Who Cares?
Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. Acts 6:11 NASB
Against Moses – If you read Luke’s account of the works of the apostles (commonly called Acts), you will find a very curious thing. Over and over the apostles claim to observe the teachings of Moses. They do not break tradition with their Jewish brethren. They are devout followers of Torah. In fact, they are so meticulous in keeping the instructions of Scripture that evil men have to induce others to make up lies about them in order to squelch their proclamation. Stephen is a perfect example. His teaching about Yeshua the Messiah was so powerful that those who opposed him could not win any argument. But notice their tactic. They had to lie about Stephen’s claims.
Why is this such a curious thing? Well, it implies that Stephen kept the Torah. If Stephen were one of the “under grace” believers that we find today, they would not have had to lie about his teaching. He would clearly abandon the Torah. No one would have doubted it. He would have said, like many do today, that we are now under grace, that the Law has been set aside and is no longer effective. But Stephen didn’t do that. So, they had to lie about him to make it seem as if he did.
Don’t you find it just a bit odd that Stephen, the first “Christian” martyr, was so observant of Moses’ teaching that they couldn’t find any legitimate grounds to accuse him? That’s not what the church teaches today, is it? You see, there is a great confusion about Law and Grace that has been part of Christian circles for many centuries now. But there wasn’t any confusion in Stephen’s thinking – or in Paul, John, James, Peter or any of the rest of them. No apostle spoke against Moses (the Greek here is blasphema eis Mosen, literally “blasphemous into Moses”). No one could find any grounds for such a claim. Apparently, the apostles didn’t see any disparity between law and grace.
Paul helps us see why. Grace has always been the means of salvation. Abraham was saved by grace. So are we. Grace has nothing to do with earning favor with God – but – being obedient to God’s instructions has everything to do with being useful for God’s purposes. There is no conflict between law and grace because they are not about the same thing. Obedience brings usefulness, blessing and purpose. That is not what grace brings. Grace brings right standing before the Father. He alone exercises the process that declares us righteous. But we are called to grateful obedience in order that we might be of maximum use to Him. That’s what a slave is supposed to do – be useful. And God has given us the handbook on usefulness. It’s called the Torah.
Notice, if you will, that the subtle confusion of law and grace is present in this small translation. You see, the Greek does not repeat the word “against.” It combines blasphemy against Moses in the same category as blasphemy against God. The Greek says, “blasphemous into Moses and God.” This implies that when I speak against what Moses said, I am also speaking against what God said. They are the same. Every Jew would have read the passage that way. But we have graduated! We now distinguish Moses’ teaching from God’s. I wonder why? Do you suppose the translators wanted you to think that there was a divide between the two?
Do you want to live the maximized life? Do you want to be entirely useful to Him? Well, He tells you exactly how to do that. Are you listening?
Topical Index: law, grace, usefulness, blasphemy, Acts 6:11
I like the sense of unity of purpose this notion presents. That God form the foundation used al things in heaven and on earth to show His love for us through His provision. He gave us life, a place to live and serve and a code to follow by HIs grace. I all is happening as one unsustained string that leads right back to Him. He wants us to walk the line , the road , the loop, the journey. It begins and ends in heaven.
Dear Skip,
Greetings to you in Yeshua’s name. I am a Christian, not from the socks of natural Israel. Or plainly saying, a gentile Christian. Do you say I have to obey the Torah?
Please do not misunderstand me as I am arguing. I want to be clear. I really enjoy our writings.
Did apostle Paul observed the law of Moses all times? Galatians 5:4; Rom.10:4.
Please do not repeat think I am arguing; but want to know the truth. Please advise.
Sincerely,
BN
bn
Hey, Skip. I have grown up in Christian circles all of my life and am lost when it comes to knowing and understanding the Torah. I want to follow it as closely as possible, not to ‘earn’ my salvation to know I am living a maximized life before God. Where do I begin???
dr. bolan
the purpose of the Torah (instruction) in twofold. One is to show us we are not perfect. No, not one. There is only one perfect and unblemished One who ever lived and “kept” or observed without blemish, the ten words or ten commandments. What many today do not realize is the absolute perfection of YWYH and of the place where He now dwells and we one day soon will also live. Heaven is an absolutely perfect place with zero sin. If all I did my entire life was to steal a pencil, ( or some other ludicrously small amount of sin in our eyes), thisOr would prevent my fellowship from an absolutely Holy G-d. If I were to take an eyedropper and drop just one drop of gasoline into a glass of water would you want to drink it? Just trying to illustrate what our Bible means when it says, “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of G-d” The commandment is a lamp and the law is light. Exposure. Revelation. The surgeon works under a bright light to “expose” what needs to be fixed. We are just trying to establish the truth: “all have sinned.” Erred. Blundered. We have rebelled against One who is holy. So, the first purpose of the Torah is to show our true condition. This is the bad news.
