November 2018
Brit Hadashah Reflections
Brit Hadashah Reflections 9
Hebraic understanding of the teaching letters of the Apostles
Paul first visited Corinth on his second missionary journey, in about 52 C.E., and stayed there for 18 months. The letters to the “ekklesia” in Corinth were most likely written from Ephesus about 5 years later. They are pastoral in nature.
The authorship of these letters is established right up front, as are the intended recipients. Then immediately following the greetings and the niceties, Paul declared the reason for his writing to them. “There are contentions among you!”
Principal among these contentions was the supposed loyalty of various groups to their perception of differing doctrinal emphases of biblical teachers of whom they had knowledge. Such differences are also prevalent in our church denominations today, albeit with other more contemporary teachers being named! But the message of Paul then, is the same message he delivers today through his Pastoral letters. “Take your eye off the messenger, and concentrate on the message. We are who we are, in Him, because it was Messiah Yeshua who paid the price of our salvation”. That is the simple paraphrase of Paul’s declaration. It is Yeshua who is the message, it is Yeshua who is the power of God and it is Yeshua who is the wisdom of God. “To the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness”.
Evidently, we conclude from Paul’s writing, the “ekklesia” was made up of mostly ‘ordinary’ people. Paul could not readily identify (according to the measure of this world) many ‘wise’, or ‘mighty’ or ‘noble’ members of the “ekklesia” in Corinth. So Paul encouraged them with the thought that they were chosen by God for who they are. Even for their ordinariness, so as to put to shame others who might consider themselves of higher degree. It is a high calling, chosen to be of service to the Creator of the Universe, for His own purposes. Bask in that dear friends, if you will, because it is the same calling that God has placed on you and me. To give credence to his words Paul then identified himself with that same group. “I did not come to you with excellence of speech or of wisdom” said Paul. “No”, he continued, “I came in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. My speech and my preaching was not with eloquent words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God”.
For one claiming to not be wise, it seems to me that he exhibits great wisdom right there! But we MUST conclude that that is precisely the wisdom of God demonstrated in a life totally committed to Him, as Paul certainly was. As he continued in his epistle we see that wisdom shining brightly through the lines of the written word. And Paul lays claim to that wisdom as he proceeds. It is, he says, “the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory”. It is a mystery. It is wisdom made available to him. It is wisdom made available to us. There is no magic formula, but there is a condition! We need to take careful observation of the type of committed life Paul led, in order to gain some insight into what that condition might be. “Selah”.
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him”.
The attributes and gifts, the characteristics, the wisdom, which we both recognize and admire in those we know who love the Lord, do not come by accident. More likely, through many hours of ‘walking’ with the Lord, in prayer, in reading and studying His word, in keeping company with those of like mind, the Holy Spirit of God reveals Himself and implants His special gifts (Galations 5:22) into the life of those who are His.
Paul reminded the members of the “ekklesia” in Corinth, who had ‘contention’ in their ranks, that the wisdom of God is imparted by His Holy Spirit to those who are His. The Holy Spirit does not speak of one doctrine to one and a different doctrine to another. Just as there is one Redeemer, Yeshua, there is one Holy Spirit, and in Him is consistency and truth. Then comes the proof. The test. The evidence. “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them for they are spiritually discerned.” In practical terms then, where ‘contention’ prevails within the “ekklesia”, it is evidence of the operation of the ‘natural man’, and it is certain that the Holy Spirit is absent.
There is no evidence in this epistle, thus far, that there were any Jews in this “ekklesia”. For that reason Paul is not able to draw on his own wide knowledge of Torah as a foundation to emphasize the Hebraic way of dealing with the ‘contention’ within this “ekklesia”.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Brit Hadashah Reflections
Brit Hadashah Reflections 8
Hebraic understanding of the teaching letters of the Apostles
Considered to have been written from Corinth in about 56-57 C.E.
