Reading Backwards
Watch, that there not be one robbing you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the traditions of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ. Colossians 2:8
Traditions of Men – I remember as a teenager hearing this verse proclaimed as a warning against worldly views. Forty years later, with plenty of philosophy under my belt, I am quite sure that Paul meant nothing like the preacher I heard. I am not endorsing the world’s nihilism. What I am saying is that Paul wrote to a particular audience and his message must be understood within that audience before we can draw out any trans-cultural applications. Paul wasn’t writing about materialism, socialism, communism, fascism or hedonism. He was writing about what it meant to become a gentile believer in the Jewish Messiah in a Jewish synagogue in the Roman city of Kolossai.
So, what were the “traditions of men” that concerned Paul? Imagine yourself in that congregation. Every week, on the Sabbath, you attend a service where the Hebrew Scriptures were read and taught. You knew Moses. You knew Torah. In fact, you lived a Torah-observant life as best you could, celebrating the festivals, making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem if you could afford to do so, listening to the famous Pharisee, R. Sha’ul, student of Gamaliel, explain your place in God’s Kingdom after Shabbat. Do you think Sha’ul considered the Deuteronomic law to be the “traditions of men”? Impossible! Nothing in God’s Word could be considered the “traditions of men.” The traditions of men would have to be those proclamations and practices represented by the pagan environment. In other words, anything that opposed the Torah. Paul’s warning is to the Torah-observant community to not be swayed by the claims of those who did not live according to the Torah.
Now think about how we have turned this verse upside-down. Today we often hear this verse read as if Paul is telling believers not to follow the Torah. We interpret “traditions of men” to be the very instructions that God gave Israel. We think that keeping Sabbath, dietary laws, festivals, court proceedings and property rights according to Moses’ revelation are traditions for Jewish people that no longer apply to us. Can you imagine the reaction of the synagogue if that’s what Paul meant? They would have been flabbergasted. They would have gone away completely and utterly confused. How could this Torah scholar, this exemplary student of the most honored rabbi of the time, this man who claimed that he kept Torah his whole life, suddenly proclaim that the Scriptures were “traditions of men”? No, I’m afraid that we are the ones who read it backwards. We are the ones who have been robbed by philosophy, empty deceit and the traditions of men. We are the ones who practice according to the elements of the world, those accumulations of pagan beliefs that we consider harmless additions to the faith.
Perhaps it’s time to reconsider what is “according to Christ.” Perhaps we need to ask how He treated the Hebrew Scripture. What do you think?
Topical Index: traditions of men, paradosin ton anthropon, Colossians 2:8
Skip, Your teaching goes nicely with the Torah portion we just read on Shabbat.
Ex.19:5-6 ‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”
Traditional teaching in the church teaches that we are all priests. and that we are grafted in to the commonwealth of Israel. But if you are adopted or invited into a family, you need to follow the family rules, What makes us think we have our own set of rules, and that we never need to learn to behave the way the Head of the House wants us to behave.
Greetings from Sabra house in Israel,
We have been able to put smiles on the faces of the teachers and students of the school that we support in Afula Iliyt.
We were finally able to deliver five laptops to the school for the students to use.
We talked with the students and one of the girls asked me -why we come to Israel and why do we help the schools.
I thought about it for a minute before I answered her. I told her that the children are the future of Israel, and we want to help them become all that they can be, so they can protect and defend the land that HaShem gave them.
It really melted my heart when I saw a smile light up the face of that beautiful young Ethiopian Jewess.
We were invited by the same school to come to a concert celebrating Tu B’Shevat, the 15th of Shevat on the Jewish calendar — is the day that marks the beginning of a “New Year for Trees.” This is the season in which the earliest-blooming trees in the Land of Israel emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle.
We also went with the school, and a regiment of soldiers that Afula has “adopted”, to a tree planting morning at a home for mentally challenged adults.
