Do the Righteous Ones Live by Faith?

As one approaches the study of the Scriptures we have pointed out that there are some differences between the Greek/Western/American world view and that of a more Eastern/Jewish/Hebraic world view. The reality is that most of us read Bibles that were carefully translated by scholars that come from a Western or Greek point of view. Thus their translations would naturally follow that mind set. A key difference is in the foundation for who we are. Greek thought centers on what you think and how you feel. Hebraic thought centers more on what you do and how you live. The mindset of the translator and that of the reader will influence how a word or passage is translated or understood. It is not that one is necessarily incorrect but the perspective can be quite different. 

The writer to the Hebrews is assumed by most to be Jewish, a writer from a Hebraic point of view writing to a predominately Jewish audience. The abundant references and passages from the Tanakh , or Old Testament indicate a great familiarity with those Scriptures. It would seem most reasonable for him to be writing from a Jewish mind set. That being said, let us consider chapter 10 verse 38. "The Just shall live by faith" (KJV) or "My righteous one shall live by faith" (NASB and NIV). This is a quote borrowed from Habakkuk 2:4, "The just shall live by his faith" (KJV or "The righteous one shall live by his faith" (NASB and NIV). The translation leads us to believe that the just/righteous one lives by or according to what he believes or thinks to be true. And this is true but it may not be as clear as we would like. The word faith is a bit ambiguous, rather hard to grasp. From Bible school days I was told that God defined faith for me right there in Hebrews. Hebrews 11:1 " Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Faith is something hoped for and something unseen. That really doesn't help much, other than to let me know that I was right in that faith is hard to explain or is it just more of a feeling. 

Let us return to Habakkuk 2:4. The Hebrew word here is emuna. It is translated faithfulness 18 times, truth 13 times, faithfully 5 times and faithful 3 times. It is only translated faith one time, here in Habakkuk 2:4. What if we use the most common translation and see that the just/righteous man lives by his faithfulness. A righteous man will live faithfully. He will live out what is true. We know he is just and righteous by what he faithfully does and how he faithfully lives. A just and righteous life is lived faithfully in agreement with God's Word and God's commandments. With this now in mind, bounce back to Hebrews 10:38 where the Jewish writer is writing to a Jewish audience from a Jewish mindset, and guess what he might have meant when he quoted Habakkuk. The Righteous one shall live by his faithfulness or he shall live faithfully.  Just to let you know, the Greek word here, pistis, translated faith is also translated faithfulness in Romans 3:3 and Galatians 5:22 and many other places, so faithfulness is an acceptable translation of the word. 

If this is reasonable then just carry the thought a couple of verses down and we find that "faithfulness is the substance of things hoped for and faithfulness is the evidence of things not seen." When I speak to others of my faith in Messiah as savior, my faithfulness to how He calls me to live is the substance of what I hope for and my faithful living is evidence to those around me that what I say I believe is true. Faith is not intangible or hard to explain, it is the reality, the substance, of how I live. And those around me can see, understand, and grasp what my faith, my belief is for it permeates my life and is expressed in real tangible ways.

Need some examples of what I mean? By his faithfulness Able offered a better sacrifice, the first, the best of his flocks as a blood sacrifice. Through his faithfulness Enoch was taken away so he did not see death. Noah faithfully prepared  an ark for the saving of his household. Abraham faithfully obeyed when he was called to go to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. All the wonderful examples in Hebrews 11 are of those who lived faithfully. They are not about what they thought and felt but about what they did and how they lived. Faithfully.

So are you and I called to live by faith or to live by faithfulness. Are we called to live faithfully in obedience to what the Lord has told us to do, or is it more about what we think and feel? The Lord did say that if we love Him we will keep His commandments. We will do what He tells us to do. We are to live faithfully. Could it be that the writer to the Hebrews is telling them and us, "But without faithfulness it is impossible to please him" (Heb 11:6). Do you think you have faith or do you live faithfully? There is a difference.

