Goal of this Post
“For Yah shows no partiality (that is, Yah shows no favoritism). For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.”
In this installment of the Messianic Torah Observer we continue with our survey and discussion on some of the Apostle Paul’s (aka Shaul’s) difficult and hard to interpret writings. Today, we are going to delve into the Pauline phrase “under the law”, which is not just found in our focus passage of Romans 2:11-13, but also in some other half-dozen Pauline passages.
You don’t want to miss this discussion as it is foundational Truth that will solidify in your mind, heart and soul the role Torah is supposed to play in your life.
Attention
We are going to discuss what Shaul meant by one being “under the Law/Torah,” which he uses at least a half-dozen times throughout the course of his writings. This is evergreen and foundational information that you want to take to heart.
Now, because Shaul mentions being under the Law/Torah several times throughout his writings, I’m going to break this discussion into at least two, maybe three posts. There’s simply too much content to present to you within the allotted time we have for today. So for today, we’re going to focus on Romans 2:11-13 as it relates to being under the Law/Torah and then in succeeding posts we’ll break those other mentions of being under the Law/Torah down as well.
Need
This is: “What Did Paul Mean by Being Under the Law? Part 1.” This is part 26 of our Paul and Hebrew Roots Series. If you’re new to this podcast, I would encourage you to go on over to the Messianic Torah Observer website and check out the previous 25 post in this series so that you can lay a foundation in understanding some of the apostle’s more difficult and challenging writings.
Folks, this is one of the most important Yeshua-focused Torah living posts we’ve done since beginning our Paul and Hebrew Roots series back in 2018.
Each of us must accurately understand what Shaul meant by someone being “under Torah.”
You may be asking why this is so important that I elected to do an entire post on what it means for one to be “under the Law/Torah. It’s not just important my friends; it’s crucially important that each of us understands exactly what Shaul means by the phrase “under the Law/Torah.” There are at least two reasons why it’s important for us to understand what the phrase means:
- Many fundamentalists erroneously point to the various Pauline passages where the apostle uses the phrase “under the Law/Torah as scriptural proof that Torah has been done away with. Now, these same fundamentalists will also use these same passages to promote their perverted grace doctrines (that being, all you need to do is say the sinners’ prayer, give your heart to Jesus and viola you’re saved…no if ands or bugs…you don’t have to do anything beyond these administrative items: no turning away from your previous sin filled life; no obedience to Yah’s Way of life and His commandments and instructions; simply do what you feel like doing because you are saved by grace). And what we will find as we go through this study is that their understanding of “grace” (grace being the term “karis” in the Greek and which is often described as Yah’s unmerited favor) is exactly that: their understanding of God’s grace is perverted. Which circles back to their dangerous misunderstanding that Yah’s commandments which are contained in His Torah are no longer relevant and applicable to believers in Yeshua Messiah. Misinterpretations of scripture often lead to the creation of false doctrines that in turn lead the many who choose to accept and follow those doctrines down a path towards destruction. We’re here to try and prevent that as much as we possibly can.
- Misunderstanding of what Shaul meant by one being “under the Law/Torah” further perpetuates the sharp division that exists between Jews and non-Jews. Look, I’m not talking about the sharp doctrinal divisions that exists between us and our cousins in Judaism. I’m talking about the antisemitism that flows from such a misunderstanding of the phrase; I’m talking about the erroneous replacement theology that so many Christians adhere to so tightly; I’m talking about erroneously perpetuating an identity spirituality that says to the world that their simple profession of their Christian faith makes them immune to the wrath of God that is prophesied to be coming for those who reject Yah’s Ways and His Word.
- It is important for each of us to understand what Shaul meant by one being “under the Law/Torah” because when Christians challenge our keeping of Torah as believers in Yahoshua Messiah using Shaul’s passages where this phrase is used, we must be ready to defend why we believe what we believe and do what we do (1 Peter 3:15; Colossians 4:6). Our testimony to a deceived and disobedient world means everything: it means everything to us because by our testifying to the Truth of the Gospel and Yah’s eternal Word, we image Him on the earth (that is we magnify His Name on the earth: Romans 9:17; Philippians 2:10; Luke 11:2). And more so, we put to shame their lies and misunderstanding and hopefully lay the seeds for their eventual repentance and turning to Yah and His Way of Life for mankind.
