A Continuation of Where we Left Off

 

Today, we sort of pick up where we left  off in our previous Paul and Hebrew Roots series. If you recall from our last installments to this series, the so-called Apostle to the Gentiles asserted to his Roman readers that he fully endorsed Torah-living/keeping for Yah’s set-apart people, as well as he fervently encouraged them to recognize that no amount of Torah-keeping is going to save them. That their salvation came by way of their trusting faith in the Person and Ministry of Yahoshua Messiah.

 

 

Our Focus Passage

 

 

Now, it should go without saying that we’ve all heard denominationalists harp about our keeping of Torah. They vehemently postulate that grace has replaced Torah-keeping. And for anyone who is in Christ to keep Torah, they tragically fall from grace.

 

And they use passages such our focus passage today to support their flawed premise:

 

Romans 4:11-15, paying particular attention to verse 15:

 

(11) And he (Avraham) received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised…

 

So, according to the Apostle Shaul (aka Paul), Avraham’s righteousness was reckoned unto Him by Yah before He was circumcised. And so, Avraham’s righteousness was attained by him as a result of his trusting faith in Yah.

 

Continuing:

 

…so that he could become the father of all those who believe but have never been circumcised, that they too could have righteousness credited to them.

 

So, through Avraham’s trust-based obedience of Yah, before he himself was ever circumcised, Yah promised an adoption into the covenant promises/the commonwealth of Yisrael, of those who were not of the circumcision—I.e., the Gentile. And like Avraham, they too would be reckoned righteous by a holy and just Elohim by their Faith. No circumcision. No Torah required in order to be reckoned righteous in the eyes of Elohim.

 

Continuing:

 

(12) And he (Avraham) is also the father of the circumcised, who are not only circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Avraham possessed when he was still uncircumcised. (13) For the promise to Avraham or to his descendants that he would inherit the world was not fulfilled through Torah, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.

 

So then, Avraham’s exceptional faith and His chosen status, led to him being the spiritual father of all that trust in Yah and His Son Yahoshua for their eternal security. Avraham exemplified the ideal person of faith that Yah looks for in a would-be child of his. Avraham’s epic faith was the springboard that led to him being justified by the court of heaven.

 

Master taught that the “meek will inherit the earth.”

 

And it was our Master Yahoshua, who came through Avraham’s biological line, who is the de-facto heir to the world. Although the promise Avraham received was for the land of Canaan and to be the father of many nations (Gen. 12:3), it is Yahoshua who will inherit the world. And we who are of Him are through our covenant relationship with Yah, co-heirs of the world. All this is traced back to the Avrahamic Covenant:

 

“…and in thee shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 12:3; LXX).

 

Continuing:

 

(14) For if they (both Jew and Gentile alike) become heirs by Torah, faith is empty and the promise is nullified. (15) For Torah brings wrath, because where there is no law there is no transgression either (Romans 4:12-15; NET modified).

 

With Shaul making this shock-wave of an announcement just a few verses earlier that he established/upheld/confirmed/supported Torah-living in the life of Yah’s set-apart ones, how can he make such an abrupt turn-around with a statement like this? Was Shaul really suggesting here that with the Law/Torah having been done away with, the person who comes under grace is no longer in danger of violating or transgressing it? Therefore he or she is free and clear from the penalties and wrath associated with having to keep the Law/Torah perfectly?

 

Or, is the great Apostle to the Gentles saying something else entirely?

 

It is by way of Pauline passages such as our focus passage today that traditionalists/denominationalists contend that people are incapable of keeping Torah. And thus, according to their anti-Torah patron the Apostle Paul, those who choose to live a life of Torah are inevitably subject to the Creator’s wrath.

 

But riddle me this then Batman: If Yah’s people are incapable of keeping His Torah, why then would Yah give Torah to them in the first place? Was Yah simply setting His people up for a great fall? Was He giving His people an impossible task, only to get a point across and in the process humiliate them? To trip up the very people that He said He loved (Hos. 3:1)?

 

Beloved, is this the type of Elohim that we serve? One who plays games with His human creation? One who abuses and uses the very ones that He claims to love? I don’t think so.

 

Of Yisra’el, Abba said:

 

“For I know what I have planned for you,” say YHVH. “I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope” (Jer. 29:11; KJV modified).

 

Now, does this seem like a God who seeks to set His loved ones up for failure? No. It does NOT!

 

The anti-Torah crowd loves this particular passage. For it goes a long way to play on their desperate search for reasons not to obey Yah’s Torah. For if one can simply take this passage and interpret it from the standpoint that it is impossible for anyone to keep Torah, and that one’s righteousness and eternal security is entirely dependent on Yah’s grace, then there stands absolutely no reasons for one to obey the Creator, the example of Avraham tragically not withstanding.

