Wasn’t the Law ‘fulfilled?’
It saddens me when I hear Christians twist Scripture and say things like, “Jesus fulfilled the Law so I don’t have to.” Really? Now you can murder? Steal? Fornicate? Such perverted statements must break the Father’s heart.
Yeshua said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” He also said that not one jot or tittle of the Law would pass from His TORAH until Heaven and earth passed away. And that hasn’t happened yet! He warned those who relax even one of the commandments and teach others to do so would be least in the kingdom. But those who keep, and teach others to keep them, will be great.
John says those who claim they know the Messiah but do not keep His commandments are liars.
And by this we know that we have known Him, if we keep His commands. The one saying, I have known Him, and does not keep His commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His Word, truly in this one the love of God has been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him.
(1Jn 2:3-5)
Notice that John equates the Commandments (Law, TORAH, instructions) with the WORD. They are the same! Yeshua is the WORD of God made flesh. So He is the TORAH! That’s why James writes that the implanted word can save.
Can the Law Save Us?
James 1:21 On account of this, putting away all filthiness and overflowing of evil, in meekness receive the implanted Word being able to save your souls.
Does this mean that one must keep the law to be saved? Of course not! No one can be saved by keeping the Law! We keep the Law because we are saved. It’s a heart thing. “If you love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15.
Is Paul Hard to Understand?
So where does all the confusion about the Law arise? Most of the Scriptures that well-meaning but confused Christians distort are words penned by Paul. Peter warned that the untaught who pervert Paul’s often hard to understand writing , do so to their own destruction. So don’t be led astray by the LAWLESS!
(2Pe 3:15-17)
And think of the long-suffering of our Lord as salvation, as also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you, according to the wisdom given to him; as also in all his epistles, speaking in them concerning these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the unlearned and unsettled pervert, as also they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. Then beloved, you knowing beforehand, watch lest being led away by the error of the lawless you fall from your own steadfastness.
Yeshua warned:
“Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name do many works of power? And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you! Depart from Me, those working lawlessness!” (Mat 7:22-23)
And remember what John wrote. “And by this we know that we have known Him, if we keep His commands . . .” 1 John 2:3
Before you tackle those hard to understand writings of Paul that the unlearned pervert to their own destruction, consider the following points, so as to avoid the error of the lawless.
Never Confuse Obedience with Legalism
Legalism is thinking salvation can be obtained by keeping the Law. It can’t! And it never could! But obedience, God says, is better than sacrifice. (1 Sam 15:22)
There are hundreds, upon hundreds, of perfectly clear passages in Scripture that instruct believers to keep God’s law, while there are probably only a dozen or so, hard to understand ones, from Paul’s writings, that seem–and I stress seem–to contradict the bulk of God’s word.
Remember that the so-called Old Testament is the plumb-line where by the so-called New Testament is verified. Ninety percent of the quotes in the New Testament are right out of the Old. Those noble Bereans searched the scriptures (Old Testament) daily to see if those things taught by Paul and Silas were true. (Acts 17: 11-12) So the New Testament will never negate the Old. At the time Timothy wrote, “. . . all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness,” there was no New Testament! And when Yeshua, after His resurrection, expounded to his disciples, beginning at Moses and all the prophets, all the scriptures that were about Him, Yeshua was quoting from the Old Testament. (Luke 24:27) Yeshua is the living OLD TESTAMENT, which comprises 70% of the Bible! God, Yeshua, the WORD made flesh is the same yesterday, today and forever!
What is the Curse of the Law?
If one believes what many Christian preachers claim Paul taught, that the Law is a curse and was nailed to the cross, then the bulk of Scripture would be a contradiction.
First, Paul never called the law a curse. He spoke of the curse of the law, referring to Deuteronomy 30:19. “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing! Therefore choose life. . . ” The curse of the law, Paul referred to was the penalty for breaking the law—death–the penalty which Yeshua paid on our behalf. The charges against us were nailed to the cross, not God’s LAW!
Another claim often made is that as Gentile believers we are not required to keep His Law–those Commandments Yeshua said we would keep if we loved Him, the ones that will not pass away until Heaven and Earth pass (Matt 5:18)! Jots and Tittles: Things like keeping the Sabbath and His Feasts, and not eating detestable things. Yes, the very Laws that He writes in our minds and on our hearts once we enter into the New Covenant. (Jeremiah 31:31)
What about Gentiles?
Many claim that all Gentile believers have to do is abstain from those four things mentioned in Acts 15:20–pollutions of idols, fornication, things strangled, and from blood. Really? That’s it? Everything else goes? You mean you can murder, lie, steal, gossip, get drunk, and you don’t need to pay those tithes? Surely, no one in their right mind believes that is what this scripture teaches. And isn’t it funny the way they never quote the next scripture (verse 21) that says: “For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day.”
Allow me to paraphrase in modern language so that it will become clear. Some Pharisees were telling Paul’s new Gentile believers that they are not really saved unless they convert to (Parasitical) Judaism as proscribed by their oral tradition. They would need to jump through all their hoops and follow all their traditions to make it official, culminating with physical circumcision. Only after all that would they be, officially, saved.
Well, Paul knew better. He knew that God had already offered salvation to them through faith and given them His Holy Spirit. But Paul also knew that they were fresh out of Pagan worship, so he and the other leaders came up with a simple plan. They would tell them to abstain from idols, fornication, eating animals that had been strangled, and from eating blood. These were all things practiced by Pagans and forbidden in God’s law. Paul was smart enough to not overwhelm them with all of the law God gave Moses at one time. He knew that these new believers would go to synagogue every Sabbath (Saturday) and hear the Law of Moses taught. They could learn the same way new believers learn today, over time.
