This is “But Paul Said There is Neither Jew nor Greek—Israel’s Inextricable Link to our Salvation Part 2
In part 1 of this series, I gave what I hope was a clear explanation of why I was led to explore Israel’s unshakable link to our salvation, which in great part was due to the troubling calls for the extermination of Israel throughout the world. As I read article after article, and watched newscast after newscasts that were capturing images of the violent protests against the nation, I could not help but think that these people have no idea what they’re calling for. I was disturbed and angered by their words and their violent actions against Jews around the world and against those who stood with Israel, not just on moral principle mind you, but more so, on biblical principle. And the most tragic aspect of this whole antisemitic uprising throughout the world is the number of young people who have been foolishly and ignorantly sucked-up in all of this foolishness and evil. They have no clue of the hell they are calling down upon themselves. These have been terribly harmed by their parents and whatever church or fellowship they may have had the meager opportunity to attend and learn from. Most have never been exposed to Torah, much less the true Gospel message.
Yah was clear:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee and curse him that curseth thee (i.e., both Avraham and those who will be in covenant with Avraham’s God): and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. (Gen 12:2-3 KJV)
Thus, my hope is that these antisemites might come to their senses, given what we know happened on October 7th in the Land of Israel, and simply do an about face and repent for the error of their ways. And what made this all the more devastating to me was that countless self-professing people of faith were joining that antisemitic chorus on various and sundry platforms. Truly, this crisis has unmasked, at least in my mind, the realities of the unredeemed and ignorant heart of humanity in this world today.
So, I began the discussion with a look at the story of the Yeshua and the Samaritan Woman at Jacob’s Well. And if you’ve not had the opportunity to read or listen to that teaching, I would humbly encourage you to do so, simply by clicking on this hyperlink. That historic interaction between Yahoshua and the Samaritan Woman revealed to the unredeemed world one of the most fundamental realities of the true Faith once delivered: Yeshua stated to the woman that “salvation comes from the Yehudim/Jew” (Joh. 4:22). And so, we explored what Yeshua meant by his shocking statement.
And let me just say that there is a reason that I used the term “inextricable” to describe the link that Israel has to our salvation. Inextricable, according to the Oxford Dictionary, means “impossible to disentangle or separate.” A good synonym for inextricable is inseparable. Indeed, I feel very strongly that when it comes to the issues related to our individual and collective salvation, we cannot dismiss Israel from the equation whatsoever. Now, don’t get me wrong beloved, I’m not saying that we are saved because the modern nation state of Israel exists. Not in the least. What I am saying is that our salvation is based upon the covenant that Yehovah cut with Israel. Israel was the only entity that Yah cut this covenant with. And it is that covenant that ultimately leads to our salvation. A covenant ends with the death of one of its signatories. Of course, Yehovah is God Almighty and can never die, which leaves Israel. If Israel were to cease to exist, then the covenant would become null and void and our hope for salvation would also become null and void. The apostle wrote that “all Israel will be saved” (Rom. 11:26), and if this is indeed the case and we are truly engrafted into the commonwealth of Israel and are in an obedient covenant relationship with the God of Israel, our salvation is certain.
In this 2nd installment of the series, we will explore one of the Apostle Paul’s most sighted but misunderstood statements in the whole of his written catalogue. Paul writes to his followers in Galatia and Colossae that there is neither Jew nor Greek (aka Gentile) as it relates to the Body of Mashiyach/Messiah (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11). So, what did the apostle mean by this statement? On the surface, it would appear that the apostle’s statement here completely challenges my belief that Israel is inseparably tied to our salvation. But as we will see in just a few, the apostle’s fundamental statement that there is neither Jew nor Greek in Messiah by no means undermines Master Yeshua’s statement that salvation is of the Jew, nor the overall premise of this teaching series.
Paul and Hebrew Roots Series
A few years ago, I launched an ambitious teaching series with a subtitle of Paul and Hebrew Roots. My purpose in delivering those teachings was to bring to the light of clear and true understanding some of the apostle’s more challenging writings. Indeed, the Apostle Peter is correct in his statement that some of the writings of his apostolic colleague Paul are hard to understand, which leads the unlearned and unstable to twist unto their own destruction (2 Pet. 3:15-16). Throughout that series, I emphasized that modern-day western pastors, teachers, and preachers should not use Paul’s writings as glorified and sanctioned, contrived set of manuals to operate their churches. But—and this is a fundamental principle that every Nazarene must understand in their studies and read of Paul’s writings—that in every instance of his writings Paul was responding to either a question or set of questions or a problematic situation or set of situations that were ongoing in the assemblies he oversaw, and that someone in the know brought those issues to his attention. Thus, the apostle’s letters were meant to inform and correct on the topics and issues that were brought to his attention by concerned assembly members. His letters were not meant to be used as standards by which Christian churches are to operate.
