Reconciling the New Testament to
the Standard of the Torah
An Artillery of Responses to Christian Objections
About Being Torah Observant
What Does It Mean to Be in Covenant
Relationship with Yahuwah Elohim?
Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant,
then out of all nations you will be my treasured
possession. Although the whole earth is mine,
you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy
nation.' (Shemot 19:5-6)
The Test of a Prophet
If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among
you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder,
and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place,
and he says, "Let us follow other gods" (gods you have not
known) "and let us worship them,"
you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer.
Yahuwah your Elohim is testing you to find out whether you
love him with all your heart and with all your soul.
It is Yahuwah your Elohim you must follow, and him you must
revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold
fast to him. (Devarim 13:1-4)
“Those People are Commandment Keepers!”
Whoever has my commands and obeys
them, he is the one who loves me. He who
loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too
will love him and show myself to him." (4th
Gospel 14:21)
If you obey my commands, you will remain in
my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's
commands and remain in his love. (4th
Gospel 15:10)
The Prophet Like Mosheh
I will raise up for them a prophet like you from
among their brothers; I will put my words in his
mouth, and he will tell them everything I
command him.
If anyone does not listen to my words that the
prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him
to account. (Devarim 18:18-19)
A Word to Our Generation
When you have experienced all these things, both the
blessings and the curses I have set before you, you will
reflect upon them in all the nations where Yahuwah your
Elohim has banished you. Then if you and your
descendants turn to Yahuwah your Elohim and obey him
with your whole mind and being just as I am commanding
you today, Yahuwah your Elohim will reverse your
captivity and have pity on you. He will turn and gather
you from all the peoples among whom he has scattered
you (Devarim 30:1-3).
Yahuwah your Elohim will also cleanse your heart
and the hearts of your descendants so that you may
love him with all your heart and soul and so that
you may live. Then Yahuwah your Elohim will
put all these curses on your enemies, on those who
hate you and persecute you. You will return and
obey Yahuwah, keeping all his commandments I
am giving you today. (Devarim 30:4-7).
We know that we have come to know him if we
obey his commands. The man who says, "I
know him," but does not do what he
commands is a liar, and the truth is not in
him. But if anyone obeys his word, Elohim's
love is truly made complete in him. This is how
we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live
in him must walk as Yahusha did. (1 John 2:3-6)
Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us,
we have confidence before Elohim and receive
from him anything we ask, because we obey his
commands and do what pleases him. (1 John
3:21-22)
Those who obey his commands live in him, and
he in them. And this is how we know that he lives
in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. (1 John
3:24) (see also Ezekiel 11:19-20)
This is how we know that we love the children of
Elohim: by loving Elohim and carrying out his
commands. This is love for Elohim: to obey his
commands. And his commands are not
burdensome, (1 John 5:2-3)
This calls for patient endurance on the part of the
saints who obey Elohim's commandments and
remain faithful to Yahusha. (Revelation 14:12)
Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and
went off to make war against the rest of her
offspring-- those who obey Elohim's
commandments and hold to the testimony of
Yahusha. (Revelation 12:17)
Summary: Obeying his commands means:
You love him
You will remain in his love
You have come to know him
Elohim’s love is made complete in you
You have confidence in him and will receive what
you ask
You live in him
You know that you love Elohim and his children
Salvation is Not the Same as Entrance Into the
Kingdom
Asking Jesus into your heart does not guarantee you
acceptance into the Kingdom
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will
enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does
the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will
say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not
prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out
demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell
them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you
workers of lawlessness!'" (Matthew 7:21-23)
What Does Torah Say About Life?
You must observe my regulations and you must be
sure to walk in my rules. I am Yahuwah your
Elohim. So you must keep my rules and my
regulations; anyone who does so will live by keeping
them. I am Yahuwah (Vayiqra 18:4,5).
My mishpats (judgments) you shall do and my chuks
(decrees) you shall guard to walk in them. I am
Yahuwah your Mighty One. And you shall guard my
chuks (decrees) and my mishpats (judgments). The
man who does them even he shall live by them. I am
Yahuwah.
How to Obtain Life
You must keep carefully all these commandments
I am giving you today so that you may live,
multiply, and go in and occupy the land that
Yahuwah promised to your ancestors (Devarim
8:1).