We Can Eat Anything?
Let’s take another scripture often quoted to prove that God’s dietary laws have been done away with. 1Ti 4:4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
Standing alone, out of context, one would have to assume that God–who does not change, and who knows the end from the beginning—changed his mind about what constitutes food for man. (Leviticus 11) Now eating any and all creatures (poisonous snakes, jelly fish, insects, vultures etc.) is okay. But let’s go back a few verses and get the full context.
(1Ti 4:1-5)
But the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, cleaving to deceiving spirits and teachings of demons, in lying speakers in hypocrisy, being seared in their own conscience, forbidding to marry, saying to abstain from foods which God created for partaking with thanksgiving by believers and those who know the truth. Because every creature of God is good, and nothing to be thrust away, if it be received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
According to Timothy, the passage above is talking about those who depart from the faith. Rest assured, the faith of which he speaks is the one handed down to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Those departing will cleave to teachings of demons that forbid marriage (instituted by YHVH) These demons will also teach man to abstain from the foods God created to for believers who know the truth. God’s word is truth, including Leviticus 11. He goes on to say every creature of God is good (to eat), but notice there is an if! If it is sanctified by God’s word! Swine (Pork) has never been sanctified by God’s word! It is included as an unclean beast not to be used as ‘food.’
(Leviticus 11:7-8)
And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be cloven-footed, yet he chews not the cud; he is unclean to you. Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.
What about Peter’s Vision?
Another often cited verse that gets misused to justify eating things God’s word calls detestable is Peter’s vision.
(Act 10:9-21)
…Peter went up upon the house-top to pray, about the sixth hour, and he became very hungry, and wished to eat; and they making ready, there fell upon him a trance, and he doth behold the heaven opened, and descending unto him a certain vessel, as a great sheet, bound at the four corners, and let down upon the earth, in which were all the four-footed beasts of the earth, and the wild beasts, and the creeping things, and the fowls of the heaven, and there came a voice unto him: `Having risen, Peter, slay and eat.’ And Peter said, `Not so, Lord; because at no time did I eat anything common or unclean;’ and there is a voice again a second time unto him: `What God did cleanse, thou, declare not thou common;’ and this was done thrice, and again was the vessel received up to the heaven. And as Peter was perplexed in himself what the vision that he saw might be, then, lo, the men who have been sent from Cornelius, having made inquiry for the house of Simon, stood at the gate, and having called, they were asking if Simon, who is surnamed Peter, doth lodge here? And Peter thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, `Lo, three men do seek thee; but having risen, go down and go on with them, nothing doubting, because I have sent them;’ and Peter having come down unto the men who have been sent from Cornelius unto him, said, `Lo, I am he whom ye seek, what is the cause for which ye are present?’
Before I reveal the verse that holds the vision’s meaning, I must ask a question? If the vision meant that God had reversed His dietary laws, why didn’t Peter already know this? Certainly Yeshua would have told him. How many meals had the two shared together? Yet Peter said he had never eaten anything unclean. The answer is: this was not about reversing God’s dietary laws. It was about Gentiles.
Act 10:28 Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
Another thing you should notice is that the writer of Acts uses the term unlawful, yet he is not talking about God’s TORAH! Nowhere in the TORAH God gave Moses does it say not to associate with Gentiles–quite the contrary. It just says not to worship YHVH the way the Gentiles worship their gods. The writer of Acts refers to the oral law, those laws Yeshua calls the traditions of man. But those who do not read the Old Testament would not know that and assume that God is reversing one of His own laws! This is another common mistake made by those who have not studied God’s entire word to show themselves approved, rightly dividing the word of God.
There are dozens of other such passages misguided Christians use to falsely assert God’s TORAH no longer applies. But in closing, I’ll simply provide some scriptures many Christians would rather ignore.
Justified by Faith or Works?
(Jas 2:18-24)
But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS ACCOUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
Verses on Keeping the Commandments
1Jn_3:22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.
1Jn_3:24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
1Jn_5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.
1Jn_5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.
2Jn_1:6 This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.
Rev_12:17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Rev_14:12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
Rev_22:14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
Rom_2:13 For not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified;
Rom_3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.
1Jn 3:4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.
Rom_6:15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!
Rom_7:12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.
Rom_7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.
Rom_7:16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good.
Rom_7:22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.
Rom_8:4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
What will We Do in the Millennium?
Here is a prophesy from Isaiah regarding that future time when Jesus returns to Jerusalem to set up his kingdom
(Isa 2:2-3)
Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the TORAH, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
DO NOT GET CONFUSED WITH THE LAWS AND COMMANDMENTS HE ONLY GAVE US 10 AND THE LOVE COMMANDMENT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LAWS AND COMMANDMENTS. LAWS ARE MADE TO KEEP ORDER AND TO FORCE YOU TO OBEY THEM WITH PENALTIES ATTACHED TO THEM. COMMANDMENTS ARE THERE FOR US TO SHOW RESPECT AND LOVE FOR EACH OTHER . THAT IS WHY JESUS “YASHUA” DIED FOR OUR SINS AND ALWAYS SHOWED LOVE AND COMPASSION FOR ALL THOSE HE MET NOT HOLDING ANYONE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE LAW BREAKING IT HIMSELF MANY TIMES TO PROVE TO THE PHARASEES THAT LOVE WAS THE NEW LAW AND THE LAW WAS DEATH. PLEASE READ IN THE GOSPELS WHAT JESUS TOLD THEM MANY TIMES WHEN YOU FULFILL SOMETHING YOU COMPLETE IT. THANKS AND GOD BLESS JP.
