Tag: Born Again

Come as You Are?

Christian churches [501(c)(3)s] are trying to outdo each other to prove they are ‘more inclusive’ – it is like a competition. The larger the church, the more successful they are thought to be.

“Jesus loves you just the way you are” is one of their slogans. They must be speaking of Jesús Aguilar (he likes having all kinds of fans), because the Jesus I know reached out to everyone, but is very discriminating as to who he accepts.

¹And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, ²The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, ³And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. ⁴Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. ⁵But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: ⁶And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
Matthew 22:1-6

Yeshua generally spoke in parables because the message he brought was too complex for the average listener to understand. This parable, however, starts with what appears to be a rather undisguised, abridged description of the Hebrews’ history of profaning Yahweh’s Covenant and abusing (or even killing) His prophets.

⁷But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. ⁸Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. ⁹Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. ¹⁰So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
Matthew 22:7-10

Now the parable become more obscure to the normal listener at that time. Of course, we have the advantage of thousand’s of years of commentary concerning Yeshua’s words and the letters of Paul, so we understand the servants are those that went forth to ‘teach all nations . . . to observe all things whatsoever Yeshua commanded them.’ (Matthew 28:19-20; see also Mark 16:15-16; Acts 1:8)

Remember, salvation was never exclusive for the Hebrew nations. Yahweh repeatedly stated His Law and its blessings were for the native born Israeli and the fellow traveler, as well (Exodus 12:49; Leviticus 19:34; 24:22; Numbers 9:14; 15:14-15; 15:29; Deuteronomy 1:16; and more).

¹¹And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: ¹²And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. ¹³Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 22:11-13

⁴¹The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; ⁴²And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 13:41-42

Cast out the guest because he was wearing the wrong clothes? Sounds kind of elitist – definitely sounds like the king is discriminating . . . even to the people he invited to the feast.

We are to be clothed (enduo / en-doo’-o [G1746]) with the holy spirit:

“let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on [enduo] the armour of light . . . But put ye on [enduo] the Lord Jesus Christ”
Romans 13:12-14

For this corruptible must put on [enduo] incorruption, and this mortal must put on [enduo] immortality.
1Corinthians 15:53

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on [enduo] Christ.
Galatians 3:26-27

²²That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; ²³And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; ²⁴And that ye on [enduo] the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Galatians 4:22-24

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on [enduo] the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Galatians 6:10-11

Can someone call upon the Lord and not put on [enduo] the holy spirit? Yeshua tells us many who are perceived as Christians have not clothed themselves in preparation of the wedding feast.

²¹Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. ²²Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? ²³And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew 7:21-23

This includes Christian ‘leaders’ (Matthew 7:15-19)

Enduo requires voluntary action on the part of the person wanting to be clothed. Believing is not enough – proper action is required.

¹⁹Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. ²⁰But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
James 2:19-20

What actions?

1) Repent?

¹There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ²And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? ³I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. ⁴Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? ⁵I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Luke 13:1-5

The Word, nor historians, tell us what the Galilaeans did to incur the wrath of Pilate, but it was supposed that they must have been especially wicked to have been slaughtered by the Romans in the midst of doing sacrifices. It appears those telling Yeshua of the event wanted his reaction to the news – this may have been a trap by the Jewish leaders to ensnare Yeshua in his words.

He does not express an opinion about the event, but he does turn the story around to speak to the importance of repentance. He includes the events around the collapse of the Siloam tower to reenforce the need for repentance.

If Yeshua loves us as we are, why do we need to repent? “From that time [after his 40 day fast following his baptism] Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).

2) Renew Our Minds?

¹I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. ²And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:1-2

Put on [enduo] the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him . . . Put on [enduo] therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved . . . .”
Colossians 3:10-12

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10

Bob the Priest

Renew our minds to what? To the latest trendy preacher? To the latest, popular, self-help book with ‘Christian’ themes? How can we know what is “right”?

⁷The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. ⁸The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
Psalm 19:7-8

If Yeshua loves us as we are, why do we need to renew our minds?

3) Emulating the man that we profess is our Lord?

³And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. ⁴He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. ⁶He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
1John 2:3-6

If Yeshua loves us as we are, why is he asking us to be like him?

Yes, come as you are . . . but don’t stay as you are. It is impossible to change a lifetime of bad habits and bad decisions overnight, but you have to make the decision that you want to change.

When the Apostles were trying to figure out how to incorporate pagans into the faith, they understood this problem. The leadership determined that the pagans must initially agree to stop committing four especially nasty sins and that they would learn the rest of the Law, over time, by attending synagogue each Sabbath. (Acts 15)

Believing you can confess Yeshua as Lord and continue your life the same as you always had belies your claim that he is your Lord. You cannot enter a marriage relationship and continue to act as if you are single. Learning to do right in a marriage takes time, but it will never happen if you believe anything is okay in a marriage.

Yahweh and Yeshua want all men to be saved and have a seat at the wedding feast – few want to do what is required to have a seat at the table.

¹⁴For many are called, but few are chosen.
Matthew 22:14

I’ve not plugged my book in a while.

