If someone attempts to use Romans 3:20-21 as proof that "it's not about Torah, but all about Jesus and his redemption," please share this with them:
Let’s look at the context of this passage:
Romans 3: 20 For in his sight no one alive will be considered righteous on the grounds of legalistic observance of Torah commands, because what Torah really does is show people how sinful they are.
21 But now, quite apart from Torah, God's way of making people righteous in his sight has been made clear - although the Torah and the Prophets give their witness to it as well - 22 and it is a righteousness that comes from God, through the faithfulness of Yeshua the Messiah, to all who continue trusting. For it makes no difference whether one is a Jew or a Gentile, 23 since all have sinned and come short of earning God's praise.
24 By God's grace, without earning it, all are granted the status of being considered righteous before him, through the act redeeming us from our enslavement to sin that was accomplished by the Messiah Yeshua. (CJB
EXPLANATION: The bottom line of this message is that Yeshua is our Redeemer, and Torah sets the boundaries on what is good or evil behavior; which certainly makes Torah a GOOD thing! (Paul returns to this precise point again in Romans 7.)
Yeshua qualified as Messiah because he fulfilled all Torah and Prophetic requirements. He was The Word (John 1:1, 14) and the Arm (Isaiah 53:1); and, as such, he is completely a part of the whole concept and Being of YHWH.
As those who are constantly studying Scripture know, Torah (the Word) is written upon the heart by the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit). The Spirit of Mashiyach is Torah which is the Spirit of Mashiyach, or the Manifestation (Word) of YHWH which became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1, 14).
To be considered "righteous" and holy/set apart, we MUST adhere to the whole concept of YHWH/Yeshua/Torah. Those cannot be separated!
It is evil to posture that Rav Shaul (Apostle Paul) brought Torah down, when in fact Yeshua and Paul restored and elevated Torah to be the foundation of a spiritual dialogue with Heaven! We CANNOT please YHWH unless we are in total obedience to His Divine Instructions in Righteousness (Torah)...
Is it okay to slip and fall when it comes to Torah obedience? I understand from previous correspondence that we live in a fallen world (Genesis 3) where things can go wrong.
ReplyDeleteWe have to be careful here. It's okay to make mistakes - we all do. But it's not okay to willfully go against Torah. For example: You go to a friend's house for supper, but the meat dish they serve is pork. It would be a willful sin against Torah if you ate the pork just because you didn't want to offend or upset the friend. So to "slip and fall" when it was unintentional is one thing. To "slip and fall" because you chose to is quite another.
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