Seeing and participating in planting the trees was our symbolic unified proclamation and prayer of “ Am Yisrael Chai !”
Imagine children of various colours and backgrounds with young Israeli soldiers coming from different nations, acting in unity for the good of the land. I heard some one say: This is Israel’s answer to the Holocaust!
Then a few days later we again celebrated life by inviting 20 Holocaust survivors to Sabra house.
We celebrated another year of “birthdays” and blessed G-d for another year of life.
What a sweet fragrance those celebrations of life, filled with songs, good food, and work, must be to Our Heavenly Father!
Be blessed, and know that they are still a nation of priests, and that they are still being used mightily by their Abba. Those of us who are grafted in, and walk with this nation and their G-d can proclaim – Amen!!
A portrait of the sheer beauty of Christ! Thank you for sharing this with us Antointette.
Skip, it appears to me that much of the “tradition” spoken of here is the “form” as opposed to the substance. This is backwards from the “according to Christ” isn’t it? He is the substance of what we hope for, He is the evidence of what we could not “see”. “According to Christ” is to be the correct hierarchy…”Follow Me”…”Learn of Me”…in other words I hear Him saying everyone who really wants to see God must look at me-everyone wanting to obey God must do as I do: in and through Me is the path, the pattern to be followed as opposed to Romans 12:2-conformity to the world. This “look” will result in one of two things: obedience or disobedience. Any conformity to the patterns of paganism (worldliness), human intellect that denies the One Creator of all things-humanism-narcissistic deism-can only set up rules that will keep God out. In the end after depending only on our own standard of righteousness, how much more do we need the Messiah to set us free from captivity?
“Rom 13:1 ¶ Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Rom 13:2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Rom 13:3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same”
Hi Skip,
When you ask “what do you think,” I must say that although you have taught me a lot about Paul and recommended some very good books on Paul, I have not really be able to think my way through Paul at this point.
Because I still have a lot of the content in the books to read and think through, I can say that I don’t yet trust the “Pauline” text.
And if Paul wrote: “the powers that be are ordained of God,” then what should we conclude about Hitler?
In my mind, Hitler does make Blair, Bush, and Obama look like saints.
Reggie Bush ran for 25 yards on five carries and caught 4 balls for 38 yards in the New Orleans Saints’ Super Bowl XLIV (44) win.
Hi shalom! Great to read from you, Antoinette. You made my day. It reminds me of the visits I made to the schools and what a blessing it is to meet these children: the future of Israel indeed! And what you said that to this girl: reminding her of her own roots and destiny and how you would like to contribute to her destiny as a ‘stranger’ (for her that is).. it is simply beautiful 🙂 God bless your heart.
Encouraging is also the planting of the trees.. the planting of the Land.. It says in Isaiah 61:3 “..the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.” And looking around in Israel today, everywhere you can see the planting of the LORD and then you simply have to glorify Him and thank Him for His goodness, that endures forever. To be specific ‘Him’ = God of Israel: God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob.. And God of Israel cares for that Land and cares for His people. Deuteronomy 11:12 “a Land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year.” This Land is the most safe in the whole earth. Gods eyes are on it. He keeps Israel: Psalm 121:4 “Shomer Israel – the Keeper of Israel”.
This Land, this nation of Jewish people and this God of the Children of Israel is so rich, deep and beyond meaning; we ought to love it, support it and give it a hand, because of our faith in Yeshua HaMasshiach. Romans 15:25-27 It means, you need to be connected to the Land, to the nation and to God of Israel.
Now reading Skip’s word of the day, and pondering about the “traditions of men”… i feel, they are so empty.. they are leading to nothing.. “Traditions of men” are not rooted, are not planted on the Rock of Salvation. “Traditions of men” are built on sinking sand.