And lastly, 4., each of us must fully understand the actual role Torah is supposed to play in every disciple of Yeshua’s life. I hate to break it to you my friends, but Torah should not be the focus of our Faith. Our keeping of Torah is not going to get us into the Kingdom. And each of us must fully understand this because so many of us in Hebrew Roots and the Messianic Faith Communities place all of our focus on Torah-keeping. And as much as Torah-keeping is important, we must recognize that Torah is secondary in the life of Yah’s elect. (You heard me, Torah is actually secondary…Torah keeping, as we will see, ain’t going to save anyone.)
Understanding What Shaul Meant by Being Under the Law is Withing our Grasp
When it comes to understanding some of Shaul’s more difficult and challenging passages, such as the passages where the apostle uses the phrase “under the Law/Torah,” we must resist the urge to rely on the accuracy of the English wording in our bibles. Furthermore, we must push to the side the teachings of the Christian Church on this crucial topic. For both of these concerns will invariably lead one to misinterpret and or misunderstand what the apostle means by the phrase “under the Law/Torah.”
Folks, I’ve repeated myself throughout the many installments of the Messianic Torah Observer I’ve done over the years, in particular the posts in our Paul and Hebrew Roots Series, that in order to accurately interpret Paul’s challenging and hard to understand passages, it is vitally important that we study those passages within their proper context (that is within the chapter, book, testament and whole of bible that they are found in). And that contextual study must include things like history, culture, language, the Holy Spirit’s (I.e., the Ruach HaKodesh’s) guidance and revelation.
Now, as it relates to our arriving at a proper or accurate understanding or interpretation of what being “under the Law/Torah” means, we really need to employ not just biblical context, but also culture/ethnicity, a little bit of history and language (in particular and in this case, ancient Greek). All these play a part in our final understanding of what this phrase means. Because I’ll tell you now, Shaul’s use of the phrase “under the Law/Torah” does not mean the same thing in every verse and passage it’s used. In other words, depending on the context and our understanding of the Greek manuscripts and the history and ANE culture, the meaning of the phrase “under the Law/Torah” in one passage differs from that in another passage.
The reason I’m discussing the phrase “under the Law/Torah” with you today is because this happens to be the next challenging or hard to understand Pauline passage in our survey of the Book of Romans. And the first mention of anyone being “under the law/Torah is found in our focus passage of Romans 2:12 which reads: “For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law” (ESV).
So what we’re going to do now is look at each mention of the phrase “under the Law/Torah” using context, language, history and culture as our principle guides, while allowing the Ruach HaKodesh to put it all together for us.
Competing Biblical Renderings on “Under the Law”
Now, in all fairness, the KJV doesn’t render the phrase as one having sinned “under the law,” but instead, as one having sinned “in the law.” The interesting thing is that while most other English translations (ESV, ASV, CSB, NAB, NAS, NET, NRS and the RSV) all go with the phrase “under the law,” the KJV’s translation of one sinning “in the law” is actually the most accurate rendering of the phrase (believe it or not). The CJB and the NKJV come very close to the KJV’s rendering of being “in the law.” The CJB renders the phrase as “have sinned within the framework of Torah,” which happens to be contextually the best and most accurate interpretation of the phrase “under the Law/Torah.” Let’s look at this thing a little closer. But let’s first step back one verse to verse 11 and then on over one to verse 13 so as to gain a fuller picture of what Shaul is talking about in this passage.
