Hebrew Thinking
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1
Condemnation – So, now you know that the Greek word katakrima is about a judicial pronouncement of guilt. In Greek, Paul tells us that we are not one bit guilty. We are not judged worthy of death. But what would that mean to Paul’s audience, an audience that was schooled in Hebrew thought patterns?
The investigation reveals that katakrino is related to the Hebrew mishpat. That changes everything! Why? Because the Hebrew mishpat means both “to judge” and “to rule.” Maybe that doesn’t sound too startling, but the impact becomes clear when we realize that in Hebrew thought the purpose of judging is not to reach an unalterable verdict but rather to restore a relationship. Look at Genesis 16:5 or Isaiah 2:4 or 1 Samuel 8:20. Grace and rescue go hand-in-hand with the process of judgment. To rule is to provide mercy.
How can this be? Isn’t condemnation a sign of exclusion? Doesn’t it mean that I am removed from the camp (or society)? Of course it does. But that isn’t the end of the story. Since all law is ultimately God’s law, the purpose of judgment is to restore the guilty to right relationship. All of God’s judicial decisions serve His covenant promises. What God wants is relationship. Punishment never serves the ultimate purpose of the covenant. It may be the inevitable consequence of refusing God’s offer of covenant peace, but it is not God’s desire. Condemnation must serve a higher purpose – to be restored.
This Hebrew point-of-view changes the way we look at Paul’s declaration. No condemnation is not simply the removal of deserved punishment. It is first and foremost the restoration of relationship. Not to be condemned means one thing above all else – peace with God! The Law serves its real salvation purpose only when it brings me to the end of myself and I recognize that I stand guilty before the Holy One. At that moment, the Law has done its job, and at that same moment, mishpat points me toward restoration. I give up on myself as the source of my worthiness and I discover that the same Law that brought me to the end of myself is now the signpost toward reconciliation. What condemned me now becomes the vehicle for what rules me in my restored relationship. Mishpat is “the gracious revelation of God which is the basis of his relationship not merely to the chosen people but to all peoples.”[1]
The covenant (and all its implications) is never far from Paul’s mind. It cannot be far from ours either. Judgment and rule go together. My condemnation serves as the doorway toward my restoration and in reconciliation I am once more ruled by the very thing that revealed my sin. Isn’t God great? Who could have ever thought this up but Him?
Topical Index: condemnation, katakrima, mishpat, rule, judgment, Romans 8:1, Genesis 16:5
[1] Herntrich, TDNT, Vol. III.
To be restored to righteous relationship with my Father, wow more than I deserve or expected, we do serve a awesome God, Thank you Lord for what you accomplish in this man.
Excellent Skip!
Question: “You are concluding then that reconciliation/restoration of our relationship with YHVH, through Yeshua, returns (t’shuvah) us to our intended state …. a state of obedience …. in accordance with the everlasting covenant?”
If this is correct then the obvious question is: “What standard of obedience rules our relationship with YHVH? Is it a standard that is relatively determined or is it an absolute unchanging standard that befits an unchanging, holy and righteous ELOHIM?
Let us momentarily, for the sake of discussion, agree that Torah is this unchanging standard that is to be the “rule of the restored”! If the hearts of the circumcised are the hearts of the spiritually re-born, then why do not all the elect move to embrace Torah as a life style? Why so very few?
Are we to conclude that the restoration of rule over us … in accordance with the everlasting covenant … is to take place some other time? … In the future? … Maybe when Yeshua (our Yovel) restores us completely? Or should it be today?
I am in no manner attempting to emphasize some very big differences within the Body Of Mashiach for the sake of discord … I am just trying to figure out how we are supposed to be spiritually and communally echad (unified) in the present age. We can talk and talk all we want about being unified in The Son and in Spirit. Please do not be offended however when I state that the reality seems to be nothing but fracture and discord within the Body Of Mashiach. This fracture and discord is driven by “relativism” and a failure to embrace “one way” … “His Way”. The discord is driven by doctrinal and halacha (practices) differences prevalent in the Gentile church from the day the Hebrew roots were abandoned.