The Wise Application of the Apostle’s Writings
That being said, we can presume that Paul did not waste precious parchment or write off-the-cuff, contrived, unnecessary words in his epistles. Each epistle ministered to a specific Messianic assembly who were going through some stuff at the time they were written. Now, this doesn’t negate the inspired nature of the apostle’s writings, nor does this reduce the universal application of certain of his teachings, as long as those instructions relate to a similar situation that may be ongoing in one of our modern day fellowships or assemblies, taking all things, of course, into consideration.
With this background given, we are left to determine what question or issue was the apostle responding to when he made the statement that there is neither Jew nor Greek/Gentile? Well, the apostle sort of answers this question for us at the outset of this letter:
6I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from the One who called you by the grace of Messiah, to a different “good news” — 7not that there is another, but only some who are confusing you and want to distort the Good News of Messiah. Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society, Holy Scriptures: Tree of Life Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2015), Ga 1:6–7.
The Galatian Problem
Clearly, the apostle was alarmed by the assemblies in Galatia deviating or moving away from the true Gospel that was once delivered unto them to (Gal. 1:6) to a false Gospel (1:6-7). Obviously, there was an individual or a group of individuals, no doubt a member or members of the Galatian assembly, that were actively “confusing the Galatian Messianics by distorting the Gospel of Mashiyach.”
Identifying the Distortionist
So, riddle me this batman: Who were the individuals creating the confusion in the Galatian Assembly? It’s quite possible that some of them (presuming there were more than one culprit) were of the pesky early Gnostic contingent that was slowly infiltrating first century Messianic assemblies throughout the Roman Empire. However, our concern in this post has to do with the apostle’s statement, there is neither Jew nor Greek/Gentile. Therefore, it’s a reasonable guess that the individuals in questions are what many in Christendom have named as Judaizers, or as Messianic Torah Teacher Tim Hegg of Torah Resources calls them “Influencers.”
The Galatian Assembly Make-up
Sticking with Mr. Hegg for just a bit longer, it is prudent for us, before we go any further in our inquiry, to first understand the make-up of the Galatian Assemblies.
Unlike our present-day community set-ups, where one can drive down any of the streets of this nation and come across various denominational churches with a rare Jewish synagogue in the midst thereof, first-century communities of the Roman Empire did not have such a composition. There were no so-called Christian Churches that were separate from Jewish synagogues. In fact, people in the first-century Roman Empire viewed and treated the first century Way Movement or the Messianic Faith as a Jewish sect, such as the Pharisees, Sadducees, the Essenes, and others. Therefore, the make-up of these assemblies were, what we’ll refer to as Rabbinic Jews who possessed a trusting Faith in Yahoshua as their Messiah (we might call them Messianic Jews today), and Gentiles who had become Jewish proselytes, or those that would be described as God-fearers who had a trusting faith in Yeshua as their savior. In short, the Galatian Assembly likely comprised both Messianic Jews and Gentiles.
Were there more Jews than Gentiles, or vice versa in the Galatian Assembly, it is impossible to tell. Luke writes that Paul and his evangelistic team, comprising of Priscilla and Aquilla, had gone “over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples” (Act. 8:23). Luke’s text is specific that Paul and his team ministered to disciples that were members of Galatian synagogues (8:26). So, from the terms used by Luke—those terms being that of disciples and synagogues—we can conclude that, at the very least, Messianic Jews populated the Galatian Assemblies. Now, apart from Galatian Jews, history bears out that Celtic descendants primarily peopled first-century Galatia (Wikipedia-Galatians (People). Thus, as the Gospel message spread throughout that region, and given the fact that Paul is even addressing the difference between Jews and Gentiles in his epistle to the Galatians, shows that a sizeable number of Galatian gentles peopled the Galatian Messianic assemblies as well.
When Sectarian Halachah Collides with the Gospel
Unfortunately, the Messianic assemblies in Galatia, as well as the assemblies of Rome and Colossae, had a handful of [Pharisaic] Messianic Jews who clung to their sectarian Jewish Halachah. Matthew referred to their sectarian Jewish Halachah, that the Pharisaic sect of Judaism added to, and many times, made to supersede true heartfelt Torah obedience, as the “traditions of the elders” (Mat. 15:2). Yeshua criticized the Pharisees’ over-dependence on the tradition of the elders (15:3). He charged they were transgressing the commandments of God (i.e. Torah) for the sake of their traditions (i.e. their sectarian Halachah).
