October 2018
Brit Hadashah Reflections
Brit Hadashah Reflections 4
Hebraic understanding of the teaching letters of the Apostles
Considered to have been written from Corinth in about 56-57 C.E.
As chapter 7 opens, we find Paul had the arrogant Jewish believers in his sights as he tried to explain the place that Torah observance plays in the faith life of a believer. His reasoning is not easy to follow, and he goes through a number of steps to arrive at his conclusion. He likens it to the position of a married woman, who is bound to her husband as long as he is alive. If she takes another man, then she commits adultery. But when her husband dies, she is perfectly free to take another husband without the stigma of adultery being attached to that relationship. That much is perfectly clear!
So, Paul explains, the Jewish man is bound to the Torah (like a wife to a husband) as long as he lives. (And in many cases that was a legalistic relationship steeped in Pharisaic Judaism). But, when that man becomes a believer in Yeshua, it is as though that wife (the legalism of Pharisaic Judaism) had died, and he is now perfectly free to take another ‘wife’ (Yeshua who died for us) without the stigma of unfaithfulness to the Torah (which was the actual first wife). Now, dear friends, be careful not to read this chapter in isolation from the rest of the letter. Let us remind ourselves that when Paul wrote this letter, it did not have the chapter and verse partitions that we see in our Bible today. It was one continuous teaching, and just a few sentences earlier (in chapter 6) Paul had told them that, by faith, they had willingly become “slaves of righteousness”. The ‘righteousness’ which is the instruction of God to all who are His, and which He gave to Moses for the people to reside together in harmony.
How do I come to this conclusion? Because Paul stated unequivocally, in verse 12, “The Torah is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good”. And nowhere in all the Scriptures did Yeshua, or Paul, or indeed anyone else nullify or denigrate the observance of Torah. On the contrary, they ALL zealously observed the Torah. But what they all condemned was the legalistic observances of Pharisaic Judaism, which Yeshua termed “the traditions of men”. And that, my friends, is the ‘law’ which kills!! Paul continues, “So then, with the mind I myself serve the Torah of God, but with the flesh the ‘law’ of sin.” And doesn’t that describe the condition of most of us?
Romans 8 is considered to be one of those great liberating teachings of the apostle Paul. “There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus”. It is a statement of truth. He who knew NO sin, became sin for us. The sin which condemns us was borne in His body on the cross in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago. He is now seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven making intercession on our behalf. Wonderfully liberating truths. “The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death”. Hallellujah! Thankyou Lord. It is an amazing passage of Scripture. But is it true?
Well, the answer to that question is a very personal one isn’t it? It certainly can be true for everyone who, in faith, has trust in the redemptive work of Yeshua. Our “greek” mindset has been taught that it is only a matter of verbal assent to the concept that Yeshua died for us. But the Hebraic mindset tells us that (as the Apostle James told us) “faith without works is dead”. Unless that faith has made us “slaves to righteousness”, and all that that means, then we are “a sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal”. All froth and no substance.
All too often, the “led by the Spirit” culture is interpreted as a “live as you please” licence. Certainly there is freedom in the Spirit of God, but it is not a freedom to ignore God’s call to righteousness. “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God”. Note that there are TWO spirits here, the Holy Spirit and our spirit. We must take care, in honesty, to determine which “spirit” is leading us. One of the main witnesses to our personal state is to honestly ask ourselves how much time we spend with God, in reading His word and in prayer.