Necessary Background to Have Regarding the Roman Church of Shaul’s Day
You need to remember that Shaul is writing to Roman Messianics in an assembly that consisted of converted Jews and converted non-Jews. And we also must keep in mind the history that surrounds this passage. The Roman Messianic Assembly was likely founded by Jews who returned from that Great Day of Pentecost 10-days after Yeshua ascended to His Father in heaven from the Mount of Olives. It was on that day that the Ruach HaKodesh fell upon the 120 disciples on the Temple Mount, leading to the conversion of 3,000 Jews from all over the Roman Empire (Acts 2). It seems reasonable to conclude that some of those 3,000 converted Jews were from Rome, and upon their return back to Rome, introduced the True Faith (Yeshua focused Torah living) to their families and fellow Jews and no doubt the synagogue(s) that provided those orthodox Roman Jews their center(s) for worship and study became Messianic Assemblies. Of course in time, non-Jewish Romans came to the knowledge of Yahoshua Messiah and affiliated themselves with their converted Roman Jewish counterparts, meeting, worshiping and learning together in Rome’s Jewish synagogues. Remember, at the earliest history of the True Faith once delivered, there were no Christian Churches or assemblies, at least not in Rome. Converts—believers—fellowshipped, worshiped and learned in Jewish synagogues.
Converted Roman Jews and Proselytizing the Converted Roman Gentiles
If you recall at the outset of this study of Paul and the Book of Romans, we discussed the fact that Shaul had not founded or establish the Roman Church/Kehila/Assembly. As we just mentioned a moment ago, the so-called Church at Rome was likely founded by those returning Jewish converts. Consequently, it would seem reasonable to conclude, based upon the overall context of the Book of Romans, that many of the converted Jews, despite them being believers in Yahoshua as their Messiah, were still holding on to their ethnicity and heritage as sort of a “badge of honor” and or pride in the assembly. And many of these converted, yet prideful Jews, believed that in order for one to be a part of the Way Movement (that is, the true Faith once delivered), one had to convert to Judaism. These truly believed that the true Faith once delivered was an exclusive Jewish religion or Faith if you will. So to these converted Jews, if you were a non-Jewish person coming to Faith, you had to first and foremost convert to Judaism (that is, you had to become a proselyte). We won’t go into what the requirements are or were to become a proselyte in this installment, but suffice to say, these converted Jews believed every believer in Yeshua Messiah had to be a Jew above all else. Being Jewish meant you were Yah’s chosen one; that you were guaranteed entry into the Kingdom of Yah; that Yah favored you over the non-Jew, who they saw as being condemned and destined to destruction.
Thus, many of these converted Jews sought to proselytize many of the newly converted/incoming non-Jewish converts to the Faith. Needless to say, this created quite a bit of confusion in the assemblies throughout the Roman Empire of Shaul’s day. And Shaul found himself having to put a lid on so-called Jewish proselytizing, especially curbing the influence of those converted Jews who put more faith in their ethnicity and Jewish religion and traditions than faith in Yeshua and His atoning sacrifice. Shaul recognized that these proselytizing Jews were also trying to influence the non-Jewish converts to obey various elements and commandments of Torah (and Torah in context here refers to both Mosaic Torah and the Talmud), while they themselves were personally lawless in their behavior and lifestyles.
So Shaul starts off our focus passage with verse 11 which I believe to be a wake up call to these proselytizing, hypocritical Jews.
“For Yah does not show favoritism.”
Yah Is No Respecter of Person When It Comes to Judgment
“Respect of person,” (as in most English translations), or in the CJB translation, “show favoritism” in the Greek is “prosopolempsia,” which is a compound word made up of the word for “face” and “to receive.” Thus, when we factor the Greek wording back into this verse (verse 11), we get something akin to: “For there is not receiving of face in the presence of Yah.” Or we can look at it from a raw Greek perspective that “Yah does not receive any body’s face.” In other words, we have to look at Yah’s acceptance of people from a legalistic perspective. It’s as if we are in a court setting, let’s say. And we find YHVH acting as the righteous judge He is such that His righteous judgments against every person is based, not upon their individual “intrinsic” merits, but is based on their outward circumstances. Yah does not care which side of the railroad tracks one was born; or whose child you are; whether you’re a Jew or a Gentile, male or female; slave or freeman (Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11; Romans 10:12). Every unconverted human is viewed the same: a sinner. Nothing else matters to Yah. And Yah is going to judge all by what is written in certain unnamed books as well as what is written in the Book of life, all based according to each one’s works while they lived on this earth (Revelation 20:12). There will be absolutely no favoritism; no partiality. Only righteous judgment.
