A mini-study of Romans 1:11-32

Romans 1:11. For I yearn greatly to see you; and to give to you the gift of the Spirit, through which you may be established; 12. And that we may have comfort together in the faith of both yourselves and me. 13. And I wish you to know, my brothers, that I have many times wanted to come to you, but was prevented up until now, that I might bear some fruit among you also; even as among other Gentiles, 14. Greeks and barbarians, the wise and the unwise: for to every man I am required to preach. 15. And so, I am eager to preach to you also who are at Rome.

16. For I am not ashamed of the Good News; for it is the power of Elohim to life, to all who believe in it; whether first they are of the Jews, or whether they are of the Gentiles. 17. For in it is revealed the righteousness of Elohim, from faith to faith; as it is written, The righteous by faith, will live. 18. for the wrath of Elohim from heaven is revealed against all the iniquity and wickedness of men who hold the truth in iniquity 19. because a knowledge of Elohim is manifest in them; for Elohim has manifested it in them.

20. For, from the foundations of the world, the hidden things of Elohim are seen by the mind in the things he created even his eternal power and divinity, so that they might be without excuse 21. because they knew Elohim and did not glorify him and give thanks to him as Elohim, but became vain in their imaginings and their unwise heart was darkened.

22. And, while they thought within themselves that they were wise, they became fools. 23. And they changed the glory of the incorruptible Elohim into a likeness to the image of a corruptible man,[1] and into the likeness of birds and four-legged animals and reptiles on the earth.

24. For this cause, Elohim gave them up to the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies with them. 25. And they changed the truth of Elohim into a lie; and worshipped and served the created things, much more than the Creator of them, to whom belong glory and blessing, forever and ever: Amen.

26. For this cause, Elohim gave them up to vile passions: for their females changed the use of their natures[2] and employed that which is unnatural. 27. And so also their males set aside the use of females, which is natural, and burned with lust toward one another; and, male with male, they did what is shameful, and received in their core substance [3] the just recompense of their error.

28. And as they did not determine with themselves to know Elohim, Elohim gave them over to a vain mind; that they might do what they should not. 29. Being full of all iniquity and lewdness, and bitterness and malice, and covetousness and envy, and slaughter and strife, and deceit and evil machinations 30. and backbiting and slander; and being haters of Elohim, scoffers, proud, vain-glorious, devisers of evil things, destitute of reason, disregardful of parents.

31. And to whom a covenant is nothing, neither affection, nor peace, and in whom is no compassion. 32. These, while they know the judgment of Elohim, that he condemns those to death who perpetrate such things, are not only doers of them, but the companions of such as do them. (AENT)

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[1]  Rav Shaul rejects the idea of making a deity out of a human being, something he himself is often being wrongly accused of. The key is the phrase “corruptible man” which is put in contradistinction of Y’shua who fulfilled prophecy by virtue of having the Ruach haKodesh, the Spirit of YHWH, inside him.

If Rav Shaul did not approve of others turning images of men into false deities, he would certainly not approve of what Christendom has done today. The Son did the Father YHWH’s will; his human side submitted to the divine. This is what opened the door for repentance for all of us; therefore, all who follow Y’shua must also yield unto YHWH rather than follow a deity who lessens the Name of YHWH and abolishes Torah.

[2] The Image of Elohim is both male and female (B’resheet/Gen. 1:27). To deny the distinctions of male/female gender is to spurn the One who created male and female according to His own Image. .

[3]  The word translated as “themselves” is much better rendered as “core substance” ‑ one of several important meanings for qnoma, which also refers to an occurrence (not a separated “person”) of a nature. This verse states that punishment for sexual sin is not in the external body, but in a foundational place where the very essence of humanity resides.

A mini-study concerning the context of Romans 1:1-10

Romans 1:1. PAUL, a servant of Y’shua the Mashiyach, called and sent and separated[1] to the Good News of Elohim.[2] 2. (that) He (Elohim) had before promised, by His prophets, in the Set Apart Scriptures,[3] 3. concerning his Son who was born in the flesh, of seed of the house of Dawid,[4] 4. and was made known as the Son of Elohim by power, and by the Ruach haKodesh, who arose from the dead, Y’shua the Mashiyach, our Master, 5. by whom we have received grace and a mission among all the Gentiles[5] to the end that they may obey the faith in His Name;[6] 6. among whom, you also are called by Y’shua the Mashiyach.

