Law of Messiah
Notes
Transcript
Review & Intro
Review & Intro
I would like to start our study into Romans 7 with a quote from Joseph Shulam:
In chapters 5-6 [Paul] primarily deals with the issue of God’s justification of the Gentiles through faithfulness. He now takes up the claim (verse 1) that Jewish believers are, by the same token, either no longer responsible to the Torah [nor] able to overcome their evil inclination through Torah-observance alone.
We are going to look at the first half of Rom. 7:1-12
Or do you not know, brothers and sisters (for I speak to those who know law), that the law is master over a person as long as he lives? For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives; but if the husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband. So then, if she is joined to another man while her husband is living, she will be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from the law—so she is not an adulteress, though she is joined to another man. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you also were made dead to the Torah through the body of Messiah, so that you might be joined to another—the One who was raised from the dead—in order that we might bear fruit for God. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions that came through the Torah were working in our body parts to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the law, having died to what confined us, so that we serve in the new way of the Ruach and not in the old way of the letter. What shall we say then? Is the Torah sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the Torah. For I would not have known about coveting if the Torah had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, taking an opportunity, worked in me through the commandment all kinds of coveting. For apart from the Torah, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from the Torah; but when the commandment came, sin came to life and I died. The commandment meant for life was found to cause death. Sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So then, the Torah is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
In his book, The Old Testament Law for the Life of the Church, Richard Averbeck states concerning Romans chapters 7 & 8:
This is probably the most important passage in the New Testament for understanding the relationship between the Old Testament law and the lives of believers today.
And from this passage (and many others) Averbeck argues for:
The goodness of the Law,
The weakness of the Law, and
The unity of the Law.
Joseph Shulam similarly points out that
Paul “affirms the righteousness of the Torah and his [own] inability to keep its commandments...[and] only by joining himself to Yeshua’s death and resurrection in baptism [does] God release him from his former master (his evil inclination) to serve God with a whole and clean heart, and … receive the free gift of God’s grace in Yeshua through which he inherits eternal life.”
So let’s look at these points.
Torah is Good
Torah is Good
We will start with the last verse that we read, Rom. 7:12
So then, the Torah is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
This passage should solidify the nature of the Torah. The Torah is good, was good, and will always bee good, holy and righteous. Paul would later tell his disciple Timothy in 2 Tim. 3:14-17
You, however, continue in what you have learned and what you have become convinced of. For you know from whom you have learned, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to make you wise, leading to salvation through trusting in Messiah Yeshua. All Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for restoration, and for training in righteousness, so that the person belonging to God may be capable, fully equipped for every good deed.
When Timothy was a child, what was the only Scripture that he had? That’s right the Hebrew Scriptures. Paul is speaking here of the Tenakh, the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings.
Now is this something that only Paul held to? What was Yeshua’s take on the Torah? There are 2 passages that clearly show Yeshua’s position. The first is in Matt. 5:17-20
“Do not think that I came to abolish the Torah or the Prophets! I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. Amen, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or serif shall ever pass away from the Torah until all things come to pass. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps and teaches them, this one shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees and Torah scholars, you shall never enter the kingdom of heaven!
Yeshua did not come to abolish the Torah nor the Prophets. Now in this context, what is Yeshua referring to when he says Torah?
David Stern points out that in Judaism the word “Torah” may mean:
Chumash (the Pentateuch, the five books of Moses); or
That plus the Prophets and the Writings, i.e., the Tanakh (known by Christians as the Old Testament; see 4:4–10N); or
That plus the Oral Torah, which includes the Talmud and other legal materials; or
That plus all religious instruction from the rabbis, including ethical and aggadic (homiletical) materials.
Which definition or definitions, do you think that Yeshua was referring to? In this passage we can clearly see that Yeshua is meaning the first of these, since “the Prophets” are mentioned separately, and Yeshua explicitly excludes the Rabbinical interpretation or “way of life” known as Halakah.
Remember that the Rabbi’s did not hate Yeshua because he broke the Torah, but because he stripped them of their authority as interpreters of the Scriptures. Yeshua spoke with authority and stated in Matt. 23:8-10
“But you are not to be called rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man on earth your father; for One is your Father, who is in heaven. Nor are you to be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Messiah.