Paul now turns to the practicalities of Jew and Gentile living in harmony within the “ekklesia” in Rome. There are very good lessons for us today in this teaching. Firstly the recognition that, just as in every community of believers today, there are people at different stages of their walk with the Lord. It may well have been more marked in the Rome “ekklesia” because it was such a mixed congregation of Jew and Gentile coming from vastly different cultural backgrounds. But we must also be cautious in our interpretation. “For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.” Tempting as it is to see this as a statement regarding the Torah dietary commandments, it is no such thing. And it is certainly not about the dietary laws being abrogated. So what is it? It is all about the judgement of other people’s enlightenment or otherwise. I write from personal experience. Several years ago, the Lord showed me the path I should take in regard to Deuteronomy 14 dietary instructions. But the Lord also showed me that what He spoke to me, He spoke to me for me, not for anyone else, not even for my wife!
Paul makes this perfectly clear as he continues in saying “But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ.” (If you are concerned about your own position in relation to the Biblical dietary laws, ask the Lord. He WILL show you. And what He shows you, be careful to do.) That is the message of Paul. “So then each of us shall give account of himself to God”. It’s personal. But he continues with the very practical advice about harmony in the “ekklesia”. “It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak”. There surely cannot be more sound advice anywhere. It is within the capacity of every one of us to be considerate and understanding, in love, of one another. Paul is asking these brothers in the Lord to “step up” and put aside such differences as may exist so that they can worship the Lord in harmony together. I am reminded of one of Solomon’s many lovely proverbs. “The beginning of strife is like releasing water; therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts” Proverbs 17:14.
Then Paul promised them that he would one day visit them in Rome. He could not have contemplated that his proposed visit would be forcibly accompanied by Roman chains! His plan was to visit Spain and to call into Rome on the way there. But he doesn’t miss the opportunity of again reminding the Gentile element of the “ekklesia” of their responsibility towards the Jews. A lesson we might take to heart, as indeed do the faithful ladies who are members of the Zion’s Voice prayer group. Paul says that at the time of his writing he was about to go to Jerusalem bearing monetary gifts for the saints there. Jewish saints, those who had put their faith and trust in Yeshua. “For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things.” In Christian churches today Paul is revered for his teaching. But there are not very many Gentile congregations who give any attention at all to this particular exhortation of Paul’s.
Paul’s journeys are more fully covered in the Acts of the Apostles. He asks the “ekklesia” in Rome to join him in prayer for his safety when he returned (with the monetary gifts from the Macedonians) to Judea. The Jewish community there was split, as today, between those who believe in Yeshua (and we are told in Acts 21 that at that time they were counted in their tens of thousands) and those who continued in Pharisaic Judaism in opposition to Yeshua. It was this latter group who eventually facilitated Paul’s return to Rome in chains! And it was only the providence of God which preserved Paul’s life to make that journey!
In concluding these ‘reflections’ on the Epistle of Paul to the “ekklesia” at Rome, it is noteworthy that Paul ended his letter with a number of commendations. People for whom Paul had gained respect through fellowship in various places on his journeys. Many of these friends in the faith were Gentile believers. Notwithstanding the fact that Paul had spent much of his letter promoting harmonious fellowship between Gentiles and Jews, he also could see that as the “ekklesia” grew, there would be some which would have Gentile leadership. Perhaps, the pivotal part of his epistle was therefore in Chapter 11 in which he emphasized the need for Gentile believers to appreciate and value the very roots of their faith which lie squarely in the teaching and example set by the first believers. All Jewish, with insight of, and love for, the Torah of Moses. How quickly we forget!
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Brit Hadashah Reflections
Brit Hadashah Reflections 7
Hebraic understanding of the teaching letters of the Apostles
Considered to have been written from Corinth in about 56-57 C.E.
