The church as we know it today is really just the Roman version of what was originally a sect of Messianic Judaism.
Since the death and resurrection of Yeshua, concerning worship, personal conduct and God’s do’s and don’ts, the modern church has accepted the erroneous idea that it’s all up to the individual worshipper to decide for him or herself what’s right and wrong.
As long as one is sincere in his or her efforts, that’s all that matters.
There’s only one big problem with this conclusion.
There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in either the Old Testament or New Testament that teaches the idea that we can leave how we worship YHVH up to our individual consciences or that because Messiah has come there are now no more consequences for how we live our lives.
Let’s take a look at Matthew 5:17.
“Don’t think that I have come to
abolish the Law or the Prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.”
-Matthew 5:17
You may have been mistakenly taught that Yeshua came to exchange Law for Grace.
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
The truth is the Law is an expression of God’s Grace.
Maybe you’ve heard a pastor say “Jesus didn’t come to destroy the Law, but to end it”.
What the hell does that mean?
If I’ve ever heard an oxymoronic statement, this is it.
The problem is the word “fulfill” is interpreted in such a way as to mean that the Law has been brought to an end.
First, the Greek word for “to end” or “to finish” is TELOS and that is NOT the word being used in Matthew 5:17.
The word for “fulfill” in Matthew 5:17 is PLEROO and it does NOT mean “to end” or “to finish”.
Rather, it means “to fill up” or “to bring something to its fullest intent”.
Practically the opposite meaning of TELOS.
Yeshua came to take the Law, which are full of shadows and types, and express them to their fullest intent and purpose.
Just a few verses later, Yeshua goes on to say that to teach that “whoever disobeys the least of these commands and teaches others to do so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven”.
The implication of the words of Yeshua, the Torah made flesh, the Messiah of Israel, is crystal clear.
It is heretical to even consider that God’s Torah has now somehow been done away with.
Any believer, Gentile or not, if they have been grafted into the commonwealth of Israel through his or her faith in Messiah have an obligation to make sure that how they conduct their worship and live their lives is in harmony with God’s ordained principles.
And there is only one place to go to in order to learn God’s principles.
You have to look to the Torah to learn God’s principles.
That’s right!
You’re not going find God’s foundational principles in the New Testament.
The purpose of the New Testament is to prove that Yeshua is the Messiah by showing how He fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies through His life.
The purpose of the New Testament is not to introduce God’s Laws or principles.
One may ask why aren’t God’s ordained principles repeated in the New Testament?
Because it would have been redundant.
The New Testament operates under the assumption that those who read it already have a solid understanding of God’s foundational teachings that are introduced and established in the Torah.
Why would it be necessary for Yeshua to repeat what every Jew is already properly schooled in from an early age?
Have you ever heard a Christian say “If Jesus didn’t command it, then I’m not obligated to do it!”.
There’s a quick way to put an end to that fallacious reasoning.
Just quote the following:
“The Word became flesh and lived with us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory of the Father’s only Son,
full of grace and truth.”
-John 1:14
Now after quoting John 1:14, remind your listener of this one undeniable fact.
When John penned His epistle, THERE WAS NO NEW TESTAMENT IN EXISTENCE!
When John testifies that Yeshua is the Word made flesh, the written Word he is referring to is the TORAH or what Christians today call the Old Testament.
In other words, Yeshua is the the WORD, all of the WORD made flesh.
So the reasoning that “if Jesus didn’t say it, I don’t have to do it” just doesn’t hold water folks.
I love this site! I am new to it. Thank you for your teaching. I wanted my young son to read this. He’s very young, bright and reads with understanding. He’s interested in learning from your articles, but because of your remark, “What the HELL is that?”, I didn’t let him read this one. You are our Bible teacher, so I have to hold you to that standard. (My feelings are with you on it. The Antinomians cause a lot of frustration with their exacerbating false doctrines.) Maybe you’ve never said that before, and I don’t want to criticize you; I’m only ASKING if you could refrain from swearing. Can you imagine Jesus saying, “What the hell is that?” ha. No, I can’t either. This is just a simple request. Please don’t see it as a criticism. It’s nothing you need to reply to, just something I would like you to consider. Thank you, and God bless your studies.
Hi there,
I respect your decision to want to avoid my site because of some usage of my language.
But I’ve decided to keep this in my down-to-earth conversational voice which may include light profanity such as “What the hell” as you pointed out.
Appreciate your comment and wish you many blessings.