Trapped by the Right Answer

Most of us want to know what the right answer is. We go through our educational experience being evaluated as to how well we grasp the right answer. The problem arises when there is disagreement as to what is the right answer. In the world we live in there is disagreement on many things. Evolution or creation has been a topic of discussion for most of my life. More recently discussion centers on a variety of moral standards or lack thereof, depending on your perspective. Where do we go for answers to such questions? For those of us who are followers of God and Yeshua our Messiah we can turn to His Word to see what He has to say and find the right answer, according to the Lord.  

Thankfully the answers are there, for the most part, if we are willing to accept them. However, there are things that are not so clear. As I mentioned in my previous blog, “Thoughts from the Beach”, I wrestle with a variety of things that seem less than clear. While here at the beach, I have read John Piper’s book, The Pleasures of God (It is published by Multnomah, if you are interested). The book is a good review and reminder of who God is and how worthy He is of praise and glory. Piper recognizes that all things are not as clear as we might like them to be. He clarifies this point as he begins chapter five. He speaks of the reality that there has been controversy and discussion on most aspects of theology and belief for a very long time. I agree; if you find your way to the oldest writing of the Midrash and Talmud you will find lively discussion on a variety of teaching concerning the Scriptures. So this is nothing new. Piper suggests that this can be a good thing as “we need to seek our food in the markets of controversy” (Piper, The Pleasures of God 121). Wrestling with concepts and understanding the truth is a powerful way to see the depths and riches of God’s revelation to us.

 The trap that we can fall into is not being satisfied until we find the “right” answer. In our culture we need to know what the right answer is. We are uncomfortable with the ambiguity and apparent contradictions we find in God’s Word. We want the wrestling match to end and the solace of knowing what is “right” to be ours to hold, whether it concerns Spiritual gifts, the coming of our Lord, the place of Torah in our lives or the old question of God’s sovereignty versus man’s free will.  For Piper the wrestling match centers on predestination and particular election verses man’s ability to seek God and find Him. Does God choose, and if He does can he still have compassion and desire all to be saved at the same time?

This question is one that appears to be dear to Piper’s heart. He devotes chapter five (as well as a lengthy appendix) to this very thing. Piper tells us, “My aim is to let Scripture stand – to teach what it will and not to tell it what to say” (Piper 146). He goes on to speak to the question of God’s particular election and yet compassion on all as follows, “Scripture leads us precisely to this paradoxical position. I am willing to let the paradox stand even if I can’t explain it” (Piper 146). It appears that Piper sees that there are things in Scripture that we are able to wrestle with and see the paradox and be comfortable with it. Let it be a controversy that drives us into God’s Word and deeply into the depth of One who longs for us to immerse ourselves in the search to know Him and love Him. However, Piper continues, “It appears to me that those who teach against unconditional election are often controlled by nonbiblical logic” (Piper 146). Piper has found the “right” answer so the wrestling match is over. The paradox does not really exist, it just needs to be read through the election lens. The remainder of his book rests in the shadow of this assumption. God is sovereign. God elects. His grace is irresistible. The non-elect cannot come to God.

It leaves me with many questions as Piper addresses the necessity for prayer, and the short comings of the church to pray. For if God has predestined events to the degree Piper suggests, then God will do what he will do, my prayers are an act of worship to a  God who does not, and perhaps cannot respond. He only acts according to a predetermined plan. It leaves me with questions as to obedience, which he explains as an act of love on my part to bring glory to the God who chose me, but that is predetermined as well. The conclusion I see is that God is not responsive. Piper does try to deal with those issues but it always goes back to his discovery of the right answer concerning election.

