IN YESHUA'S OWN WORDS

It is essential at this point in our study to see what the Lord had to say about the Torah / law. Did He cancel out and make void the law? Was the cross a place of nullification for God's commandments? Don't let your answer to that question be based on anything other than the answer your Savior gave.

To play games with this portion of scripture, is to invite grievious consequences. Taken in it's literal context, without altering or spiritualizing away the words spoken, we can only conclude that ACCORDING TO THE LORD, He did not come to destroy, abolish or change the torah / law. Note again that He said, "till heaven and earth pass" there will not be a removing of the law. I really do not think that we need to prove that the earth has not passed.

Let's take another look at a portion of scripture where Yeshua is addressing the changing of God's commandments. In Mark 7, we see where the Lord is confronted by the Pharisees and certain scribes. They press Him as to why His disciples to not keep the traditions of the elders. Listen closely to how Yeshua responds.

Again , we see FROM THE LORD, not an affirmation that the Torah / law can be changed, but rather the opposite. In fact He adamantly tells the "leaders" that their decision to hold to the traditions that have replaced God's law makes them "vain worshippers".

Through a careful study of the gospels we find NO place where the Lord teaches a posiiton of abolishing or destroying the Torah. There are those that teach that the destruction of the law / Torah was delivered to the church by the apostle Paul. However, again in careful study we find this not to be true. It is Paul in Romans 7:22 that tells us that he delights in the law according to his inner man or spirit. In this same book , Paul tells us that the law is holy and that it is good. He also assures us that the law is spiritual (Rom 7:14). In fact Paul sites not the law as being the problem, but ourselves.

Did you see that? Look again because I think after years of "church" we tend to miss it. Paul said with his spirit he served THE LAW OF GOD. Why would the apostle Paul want to serve the law of God with his spirit AFTER he had come to know the Lord?

To be spiritually minded produces life and peace and the law is spiritual. So to be Torah / law minded is spiritual and leads to life and peace. But how does this fit with the Messiah? Perfectly!

In Romans 10 verse 4 there is an explanation that has been missed due to the translation. In the King James it reads,

Now look at it in the Jewish New Testament, where the Greek word that had been translated END, is correctly rendered AIM.

Our Messiah is the Torah made flesh. To be mindful of the Torah is spiritual because to be mindful of the Torah is to set our thoughts on Messiah. Can we seperate God from His Word? Absolutely not! Therefore you can not seperate the Lord from the Torah. How do we know that our God hates sin? How do we know that He is One? How do we know about His faithfulness in covenant? Because he showed us, in His Torah.

A TERRIBLE MISUNDERSTANDING

I believe as we continue in this teaching, we will see that a terrible misunderstanding has resulted from years of immature teaching. We have been shown the law as something horrible, while at the same time painting a picture of grace as if it can not fellowship with the law. We have severed the two as if they are not of the same Father. Law and grace have been made enemies when in fact they are not.

I will leave you with this thought. If indeed law and grace are foes that can not dwell harmoniously together, than how is that the One who revealed grace and truth, was Himself completely obedient to the law?

We still have much to cover. We'll pick it up in the part three.