I hope you will stop by and read about the Ten Commandments. A New series of article on this site starting soon. Shalom.
Jesus NEVER broke any of the Laws or Commandments.
The only laws He broke were the Jewish Oral Laws and dogmas to prove they were nothing.
If Jesus had broken any of His own (or the Father’s) then He couldn’t have been the perfect spotless sacrifice that He was and we’d all still be lost in our sins.
In reality there are 613 commandments in Torah. The majority of Christians are keeping about 203 of YHWH”s Commandments; a much smaller minority of Christians are keeping as many as 275 of the Commandments. However, 221 Commandments are applicable to the temple, and even if there were a Temple, most of these would apply to Jews only, or another words, persons living outside of Israel are not applicable. An additional 74 of the Commandments are special Commandments which involve judges, agricultural matters, or are specifically for men or for women, widows etc. If we examine how much Torah that Christians already keep, factoring in what doesn’t apply to them, then we discover that the range is from 66 to 85% of Torah! Many of the laws for the Nazaritee are voluntary which brings the average up to 69-87%. I had to ask myself this. If the law was really nailed to the cross,(which it has not been) then why was I already observing up to 87% of Torah? The misinterpretation and twisting of James actually puts those who judge the Torah pursuant under the same judgment they pronounce on others. They condemn themselves with the same scripture they judge others with as they observe most of it because it is in their hearts to do so . Most of the laws I was taught to shun were those that directly effected my health, wealth,happiness and relationship (loving) with my neighbor. Why? John 10:10 The thief (taking away these laws from me) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. Once I added those the blessings began for me. Did this lawless teaching I was raised with set me loose to do whatever I want. NO! Even before I knew the law it was in my heart to follow it. Romans 2:14-15 Did not following all of it put me under having to observe it all curse me.( the James 2:10 misinterpretation ) NO! Nor does it now. I do not follow the law for salvation nor does anyone I know I have heard no teachings or comments here promoting that.. I follow it out of love for my creator and because it I a blessing in my life and for everyone around me. I assure you walking in the fullness of the law is not bondage. Sickness, poverty, unhappiness etc….is bondage. It is blessing Deut. 28.
Dear Alicia,
You wrote: “I follow it [the Law] out of love for my creator and because it is a blessing in my life and for everyone around me. I assure you walking in the fullness of the law is not bondage.”
Your comments blessed me. I am so glad you get it! In time, others will too, because this is the move of God to restore all things before the return of the Messiah, as it says in Acts 3:20-21
And he shall send Yeshua the Messiah, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
(Act 3:20-21)
Shalom Christine,
I agree with you. One of the things Abba Yah has shown me is this: those who have the mindset of keeping the “Law” puts them in bondage do not see themselves in a future bondage. Let me explain. If keeping YHWH’s — Yahweh’s Teachings and Instructions (Torah/Law) is seen as bondage, then when Yeshua comes back to Rule and Reign from Jerusalam for a thousand years; He will “require” all to “keep” Torah. Thus, those with the mindset of keeping Torah are in bondage will wind up in bondage for a thousand years while Yeshua is on earth. They see not the error of their ways at this time. We should lift them up in prayer that Abba Yah will awaken them to His Absolute Written Truths from His Word.
Have a blessed day in Yeshua.
Shalom,
Eddie Rogers
Good point, Edie!
Great article!
Doesn’t the bible say in Timothy that the law (Torah ) whole law is not for the righteous? Doesn’t it say in Romans 10-4 that Christ is the end of the law for those who believe , in Romans 8 it says the law is met in you not by you ! Let me ask this question to the author do you keep the sabbath ? Do you were polyester clothes ? Do you eat catfish or lobster ? My point is the law wasn’t given for you or anyone else to keep , it was given to show men there sin and to lead you to JESUS ! 2corinthian says it’s the ministry of death and condemnation ! God didn’t find fault with his commandments except that no one can keep it so he sent someone who could ! Love is fulfilling of the law ,it’s the love of god that’s been shed abroad in your heart not 613 rules ! The law is still leading people to Christ that’s what it was designed to do ! The law is not for the righteous ! Paul wrote that , is that hard to understand ! If your led by the spirit your not under the law !the Holy Ghost said that also !
These are the words of Yeshua: If you don’t believe the article, how about Him?
Joh 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commandments.
Joh 14:16 I will ask the Father to give you another Helper, to be with you always.
Joh 14:17 He is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor recognizes him. But you recognize him, because he lives with you and will be in you.
Joh 14:18 I am not going to forsake you like orphans. I will come back to you.
Joh 14:19 “In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live also.
Joh 14:20 At that time you will know that I am in my Father, that you are in me, and that I am in you.
Joh 14:21 The person who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I, too, will love him and reveal myself to him.”
Many of us are making the effort to Love Him as He instructed us to love Him. By keeping His Commandments. They never have changed. Yeshua, himself, never kept ALL the commandments, because some don’t apply to Him. He isn’t a woman, for example, nor was he a Levite, so many do not apply. We keep those we CAN.
You asked if we refrain from unclean food? Yes. Observe the Feasts of YHVH? Yes! And they are a complete Blessing!!
If we are to walk as He walked, why do we have the attitude that ‘He kept the Law so we don’t have to?” That makes no sense.