Paul gives the “ekklesia” in Rome a wonderful promise, which I sincerely believe is appropriate to every believer. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, and to those who are called according to His purpose.” Just check out the conditions contained in this promise with me. Firstly “all things”, secondly “those who love God” and lastly “called according to His purpose”. I am sure that Paul was confident that the recipients of his letter to that “ekklesia” in Rome would check out their hearts to determine where they stood in relationship to a holy God. We should surely do the same.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Brit Hadashah Reflections
Brit Hadashah Reflections 3
Hebraic understanding of the teaching letters of the Apostles
Considered to have been written from Corinth in about 56-57 C.E
“Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” says Paul. So having already established that Jew and Gentile are equal before God, (and knowing that there were difficulties between these two groups in the “ekklesia” at Rome), Paul reminded them that it is because of their faith that they enjoy peace with a holy God. That is why, he says, they should glory in the tribulations which beset them. Their ‘tribulations’ produce perseverance, character and hope. And even before they came to faith, Christ died for them to demonstrate His great love for them. Paul is saying that in response to the great love they have all received from God, as equals, they should then live harmoniously together (within the “ekklesia”), appreciating that they are all equal beneficiaries of God’s great love for them all, and they should extend that same love to each other..
Now, dear friends, out of this discourse there are many lessons for us today. The situation in the Rome “ekklesia”, with disputation amongst the brethren, is in evidence many times over throughout the Christian denominational scene in our modern world today. And that is Gentile believer to Gentile believer. To add a Hebraic dimension to this, when we include the Jewish people in the mix, the animosity is even more stark. In Rome, as in other diaspora “ekklesia”, it was the Jewish believers who were ‘bringing the light’. Paul, the Rabbi Sha’ul, being the chief evangelist! The worship of God mostly, if not always, took place in Jewish Synagogues. The Gentile believers were privileged to belong. Well may we ask how did that get turned on its head? The answer lies in the centuries of wanton neglect, by Christians, of the Hebraic roots of our faith.
As we come to the end of chapter 5 and begin chapter 6, Paul emphasizes the fact that when God gave us Torah (His instructions for living righteously) it became obvious that ‘mankind’ was aware of ‘chata’, sin, ‘missing the mark’. But in His love, mercy and abundant grace, God provided the way back to Himself. A way of ‘drawing near’ to Him, through sacrifices, which culminated in the once for all time sacrificial death of Yeshua. Grace is ‘unmerited favour’. So Paul asks “Should we continue in ‘chata’ that grace may abound?” Then the resounding “Certainly not!” Why? He gives us this astounding revelation. By the power of Almighty God, Yeshua was raised from the dead and moved from life to LIFE, a new life with the Father. And Paul declares here that the same power which raised Yeshua from the dead can change believers from life to LIFE, newness of life, living in praise to God and free from the binding shackles of sin. Life, which in the circumstances of the “ekklesia” in Rome would allow them to live together in harmony.
“Do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin” he says, “but present yourselves to God being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God”. How clear is that? Then Paul follows this with the often quoted, but misinterpreted, ‘eight words at the end of a sentence!’. NOT just “for you are not under law but under grace”. BUT, “Sin shall not have dominion over you, (where sin is ‘the master’ and that master has to be obeyed) for you are not under law (that law of sin and death) but under grace (which comes from a very different master)”. You are free to live without sin in your life. Then using the human example of servitude, wherein a person has an obligation to do whatever their master instructs, he says “You used to be slaves to sin, but now you have become slaves of righteousness!”
Paul then, using many words, in emphasis of the point he has been making, embarked on the rewards of behaviour. We are often times prone to think that once we are saved we are ‘under grace’ and our behaviour has no bearing on our destiny. And it is certainly true that the ‘grace of God’, extended to us in the form of the sacrificial death and resurrection of Yeshua, provides His unmerited gift of salvation to all who, in faith, believe. However, as Paul has stated clearly in this reading, our newly found faith DOES (or should) have a behavioural impact. Our “slavemaster” has changed! No longer do we engage in matters which are displeasing to a holy God, but now we direct our efforts in righteous living. For most of us that is a complete change in behaviour.
So Paul concludes “For the wages (that which we are paid for the work we DO) of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Moses put two alternatives to the Children of Israel in Deuteronomy 30:19. Paul has put them to the “ekklesia’ in Rome. This ‘reflection’ offers them to you today. Choose LIFE.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Brit Hadashah Reflections
Brit Hadashah Reflections 2
Hebraic understanding of the teaching letters of the Apostles
Considered to have been written from Corinth in about 56-57 C.E.