We find that verse 11 here serves as a transition to what follows in succeeding verses. And what follows is a comparing and contrasting between the Jew and Gentile for purposes of revealing the righteousness of Yah in His ultimate judging of both groups of people. When read in context, one does get a sense that Shaul is acknowledging here the advantage the Jew possesses (that is Shaul’s repeated phrase “the Jew first”). That advantage is simply their possession and knowledge of Torah. That being said, the Jew is ultimately held accountable for any squandering of that advantage in their life.
Romans 2:12—Sin Within the Framework of Torah Versus Sin Under the Law
Moving on to verse 12:
“For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law” (ESV)
Young’s Literal Translation renders verse 12 as follows:
“…As many as did sin in law, through law shall be judged.”
The Greek here is “anomos” for “lacking the law” or “being outside the law.” “En nomo” here means “in law” (YLT) or “within the law” (Lattimore Kingdom NT). You must understand that most English translations incorrectly render “en nomo” as being “under the law.” “Under the law” accurately in the Greek is rendered by “hupo nomon,” which is found in Romans 6:14-15; 1 Corinthians 9:20 [4X]; Galatians 3:23; 4:4-5, 21; 5:18. (Don’t worry, we’ll look at each of these and arrive at an contextually accurate interpretation of “hupo nomon” for each.)
Now that we established that “en nomo” does not mean “under the law,” but instead “within the law” or “in law,” let’s now attempt to interpret what Shaul meant by “within the law” or “in law.”
So we have a couple ways to interpret what Shaul means here, neither interpretation excludes the possibility of the other. The terms “anomos” and “en nomo” are used by Shaul to compare two types or groups of individuals: those who sin “without the law” facing condemnation absent or without the law to those who sin being in or within the law facing condemnation by that same law.
I will say here at this point that despite the Greek term “nomo” (law) not having the definite article attached to it (such that “en nomo” does not have “the” attached to it), we can safely interpret “nomo” here to be “Torah.” I personally often refer to Torah in my discussions without attaching a definite article to it. So it’s not difficult for me to rationalize the fact that Shaul is talking about those who do not possess Torah versus those who are somehow within Torah, whatever that means. We’ll get to that in just a moment.
Clearly, Shaul is attempting to get his Roman readers to understand that “both Jewish and non-Jewish people are equally accountable before Yah because of the propensity of human sin.” And the proof of this is found in verses 9-11 which reads: Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; but glory, honour, and peace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: for there is no respect of persons with Yah” (KJV). And he makes the sobering statement that without repentance, no person will escape Yah’s wrath (verses 4-6).
Because of Yah’s holy and righteous character and nature, YHVH will always deal fairly and justly with each according to his/her deeds. And what we’re seeing laid before us here in verse 12 is a frank discussion on what happens to those individuals (specifically Gentiles/non-Jews) who have not received the Revelation of Torah. And the likely question that the converted Roman Gentiles had for Shaul in this discussion, especially in light of the heavy proselytizing they were going through at the hands of the converted Roman Jews was: Will all Gentile be condemned?
Now, this hearkens back to the last installment of this program entitled “Paul on the LGBTQ Community.” In that post we discussed that all rational human beings are going to be held accountable for their behavior, regardless whether they possess the Revelation of Torah or not. In that post we learned that Yah’s revelation of Himself to mankind; His Ways and His character extends beyond the framework (to borrow Stern’s keyword in the text) of Torah; for, according to Shaul, Yah is revealed in virtually every aspect of His creation (Romans 1:19) and people intrinsically know Yah exists and they also know right from wrong and so forth (Romans 1:20). That being said, all will have to give an account of their deeds and the life they lived and be judged accordingly.
Consequently, those who know and have received Torah throughout all of human history (such as were Hebrews, Jews and Christians), but who have rejected Torah’s message on a faith basis (that being a Yeshua-focused Torah lifestyle), will be judged accordingly. Conversely, those who’ve never received Torah will be judged by the revelation which they received through Father’s natural creation and intrinsic (internal, natural) understanding of Yah’s existence and character. Consider as a prime example Matthew 10:15 which reads:
”Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town (that town being the one that rejected the Gospel).”