If you want to walk as Christ walked . . . if you want a starter guide on what the Law demands of us . . . if you don’t want to wait a lifetime of synagogue services to jump-start the renewing of your mind to the Word, GRAFTED: Embracing Torah is a good vehicle, but it does not replace you as the driver.

It lays out the essentials for today’s believers and then you can test it and make it your own (it has a chapter on how to make the Word your own)

Tags Born Again, morality, Salvation, Torah

Torah

Losing Those Close to Us

I said ‘goodbye’ to a brother in Christ, yesterday. I had known him for years and he was a fellow workman in the ministry I used to be a part of.

When I left the ministry (though not the faith), I tried to maintain contact with my denominational family. I was often asked why I left because the minister was charismatic and popular. I confided with a few, but I declined to explain to most because it was personal to me and I did not want to set up a situation where people felt they had to choose one of us over the other (make no aversions, I was not the choice they were going to make), like what happens when a married couple divorces and their friends find it awkward to remains friends with both parties even though they were close with both.

Then, my awakening happened. I’ve spoken of my revelation before and my renewed and energized study of the scriptures.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2Timothy 2:15

There is nothing quite as cute (and irritating) as the zeal of a convert. There is also nothing quite as ugly as the persecution of the apostate (a person who forsakes his religion, cause, party, etc.) that has left the church. Muslims go as far as demanding the killing of apostates (Why is the Apostate to be Executed in Islam).

I have not left the faith though I no longer teach the dispensational doctrines associated with my former ministry. I still teach salvation through faith in Christ, which is (or should be) the bedrock of all Christian dogma.

No one that I know of has demanded my death (the closest has been my wife, who, with good cause, has fantasized about it for decades), but I have been the subject of false claims of heresy.

It is common to try to marginalize the outcast so that others do not follow in their path. My previous minister (the one I broke from) was earlier compared to a child molester when he was fired from the ministry he had started. There was no accusation of child abuse, but the comparison was an intentional smear to marginalize him and shrink the number of people from moving to his new ministry.

The Apostle Paul was falsely accused of crimes against the faith. This begs the question of why would they have to ‘falsely’ accuse him if Paul was actually teaching against the Jewish faith? They should have been able to actually accuse him if he was speaking against the Torah.

The more years one spends in a denomination, the harder it is for them to conceive that their doctrine could contain error or that any other denominations may contain a greater understanding in some aspect of their faith. This is made easier by the construction of simple adages that aid in avoiding examination of any perceived (or real) contradictory belief held by others.

Been there – done that.

I remember when the Roman Catholic church taught us that Catholics were the only ones going to heaven. That made for some interesting conversations with my HS sweetheart who, as a Baptist, was taught only the Baptists were going to heaven. We both thought we could convert the other over time. Ahhhh, the presumptiveness of religions and teenagers.

I said ‘goodbye’ to a brother in Christ because of his continued misstatements (yes, lies) about what I was saying and teaching.

The issue concerned my teaching that once someone has accepted Christ as their savior, the believer should follow the whole Bible (including the Law of Moses). His interpretation of this was that I was teaching people that they had to follow the Law to be saved.

This is a blatant lie, told knowing, since I asked which of my dozens of blogs and hundreds of memes ever advocated a works’ salvation. I have never taught that obedience to the Law was required for salvation since the Word clearly states that nothing we can do will save us.

⁸For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9

I formerly taught, as he still does (and as 97.3% of the Christian world teaches) that the Law of Moses no longer applies to us because of the death and resurrection of Yeshua. I have come to understand that this is not true, which I would have understood sooner if I had embraced the Old Testament.

For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Malachi 3:6

Most Christian churches embrace Malachi when he speaks to bringing in the tithes (Malachi 3:8-10), but not when he counters their dispensational belief that Yahweh treats us differently at different times in history.

The books of James and 1John consistently state that we manifest our faith through obedience to the Word.

Teaching that the ‘first half of the book’ no longer applies does not leave us with a Godly standard we can apply in order to manifest our faith. It leaves us with a personal interpretation of what “loving one another” looks like.

²⁸And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? ²⁹And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: ³⁰And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. ³¹And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. ³²And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
Mark 12:28-31

The Scribe understood that Yeshua was placing the ten Commandment into two groups – one group that dictates our relationship with Yahweh (no idols, Sabbath, taking His name in vain, etc.) and one that dictates our relationship with humans (no lying, stealing, murder, etc.).

The Scribe would not have responded, “thou hast said the truth”, if Christ had given some nebulous answer that did not tie itself to the Word.

³⁴A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. ³⁵By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
John 13:34-35

What defines “loving one another” if it is separated from the Word? What if someone else defines it differently?

¹³For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. ¹⁴For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Galatians 5:13-14

What defines “love thy neighbour as thyself” if it is separated from the Word? What if someone else defines it differently? What if they are a narcissist or a self-loather?

Yeshua, walked, talked, and ate the Scriptures. He never veered from the Law of Moses. He was controversial because he refused to follow Talmud (Jewish traditional ordinances) when it contradicted Moses and the prophets. This made him increasingly unpopular with the ruling religious leaders and led to his execution.

