Righteousness and Torah

Grace and Law (Part 6)–Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections 35

• Calendar
• • 17th/18th day of the 8th Biblical Month–also known as Marheshwan
  • Next festival is Hanukkah–slated for December 8th or at the end of the 9th biblical month
  • • Hanukkah is the Festival of Re-dedication related to the story of the Maccabees
    • Not one of the 7-mandated Feasts of Yahovah
  • Hanukkah at Rood International slated for December 11th–13th
• Torah Living Daily Challenge
• • Week-day challenges derived from my personal torah studies and current news events that have some impact (directly or indirectly) on us and our Faith
  • Check it out
  • Daily dose of challenge/admonishment/encouragement/information
  • Good response/comments/feedback/testimonials
• Commentary–Race Baiting and It’s Effects on our Faith
• • Video making the rounds on social media of the racist and hatefulness of the Creator, His Word and our Faith
  • Caucasian fellow who is lambasting his own race and calling the Bible a book of evil myths
  • He rejects God’s Torah and the Bible
  • He places his moral standards above those of Yahovah
  • Several people who would be believers of the Faith are praising this individual’s rants and raves about how the Faith and the Bible are morally misled and ignorant and that his sense of morality is the correct morality that we must adopt
  • He is placing himself above the Creator of the Universe
  • He is race baiting and denigrating our Faith
  • We reject him, his message and those who support him and his message. We must stand up for our God and our Faith
  • If he wants to comment on the injustices of slavery in America and other areas of the modern world-that’s open game and territory. But to bad-mouth my God who provided for us instruction on how we were to treat slaves in our society during that period of time in our ancient history and tell the world that our God is evil and our Faith is off-base because we love a God who did not destroy those who had slaves, is operating under the auspices of satan

My Thoughts and Reflections on Righteousness and Torah

Gal. 2:21–“Therefore, I do not treat Yahovah’s gracious gift as something of minor importance and defeat its very purpose; I do not set aside and invalidate and frustrate and nullify the grace (Yahovah’s unmrerited favor) of Yahovah. For if justification (righteousness, acquittal from guilt) comes through [observing the ritual of] the Law, then Christ (the Messiah) died groundlessly and to no purpose and in vain. [His death was then wholly superfluous.] AMP

• • Is Paul postulating here a gospel of grace, insinuating that grace has all but eliminated Torah; and that any obedience to Torah by the Torah Observant Believer in Y’shua Messiah nullifies Y’shua’s sacrifice in and that believer’s life?
  • Why is Paul writing this epistle to the Galatian assembly? What was going on in the Galatian assembly?
  • • Elements of rebuke; stern tone to sway minds and change behavior
    • Late 50’s C.E.
    • Galatia was located in Asia Minor–modern day Turkey
    • Paul’s epistle to the Galatian Assembly was likely addressing Jewish Christians who “would rather circumcise the Galatians and thus alienate them from their own Gentile culture…” (Keener)
    • Judean (Jewish)) Christians had insisted that Galatian believers (Gentile) be circumcised in order to be part of the Body of Messiah
    • Acts 15 documents Paul’s meeting with the Jerusalem Council. The subject of circumcision was discussed. The question that was posed by the members of the Council was: “could Gentiles be part of the people of Yahovah without converting to Judaism (being circumcised).” (Keener) Christian Pharisees–Judaizers in general–required circumcision of a Gentile for that individual could become one of the people of Yahovah. Without circumcision, one could not become part of the people of Yahovah
    • Thus, Jewish Christians–precursors to Messianic Jews to a certain extent–were arguing that “one must become culturally Jewish (i.e., circumcised) to become a full Christian; fully righteous…” and the reference to this goes back to Genesis 17:10-14–the Covenant of circumcision
  • One could ask: is circumcision a requirement for Torah Observant Believers in Y’shua Messiah? For today’s Torah Observant Believer in Y’shua Messiah?
  • • I don’t believe so
    • The covenant of circumcision was a requirement for a male to become an Israelite–included all Hebrew men, slaves and any foreigner who wished to be a member of the Israeli nation
    • I argue that the work of Y’shua Messiah and the giving of the Holy Spirit provides us the means of being grafted into Spiritual Israel–our hearts circumcised as opposed to physical circumcision
    • The Jerusalem Council, although not coming right out and saying that circumcision was unnecessary for Gentile believers; conversely the Council or Paul  require Gentiles to be circumcised
    • Paul never taught that Gentiles required circumcision to become a member of the Body of Messiah–in fact, throughout His many writings, Paul, a Jew himself–circumcised, seemed to dissuade any leanings towards requiring Gentiles to be circumcised
    • Yet many in Hebraic Roots are behaving as Pharisees and requiring their men members to be circumcised
• So what is Shaul really saying here? Has grace replace or superseded Torah? Are we as Believers in Y’shua Messiah–as disciples of Y’shua Messiah, still required to obey and honor Torah?
• • Certainly one of the many Pauline verses that seem to be anti-Torah
• Is the “law” that Shaul references here in this passage Torah or Rabbinic Law or both?
• • I say it applies to both–although I tend to think it leans more towards rabbinic judaism as history seems to suggest as much
  • we know from history and my earlier comments that Shaul was addressing the Judaistic practices of the Messianic Jews or Christian Jews in the Galatian assembly (aka Kahila) who were Judaizing
  • but in reality, it doesn’t really matter which as it relates to this discussion and this verse of Galatians
• Let’s fight fire with fire so to speak, by using some of Paul’s other passages to refute this notion that Torah has been replace entirely by grace

