Need I Say It
Every once in awhile I get an email that questions my commitment to the divinity of the Messiah, usually in the form of “if he believes such and such, then he must not believe that Jesus is God” or something like that. Â The last one was an accusation that I have adopted rabbinic Judaism and therefore no longer believe that Yeshua is the divine Messiah.
PLEASE!!
When I quote someone who expresses views contrary to accepted Christian beliefs or when I reference someone who has been determined by the course of history to be a heretic in some form or another, I am NOT endorsing everything the person says. Â I very often quote Heschel, whom I consider to be a genius when interpreting the text. Â But Heschel never accepted “Jesus” as the Messiah. Â So what? Â His insights into the Hebrew text are startling, amazing and extremely helpful. Â I have quoted Luzzatto, not because I think his final cabalistic claims are correct but because his insights into the demand to love your neighbor are penetrating. Â Flusser never accepted Jesus, but his book The Sage of Galilee is very important.
On the other side of the coin, I reject a great deal of Luther’s work, especially his polemic against the Jews and his manifesto for their extinction. Â Are we to accept all Luther that says because he was right about Romans (if he was right?)? Â Same for Calvin, Augustine, Constantine. Â Claiming to be Christian doesn’t make them infallible.
My approach to all of these is “take what is good, leave the rest.” Â I hope you take that approach with my work. Â I am often wrong, not intentionally, of course, but because I didn’t see something clearly enough. Â Your job is to set me straight.
But I must say that I find it amusing, and a little annoying, when someone takes one sentence from the thousands of pages I have written and determines that I don’t believe Yeshua is God or that I think all Christians are resistant fools or that every Christian doctrine is an attempt to deliberately manipulate us. Â Here’s my suggestion: Â Read a few hundred pages before you pontificate or before you get flustered because you think your most precious doctrines are under attack.
I have only one purpose – to find out what the text says, what it meant to the audience that heard it first, what it meant in that paradigm. Â So I search anywhere and everywhere that the text takes me. Â That’s all. Â That’s enough. Â I barely have time for even this.
So, need I say that I believe in most Christian theology in one form or another.  The question is “what form” fits the Scripture.  I am not trying to become a Jew.  I am trying to find out how to live as a Gentile follower of Yeshua who serves YHWH.  Along the way I am finding that a lot of the forms of Christian theology don’t fit the Scriptures I read, and that means I have to rethink things.  But please don’t call me a heretic until I actually become one.  🙂
Thanks.
Skip
I love your work..u have caused me to think harder, search deeper and expand my knowledge of the bible by simply teaching me what it truly means. I don’t care who knocks you, please ignore them because people like me are sitting here hungering for more of what u teach..so THANK YOU..you have indeed enlightened me! Please keep doing so.
Amen! Same here!
Hi Skip, Like Donita I need your expositions of scripture. I like particularly your reference to ‘ keep the best & leave the rest’ how true this is of all of us.
Keep on keeping on. Happy New Year and we look forward to seeing you in the UK in March
Thank you again
Peter
A heretic… Isn’t that a compliment, considering that’s exactly what they called Yeshua?
B.t.w. Gods blessings in this new (pagan) year!
And so what’s the problem with following Rabbinic Judaism? As the saying goes.. If it’s good enough for Jesus it’s good enough for me.
I have been receiving TW in my email each morning for the last 10 years. You have yet to give me the impression that you have abandoned the faith. I know very well how something could be taken out of context and used in a way you did not intend.
A couple of months ago, during our Bible study, my pastor stated that he was relieved to know that I still believed in Jesus. Something I said during a previous session had convinced him that I no longer believed in the need for the death of Jesus. (In fact, the specific thing that I said was that “in my own mind” I was convinced that the SACRIFICE for all sin had taken place not on the cross, but on the Heavenly altar, before the earth was ever created.) The discussion that followed made it apparent that we should not be considering possibilities outside the popular Christian theology, in order not to confuse some who do not have a background in Scripture. I am sure Jesus breathed a sigh of relief. 🙂
Thanks, this was a timely response to me.:)
Skip, I am grateful for all the work you put into studying and researching Scripture to dig out the truth. One critic among hundreds of positive is nothing, I’m glad you are not letting it deter you. Continue on brother; you are much appreciated!
Oh. Gosh. SO relieved to know i’m not alone.
I’ve been called a heretic because i don’t believe that women are less then men, in any venue or or any approach, be it in a ‘church’ setting or at home.