Deuteronomy 30 and Life
15
See, I set before you today life and prosperity,
death and destruction.
16 For I command you today to love Yahuwah
your Elohim, to walk in his ways, and to keep his
commands, decrees and laws; then you will live
and increase, and Yahuwah your Elohim will
bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
Paul Acknowledges Mosheh Taught That Life
Comes Through Obedience
For Mosheh writes about the righteousness that
is by the Torah (law): "The one who does these
things will live by them." (Romans 10:5-7,
quoting Devarim 30:16).
Deuteronomy 30:17-20
However, if you turn aside and do not obey, but
are lured away to worship and serve other
elohim, I declare to you this very day that you
will certainly perish! You will not extend your
time in the land you are crossing the Yardan to
possess. Today I invoke heaven and earth as a
witness against you that I have set life and death,
blessing and curse, before you.
Deuteronomy 30
Therefore choose life so that you and your
descendants may live! I also call on you to love
Yahuwah your Elohim, to obey him and be loyal
to him. For he is your life and enables you to
live continually in the land Yahuwah promised
to give to your ancestors Avraham, Yitzchak,
and Ya'acov" (Devarim 30:19-20).
What Do the Prophets Say About Life?
But if the wicked person turns from all the sin he has committed
and keeps all my rules and does what is just and right, he will
surely live; he will not die (Yechezqel [Ezekiel] 18:21).
I gave them my rules and revealed my laws to them. The one who
obeys them will live by them! I also gave them my Sabbaths as a
reminder of our relationship, so that they would know that I,
Yahuwah, make them set-apart.
Ezekiel 20
'But the house of Yisrael rebelled against me in
the wilderness; they disobeyed my rules and
rejected my laws (the one who obeys them will
live by them), and they utterly desecrated my
Sabbaths.... Treat my Sabbaths as set-apart and
they will be a reminder of our relationship, and
then you will know that I am Yahuwah your
Elohim.
Ezekiel 20
'But the children rebelled against me, did not
follow my rules, did not observe my laws by
obeying them (the one who obeys them will live
by them), and desecrated my Sabbaths. I
announced that I would pour out my rage on
them and fully vent my anger against them in the
wilderness (Yechezqel [Ezekiel] 20:11-13, 21).
What Does Yeshua Teach About Eternal Life?
Now a certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what
must I do to inherit eternal life?" Yahusha said to him,
"Why do you call me good? No one is good except
Elohim alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not
commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not
give false testimony, honor your father and
mother.'" The man replied, "I have wholeheartedly
obeyed all these laws since my youth." (Luke 18:18-21)
Another Word From the Master About Inheriting
Eternal Life
Now a man came up to Yahusha and asked, "Teacher,
what good thing must I do to get eternal life?“ "Why do
you ask me about what is good?" Yahusha replied.
"There is only One who is good. If you want to enter
life, obey the commandments.“ "Which ones?" the
man inquired. Yahusha replied, "'Do not murder, do not
commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false
testimony, honor your father and mother,' and 'love your
neighbor as yourself.'“ (Mt 19:16-19)
What is Our Righteousness?
Torah: And if we are careful to obey all this
Torah before Yahuwah our Elohim, as he has
commanded us, that will be our righteousness.“
(Deut 6:25)
Paul: it is not those who hear the Torah who are
righteous before Elohim, but those who do the
Torah will be declared righteous (Romans 2:13).
What is Paul’s “Righteousness by Faith”?
For Mosheh writes about the righteousness that is by the
Torah (law): "The one who does these things will live
by them." So the righteousness that is by faith says:
"Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into
heaven?'" (that is, to bring Messiah down) or "Who will
descend into the abyss?" (that is, to bring Messiah up
from the dead) (Romans 10:5-7, quoting Devarim
30:11-13).
“Righteousness by Faith”
But what does it say? "The word is near you, in
your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word
of faith that we preach), because if you confess
with your mouth that Yahusha is Master and
believe in your heart that Elohim raised him
from the dead, you will be saved. For with the
heart one believes and thus has righteousness
and with the mouth one confesses and thus has
salvation (Romans 10:8-10).