 

The Impossibility of Keeping Torah (According to Some)

 

Is it possible to keep Yah’s Torah, and to walk in it blamelessly? Of course it is.

 

Allow me to ask you this:

 

Can you or I resist murdering; stealing; fornicating; adulterating? Is it possible for us to love Abba Father and love our neighbor as ourselves? Is it possible for us to keep His weekly Sabbath? To abstain from consuming forbidden foods? Is it possible for us to keep/observe Yah’s set-apart days? Granted, these examples are not the entirety of Torah commandments, but just a sampling. But I think we can all agree that we can keep the applicable Torah instructions blamelessly.

 

But then the anti-Torah crowd is likely to come back at us with: “Oh, but James and Paul say that if you break a single Torah commandment, you’re guilty of breaking the entirety of Torah. Right?

 

Well, in a sense they’re right.But not entirely, however. For the observation that was made by Yahoshua’s brother Ya’achov, James the Just, is properly understood from the perspective of when one “intentionally” breaks one of Yah’s commandments at the expense of keeping all of Yah’s commandments,” then yes, he/she is guilty of breaking the whole of Torah (Jas. 2:10). James made this key statement in context of warning his readers against the temptation and lure of being partial towards another (vss. 1-9). So then, when one’s heart is not right and he or she intentionally seeks to break Torah in order to appeal to his/her own sensitivities and preferences, then indeed, they have transgressed the whole of Torah.

 

For the keeping of Torah is a way of life. And when one absolves themselves of keeping only those elements of Yah’s way of life that best appeals to them, then indeed, they have denied and rejected Yah’s entire Torah and Way of Life.

 

We are indeed flawed creatures. And so, we are prone to sin. Sin is the transgression of Torah (1 Joh. 3:4). Now, any transgression of Torah on our part should never occur. But if a transgression were to occur, it should only come about through ignorance and by mistake. And knowing how flawed we are, Yah made provision in His Torah for such sins, which are often referred to as “sins of omission”.

 

But intentional transgressions of Torah, aka “sins of commssion”, are a completely different ball of wax. These require Yah’s complete restructuring of the offender’s heart, mind, and soul, in order for that offender to walk uprightly before Him. Such sins of omission are born of a rebellious heart. And although repentance and forgiveness are required to get pass such transgressions in the mind and heart of our loving Father, the offender must have work done inside of them—that is a circumcision of the heart—in order for them to leave at and burn-up such sin and evil at Yah brazen altar. In other words, it’s not enough to repent and seek forgiveness of wanton, sins of commission. One must endeavor to not repeat those sins ever again.

 

This is where the real issue of keeping the whole of Torah comes in: This habitual, even intentional transgression of Torah that we don’t want to think or even talk about. It makes us uncomfortable to admit that we’ve intentionally broken or violated Yah’s Torah.

 

So, many folks who, for whatever reason, refuse to come to terms with their rebelliousness choose to side with the majority that holds that it is impossible to keep Yah’s Torah and that violations and transgressions of Torah really don’t matter, because we are inherently incapable of keeping Torah. And thus, we are saved from having to keep Torah by God’s outrageous grace.

 

An Irreconcilable Disparity

 

 

I find the disparity that exists between Yah’s law and the laws of this nation very interesting. By rabbinic count, there are only 611 commandments that make-up the Creator’s Torah. But according to a 2015 article entitled: “How Many Federal Laws are There Again?”, there are some 5,000 federal criminal laws, with 10,000 to 300,000 regulations that can be enforced criminally in this country. And this is just federal laws. There are essentially 100’s of 1,000s of state and municipal laws that the citizens of this country are required to abide by if they want to maintain the freedoms afforded to them by the constitution of this nation. Yet you’ll never hear a single person say that it is impossible to keep the laws of this country or this land. How does such a situation exist? That denominationalists and such declare without equivocation that NO one is capable of keeping Torah, yet they themselves have no problem keeping the laws of this nation. Doesn’t make sense, does it? And the bigger irony of this dichotomy is that a great many of these municipal, state, and federal laws are in whole or in part based loosely on Torah principles and commandments. (Not all of federal, state, and municipal laws of course, but some.)

 

Yochanan gave us a remedy for willful and intentional transgressions of Yah’s Torah:

 

(9) If we confess our sins, He (Yah) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us (1 John 1:9-10).

 

David wrote of this very thing:

 

Then I confessed my sin (sin being the transgression of Torah); I no longer covered up my wrongdoing. I said, “I will confess my rebellious acts to YHVH.” And then You forgave my sins. (Selah) (Psa. 32:5).