Galatians 2:16–Yet we know that a man is justified or reckoned righteous and in right standing with Yahovah, not by works of the Law, but [only] through faith and [absolute] reliance on and adherence to and trust in Y’shua Messiah. [Therefore] even we [ourselves] have believed on Messiah Y’shua, in order to be justified by faith in Messiah and not by any observance of the ritual of Torah that was given by Moses], because by keeping legal rituals and by works no human being can ever be justified (declared righteous and put in right standing with Yahovah). AMP

• • This passage clearly sets the record straight–that Torah is incapable of justifying or reckoning the Torah Observant Believer as righteous–that justification and reckoning of righteousness comes only through “faith” in Y’shua Messiah’s efficacious work–and “reliance” on and adherence to the teachings of Y’shua–which is Torah-based–and trust in Y’shua Messiah
  • this is the revelation that was given to Paul from Y’shua Messiah–Paul given the mission to take the gospel message to the Gentile people

Galatians 5:4–If you seek to be justified and declared righteous and to be given a right standing with Yahovah through Torah/rabbinic law, you are brought to nothing and so separated (severed) from Messiah. You have fallen away from grace (from Yahovah’s gracious favor and unmerited blessing). AMP

Galatians 3:21–Is the Law then contrary and opposed to the promises of Yahovah? Of course not! For if a Law had been given which could confer [spiritual] life, then righteousness and right standing with Yahovah would certainly have come by the Law. AMP