7. To all those who are at Rome, beloved of Elohim, called and sanctified: Peace and grace be with you, from Elohim our Father, and from our Master Y’shua the Mashiyach.[7] 8. In the first place, I give thanks to Elohim by Y’shua the Mashiyach on account of you all; because your faith is heard of in all the world. 9. And Elohim, whom in spirit I serve in the Good News of His Son, is my witness that I continually make mention of you at all times in my prayers. 10. And I likewise supplicate that afterwards a door may be opened to me, by the good pleasure[8] of Elohim, to come to you. (AENT)

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Perysh, the word used here for “separated” is also the root from which we get ‘Pharisee,” an obvious wordplay, raising the cutting remark that Rav Shaul’s opponents separated themselves to the wrong place.

[2] Noting also that this is YHWH’s Good News about His Son.

[3] Paul quotes the Hebrew Tanakh over 80 times in this Letter to the Romans. Without understanding the original context of Torah (first 5 books of the Bible), Neviim (Prophets) and Ketuvim (writings) which he quotes from, it will be impossible to thoroughly comprehend his teachings.

Paul never heard the words “Old Testament” in his lifetime, nor would he ever permit such a dishonoring title be given to the Word of YHWH which is Mashiyach preincarnate.

[4] At times, almost being read like a corporate memo, except instead of the familiar: “TO: FROM: REGARDING: pattern, the order here is FROM (Paul) REGARDING (Y’shua the Mashiyach) and TO (the assembly in Rome). Paul is either dictating the words to Tertius, see 16:22, or Tertius is translating the letter from the original.

[5] Aimmeh= Gentiles or Nations is an appropriate translation here. Elsewhere in this document, the word Armaya is translated as “Gentiles” which refers specifically to the Arameans (or Syrians), who were kinsman to the tribes of Israel. Ya’akov the Patriarch was related to Arameans by marriage and is called “a wandering Aramean” himself (Deuteronomy 26:5). The Hebrews and the Arameans are closely connected peoples separated by a river. In fact, he word Hebrew, is derived from Eber, meaning “those from across (the other side of the river)”.

[6] YHWH is being referenced: “YHWH is salvation” which is also the name of His Son. This context is established in the next verse: “among whom you are also called by Y’shua,” meaning that Y’shua is not intended as the subject of this passage as it relates to Name.

[7] Up until now, this has been one long opening sentence! Common in both Greek and Aramaic languages, this creates a balancing act between English syntax and clarity while also remaining faithful to the order of thought.

[8] Or “will”.

A word about a comment made by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, concerning Jesus being an immigrant

WARNING, RANT AHEAD  about Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York who made a comment on yesterdays CBS Sunday Morning program discussing a new mural depicting immigrants.

While I understand what he was attempting to get across, his comment left me upset for hours, because it reveals to me that he just another “man of the cloth,” who does NOT know our Messiah (or the Bible), yet dares to “put words in his mouth!”

Here is what the Cardinal said - and you can check it out for yourself at the link to the program and make up your own mind, at approximately the 11:1 minute mark:

“When all is said and done when I stand before Jesus, he’s not going to say, ‘Hey Dolan, good work with the mural… But I need to ask you something: When I was an immigrant, did you welcome me?’ And if I say, I’m afraid I didn’t Lord, then he’s gonna say ‘Get the hell outta here!’ Right?”

What incensed me about that statement is that (1) Messiah Yeshua would NEVER talk like that, in the first place; and (2) he certainly isn’t going to be discussing his “immigrant” status of two thousand years ago – because that is NOT what the story of his birth, life, death and resurrection is all about!

The fact is, when we stand before Yeshua, his conversation will strictly center around each of US, and whether or not we were “wholehearted” toward him and His Father YHWH, by following His Divine Instructions in Righteousness (Torah)!

Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, only those who do what my Father in heaven wants. 22 On that Day, many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord! Didn't we prophesy in your name? Didn't we expel demons in your name? Didn't we perform many miracles in your name?' 23 Then I will tell them to their faces, 'I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!' (CJB)

Revelation 3:14 “To the angel of the Messianic Community in Laodicea, write: ‘Here is the message from the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the Ruler of God’s creation 15 “I know what you are doing: you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth! (CJB)

Revelation 3:19 As for me, I rebuke and discipline everyone I love; so exert yourselves, and turn from your sins! ²⁰ Here, I’m standing at the door, knocking. If someone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he will eat with me. ²¹ I will let him who wins the victory sit with me on my throne, just as I myself also won the victory and sat down with my Father on his throne. ²² Those who have ears, let them hear what the Spirit is saying to the Messianic communities.”’” (CJB)

Ezekiel 22:26 Her pastors/priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have disregarded my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them."