My book and my blogs examine what it means to follow Torah, since I had no idea of what that looked like because of my many decades of erroneously believing and teaching the Torah does not apply to Christians. I posted the first chapter of my book to help clarify what works are (Faith Without Works?).

Following Torah in the absence of faith in Christ is okay, since the Law of Moses is a great standard for living in a civil community, but it does not lead to salvation. Being a ‘good’ person is good, but it is not the standard of the Word for salvation.

Conversely, faith in Christ without works is dead (James 2:17, 26).

³And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. ⁴He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. ⁶He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. ⁷Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
1John 2:3-7

Following Torah does not require one become a Hebrew. Jews welcome converts, but Yahweh does not require conversion for salvation. Many non-Israelites left Egypt, also, after Yahweh had devastated the land and proved their gods to be impotent.

⁴⁸And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. ⁴⁹One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.
Exodus 12:48-49; see also Numbers 15:15-16

I said ‘goodbye’ to a brother in Christ and it saddens me – even as the separation of death hurts my soul. I pray for a reconciliation, but it is better to separate than to bring strife into the family.

I am open to debate and welcome it, because I will never believe that I fully understand scripture. I will not contest with someone that requires I argue and defend a position that I do not hold so that they do not have to examine a position that they do hold.

Check out my blogs at WordPress.com and decide for yourself.

As a side note, you will occasionally see a photo of me wearing a fuzzy hockey puck (a shtreimel – pronounced shtry-mull). I created this photo in response to the many people who have asked if I am a Jew or referred to me as a “Judaizer”. The photo makes me laugh . . . not only because it is such a bad example of photoshop, but because I enjoy taking a jab (in jest) at my friends who believe following the Law of God is impossible and burdensome. Yahweh says that neither is the case.

Tags Born Again, Legalism, Salvation, Torah

Faith Torah Word Study

School’s Out?

²⁴Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Galatians 3:24-25

Were you taught that once we were born-again in Christ Jesus, that we are no longer under the Law [schoolmaster], that we have no guilt if we fail to keep the Law? I was, as were many in the Dispensational movement.

It is very tempting to tell a sinful human (approximately 99.999999999….% of all of humanity – I understand there was one exception), that they need not fear the consequences of sin because all that stuff in the Old Testament no longer applies. Have you ever considered the consequences of not one thing being a sin?

Looking at only the Ten Commandments (the Big Ten), saying we are not under the Law gives acceptance to lying, murder, adultery, and theft, just to name a few. What kind of society do you have now?

I’m not advocating for keeping the Law because it makes for a good society (which it does), but because I believe this is what we are instructed to do. If the Word actually stated, “the Law no longer applies”, then I would accept Yahweh’s judgment and try to figure out how I can best steal more from you than you steal from me.

Such logic mirrors the guiding principle of the Church of Satan, “Do what thou wilt”. Something is not as it seems.

Peter warns us that Paul’s letters are hard to understand.

¹⁵And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; ¹⁶As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
2Peter 3:15-16

Let us not be unlearned and unstable, which leads to our destruction.

Anyone who quotes a single verse from a letter of Paul is silly or is intentionally trying to subvert the Word. Context is everything with Paul because he builds his case for Christ in a similar way that a lawyer might build his case for his client – both build a legal structure that they know will be attacked, so they include numerous support arguments that interweave with the rest of their chronicle, so the finished product is unassailable to anyone trying to poke holes in their narrative.

Let us look at more of Galatians ( I have a four part teaching on Galatians at my website, if you want to see more of the context of the overall letter).

⁶Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. ⁷Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. ⁸And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. ⁹So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
Galatians 3:6-9

We are blessed through faith, not of works. Few believers would argue this, but part of the context of Paul’s letter to the Galatians is that there were those preaching works unto salvation and it was harmful to the new believers.

Abraham’s faith was accounted to him for righteousness, so righteousness by faith was not a new concept that was introduced by Christ. The Law was the believers’ guide to understanding and obeying the Heavenly Father they could not see, but then Yeshua came and physically manifested the Law and the Father.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 1:14

⁶Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. ⁷If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. ⁸Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. ⁹Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
John 14:6-9

Believers now had the example of the Father, physically among them. The Law asked believers to envision a good and loving Father, but now Yeshua was the concrete example . . . and what was his example?

¹⁴Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. ¹⁶Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. ¹⁷Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. ¹⁸For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. ¹⁹Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
John 5:14-19

All has not been fulfill, nor has heaven and earth passed away, so what is the “schoolmaster” that has been done away with? Let’s go back to Galatians 3:

²¹Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. ²²But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Galatians:21-22

The Law is NOT against the promises of God, but it cannot bestow righteousness – that is only through faith.

²³But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. ²⁴Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Galatians 3:23-25

“Schoolmaster” is the Greek word, paidagogos, “a servant [slave] whose office it was to take the children to school.” Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines it as:

Among the Greeks and Romans, the name was applied to trustworthy slaves who were charged with the duty of supervising the life and morals of boys belonging to the better class. The boys were not allowed so much as to step out of the house without them before arriving at the age of manhood. The name carries with it an idea of severity (as of a stern censor and enforcer of morals) in 1Cor. 4:15, where the father is distinguished from the tutor as one whose discipline is usually milder, and in Gal. 3:24 sq. where the Mosaic law is likened to a tutor because it arouses the consciousness of sin (i.e., preparing the soul for Christ, because those who have learned by experience with the Law that they are not and cannot be commended to God by their works, welcome the more eagerly the hope of salvation offered them through the death and resurrection of Christ, the Son of God.
Thayer’s Greek Lexicon

The schoolmaster was not needed once the children were mature enough to go to school on their own. The children were still going to their education, they just were no longer accompanied.