But from Zion shall come forth the Law and in the Law are written the Commandments which God of Israel gave to His people. We just read the parashat “Yithro”, in which God of Israel, LORD of Hosts gives the 10 Commandments to Moses. From these Commandments derives everything, to glorify God of Israel. And these Commandments are not only for the Jewish people: but for all mankind. It helps us to know how to behave toward our family, neighbours, strangers, to ourselves; it builds our character. And because we are wonderfully made (Psalm 139) we need to do our very best to follow these Commandments, because we are His. (Song of Songs 2:16) Only in Him we can shine His Light.
When we follow “traditions of men” we will soon discover that that path leads to nothing. Only by following His Commandments we will be drawn back to Himself and can we breath, find root in His roots and shine His Light.. finding peace. His peace. His Shalom. AMEN
Amen, Josepha!
By the way how is the weather in Holland now?
I think we must be having winter in Israel now… it has been cold and rainy for days!
With no insulation in the houses, it is often colder inside then outside.
Go figure!!
But the flowers are still blooming and in a few weeks it will start to warm up.
I really liked your comment on tradition, and your mention of Psalm 2:16, awesome!
🙂 Thank you, Anat. It was Song of Songs 2:16 that I mentioned, btw.. (in stead of Psalm 2:16)
The weather here is ‘waterkoud’. Gloomy, misty, cold.. having a hard time keeping this place warm; keeping myself warm. My heart longs for Israel. I see the Hope shining at the horizon. I reach for it, like reaching for the hem of His garment. Like it being a lifeline.. Soon and very soon.
Thank you for forwarding me this article. What a blessing to follow His Word each day new.
Blessings from Holland, to Skip and all here.
I was praying after submitting my previous command and felt strongly I had to add this:
Exodus 20:8 — Remember the Shabbath day, to keep it holy.
This is the 4th Commandment.
We need to keep the Sabbath.
Exodus 20:9-11 — Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefor the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
We need to keep the Sabbath, like God commanded it, on the 7th day, Sabbath day. Going back to our Jewish Roots we will find out that this is not on Sunday. However, according to ‘traditions of men’ it is on Sunday..
“This is the 4th Commandment.”
Hi Josepha,
Thanks for reminding me about the Shabbath day.
I don’t do much now to keep it holy, but I’m going to change some things.
i took the “traditions of men” to mean or relate to the manner in which the Scribes and Pharisees were practicing. there seemed to be many “laws” added on to God’s laws that men followed by tradition. they also were not practicing the Spirit of the law – that is what Jesus (Y’shua) attacked.
But since Paul is a Pharisee and considers the teachings of the Pharisees to be in alignment with the Word of God (Yeshua says that same thing, by the way), then “traditions of men” cannot be the teachings of those who correctly interpret Scripture. Yeshua says to do all that they teach, but not to follow their hypocrisy. It is only after we adopt the replacement view that we see “traditions of men” as Jewish. No Jew would have every considered Torah as “traditions of men”
Skip,
Can you please show me in the bible where Jesus ascribed to the teachings of the Pharisees?
Thanks,
Chad.
Snowed in today….Anybody in favor of a 6 day work week? All in favor say “ay.” All opposed, same sign? Is God also commanding 6 days of labor (“shall”)? Or is this word for “labor” and “work” the same “avad” word that means to basically worship and serve? Or to work in service and for the honor of our Lord, i.e. making everything we “do” for the glory of God….Thought I would just throw that one in to banter around a bit.
David,
Interesting point, I never thought about the 6 day work week. If this economy keeps going the way it is and taxes keep going up we may have to work a full six days.
