; and the law light; reproofs of instruction the way of life.”
Law/Torah lights up our paths and directs our way, that we see clearly not groping in the dark, to stumble, or fall.
We do so need the law these days as the lawless have sadly lost their way, losing their spiritual sight.
Prov 28: 4 “They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.”
We do see clearly which side of the law folks are on by their actions and their submission to.
Those who are lawless will stand in the way/counsel of the transgressors Ps 1, and those who delight in the law/Torah will strive with them, as plainly that is what we are doing in the world today.
We are in the world,but not of the world, who are blind without law/Torah/Instructions not seeking YHWH, but victims of darkness leading to destruction of themselves and other innocent folks.
Verse 7 “Whoso keeps the law a wise son….”
Verse 9 “he that turns his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer abomination.”
Often I have church folks who say they are praying for me as they see me in a different way from theirs. Hmm I wonder if their prayers are heard by ABBA.
Prov 29:18 Blessed is he that keeps/guards the law/Torah.
Ps 119 has heaps on subject of law/commandments/statutes/precepts/way/Word/judgments.
They are the one and same word.
Yahushua is the Word, the Torah. If we reject the Law/Torah, we reject Him.
I hope these help to resolve some of the translation issues, interpratations and mindset you are facing Dorothy, as I see your zeal in seeking but quite missing the mark.
Blessings to you in seeking and digging deep,
Ester
Ester — thank you for your sweetness and your caring. I know by that you love GOD with all your heart, for that is a mark of those that are His!
I think/I hope this is a site that welcomes different views. Hearing someone else’s view helps us to work out why we believe what we believe so that we don’t stumble around with sort of a “I don’t know, I just do” lameness.
After we have received grace through the work of God in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, should we then live by the Law?
I can’t think so and here’s why:
Remember how Jesus violated the Law of the Sabbath (according to the experts of the time). This was one of the Ten, higher than the 600+ which Judaism counts, and as such represents the whole Law.
Sabbath even predates the giving of the Sinai Law, it was given by God at the beginning of human history, yet concerning this exemplary law, Jesus said –
“The Sabbath was made for mankind [humanity], not mankind for the Sabbath.
So [therefore] the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27-28.
He was/is saying that He has authority over the Sabbath simply because He, Jesus, is a human being. (The term ‘son of man’ was Christ’s favourite way of referring to Himself to emphasize His identification with us.)
It was not His deity, but His humanity which gave Him this authority over the Sabbath to modify its observance. In other words, because he was a sinless human being, (only one ever) He is restoring God’s original intention regarding the commands of God in His personal conduct.
The law of the Sabbath is the only law among all the Ten which comes from the very beginning. All the others were added later as a sign to Israel of the character of its national covenant with God. This is important.
By His atonement for us upon the cross, (which is under attack) Christ is the ‘Door’ or the Way, for everyone who will believe on Him, into a restoration of God’s original intention for human life. It was Jesus Christ who opened that door.
(Please continue with me a while longer) We do not go back to the ‘ancient paths’, the ‘old ways’, (backwards to law has been called by beautiful, alluring names) but they were school masters. The law is the mirror. It shows us how soiled we are. It can do nothing about cleaning us up. But grace is the soap. It can clean up what the mirror shows. Without the mirror we’d never know.
If our Bible is inspired by God, which I personally believe, then the Law given through Moses, and the Grace of God given through Jesus Christ, are both from God.
Rules cannot be a substitute for walking according to/in the nature of God. He is out toand going to restore all things that were broken.
As Christ was the fulfilling of the Law, fulfilling its purpose, so also are we today, if we walk in His Spirit! fulfilling His purpose, what might that be? Gal. 5, love, peace, joy, etc.
We cannot do this thru self effort. I cannot walk a singe day obeying law, but Jesus could and did. Then He swapped places with me, gave me His righteousness and bore my sin to Calvary to pay my penalty for all I had broken/sinned.
A new nature had to be given to us from the Spirit of God. It is called re-birth. This is why the Holy Spirit’s relationship to Jesus the Man, which began with the sign of the dove, a sweet sign of new beginning at His baptism by John, has been given to all who believe.