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of ADONAI is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. (CJB)

Proverbs 28:4 Those who abandon Torah praise the wicked, but those who keep Torah fight them. (CJB)

And finally, I leave you with these passages to ponder:

Matthew 7:¹³ “Go in through the narrow gate; for the gate that leads to destruction is wide and the road broad, and many travel it; ¹⁴ but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (CJB)

Matthew 7:¹⁵ “Beware of the false prophets! They come to you wearing sheep’s clothing, but underneath they are hungry wolves! ¹⁶ You will recognize them by their fruit. Can people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Likewise, every healthy tree produces good fruit, but a poor tree produces bad fruit. ¹⁸ A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, or a poor tree good fruit. ¹⁹ Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire! ²⁰ So you will recognize them by their fruit. (CJB)

Yom Teruah/Rosh HaShana is on the horizon once again…

This year (2025)  the High Holy Day of Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashana begins at sunset, September 22, and ends at sunset on September 23. (The readings for Yom Teruah/Roash HaShana are: Leviticus  23:23-25, Numbers 29:1-  6, Matthew 24:30-31, 1  Thessalonians 4:16-17.)

The biblical name for this holiday is actually “Yom Teruah” ("day of shouting/blasting"). It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days known as "Days of Awe" as specified by Leviticus 23:23–25, kicking off a ten-day period of penitence culminating in the holiest of High Holy Days, known as Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).

Why is it so important and what, exactly, makes this day so special?  Let’s begin with this passage, where God Himself commanded it to be observed:

Leviticus 23:23-25 says: And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying, 24 “Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you have a rest, a remembrance of blowing of trumpets, a set-apart gathering. 25 ‘You do no servile work, and you shall bring an offering made by fire to יהוה.’” (ISR)

Rosh Hashana denotes the Jewish Civil New Year … the creation of the world, according to tradition; the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve and their first actions toward the realization of man's role in the world; of the first sin that was committed and resulting repentance; a day when YHWH takes stock of all of His Creation, which includes all of humanity.

It is also a rehearsal for the day when the bridegroom will come to claim us, his bride, who are betrothed to Him … when Yeshua will return to earth as the “Lion of Judah!”

1 Thessalonians 4: 16. Because our Master (Y'shua) will himself descend from heaven with the mandate and with the voice of the chief Messenger and with the Qarna (trumpet/shofar) of Elohim; and the dead who are in the Mashiyach will first arise; 17. and then we who survive and are alive will be caught up together with them to the clouds to meet our Master (Y'shua) in the air; and so will we be ever with our Master. (AENT)

Matthew 24: 27. For as the sunshine comes out from the East and is seen even in the West, thus will be the coming of the Son of man. 28. Wherever the carcass is, there will the eagles gather. 29. And immediately after the suffering of those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not shine its light. And the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken.

30. And then will be seen the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the land mourn, when they will see the Son of man who comes upon the clouds of heaven with great power and glory. 31. And he will send his Messengers with a large trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other. (AENT)

According to tradition, during this time YHWH's people are to concentrate all their efforts into making amends with their brethren and apologizing for past offenses – in preparation for the next Feast, which is Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement.

It is important to note that, judging by the fact that Yeshua has so far fulfilled the first four Appointed Times in sequence, Yom Teruah/Trumpets will be the next one to be fulfilled, because when the trumpets sound, those who have accepted YHWH as their God (along with His Divine Messiah, Yeshua) will be gathered/resurrected (I Thessalonians 4:13-18, I Cor. 15:50-54).

Halleluyah!

A MINI-LESSON ON ROMANS 9:30-33

Romans 9: 30. What will we say then? That the Gentiles who ran not after righteousness, have found righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith: 31. But Israel who ran after the Torah of righteousness, has not found the Torah of righteousness. 32. And why? Because they went after it, not by faith, but by the works of Torah. For they stumbled at that stumbling-stone: 33. As it is written, Behold, I lay in Tsiyon a stumbling-stone and a stone of offense: and he who believes in him, will not be ashamed. (AENT)

IN OTHER WORDS, Paul is NOT saying that "all one has to do is to believe in Jesus!" He is saying that once one has accepted the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and begins to OBEY Him, everything changes!

Many were guilty of simply doing by rote the Seventh Day Sabbath and the Feasts, etc. But their HEARTS weren't it! They were doing because that's what everyone else was doing...without actually KNOWING YHWH and doing these things out of love or the desire to have a real relationship with Him.

(This can be likened to a teenager cleaning up his/her room because they were TOLD to. They do it to prevent punishment, not because they love their parents so much that they want to please them.)

Having a relationship with God is a two-way street...

Yes, by grace and faith we are saved; but once we enter into that relationship, we are expected to heed and obey, and live our life according to HIS Divine Instructions, and not pretend we are "holy," simply because we "believe."

