Reflections
Brit Hadashah Reflections
Brit Hadashah Reflections 11
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 first four chapters of this letter dealt with some ‘contentions’ in the ranks which resulted from groups following different personalities within the “ekklesia” in Corinth. Chapter 5 opens with a serious report of sexual misdemeanour. Such a situation that was not even named in Gentile paganism, from which the recipients of this epistle had come. The offence was grave in nature, and Paul was concerned about it. (It seems that Paul had previously written to them about this (1 Cor 5:9) but copies of that letter no longer exist.) However, for him, even more alarming was the fact that it appeared to be tolerated by the leadership of the “ekklesia”, with little evidence of corrective action being taken. It seems that the offender appeared unrepentant and chose to continue in his immoral relationship whilst maintaining his position in the “ekklesia”.
Paul said that he had already considered the reports of the situation from afar and had judged the person guilty of the said misconduct. To many, this judgement might be seen to be harsh and extreme. ‘Gather the “ekklesia” together, consider me to be present with you in the Spirit, and ‘deliver such a one to Satan’”‘, was his instruction to them. Can that be right? Well that’s exactly what Paul said. But what does it mean? Each believer in the “ekklesia” was, by consent, under the protection of the Holy Spirit. By faith, each had agreed to live by the principles and ordinances prescribed by God. It is no different today. Those who voluntarily ‘join’ a church (“ekklesia”) agree to uphold the standards and the doctrines of that “ekklesia”. In principle it is a safe place where members care for and support each other. It is part of what we think of as the Kingdom of God. The ‘world’ is a very different ‘kingdom’. It is a kingdom where Satan has free reign. If anyone doubts this, just look around you. Listen to the news broadcasts or read your newspapers.
So to be “delivered to Satan”, was to be cut off from the “ekklesia”. To be outside the safety of the Kingdom of God. Then to emphasise the need for such drastic judgement Paul uses an example from ‘Pesach’, the God ‘appointed time’ (mo’ed) of remembrance (originally of the salvation of the Israelites from Egypt) but also, for us today, of the death, burial and resurrection of Yeshua. (The context indicates that this festival was about to take place, and was celebrated by this Gentile “ekklesia” in Corinth). One of God’s instructions regarding preparation for this remembrance was to clean out all the ‘leaven’ (metaphor for sin) from their homes. Then the day after Pesach, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the Hebrew Calendar, the Feast of Unleavened bread commences, wherein no food containing leaven was to be eaten for eight days. This is prophetic of the sinless life of Yeshua. It is a culinary fact that even a small amount of leaven in dough, leavens the whole. The analogy is immediately obvious. To make it abundantly clear, Paul then drew a distinction between the morality of those who remain in the ‘kingdom of this world’, and those who become part of the “ekklesia”. There are distinctly different standards for the latter. Those joined to the “ekklesia” were expected to live according to God’s instructions for righteous living. The biblical word for this is “Torah”. And in Corinth they were mostly a gentile “ekklesia”!
In Chapter 6, Paul opens the subject of judgement within the “ekklesia”. His instruction to them is precisely along the lines of that contained in Matthew 18. It is regrettable that a lack of Hebraic understanding of the Scriptures, has meant that we completely ignore, by misunderstanding, both the instruction of Matthew 18 and this direct chastisement of Paul to the Corinthians in our dealing with disorder within the modern day “ekklesia”. Is it any wonder that divisive elements within the “ekklesia” flourish and grow to the detriment of the whole? We seem sometimes to function as though God doesn’t even exist! Which is the essence of Paul’s letter of guidance to this “ekklesia” in Corinth.
One of the elements which diminishes the testimony of the “ekklesia” in our day is the well documented cover up of sexual sin within some of the church organizations of all denominations. The treasurer runs off with the church organist! The Sunday School teacher has an addiction to pornography! The pastor acts like a business C.E.O.! A dictator. Etc. Etc.
“Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit … for you are bought at a price, therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s”. said Paul. His letter to the Corinthians is very practical. We need to understand it within its original Hebraic intent, unsanitized by the ‘spiritualization’ of the words. He says what he means and he means what he says.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Brit Hadashah Reflections
Brit Hadashah Reflections 10
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.
In this week’s reading Paul opens up with a broadside against the evident ‘contention’, regarding certain aspects of doctrine, or perhaps doctrinal emphasis, which had emerged within the “ekklesia” in Corinth. He says that the ‘contention’ between them is indicative of the behaviour of ‘natural men’ rather than that of ‘spiritual men’. He opines that clinging to the views of just one of the messengers, whomsoever that may have been, is what caused division and discord, to the detriment of the true and complete message of the One who is the Master of them all. Each of those messengers are part of God’s whole. Each one of them is chosen by God for a ministry purpose. But none of them has a monopoly on truth. That is the domain of God alone.
It is a lesson that we should all learn. Paul said that during the time he was with them, he laid the foundation on which the “ekklesia” should be built. He used the analogy of a construction site. The foundation stood foursquare on the life, death, and bodily resurrection of Yeshua. It is the faith which individual believers find in His sacrificial sojourn on this earth which changes men from ‘natural men’ into ‘spiritual men’. Men who are then suitable for use in the building itself. Men who become part and parcel of the dwelling place of God Himself. The “ekklesia”. It is not a building made with hands. But there are many, all of them ‘spiritual men’, who are called to partake in the building process. The intent was to build something beautiful, showing the glory of God, but the ‘contention’ in the “ekklesia” in Corinth was causing it to become an ‘ugly’ building. Can we learn the lesson contained in this analogy?
“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwell in you?” That alone is enough for anyone to digest. But Paul continues with a most frightening truth. “If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” Selah. Interestingly, I suggest, this may be applied on two levels. Firstly on an individual level, each person bearing responsibility to act and live in a manner which does not ‘defile’ his/her own temple, but also on a corporate level being applied to the “ekklesia”, wherein the actions and lifestyle of an individual causes ‘defilement’ of the whole.
Follow Paul’s line of thinking carefully here please. It is a particularly difficult thought process for us to follow because we have learned to accept Paul as an authoritative teacher, (which he is) chosen for the specific task of bringing Gentiles to faith. As we move to chapter 4 Paul emphasizes his role as a servant and steward of Yeshua, as indeed are we all who confess Him to be our Lord and Master. But using himself as the example, Paul declares that he has no knowledge of his own failings or weaknesses (other than physical ones) as a servant. So he presents himself with authority. But that alone, he says, does not justify him or make him right. For that reason, he argues, a man cannot judge himself. The ultimate judge of all is the Lord, and He chose all the teachers they were variously following! So when the brethren in Corinth made choices between different teachers, they were judging one as superior. So who are they to decide between them … and then to divide their “ekklesia” loyalties to reflect their choices.
Now today, I suspect that we are all as guilty as these brethren in Corinth because we all make similar choices in a denominational sense. But the real test we should apply in our circumstance is the degree to which the Word of God is faithfully upheld and preached. It surely would have been much more straightforward if Gentile believers in Yeshua (all zealous for the Torah as in Acts 21) had not been detached from the Hebrew roots of our faith. The division then would have remained as it was for the first believers. A choice between Messianic Judaism and Pharisaic Judaism (which Yeshua called the ‘traditions of men’).
At the end of his ‘broadside’, Paul comes out clearly with the solution. He acquaints them with the deprivations which he had endured for the sake of the gospel to bring them to faith. Read verses 11 -13. They don’t read much like prosperity teaching do they!? “I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children (in the faith) to warn you.” So what is the solution? “Therefore I urge you, imitate me”. This might come over as rather boastful on Paul’s part. However, Paul had received a personal ‘one on one’ encounter with the risen Saviour. (Acts 9) That encounter resulted in a personal charge and command from God Himself. And the deprivations he described were counted worthwhile to bring them to faith. Mercifully most of us know nothing about that.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
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
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