I see scripture clearly teaching of God’s unconditional choosing of Israel and of me. I also see Him promising that “As many as received Him to them He gave the right to become the children of God” (Jn 1:12) and promising the jailer, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your house” (Acts 16:31). God told Jonah to tell the Ninevites, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4). No call to repent, and no mention of Yahweh, but the whole city repented and God relented, He changed His mind, He responded to the cries of the people of Nineveh and did not destroy them in forty days. People  made a choice and God responded. I do believe God to be a responsive God. I believe He interacts with me. I believe my prayers can make a difference. I believe God always does what is right so He can rightly respond to me and even change His mind as I respond to Him. There is an intimacy that is more than predestined. I am content to rest in the paradox and even wrestle with it and not demand a “right” answer.

Sometimes right answers trap us and limit our ability to wrestle. Perhaps God intends for us to search and wrestle, even for a life time. When you demand a right answer over things that have been long wrestled with, you may find it with an expense you didn’t intend to pay. Having found it, it seems reasonable to expect and even demand others to accept your “right” answer. This makes us susceptible to dividing the Body of Christ. We may be tempted to brand those with a different point of view as unbiblical rather than as a beloved brother I can wrestle with. I think God is better pleased with my continued wrestling with Him and other children of His than divisively hanging onto my “right” answer at the expense of the love and unity of His Body. What do you think?

Do You Wrestle?

I am on the Outer Banks of NC where we come once a year to relax and refresh. It is a place for me to simply commune with God without much people stuff surrounding me. I love what I do. I love the people I serve with and minister to, but it is a spiritual, emotional, physical help to get away for a little while. It is a time to focus on God with little interruption. The sand is warm and the ocean is simply awe-inspiring. Something so much bigger than I am, so much more powerful, it puts my finite being into perspective. The simple truth is that this is barely a blip in comparison to the awesome reality of who God is.

This God of such creative magnificence and power loves me. He has revealed Himself to me and desires to fellowship with me. It is more than I can begin to understand. This is why I come here to begin with. Just to soak in the Almighty. That and to wrestle a bit with God. That concept used to bother me. I mean, aren't we followers just to accept and obey? Didn't questions get Job in trouble? However, the questions are real and God knows I have them, so it seems a bit naive to think He doesn't. I am not here to argue, per se, just to let Him know I do not understand stuff, quite a bit of stuff, actually. So I come to relax and to wrestle.

Every trip down here carries the tradition of rising early enough to watch the sunrise over the Atlantic. There are few who join me on the beach, so it is just me and the Lord of creation reveling in His handiwork. The reddish glow sends out shards of crimson light until the brilliant orb that is the sun creeps over the horizon. It seems to accelerate as it climbs to the sky and become too intense to view. Long walks down the nearly deserted beach give me time to reflect and absorb a little natural vitamin “D.” Usually the time is also filled with brownies, pizza, fudge from the little store in Nags Head, some ice cream and M&Ms. But this year I am determined to be more disciplined and remove body jello rather than add to it, So I brought our old beat up bike.

Riding a bike on the Outer Banks has one clear advantage, there are no hills to climb, just miles of flat blacktop. One clear disadvantage is that there are no hills to coast down. As my rides tend to head south, there is a prevailing southern wind to keep you warm and yet cooled at the same time. I learned that a 13 to 15 MPH headwind is worse than it sounds on the weather channel. There is no coasting. If you don’t peddle you tip over into the sand burs on the edge of the highway.  This being true, the 17 mile ride to Avon took more effort than I expected. My longest ride in a couple of years was the day before, a round trip of 6 miles with no headwind. Still, as old as I am getting, it felt good to have made the ride and the muscles are none the worse for wear when I bounded out of bed this morning.

The lesson learned is that if there is no resistance, there is no increase in strength. If there is no time of wrestling, there is no advancement in skill or stamina. Such is true on the spiritual level as well. Paul has told us in Eph 6:12 that “We do not fight against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies.” Wrestling with such things serves to strengthen our faith and resolve for, “we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us” (Rom 8:37). However, there is evidence that there is other wrestling that goes on. Jacob, for example, wrestled with the Angel of the Lord in Genesis 32 and Hosea highlights this in Hosea 12. Jacob wrestled and would not let go until God blessed him. Jabez, I Chron 4:10, offers a prayer that is almost a time of wrestling with God so that God might bless him and enlarge his borders.