Ephesians 2:4. But Elohim who is rich in His mercies because of the great love with which He loved us 5. when we were dead in our sins, gave us life with the Mashiyach and rescued[1] us by His grace; 6. and revived us with him and seated us with him in heaven, in Y’shua the Mashiyach: 7. that He might show to the coming ages[2] the magnitude of the riches of His grace and His goodness towards us in Y’shua the Mashiyach.

8. For it is by His grace we are rescued, through faith; and this is not of yourselves, but it is the gift of Elohim; [3] 9. not of works, or else anyone glory (in themselves). 10. for we are His creation who are created in Y’shua the Mashiyach for good works which Elohim has before prepared for us to walk in. (AENT)

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Literally, “saved.” A variant of this word is what we call “Savior” in English. In Aramaic the concept of a savior is literally: “giver of life.”

[2] Or, “worlds.”

[3] The synonym for “gift of YHWH” is the name Mattityahu (Matthew). Rav Shaul (Paul) perhaps intended to reference Matthew here, the writer of the first account of the Good News! Matthew’s account of the Good News might well have been the only publication in circulation in Rav Shaul’s lifetime.

What ELOHIM personally said about Torah Observance…

This mini-lesson reveals some of God’s exact words about obedience to His Divine Instructions in Righteousness:

Deuteronomy 27: 1 Then Moshe and all the leaders of Isra'el gave orders to the people. They said, "Observe all the mitzvot I am giving you today. 2 When you cross the Yarden to the land ADONAI your God is giving you, you are to set up large stones, put plaster on them, 3 and, after crossing over, write this Torah on them, every word -so that you can enter the land ADONAI your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as ADONAI, the God of your ancestors, promised you. 4 When you have crossed the Yarden, you are to set up these stones, as I am ordering you today, on Mount 'Eival; and put plaster on them.

5 There you are to erect an altar to ADONAI your God, an altar made of stones. You are not to use any iron tool on them, 6 but are to build the altar of ADONAI your God of uncut stones; and you are to offer burnt offerings on it to ADONAI your God. 7 Also you are to sacrifice peace offerings, eat there and be joyful in the presence of ADONAI your God. 8 You are to write on the stones all the words of this Torah very clearly." 9 Next Moshe and the cohanim, who are L'vi'im, spoke to all Isra'el. They said, "Be quiet; and listen, Isra'el! Today you have become the people of ADONAI your God. 10 Therefore you are to listen to what ADONAI your God says and obey his mitzvot and laws, which I am giving you today." (CJB)

Obviously obedience to Torah is NOT a suggestion! And Yeshua confirmed this time and time again! (See Matthew 5:17-20 and then ask yourself if ALL has already happened and heaven and earth have passed away!)

Please note verse 2, "when you cross the Yarden." Remember, the word "Hebrew" means "to cross over." YHWH's people this time are crossing over both physically and spiritually, as they are in the process of being taught the history about how YHWH came to be their God and how they are to be a light to the nations THROUGH OBEDIENCE to His Torah! Nowhere are we ever told to STOP obeying the Mitzvot YHWH gave His people! (Granted, many of the Torah laws cannot be kept today because most of them were for the priests of the day, some were only for men and others only for women. But there are several "forever" commands we can and should keep.)

Please note verse 8 which says "THIS Torah"; not "a" Torah or "the" Torah, but THIS Torah (haTorah)! Same thing in Deuteronomy 27:26 which says: "'A curse on anyone who does not confirm the words of this Torah by putting them into practice. 'All the people are to say, 'Amen!'

WOW! Could it be ANY clearer? Torah is not "a curse" as most Christians insist; one is cursed if one does NOT obey Torah!

If you'll look ahead to Deut. 28:69/29:1, you'll see YHWH saying: 1 These are the words of the covenant which ADONAI ordered Moshe to make with the people of Isra'el in the land of Mo'av, in addition to the covenant which he made with them in Horev."

The Covenant at Horeb was giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. THIS ONE - the one spoken of in  Parsha 50 - was given at Moab in addition to the former one that was given to the original people who came out of Egypt. Remember, at this point in time, YHWH was addressing their offspring and those who lived to see this moment, to remind them of their history.

How can a person be sure they are basing their observance on faith and not on their own efforts?

QUESTION:  How can a person be sure they are basing their observance on faith and not on their own efforts? Sometimes life events get in the way and confuse the issues.

That's a great question – and the answer is: If something doesn't line up with Torah and everything Yeshua taught, then we might be guilty of using our "own efforts."

It's not easy - especially since ONLY the Land is Israel makes Torah observance easy, because everyone there is aware of the Divine Instructions! For instance, businesses in Israel shut down on Shabbat. No work allowed.