Never to be deterred in their staunch adherence to the traditions of the elders and worship of their Jewishness, these influencers or Judaizers insisted to the point of occasional physical confrontation, that any Gentile who would seek to enter the Messianic Faith had to first convert to Judaism. This process is called proselytization. The proselyte, upon converting to Orthodox Pharisaic Judaism, was then required to walk in strict accordance with the traditions of the elders. This is what sectarian Halachah is: an adherence to a sect’s set of instructions and commandments in order to be accepted as a member of that sect.
Beloved, do you see any problems with putting sectarian Halachah ahead or in front of one coming to an obedient covenant relationship with the God of Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya’achov?
The problem with this contentious situation, at least in Paul’s eyes (as it should be in all our eyes), was that if this perversion of the Faith were permitted to continue unabated within the Galatian Assembly by these influencers or Judaizers, the essentiality of Faith in the Person and Ministries of Yeshua would take a back seat to works of the flesh or to sectarian Jewish Halachah, which was contrary to the set-apart tenets of the original Gospel Message that was taught and preached by Yeshua Messiah and His appointed and anointed apostles.
As far as the apostle was concerned, Jewish sectarian Halachah was not the issue per se. Yeshua never condemned the traditions of the elders. What He condemned was the transgression of Torah that strict adherence to sectarian Halachah brings (i.e. when the traditions of the elders become equal to and or supersede or replace Yah’s Torah).
The critical issues that these first-century assemblies were having to deal with then had to do with the gross misplacement of spiritual priorities. At question was who or what were the new Gentile converts to the Messianic Faith being pushed to put their trusting Faith in? What relationship were the new Gentile converts being steered towards? I’ll tell you: the Gentile converts were being steered towards placing their eternal security in Pharisaic Judaism and to establish a relationship with the Jewish religion over that of establishing a trusting covenant relationship with Yehovah Elohim through Yeshua Messiah. In other words, beloved, these Judaizers or influencers were promoting to, and sometimes, forcing incoming non-Jewish converts into religion (i.e. Pharisaic Judaism) over that of steering them towards the true Faith once delivered to the saints (Jud. 1:3). In this respect, it became a question of one’s Jewishness versus one’s obedient-faith-based covenant relationship with Abba Yah through Yeshua Messiah and this alarmed the apostle and drove him to make the statement that in Mashiyach there is neither Jew nor Greek/Gentile.
(If you haven’t had the opportunity to read or listen to my teaching series entitled “A Question of One’s Jewishness,” I would humbly encourage you to check it out at your leisure).
The Heart of the Problem was Faith and Covenant Relationship
At the heart of this critical situation, the Judaizers promoted almost a worship of their Jewishness, (i.e. their circumcision even) and a covenant relationship with their sectarian Jewish community over a true and set-apart covenant relationship with the God of Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya’achov. Seeing the Gentile converts develop and maintain a trusting Faith relationship with Yehovah through Yeshua Messiah was of little concern to them. This spiritual situation had salvific consequences associated with it. And these influencers, as Hegg refers to them, were hell-bent on dragging as many potential non-Jewish Messianic converts down the road of destruction as they could (Mat. 23:13-23).
Sectarian Halachah Supplanting the Gospel
So, what the apostle was responding to when he made the statement that there was neither Jew nor Greek as it relates to the Body of Messiah, was the Judaizer-influenced Gospel that was supplanting the Gospel of the Kingdom which is the bedrock of the true faith once delivered. In his response to this critical ongoing crisis, was the Great apostle to the Gentiles removing the commonwealth of Israel from the equation that supports the Gentile’s ultimate salvation and covenant relationship with Yehovah? No. In fact the Jew’s foundational role in humanity’s salvation would remain irrevocably intact. In fact, it must remain intact in order for Yah’s Plan of Salvation, Restoration, and Redemption to formally, as planned from the foundation of the earth, play out (Rev. 13:8).