I wrestle with a variety of things. Like why God allows for death to suddenly take one of His beloved saints. Why a couple I know, whose gentle spirit reflects that of the Lord beyond anyone I can think of. With them God allowed victory over cancer and then allowed Parkinson disease to be its replacement. I do not understand. I wonder why some things in Scripture are obvious, like salvation found in Messiah alone, or the fact that we all will die. However some things are vague, like how to organize an assembly of believers, Elders, Deacons, Pastors, home churches, cathedrals that glorify the Lord? What of future events, Pre, Post, Mid Trib rapture or no rapture at all. Old Testament Saints, New Testament saints and Tribulation saints, where does it all fit? Then there is the biggy in my head, grace and works or grace and obedience to God’s Word. Grace is obvious and has been from Genesis one until now. Most agree that obedience to God’s Word is important. Yet it seems to be true only if I get to pick what part of God’s Word I choose to obey. There are many things to wrestle with, both with God and with others who follow Yeshua Messiah, Jesus the son of God. But it is time to hit the beach so we will continue to wrestle a bit next week.   

The Journey Continues

I come to another birthday this week. They really are not all that important to me as far as a celebration goes. I have more than what I need and the things I really want, from a material side, are way beyond my reach so the gift thing honestly doesn't even find its way to the front of my brain. The day does, however, give me pause as I have to recognize that over six decades have come and gone from the time I entered this world. Forty three of them have been after becoming a disciple of Yeshua, my Messiah and Savior. Most of those years have been in vocational ministry or in preparation for that ministry. It seems each new year brings new things to ponder. However, reflections this morning begin with the amazing blessings and grace of God. If I were God I would not have put up with me this long. I agree with Robert Robinson that  I am, "Prone to wander, Lord I feel it prone to leave the God I love". Yet I have been blessed with an amazing family. I hold a wife, that for almost 37 years, has been my partner, my soul mate, my love. She has loved me, cared for me, encouraged me, supported me, listened to me, and put up with me with tenderness and Godly grace. She has a tender heart of compassion and a gentle spirit that reflects our Savior. I have been blessed with five children. Each holds a desire to know God and to know truth. Each is on their own journey and growing in their own way, and that is how it should be. However they all have some things in common. They all have the same gentle and compassionate spirit they learned from their mother. They all care about the wounded and the wayward. They have shown compassion and a desire to serve others that put most followers of God to shame. They are not perfect, after all they are related to me, but they are intelligent, tender souls who use their gifts and talents with others in view.  They are unique, yet clearly have similar hearts and I am proud and richly blessed by each of them. 

For myself, I find that the things I have heard from my seniors is vividly true for me. The longer I live and read and study the more I know I don't know. Long haunting questions have risen to the surface, and the pursuit of the answers has left me with more questions. I find myself in agreement with the Apostle Paul, who at the end of his life tells the Philippians that his desire is, "To know Him [Christ] and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death." Just to know Him. For I know that He has been gracious enough to reveal Himself while I have been too dull to see Him. I look to the scriptures and find years of training that were always shrouded in some haze of the, "is that really so?" question. Even today the clouded questions are being forced into the light. The continuity of God's revelation brings lots of things to clarity while raising new challenges to things I have believed. What does it mean to me that, as a Gentile, I have been grafted into the commonwealth of Israel? What place does that put me in? How do I respond to the feasts, fasts, and festivals God designed for his people, Israel? What can I learn of and from that tradition? And what of Torah? How do I deal with Yeshua's claim that He, "came not to destroy the Law [Torah] or the Prophets, I came not to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled" (Mt 5 :17 - 18). All has not been fulfilled, the earth and heaven have not passed away, so what does that say of Torah? And in reading Acts I am faced with the challenge to be like the Bereans, who, Luke writes, "Were more noble than those in Thessalonica in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11). They heard Paul's teaching and wanted to make sure it was true, so they daily searched the scriptures to see if these things were so. The only scriptures they had went from Genesis to Malachi so the measure for accuracy in what Paul taught was Torah and the Prophets. If that is so then there should be no contradiction between Old Testament revelation from God and the New Testament revelation from God. Continuity and never contradiction should be what we find. Yet I have been taught that there is a new faith that is contrary to Judaism, contrary to the Law, a new covenant, and by some even a new way of salvation. How can this be? And what does this mean to me as a Gentile? What of the passages that seem to indicate an end to Torah? Contradictions? Yet when I look at the 613 laws gleaned by the Rabbis it seems I keep the bulk of them and that they are supported by the teaching of all the New Testament writers. It seems I now am not sure of what I thought I knew. So there is new study and new perspectives and new appreciation for my Hebrew heritage. And yes, new questions.