Deuteronomy 30
This commandment I am giving you today is not too
difficult for you, nor is it too remote. It is not in
heaven, as though one must say, "Who will go up to
heaven to get it for us and proclaim it to us so we may
obey it?" And it is not across the sea, as though one
must say, "Who will cross over to the other side of the
sea and get it for us and proclaim it to us so we may
obey it?" For the thing is very near you--it is in your
mouth and mind so that you can do it (Devarim 30:1114).
“Jesus Fulfilled the Law So Christians Don’t Have
to Keep It”
Jesus kept the law perfectly and thereby fulfilled its
demands and requirements on Israel… effectively
setting it aside…so we don’t have to keep it!
Since Jesus died for us, we don’t have to die. He
fulfilled the Father’s requirement for death.
Likewise he fulfilled the Father’s demands
concerning the Law
Did Yeshua Do Away With the Law?
Do not think that I came to destroy the Torah or
the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to
complete. For truly, I say to you, till the heaven
and the earth pass away, one jot or one tittle
shall by no means pass from the Torah till all be
done. (Mattityahu 5:17).
“To Fulfill” – Greek pleeroo
Can mean do away with, put an end to…But…
Depending on how one prefers to interpret the
context, (pleeroo) is understood here either as
- fulfill=do, carry out, or
- as bring to full expression=show it forth in its
true mng., or as fill up =complete...(Bauer,
p.671)
Webster's Collegiate Dictionary lists the word
perform as a synonym for fulfill, which means
"to adhere to the terms of.., carry out, do...,
give a rendition of...", or, "to carry out an action
or pattern of behavior." And as a synonym for
perform, "fulfill implies a complete realization
of ends or possibilities." (Webster's Ninth New
Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield: MerriamWebster Inc., 1987, pp.497,873)
Whoever, then, breaks one of the least of these
commands, and teaches men so, shall be called
least in the reign of the heavens; but whoever
does and teaches them, he shall be called great
in the reign of the heavens. For I say to you,
that unless your righteousness exceeds that of
the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no
means enter into the reign of the heavens
(Mattityahu 5:18-20).
Christians Should Obey the New Law of
Jesus, Not the Old Testament Law of the
Jews
Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he
is the one who loves me. (4th Gospel 14:21)
And the Master also said, If anyone loves me, he
will obey my teaching. My Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our home
with him. (4th Gospel 14:23)
Is It Even Possible That Yeshua Brought a
New Law?
If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams,
appears among you and announces to you a
miraculous sign or wonder,
and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken
takes place, and he says, "Let us follow other
gods" (gods you have not known) "and let us
worship them,“ (Devarim [Deut] 13:1-2)
you must not listen to the words of that prophet
or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to
find out whether you love him with all your heart
and with all your soul. It is the LORD your God
you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep
his commands and obey him; serve him and hold
fast to him.
That prophet or dreamer must be put to death,
because he preached rebellion against the LORD
your God, who brought you out of Egypt and
redeemed you from the land of slavery; he has
tried to turn you from the way the LORD your
God commanded you to follow. You must purge
the evil from among you. (Devarim [Deut] 13:3-5)
Are Messiah’s Teachings Different?
So Yahusha said, "When you have lifted up the
Son of Man, then you will know that I am [the
one I claim to be] and that I do nothing on my
own but speak just what the Father has taught
me. The one who sent me is with me; he has
not left me alone, for I always do what pleases
him." (4th Gospel 8:28-29)
For I did not speak of my own accord, but the
Father who sent me commanded me what to
say and how to say it. I know that his
command leads to eternal life. So whatever I
say is just what the Father has told me to say."
(4th Gospel 12:49-50)
This is the command – the decrees and rulings
Yahuwah your Elohim directed me to teach you
to observe in the land that you are crossing the
Yarden to possess, so that you, your children and
their children after them may fear Yahuwah your
Elohim as long as you live by keeping all his
decrees and commands that I give you, and so
that you may enjoy long life. (Devarim [Deut] 6:12)
What Does Yeshua Teach About Eternal Life?
Now a certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher,
what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Yeshua said to him, "Why do you call me good?