Without the knowledge of good and evil that the Law provides, we would not know to do good rather than evil. We would not understand that there is an afterlife and that we must seek the blessing of the one that can make the afterlife available.

Without the Law, we would not gain the education we need to learn that we cannot work out our own salvation. The Law gave us the example of people who achieved righteousness through faith.

Once we confess Christ as Lord, through faith, (Born Again?) and believe he has risen from the grave (Born Again? Part 2) we no longer need a schoolmaster (the Law) to lead us to Christ. That does not negate the need to distinguish between good and evil . . . and to do good. As we read, earlier, Christ is the Law made flesh.

The Law leads us to Christ, who is the Word [Law].

¹My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: ²And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. ³And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. ⁴He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. ⁶He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. ⁷Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
1John 2:1-7

¹⁴What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? ¹⁵If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? ¹⁷Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. ¹⁸Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. ¹⁹Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. ²⁰But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
James 2:14-20

John tells us we are to walk as Christ did. Do we need to wonder What Would Jesus Do? No, we do not – every page that depicts Christ shows him following Torah – he never wavered. Don’t profess faith in Christ and ignore the commandments. Don’t be a liar – rather, Do What Yeshua Did.

James tells us that faith without works is unprofitable and dead! The devils have faith – they know and believe Yeshua is the son of Yahweh, but their works are evil

Saying that the law is done away with because we now have faith in the perfect law-giver is equivalent to saying we don’t need clothes because we have done away with the need to have someone dress us. I don’t want to live in a society that has no clothes . . . . I can’t believe that imagining an audience with no clothes is supposed to help a speaker overcome nervousness – it would make me nauseas.

Finally, Paul says,

²⁶For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Galatians 3:26-29

Your nationality, gender, skin-color, whatever means nothing. The only thing that matters is faith in Christ. It is like the expression, “Irish-American” (or Italian-American, or Mexican-American, or . . . .). Unless you have dual citizenship, you are an American.

Read the Word. Learn what is available through Christ and then take action. I’ve read it and I know what happens if you don’t take action – you don’t want those consequences.

A guide I find particular helpful (of course I do, I wrote it) in navigating your way through the Law is GRAFTED: Embracing Torah. Buy it before the censor take it down.

Tags Born Again, Galatians, Law, obedience, Salvation, Torah

Torah

What IS (was?) the Purpose of the Law

Post author By rkeck777
Post date February 20, 2021
No Comments on What IS (was?) the Purpose of the Law

How can you have a blog about the Law and not have a photo of Charlton Heston to accompany it? Chuck makes everything cool.

While Mr. Heston is portrayed embracing the Ten Commandments, today, most Christians pride themselves in being “free from the Law” (Romans 8:2)

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Christians, however, tend to ignore the phrase “law of sin and death”. When Peter says that the writings of Paul are difficult to understand –

As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
2Peter 3:16

it is because Paul was an exceptionally learned man and often spoke as an exceptionally learned man. It would be like reading a dissertation about the Constitution’s freedom of speech written by me and one by Mark Levin. Mine would be tersely accurate, while Mark’s would be painstakingly detailed.

Levin’s writings have lots of context and if his words are taken out of context, they could possibly have a different meaning. The Apostle Paul’s writings are the same.

What is the “law of sin and death”? Is it the same as the Law of God? Why not just say, “the Law” if they are the same? Does Paul just talk to hear the sound of his own voice or do his words mean something?

Paul actually speaks of SEVEN different laws – not knowing the context of which law he is referring to could lead ‘unto our own destruction’.

This is actually a completely different teaching and I am not scholarly enough to do it justice, but I raise this issue to address the Christian’s (of which I am one) tendency to quote a verse and give it a different meaning than the context of the verse would have given.

The purpose of this blog is to examine the purpose of the Law (Torah – Instructions) with an emphasis on their purpose since Christ was sacrificed as a propitiation for all sins.

And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
1John 2:2

I had to look up “propitiation”, because big words like that make me sound smart until someone asks for a definition. Dictionary.com defines it as “the act of propitiating – someone who propitiates”. That wasn’t overly helpful.

Strong’s defines it as [Greek: hilasmos] atonement. That is better. A use of a thesaurus also gives synonyms like reparation, payment, and recompense.

Many (way, way, too many) Christians believe they are like Teflon where sin is concern . . . nothing sticks. Confess Jesus as Lord and you can do anything you like and still get into heaven because ‘he died for all sins”!

Why does this sound suspiciously like Aleister Crowley’s [a satanist leader in the early 1900s] commandment, “Do what thou wilt” shall be the whole of the law?