"That I might know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death." So the Journey continues. As it should and as it will until the Lord takes me home.     

Convenient Christianity

While visiting friends in Virginia I was asked what I thought was the biggest problem within the church. The answer came to mind with ease. I believe it is lack of community. In American we are ingrained with two principles that are pervasive in our culture. One of these principles believes that I am an independent individual. My voice is just as important as anyone else. I am a part of a democracy so my opinion has equal weight in any situation. Therefore I have no responsibility to follow or support those with whom I have a difference of opinion. The support of the community and the commitment to others is dependent upon how I feel not upon my relationship to the community, body of believers, or the church fellowship I choose to join with. This way if I do not “feel” that I agree with something, I can walk away with no thought of what that might mean to others. The second grows out of the first. My perceived needs supersede all others. What’s in it for me is all that matters. Therefore, if my perceived needs or even wants are not met I am free to look elsewhere. My commitment is a matter of what is convenient for me and my family.

Paul uses an obvious illustration in 1 Corinthians 12 of the body to help us understand the way a group of believers is to function. A term we often use to describe the fellowship or church we are apart of. We are a part of the Body of Christ. It should seem pretty easy to figure out that the members of the body are dependent and supportive of the other parts. Paul makes it clear that we all have different functions, gifts, and abilities. It doesn’t give us the impression that the body votes to see if the hand will swat the mosquito or if the eye will water when assaulted by dust. Feet do not decide that they disagree with the direction of the body and wander off to join another body. After all three feet over there would be better than two over here besides this body doesn’t appreciate me so off I go. If you are not very biologically oriented God has that covered as well. Peter uses the illustration of a building and we are the living stones that make up the building, 1 Peter 2:5. A building, by the way, that is to be a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. So if you are into building instead of biology the picture is one of mutual dependence and support. Each stone has a responsibility to the other stones to hold them up, be held up or support the ones next to you. If you start pulling stones out of a wall it is only a matter of time before it collapses. All those unique misshaped stones placed together by the Master’s hand produces a building that is a marvel to behold and brings glory to the builder. A crumbling wall brings recognition only to the destroyer of unity and the ministry of the “Spiritual Building”. Our good old American independence has fractured the Building and crippled the Body. We become ineffective and isolated broken stones. After over 40 years of following Christ I have seen more church splits that I would care to remember. Out of them all I can think of 2 that involved a Biblical basis, the rest were simply unhappy people who did not get their way. Their commitment to themselves outweighed the commitment to the local Body of Christ. Thus they departed after making sure their dissatisfaction was well know no matter who it hurt.