Observations of the nature of a natural dove, –the bird–, is helpful in understanding the Spirit of God. So gentle, a loud voice will scare him away, he is not bossy and demanding or cruel and hard, and the Spirit moves ever so gentle to lead us into paths of righteousness. (Ps. 23)
Jesus also said He is the light, and observations of light give us insight as well to His personality. Light arrives every morning at 186,000 miles per second, –yet does not knock the petals off a fading rose in the garden or shred an old tattered spider web. Light is able to touch a pigpen without absorbing any odor or stain on itself. (this study of light from FB Meyer)
Hi Dorothy,
Here’s a portion of scripture I’m sure your familiar with, “Gal 3:24
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”
Just a little clarification first, before I ask you a question. Most of the translations have (as this one) “WAS our schoolmaster”, however it’s a second perfect so that it would be a completed action. In other words, it should read something along the lines of “has become” as a completed act. The other clarification is concerning the word “unto”. Simply said it should be into. So, all that said, it should read something like, the law has become our schoolmaster (trainer/tutour) into Christ.
Here’s the question Dorothy, are we trained “into” Christ by the doing of the law, or by the not doing of the law? What does the text declare? The backside of this question then become obvious. If the law is the means by which we are trained and therefore led into Christ, if we refuse that means, what (or who) are we being led into? Scripture only gives us two options, lawful or lawless.
“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).
Doctrinally, your position is opposed to grace.
If you fail to keep one of the laws you have broken them all. This is the very reason we are under grace.
Under the Old Covenant there was certainly grace under the surface of the law, in the New Covenant grace rules over the law.
A sacrifice was the way failure was dealt with in the Old.
(also the way it was dealt with thru Jesus, but only ONCE)
And now we are not under grace to keep the law of the O.T. because the Scripture makes it clear no one can.
Albert Einstein’s definition of Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
It is Jesus Who kept the law where we could not and He kept it absolutely perfectly.
I hear that noted on this blog lots of times “Jesus kept the law”.
He absolutely did and we are in perfect agreement on that.
Every requirement small or large was kept in the absolute way God required it of man.
To God be the Glory.
So Christ lived a perfect, righteous life — even to the point of his death on the cross.
We are under grace because of His righteousness that is imputed to our account.
I have answered over and over for my reason to believe.
In future I may simply copy and paste this same thing to the same question put to me.
I will keep my eyes on what Jesus has done for me. No turning back.
Follow any path you want to, but Jesus is the Way, the Truth, the Life.
We haven’t had a song for awhile, but my heart is already singing this one as I type:
I Have Decided to Follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.
Tho’ none go with me, I still will follow,
Tho’ none go with me I still will follow,
Tho’ none go with me, I still will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.
My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I’ll carry till I see Jesus,
My cross I’ll carry till I see Jesus;
No turning back, No turning back.
The world behind me, the cross before me,
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
No turning back, no turning back.
The paradigm of Augustine-Luther is so strong that it overrides any attempt to actually understand the text in it OWN CONTEXT. I don’t think there is much point is continuing the discussion here, Dorothy, since your position is entrenched classical Christian doctrine and you seem not to be willing to even entertain the opposing scholarship of Eisenbaum, Gager, Young, Reed, Boyarin, Soulen, etc.
I am worn out from teaching all day here in Jerusalem. Would someone please help Dorothy understand that Yeshua NEVER violated Sabbath and that all of the arguments about sabbath were not based in the requirements of the written, and often also the oral, Torah. This common Christian myth plagues clear exegesis. I just don’t have the time to address it now.
Thanks
Skip
Aw Dorothy, I’m a bit disappointed in your reply.
Your response didn’t even touch on the question posed, I’ll try it again.
According to this text in Galatians, are we tutored/led to The Christ by DOING the requirements of the law, or are we tutored/led to The Christ by NOT DOING the law? It’s acually a very simple question, I just ask that you look at in honesty. I already understand what you believe, the response given above reiterates that belief, however it does not address this most simple of questions.
“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).
Doctrinally, your position is opposed to grace.
It’s kinda odd that you posted this section of scripture in opposition to the position you have accused me of. It basically says the exact same thing that Paul is expounding on.
So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. Rev 12:17
This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus. Rev 14:12
huh ?????????????????????????
I’d appreciate an explanation for this comment to me if you don’t mind. thanks
Hi Dorothy,
Different views are fine, but, through whose eyes, may I ask, if Scriptures say otherwise?