First, see my blog Born Again? to get an understanding of what it means to “confess” someone as “LORD” (which is only half of what is required to be what Christians’ refer to as ‘born again’).

Second, let us read 1John 2:2 in context:

¹My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: ²And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. ³And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. ⁴He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. ⁶He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
1John 2:1-6 — emphasis added

If I came to your house and claimed I was a plumber, but I did not turn off the water supply before I started dismantling the kitchen sink, you would know I was a liar because plumbers will turn off the water supply (if they can) before they do their plumbing. There are ‘laws (instructions)’ one should/must follow if they are going to be called a plumber.

So why do Christians claim that the law has been superseded? Superseded by what? Yahweh gave us ten Commandments as part of His Law and the Word says His Law is “perfect”

⁷The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. ⁸The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. ⁹The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. ¹⁰More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. ¹¹Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
Psalm 19:7-11

Did we get something more perfect-er? Something wiser? Simpler? Right-er-er . . . er? Purer? Cleaner? . . . .

What is it? Is it simpler than “thou shall not steal”? Purer than “thou shall not commit adultery”? Are we allowed to worship other gods, now, because ‘the Law has been superseded’? Is murder on the ‘okay list’, now?

Why will we be keeping the ‘Law of Moses’ in the Millineal Kingdom (Ezekiel 43- 46) if we have something NOW that is MORE perfect, MORE simple, MORE right, MORE pure, and MORE clean?

Nowhere in the Word does Yahweh speak of changing His Law, except when Paul is taken out of context – and those that claim Paul teaches that ‘the law has been done away with’ have to contend with Paul’s actions and words, for he always did the Law, including keeping the Feasts and having Timothy circumcised.

Paul states

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. (Romans 7:7)

Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. (Romans 7:12)

For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. (Romans 7:14)

For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: (Romans 7:22)

I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. (Romans 7:25)

¹What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? ²God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (Romans 6:1-2)

¹²Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. ¹³Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. ¹⁴For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. ¹⁵What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. (Romans 6:12-15)

Doing the Law is not the way to salvation, but doing the law is the evidence of our salvation. Yeshua died a horrible death as a recompense for our sinful lives. Do we repay him by continuing in sin?

If Yeshua is our example and we are to walk as he walked (1John 2:6), should we embrace sin or avoid sin? How do we know what sin is if the Law was done away with?

Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
1John 3:4

Does a lifestyle of thievery help to witness Christ unto the masses? A lifestyle of incest and adultery? Or do we agree with Yahweh that such actions are disastrous to the body of Christ and a stumblingblock to those that are weak (1Corinthian 8:9).

Living sin-free is impossible in these fallen bodies, but avoiding sin is much easier. If you know the Law says to not bear false witness [lie] (Exodus 20:16) then do your best to tell the truth in all things.

If a lie convicts you in your conscience, then you are probably not yielding yourself over to sin. If you can lie ‘without batting an eye’ (what does that even mean?) and you are not ashamed, then you have not made the conviction to have Yeshua as Lord.

If you do not know the Law, how are you to know what to avoid? How are you to walk at Yeshua did? or Paul? or Peter? or . . . . Keeping the Law does not save you – your faith in a Redeemer will save you. The Law will help you live as the one who redeemed you commanded.

Have faith unto salvation, but keep the Law as an evidence of your faith.

¹⁸Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
²⁶For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
James 2:18,26

Do you know the Law? Do you want a quick guide to help you navigate through the 613(?) Instructions of Yahweh?

When I made the decision to become Torah observant, I looked for an easy guide that would tell me what to do, what to wear, what to eat, etc. When I couldn’t find one, I wrote one.

GRAFTED: Embracing Torah

It is true that many of the Laws do not pertain to us today, but do you know WHY? Yeshua did not do away with the Law, the feast days, the dress code, the dietary rules, etc. Yahweh tells us both when and how, and when not.

Tags Born Again, Law, stumblingblock, Ten Commandments

Faith

Born Again? Part 2

Last Week we looked at what Yeshua said about being ‘born again’ (John 3:1-6) and what Christianity teaches, today, about being ‘born again’ (Acts 2:37-41 and Romans 10:9-10).

We also discussed the difference between saying that someone is your Lord (boss, spouse, etc.) and the conviction it takes to show that you truly have confessed Yeshua as Lord.

Yeshua had a ‘boss’, also, and he always did His Will:

Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
John 4:34

I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
John 5:30

⁴¹And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, ⁴²Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. ⁴³And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
Luke 22:41-43

In all that Yeshua did, he proclaimed the Father as his Lord. Yeshua was not an automaton – he had his own free will. Yeshua could have sinned or he could have walked away from his impending crucifixion, but he did neither. This is our example of confessing someone as Lord – we do their will, not our own.

The first part of Romans 10:9 is confessing – the second part is believing

⁹That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. ¹⁰For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:9-10 – emphasis added

Once again, this is not just a simple acceptance of an idea. Believing in your heart is equivalent to saying you have no doubt in the facts of a situation. This is generally difficult when the idea we are to believe (without doubt) took place nearly 2000 years before we were born.

I’m often in doubt of what I had for breakfast the day before – and I was there! (most mornings are a little fuzzy before that first cup of coffee).

