For not the hearers of the law are justified with God but the doers of the law shall be justified. Romans 2:13 Doers – This is a nearly impossible verse for Augustine and Luther (and those who follow their lead). It’s impossible because Paul unequivocally says that those who do the commandments of God are…
And it shall come to pass, if you carefully listen to my commandments which I command you today, . . . Deuteronomy 11:13 Carefully Listen To – Rabbi Joshua ben Karha said, “Why does the section, Hear, O Israel (Deut 6:4-9) precede the [section] and it shall come to pass if ye shall harken [diligently…
Baruch Levine emphasizes one of the most important characteristics of the Hebrew view of law when he says: . . . the laws of the Torah did not permit Israelites to expiate intentional or premeditated offenses by means of sacrifice. There was no vicarious, ritual remedy – substitution of one’s property or wealth – for…
Today I received an passionate request to explain why my teaching about law and grace was causing such terrible consequences for a particular person. Accompanying this request was an article by Dan Corner titled “Deadly Galatianism Reintroduced.” With an English construction like that, I just had to take a look. Unfortunately, Mr. Corner’s misunderstanding of…
“Do not think that I came to annul the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to annul, but to fulfill.” Matthew 5:17 To Fulfill – In 144 AD the Church branded Marcion a heretic and rejected his truncated Bible. Marcion taught that Christians had no further use of the Hebrew Scriptures except as…
For the law of the Spirit of life in Yeshua HaMashiach set me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2 Law – Sometimes it seems like Sha’ul could have written about Alice in Wonderland. One pill makes you bigger (one law gives you life) and the other pill makes you small (one…
Do we nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law. Romans 3:31 Establish – Put yourself in Rome in the first century. You are part of a small group of believers. You have heard the good news of peace with God through Yeshua, the Messiah. How did…
by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, [which is] the Law of commandments [contained] in ordinances, that in Himself he might make the two into one new man, [thus] establishing peace. Ephesians 2:15 Two Into One – There are a host of issues with this verse, none of which are easily resolved without understanding principle…
“Indeed, I gave them no-good decrees, and laws that did not offer them life.” Ezekiel 20:25 No-Good Decrees – Brevard Childs, professor of Biblical theology at Harvard, says that this verse is an example of “the clearest sign of the brokenness of the Old Testament covenant . . . once given as a source of…
“This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law. Nehemiah 8:9 Weeping – “One lesson became perfectly clear: Any nation that turns away from its founding principles and repudiates the values upon which it was founded…