So Skip what are your thoughts on this dynamic?
Thanks again, Drew. Yes, I believe that Torah is and will always be the constitution of the Kingdom. So, someday the “renewed” covenant will be written on every heart and all will worship Him in spirit and in truth.
But until then, it’s war.
2000 years of subtle (and not so subtle) accommodation to the world’s operating systems have effectively converted the Christian church into something that is unrecognizable from a biblical point of view. Most careful readers recognize this immediately. We know that the contemporary church doesn’t look anything like the first century church. But we don’t know why. We have been living in the pagan accumulation so long that we can’t find our way out except in unusual circumstances.
The reason so many do not embrace the constitution of God’s Kingdom is not due to obstinate disregard but because they are consistently fed a syncretism under the guise of Christianity. Week after week the institutionalized church perpetrates the disguise, not deliberately but because it knows no other way. Having discarded its Hebraic roots by the 3rd century, it has wander the hallways of Hellenism for 1700 years.
Now I believe that things are changing. There are more and more believers who see the gap and are looking for resolutions. They are experiencing restoration and finding a renewed covenant.
It was the same with Israel. Centuries of pagan accumulation led to religious form without spirit. Israel went through the same thing that is happening now. In my opinion, a great cleansing is coming and God’s people will find their way to Him because He is seeking us.
Does anyone of the people that participate of this forum have explored the relation between Torah, the Tree of Life and its presence in the New Jerusalem, specifically in Revelation 22??
Shalom Ismael, … the very, very short response! 🙂
I believe the tree of life must also be viewed in the context of the messages to the church which is of course tied to Revelations 22. I have always maintained that the negative which Yeshua declares against the early church (symbolically Ephesus) is their casting away of their Hebrew roots …. most notably Torah. Also note that it was at the council of Ephesus in 190 CE where Pesach was essentially abandoned for Easter and of course we know the rest is history … or actually prophecy 🙂
Revelations: 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. …. 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of Elohim.
Of course this church message (prophecy) brings us right back to Eden …. “the fall” and of course being turned away from the tree of life …. now guarded by Keruv’im! When the first love is viewed as Torah we see Yeshua connecting our designed relationship with Him to the tree of life. I believe it also signifies the turning away of the Gentile church from the authority that is Ruach HaKodesh.
Then we see once again the tree of life in New Jerusalem …. I see our complete and total restoration. A time and place and existence where we are no longer turned away from Eloheinu.
We could go on an on my brother but …. the tree of life and Torah are clearly connected. It would seem that “Torah” on the heart is a requirement to partaking of the tree of life. One humble opinion anyway!
Like you Skip there are others who view matters in terms of a spiritual war. So let me ask another question: “if as you believe (and so do I) Torah is integral to the Kingdom and the covenantal relationship …. what is our responsibility to those brethren that are entwined within a “mingled” non-Torah culture?”
I ask because this is a very sensitive issue for many believers. Obviously, like you … Skip Moen for instance, I am viewed as intolerant and an “enemy” of the church. But you know that there is a huge difference between being opposed to “The Body” versus being opposed to controlling “institutions” which themselves are governed by the principalities of the old creation.
I guess this is why war stinks! 🙁
Most of my graduate students are pastors in evangelical churches. So, I know the issue and the feelings. But the approach that I take is this: gently. God leads a person to the truth, not me. All I do is educate the Body about the differences between the world’s systems and the Bible. All I do is keep pointing to the Hebraic roots. I am only a messenger, not the author. The Author will lead them to the light – in whatever way He wishes.
So, yes, it’s war. But the weapons are His. I am only a witness to the conflict.