Skip,
I think that once again you are so focused on the errors of our western evangelical ways that you are forgeting that much of what Paul was also speaking of was the “traditions of men” concerning Sabbath regulations put forth by the Pharisees and other “traditions” as found in the Talmud. So, it was really both the traditions of men coming from gentile countries and the false teachings of the Pharisees. I think we all need to remember that Jews where forcing other Jews out of the synagogue if they professed faith in Christ. What is more amazing is that even in the midst of this very broken synagogue system (much like our western churches today) Jesus was still attending and teaching within. I would submit to your readers that even the synagogues of that day where far from perfect and possibly not living out the Torah. After all many of the rabbi’s of the day never learned that to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul and to love your nieghbor as thyself is where we all should start. I believe that too often we get lost in the smaller things (i.e. dietary laws, court proceedings, festivals…) all the while forgeting the greater, like loving each other unconditionaly. The story behind the story is that we all need to be looking for opportunities to feed all people with the Bread of Life.
After all let us not judge one another (Rom. 14:13) because the Kingdom of God is not about meat and drink, but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Rom. 14:17).
Thanks for reading, God bless,
Chad Johnson
While I certainly appreciate your plea for loving one another as the hallmark of a true follower, I don’t think you fully appreciate Paul’s comment. It is simply not the case the early followers of the Way were put out of the synagogue because they believed Yeshua was the Messiah. Quite the contrary, by the end of the first century, estimates are that as many as 100,000 Jews were Messianic believers in Yeshua in Jerusalem alone. As you know, Paul went first (and usually only) to synagogues throughout his travels and he was welcomed. Furthermore, Paul asserts that he is a Pharisee and that he has always subscribed to the words of Scripture AND the traditions of the fathers. It is extremely unlikely that Paul has in mind these same traditions in his comments here. In fact, as a Pharisee of the Pharisees, he would have considered the oral tradition as a second authority for faith and practice. So, dietary laws, court proceedings, festivals and all the other Torah commandments AND the traditions surrounding them were very high on the “God directed living” list.
With this in mind, it is simply impossible that Paul (or Jesus) would have intended the phrase “traditions of men” to refer to Jewish rulings. Of course, Paul and Yeshua strongly objected to the hypocrisy in practice, but they did not object to the teachings themselves.
Well I really don’t want to make this a thing, but I would need you to explain through scipture (since you haven’t back up your position/assertions through scripture yet) what is the explaination of John 9:22. It is farily obvious the teachers of the Law where throughing people out of the synagogue if they professed faith in Christ.
As for Paul, I guess I don’t quite understand why then was he was arrested and when he asserted that he was a Pharisee (which he was) wasn’t he making the point that he in fact was as in past tense? Hence the conversion from Saul to Paul?
Lastly, what about the Romans 14 passage? It seems faily evident that after Christ went to the cross and rose again that Paul started to stress the importance of unity and not to dwell on the “enmity, even the law of commandments contained in the ordinances…so making peace.” Eph 2:15. I believe this to say that Paul is definetly not speaking of the ten commandmants but the “ordinances” contained in the balance of the Torah. After all the last time I looked we are not living in Israel under a common rule of God as our supreme ruler (as much as I wish we were). If you don’t intrepret these scriptures this way, I guess I need to ask if you are attempting to uphold the entire Torah, meaning not trimming/harming the sides of your beard and even more so if we had a working priest hood would you return to the sacrificial system?
“It is farily obvious the teachers of the Law were throwing people out of the synagogue if they professed faith in Christ.”
Hi Chad,
I think the behavior that you describe above can best be explained by the 565th pensee of the mathematician/philosopher Blaise Pascal:
“We understand nothing of the works of God, if we do not take as a principle that He has willed to blind some, and enlighten others.”
PASCAL’S PENSÉES
565
“His sheep hear is voice and follow.” I guess I am listening to His voice and not yours or Pascal’s for that matter. Once again you didn’t, don’t or won’t include any biblical reference to fortify your position but instead quote Pascal? Really?
Blessings.