For some, Romans 9 to 11 is thought of as an interruption to the flow of Paul’s teaching, and that he picks up again in Romans 12 where he left off in Romans 8. But, we know that Paul did not write the convenient chapter and verse divisions that we have in our Bible today. They came just a few short centuries ago. Stephen Langton, who later became the Archbishop of Canterbury, provided the chapter divisions in 1227. Then the French printer Robert Estienne added the verse divisions in 1551.
Romans 11 contains a stinging rebuke to Gentiles who misunderstand the importance God places in Israel, His chosen. Through the ‘stumbling’ of the Jew, salvation came to Gentiles, but “God did not forsake Israel”, Paul tells us. Then chapter 12 begins with a “therefore”. That always signifies the need to take note of that which precedes it, doesn’t it? So the narrative flows as Paul, firstly addressing the Gentile, but shortly joining in the whole “ekklesia” of Jew and Gentile together, moves to teach the necessity of harmonious interaction between them within the fellowship.
His analogy of ‘presenting our body a living sacrifice’ seems dramatic, but it perfectly fits the example of Yeshua, who is the central theme and focus of Paul’s exhortation to all who will listen, even today. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” is the instruction Paul gives to this “ekklesia”. The leader of a large church organisation in Australia, a few years ago, encouraged his congregation ‘to find the best the world has to offer and bring it into the church’. That seems at odds with Paul’s exhortation doesn’t it? We are encouraged to ‘renew our minds’, ‘to be transformed’ from what we were to what we have become in Yeshua our saviour.
Within any “ekklesia” of God worshippers there are many diverse and valuable gifts and talents. Not all members have the same attributes, but all members have equal attributes before God. It is our capacity to ‘corporatize’ everything today that attributes rank and status within the body of believers. None more so today than attaching the words ‘senior’ and ‘chief’ to otherwise humble God given gifts and ministries which He has set within an “ekklesia” for the benefit of the whole. Read the list Paul has presented for the edification of the “ekklesia” in Rome from verses 4 to 18 of chapter 12. It is just as applicable today as it was 2000 years ago.
Then Paul’s exhorts ‘every soul’ to be subject to governing authority. This is considered by commentators to be the civil authority of the nation. And there is ample evidence for this interpretation in the text. But we all know that such authority is capable of, and susceptible to, all manner of corrupt and devious behaviour. Never-the-less Paul says that those in the “ekklesia”, which includes all of us who are believers in Yeshua, should order their lives in a manner which is above reproach. Sounds like a tall order because of our humanity doesn’t it? But that is the standard we are set. “Pay your taxes, yes GST as well”, “Don’t cheat the government”, “Don’t claim expenses you haven’t incurred”. Does that sound familiar? At the same time, we know that there are occasions when disputes arise between the brethren. I refer you to Matthew 18 and 1 Corinthians 6 for guidance there. It is noteworthy that in Judaism, two or three highly esteemed members of a synagogue community are appointed to make up a “Beit Din” (House of judgment) to arbitrate at such times. When we understand the Hebraic nature of the Scriptures we see that they are the “two or three gathered in My name” of Matthew 18. But Christianity has no such equivalent.
Finally, in further emphasis of the Hebraic nature of Paul’s exhortation, please note again the frequent reference to the Hebrew Scriptures in this passage. Quoting from the Exodus announcement by Moses of the “Ten Commandments”, (which are overwhelmingly accepted as the very basis and foundation of modern day Western Cultures), Paul sums up these main relational commandments into the single commandment found in Leviticus 19:18, which was also quoted by Yeshua in Matthew 22 as like the greatest commandment, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself”. Now it is possible to dismiss this as a kind of ‘motherhood’ statement which we all know. But, dear friends, it is worthy of our long and careful consideration. Or as the Psalmist would say …. Selah.
“Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk properly ..”
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Brit Hadashah Reflections
Brit Hadashah Reflections 6
Hebraic understanding of the teaching letters of the Apostles
Considered to have been written from Corinth in about 56-57 C.E.