Same with the seven commanded and glorious Mo'edim/Feast Times. each of which has its own special meaning. The whole Jewish community throughout the Land, observes them. For instance, in Sukkot (Tabernacles) everybody builds their own sukkahs (temporary dwellings) in which they reside for a week, in remembrance of the hardships of Israel's 40 years in the wilderness.

The rest of the world doesn't have that luxury; therefore, those of us whose eyes have been opened to God's Truth, live outside of Israel are forced to deal with life and the every day workings of "the world," while doing our best to BE Torah observant, to KEEP the commanded Seventh Day Sabbath Rest holy, and to live our lives as closely as possible to what the Bible tells us.

Unfortunately, the most of us are forced to live in this "fallen world" which pays no attention to God. (Be assured that the Holy One KNOWS how hard it is for us who are trying to be as obedient as possible - and He never said we had to be perfect at it; He just expects us to stay our minds on Him while we continue to strive to be the best servants possible, given our limited knowledge in a world FULL of "voices" trying to tell us what to do and how to do it, etc.)

So, my response to your question is:

While Some things are clear cut, such as refusing to, for instance, commit adultery. As we see in Torah, in ancient times, anyone proven guilty of adultery (or any other sex crimes, for that matter) were to be put to death.  Any type of sex crimes are considered heinous because they involve our own bodies – our TEMPLES – which we are commanded to keep holy. There should be NO confusion about that!

On the other hand, the keeping of the Shabbats in our fallen world is only easy for those whose jobs don't require them to work on Saturdays.  But, not everyone has a job like that, and so, while they HAVE to make a living, and perhaps cannot find work that allows them to keep the Sabbath REST, common sense would dictate that, at least, they can still OBSERVE it by at leaset REMEMBERING the Shabbat and taking time out to talk to ADONAI during their break times, and reading the Torah portions either BEFORE going to work, or during their lunch hour - or whatever else it takes to show Him that they KNOW it's Shabbat and they ARE trying to honor it.

Sometimes, the things directly affecting our life are less clear cut. For instance, we know that God HATES divorce - yet, He also doesn't expect His people to live in agony in a broken relationship that absolutely cannot be fixed for whatever reason. He doesn't expect nor condone spouses being either mentally or physically abusive towards one another.

In those cases where a relationship is broken beyond repair, it's best to separate - remembering to keep in mind that HE wants to keep His relationship with BOTH of you!  The only GOOD way to move on in a situation where you suddenly find yourself “single” again, is by remaining a Torah observant believer in YHWH, His Torah, and His Divine Messiah who died on your behalf to redeem your soul.

Whatever the situation, it is imperative to repent, turn from any sins you might be committing, and – setting your own desires aside, while taking care of yourself to the best of your ability - ask God to put you back on HIS Path. Be patient and wait for Him to work in your life.  You’ll notice it when He does.

Whenever "confusion" gets in the way, we MUST to turn to HIM – to prayer, to His Word where we can always get the answers we need to continue on HIS Path. Please see our short article on how to hear His Voice.

A word for those who believe they can have their “best conversations with God” while perched on the toilet…

IT TRULY DISGUSTS ME when supposed "believers" (especially those who consider themselves Torah teachers) unashamedly posting on their wall that they have some of their best conversations with God while sitting on the toilet...

Sorry, but I consider people like that, disgusting, disrespectful and immature in the faith. I suggest reading Leviticus 15 to anyone who thinks God is happy to chat with you while you're doing your private business on the john!

Below are just a couple of small passages that reveal just exactly how HE fells about cleanliness and holiness. (Even though they don't specifically mention pooping, He makes it amply clear that no one should come into His Presence with anything "unclean" on them - whether physically or spiritually.)...

Leviticus 15: 1 Adonai said to Moshe and Aharon, 2 “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘When any man has a discharge from his body, the discharge is unclean. 3 The discharge is unclean no matter whether it continues flowing or has stopped; it is still his uncleanness. (CJB)

Leviticus 16: Adonai spoke with Moshe after the death of Aharon’s two sons, when they tried to sacrifice before Adonai and died; 2 Adonai said to Moshe, “Tell your brother Aharon not to come at just any time into the Holy Place beyond the curtain, in front of the ark-cover which is on the ark, so that he will not die; because I appear in the cloud over the ark-cover. (CJB)

ADONAI IS HOLY! Trying to force your filth on Him can be very dangerous to your health! If He is that strict about bodily discharges and physical and spiritual cleanliness, then He’s surely NOT happy with anyone trying to engage Him in a friendly chat while they're busy discharging feces from their rear end!