This is excellent, but raises another question in my mind: whether or not Hell is eternal. As far as I can tell, there are scriptures that could be interpreted either way (so this is where we need a Skip Moen). Given what Skip wrote below, though, N’m wondering if there is anything in the (non-universalist) view that Hell is real, and lasts for ‘aeons”, but not for “the aeons of the aeons.” I have recently read read Martin Zender’s little book “Martin Zender Goes to Hell” (see his website link below), and though initially I dismissed it as the ramblings of a rather zany man, I see connections with what Skip wrote here. God desires all to be saved, but judgement (and Hell) are real…the purpose of punishment is redemptive…
Before you cast me off as a heretic, let me just say that I am seeking the truth here! It Christendom has, in this, perpetuated yet another false doctrine based on erroneous translation of scripture, I want to know about it!
“The purpose of judgment is to restore the guilty to right relationship. All of God’s judicial decisions serve His covenant promises. What God wants is relationship. Punishment never serves the ultimate purpose of the covenant. It may be the inevitable consequence of refusing God’s offer of covenant peace, but it is not God’s desire. Condemnation must serve a higher purpose – to be restored…”
Martin’s website is below:
http://martinzender.com/
It’s quite interesting how the analysis could change if we move to another sphere of the PARDES. Right now all we are saying belongs to the first level or sphere. My brothers and sisters for more than 3 milleniums the Hebrew people interpret the TORAH using four ingredients. Search about Hell from the “sod” level and maybe we can find very interesting information.
Thanks,
IGS
Let me share some information from Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz in his book “The Thirteen Petalled Rose”
“One of the most extreme aspects of evil in the world of Asiya is called “Hell”. When the soul of man leaves the body and can relate directly to spiritual essences, thus becoming altogether spiritual (with no more than fragmented memories of having been connected with the body), then all that this soul did in life casts it into its right form on the appropriate level in the life after death. And thus the soul of the sinner descends, as it is symbolically expressed, to Hell.
In other words, the soul now finds itself wholly within the world-domain of these subversive angels whom it, as a sinner, created. There is no refuge from them, for these creatures encompass the soul completely and keep punishing it with full, exacting punishment for having produced them, for having caused the existence of those same angels. And as long as the just measure of anguish is not exhausted, this soul remains in Hell. Which is to say, the soul is punished not by something extraneous but by that manifestation of evil it itself created according to its level and according to its essence. Only after the soul passes through the sickness, torment, and pain of the spiritual existence of its own self-produced evil, only then can it reach a higher level of being in accordance with its correct state, appropriate for the essence of the good it created.”
Could it be possible that Rabbi Paul of Tarsus were thinking in something similar when he wrote 1Corinthians 3???
Hi Ismael,
1Corinthians 3 seems to me to be about the mistake of the “receivers” of the message (Corinthians) fixating on the “transmitters” of the message (Paul and Apollo) rather than on the sender of the message (Jesus).
And from Paul’s perspective, the “receivers” of the message are too spiritually immature to “digest” anything too substantial (meat) so Paul is forced to feed them spiritual baby food (milk), and the Corinthians can’t seem to digest that very well either.
Frankly, I don’t really understand Paul and what this all has to do with “carnality” is a mystery to me 🙂
Hello!!!
I must be more specific regarding the chapter and verses. It is 1 Corinthians 3:11-15. If we search the rabbinical literature we can find the mention of fire as the final stage of our purification. Of course I’m not saying that this interpretation is the correct one; what I’m saying is that this one is part of the argument that rabbis present when they are dealing with the soul once we died. This interpretation is so interesting that it is the one adopted by the Catholic Church. But we must remember that the Catholic Church adapted and adopted many teachings from the Jewish teachings. As an example we can read this quote from Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan. “The main judgment after death is in Gehenom, where the soul is cleansed in a spiritual fire, and purified so that it can receive its eternal reward.” It is this fire what Rabbi Paul had in mind when he wrote to the Corinthians???
Shalom
IGS
If you want to read the whole article written by Rabbi A. Kaplan you can go to:
http://www.aish.com/literacy/concepts/The_Soul.asp
Yes Ismael, I see what you are saying.