Now I know this is not new. Every book in the New Testament contains instruction on how to get along and gives clear evidence that followers of Christ have always had this problem. The record of Hebrew history from Genesis to Malachi yields the same conundrum. We just are so self centered we do not get along. My need, my way, my opinion, my choice of color for the nursery is all that matters, and if I do not get it the leadership is oppressive and I will move on. Commitment is hard to fine in much of what is called Christianity. It has been this way for all too long but it seems to have become magnified in my generation. Our commitment is tied to convenience and personal feelings rather than the needs and support of those around us. So corporate worship is based on what fits into my schedule. Baseball, ballet recitals, birthday parties, jobs and a plethora of activities often take priority. Plan an event, be it a picnic, outreach, workday, plans to help someone move or fix a garage roof for a needy family and the response is “if I have time’ or I don’t know if we will be there it depends on what comes up.”  "If it is convenient and doesn’t interfere with the rest of my life I will be a part of the Body that day. But it depends on what else I might want to do". Again I understand and know of the sports schedules and all the events the world puts on days of worship but perhaps it shows where our commitments really are. God is gracious, God understands. Way more than the little league coach. If we are late Billy won’t get to play. God’s grace gives me the freedom to be with the Body of Christ at my convenience. God will just have to wait until after the season is over.

Families can be more demanding than coaches, at times. So family events are scheduled for Sunday at noon, or 11:00 AM and don’t be late for the birthday party, anniversary, graduation, Christmas dinner etc. etc. We don’t want to offend and say “Sorry, but we are committed to the Lord and our church family so we will get there as soon as we can. Our time of Worship each week is a priority for our family. Maybe we could have the party at 2 instead of 12?” But, no, we don’t want to make it inconvenient for the family, "Thank God I believe in Convenient Christianity and a God of grace who requires so little of me." Sometimes I wonder how “lukewarm” our faith is becoming.  

Are You Under the New Covenant?

The past weekend focused on the most important event in human history. The death, burial, and resurrection of  our Lord Jesus Christ. Many gathered together on Thursday or Friday night for the breaking of bread and the sharing of the cup as our Lord instructed us to. Many as well quoted from Luke 22:20, where Jesus tells His disciples that, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood." Or perhaps I Corinthians 11:25 where the Apostle Paul gives the same quote in reference to this memorial given us by the Lord. II Corinthians also gives mention to the new covenant which is "Not of the letter but of the Spirit, for the letter kills but the Spirit gives life". Again in Hebrews we read of this new covenant, which made the old covenant obsolete (Heb. 8:13). Also that Jesus is the mediator of this new covenant (9:15 and 12:24). But just what is this new covenant? It is founded in Messiah. Kistemaker explains that he old covenant at Sanai has ended. Meaning that the Mosaic Covenant or Torah has been done away with. (Kistemaker, Hebrews pg228 Baker). The New Covenant of grace is a popular explanation for this new covenant. F. F. Bruce is clear on this opinion."The age of the law and the prophets is past; the age of the Son is here, and here to stay" (Bruce Hebrews NICNT pg 179 Eerdmans). Multiple others would agree. They proclaim that the New Covenant is a Spiritual Covenant based on grace and not the Law. The old is past and the new has come.

It should be pointed out that these commentators also recognize that the writer to the Hebrews is quoting Jeremiah 31:31. This is the predictive promise that a new covenant is coming. And it could be argued that this is indeed a spiritual covenant. But is the popular view actually what the Scriptures say? Are Kistemaker and Bruce accurate in what they perceive to be true? What would the readers of this Letter to the Hebrews have understood when the writer quotes Jeremiah and speaks of a new covenant? I believe the readers to be either Hebrews or those very familiar with the teachings of the Hebrews as in the Word of God reveled to and recorded by His people. That being the case they would have known that Kistemaker, Bruce, and others did not need to guess at what the New Covenant was. They did not need to impose their theological understanding on the text to come to the conclusion that the Law or Torah has been done away and replaced with a nebulous law of the Spirit. Jeremiah took the time to tell us what the new covenant is, at least the one that God was instituting. And not only that but the writer to the Hebrews even took the time to quote the rest of Jeremiah's thoughts so we would not miss the point. (See Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Hebrews 8:8-12) .Jeremiah indeed says, "Behold the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah 'not according to the covenant I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them', says the LORD." So Jeremiah is clear that a time is coming for a new covenant. But what will be the difference compared to the old? Jeremiah goes on to tell us, "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD; I will put My law (Torah) in their minds and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD', for hey all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I shall forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." Now this has yet to come in all its fulfillment but most would agree that forgiveness and a new covenant is active today. However, Jeremiah's clear promise and prediction from God is overlooked or creatively explained away. God promises to write Torah on their hearts and to place it in their minds. Those under the New Covenant will become Torah observant and obedient from the inside out.