It would be an extreme rarity to hear an exposition on this chapter of Romans in a Christian church today! It is far too challenging for most. We remind ourselves that this whole letter was written by Paul to an “ekklesia” with relational issues between the Jew and Gentile members of that “ekkelsia”. (Not too different to today eh!) And to again use David Pawson’s summary, in chapter 9 we saw Israel chosen by God. In chapter 10, their rejection of that calling. And now, in chapter 11 we find Paul reminding us that God will keep His covenant with them and restore Israel to the place He has reserved for them. That situation is still future to us today, but we see the signs of it happening as God is orchestrating the return of Jews to Israel, in increasing numbers, from all countries to which they were scattered. We live in a time of great privilege to witness prophecy being fulfilled before our eyes. Prophecies that were entrusted to men, anointed by God to bear His message over 2,500 years ago.
In emphasis of the relationship God has with Israel Paul asks: - “Has God cast away His people?” Then a resounding “Certainly not!” And then he explains some of the history of the Jews, quoting extensively from the Hebrew Scriptures, to indicate that they had in fact ‘stumbled’. “..Have they stumbled that they should fall?” he asks. Again the emphatic “Certainly not!” An amazing revelation follows. God has used the “stumbling” of the Jews to bring salvation to the Gentiles. And that for the specific purpose, “to provoke them to jealousy”. And in that “ekklesia” in Rome it may well have been the case. But in our day, in the 21st century, there has been a complete reversal, and it is not difficult to understand why. No longer is the Jew “provoked to jealousy” by the salvation of the Gentile believer. Why? Because for many centuries the Gentile believer has presented Messiah Yeshua (the Christian Jesus) as a false prophet. One who overtly seeks to take the Jew away from the word of God as declared in the Torah. That is a serious charge, because it represents a complete failure to fulfil the purposes of God. Paul says “If their being cast away is the reconciling of the world”, which it is, “what will their acceptance (reconciliation) be, but life from the dead?” Do not be tempted to minimize this failure on the part of Gentile believers. We have disguised the Jewish Messiah so that He is unrecognizable to the Jew. (the same as Joseph was unrecognizable to his brothers in Egypt)
Then another shock! I was brought up to believe that once one is saved one is always saved. One cannot become “unsaved”. But that is not what Paul teaches this Rome “ekklesia” is it? There is good news and bad news here. Firstly, Israel is likened to a ‘natural Olive Tree’. Branches of that tree were ‘broken off’ (by God) because of unbelief. Other branches, Gentile branches, were grafted into that natural Olive Tree (as in the “ekklesia” in Rome). That’s the good news. But Paul offers a stern warning, of which all Gentile believers should take careful note. “Do not boast against the branches .. remember that you do not support the root (Israel) but the root supports you.” Then comes the bad news. “If God did not spare the natural branches (because of unbelief) He may not spare you either (for the same reason).”
Paul then gets to the main point of his discourse. “if they do not continue in unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God is able to graft them in again.” They can be restored. And there are other places in the Scriptures which confirm that this is what WILL happen. Notably, Paul quotes from Isaiah, (but it is also written in Jeremiah and Ezekiel) “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.” In case you missed it, this is one of the major elements of the New Covenant which God will make with the House of Israel and the House of Judah as recorded in Jeremiah 31 and repeated Hebrews 8. Israel’s future is secured by the blood of Yeshua. But then, in the Rome “ekklesia”, and today in our modern world, many are still in semi darkness, with a God made veil over their eyes.
“Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements and His ways past finding out!”
It is my prayer that all who read this ‘reflection’ will come to recognize, as Paul taught this “ekklesia” in Rome, that Israel, and the people of Israel, are precious to God. And what is precious to God we should be very careful to acknowledge and support. For centuries we have been taught that the Jew has to conform to “our way”. God sees it very differently. Do not boast against the branches. Become a branch.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Brit Hadashah Reflections
Brit Hadashah Reflections 5
Hebraic understanding of the teaching letters of the Apostles
Considered to have been written from Corinth in about 56-57 C.E.