Here, I am going to steal, quite liberally, from a booklet written by John Schoenheit, entitled “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt”. You can order copies or download the pamphlet for free from this link.

John heads a ministry entitled Spirit and Truth Fellowship and has a vast library of written materials and videos that are a wealth of information. He teaches from a Dispensational point of view, so, like anyone else you read from (especially me), you should take what they say to the Word and test it – that is how you can make the word your own.

John writes (and I paraphrase):

If true, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the single most important event in the history of mankind, and therefore the one most crucial to establish as an authentic historical event. In fact, the resurrection is the very linchpin of the Christian faith, holding together every claim and every blessing. If the resurrection could be proven a fraud, Christianity would disintegrate as a total fabrication with little redeeming merit. Jesus would not even be an example of a “good moral teacher,” as some maintain, for his most important prediction – that he would be raised from the dead – would be found a lie.
the Apostle Paul’s entire ministry was built upon the foundation of the resurrection, and it was his personal encounter with the risen Christ that caused him to develop an unassailable conviction in the reality of this event. Paul states the consequences to the Christian faith if the resurrection of Christ did not, in fact, happen.
John Schoenheit, Introduction – “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt”

¹²Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: ¹⁴And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. ¹⁵Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. ¹⁶For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: ¹⁷And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. ¹⁸Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. ¹⁹If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. ²⁰But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
1Corinthians 15:12-20 – emphasis added

This is an important work and should be a part of your library. To give it justice, I would have to copy the entire text. I gave you the link so you can read it for yourself, so I will just list the 23 reasons to whet your appetite:

The resurrection narratives have the ring of historical truth
The Apostle Paul’s life and ministry is a strong witness of the resurrection
The empty tomb is a historical given
The disciples were devout Jews
The testimony of women
Jewish propaganda presupposes the empty tomb and the missing body
His enemies would have produced his dead body to silence the believers (part of the plot of the Affirm Films movie Risen with Joseph Fiennes)
There was no veneration of the tomb
A non-Christian historian testifies in support of the resurrection
No alternative explanations in the early non-scriptural sources
The biblical records of the ten resurrection appearances give unified witness
The idea of Christ’s new body was a totally foreign concept
Modern scholars and historians admit that there is strong evidence of his bodily resurrection
The conviction of his followers in the resurrection
The martyrdom of his followers for their belief in the resurrection
The unanimous testimony of eye-witnesses, who could not all have been deceived or deluded
The unbelief of the disciples concerning his resurrection
The idea of a resurrected Messiah was a hard sell to the Jews and absurd to the Greeks
He could have gotten out of the tomb only by resurrection
The very existence and growth of the Christian Church makes no sense if he was not raised
The disciples had nothing to gain by fabricating a story and starting a new religion
The unanimous testimony of the early Christian leaders
All of the alternate explanations proposed for the resurrection lack credibility

In light of the evidence of the empty tomb, the resurrection appearances and the rise of the Christian Church, a reasonable person should conclude that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a well-established historical fact. In a court of law, such evidence would compel conviction unless contradictory evidence could be brought forward to introduce “a reasonable doubt.” But all alternate explanations and theories are extremely doubtful and counter-intuitive.
Therefore, Christians are being rational, sensible, and fully consistent with common sense when they rest their faith on this well-established historical event. Not only is there compelling historical evidence to back the belief, but extravagant benefits in the future are promised to those who believe it. According to the Bible, the only sure promise of everlasting life for mankind, both individually and collectively, depends upon belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Evidence # 23 of the pamphlet, “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt” by John Schoenheit

Believing is an easy thing. When you walk into a dark room, you ‘believe’ that there is a switch next to the door that you can flip and a light will come on. You may not have ever been in the room or you may have no working knowledge of electricity, but you will act on the knowledge you have acquired by walking into other rooms.

If you throw a ball in the air, you ‘believe’ it will come back to earth, even though no one can tell you what gravity is [Neil deGrasse Tyson was asked, “what is gravity?” His response was, ‘I have no idea – neither has anyone else. We can describe gravity; we can say what it does to other things. We can measure it, we can predict with it, but when you start asking what it is? I don’t know.’]

Read the Word, read the histories, look to the example of other believers and “believe in your heart” the knowledge of the event that will guarantee you everlasting life in paradise.

Confessing Yeshua as Lord and believing the Father raised him from the dead require a conviction in your soul and a change in your life. If Christ is your Lord and Savior, should you not act like it? Should you not do what he commands you to do?

He does not ask us to do something that he, himself, was unwilling to do. He does not even ask us to do it as well as he did. He commands you, if you are to be his follower, to have faith and to act on that faith.

¹⁴What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? ¹⁵If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? ¹⁷Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. ¹⁸Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. ¹⁹Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. ²⁰But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
James 2:14-20 – emphasis added

Works do not save us, but works are the evidence of our faith. Our Savior did ‘good works’ . . . non-believers are also capable of doing good works . . . so, shouldn’t we do so, also?

Since we are incapable of avoiding all sin . . .

¹⁴For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. ¹⁵For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
Romans 7:14-15

. . . we repent of what we have done and endeavor to strengthen our walk so we obey the one we confess as Lord.