One more reply before I catch a plane. Paul does not say that he was a Pharisee. Go read the text. He says that he is a Pharisee. He never converted to Christianity because Christianity did not exist when he lived. He tells us (in Scripture) that he is a follower of the Way, a so-called sect of Judaism. He goes on the say that he has always upheld the teaching of Scripture (which for him can only be the Old Testament) and the traditions of the fathers. So, Paul is about as plain as he can be that he does not reject the Old Testament Torah. He lives by it. We see this in his behavior – rushing to Jerusalem to participate in the festivals, fulfilling vows, etc. In fact, that Jerusalem counsel issue was precisely about the accusation that Paul was not following orthodox Judaism. The counsel affirmed that he was – and they approved.
What this implies is that reading the New Testament as if Paul (and others) left Judaism behind and embraced a new religion just doesn’t square with the facts as recorded in the text. We have to read the text with an a priori commitment to Christian replacement theology in order to overlook what it plainly says. The Church has been doing this for a long time, so it should not surprise us that we think Paul (and others) say something other than what squares with their lives. I suggest that you look deeper into the development of this re-reading of Paul. Try John Gager, Reinventing Paul and Pamela Eisenbaum Paul was not a Christian. for starters. Both are recognized scholars and their work will provide you with all the biblical references you will ever need on this topic. In addition, you can look at Todd Bennett Restoration to see exact quotations from the church fathers including Luther, etc. about their deliberate attempts to remove the Jewish material from the texts.
As Paul would say, “I do not want you to be ignorant brethern concerning these things.” I would hope that you will approach these issues with an inquiring mind, asking why it is possible for Jesus, Paul, James and Peter to continue to claim Torah obedience all their lives and for the Church to deny it has any relevance.
Shalom … 🙂
I was going to sit this one out but …. this little back and forth goes real deep and we could find many rabbit holes to climb down into! 🙂
My two cents anyway …
Given the nature of temporal Israel (the community of ELOHIM) we must (we must) understand that oral tradition and halakhic practice needed to exist then and quite frankly even now. Clearly, written Torah must in many instances undergo a social and cultural interpretation (by designated authorities) so that the community way of life is guided and maintained in a manner congruent with the prime directive! This does not imply a new “principle interpretation” but rather an “application interpretation” to meet the reality of an evolving existence. Torah does not change but the manner in which people and cultures interface with existence does! The alternative to communal governance is individual determinism and disorder. How could individual determinism be the way of the Kingdom?
Certainly Sha’ul and the other talmidim of Yeshua knew this … expected this … and would have directed the body of Mashiach in such manner. As such the talmidim would have never tossed out centuries of tradition which was in fact their heritage … their way of understanding the principles of Torah in a manner that could manifest as the way of the community! They would never throw Israel under the proverbial bus!
Let us remember … Yeshua’s problem with the ruling community was their faith, their relationship with ELOHIM, their misuse of their positions and the result upon the “sheep”! Their blindness (foretold in The Word) was the problem! Torah was not the problem!
Yeshua however does not negate authority or even their obligation to apply Torah for the good of the community … in fact Yeshua declares to them that HE is removing this authority and passing it along to HIS talmidim (stewards … see Matthew Chapter 21) … as such Yeshua is upholding the tradition of the fathers!
Now in all fairness to Chad it is pretty clear that traditions can indeed run astray. As for modern Jewish traditions (a.ka. doctrines) that deny Yeshua …. well are these even authoritative traditions? It would seem that these folks are not the stewards acting on behalf of Yeshua’s kingdom. These are certainly not the traditions of the talmidim … then again the traditions of the church are also not those of the talmidim … how could it be so when we know the church essentially expunged these traditions while creating a new entity through a replacement theology construct.
The traditions of the talmidim are those of the fathers applied in the context of the fullness of Mashiach and Ruach HaKodesh … applied in the context of ha B’rit Chadasha (Renewed Covenant) …. and now the big question ….
“Where indeed can we find the authority and traditions of the talmidim delivered in the fullness of Mashiach Yeshua for the purpose of guiding Israel in the way of the covenantal relationship with ELOHIM and in fulfilling the prime directive?”
If not orthodox Judaism … and if not the Gentile Christian Church … then in whom?