A Discussion About Jews and Gentiles in Light of Torah
So what Shaul is describing in verse 12 are two distinct groups of individuals: essentially we’re talking about Jews and non-Jews.
The Jews possessed Yah’s Torah and the historical records of their ancestors’ obedience and disobedience. However, the Gentiles/pagans did not possess Yah’s Torah. Thus, those who possess Torah along with its ancestral history, but reject them will not only be held accountable for their rejection and disobedience, but they will also be held accountable more so than their pagan counterparts who have been given over to their sins because they’ve rejected and ignored their Creator (1:26).
You should be aware that Jews of Shaul’s day (both orthodox and Messianic) believed that by them being of Jewish ethnicity, they were all but guaranteed a place in Yah’s Kingdom. For to the Jew, all Israelites possess a share in the world to come…” (m. Shanhedrin 10:1; Jacob Neusner, “The Mishnah: A New Translation.” ). Thus, one’s Jewishness, which included possessing (having knowledge of) Torah had become (1) a badge of privilege; (2) a talisman; (3) a sign that Israel or Jews were Yah’s exclusive people; and (4) a get-out-of-jail-free card from Yah’s wrath.
So Shaul’s position on Jews being exempt from Yah’s wrath on the basis of their ethnicity and possession of Torah would have been absolutely ground-breaking and controversial to any Jewish group at that time, including the converted Roman, proselytizing Jews. Obviously Shaul did not see Torah the same way His kinsmen viewed Torah. In fact, to Shaul, Torah defined sin:
Romans 3:20—”For by works of the law no human being will be justified in His sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.”
To Shaul, the nations of this world are “very much accountable to their Creator for violating His law and covenant” because they “do have a conscience and they do have a basic sense of right and wrong impressed upon them” (Isa. 24:5—”The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant.” ).
Shaul, in verses 17-29, challenges the Roman assembly of converted Jews on their relationship with Torah: were they being judgmental and hard on their Gentiles brethren who were not keeping specific Torah (be it either or both written or so-called oral Torah such as circumcision and various purity traditions) commandments while they themselves violated those same Torah commandments? And Shaul had to assert to his readers:
Verse 23—”You who boast in the law dishonor Yah by breaking the law.”
And the conclusion Shaul arrives at is that Jewish possession of Torah means little if not acted upon in obedience and faith:
Verse 17, 28—”But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in Yah…For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical.”
Scripture is clear: Those who possess Torah, yet do not properly walk it out are to be especially judged on matters of morality such as found in verses 21-24; cf. Isa. 52:5; Eze. 36:20).
Since “all are sinners and have fallen short of the glory of Yah,” it is foolish for any to boast of their possession of Torah (verse 17). On the contrary, Shaul encourages boasting only in YHVH and the work of His Son (Jer. 9:24; 1 Cor. 1:31; cf. 2 Cor. 10:17).
“En nomo” today not only involves Jews but also Christians since they possess general knowledge of Torah. Thus, those who sin with an appreciable degree of knowledge of Yah’s Torah will be held righteously accountable by Yah. These will be judged at a higher degree than those who are “anomos”.
Under Torah Really Means Within the Framework of Torah
So what is Shaul saying here regarding “en nomo,” those that sin within Torah will be judged by Torah, while those that sin “anomos” or outside Torah will die outside of Torah.
Stern in his CJB renders this verse best:
“All who have sinned outside the framework of Torah will die outside the framework of Torah; and all who have sinned within the framework of Torah will be judged by Torah” (CJB).
Shaul here is simply saying that those that have never received the revelation of Torah but who die in their sins will be judged righteously apart from Torah. Their deeds will be judged in light of the natural revelation they’d received of Yah in their lives. Those, on the other hand, who had the advantage of Torah in their lives but transgressed Torah, will be judged within the framework of Torah. This would of course be speaking to those with knowledge of Torah such as Orthodox Jews, Christians, Catholics and even Messianics. Yah expects those that know better to do better in their lives. Thus, those who had any knowledge and or revelation of Torah will face a higher level of judgment than those who will be judged by Yah’s natural revelation.