So what does that mean for those of us how desire to follow Messiah and be obedient to His call today? What do we do with Torah? What do we do with the directions and instructions God has given His people as to how to live? We do know that Messiah's sacrifice was effective, once for all. That the sin offering has been given and accepted by God the Father. One could argue that part of the sacrificial system has been completed but that is only a small part of Torah. As I have persuaded this journey of seeing God's revelation in a more integrated fashion a common reaction to the word Torah or Law is one of near anger. I am told "The Law is gone. Grace is here. The is no place for the Law for it was completed by Jesus and has no bearing on my life," Then what is the promise of Jeremiah and the confirmation of that promise in Hebrews? "Torah will be in my mind and on my heart". By the power of the Spirit of God I will be obedient. Something Jesus, John, Peter, and Paul, to name a few, have instructed me to do. Something the Spirit prompts me about when I am not. My thought is that God keeps His promise even if I don't want to believe Him.

There are many believers in Messiah who believe that Jesus will come and take them away before the Great Tribulation described in Revelation. Others disagree. If the rapture is true would God leave behind those of a differing view? There are those who believe our salvation is secure and cannot be lost while other believers feel you can lose it. Will God take it away if they are mistaken and they were secure after all? God's promises are true whether we believe them or not. We may discuss and disagree over lots of things that we find in God's Word but it doesn't change what is true. What if Jeremiah is true, that God will place Torah in our minds and on our hearts so we obey by the power of His Spirit from the inside out. What if we become Torah obedient not by attempts of our own power but through His power, as Jeremiah predicted. Have you ever seen someone or perhaps had this experience yourself that upon committing your life to Christ you no longer take God's name in vain. Suddenly you can't look at another as your spouse now means more to you than you remember. Stealing and cheating really bother you. You have compassion for the poor, you want to know God's word and to be with His people. Did you know those are all instructions in Torah? Much of what we do as Christians, much of the moral fabric woven into our lives is all Torah compliant. Just because you may not want to believe that God's Law, His Torah, has anything to do with your life of grace and freedom in Christ doesn't negate the promise in Jeremiah and Hebrews. God is placing Torah in your mind and on your heart and empowering you by His Spirit to walk in obedience whether or not you think it is true. God's promise is still true.     

The Dangers of a Christian World View

How can one say that there is danger in a Christian Worldview? Shouldn't we as followers of Christ have a view of the world that is compatible with His view? My thought is that what we really need is a Biblical Worldview more than a Christian one. The question asked is, "What is the difference?"A cursory look with a web search will demonstrate that, for most, there is no difference. However, a closer look shows, with a few exceptions, that they are viewed the same because both focus on the New Testament and the instruction given primarily in the Epistles. The focus is on how the "Church" should live in this present world. The instruction and discussion is on how to implement Christ's teaching in a world hostile to and in opposition to the teachings of Jesus. There is some reference to the core of the Torah, usually the Ten Commandments, but by and large the focus is on the Church and how we should live in the Church age. Little thought is given to the need for an integrated approach to the Testaments. The Old is simply a document to help support the New with some illustrations and applications. What is understood as New Testament teaching only has some overlap with the Old, for it is assumed that the New Testament has updated information and a clear understanding of Grace and redemption in Jesus that the Old Testament lacks. Lacking an integrated view of  the Revelation God has given us of Himself leads us into misunderstanding, and even error, as we have lost the foundation of what is given us in the Gospels and the letters. We end up with a skewed view of what we are to do, for we are told that the Law or Old Testament has been done away with and we now live in the Age of Grace. We forget that the early church was predominately Jewish. That Jesus and all the Apostles were Jewish. That they were trained to be Jewish Rabbis, and that Jesus never violated any Old Testament Commandment; that was also the goal of His disciples, even Paul who did "nothing against our people (the Jews) or the customs of our fathers" (Acts 28:17). The New Testament is a thoroughly Jewish document, and unless we accept that to be true, we will draw mistaken conclusions.