Read Psalm 119. It is a love-letter about Torah. Note how the descriptors of Torah are also the ones Yeshua said about himself! (I am the Way, Truth, Life) He is the Light of the World.
We understand it is a paradigm shift. We have all been where you are. I encourage you to study. We are not saying Either/Or (that is a Greek mindset) We are saying BOTH (Spirit and Truth)
Psa_119:160 The sum of your word is truth, and each righteous ordinance of yours is everlasting.
If anything in the NT doesn’t agree with the OT then we must understand why it does not. The entirety of the Salvation Message can be found in the OT…It can actually be found in the very first (Hebrew) word of Genesis!!! How exciting is that?
Popular view: transgress in one point, you are guilty of all. This paradigm comes from the book of James. Look at the entire scripture of chapter 2. It explains the context of what is being taught here.
Jas 2:8 If you truly accomplish the sovereign law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself,” you do well,
Jas 2:9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, being found guilty by the Torah as transgressors.
Jas 2:10 For whoever shall guard all the Torah, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
James was admonishing the believers not to discriminate based on the wealth or poverty of the individuals who were their fellow-brethren. YHVH shows no partiality, so neither should we! Again…this is a heart issue, and the Torah, as always, convicts the believer of their sinful heart. He’s saying, don’t get self-righteous! Don’t think that you’ve got this ‘knocked.’ (to use the vernacular) just because you are doing the Torah to the letter….The ‘letter’ kills, because it gives us a false sense of our own righteousness. No, we are to use the Torah to identify where our heart is too. That’s why ‘Love God and Love Your Neighbor’ are the ‘greatest’ commandments. They cover the entirety of the Law that is animated by LOVE. Not sloppy agape love…but Love in a covenant sense (loyalty, honor). We honor Him when we expunge every dark thought and prejudice from our beings….it is a life-long journey!
In that sense, it helps to understand scripture verses that say “There is none righteous, no not one.” and “Our righteousness is as filthy rags.”
We NEED our Messiah as our covering and as our High Priest advocate when we transgress the law. It is to the Spirit of the Law, as well as the letter that we need to pay attention.
Dear Jim Myer:
If Christ is the end of the law, then Yeshua was confused. He said not one jot or tittle would pass from the law until heaven and earth passed away and all prophesy was fulfilled. News flash: we are not there yet! Then he went even further and added that whoever breaks and teaches others to break the least (so there is more than one, more than just LOVE your neighbor) commandments would be least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps and teaches others to keep them would be great.
No, Yeshua was not confused. The problem is the translation. End is better translated as goal. The word is “telos”. Look it up! Strong’s dictionary says it means to set out for a definite point or goal. Properly it’s the point aimed at. The CJB translates it: For the goal at which the Torah aims is the Messiah, who offers righteousness to everyone who trusts.
You also referred to Romans 8. So let’s go there.
(Rom 8:1-7)
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, on the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
Allow me to explain the above passage, Jim, since Paul (who Peter says is sometimes hard to understand) obviously has you confused if you think he is teaching that God does not expect those being saved to keep his commandments. Quite the contrary! Paul makes the point that those of us who have His spirit are no longer slaves to sin, which Scripture defines as transgression of the law. (1John 3:4). Walking in the Spirit empowers us to keep the Law! If we choose! Those without His Spirit are carnally minded. They are at enmity with God and not subject to the law of God.
You wrote: “My point is the law wasn’t given for you or anyone else to keep, it was given to show men there sin and to lead you to JESUS!
Yes, Jim, the law does show us our sinfulness, but that is only one aspect. Claiming that the law wasn’t given for anyone to keep is utterly ridiculous. It contradicts everything God’s word teaches. First off, realize that the Hebrew word TORAH, which most translations translate LAW, means much more. Look it up! Brown-Driver Briggs Hebrew Dictionary defines it as direction and instruction.
All through Scripture God has a problem with those who do what is right in their own eyes, those who flout His instructions! His word, including his TORAH is eternal. He does not change and His word does not change. We keep His instructions to the best of our ability not to be saved, but because we are saved. Yeshua said, “If you love me keep my commandments.” Mat 7:23 says: “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Well, guess what, Jim. That word the KJB translates as iniquity is another example of a poorly translated word. It’s anomia. Look it up! It means lawless, that is a violation of the Law.
The LITV (literal translation) renders it correctly.
Mat 7:23 And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; “depart from Me, those working lawlessness!”
To show you how important it is to look up words to find their true meaning and not just trust the translators, who can be wrong and sometimes have agendas, let’s look at John 13:34 Almost all translations, except the Scriptures 1998, say “a new command I give you, that you love one another.” Well, there is a problem. This is not a new commandment!
Lev 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD.
So was Yeshua confused? Or was the translator? I say the translator. The word is the same one used in New Testament, not “neos” but “kainos”:It’s renewed!
The Scriptures 1998 got it right: “A renewed command I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
Ah, now that makes sense.
My point, Jim: Stop relying on what you have been taught. There is a lot of wrong teaching out there. Dig deep into God’s word, pan for gold, always get the full context. Remember that God’s word will never contradict itself. And, last but not least, look up the meaning of key words.
May YHVH bless and keep you, and may you be conformed to the likeness of Yeshua!
Christine Egbert
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Please give me an easy to read copy of God’s Commandments. Please nothing vague, but solid and concrete without comment. Just a simple list similar to the ten commandments. By the way, how many commandments does God actually have?