The Modern Day Messianic’s Challenge
This is one of the many challenges that we as Nazarene Israelis must deal with as it relates to walking out our Faith amid a Pauline-based Christian-Torah-Rejecting—many times antisemitic—Church Body. Paul was one of the most brilliant Messianic Jews of his day. Unfortunately, much of what he wrote regarding our Faith is hard for most people in our community to understand. In fact, even his apostolic colleague, Peter (aka Kefa) referred to the difficulties of some of Paul’s writings:
14Therefore, loved ones, while you are looking for these things, make every effort to be found in shalom, spotless and blameless before Him. 15Bear in mind that the patience of our Lord means salvation—just as our dearly loved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom given to him. 16He speaks about these matters in all of his letters. Some things in them are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist (as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures)—to their own destruction. Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society, Holy Scriptures: Tree of Life Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2015), 2 Pe 3:14–16.
The inherent difficulties of some of the apostle’s writings, however, do not grant any would be child of the Most High license to kowtow to the antisemites of the world or the Torah-haters, both of which write-off Israel’s role as it relates to our salvation. Despite the twisting of Paul’s writings that too many so-called bible scholars, teachers, preachers, and pastors have undertaken in order to promulgate their anti-Torah, antisemitic agenda, Paul was anything but pro-Israel and pro-Jewish (Rom. 9:1-5). In fact, nowhere do we find in the whole of the Holy Writ where Paul gave up or denounced being a Jew. Of any apostle, he perfectly understood the inextricable link that exists between Israel and humanity’s salvation.
Israel’s Physical and Spiritual Advantage
When asked what advantage did the Jew have as it related to the Messianic Faith, he responded with profound brilliance:
2Much in every way! Because firstly indeed, that they were entrusted with the Words of Elohim. 3For what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief nullify the trustworthiness of Elohim? 4Let it not be! But let Elohim be true, and every man a liar, as it has been written, “That You should be declared right in Your words, and prevail in Your judging.” Teh. 51:4 The Scriptures, 3rd edition. (Northriding: Institute for Scripture Research, 2009), Ro 3:2–4.
I speak the truth in Messiah, I do not lie, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Set-apart Spirit, 2that I have great sadness and continual grief in my heart. 3For I myself could have wished to be banished from Messiah for the sake of my brothers, my relatives according to the flesh, 4who are the children of Yisra’ěl, to whom is the adoption, and the esteem, and the covenants, and the giving of the Torah, and the worship, and the promises, 5whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Messiah according to the flesh, who is over all, Elohim-blessed forever. Aměn. 6However, it is not as though the word of Elohim has failed. For they are not all Yisra’ěl who are of Yisra’ěl, 7neither are they all children because they are the seed of Aḇraham, but, “In Yitsḥaq your seed shall be called.” (Ber. 21:12) 8That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of Elohim, but the children of the promise are reckoned as the seed. The Scriptures, 3rd edition. (Northriding: Institute for Scripture Research, 2009), Ro 9.
Israel’s Role and Relevance
So, from these two key Pauline passages, we get a full and true sense of what the apostle received from his Master Yeshua in terms of the realities of Israel’s role—her relevance—to the Creator’s Plan of Salvation, Redemption, and Restoration for humanity: the God of Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya’achov entrusted to Israel the safekeeping and practice of His oracles. Those oracles are Yah’s Torah. Yehovah’s instructions in righteous. Therefore, through Israel, Yehovah created the only means of human salvation; not just because Yeshua was descended from the Tribe of Judah (which He was) or that Israel was and remains the custodian of His eternal Words of Truth (which they were and are). But more so, Yah cut/made a covenant with Israel, which is the only means by which the whole of humanity can draw near and enter a covenant relationship with Him. And for one to truly enter a covenant relationship with the Almighty and be saved, they must be engrafted into the commonwealth of Yisrael. (And we’ll get into this bottom-line concept of the Gentile being engrafted into the commonwealth of Israel in our next installment to this series.)
Salvation is of the Jew
So here we have it. The great apostle to the Gentiles wrote of Israel’s inextricable link to our salvation in the most brilliant of prose. Master Yeshua didn’t dismiss Israel from the salvation equation, neither did any of His sent ones or Talmidim or apostles. Indeed, salvation, as Master Yahoshua stated to the Samaritan Woman at Jacob’s Well, is of the Jews (Joh. 4:22).
The Obvious Meaning to Paul’s Statement
So then, what did the apostle mean by his statement that there is neither Jew nor Greek/Gentile/Barbarian? Well, when we bring all that we’ve discussed into the context of this verse, the answer to the question of what Paul meant by there is neither Jew nor Greek/Gentile should be obvious.