Certainly ELOHIM will not leave us unremembered! 🙂
Hence we pray whole heartedly for the restoration of the remnant of Israel … the remnant that will enable us to recover our communal identity and enable Israel to fulfill the prime directive … (be the light to the nations).
Hey … if nothing else I am figuring that this might generate some discussion! 🙂
Hi Chad,
I’m not sure what you mean by my “position” or my need for a Biblical reference.
My point was that some Jews were “blinded” to the view that Jesus was the Messiah.
Some Jews were more “enlightened” in that regard. (eg Matthew and Paul)
As far as I know these are historical facts.
Michael,
Sorry for the misinterpretation, I do agree with you and entirely so.
As for Drew and Skip, I am still confused. While Christianity has it’s shortcomings as do all doctrines of the Christian faith, it seems we forget that the evalengelical Christian churches have done more to spread the “Light” into the world than any other movement thus far. I do believe that Paul still lived as a Torah observent Jew but stressed the message of love and acceptance of Christ first; as it seems many cultures where quibbiling with one another over what and how we are suppose to live. Personaly, I fail to see the moral (meaning sin vs santification) conviction behind such laws or ordinances such as the dietary laws, not harming the sides of my beard…etc. In fact even in the Torah there is was nothing commanded of such violations that called for sacrificing in order to reconcile oneself back to God. But yet we get so hung up on such things, although altogether good things to do, but they can be devisive. It seems Paul was trying to teach (Rom 14) that in these instances to each his own, who can judge another’s servant? The entire Torah was inward focused, either upon oneself or just on the nation of Israel, and rightfully so as that is what God commanded. But with the coming of Christ and as He and Paul taught we are to go share the gospel with all the nations. I don’t see much of that teaching within the Torah. Skip and I already had much discussion on the new Covenant of which by the why still couldn’t get a clear explaination on why it was merely renewed and not altogether new, (Jer 31:31). I guess it would be nice to take the best of both teachings, delivered in love and without condemnation. Sorry for rambling on.
“The entire Torah was inward focused, either upon oneself or just on the nation of Israel, and rightfully so as that is what God commanded.”
Hi Chad,
I don’t disagree with most of what you are saying, but would tend to argue that the “conflict of interpretations” is a good thing in any case.
One point that you make, and I quote above, seems to be “backwards” to me.
It seems to me one could argue that prior to Jer 31:31 the focus is “outward,” on the “codebook,” but that the prophetic focus of the new covenent is more “inward” and comes from the heart.
Hi Chad,
Greetings from snowy New England. Just a single comment for the moment. I think your interpretation that the Torah is inwardly focused misses the mark. Read again God’s expressed purpose for the Torah – so that you will be a light to the nations. Torah is the way in which God will use Israel to be a royal priesthood. To whom? To the rest of the world. Torah was never intended as an inward operation to produce acceptable holiness for salvation. Salvation was accomplished by God PRIOR to giving the Law. Torah is the way we live so that God can use us to accomplish His purposes of reaching the nations. Once you see that this is true as far back as Abraham, your appreciation of the role of Torah will change.
One further note. Paul never argued that it is up to each of us to decide what works for us. That is interpretation based on a priori assumptions of replacement theology. If Paul really meant we could just do whatever we were lead to do, why would he exhort others to copy him as a Torah-observant Jew. Why would James endorse Paul with a proclamation that there are thousands of Torah zealous believers. Why would it be called the Way?
Finally, while it is true that Christianity has been extremely successful in recruiting, does that mean it is following God’s direction? There are 1 billion Muslims in the world. They are successfully recruiting at an extremely rapid rate. Does that mean they are in alignment with YHWH? Perhaps the remnant is much, much smaller than we think. One thing is quite clear. Christianity is not bringing people into alignment with the expressed commandments of God. In fact, it is denying that those commandments are even relevant. Why? It certainly doesn’t seem to be true of the first century followers. When did it change?
