Shalom to you all. I cannot be
any more joyful than I am now as I reflect upon the success of this past weekend. Understand that this weekend came about
almost by accident. Still, as we know,
nothing is by accident. Therefore, I
feel it apropos to send out a blog and relay a beautiful truth that was brought
forth in our Sabbath service.
As many of you now know, I am more
than half-way through my assignment at House of Israel in Charlotte. I was looking forward to this because I knew
that, by this time, I would have come to some conclusions about the law and the
commandments. I am very enthusiastic about
this blog, for I am about to share a nugget with you all; one that I shared on
this past Sabbath, and one that I am sure no matter what side of the fence you
fall on, you cannot ignore.
Remember, the central debate
revolves around whether or not we are under the law. I am ready and willing to
conclude that, yes, we are under the law.
And by virtue of this truth, we are under the protection of the
law. Let me explain, if I drive 54 in a
55, the law protects me against the one driving 56. If he crashes into me driving over 55, the
law is on my side. I am driving “in the Spirit,” because I am under the speed
limit/under the law. There is so much
more to this understanding than meets the eye.
When we speak of the law, as Paul
does, the first question that must be asked is what law is he speaking
about? Is he speaking about the Torah/Law
of Moses? Is he speaking about the Pharisaical
laws, the Sadducaical laws, the laws written in the Talmud, or what about
Herod’s laws (there are others)? With an
elementary look at Galatians, it is very easy to see that Paul (in Chapter 1)
is directing his statements against his Pharisaical upbringing. This short blog does not allow me to go
through each chapter to make that clear.
But, from the inception of his letter, Paul speaks of how he profited
greatly “in the religion of the Jews” or what we know as “Judaism.”
On the Sabbath, I went through
each chapter of Galatians; you might do well to do the same and see the
progression as Paul dismantles aspects of Judaism, which can be found in the
Talmud. Namely, a Pharisaical
circumcision, as well as Sadducaical circumcision which brought those that were
seeking to follow the Law of Moses, as instructed by Yeshua, to be under
subjection to the respective “ordinances” of religious circumcision, and
therefore making of none affect the law of YeHoVaH. That truly is a law I do not want to be
under. Be a good Berean and search out the different methods of circumcision,
especially under Judaism, and most of Galatians (and I mean most) will begin to
line up with the rest of the New Testament concerning the adherence to the Law
of YeHoVaH, not of the law of the religious order of the day.
Enough of that - let us go to a
particular verse that I think would be somewhat amusing to you all. Look at 1
Peter 1:22 and let’s break it down. “Seeing
ye have purified your souls:” The
profound declaration of this particular phrase is how we can have anything to do with purifying our own
soul. As it is written, Peter is stating
to his audience his acknowledgement that somehow
they purified their own soul.
Wow! Would it not be beneficial
to us to know how to do that? How can I
purify my soul? I’m glad you asked.
The next phrase in this verse
says, “In obeying the truth:” Peter again
explains that by obeying the truth, these people have purified their
souls. It would behoove us to obey the
truth. How can I obey the truth? I’m glad you asked. Peter goes on to say, “Through the Spirit.” (More about that to follow.) And then he
finishes by acknowledging that because
of their obedience, the love of the
brethren is the evidence that they have obeyed the truth.
At this point, would it not be
beneficial to know what the truth is so that we can obey it through the Spirit and have that same evidence of
love toward the brethren? What is
truth? I’m glad you asked. Go to Psalm
119:142. It says, “Thy righteousness
is an everlasting righteousness, and thy
law is truth. Now, jump a few verses
later to verse 151: Thou art near, O
YeHoVaH; and all thy commandments are
truth. Do not think for one moment that
Peter did not know these two scriptures. Psalm 119 is one of the most prolific
champions that David wrote in his love of the law and commandments of
YeHoVaH.
This is just one of many, many
examples of New Testament writing that is unmistakably linked to Old Testament
truth. Now, there are those that might say
that Peter was simply talking about “walking
in the spirit.” On this, we are
somewhat in agreement; you cannot obey the truth (the law and commandments) of
Torah without “walking in the spirit.” Where
we do not agree is, that the Spirit is somehow disconnected from the law and
commands. I emphatically state that Torah and Ruach HaKodesh (The Holy
Spirit) are one.
See if you can follow this: the
Torah (the law and commandments) was given to Moses on the Day of Pentecost. The Feast of Pentecost (Shavuot) was to
celebrate and commemorate the giving of Torah. Now “when the Day of Pentecost had fully come,”
(Acts 2) YeHoVaH chose to fulfill the prophetic word of the Prophet Joel and reveal
His Holy Spirit. Torah, the truth, the
law, the commands, and the Holy
Spirit were inextricably linked on that day.
You cannot have one without the other.
And, it is only by YeHoVaH’s true
grace that you have been able to walk in
a measure of the Spirit without the fullness that comes with your
obedience to the truth. But, now, my
brothers and sisters, you know the truth, because I have just showed it to you. What will you do with this?
2 Corinthians 13:1 says, “…Out of
the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established…” So, let us allow Brother John to prove what
Peter just said. 1 John 5:2-3 says, “By this
we know that we love the children of
God, when we love God, and keep his
commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his
commandments are not grievous.”
John writes, “By this we know that
we love the children of God.” By what?
By keeping HIS commands. Peter also says
that the evidence of obeying the truth was their “unfeigned love of the brethren.”
Peter and John both state that loving one another, as Yeshua commanded,
was proof that they were obeying the truth/keeping the commands of YeHoVaH!
Folks, these are New Testament verses. There are so so so many more. Study for
yourself and you will find that, when you know the TRUTH (Law and Commands),
the TRUTH will certainly make you free (John 8:32).