I guess the natural question that one would have regarding this verse is this: If all will be judged according to their deeds, be it within the framework of Torah or without the framework of Torah, what good then is Torah? Shaul answers this question by simply stating: “…the function of the Torah was that without it, I would not have known what sin is. For example, I would not have become conscious of what greed is if the Torah had not said, ‘Thou shalt not covet.” (Romans 7:7).
So Torah serves to enlighten and educate people in the Ways of Yah. It also serves to define what sin is and to describe the penalty for sins. Thus, the one that receives Torah and Yeshua’s sacrifice, along with the help of the Ruach HaKodesh and with a circumcised heart, walk in Torah, they escape the wrath of Yah. In their obedience of Torah, these also please Yah and image Yah here on the earth.
Father stated:
“You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them…” (Leviticus 18:5).
Despite all that we have discussed here thus far, most will reject any notion that believers in Yeshua Messiah should keep Torah. Despite all that Shaul has written here, most reject Torah keeping by believers.
This should not be too hard to understand. Yeshua Himself made it clear that any who would be His disciple would be required to keep Torah:
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:17-20).
And from here, Yeshua goes on to expound on the level of Torah His disciples would be required to walk in. That elevated or advanced level of Torah-keeping that Master was teaching His disciples about was not new nor did it originate with Yeshua. In fact, the advanced level of Torah-keeping that Master taught in this chapter of Matthew was the original intention of the Torah that Father passed down to Moshe. The original intent of the Mosaic Torah, when properly walked by Yah’s elect, transcended simple, rote, mechanical obedience to Torah. The proper walking out of Yah’s Torah required the elect having their heart circumcised and their will being entirely given over to the Will of YHVH.
The Conclusion of the Matter Regarding Torah Keeping
In verse 13 Shaul gives us the conclusion of the matter:
2:13—”for not the hearers of Torah are just before Yah, but the doers of Torah will be justified.”
What is Shaul truly saying here. Again, he’s comparing and contrasting two groups of people: those “hearing Torah” to those “doing Torah.” And for me, it appears that the apostle is speaking more directly to his Roman Messianic Jewish readers in this passage than to his converted non-Jewish readers. Why? Because he recognized that, like his orthodox rabbinic kinsmen, the Roman Messianic Jews were wearing their Jewishness as a guarantee for salvation and chosen status and they were engaging in proselytizing of their non-Jewish brethren.
Now, this has to be one of the clearest pro-Torah passages the apostle has ever written. For he clearly certifies the importance of Torah to Yah’s elect: “The Doers of Torah will be justified or rendered righteous before the Holy Creator.” It doesn’t get any clearer than that.
Contextually speaking, the “hearing” that Shaul is writing about here is not the “shema” hearing that Moshe spoke of in Deuteronomy 6:4, which we know takes on a fuller sense that involves “hearing with the intent to obey” (cf. Gen. 3:17; Exo. 15:26; Deu. 4:30; 6:4; Jos. 1:18; Isa. 1:19; Jer. 11:3; 12:17; Mic. 5:15(14)). The Jews that Shaul is alluding to, as I mentioned previously, placed a great deal of attention on simple receiving of Torah that was being taught to them in their synagogues by their rabbinic leaders each Shabbat. And many Jews at that time, and most certainly many orthodox and Messianic Jews today feel it’s sufficient to simply hear Torah read and taught to them each Shabbat and so forth.
But we find here Shaul contrasting “hearing Torah” with actual “doing Torah”. The hearing of Torah that Shaul is referencing here has no salvific value, since receipt of Torah by hearing does not result in one’s salvation.
The “Just before Yah” that the apostle mentions here means to be “in right standing before Yah.” To be in right standing before Yah means one is no longer considered “guilty” in Yah’s “court of Law.” Yah thus declares doers of Torah who are reliant upon Yeshua’s sacrifice as just.
Now, it must be mentioned that none of what Shaul writes here originated with him. In fact, what he wrote was common knowledge among first century Jewish sages (cf. Avot 1.17, Rabban Simeon, son of Gamaliel). So you’re probably wondering, why then did Jews of Shaul’s day ignore the doing aspect of Torah while putting greater emphasis on hearing Torah?