And agree with your interpretation of 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 (NASB):
“If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”
In plain English:
If man’s work burns, he suffers loss
but he is saved through fire.
This reminds me of C S Lewis’ description of Hell – a place where I get what I want. For those who have pursued selfishness as a way of life, they will inherit a totally selfish existence. Lewis correctly points out that anyone who lives this way will be most uncomfortable in heaven. Of course, total selfishness without the ameliorating hand of God will certainly be more than they wished for.
Following Dr. Moen’s comment:
“A person dies and awakens in a beautiful garden. The keeper of the garden is quite solicitous and gives the person whatever he asks for. He wants a beautiful house, and the house of his dreams instantly appears. He wants a perfect spouse, and the ideal spouse materializes. Each day he requests something new, and each day his wish is fulfilled. This goes on for many months. His wishes become more extravagant. He gets everything he wants. Nothing is lacking. He runs out of things to request. Days go by without a wish, the months.
He becomes bored. There is nothing to look forward to, nothing to challenge him. The taste of everything goes flat. Finally one day he says to the keeper of the garden, I’ve been thinking that maybe I would like to see what things are like on the other side.” The garden keeper says, “The other side, what do you mean?” “I mean that I wish I could see what it would be like to be in hell.” “Oh,” says the garden keeper, ” but, my friend, where do you think you have been all this time.” (Taken from the book, “God is a Verb” (p.290-291), by Rabbi David Cooper)
This is great! thanks. I will have to get the book. God is, indeed, a verb.
Dr. Moen, let me give the whole title, including subtitles: “God is a Verb. Kabbalah and the Practice of mystical judaism” Here is the link to amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/God-Verb-Kabbalah-Practice-Mystical/dp/1573226947/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247524202&sr=1-3
Hi Ismael,
The more I read “1 Corinthians 3” the more interesting it became. But I find the English translation very complicated and annoying to read. So I went through and put it in plain English for myself. It really is a great oration. I think it is much easier to understand in plain English, so I’d like to share it with others. I especially like the part about the Foundation and Fire.
1 Corinthians 3:11-15 (NASB) – PUT IN PLAIN ENGLISH
Brothers, I could not speak to you as spiritual men, because you act like men of flesh and infants in Christ.
I gave you milk to drink, rather than solid food, because you were not capable of consuming solid food. Indeed, even now you are not capable,
because you still act like men of flesh. There is jealousy and strife among you; aren’t you acting like men of flesh, and aren’t you walking like mere men?
For when one of you says, “I am of Paul” and another, “I am of Apollos,” aren’t you trying to act like mere men?
After all, who is Apollos? And who is Paul? We are Servants in whom you believe; but it is the Lord who gives us the opportunity to serve.
I planted, Apollos watered, but it is God who causes the growth.
Neither the one who plants, nor the one who waters, is in control; it is God who causes the growth.
Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each one receives his reward according to his own labor.
We are all God’s workers; but you are God’s field and God’s building.
According to the grace of God, which was given to me, and like a wise master builder I laid a foundation for others to build upon. But each man must be careful how he builds upon the foundation.
And no man can lay a foundation other than the one that I laid for you, because my foundation is Jesus Christ.
Now whether a man builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, each man’s work will become evident; because the day will reveal it with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.
If any man’s work remains on the foundation, he will receive a reward.
If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he will be saved through the fire.
Do you know that you are a temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in you?
If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and you are a temple of God.
Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he can become wise.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. It is written: [He is] THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE IN THEIR CRAFTINESS”;
and again, “THE LORD KNOWS THE REASONINGS of the wise, THAT THEY ARE USELESS.”
So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you,
whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you,
and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.
Somewhere…somehow looks like Paul’s is talking about something we missed along the road. Umm, we must keep on searching because only the peoples who search…find. May HaShem guide us in the journey toward our home
Peace
IGS