To be ‘born again’ is not possible in these bodies. One day we will be given new bodies (I’m praying that mine is younger and thinner) that are similar to the ones that Adam and Eve had before the Fall. This is when we will truly be ‘born again’.

The spirit we have been given when we ‘confess and believe’ is an earnest (i.e., a token or down payment) – we are “redeemed” when Yeshua cashes in the token spirit we got when we confessed and believed.

⁴For we that are in this tabernacle [human body] do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. ⁵Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
2Corinthians 5:4-5 – emphasis added

Ephesians 1 speaks to the ‘mystery’ [mustērion – secret known only to the ‘initiated’ – hidden truth to the natural sense, but seen by the spiritual sense] and predestination. There is a lot to unpack there, but that is for another teaching. I am only trying to establish that the spirit we get upon being our ‘believing confession’ is only a token of what we get once we receive our new bodies.

¹⁰That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: ¹¹In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: ¹²That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. ¹³In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1:10-14 – emphasis added

This is why we are still such a mess! We only have a voucher of what we are going to get.

You hear some people exclaim, “I quit craving cigarettes when I got born again” or other such witness to the effect that they were changed when they received the spirit. Wonderful for them. Most of us never felt any different and wondered if we had done it wrong.

A voucher is not overly beneficial until you claim it, but when you act on it before cashing it in (which, unfortunately, we cannot claim before Christ raises us from the dead), you can see a difference.

A diploma is a ‘voucher’ which has little value until you use it to get employment. It does, however, give one the sense that they are worthy of a position that they would not have been considered for without the diploma.

If you bought a ticket to a show, you do not see the show until you redeem the ticket. Likewise, we do not get the new bodies until the Christ redeems us.

What if we do not care for the ticket, or lose the ticket? Try getting into a show by proclaiming, “I had a ticket, trust me”. Many people believe (because the church falsely teaches) that once they confess and believe, nothing more needs to be done – “Once saved, Always saved”.

If the show changes (e.g., you bought tickets to see the Knicks play the Lakers, but when you arrived at the box-office and found they decided to show Tele-Tubbies on ice rather than basketball) you would probably be upset and demand a refund or throw the ticket away.

¹⁷Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. ¹⁸A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. ¹⁹Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. ²⁰Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. ²¹Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. ²²Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? ²³And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew 7:17-23

This does not mean that you cannot produce bad fruit once you are “born again”. Show me the person that has not sinned since they confessed and believed – “then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

Do not corrupt yourself by falling back into the evil that men do. Yahweh tells us what is good and evil in His Word. Learn to do the good and then just do it. Be the ticket that Christ wants to redeem.

¹Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. ²Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. ³And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. ⁴Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. ⁵And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
1John 3:1-5 – emphasis added

Knowingly confess Yeshua as Lord in your life
Know the Law (Torah, Instructions)
Do the Law – Do What Yeshua Did!
Believe in the undeniable fact that Christ was raised from the dead three days after he was crucified as a recompense for your sins.

This is the recipe for acquiring a new (born again / redeemable) body after Yeshua returns in his glory.

I did not plug my book last week so I don’t feel bad about doing it this week.

Doing the Law is important and it is not a burden. Others that are not doing (will not do) it will give you a multitude of reasons why you can not or should not do it.

Yahweh gave it to us – Yeshua did it, as did the Apostles, even after crucifixion and resurrection of Yeshua. Do not be deceived, Yeshua did not come to start a new religion, he came to witness to those that lost their way (Luke 19:10) – to perfectly do his Father’s Will.

Read GRAFTED: Embracing Torah to get a simple guide for what to do and not do; what to wear and not wear; what to eat and not eat; etc. When I determined to Do What Yeshua Did (DWYD!), I looked for a quick and easy guide for following Torah. When I could not find one . . . I wrote one.

The Law was given to the children of Israel AND to those that left Egypt with them and believed. Be a fellow-traveler and believe.

One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.
Exodus 12:49

Tags Born Again, Resurrection

Torah

Born Again?

¹There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: ²The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. ³Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. ⁴Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? ⁵Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. ⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
John 3:1-6

Nicodemus was not one of the Pharisees that tried impugn Yeshua’s character or his message. That is why he came to Yeshua at night, when the other Pharisees would not see him.

Nicodemus’s faith grew so much that he eventually risked being ostracized and excommunicated by going to Pilate and asking for the body of Christ after the crucifixion. Nicodemus is the reason we have the evidence of the empty tomb – without him, Yeshua’s body may have been thrown into the city dump and burned up.

Whether Yeshua knew of Nick’s importance in advance, or not, he did recognize someone who was truly seeking the truth and shared with him a nugget that was not shared with ours until after his resurrection: “being born again”.

BillyGraham.org asks the question: What does it mean to be “born again”?