 

Beloved, David’s solemn admission was written before Yahoshua’s earthly ministry. Seeking forgiveness for transgressions of Torah (apart from the required animal sacrifices) was indeed a known element of one’s obedient covenant relationship with Yehovah back in the day.

 

Then there’s Solomon who wrote of this:

 

The one who covers his transgressions will not prosper, but whoever confesses them and forsakes them will find mercy (Pro. 28:13).

 

Beloved, there is forgiveness for our transgressions of Torah. That is, if we confess, ask Yah to forgive us, and then forsake our sinful ways. Back in David’s and Solomon’s day, they had to comply with the proper animal sacrifices to temporarily atone for their transgressions. But in addition to those required sacrifices and offerings, the offender was still compelled to repent of their transgression, seek Yah’s forgiveness, and endeavor never to repeat that transgression again.

 

 

But then, Yehovah provided us the perfect sacrifice that would permanently atone for our transgressions. But Yahoshua’s perfect sacrifice is only as effectively as the extent of one’s heart is truly circumcised. When we transgress Yah’s Torah, are we truly convicted and repentant of our transgressions? Will we work to overcome and not repeat those transgressions in the future? Or are we simply looking for a moment’s forgiveness so that we may continue about our sinful ways. I’ve been there. I know that I’ve asked Yah’s forgiveness, knowing full well that I would likely repeat those transgressions in the future. And that attitude is a serious problem beloved. For Yah’s grace does not cover such continued, rebellious, willful lawlessness. And that’s where a complete change of heart and surrender of our lives to Yahoshua comes into play. Otherwise, we engage in an endless, circular game with Father Yah: Sin. Seek Yah’s forgiveness. Repeat the same sin. Seek Yah’s forgiveness for that same sin again. And so on. And Father Yah is not into playing games I’m afraid.

 

Praise Yah that I’ve overcome, for the most part, most if not all vestiges of rebellion that I had toward Him and His Ways and His Torah. But my overcoming of my rebellious ways came only after I finally died to self and asked Yah to scrape and remove that rebelliousness out of me. That desire and propensity to intentionally transgress Yah’s Torah.

 

I gave a teaching to a Sabbath-keeping group in Baltimore Maryland back in 2019 that I entitled, “Stuck in the Outer Court.” And in that teaching, I discussed the process by which one would bring their atoning sacrifices to the Tabernacle or Tent of Meeting, to address a transgression of Torah. The goal of that process was to be in right standing with the Almighty who whose presence was in the Holy Place. The atoning sacrifices took place in the outer court.

 

And I brought to the listeners’ attention that that process would be often be repeated in an endless cycle of transgressing Yah’s Torah, seeking atonement and or repentance, only to be repeated by the offender. And in so doing, the offender found him/herself stuck in the outer court of the Tabernacle.

 

Thus, I asked the group whether or not we are stuck in the outer court, never ever making it to Yah’s true presence because we refuse to break the cycle of transgressing, atonement/repenting, transgressing, atonement/repenting.

 

In that sense beloved, that unbreakable cycle, indeed for some, is proof that it is impossible to keep Torah blamelessly.

 

 

Here’s the Problem Related to Keeping Torah Perfectly

 

So then, it seems to me that the real issue as it relates to being able to walk in Torah blamelessly or perfectly has nothing really to do with one being physically, emotionally, and spiritually capable of doing so, as we’ve shown to be the case otherwise.

 

The problem with people accepting the lie that it is impossible to walk out Torah blamelessly has to do with an accurate—a true—understanding of (1) the role and purpose of Torah in the life of Yah’s people. (2) A true understanding of the biblical concepts of sin and transgression. And (3) where Torah fits in as it relates to the entire world.

 

For the remainder of this discussion, we will seek to gain an understanding of the biblical—the Hebraic—concepts of sin and transgression/violations of Torah. For indeed, there is a notable difference between the two, although the two concepts do indeed intersect and often become indistinguishable.

 

Then in Parts 2 and 3 we will further define the role and purpose of Torah in the life of Yah’s people, as well as seek to understand where Torah fits in as it relates to the entire world.

 

And so, armed with the knowledge of these concepts and elements, we will be very well situated to understand what the Apostle Shaul (Paul) meant when he wrote: “Where there is no Law, there is no transgression” (Romans 4:15).

 

 

Distinguishing Sin from Transgression of Torah—There is a Difference

 

For us who are of the Hebraic—Messianic Faith Community—it has been drilled into our heads that sin is lawlessness or is the transgression of the law (1 Joh. 3:4; KJV).

 

So, we’ve been conditioned to conflate the two concepts of “sin” and “transgression of the law.” Which in and of itself makes perfect sense. But it only makes sense if we place very human on the planet, be they Yah’s people or people of the world, under Torah for purposes of judgment and lifestyle expectation.