The second passage that shows Yeshua’s take on the Torah can be found in Matt. 22:36-40
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Torah?” And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love Adonai your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire Torah and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Yeshua is not saying that these are the only commandments, but rather that all the other commandments in the Hebrew Scriptures are built on the foundation of these two commands. And as you may know, Yeshua is quoting from the Torah, specifically Deut. 6:5 and Lev. 19:18. This passage, along with its parallel passage in Mark 12:28-34 is often known as the Law of Messiah.
So, if the Hebrew Scriptures are all still useful for teaching, reproof, restoration and training in righteousness, and if Yeshua declares that all the Scriptures can be summed up is these two commandments, then in what way is the Torah what is it weak?
Torah is Weak
Torah is Weak
When the Torah was given to Beni Yisrael at Mount Sinai, it defined the nature of God’s expectations upon the people who were entering a covenant relationship with Adonai. In essence, the Torah defined Adonai’s expectations placed upon Israel, and was seen as a Marriage Ketuba (or covenant) where Adonai became a husband to Israel, and Israel became the Bride of Adonai. For this reason, when Adonai speaks through the prophets throughout the centuries, he often refers to Israel as an adulterous Bride, who committed adultery by Idolatry with other gods. Paul began Rom. 7 with this concept of marriage to Adonai in mind.
So, in what way is the Torah weak? Is it weak because there is something wrong with the Torah itself? This is what Paul is asking in Rom. 7:7
What shall we say then? Is the Torah sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the Torah. For I would not have known about coveting if the Torah had not said, “You shall not covet.”
And of course the answer, which should be obvious, is of course the Torah is not sinful, rather it is the very definition of what sin is. So, again I ask, in what why is the Torah weak? Paul goes on to clarify that the weakness of the Torah, is actually due to the weakness of our own sinful flesh. Rom. 8:3
For what was impossible for the Torah—since it was weakened on account of the flesh—God has done. Sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as a sin offering, He condemned sin in the flesh—
Here Paul is personifying the word “sin” and is defining it in a similar way to how the Rabbi’s define the yetzer ra’ which we talked about a few weeks ago. David Stern states:
Here Sha’ul’s meaning for “sin” comes very close to the rabbinic notion of the yetzer ra’, the “evil inclination.” Unlike the rabbis, however, he pictures sin … not as conquerable by man [alone], but as “sinful beyond measure” (v. 13) and therefore beyond control through man’s unaided will.
Another way of looking at the weakness of the Torah, is to see that in comparison to the power of the Ruach HaKodesh, the law is weak. The law, by itself, can not transform the human heart, only the power of the Ruach HaKodesh can do that.
This is not just a New Covenant reality, but has been the reality from the beginning. When Adonai reveals that he will establish a New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:30-33 what does Adonai declare that He will do?
“Behold, days are coming” —it is a declaration of Adonai— “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not like the covenant I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they broke My covenant, though I was a husband to them.” it is a declaration of Adonai. “But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days” —it is a declaration of Adonai— “I will put My Torah within them. Yes, I will write it on their heart. I will be their God and they will be My people. No longer will each teach his neighbor or each his brother, saying: ‘Know Adonai,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest.” it is a declaration of Adonai. “For I will forgive their iniquity, their sin I will remember no more.”
Firstly, notice the reference to Adonai being a husband in covenant with Beni Yisrael? Secondly, Adonai is declaring that a significant part of the New Covenant, is that He will write the Torah on their hearts. This is accomplished by the Ruach HaKodesh. This passage also brings to light the weakness of the Torah, in that Beni Yisrael had not been able to keep the covenant by their own strength.
The rabbis acknowledge this reality of the evil inclination in the following story:
The Jewish New Testament Commentary Romans, Chapter 7
“ ‘The evil inclination desires only that which is forbidden. Rabbi Mena (on the Day of Atonement, when drinking is forbidden) went to visit Rabbi Haggai, who was ill. Rabbi Haggai said, “I am thirsty.” Rabbi Mena said, “Drink.” Then he left him. After an hour he came again and said, “How about your thirst?” He said, “No sooner had you permitted me to drink than the desire left me.”’ (Jerusalem Talmud Yoma VI, Sec. 4, 43d, line 21).” (Rabbinic Anthology, p. 302)
Unity of Torah
Unity of Torah
Noting that the Torah of Adonai is still good, and that the Torah is still weak due to our own sinful, fleshly desires, we also need to ask the questions: which law applies? and to whom? and how? By the way, this is exactly what the early Talmidim of Yeshua were asking throughout the book of Acts.