For example, look at the translation of Mark 7:19. Following a discussion over ceremonial washing of hands, which Jesus turns into a discussion of obedience from the heart, Jesus makes the point that food does not make you impure; it is behavior that makes you impure. He uses Commandment Number Five, "Honor your father and mother", to make the point that finding ways around Torah is to violate God's Word. He tells the disciples, "It [food] does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, purging all foods". Jesus is simply speaking of the obvious digestive process. He goes on to list a variety of activities that defile people. It is not eating with ceremonially unclean hands which would have made the food ceremonially unclean. But our "Christian" worldview is not content with that simple illustration. The New American Standard Version translates the end of the verse "(Thus He declared all foods clean)". The New International Version is even more explicit, "(In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean)". This is their translation even though the word Jesus isn't in the text. The "Christian" Worldview believes that all dietary laws have been done away with as we are "free from the Law", so they read that into the text. But if we consider the Bible as a whole, we know that Jesus is a Jew speaking to Jews and is a young Rabbi, who, we are told, never sinned and so never violated Torah. That being true, Jesus would never have suggested to the Jews that the Law of Moses no longer applied. Dietary laws were and are what it is to be Jewish. Jesus would have lost all credibility if He were telling the Pharisees that Mosaic Law, Torah, no longer was valid for the Jews. The reference Jesus makes to the Fifth Commandment becomes meaningless if He then states that this part of the Mosaic Law no longer applies. All the Jewish Law would then be suspect. So looking at the text, even in translating the text, the Christian Worldview imposes an end to dietary regulations that is not there and does not need to be. We miss the point that a follower of Yahweh lives a life that is different from the world and flows from the heart of obedience rather than fear. We have done what the Pharisees had done, changed the rules so they do not need to apply. We tell Jews that to accept that Jesus, Yeshua, as their Messiah they must stop being Jewish. Give up the Torah that instructed them in what to eat and when to rest. To convert to a Christian Worldview and give up their Biblical Worldview that would integrate both Testaments as one revelation of God.

As we are less that a week away from Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday let me drop another challenge for you to consider. In Matthew 27:46, and Mark 15:34, the Gospel writers record Jesus quoting the first phrase of Psalm 22, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?", which, in our Christian Worldview, has led to the development of an entire theological teaching on the separation of Jesus from the Father, ideas on God and sin and a plethora of pages in commentaries to try to explain what in the world this could mean. Yet if we apply a Biblical Worldview, seeing scripture as integrated with a bit of a Hebraic thought, we might remember that there are no verse breaks at this time and that the Chief priests, the Pharisees, the Scribes and members of the Sanhedrin, were well familiar with the Psalms and with Psalm 22. They would have done what we do with passages we know. If I said to you, "For God so loved the world........." most would be able to complete it with "that He gave His only...". Those at the cross would have done the same thing we do. They would have completed Psalm 22. If this is true, then the cry of Jesus is one of anguish, but also of victory, perhaps even a bit of taunting, for the Psalm ends in great victory. Even in His death Jesus wins. "A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the LORD to the next generation, they will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born that He has done this" (Psalm 22:30-31). Take a minute and read the whole Psalm and see what I mean. Maybe in trying to fit the event into a Christian Worldview we have missed the Biblical Worldview that put Messiah Jesus in charge even in the horrific events of His crucifixion. Maybe there is some obvious victory in the cry we have misunderstood to fit our Christian Worldview.