I’ve been told that Frank Viola’s approach to church leadership is blatant heresy and by implication ANY one who accepts it is a heretic.
Not accepting the rapture theory is heresy. Not eating unclean things is a borderline heretical decision, as is dropping either christmas or easter, or god forbid (little g is purposeful) both of them….
It’s pretty much ‘pick your poison’ sometimes, especially if you have read more then one book from the prescribed list of authors OR done any research on the true belief system of most any one the common christian church today reveres. Worse if you have read anything, formed an opinion outside of the accepted norm of discussion.
Critical thinking, no matter how rudimentary or clumsily displayed, is dead in today’s believing world. It’s really sad.
As stated above tho, Messiah was labeled a heretic and executed as an enemy of the state. So were all his followers.
The christian church has become it’s own form of state, we should probably not expect any less.
As a great mentor of mine has said, “All true revelation (unveiling of truth…His word is truth) is initially perceived as heresy.”
So if your a heretic, please, please continue to unveil the truth for us Skip.
My wife and I thank you!
Shalom
Skip you answered in a very Christian like manner. It is a shame everyone wants everyone to agree with them when no one knows everything. I appreciate your non condemning approach. You have helped so many people to understand the scripture from a perspective of the Greek and Hebrew.
Keep us challenged to pursue more wisdom and Christlikeness. You are doing a wonderful job even if I don’t agree with every thing
Skip, thank you for letting us walk with you!
Skip my Dear friend! I love you and your posts. (By the way thank your daughter for me for her service to this country, I am a viet-nam vet and know what it is like to be away from loved ones) I have read your emails for several years and never doubted your salvation. The person(s)questioning you may have never sat in a Messianic-Jewish congregation. Maybe they should. Again maybe take a good look at who Christ is and what He taught and where His teachings came from.
Maybe I am overprotective of a friend of mine!
Love in Christ
Paul
Dear Skip, your daily mailings keep us anchored in the Word. Today’s Word is such a blessing to us. It sends us back to Scripture, it explains things that were confusing or unclear, and it causes us to examine what we stand for. I loved the comment “Claiming to be a Christian does not make one infallible.” Thank you for all of your writings, and the beautiful photography you send to us. God’s blessings for good health in the New Year, and all that He sees you need. <
So many “sinners,”- so little time! May this new year be a year of “new beginnings” for all of us. And may the ensuing days (and hopefully enjoyable days) that will follow, find us all with our noses buried deeper within the pages of God’s holy Book, -our Bible. ~ What do the scriptures say ~ (do we all need to get a tat? or the very words “it is written” should stir us to further study and investigation. As to the Jews, we (Christians- and I for (the only?) one am not afraid to use the word- the disciples, the talmudim, were first called “Christians, (little Christs) at Antioch. Friends, the LORD (our LORD) knows them who are His. I am NOT the Judge, – there is only one!- and interestingly enough- it will be the Living Word who will “judge” us all!
I also pray that in this new year, all of us will become more “Christ-centric.” Why? Again (and again) “what do the scriptures say?” Do we listen? ~ For of Him… and through Him…and to Him… are ALL (did I just read “ALL?”- things.. Friend, -it’s all about Him! May He, the Lamb who is from God, be our focus, our goal, and our Teacher this year. With the singing Shepherd/King, may this be our prayer: “Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in Your instructions.” Say.., – whose Words are these, anyway? – (and what would this mean to a first-century Jew?) ” All Scripture is breathed out by God..”
Do we now understand “why?” the words “it is written” proceeded from from the lips of our LORD?
Skip,
Your teachings have caused me to think and question what I was believing, and that thinking and questioning caused me to open up and see the deeper truth in God’s Word. I’m grateful for that because it has helped to totally open my eyes and read the word of God in a different light….and there is no going back, no matter how uncomfortable it gets at times. I loved what you said about “take what is good and leave the rest.” I think the challenge for people is knowing what the “good” really is! Keep on doing what you do Skip. You have a whole community of people that need it!
Thank you and may you take us even deeper in this upcoming season.
Tie me to the post and lid me on fire since I’m also a heretic too. Keep teaching what you know and I will keep learning what I need to know.