Here is one. Hope it is easy to read:
http://lionlamb.net/v3/gz.php?f=files/TorahCommandments.htm
Thank yo so much for this teaching! It is literally an answer to our prayers. We were discussing how to address questions from Christians about our, seemingly odd, Godly beliefs and behaviors.
Here is one question I have:
Does ‘justified’ mean the same thing as ‘saved’? Is ‘salvation’ the same as ‘justification’? If so, I think this needs to be clearly stated in the article to avoid confusion.
JUSTIFY … Vindication, defense. The court hears the evidence and arguments in justification of the prisoner’s conduct. Our disobedience to God’s commands admits no justification.
4: in theology: Remission of sin and absolution from guilt and punishment; or an act of free grace by which God pardons the sinner and accepts him as righteous, on account of the atoning blood of Yeshua.
SANCTIFY: to cleanse, purify or make holy. 2. To separate, set apart or appoint to a holy or sacred use. God blessed the 7th day and sanctified it (Gen 2)
3. To purify; prepare for divine service, to cleanse from corruption; to make holy by detaching the affections from the world and its defilements, and exalting them to a supreme love to God. Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth John 17, Ephesians 5.
7. to make free from guilt; 8. To secure from violation. To sanctify God, to praise and celebrate him as a holy being; to acknowledge and honor his holy majesty, and to reverence his character and laws Isaiah 8
God sanctified himself or his name, by vindicating his honor from the reproaches of the wicked, and manifesting his glory. Ezekiel 36
Paraphrased from Webster’s 1828 Dictionary.
SALVATION: The act of saving; preservation from destruction, danger or great calamity.
2. Appropriately in theology, the redemption of man from the bondage of sin and liability to eternal death; and the conferring on him everlasting happiness. This is the great salvation.
Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation. 2 Cor 7.
3. Deliverance from enemies; victory. Exodus 14
4. Remission of Sins, or saving graces. Luke 19
5. The author of man’s salvation. Psalm 27
6. A term of praise of benediction. Rev 19
Paraphrased from Webster’s 1828 Dictionary.
Normally I ignore such articles, but this one must be refuted! To say that Christ fulfilled the OT Law is NOT the same as saying that murder (or any other violation of the Law) is no permissible…it most definitely is not & that is setting up a straw man argument.
Christ fulfilled & transcended the OT Law (the stipulations of the covenant between God’s people Israel & God Himself). It, the OT covenant, is therefore no longer pertinent, because Christ freed us from the OT law. But Christ instituted a new covenant at the Last Supper. This new covenant had a new law as given by Christ Himself: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love each other just as I have love you. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for each other.” This is the law of love that we are now under through Christ. If we follow the law of love of Christ, then we will not murder (or any other sin proscribed in the law) because murder is never loving. We now worship God in spirit & truth, not through the OT laws. By following the new law of love, we by default follow the OT law. (Gal 5:14) The purpose of the OT Israel (& of the Law) was to be our schoolteacher of right/wrong as well as to bring forth Christ, our salvation. That has been done & the law has been fulfilled in Christ. Nothing else can come forth from that law…it has outlived its usefulness, so to speak.
Also, just because one follows the laws does not necessarily mean that one has placed themselves under Christ. One can obey an OT law (i.e. one can choose to not murder or not commit adultery), but not obey the law of love of Christ. The Scriptures tell us that to put ourselves back under the law is to separate ourselves from Christ Himself. If you accept the OT law, then you reject & nullify your very salvation! (Gal 5:1-6; Heb 6:6 & 10:29)
Although, if one WANTS to follow the OT law, then they still can; but even St. Paul wrote that those who do must follow ALL of the law (Gal 5:3). Here is a link to the 613 Laws of the Torah, the OT: http://www.jewfaq.org/613.htm.
Get ready to eat kosher (no more cheese burgers, ham, shrimp or pork chops for you!), celebrate holy days & fast days, worship God on Saturday, change your clothing, learn how to don the phylacteries, say the prescribed daily prayers, tithing 10% of your income, sleep apart from your spouse for 2 weeks per month (the week of the wife’s menstrual flow & the week after)…along with many other laws. I hope that you like camping in the early spring because you also get to move out of your house for a week & into a tent (Feast of Booths). Get ready to slaughter a lamb & put its blood on your doorpost for Passover as well. Oh, yes…no Christmas presents as you will no longer celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
May you have better luck fulfilling those 613 laws than did St. Paul, a Pharisee of Pharisees who also started out following the OT Law! (Acts 15:10) Sorry, but you cannot have it both ways! You cannot say follow the OT Law & follow Christ. Nor can you say follow only part of the Law, for the law is an all or nothing deal that only condemns us to death & separates us from Christ. By following Christ we will not violate the OT Law, but that is not the same thing as saying what you do “follow the OT Law in order to follow Christ.” There is a difference between following rules & following Christ. Either be Jewish & follow the Law or be Christian & follow Christ. There is no in between!
Rhonda, Very well stated, so many are confused about this issue, the fulfillment of the Law by the atonement of Christ. As you said, if we are following what Jesus gave us as the ultimate commandment, we will naturally not commit the sins/crimes of the ten commandments. The law is now written on our hearts, as a byproduct of accepting Jesus as Savior.
Hi, Troy. I have two questions.
1. What LAW is now written on our hearts?
2. Did He write the LAW on our hearts so that you would obey ore disobey it?
Answer:
1.YHVH’s LAW that was once written on tablets of stone.