No one’s ethnic, social, economic, cultural, or gender, including being a Jew, makes any difference to the court of heaven in its ruling of who is justified. Justification is independent of any human markers. It is based entirely upon one’s trusting faith in the Person and ministries of Yeshua Messiah. Justification or being pardoned by a holy, just, and righteous God is a gift. We cannot earn it in any way, shape, or form. And this set-up for humanity’s redemption was and continues to be worked out through Yisrael, Yah’s covenant people. Entering and remaining in an obedient covenant relationship with the gracious God of Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya’achov is the second thing that humans must engage in for their salvation. Apart from Yehovah and Israel, there are no other parties to the established covenant agreement. Yah cut or made an exclusive covenant with Israel and every human who seeks to be saved must attach themselves to that covenant and walk in it. We accomplish this only through the Person and Ministry of Yeshua Messiah.
And let us not get hung up on the two human classifications that Paul uses in his statement: Jews and Gentiles. According to the Hebraic worldview, there are just two classes of people in the world: [True or Remnant Hebrews/Jews] and [unredeemed] Gentiles/strangers/sojourners. This helped God’s people to discern who were His and who were not. At its core, because of the Person and ministries of Yeshua, we consider any soul that is not a biological Jew or Hebrew an Israeli or Israelite in the eyes of Yehovah when they enter and walk in covenant with and believe the God of Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya’achov.
Yehovah made it perfectly clear when He was cutting the covenant with Israel that there is only “one law and one manner for you (i.e. native-born Israelis), and for the stranger that sojourneth with you (i.e. those who were not biological descendants of Ya’achov/Jacob)” (Num. 15:16). Thus, within the context and confines of the Covenant that Yehovah cut with Yisrael, any who would truly obediently walk in covenant and trust in Yehovah were citizens of Yisrael and of the Kingdom. And if we truly consider this Hebraic worldview to have been valid back in the day, then we have a good understanding of what the apostle meant by there being neither Jew nor Greek in Messiah.
Unfortunately, first-century Pharisaic Jews twisted Yah’s differentiation between those who are His (i.e. true Jews or Hebrews) and Gentiles (i.e. the unredeemed souls of the world) by teaching their sons and daughters to look down upon any who were not native or biologically born Jews. Even in her oppressed state, first-century Pharisaic Judaism was excessively bigoted.
This liturgy gives us a sobering glimpse into this bigotry:
“Blessed are You, Adonai our God, King of the Universe, Who did not make me a Gentile. Blessed are You, Adonai our God, King of the Universe, Who did not make me a slave. Blessed are You, Adonai our God, King of the Universe, Who did not make me a woman. (Attributed to R. Y’hudah b. Elai and R. Me’ir by y. Berchot 7.18 and b. Menachot 43b.)
Obviously, Yehovah never viewed Gentiles, much less slaves and women, in such a disgusting light. Such twisted thinking people as these, who were entrusted with the oracles of Elohim and abused their privilege and honor, will have a lot to answer to at the Great White Throne judgment.
But this twisted worldview was not Yah’s worldview. As Yah sees it, even biological Jews who don’t walk in covenant are as any unredeemed soul in this world. In sync with this Godly worldview, Paul wrote that what makes one a “[true] Jew is not that which is physical such as circumcision or culture or heritage or pedigree, but what makes one a [true] Jew is that which is inward such as found in the state of their heart—Rom. 2:28-29).
Tim Hegg puts a beautifully tied ribbon on this discussion with his statement:
“This is the point: all who are ‘in Messiah,’ are justified by faith and thus all are equally justified. There are no levels of righteousness in the eyes of God for those who are in His Son. Thus, the equality Paul stresses here is one’s standing as righteous before God” (Commentary on Galatians, p. 162).
Indeed, the existential thing that is at stake here is not what human-physical classification (such as being a biological Jew) qualifies or makes one eligible for salvation and receipt of the Malchut Elohim (i.e. the Kingdom of God), but how any rational human, regardless their human classification, is legally deemed as justified by a holy, just, and righteous Elohim.
Two Crucial Considerations Regarding Our Salvation
There are two things to consider here: (1) In the Kingdom of Elohim, Orthodox Messianic Jews are no better or no worse than their Gentile or non-Jewish counterparts. Now, this understanding by no means shows that there is no longer any Hebrew or Jewish relevance or that Yisrael doesn’t matter in Yah’s overall grand plan of salvation. Yisrael very much matters. Furthermore, it means that through the Person and ministries of Yeshua Messiah, the Gentile (aka the Ger), who was once lost, without hope, and far from the presence and attention of Yehovah, was now brought near unto Him (Eph. 2:13). This one, Paul explains, is joined fitly with their true Hebrew/Jewish counterparts. Indeed, the once unredeemed non-Jew, through faith in the Person of Yeshua Messiah, has been granted full-unrestricted access and inclusion into the commonwealth of Israel and the Body of Messiah. No matter what the Orthodox Jewish rabbis may think or say about non-Jews of this world, both the Messianic Jew and the engrafted redeemed non-Jew are, through Yeshua, in every respect a unified body. Thus, there is no need for incoming non-Jews to convert to Judaism in order to partake of the rich covenant promises that belong to true Israel.