No one is good except Elohim alone. You
know the commandments: 'Do not commit
adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not
give false testimony, honor your father and
mother.'" The man replied, "I have
wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws since my
youth." (Luke 18:18-21)
Now a man came up to Yeshua and asked,
"Teacher, what good thing must I do to get
eternal life?“ "Why do you ask me about what
is good?" Yeshua replied. "There is only One
who is good. If you want to enter life, obey
the commandments.“ "Which ones?" the man
inquired. Yeshua replied, "'Do not murder, do
not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give
false testimony, honor your father and mother,'
and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'“ (Matthew
19:16-19)
Do not believe me unless I do what my Father
does. (4th Gospel 10:37)
“Those Who Keep the Law are Trying to Earn
Their Salvation Through Works”
For it is by grace you have been saved, through
faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift
of Elohim - not by works, so that no one can
boast.
For we are Elohim's workmanship, created in
Messiah Yahusha to do good works, which Elohim
prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:810)
The accusation is simply NOT true.
Commandment keepers are not trying to earn
their salvation, but are genuinely following thru
with their commitment to Elohim.
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching
them to obey everything I have commanded
you. (Matthew 28:19-20).
“We are Not Saved by Works of the Law, But
By Faith in Jesus”
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works
of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even
we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might
be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by
the works of the law: for by the works of the
law shall no flesh be justified. (Galatians 2:16,
KJV)
Bear in mind that our Master's patience means
salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also
wrote you with the wisdom that Elohim gave
him. He writes the same way in all his letters,
speaking in them of these matters. His letters
contain some things that are hard to
understand, which ignorant and unstable
people distort, as they do the other Scriptures,
to their own destruction. (2 Peter 3:15-16)
“Works of the Law”
These works which are defined as an action, deed,
work; precedent are not the same as the "works" of
obeying Elohim's commandments. The Pharisaic and
Rabbinic term "works of the law" means something
very different.
For a Pharisee, the "works of the law" is an action of a
Rabbi or sage that justified the practical manner in
which a tradition should be observed. Thus, the
"works of the law" were laws based on the actions or
“works” of a rabbi. If a Pharisee or Rabbi performed a
certain action, then that action was established as law,
and was known as a "work of the law."
Once it happened (ma-aseh) those of R. Gamaliel
came home (late) from a wedding feast and
they said to him: We have not yet recited the
(evening) sh’ma. He said to them: If the dawn
has not yet come up you are still bound to
recite. And not in respect to this alone did they
so decide, but whenever the sages say until
midnight, the precept may be performed until
the dawn comes up. (Berachot 2a)
“Faith” as used by Paul
Hebrew emunah – faithfulness, fidelity,
steadfastness, reliability, loyalty
“Faith” is born when one places their trust in
Elohim. Faith lives on in an environment of
trusting obedience and fidelity to His ways.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through
trustful fidelity - and this not from yourselves, it
is the gift of Elohim - not by works (of human
origin), so that no one can boast.
For we are Elohim's workmanship, created in
Messiah Yahusha to do good works, which Elohim
prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:810)
If you don’t do what you were created for…
“We are Not Under the Law, But Under
Grace”
For sin shall not be your master, because you are
not under law, but under grace. (Romans 6:14)
What then? Shall we sin because we are not
under law but under grace? By no
means! (Romans 6:15)
“under law” = “under condemnation of Torah”
Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do
everything written in the Book of the Law.
(Galatians 3:10)
Deuteronomy 27:26 - Cursed is the man who
does not uphold the words of this law by carrying
them out.
Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is
lawlessness. (1 John 3:4)
But you know that he appeared so that he might
take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one
who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who
continues to sin has either seen him or known
him. (1 John 3:5-6)
Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to
someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to
the one whom you obey-- whether you are
slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to
obedience, which leads to righteousness? But
thanks be to Elohim that, though you used to be
slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the
form of teaching to which you were
entrusted. You have been set free from sin and
have become slaves to righteousness. (Romans
6:16-18)
“Those Who Keep the Law Have Fallen From
Grace”
You who are trying to be justified by law have
been alienated from Messiah; you have fallen
away from grace. (Galatians 5:4)
What brings favor? Does Elohim favor sinners?
Therefore, those who put their trust in
obedience to the laws and traditions of the
Pharisees, or any other man made law code,
are trying to gain acceptance with God
through worthless "law keeping." There is
no justification (righteousness) in doing
this. So those who continue to hold to
man's laws and man's traditions after they
have received Messiah are actually falling
back into the old ways which brought them
slavery and guilt.