2. He wrote it on our hearts so we would obey it!
How did Yeshua ‘fulfill’ the Law? There are several articles on this site that help to clarify this issue. Fulfill is Pleroo. Greek for Fill Up, Fill Full of Meaning, Fully Teach. It doesn’t mean what the Christian church teaches it means.
The schism here is reflected in your Either/Or argument. It is Not Either/Or is is Both. We are asked to Walk in Spirit AND in Truth. According to the scripture (which defines scripture) His Torah is Truth.
You are also conflating Rabbinic Teachings (like prohibitions against mixing milk and meat) with actual Torah commandments.
Consider these verses:
Joh_5:46 because if you believed Moses, you would believe me, since he wrote about me.
Joh_6:32 Jesus told them, “Truly, I tell all of you with certainty, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.
Joh_7:19 Moses gave you the Law, didn’t he? YET NONE OF YOU IS KEEPING THE LAW. Why are you trying to kill me?”
Jas 1:25 But the one WHO LOOKS AT THE PERFECT LAW OF FREEDOM AND REMAINS COMMITTED to it—thereby demonstrating that he is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of what that law requires—will be blessed in what he does.
Deu 4:6 Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and discernment in the eyes of people who’ll listen to all these decrees. Then they’ll say: ‘SURELY THIS GREAT NATION IS A WISE AND DISCERNING PEOPLE.’
Deu 4:7 FOR WHAT GREAT NATION HAS A GOD SO NEAR LIKE THE LORD OUR GOD WHENEVER WE CALL ON HIM?
DEU 4:8 AND WHAT GREAT NATION HAS ALL THE DECREES AND RIGHTEOUS ORDINANCES LIKE ALL THIS TEACHING THAT I’M GIVING YOU TODAY?
Deu 4:9 Only guard yourselves carefully so you won’t forget the things that you saw and let them slip from your mind for the rest of your life. TELL THEM TO YOUR CHILDREN AND TO YOUR GRANDCHILDREN.
Who was Yeshua (Jesus)? How did He walk when He was here?
You are saying he told us to walk in love. I agree! By whose definition? Yours? or YHVH’s?
You are correct: we can follow the laws and not have faith/belief/trust in Yeshua. That is called empty faith. I recommend reading the book of James for a more complete picture, but this is important to understand:Jas 2:24 You observe that a person is justified through actions and not through faith alone.
Jas 2:25 Likewise, Rahab the prostitute was justified through actions when she welcomed the messengers and sent them away on a different road, wasn’t she?
Jas 2:26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without actions is also dead.
Yeshua did not give us a ‘new’ commandment. It is the same one found in the OT. He told us to Love God and Love our Neighbor, right?
Where can we find the first mention of these ‘great’ commandments? They are found here:
Deuteronomy 6:5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
And Here:
Leviticus 19:17 “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.
Lev 19:18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.
So, if all the Law and the Prophets ‘hang’ (i.e. are suspended from) the commandments to Love God and Love our Neighbor, then all of the commandments are guided by and embody: love. Those in the first century would have been familiar with the Law of Moses, and they would have understood this summary of the commandments.
Many of the OT Laws are not applicable today (either because we do not have a temple, or theocracy, Levitical priesthood etc.) and also because Yeshua IS our Passover, so placing blood on our doorposts, sacrificing animals etc. is NOT something we do today.
I do not eat pork, shrimp, lobster, catfish etc. They are not clean animals to consume. I cannot place my finger on any commandment from Yeshua (or the apostles for that matter,) that changed the dietary instructions. I believe, that since He loves us, and ALL of His instructions are suspended from LOVE that it is for our benefit and blessings, not because He wants to boss us around…although He certainly has the right to do so. Doesn’t He?
It is not accurate to say that the Law separates us from YHVH. TRANSGRESSION of His Law is what separates us. That is why He gave us the Law…so that we know what is acceptable behavior, and to convict us of sin. It is a How-To manual for Worship, Loving HIM, and a manual for behaviors to keep us healthy (dietary laws, etc) and instructions on how to deal with our Neighbors (How to love them as ourselves). When we fall away from HIS definition of righteous behavior, we in essence say that He isn’t the ‘boss of me.’
I am uncomfortable with that.
In any case, There are several articles on this site that will clarify these problems too. No one here is saying the Law trumps (Faith) belief in Him….Obedience is the Fruit of the Seed that is planted when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. We Love Him, because he first loved us, and so we obey his statutes. Just as Abraham did, and it was counted to him as righteousness and he was called God’s Friend.
Soon to come: articles on Sabbath Day (the 4th Commandment of the TEN) and the Lost Sheep (Identity of Israel). Shalom!
Actually….I’d like to correct myself. I said: “You are correct: we can follow the laws and not have faith/belief/trust in Yeshua. That is called empty faith.” More properly, following the law without Faith in Yeshua is the definition of Legalism. Please see my article on the “New Legalism”
Rhonda said: “Either be Jewish & follow the Law or be Christian & follow Christ. There is no in between!”
Julia replies: Who says there is no in-between? No one is asking you to give up your relationship with Yeshua! You already love Him, recognize Who He Is and realize He is our Salvation; He’s our Messiah! That’s the first step and it is HUGE!!!
But, didn’t He ask us to walk as he walked? He was a Jew (from the tribe of Judah). He kept the Sabbath, went up to Jerusalem and the Temple on the Feasts, he ate according to the dietary guidelines (as did the disciples…see Peter in Acts 10 & 11), and wore Tzit-tzit (the ‘wings’ grabbed by the woman who touched the hem of his garment to be healed). He was born on the first day of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)…he ‘tabernacled’ among us—and was circumcised on the 8th day (another feast day!). He met in every minute detail the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb!