We remind ourselves that the main purpose of this letter was to “mend some fences” which had arisen between the Gentile and Jewish members of the “ekklesia” in Rome. Paul had not previously visited Rome, and most probably got his information from Priscilla and Aquila in Corinth. In our ‘reflection’ last week we saw that Paul laid out the ‘ground rules’ concerning unrighteousness which was a characteristic of both the formerly pagan Gentile, and the boastful Jewish, members of that “ekklesia”. They were the same in the sight of a holy God.
“What advantage then has the Jew?” he writes. Now, bearing in mind that Paul, as a fervent Pharisaic Jew, had spent his early years of adulthood mercilessly persecuting the believers in Yeshua, but that following his miraculous encounter with Yeshua on the Damascus Road he had become an equally fervent believer in Him, never-the-less he remained a faithful Torah observant Jew ALL his life. So he knew what he was talking about. He highlighted the fact that, through the Jews, God had made known His written word. They alone had been entrusted with the task of “being a light to the Nations”. The fact that some of them believed and some did not, did not in any way invalidate God’s uncompromising faithfulness to the Jew, with whom He had made some irrevocable and unconditional covenants.
Paul continued, and I paraphrase here, “does that mean that Jews cannot sin? Of course not, and to that extent they are in the same category as all mankind in God’s eyes. Sin of the Jews is the same as sin of the Gentiles. So why did God give them the Torah? Because they are a chosen people of God and by the Torah they know what is right and what is wrong in God’s eyes, and so they have an acute awareness of God’s requirement for righteous living.” Then he continued, “The righteousness of God, apart from the Torah is revealed (in the Scriptures) being witnessed by the Torah and the Prophets”. Speaking here of the abundant grace of God who imputes righteousness to all who come to Him in faith, trusting in the redemptive work of Yeshua. Then expressing the universality of the unrighteousness of mankind, both Jew and Gentile, we have one of the most quoted verses of Scripture in all our Bible, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. No exceptions. None.
As Paul continued to stress the fact that Jew and Gentile are equal in God’s eyes, he makes TWO statements which are pivotal to the Hebraic understanding of the teaching of Paul. First he says “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the Torah”. Then to avoid any possible misunderstanding, he says “Do we then make void the Torah through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the Torah”. In the simplest possible way he is expressing that our very faith in Him who saves us, also makes us zealous for God’s instructions for righteous living. And that is exactly what it did for the early believers in Yeshua (Acts 21:20). It is a matter of regret that most of us in this ‘church age’ have been taught quite the opposite, that our faith makes Torah obsolete. How sad.
In Chapter 4 of our reading this week, Paul embarked on a history lesson for the Gentile believers in Rome. Paul had never met these folk. He wasn’t sure what they had been taught and what not. So he starts at the very beginning, building a foundation on which faith in Yeshua would firmly stand. The same foundation on which the Jewish believers stood. Abraham exhibited a quality of faith which God counted to him as righteousness. We do not know how that happened. We do not know much about Abraham before this encounter. (Legend has it that Abraham’s father, Terah, was an ‘idol maker’, and over time Abraham came to see the futility which there was in the worship of idols. There are some quite humorous stories told about this!) What we do know is that Abraham was obedient to God’s call and was chosen by Him to be the father of a people described in God’s Word as His Special Treasure.
Eventually, God instructed Abraham about ‘circumcision’, which is the covenant sign of those who are descended from Abraham, and which, it seems, became a matter of ‘boasting’ by the Jews in the Rome “ekklesia’. But Paul was at pains to emphasise that God did not call Abraham because he was circumcised, but caused him to be circumcised as a sign of his faith. It was Abraham’s faith, whilst still a Gentile, which was counted for righteousness, not his circumcision. And Paul is teaching here that what God did for Abraham He can do for any other Gentile who has faith in Him. Righteousness is imputed to us because of our faith.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Brit Hadashah Reflections 1
Brit Hadashah Reflections 1
Hebraic understanding of the teaching letters of the Apostles
Considered to have been written from Corinth in about 56-57 C.E.