Hello Chad … I really don’t want this to drag out but there is such a fundamental difference in approaches … I need to “ramble a bit as well”.
You state that you fail to see the moral (meaning sin vs. sanctification) conviction behind such laws or ordinances such as the dietary laws, etc. …. and that they cause division.
If I could be quite frank …. should any of us be questioning the moral value of ELOHIM’s Torah at all? I would argue that by questioning such things a person might simply be expressing his or her own desire to be “self determining” … “non-submissive”. So who will sit in judgment of Adonai? Essentially this is the attitude of the Gentile Church at large … a Church which has selectively determined the components of Torah which are important …. a church which has under the guise of “grace” and “love” essentially removed from the community the very attributes it was meant to keep … to be kadosh … to be different! Personal understanding is not a pre-requisite for obedience! Fear of The Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
The Torah was given to the chosen people Israel as their roadmap for living and for loving. If folks can’t see that living by these mitzvot, mishpatim and chukkot (both personally and communally) is the way that The Lord wanted Israel to be a wonder to the nations …. then people are not seeing how Torah is the outward expression of ELOHIM’s character and love. People are not seeing how we belong to Israel! People are not seeing that our purpose is aligned with who we are and it matters that we are different from “this world”! Why … because ELOHIM told us so!
So which of the exemplary inspired passages below regarding the eternal integrity and validity of Torah should we dismiss?
John: 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Matthew: 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. 5:18 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. 5:19 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.
Matthew: 19:16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 19:17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
1st John: 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Yeshua Mashiach the righteous: 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of Elohim perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
Yeshua upheld Torah as did the talmidim!
Now as for the issue of division? Yes there is division simply because very few believers want to obey! There is division because very few believers want to accept the reality that we are grafted into the Kingdom of Israel! There is division because the church promotes doctrine and practices that are contrary to ELOHIM’s Torah! Clearly with or without Torah however there is still division amongst the Christian church(es). And even back in history when Catholic Orthodoxy ruled supreme, at the point of a sword, the unity garnered was still not in union with ELOHIM’s WORD!
Ultimately however we can agree that Torah is divisive … one either submits and walks as best one can in Yeshua’s foot steps; or one chooses to walk their own path. A path not steeped in the tradition and Torah of the fathers but a path of individual conjuring. A path that leaves little distinction between a person and this world for one is dependent upon oneself!
So are commandments the same as the ordinances? I have studied and looked into the actual text and found that when Christ referenced the commandments He is stressing the 10 commandments. After all I didn’t separate the 10 commandments from the rest of the Law, God did when he commanded Moses to place within the Ark of the Covenant the tablets and outside the Ark was the balance of the law or the ordinances. The original Strongs reference show two vastly different defintions of commandments and ordinacnes. I guess I would have to ask when was the last time your asked for forgiveness for breaking the speed limit? To eat pork or be uncircumsised does not make me a sinner or spiritually unclean, this is obvious since even in Leviticus God does not give any provision to atone for that sin since it was not sinful to begin with. However, if I worship the pig because I believe that by eating it will give me strength or whatever, I have definetly sinned. Christ always stressed the heart-set as it determines behavior. So, you could follow the Torah to a “T” and if your don’t love your neighbor you have still broken the Torah, for example.
Moses makes another point in Deut. 4:13. Moses also goes on to say that the people of Israel where to follow these “instuctions” while they possess the land which the Lord is giving you Deut. 6:1. As I look out my window I can see that I am not in Israel and under a whole different set of ordinances. That being said I do believe that that the 10 Commandments set our moral code which to break would be sinful. So, I will not judge you or condemn you for following or attempting to follow the entire Torah and each ordinance because after all they are all good teachings and good for healthy living. However outside the 10 commandments I have yet to have anyone show me in scripture where eating unclean meat (for example) is sinful.