Yahushua was correcting the Oral laws set as safety borders, so as not to transgress the laws,
but not the Oral Law applies not to everybody-some for priests, some are for women, etc.. and in that instance, life is as always top priority, as the disciples were hungry.
Yes shabbat was and is made for mankind, for their good, a rest day to bless YHWH,
and not meant to restrict them, just we discipline our kids, it’s not to punish them, but to teach them to be responsible, to be careful.
“It is Jesus Who kept the law where we could not and He kept it absolutely perfectly.
I hear that noted on this blog lots of times “Jesus kept the law”.
He absolutely did and we are in perfect agreement on that.”
So according to the above, if you had taken the thrash out today, you need not take it out the next day? 🙂
It is still up to us to stay disciplined, in order to walk in obedience to His commandments, would that mean we are obeying the law? YES!
“A new nature had to be given to us from the Spirit of God. It is called re-birth. ”
That new nature is not instant birth, it is a process of understanding and growing, and maturing in trusting YHWH, through daily experience in obedience, i.e. living according to His Ways/Torah/Instructions/Law.
Alas, we have so surrendered our wisdom and discernment for truth, by the teachings of men, rather than the Spirit.
Blessings to you in seeking, and being renewed in Messiah.
Christ presented Himself, often through parables- to the people Israel as a “picture,” symbolically, even “most strangely” as the Good (?) Samaritan. ~ (Luke 10:25-37) A priest, a Levite and one who was a Samaritan were walking down the road one day..- Who stopped to help this “wounded one?”
He came unto His own.. Who were “His own (people?) Where was He born? In the city Bethlehem, born to a Jewish family and raised in the carpenter’s shop- living, eating, dwelling among the Jewish people. Look at His lineage, painstakingly spelled out “in the beginning” in the gospel (good news) according to Matthew’s account.
He came unto His own.. He was (and is!) literally and figuratively, “King of the Jews,” but is that all? King of the Jews (only?). He is a greater King than that, for tHis kingdom has no end, and we learn (later on) this Man, this peasant itenerant son of a carpenter is the King of ALL kings and LORD of all lords and that (is anyone listening?) “EVERY” knee shall bow and “EVERY” tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is LORD to the glory of God the Father! Are we deaf, dumb, blind and dead that we cannot see this? Or are we as the scriptures so eloquently state, “Willingly Ignorant” of these things. Is Christ Himself, “anti Semitic?” What, (to put it ever so bluntly) foolishness. He, Himself is a Jew, forever will remain a Jew and came directly into the midst of His own people, -the Jews.. Again, born in Bethlehem..
Jews or Gentiles? It is NOT, It is NOT Hebrew OR Greek. It is saved or not saved. It is saved or lost. It is either sinner or saint. It is either wheat or tare. It is either sheep or goat. And the “difference” between the two is not diet, nor days, but deity. Is Jesus (not “was”), but IS Jesus (who is the) Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach, THE MESSIAH, our MESSIAH- the LORD of ALL? LORD of the Jew AND the Gentile? Or is He LORD (only) of the Jew? Must we (who are Gentiles) become Jews and live according to Catholic, er.. excuse me “Jewish” customs and ways, including not eating certain meats or “working” on certain days, or tithing the leaves of each mint plant we might grow in our garden to be “kadosh?” What causes “any man” (yes, any man, -Jew or Gentile) to be kadosh, or holy? Friends, the question (for all of us) is: “Who is on the LORD’s side?”
Is “holiness” the way to Christ, or is Christ the Way of holiness? (His own words were, as I recall, I AM the Way..)
Yes, we (the goyim) have been adopted into the covenant promises of Abraham, and there is a very good possibility the language of Heaven will be Hebrew! (who knows?). There is much we (I) don’t know, but I do know this (and of a certainty!). It is (only) the blood of Christ that cleanses us (all of us) from ALL sin. And again, when our Bible (and it is OUR Bible) belonging to the Jew and the Gentile, written to (are you ready for this?) “Whosoever will”- (now, I wonder just “who” that might be?), when our Bible says: “ALL have sinned.. does this include even the Law-keeping, law-abiding, Paul,formerly known as Saul the Pharisee? Did even “Saint Paul” or Apostle Paul or whatever religious accolades or titles we may want to bestow upon him, say, This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”–and I am the worst of them all.” Here we have a confession and one that according to the (inspired or God-breathed) words of Paul “everyone” should accept it for (again) according to the scriptures “ALL” have sinned..