• • In other words, the Law–Torah or even Judaism–if obedience to these could place us in right standing with Father once and for all–if there were precepts in the Law that would erase the schism that exists between us and our Creator, then we wouldn’t need the sacrifice of Y’shua Messiah
  • There exists no portion of Torah (especially rabbinic judaism) that erases our sins forever and places us in a right standing with Yahovah. In fact, the Law condemns us for violation of it
• What is the story regarding the concepts of “justification” and “righteousness?”
• • justification–Greek=dikaiosis
  • • to pronounce one righteous
  • righteous/righteousness–Greek=dikaios
  • justification and righteousness describe an acquittal–to “justify” or “dikaioo”–used twice in Romans–to establish a person as “just” by acquittal from guilt of committing sins that by default lead to death–the wages of sin is death, but the gift of Yahovah is eternal life
  • The sin issue had to be addressed in order for us to re-establish the broken relationship with Yahovah, as well as the issue of sin had to be dealt with in order for us to be freed (acquitted of the charges levied against us) from the penalty of death. Thus, it was Y’shua Messiah’s atoning sacrificial death on the execution stake that served as the propitiation (that is, that which won or regained the favor we once had with Father)
  • Y’shua Messiah’s resurrection served as a confirmation to the perfection and completeness of Master’s atoning sacrifice
  • Thus we are justified–we are acquitted of the charges levied against us by the Law of Yahovah, and we are declared righteous before Him
  • Stearn (the Complete Jewish Bible author) comments that Y’shua’s death provides us “forensic righteousness”
  • • Webster defines forensic as:  belonging to, used in, or suitable to courts of judicature or to public discussion and debate
  • Stearn comments that Y’shua’s life makes us righteous in our behavior
  • • We have His examples–thus we are to walk in accordance to that example
    • We have His Spirit which provides us the capability of resisting sin, being numb to guilt, free from the penalty and curses of violation of Torah, and the inherent need to erect walls and fences around Torah and create a system of self-righteousness
• So how does Torah fit into this whole equation?
• • Being justified/being reckoned righteous/having received a right standing before Yahovah through Master’s sacrifice, we find ourselves in a precarious situation–we’ve been acquitted of the crimes we’ve committed and charges levied against us. We broke Father’s house-rules and we require some means of getting back into the good graces of the Father–we need an intermediary of sorts
  • Thus the default switch was hit and we, through Y’shua Messiah’s efficacious work, we are now in good standing with Father once again
  • Yet Father’s house rules haven’t changed and He requires that we adhere to His house rules–that is Torah
  • • Does Messiah’s work provide a perpetual system for us to continue to violate Yahovah’s rules? No! Absolutely not
  • So in order to stay in Father’s good graces, we obey His house rules–His Torah
  • Our obedience to those house rules in no way nullify the necessity/the need for Y’shua’s blood to atone for our sin–it is our obedience to the house rules–our obedience to Torah–that allows us to maintain a proper relationship with Yahovah–otherwise, we simply keep making the same violations over and over again and Yahovah will not tolerate such a thing
  • Marriage analogy–infidelity
• Torah cannot make one righteous. It was never designed to be a means of making us righteousness–instead, it teaches us how to live holy and righteously–it sets the  bar  that we must meet–it is our instruction manual for holy and righteous living
• Righteousness requires Yahovah’s Spirit in the believer to purify the spirit and soul of each man
• • That spirit is Yah’s grace that moves us to turn to Him; to walk in His righteousness; to observe His Torah
  • Without Father’s precious Holy Spirit (Ruach haKodesh), we will be perpetually drawn to sin; we’ll suffer guilt over our sinful acts; we’ll develop rules around the rules to prevent us from violating the central rules and before we know it, we’ve attached our righteousness before Yahovah to performing or being obedient to the Law
  • I’m afraid that many in the Hebraic Roots, especially some Messianic Jewish sectors, have placed so much emphasis on Torah, and have all but ignored Y’shua and His teachings and His example; have adopted Judaism and man-made traditions that serve only to add to and subtract from Father’s house-rules. Thus, one’s entire focus is on the meticulousness of keeping the many precepts and statutes and regulations associated with Torah and Judaism in order to feel justified and righteous
  • Stearn comments that no form of self-generated effort makes us righteous before Yahovah
• Progress toward holiness does not result from an instant of trust [faith] followed by a lifetime of legalism (as many in Hebraic Roots ascribe to), but from trusting faithfulness that endures until death
• • When we trust and are faithful to follow the example of Y’shua and live Torah Y’shua-style, we become that holy, treasured people that Father has always desired us to be–His children–possessing a potential and future that no eye has seen nor ear heard. (I Cor. 2:9)

• Yahovah’s grace, encapsulated in the Work of Y’shua Messiah who paid the ultimate price for our salvation and provided a means for the re-establishment of our relationship with Father–along with His precious Holy Spirit, does NOT eliminate Torah. Yahovah’s grace in part reckons us justified and righteous before Yahovah. Once that has happened for the individual, then Yahovah’s house rules come into play–Torah. In order to maintain the relationship with Father, we must be obedient to His house rules. Otherwise, we fall from the grace that Father has extended to us
• • It’s the failure to keep Torah that results in one falling from grace, not one adhering to Torah that causes the fall–all that Y’shua has done for us is null and voided if we fail to be obedient to Yahovah
  • Obedience to Torah does not make us righteous nor does it justify or place us in a right standing with Father
  • Obedience to Torah is the method by which we live lives in accordance to the way Father requires us to be
  • The Holy Spirit provides us the means to stay true to Torah and live holy and righteous lives in an evil and perverse world
• It’s when we step back from this Pauline passage and look at the situation that Paul was dealing with and understand what Torah really is and how our salvation truly works that we are able to competently stand up to the enemy and those who challenge our Faith–that we are able to give every man an answer that asks us a reason of the hope that is in each of us–that we provide an accurate explanation of why we are Torah Observant Believers in Y’shua Messiah

References:

• The IVP Bible Background Commentary (New Testament) by Craig S. Keener
• The Complete Jewish Bible Commentary by David H. Stern
• The Amplified Bible
• The Astronomically & Agriculturally Corrected Biblical Hebrew Calendar by Michael Rood