It is sad that the majority of Christians have no clue about these miracles! Nor do they seem curious to investigate why YHVH gave us the Feasts. Every Word that came from our Father is for our benefit. For our understanding of His Heart! I would pray that you would seek His instruction. If this article, or anything on this site, disturbs you, or messes with your world-view: Ask Him to show you! He promises that He will guide us into all truth. If you truly believe that His spirit is what guides us, then challenge Him on that promise. He will show you all the truth you are ready to receive. He will fill you to the level you require and are open for. Taste and see that the Lord is Good. Every Word that came from the Mouth of YHVH is for us, today. From the Beginning.
Dear Rhonda:
First off I never said that Yeshua fulfilling the Torah is the same as saying murder or any other violation is permissible. I said it saddens me when I hear Christians twist Scripture—get that? Twist Scripture! —and say things like, “Jesus fulfilled the Law so I don’t have to.” I certainly do not believe that Messiah’s fulfilling the Law negates in any way my obligation to follow God’s instructions. Yeshua said if I love Him, and I do, that I should keep His commandments.
Next you wrote: the OT covenant is no longer pertinent because Christ freed us from the OT law.
This is an out and out LIE!
This is what Yeshua said: “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law!” He also said not one jot or tittle would pass from the Law until heaven and earth passed away, and both are still here. He then went on to warn that whoever breaks, and teaches others to break, the least of these commands (plural/more than one command) will be least in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Mat 5:17-19)
Since Constantine Paganized the so-called church (read my article Who Is The Church) they have inherited lies! It’s vanity! There is no profit in in them. (Jer16:19)
Jer 16:19 O Jehovah, my strength and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the nations shall come to You from the ends of the earth and say, Our fathers have inherited only lies, vanity, and there is no profit in them.
You claim the Messiah instituted a new covenant at the Last Supper.
WRONG again! The New, or better translated renewed Covenant was first promised in Jer 31:31.
Let’s look at what it actually says:
“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—
Did you catch that, Rhonda? The new covenant is made with two groups: the House of Israel and the House of Judah. It is not made with Gentiles. (Read my articles Who Is The Church and The Lost Sheep to better understand these two groups.) But God does provide a means by which Gentiles can partake of this New Covenant.They have to be grafted into Israel’s cultivated Olive tree and become part of the commonwealth of Israel! (Romans 11:24 & Eph 2:11-13 )
Now let’s continue reading in Jeremiah about this new covenant . . .
(Jer 31:33)
But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
Please, tell me you understand! God places His Law on our hearts and in our minds so we can obey it! Not so we don’t have to! And we obey, not to be saved—it doesn’t work that way. We obey because we are saved!
So the only thing different about the old covenant and the new is that the new is not written on tablets of stone but hearts of flesh. YHVH’s TORAH never changed. It is eternal.
Yeshua said, “If you love me keep my commandments!”
2John 1:6 This is love, that we walk according to His commandments.(PLURAL)
Rev_22:14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
Rom_2:13 For not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified;
Rom_3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.
1Jn 3:4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.
Rom_6:15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!
Rom_7:12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.
honda, you then went on to quote the scripture in John 13:34 about a New Commandment to love one another. This was a poor translation. The commandment is NOT NEW! It should have been translated as a renewed commandment. Lev 19:18 says: “. . . thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD.” And Yeshua, who is the WORD (including Leviticus) made flesh, knew this. He didn’t misspeak. The Greek word is not “neos” it’s “kainos.” Here is how it is translated in the The Scriptures 1998.
“A renewed command I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
Now doesn’t that make more sense?
You went on to say: “The Scriptures tell us that to put ourselves back under the law is to separate ourselves from Christ Himself.”
Rhonda, you need to stop taking verses out of context. When Paul said this, he was warning new believers not to fall prey to those Jews who were teaching the lie that to be saved they must follow the rules and regulations contained in the Oral Laws, which Yeshua called the traditions of men. Paul was in no way teaching them not to follow God’s WRITTEN LAW. BIG DIFFERENCE! We are saved by grace through faith, but we are given the Spirit so that we can now follow God’s law, which we could not before.
Read Romans 8: 4-8. He condemned sin in the flesh, that the “righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
You then wrote:
Get ready to eat kosher (no more cheese burgers, ham, shrimp or pork chops for you!)
I do follow God’s dietary laws, and I’m much healthier for it! And I love to eat cheese burgers. You see, the ban on eating meat and cheese together is not found in the Scriptures. That is part of the Oral Law (traditions of men).
You wrote:
“…celebrate holy days & fast days, worship God on Saturday.”
I call the Sabbath a delight! (Isaiah 58:13) And I keep his appointed times, which are a type and shadow of His eternal plan: Salvation (Spring Feasts) and Restoration (Fall feasts).
You wrote: “I hope that you like camping in the early spring because you also get to move out of your house for a week & into a tent (Feast of Booths).
I do, and LOVE it! Only it is not in the spring. The Feast of Tabernacles is in late summer/early fall. And one day soon, all nations will keep this wonderful Feast or have no rain. It’s prophesy that will be fulfilled during the Millennial reign of Messiah:
(Zec 14:16-17)
And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain.
To conclude, you wrote:
“May you have better luck fulfilling those 613 laws than did St. Paul, a Pharisee of Pharisees who also started out following the OT Law!