The bottom line is this beloved—which the Judaizers/Influencers of Paul’s day missed—humanity’s salvation is inextricably linked to remnant Israel, true Israel, Yah’s chosen ones. Through the Person and Ministries of Yeshua Messiah, humanity is inextricably linked to true Israel, not by conforming to sectarian religious Halachah, but by adoption and an engrafting into the commonwealth of Israel—trusting and walking in covenant with Yehovah. And true Israel possesses the only existing covenant agreement with Yehovah on the planet.
Abba willing, in Part 3 of this series, I would like to dig into what this engrafting into the commonwealth of Israel biblically means and how it really works.
Secondly: Those who are Messianic Jews or non-Jews who have been engrafted into the commonwealth of Israel must bear in mind that receipt and entry into the Malchut Elohim (aka the Kingdom of Yehovah) come first and foremost through their trusting Faith in Yehovah and His Son Yeshua Messiah. Paul declared to his Messianic Ephesian readers that it is by grace that we are all saved, through faith; and that salvation is not based upon anything that we, Yah’s netzers, do. Our salvation is founded first and foremost upon our trusting faith. No amount of Torah commandment-keeping will save us. No amount of obedience to Jewish traditions will usher us into the Kingdom. It’s faith in the God of Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya’achov through the Person and Ministries of Yeshua Messiah that makes us eligible (i.e. meeting the basic criteria) for salvation and to receive the Kingdom. To be qualified to receive the Kingdom (i.e. possessing exceeding criteria), however, we must be in an obedient, covenant relationship with Yehovah through the Person and Ministries of Yeshua Messiah. The would-be child of the Most High must meet both elements (trusting faith and obedient covenant relationship) if they are to receive eternal life and become a citizen of the Malchut Elohim.
The Example of Abraham
We find the fullness of this understanding in the story of Abraham. The apostle states it was Abraham’s faith that resulted in Him being reckoned or credited or counted (i.e. “logizomai”) as righteousness (Rom. 4:9). He wrote that “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Rom. 4:3). Even more so, he declared that of Abraham: “For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith” (Rom. 4:13). James, the half-brother of our Master Yeshua Messiah, recorded that it was because of Abraham’s trusting faith that righteousness was imputed unto him, and that Abraham’s extraordinary faith merited him the appellation of “Friend of God” (Jas. 2:23).
However, the scriptures do not stop at faith and Avraham’s resulting imputed righteousness (i.e. imputed righteousness being a gift of Yehovah that comes through trusting faith; also referred to as justification). The writer of the Book of Hebrews spends a great amount of time laying out the case for Abraham’s “actionable” righteousness (i.e. righteousness that comes through one’s obedience to Yah’s instructions or Torah, and conformity to the covenant Yah shares with them) that led to fulfillment of Yah’s promises to him:
8By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place he was to receive as an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he was going. 9By faith he migrated to the land of promise as if it were foreign, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob—fellow heirs of the same promise. 10For he was waiting for the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God…17By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. Yes, he who had received the promises was offering up his one and only son— 18the one about whom it was said, “Through Isaac offspring shall be named for you.” 19He reasoned that God was able to raise him up even from the dead—and in a sense, he did receive him back from there. Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society, Holy Scriptures: Tree of Life Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2015), Heb 11.
The trusting faith of Avraham that resulted in both his inputted and actionable righteousness is a great example of what this whole discussion is about. As we witness the prevalence of antisemitic violence and rhetoric worldwide, supposedly in response to Israel’s war against the terror organization Hamas, we are reminded of the undeniable link between Israel and our salvation. Additionally, those who call for the destruction of Israel are also calling for their own destruction.
Closing Thoughts
The Psalmist counseled his readers to pray for the peace (aka the shalom) of Jerusalem and the one who does not bow to the evil of this world and follows through with this admonition secures unto themselves prosperity (i.e. “shalah” which means quiet, rest, even shalom or wholeness of being) (122:6). The prophet Jeremiah affirmed this counsel and promise: Jer 29:7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