In your studies maybe you can explain the following scriptures:
Colossians 2
Ephesians 2
Romans 13 (specifically Romans 13:8) = instructions on how we can fullfill the law.
1 John 3:23
Acts 13
Just to name a few. We may have to agree to disagree on these smaller things (as I see them) but hopefully we agree on the greater…that is to love one another, to feed the poor, to serve each other and share the gospel to all nations…etc.
Thanks,
“In Essentials, Unity; in Non-essentials, Liberty; in All Things, Charity”
Love G-d supremely, love people sacrificially.
Chad, what about Isaiah 65…
Or Isaiah 66:17
Both of these passages are in the context of the judgment that takes place at the time of Jesus’ return. Read the full passages for context. Then come back and tell me if you still think that this is a light thing in God’s eyes…
Nevertheless, I agree with you on your analysis of the “weightier matters” i.e. feeding the poor, loving one another, serving one another etc.
Blessings to you and yours.
Rodney.
Hi Chad,
For several years now, Today’s Word has explored many of these passages. You can search for them through the web site home page. This will be far more efficient than reiterating everything in a blog comment. Just one more thing: May I suggest that until you actually read the material previously mentioned by Bennett, Gager, Eisenbaum, Hegg and others (see my recommended reading list), we defer further discussion. There is really not much point in going over issues that have been thoroughly examined by others. The real point of departure is in the interpretive scheme of the hermeneutics, not in the words of the text. Without an open evaluation of the hermeneutics, I am afraid we will not make much progress.
Well I knew that would eventually come up. Once again look closely in what they were doing with the swine flesh before consumtion: offering/sacrificing it to idols and false gods! The passage in an endictment upon the people and thier hearts not the food. Cross reference the word “abomination” throughout scripture and you will see. “The kingdom of heaven is not of eat and drink… indeed all things are clean in and of themselves.” Romans 14. Christ made not only me clean (which was much more dispictable than a pig) but all things clean.
Thanks,
Please see my former comment.
Skip
Why do we always revert back to the comments of men rather than study the text? Isn’t that how this whole thing got off track in the first place? What about just allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us as we study and pray? I have read many other authors and writings but still have to come back to the original text. The best way to prove scripture is through scripture (just as Jesus did in His teachings). Instead we dismiss and refer readers away from the bible toward outside resourses??? The interesting thing is that for all the authors and writings Skip recommened above I can find just as many that will teach otherwise and both camps will use scripture to back both points…very confusing and frustrating.
So, if we as believers and followers of Christ and therefore have been given the Holy Spirit what more do we need? I believe God works within us and our prayers as He sees fit on His timing as needed to accomplish His will. This is the primary reason I have stopped judging one another on these “smaller things” but instead enlighten folks on the “weighter things” as mentioned above. I believe Paul was driving home a spirit of unity and peace is exactly this way.
I am respectfully signing off as it seems no one is equipped to answer these questions.
God Bless.
OK, once more. Appeal to the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit doesn’t do much here since both sides of the argument would claim the same thing. The problem is not what the TEXT says. The problem is the interpretive scheme used to interpret the text. And an appeal to the Holy Spirit is simply a different way of saying, “I’m right because God told me.” No progress. For centuries Christian theologians were influenced by the seminal thinking of Augustine, who started the interpretation of Paul as if he were a Christian convert form Judaism. Most evangelical commentators adopted this Augustinian view until about 40 years ago when E P Sanders showed conclusively that Paul and the authors of the New Testament wrote within the context of 2nd Temple rabbinic Judaism. That means it is not possible to understand what these authors say by simply reading them as Christians. They were messianic Jews. The principle exegetical goal is to understand what the text meant to the audience that first heard it before we can draw any principles that might apply to us. So, we must being with what Paul said as a Jew to Gentile believers. The books that I recommend are all about trying to regain this understanding. They are about interpretive schemes BEFORE we can deal with the text.
Now, for the request for a text. Please see Matthew 23:1-4