The next three chapters of Paul’s letter to the “ekklesia” in Rome have caused both mystery (to some) and enlightenment (to others) in modern day theological understanding. To the first group, these chapters appear to be ‘out of context’ with the rest of the letter. To the second group they become the actual climax of the letter. The purpose for which Paul wrote the letter in fact. The unequivocal focus of these chapters is Israel. David Pawson, in his quite exhaustive series of sermons on these chapters has coined the following description. “Chapter 9 .. Israel chosen .. Calvinism. Chapter 10 .. Israel stubborn .. Replacement Theology. Chapter 11 .. Israel saved .. Zionism.” A careful ‘reflection’ on these chapters causes me to agree, with very minor reservation, with that summation by David Pawson.
Paul pours out his heart here. “I tell you the truth in Christ, I am not lying … I have continual grief in my heart … for my brethren (Jews) … for they are not all Israel who are of Israel”. Sounds a bit puzzling eh! But Paul is here looking at his own past. Once blinded by the demands of Pharisaic Judaism with its multiple hedges around the Torah, causing men to fruitlessly strive for perfection and then to judge harshly those of different persuasion, particularly those Jews who had found faith in Yeshua. So Paul writes from his own experience, pointing out the inherent error in trusting Torah observance as a means of attaining salvation. It never was intended for such, and it never will be. Salvation by faith, amply demonstrated in the life of Abraham, is the salvation freely available to all, Jew and Gentile alike. And as a corollary of that, many Jews and many Gentiles are NOT the “children of God”, described here by Paul as simply “Israel” (God’s chosen).
As Paul continues, we note that he often uses the Hebrew Scriptures to validate his argument. Hosea, Isaiah, Nahum, the Psalmist and the Torah of Moses all get a mention. In so doing, he stresses the importance of the instructions contained in the Scriptures in his determination of those who are the real chosen of God. In summary of this Paul quotes Exodus 33:19 in which God says through Moses “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion”. And then anticipating a “that’s not fair” response, Paul uses the illustration of the potter. The potter can decide whatever he chooses to make out of a lump of clay, and that which he chooses to make has absolutely no say in the matter. The major point here is that God has made some Jew (who may or may not come to Him in faith), and some Gentile (who may or may not come to Him in faith). Those who do, Paul refers to as the “Israel of God”. The saved ones. His special treasure. “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich (in mercy) to all who call on Him.”
One of the “stumbling blocks” here is Paul’s statement in Chapter 10, verse 4. “For Christ is the end of the Torah for righteousness to everyone who believes”. Understood by many to spell the obsolescence of Torah. Key to understanding Paul here is to observe his own lifestyle choices, He many times declared his Torah observances, which are well illustrated in his statement, made to a Jewish audience, in Acts 28:17, just a short while before his death in Rome, “Men and brethren, though I have done nothing against our people, or the customs of our fathers,”. He himself, being Torah observant all his life, is most unlikely to teach against Torah. David Stern got it right, I believe, when he translated this verse “For Christ is the GOAL (the aim, the purpose, as in ‘end’) of the Torah.” Yeshua became the living Torah, didn’t He? God’s instruction for righteous living in human form. Our example of perfect righteousness.
Another of Paul’s true statements, which, in my view, is incomplete because it stops short of the consequential outcome it provokes, is the classic description of salvation. Romans 10:9. “..if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Now it is absolutely true that no-one can add anything to that to further ones salvation. It is complete. A done deal. However, it reads as a somewhat academic process of the mind. No-where in this letter does Paul mention repentance. After all he is writing to believers isn’t he?. But I believe that the “confession” which Paul talks about is a consequence of unstated repentance. And it is that repentance which gives birth to a change in behaviour. That would certainly be true of a person moving from paganism to believer. So saying the words alone, which is often the call from church pulpits, should of necessity also involve a change to “righteous living”, and all that that implies. Selah!
Shabbat Shalom
RS