“People Who Obey the Law are Under a
Curse”
All who rely on observing the law are under a
curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who
does not continue to do everything written in
the Book of the Law." (Galatians 3:10)
Cursed is the man who does not uphold the
words of this law by carrying them out. (Deut
27:26)
“The Only Thing that Really Matters is that
You Believe in Jesus”
“John” 3:16
1 John 3:23 And this is his command: to
believe in the name of his Son, Yahusha
Messiah, and to love one another as he
commanded us.
OK. What Does it Mean – According to
the Bible – “to Believe”?
Unbelief = to treat with contempt
Yahuwah said to Mosheh, "How long will these
people treat me with contempt? How long will
they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the
miraculous signs I have performed among
them? (Num 14:11)
Believing = Trusting
When Yahuwah heard them, he was very angry;
his fire broke out against Ya'acov, and his wrath
rose against Yisrael, for they did not believe in
Elohim or trust in his deliverance. (Psalm 78:2122)
Sinning = Not Believing
In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of
his wonders, they did not believe. (Psalm
78:32)
To Not Believe = To Not Obey
Then they despised the pleasant land; they did
not believe his promise. They grumbled in their
tents and did not obey Yahuwah. (Psalm 106:2425)
Therefore, To Believe = To Obey
Are We Judged by our Belief in Jesus/Yeshua
or by our Works?
Poorly framed question…
Actually, our “works” identify our belief
We are judged by our belief which is
manifesting in our works – we really
believe what we do.
"'I Yahuwah have spoken. The time has come for
me to act. I will not hold back; I will not have
pity, nor will I relent. You will be judged
according to your conduct and your actions,
declares Adonai Yahuwah.’” (Ezekiel 24:14)
I dispersed them among the nations, and they
were scattered through the countries; I judged
them according to their conduct and their
actions. (Ezekiel 36:19)
Yet, O house of Yisrael, you say, 'The way of
Yahuwah is not just.' But I will judge each of
you according to his own ways.” (Ezekiel 33:20)
According to what they have done, so will he
repay wrath to his enemies and retribution to
his foes; he will repay the islands their due.
(Isaiah 59:18)
What Does Yeshua Say?
For the Son of Man is going to come in his
Father's glory with his angels, and then he will
reward each person according to what he has
done. (Matthew 16:27)
What Does Paul Say?
Elohim "will give to each person according to
what he has done.” (Romans 2:6)
Another book was opened, which is the book of
life. The dead were judged according to what
they had done as recorded in the books.
The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and
death and Hades gave up the dead that were in
them, and each person was judged according to
what he had done. (Revelation 20:12-13)
The Manner in Which We Share Our Faith
But in your hearts set apart Messiah as Master.
Always be prepared to give an answer to
everyone who asks you to give the reason for the
hope that you have.
But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping
a clear conscience, so that those who speak
maliciously against your good behavior in
Messiah may be ashamed of their slander. (1
Peter 3:15-16)
Apology
Greek, apologia
1. a speech of defense, defense, reply
2. the act of making a defense, defense
hear the defense which I now make to you Ac
22:1
my reply to those who sit in judgment over me 1
Cor 9:3.
Gentleness
the quality of not being overly impressed by a
sense of one’s self-importance, gentleness,
humility, courtesy, considerateness, meekness
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh
word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1)
How Far Will You Get With People When
You Are:
Arrogant (I have the truth, you don’t)
Impatient (interrupting), Frustrated
Disrespectful (you don’t really believe that, do
you? That’s ridiculous. That’s stupid.)
Overbearing - Voice Elevated (shouting match)
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders;
make the most of every opportunity.
Let your word (message) be always full of grace,
seasoned with salt, so that you may know how
to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:5-6)
Our actions and attitudes must match the
message
Preparing to Give an Answer
Know the Word
Discipleship Training
Be in Sync With the Ruach HaKodesh
Know the Voice of Elohim
Be in Prayer
Speak with Authority, Confidence, not like you are
not sure
Don’t overwhelm with everything you know
Leave Room for the Holy Spirit to Bring it Home
Summary
An Effective Witness to the Truth Must Be:
Spirit Filled
Knowledgeable about the Scriptures
Gentle and Respectful
Wise and Discerning
Walking the Walk, Not Just Talking the Talk
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