 

But is every soul on the planet under Torah? Is every soul going to be judged through Torah by Yah? And the answer to these questions is a resounding no. We covered this extensively in our series entitled “What Did Paul Mean by Being Under the Law?”

 

In that discussion we concluded that those who possess knowledge of Torah will be judged of Yah within the framework of Torah, while those who have no knowledge of Torah will be judged outside the framework of Torah.

 

And this concept is the very basis of our coming to a proper understanding of our Romans 4:15 focus passage: “Where there is no law there is no transgression.”

 

What Exactly is Sin Then?

 

Our English term “sin” in Hebrew is “chatta’th”. It is essentially acts that are rebellious against Yah and His Will and Plan. It is a deviation from that which the Creator mapped or marked out for His human creation to abide by. Sin then is a moral failure toward both Yah and men.

 

From a Hebraic standpoint, the ideological concept of sin hearkens back to the act of one “shooting an arrow or other object to a target” (Reference Jeff A. Benner; Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible; pg. 121). So then, the distance that the shooter’s arrow, let’s say, misses the target is measured by a cord, which serves to inform the shooter of just how far they were from their intended target or mark.

 

This physical, natural activity of determining how far one’s arrow strayed from its intended mark is intended to help us understand that Yah measures one’s wrong actions against the correct and proper actions that He from the beginning of time established for His human creation.

 

So, when one sins, he or she has engaged in an activity or action that is beyond or outside of the proper, correct behavior that Yah expects from any rational human being. Thus, the one who sins misses Yah’s established mark.

 

Bear in mind, we’re not necessarily talking about the established, sanctioned behavior that Torah marks out for those who are Yah’s. But rather, we’re talking about doing something—engaging in behavior that we inherently—intrinsically know is wrong (Romans 1).

 

That being said, we know that all humans sin and fall short of Yah’s naturally established standards (Rom. 3:23). And because each of us has sinned, we find ourselves subject to Yah’s judgment and wrath (Rom. 1:18). And as a result of Yah’s grace, the vast majority of us have not experienced Yah’s judging wrath as yet. That judging wrath sadly looms ahead of every human being. Thus, there is a debt hanging over every individual’s soul. And that debt must be paid in full to satisfy the offense that is every human’s rebellion.

 

But Praise Yah from Whom all blessings flow. Yeshua made one qualified, atoning sacrifice for the sins of this world (Joh. 1:29). And the sacrifice that He (our Master Yahoshua) made on behalf of all humanity satisfies the sin debt that is owed by every human being who will place their trust/faith in Him and enter into an obedient, covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe.

 

Transgressions

 

Now, when it comes to the concept of “transgression”, specifically of Yah’s Torah, we find that Father sees it as sinful. However, the term is used generally to describe the commission of an established, codified offense such as Torah. Someone crosses an established line. And that established line, in our context, is Torah. One commits a transgression when they break a Torah instruction or commandment: whether by omission or commission. So, when we consider the question of transgression of the Law, we must have at the forefront of our conversation and thoughts an understanding that the transgressor is subject to Torah. If the individual in question is not subject to Torah (I.e., they do not possess knowledge of Torah), they cannot possibly transgress or violate the commandment or law in question. Yes, in principle they can violate Torah commandments. But in reality, they are not subject to the penalties associated with violation of Torah commandments. Which essentially means that only those who have knowledge of Torah can transgress or violate Torah. The rest of the world, instead, misses Yah’s prescribed mark for all humans. And Shaul goes into stark detail to outline specifically what we’re talking about here in Romans 1:18-32. (We discussed this in an earlier post.) These essentially rebel against Yah’s natural laws, of which they will be held accountable.

 

And this is essentially what Shaul is saying to His Roman Messianic readers. Torah is not a universal entity as far as it concerns the world. Torah invokes guilt on those who possess Torah, not those who are outside of Torah. Those who possess knowledge of and who transgress Torah will be held responsible for their violations or transgression of Torah (I.e., they will be judged within the framework of Torah), while those who do NOT possess Torah and who sin—who do not meet Yah’s natural moral standards and who rebel against His righteous and holy Plan and Will, they shall be subject to His wrath (I.e., they will be judged outside the framework of Torah).

 

This is the point that Shaul is trying to convey to His Roman Messianic readers here. He also touches upon this principle in other areas of his letter to the Romans:

 

“For all who have sinned apart (or outside the framework of Torah) will also perish outside the framework of Torah, and all who have sinned within the framework of Torah will be judged by Torah” (2:12; CJB).

 

 

(12) So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people because all sinned—(13) for before the law was given, sin was in the world, but there is no accounting for sin when there is no law (5:12-13; NET).

 

Beloved, we will continue this critical conversation/discussion in Part 2 of this series within a series: Where There is no Law There is no Transgression.