As we enter another year of study, we take a look at the letters written to the diaspora “ekklesia”. The objective being to attempt to bring to a 21st century Christian the Hebraic understanding of those letters as the early believers in Yeshua would have viewed them.
The letter to the Romans is unique. It was written, by the Apostle Paul, to a group of people who, as far as we know, had not previously been visited by any of the writing Apostles. It also has the distinction of being written to “break down some barriers” which had arisen between two distinctly different groups of believers. On one hand, Gentiles. On the other, Jews.
About 54 C.E. the Emperor Claudius (Acts 18:2) had expelled the Jews from Rome. A few years later the Emperor Nero had invited them back! But the situation had changed. Evidently, the Jews who had settled in Rome much earlier, and had set up a worshipping community, had been joined by a number of Gentiles who had become believers. Then, having been deprived of their teachers and leaders (the expelled Jews), those Gentile believers had developed some ideas of their own and did not readily welcome the returning Jews into their previous roles in the worshipping community. So, in very broad terms, Paul wrote this letter to address the important matter of unity within the “ekklesia’ which was necessary for communion with God and each other.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek”. Right up front Paul lays it out plain and simple. ‘You are in this together’ he says. ‘The gospel of Christ is the power of God for salvation for you all. There is but ONE God, He is the same God that provides salvation for ALL of you.’ No exceptions.
Paul then addressed the state of the unbelieving Gentile (pagan) people before they came to faith in Yeshua. It does not require great insight to see that the same characteristics described here are very much the same today in our secular society which appears to be “hell bent” on ignoring the very existence of a holy God, and deciding, wilfully, ‘to do it my way’. This is why the Scriptures are so valuable. As “The Preacher” said, ‘there is nothing new under the sun’. (Ecclesiastes 1:9).
But in chapter 2 of our text, Paul changed tack. Having described the state of the unregenerate Gentile, he takes on the arrogant Jew. “For there is no partiality with God” he starts off. “For as many as have sinned without Torah, will also perish without Torah”. Then “and as many as have sinned with Torah, will be judged by Torah”. The common denominator here is SIN. “Chata” in Hebrew. “missing the mark” in English. Don’t rely on Torah to save you. It’s how you live your life. (that does NOT mean ‘salvation by works’, but rather “works because of salvation!”)
Christians today are quick to say “we are not under Law but under grace”. Eight words at the end of a sentence. Very few can quote the beginning of that sentence, or even where it is found in the Scriptures! Well, from the same writer, here are nine words at the end of another sentence. “But the doers of the Law will be justified”. Taken out of context, neither one is an accurate statement. Please do your own study and get the true meaning. In the first quoted, the “Law” is “the Law of sin and death” (not the Torah). In the second, it refers to the perfect (but impossible) adherence to ALL God’s requirements.
In emphasis, Paul then embarked on an explanation of the way in which many Jews, even today, rely on the circumstance of their birth as a Jew to find favour with God, to the exclusion of others. Now it has to be said that Paul can be quite ‘convoluted’ in his use of words to get to the point. Even the Apostle Peter remarked on this difficulty (2 Peter 3:15,16). Paul says “You who make boast in the ‘Torah’, do you dishonour God through breaking the ‘Torah’”. It seems that these Jews returning to Rome were boasting of some kind of superiority over the Gentiles because of their Torah observances, whilst at the same time falling short in many instances. Then in placation of the situation, illustrating the equality of all believers before a holy God, Paul made the overarching statement of God’s view of people. He said “ ..but he is a Jew who is one inwardly: and circumcision (the covenant sign of Abraham’s promise) is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter: ..” So front and centre Paul lays down the ground rules for fellowship between these two groups of people who had once shared fellowship together, but now did not. “You are equal in the sight of God!” And dear friends, nothing has changed.
Shabbat Shalom
RS