Now for the good news. There was one man perfect man (the second Adam) who lived and did “keep”
and obey the Torah (Believer’s Instructions Before Leaving Earth). All of the Old Testament prophecies,pictures, poetry, parallels,paradoxes,patterns,and portrayals prepared the way for us to recognize the Messiah the second Adam. He was (the) G-d in human flesh and lived His entire life of thirty three years on this planet as the son of man. He came not only to show us the Way, but He himself is the Way. He came not only to speak Truth, He is Truth incarnate. He came not only to give us new life by His death, He is Life. Through His perfect life,sacrificial atoning death on the tslav (cross), and resurrection from the dead, we who believe have now been given the ability to keep the Torah and live as to please (now our Abba) by loving Him and loving (serving) one another. We are free from the dominion of sin and Satan by His Ruach HaKodesh which has taken up residence in each believing son or daughter of YWYH. We have been delivered (saved) from death to new life in Christ.
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Dr. Bolan, this is one of the best questions ever. How do I live a “maximized life” before G-d. My heart is one with yours on this and I want to share with you what I have learned and am still learning about this quality of life. First, a confession. We are miles from where we need to be. The next thing I would like to say, “the grass is greener nearest to the Shepherd.” I remember a statement from a former pastor. “G-d does business with those who mean business.” We need to kneel before HIM in broken,penitent humility with a hunger and thirst for Him. Everything in this life and the next is a gift including this “hunger” and “thirst” for Him. We must, we must spend time with our nose in His book. “It is written” is still relevant and vital today. “We do err, not knowing the Scriptures or the power of G-d.” How often has He asked us to remember His words. Ask the Holy Spirit to do His job. John 14.26 states “He will remind you of everything I have said unto you.” That is what He does- causes us to “remember”. The Greek word for truth is “alethia”,a- not,lethia- forget.
This journey with Jehovah must have a place of beginning. The absolute best piece of real estate in the world is found wherever and whenever we “bow the knee” and totally surrender the “all” of us. When YWYH has the “all” of us, we will have the “all” of Him. Would you want 90% of the love of your wife or children? Would you wife settle for 90% of you? I have given and will give in glad voluntary surrender what He has first given to me. My time, my talent, my treasure, my testimony, my teeth, my tongue and my thoughts. I am looking for more to give because He is so worth it. What is your treasure today? What is there to value above the Christ? Go ask King Solomon, he’ll tell you. Jeremiah 29.13
2009-02/19 :2100
Dr Bolan,
I too am new to Torah observance in the past month or so, and I have never been around someone who was Torah observant, so I’ve got a lot to learn. The urgency of your request reminds me of how I was feeling a couple yrs ago.
For a year or so I was searching for what the Bible means by “come near” & “seek him”. Building an intimate relationship with G-d was very important to me, but I didn’t know how to follow those instructions. I went to Strong’s, & read many different opinions on what the terms meant, but I was already doing those activities, and I somehow knew there was more to it.
One day I was watching my old Service Dog, Hero, move around. Since his hind quarters didn’t want to cooperate, he precariously balanced mostly on his front quarters as he silently requested I come over and sit with him. His mouth was formed into a large grin by the carrot he was holding in his mouth, but he waited to chew until I sat down beside him. Then he eased his body down with a sigh. This dog was still very “connected” to me; if my sleep apnea acted up and I quit breathing in the middle of the night he would magically appear at my bed to wake me. But he could no longer pull my wheelchair. He used-to take me to water therapy & then tell me when to get out of the pool, because in 30min my energy was going to disappear & I wouldn’t even be able to hold up my head. While he was still a working dog I was always able to get dressed & to the bus stop before I couldn’t hold onto his lead (except the one day I ignored him because I thought I knew my body better than he did). … But I digress.
I was working my way thru the end of the Old Testament. I forget which book it was, but it seems like the first verse of almost every chapter had “O human”, or some other way of emphasizing that despite being made “in the image” of G-d, we are two entirely different species. I plopped down beside Hero with my bible, and resumed where I left off. Then it hit me; my desire for Hero to “come near” (which was actually Hero’s request for me to “come near” him) might be very similar to what G-d was asking. I’m sure G-d enjoys my desire to please him. He appreciates that I try to make decisions that would bring Him glory, regardless of my life circumstances. But I think He also likes it when there are no distractions of words. And it feels like He does come and sit with me, just like I do with Hero. Sometimes my pain & fatigue levels are so high that I will go almost a week with only one or two hours of sleep during each night. During those painful wee hrs of the morning, it is not unusual for me to almost tangibly feel his affection for me; like being enfolded in a hug. That’s when I emotionally absorb His Truthful Loving Kindness.
-Truthful L. Kindness & “Blessing” the wheelchair Service Dog
-Tribute to Hero can be found at http://tribute.perfectmemorials.com/hero-service-dog/
I’m struggling with what “keeping the Torah” looks like. Help!
Faith, closely examine and scrutinize the life of Jesus the Christ. He kept it, and fulfilled it perfectly.
Dear Babu,
A great question, one that is asked a lot. First, if you go back and read the New Testament carefully, you will see the Paul (and all the rest) speak about Torah observance. They all followed the Torah. In fact, in the beginning, the followers of Jesus were not called Christians. They were called followers of the Way (Acts 9, I think) and that is the Way of the Torah. James says as much in Acts 15.
The purpose of Torah observance is NOT salvation. It is to be different in the world – different so that God can use you like a magnet to attract others. Our difference points out His glory. He ASKS us to be observant of His way of life so that we will be useful to Him. If we don’t follow Torah, He is still our Father and He still uses us, but He doesn’t get the maximum use out of us and we don’t experience the maximum fulfillment He planned.
More later.
Skip