We, the breathing creatures of the human race are in this together. We are the sheep, formerly known as the goats. We are the adopted ones, formerly without God and without hope. (Do we) ~remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world? But now, (may I?) BUT NOW you have been united with Christ Jesus! Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to Him through the blood of Christ, (THE MESSIAH). Selah. Amen.
Selah. (Pause right here. Stop whatever you are doing and think about this. Selah. The pause that refreshes! “brought near!” (how?) through the blood of Christ. It is (only) through the cleansing AND covering blood of our LORD Jesus (who is the) Christ, that we are (even able to be) brought near to God.
“If” we wish to draw near to God (to God who is thrice-holy!) then our very first prayer has to be (of necessity) “cleanse me and cover me,” O LORD, through and by Your atoning blood. Yes. ~ For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified ~ – (those who are being made holy!). Holiness is both imputed and imparted. Holiness (the process, the process of sanctification, the process of our being made in the likeness of our dear Savior, is a process, a journey- a “lifelong” process of our “growing up,” of our maturing *in Christ.*
~ As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby ~ (1 Peter 2.2)
~ You have been born anew not from some seed that will decay, but from one that cannot decay, through the living Word of God that lasts (and will remain) forever. ~ (1 Peter 1.23)
Do we remember the words of the prophet Isaiah? ~ The voice of one, saying: Cry. (Call out. Shout.) And I said: What shall I cry? ALL flesh (Jewish flesh? Gentile flesh? or “ALL” flesh?) is grass, and all the glory thereof as the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades: because the Breath (Ruach- Breath-Wind-Spirit) of the LORD blows upon it: surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand (abide-remain-endure) forever ~
Do we remember whose very Name IS “the Word of God?” ~ He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His Name is the Word of God ~ (Revelation 19.13) May every kindred, every tribe on this terrestrial ball- to HIM all majesty ascribe and crown Him – “LORD of all.” Amen and amein and Hallelujah! He is LORD of Heaven and Earth.
~ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to EVERYONE who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Gentile ~ (Romans 1.16) ~ How, then, can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone proclaiming/announcing/heralding (the good news) to them? (Romans 10.14) Do we remember the first time the “good news” (the gospel) was announced? ~ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the LORD ~
~ May God be gracious to us and bless us, and make His face to shine upon us, that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among ALL nations ~ (Psalm 67:1-2)
To know Him and to make Him known.. – There is no higher calling. ~ Today, if you will hear His voice.. ~
Christ also presented Himself often through parable and prophecy- to the people Israel as a “picture,” symbolically, even “strangely” as the Good Samaritan. ~ (Luke 10:25-37) A priest, a Levite and one who was a Samaritan were walking down the road one day..- Who stopped to help this “wounded one?”
Jews or Gentiles? It is NOT, It is NOT Hebrew or Greek. – It is saved or not saved. It is saved or lost. It is either sinner or saint. It is either wheat or tare. It is either sheep or goat. And the “difference” between the two is not diet, nor days, but deity. Is Jesus (not “was”), but IS Jesus (who is the) Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach, THE MESSIAH, our MESSIAH- the LORD of ALL? LORD of the Jew AND the Gentile? Or is He LORD (only) of the Jew? Must we (who are Gentiles) become Jews and live according to Catholic, er.. excuse me “Jewish” customs and ways, including not eating certain meats or “working” on certain days, or tithing the leaves of each mint plant we might grow in our garden to be “kadosh?” What causes “any man” (yes, any man, -Jew or Gentile) to be kadosh, or holy? Friends, the question (for all of us) is: “Who is on the LORD’s side?”
Is “holiness” the way to Christ, or is Christ the Way of holiness? His own words were, as I recall, “I AM the Way..”)