The Talmud, which reflects ancient rabbinic Jewish thinking regarding all things Torah related, in order to make Torah more practical for everyday Jews, suggested Jewish adherents at the very least “appear” to be Torah observant; that is, give the impression they are Torah observant. Thus the natural emphasis on hearing emerged from Talmudic influence in everyday Jewish life. This, of course, led to the erroneous belief that hearing results in the Jew being justified before Yah. Thus, it can be safely concluded that the Talmud messed with Torah to the point that Torah became of no effect to the Jew (Mark 7:13). Yahoshua railed against this very fact and He labeled Talmudic tampering with Torah as “traditions of men” (Mark 7:8).
Shaul is teaching an obedience that flows from one’s Faith (Romans 1:5; 16:26). That faith-based obedience is the expression of sincere trust in Yah which pleases Yah (Hebrews 11:6). Let’s not get confused here: Salvation comes by faith alone as it is a gift of Yah (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9)). So where does Torah-keeping come in to play in a believer’s life since one is not saved by their works? Well, it comes in to play in the disciple’s life because of their Faith. Because of our Faith, we intentionally do what Yah requires: Yah’s house rules. And we keep Yah’s house rules willingly and joyfully because it is the right thing to do and because it pleases Abba.
Thus Shaul declares that the doers of Torah (Greek of “poietes” which means one who obeys and or fulfills Torah) are justified (that is, these are being made righteous in Yah’s sight—CJB).
Compare this to what Master Yeshua taught regarding doers of Torah:
“…whosoever obeys them (the commandments of Yah) and so teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:19).
It should be clear to all that obedience over knowledge of Torah is what matters most to Yah.
But what about the places in Paul’s writings where he downplays the role of works in one’s salvation such as Ephesians 2:8-9?:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of Yah, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (ESV).
Folks, I need you to get this, because it is so important that you be able to understand and defend the role Torah-keeping places in lives of Yah’s elect. When 2:13 is studied within its proper context alongside verses 17-28 which reads in abbreviated fashion:
“But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God…for as it is written, ‘The Name of Yah is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you’ (ref. Isaiah 52:5), for no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical…”
We see Shaul taking the Roman Messianic Jews to task here. For those were willfully disobedient to Torah, and their blatant disobedience was bringing shame upon them as a nation among the pagan nations of the known world at that time. It would appear that what it truly meant to be a Jew had become long forgotten by the Jewish people, the Talmud being one of the chief reasons for this falling away and adherence to traditions instead of adherence to Torah. And what Shaul was saying here in verse 2:13 as it relates to Torah-keeping and justification is that proper Torah obedience must reflect the true “character” of the Jew. Torah-keeping does not save one, but instead it legitimizes; it marks; it shows the Hebrew as being right. The doers of Torah are a reflection of their covenant relationship with the Most High.
Call to Action and Closing Remarks
Well, we’ll stop here for today and pick up where we’ve left off in our next discussion on being under the Law/Torah.
Folks, there’s no better time than now to get prayed up, studied up, fasted up. With all the chaos that going on around us these days, we really need to become laser focused in our walking out of this Faith. Things are not going to get better. In fact, I truly believe things are going to get significantly worse as we begin, what I believe to be, the end times.
We don’t have a lot of time to waste. We must work while it is still day for the night cometh when no man may work.
Friends, we have work to do. And Yah is going to use this time to test His elect; to sift His elect. He’s going to separate out the wheat from the chaff. For years now He’s allowed the chaff to grow with the wheat. Now comes a time of winnowing and purging and only the elect will remain.
We must be ready and proactive in everything we do. Our relationship with the Almighty must be spot on at all times. Sin must be purged from our lives. We must be obedient to Yah’s Word. And we must make disciples for Yahoshua Messiah. All this must be done before things get so bad that we can’t do any of it. And I pray that this program will be instrumental in at least pointing us in the right direction and promoting Yeshua-focused Torah Living.
Until next time my brothers and sisters, may you be most blessed, fellow saints in training.
Shalom. Take Care.