“A: Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Our first birth gave us physical life; the new birth gives us spiritual life and membership in God’s family (John 1:13). To be born again is to have the Holy Spirit transform our hearts from indifference and hostility toward God to a love of God and a desire for righteousness and holiness. The only way one can come to God and experience what it means to be “born again” is through repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ; read John 14:6. The Bible clearly teaches in Ephesians 2:8-10, Titus 3:5, and Romans 10:13 that salvation is a gift; it cannot be earned in any way.”
https://billygraham.org/answer/what-does-it-mean-to-be-born-again/

It is a “gift”? “It cannot be earned in any way”? Not having to earn salvation sounds wonderful (if we had to earn our own salvation, then I fear none of us would ever be worthy), but isn’t repentance an act that leads to salvation?

What is the impetus for the holy spirit to “transform our hearts”? Do WE need to do something, first? Surely the Holy Spirit does not randomly transform hearts. If you believe that man has ‘free will’ then we must consciously DO something that gives the spirit the right to “transform our hearts from indifference and hostility toward God to a love of God and a desire for righteousness and holiness.”

Repentance of sin is not enough – even the worst reprobate sometimes wishes they had not done something. John baptized with the “water of repentance”, but added that “he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.” (Matthew 3:11)

On the day of Pentecost, Peter is proclaiming what this great miracle (the Apostles speaking in the languages of the foreigners that came to the Temple – languages they did not know) means and giving them holy hell for allowing Yeshua to be crucified – much to their consternation.

³⁷Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? ³⁸Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. ³⁹For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. ⁴⁰And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. ⁴¹Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Acts 2:37-41

So, Peter tells them to repent, be baptized, “and with many other words did he testify”. So, there was more to the message than just repent.

Many teach (myself included) that Romans 10:9-10 is required to be born again.

⁹That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. ¹⁰For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:9-10

This is a big deal that too many gloss over. What does it mean to ‘confess Yeshua as Lord’?

Returning to BillyGraham.org (BGO), they complete their answer on what it means to be “born again” by saying:

“to receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord means more than accepting Him as a fact of history, a teacher, or an example. It means more than giving mental assent to the fact that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world. It means that one turns from sin and with his or her whole heart trusts in Christ as personal Savior and Lord. God makes that one a new person; see 2 Corinthians 5:17. The Bible says, “To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).”

I agree that confessing means more than just saying the words (unfortunately, too many Christians don’t go deeper than that) or acknowledging that there was a rebellious dude that lived approximate 2000 years ago. BGO tells us what it is not, but does not address what confessing someone as Lord means.

In Matthew 7 (two chapters into the ‘Sermon on the mount), after Yeshua teaches that there will be imposters that come in his name (“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” verse 15). He exhorts them to look at what they do, not at what they say (“Ye shall know them by their fruits.” verse 16)

²¹Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. ²²Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? ²³And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew 7:21-23

Many 501(c)3s exist that want to tell you how they think Yeshua should be worshipped or how you ought to look or act if you are born again. Those that teach other than what the Word teaches are ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Paul tells us in Romans that we are to confess Yeshua as “LORD”. That means that he rules your life – that you follow his rules.

If you work for Elon Musk and you tell everyone that Elon Musk is your boss, but you pass confidential corporate secrets on to a competitor, do you suppose EM is going to call you a ‘good and faithful servant’ or is he going to say “depart from me’?

I live in the United States and I follow the laws issued in the jurisdiction in which I live (for the most part – I insist that traffic laws are merely recommendations, but the police officers that keep pulling me over never agree with me). I am a combat veteran, so some may say my commitment to the U.S. is higher than most, but if I sold secrets to a foreign power, I would be imprisoned and stripped of the privileges I earned as a soldier.

Finally, look at a marriage covenant: At the wedding, you swear to “love, comfort, honor, and obey – in sickness and in health – forsaking all others – to be faithful as long as you both shall live”

If you break this vow, your partner’s response, in most cases, is to say “depart from me”. Even if divorce is not the end result, the consequences are devastating for everyone in this relationship . . . especially the children.

So, what do we DO to show that we have made (“confessed”) Yeshua as Lord? BGO states WE must “turn from sin” and this is a big deal. Becoming “born again” does not keep us free from sin since we are still free will beings. If anything, it makes us a target of sin since you have now pledged yourself to be an enemy of sin.

Not everyone agrees on what “sin” is. Of course, not everyone is capable of being our Savior so choose wisely and follow their lead.

In Romans 7, Paul tells us, “I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” and, also, that, “Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.” He sets the standard – the Torah (instructions) tells us what sin is and what we should avoid.

John, also, tells us, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” (1John 3:4)

³And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. ⁴He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. ⁶He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. ⁷Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
1John 2:3-7 – emphasis added

How did Yeshua walk? The leaders of the Temple were constantly accusing Yeshua of violation Torah and speaking blasphemies . . . but what did Yeshua say about the Torah?

¹⁷Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. ¹⁸For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. ¹⁹Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:17-19

When faced with a challenging situation, do you consider, ‘What Would Jesus Do? (WWJD?)’ as is the catchy slogan that Christians have used for years. I tell you that you do not have to wonder what he may have done – rather I exhort you to “Do What Yeshua Did! (DWYD!)

“This teaching is continued on the other side of the tape . . . .”

Next week we will continue addressing Yeshua as Lord and how you can believe in something that happened thousands of years before you were born (Born Again? Part 2).

Tags Believe, Born Again, Confess, Salvation, WWJD