Well said Skip, I have hesitated to approach what I am about to try and express. You were one of the 1st teachers we connected to as we
began our search for more TRUTH and understanding some 5 years ago & sharing you with many. The complexity & simplicity of YHWH’s
Word continues to astound me daily. One thing I would love for you to address is your understanding on the tribe of Judah (jews), &the Gentile’s addressed throughout the Bible, as I have come to believe and see collectively are the “lost 10 tribes ie, Ephriam Israel” that have been dispersed
through out the world into the nations. Sometimes feel your writings use “gentiles/jews” as 2 separate peoples, and mess with christian, greek thinking mindset that could be confusing to your readers and everyone else we are sharing our walk in Torah with. I know this by my own experience, I would
rather hear from you so I can get a clearer understand of your beliefs on this. If you have some “other” teaching or book that I need to be directed to
in order to understand this I would be happy to read, in respecting your time.
I am just saying, Jesus could not please everyone. Take it with a grain of salt.
But Skip, by definition (whose you ask–read on) I am a heretic and so, I believe are you. 🙂
Heretic; A person holding an opinion at odds with what is generally accepted
Heresy; belief or opinion contrary to orthodox religious doctrine
These are of course from the Oxford Dictionary because Webster has a decidedly orthodox slant and if you want to see what I mean, look these two words up in Webster and see for yourself.
I know I don’t have to tell you about the definitions of these words but there are others out there who may wish to look into this for themselves. These are words that tend to be thrown around with the intent to hurt and most often the person throwing them around has no idea of their meaning!
Add “orthodox” and “heterodox” in there as well.
We just did a small study on the word “cult” in our small group and what we learned was very helpful in light of what you wrote on today. This is why I really love learning and NOT just doing things by rote as so many do. This is a small example of why we must search scripture for ourselves and not allow ourselves to be fooled by mans traditions. Ask questions and think for yourself (study to show yourself approved).
I have been encouraged so many times by your postings and from some friends that I have made here. The responses are motivating as well and I have often learned something contrary to what is generally believed in the contemporary religious realm. Don’t let the hecklers bother you too much. There will always be those but even they can be used of God to help move us on.
Keep running the race.
Thank you and Shalom brother Skip.
Amen Skip, well put.
Well spoken Skip. I was taught a long time ago when listening to teaching or studying someone else’s teaching on scripture—-to be like the cows when they forage–eat the leaves and spit out the sticks. I believe that is how it was said. I enjoy very much , when I have time reading what you share with all of us. I intend this year to be more diligent in everyday reading your Word study. thank you for your faithfulness in bringing knowledge each day to us as we seek the face of God and His ways.
Skip,
I simply echo the many other posters here. I’m very thankful and grateful for those that have the chutzpah to swim against the stream and share that struggle with others. Thank you!
K. Gallagher
Well said. I pray what you have spoken is received. It is a good word for the Church on many levels.
A very wise teacher of mine taught us to “Eat the meat, leave the bones on the plate.”
Here Here Skip! Well said.
I am so grateful for your work and how you present it. Not only has it challenged my paradigms (which Yeshua also did), but caused me to dig deeper into GOD’s Word and strive to know it better. I once thought I knew it pretty well. Your work, along with the others you cite, has caused me to become a humble learner again. Thank you!
Yea!
Even though it’s disappointing that you received a letter charging you, it’s fabulous that you chose to put into words what so many of us in ministry experience and feel!
In uncovering our Hebraic heritage it opens us up to so much scrutiny and attack that few understand, especially when we go into uncharted territory!
Thanks for articulating a response that rings true not just for me but I’m sure for many other of our co -laborers in the Besorah!
Rom 3:2 What advantage then has the Jew? Much in every way. For to them were entrusted the oracles of God. Keep up the good work Skip and thanks.
Perfect!!!!
Progress and opposition are two sides of the same coin. Let’s hope for more opposition! Thanks for pressing forward Skip.
“In this world you will have persecution. But be of great cheer. I have overcome the world.” I’d say if we aren’t being persecuted then we need to take a strong look at our lives because it is a promise from Yeshua that His followers will be persecuted. In my experience (sadly enough) the group I receive the most persecution from is “Christians”. Like you I find they become very grumpy when one challenges their most precious beliefs and this leaves me wondering if their beliefs are more important to them than God actually is.
Skip, thank you for your apt handling of the Scriptures. You have a wonderful mind and a good way with words. I have been super blessed by your exegesis, expositions and challenges to the “wide road” of accepted dogma of the Catholic and Christian traditions.
May El Shaddai richly bless you we approach the close of YHWH’s year and enter into a new season of mercy and favor. To the King be the glory.