As Julia already pointed out, not all 613 laws apply to any one person. A good portion of them apply to no one at this time since there is no temple and no Sanhedrin. I keep to the best of my ability, walking in the Spirit, those that do apply to me, because I love Yeshua, and I know the blessing that come from keeping God’s law. And when I fail, and it does happen occasionally, I confess it as sin and ask God’s grace to help me do better. You see it is a heart thing. I love God, and I know He gave us His law for our good.
I do not celebrate Christmas and Easter. They are evil concoctions of Constantine’s mixing Pagan holidays with Christian themes. It is called syncretism. God forbids worshiping Him the way pagans worship their gods.
Deuteronomy 12:29-31 warns not to worship God the way the Nations (those not in covenant—PAGANS) serve their gods! Constantine outlawed Sabbath worship and the Feasts of YHVH. (Not feasts of the Jews! Read the front of your Bible.) That is how the so-called Church got it’s Sun-god Day of worship and its pagan Christmas (birthday of Tamuz) and Easter (resurrection of Tamuz. And it is why Christians eat Ham on Easter! The pagans would roast a pig and eat it on that day because a wild pig had killed Tamuz. So they got back at the pig by eating one of them. Read the history!
Rhonda, study to show yourself approved so you can rightly divide the word of TRUTH! Stop eating from the tree of good and evil!
Now I must correct you one final time regarding
Paul. Paul never stopped following God’s TORAH.
Act 6:13 They also set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law.
The author of Acts calls those who accused Paul of speaking against the TORAH “FALSE WITNESSES.”
(Act 25:7-11)
When he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood about and laid many
serious complaints against Paul, which they could not prove, while he answered for himself,
Now listen to what Paul answers in his defense!
“Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I offended in anything at all.” But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there be judged before me concerning these things?” So Paul said, “I stand at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you very well know. For if I am an offender, or have committed anything deserving of death, I do not object to dying; but if there is nothing in these things of which these men accuse me, no one can deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar.”
Acts 24:14 (NKJV) “But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the Elohim of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets.
Roma 3:31 (NKJV) Do we then make void the Law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the Law.
Roma 7:12 (NKJV) Therefore the Law [is] holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.
I beg you, Rhonda. Begin in earnest an in-depth- study of God’s word. It never contradicts itself when properly understood. But since Constantine’s day, most of what is taught from pulpits has been a mixture of truth and lies. It’s time to come out of that Babylonian system, people of God. It is time to worship Him in Spirit and in TRUTH! Time is growing short.
In love,
Christine Egbert
And then there’s His Name! Yahusha is Yeshua, Yahuah is YHVH, and I’m just trying to say His name right! And in all this I don’t want to make a brother or sister stumble. Abba Father please help us be united in You! In Yahushs’ Name!
Br’er Bill
This is a good article and I enjoyed it. Shalom
Yeshua, aka Jesus Christ IS the Torah, so it’s ridiculous to think that the Torah has been done away with. Christians say that the Book-form of Torah has been replaced by the Torah-written-on-your-heart. What do you think is written on your heart? The Torah! Ask YHVH to take the blinders off, and you will begin to see that the Torah is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The Feasts that we are to follow are GOD’s FEASTS (not the Jews), and we are to follow in the footsteps of Yeshua. He obeyed the Father, YHVH Elohim, and taught from the Torah, as did Apostle Paul and all of the other disciples (except Judas) b/c the New Testament wasn’t written when Yeshua was on the earth. And, Yeshua revealed THE NAME of the Father. Wake up Church!
We’re doomed! Help, somebody – compile a list for us of what to do and not do to go to heaven!!
It isn’t complex. That is why YHVH gave us His Torah. We, obviously, cannot do all that is in the Law (we don’t have a Temple in Jerusalem for one thing) but it is not difficult. Even Yeshua didn’t keep the whole Law! Why? He couldn’t! Some of the Torah is only for women, or only for Levites, etc. You keep what applies and what is possible to do.
We, who grew up in Christianity, have a paradigm shift to deal with, but we got the first thing right. We Believe that what He said is true. We know that our Redeemer Lives!
That is the Door…now the narrow path is to follow His instructions (Torah) And it is not difficult!
Start with observing the Sabbath, then the Feasts. He promises that blessings will come with doing this.
Ponder this: Isa 58:13 “If you do turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My set-apart day, and shall call the Sabbath ‘a delight,’ the set-apart day of ???? ‘esteemed,’ and shall esteem it, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words,
Isa 58:14 then you shall delight yourself in ????. And I shall cause you to ride on the heights of the earth, and feed you with the inheritance of Ya?aqob? your father. For the mouth of ???? has spoken!”
Sorry…the ???? are the Hebrew letters Yod Hey Vav Hey (YHVH). The font didn’t transfer.
I guess you missed this paragraph, Bonnie:
“Does this mean that one must keep the law to be saved? Of course not! No one can be saved by keeping the Law! We keep the Law because we are saved. It’s a heart thing. “If you love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15.”
No one is saying you must keep the law to be saved, Bonnie. You can’t, and never could be saved by keeping the law. But once we are saved, out of love, we want to keep his commandments. It’s that simple! Yeshua said not one jot or title would pass from the Law until heaven and earth passed away {they are still here} and all prophesy has been fulfilled. {All prophesy has not been fulfilled, and it won’t be till he returns}, and that those who break and teach others to break the Law will be least in the Kingdom. (Matt 5-19)
I hope this helps clarify!
Chris
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