Yes, we (the goyim) have been adopted into the covenant promises of Abraham, and there is a very good possibility the language of Heaven will be Hebrew! (who knows?). There is much we (I) don’t know, but I do know this (and of a certainty!). It is (only) the blood of Christ that cleanses us (all of us) from ALL sin. And again, when our Bible (and it is OUR Bible) belonging to the Jew and the Gentile, written to (are you ready for this?) “Whosoever will”- (now, I wonder just “who” that might be?), and when our Bible says: “ALL have sinned.. does this include even the Law-keeping, law-abiding, Paul,formerly known as Saul the Pharisee? Did even “Saint Paul” or Apostle Paul or whatever religious accolades or titles we may want to bestow upon him, say, This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”–and I am the worst of them all!” Here we have a confession and one that according to the (inspired or God-breathed) words of Paul “everyone” should accept for (again) according to the scriptures “ALL” have sinned..
We, the breathing creatures of the human race are in this together. We are the sheep, formerly known as the goats. We are the adopted ones, formerly without God and without hope. (Do we) ~remember that we were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world? But now, (may I?) BUT NOW we have been united with Christ Jesus! Once we were far away from God, but now we have been brought near to Him through the blood of Christ, (THE MESSIAH, our Messiah). Selah. Amen.
Selah. (Pause right here. Stop whatever you are doing and think about this. Selah. The pause that refreshes! “brought near!” (how?) through the blood of Christ. It is (only) through the cleansing AND covering blood of our LORD Jesus (who is the) Christ, that we are (even able to be) brought near to God.
“If” we wish to draw near to God (to God who is thrice-holy!) then our very first prayer has to be (of necessity) “cleanse me and cover me,” O LORD, through and by Your atoning blood. Yes. ~ For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified ~ (those who are being made holy!). Holiness is both imputed and imparted. Holiness, the process of sanctification, the process of our being made in the likeness of our dear Savior, is a journey- a lifelong transformational pilgrammage of our “growing up,” of our maturing *in Christ.*
~ As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby ~ (1 Peter 2.2)
~ You have been born anew not from some seed that will decay, but from one that cannot decay, through the living Word of God that lasts (and will remain) forever. ~ (1 Peter 1.23)
Do we remember the words of the prophet Isaiah? ~ The voice of one, saying: Cry. (Call out. Shout.) And I said: What shall I cry? ALL flesh (Jewish flesh? Gentile flesh? or “ALL” flesh?) is grass, and all the glory thereof as the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades: because the Breath (Ruach- Breath-Wind-Spirit) of the LORD blows upon it: surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand (abide-remain-endure) forever ~
Do we remember whose very Name IS “the Word of God?” ~ He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His Name is the Word of God ~ (Revelation 19.13) May every kindred, every tribe on this terrestrial ball- to HIM all majesty ascribe and crown Him – “LORD of all.” Amen and amein and Hallelujah! He is LORD of Heaven and Earth.
~ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to EVERYONE who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Gentile ~ (Romans 1.16) ~ How, then, can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone proclaiming/announcing/heralding (the good news) to them? (Romans 10.14) Do we remember the first time the “good news” (the gospel) was announced? ~ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the LORD ~
~ May God be gracious to us and bless us, and make His face to shine upon us, that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations ~ (Psalm 67:1-2)
To know Him and to make Him known.. – There is no higher calling. ~ Today, if you will hear His voice.. ~
Paul, missionary to the Gentiles, the nations surrounding Israel, wrote these enduring and endearing words: ~ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, (the good news of Christ) for it is the power of God for salvation to EVERYONE who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek ~ (Romans 1.16)
Now quickly, before any distracting thought enters in, who is the gospel (the good news of Christ) for? The gospel is (always and will remain so) to the Jew first (for they are, -have been and always will be) God’s chosen people, (the “church” is NOT the “New” Israel), BUT (Hallelujah) God, in His infinite mercy has remembered and included those who are not Israel, (the goyim) a Way of deliverance, of salvation and of sanctification, and (have we forgotten?)- the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom! Why? ~ Because God SO loved the world.. ~
Again, “Christ died for sinners..” and ALL have sinned..Jews/Gentiles are ALL included for “Whosoever will” may come and drink of the water of life- freely. ~ we go on proclaiming The Messiah executed on a stake (the tslav, the cross) as a criminal! To Jews this is an obstacle, and to Greeks it is nonsense; but to those who are called, *BOTH* Jews and Greeks, this same Messiah is God’s power and God’s wisdom! ~
~ He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we (all-both Jew and Gentile) might become the righteousness of God *in Him* ~ (2 Corinthians 5.21) ~ for God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself! ~