Moral, Civil & Ceremonial?
Moral, Civil & Ceremonial?
Some people try to split up the Torah into different kinds of laws: moral, civil, and ceremonial. Unfortunately, there are no specific guidelines in Scripture. Moreover, the New Testament believers seem to apply all three kinds of laws. So since this is not clear cut, what else can we do?
One Law for All?
One Law for All?
In the IAMCS paper “One Law Two Sticks” the One Law doctrine states:
One Law doctrine is based on the idea that everybody everywhere ought to be keeping the Torah given to the Jews at Sinai. In their view, the law wasn’t intended just for Israel, but for everyone. Moreover, neither the coming of Messiah, nor the atonement provided in the New Covenant changes anything in terms of what they see as the universal human need to relate to God through the laws of Moses.
This belief leads Gentiles to keep the Sabbath, the feast days and the dietary laws, and to treat other Gentile Christians who do not keep these laws as lawless pagans. Unfortunately, this belief often leads people to start believing that “people who keep the Torah given to Israel actually ARE Israel.”
The IAMCS paper continues:
We in the messianic Jewish movement also wish to make clear the fact that we are opposed to One Law theology, and to any doctrine which advocates, as One Law does, the idea that New Covenant faith among the Gentiles is to be fulfilled by embracing the Sinai covenant. We do not seek the fulfillment of God’s plan for the salvation of Israel through the Sinai Covenant, but rather, through the gospel. If our own Jewish people have not been reconciled unto God by the Sinai covenant, then this must also certainly be true for the Gentiles, who were not given the Sinai covenant to begin with.
While many aspects of Torah are found in messianic Judaism as a unique expression of our Jewish faith in the Messiah, we do not believe that the Gentile church, or Gentile Christians universally, are called to the same expression as us. In fact, it is the unity of Jew and Gentile in Messiah, in spite of our cultural diversity, which glorifies God in the body of the Lord, via the one new man. (Eph. 2:15). In our view, therefore, it is wrong to admonish Gentile believers universally to think that they need to observe the Torah. It is clear, furthermore, that the Apostles dealt with this precise question of Gentile Torah observance and answered it on point in Acts 15. ...
At this point, we wish to be clear about our purpose and our heart’s intent: In what we say in this paper, we are not in any way speaking against the many precious Gentiles who fellowship in messianic synagogues in response to a call from the Lord. Many non-Jews come into the messianic Jewish fold with the desire of knowing the Lord through the Jewishness of the scriptures, and in the ancient way of life, which was Yeshua’s own culture and heritage, as preserved in the life of the Jewish people. We, in Messianic Judaism, have always welcomed and encouraged non-Jews to fellowship with us, to celebrate Messiah together, and help us restore Israel to faith in Yeshua. Our concern is with those who advocate legalism.
Application
Application
Jerusalem Council
Jerusalem Council
As is mentioned above, the Council held in Jerusalem as recorded in Acts 15, was specifically held to address the question of: What laws must Gentile followers of Yeshua follow? See Acts 15:5
But some belonging to the party of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the Torah of Moses.”
After much debate we see that Acts 15:7-11
After much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God chose from among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the message of the Good News and believe. And God, who knows the heart, testified to them by giving them the Ruach ha-Kodesh—just as He also did for us. He made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts through faith. Why then do you put God to the test by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples—which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But instead, we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Yeshua, in the same way as they are.”
From this passage we see the following:
The Gentiles were accepted by Adonai without following the Torah
Adonai made no distinction between Jews and Gentiles in terms of faith
The yoke of the Torah given to Moses at Sinai was not given to the Gentiles
Both Jews and Gentiles are saved through the grace of the Lord Yeshua.
James, the half-brother of Yeshua, then has the following letter written which states: Acts 15:28-29
It seemed good to the Ruach ha-Kodesh and to us not to place on you any greater burden than these essentials: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. By keeping away from these things, you will do well. Shalom!”
Yeshua’s Yoke
Yeshua’s Yoke
In Matt. 11:27-30 Yeshua states:
“All things have been handed over to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him. Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and ‘you will find rest for your souls.’ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Yeshua calls us to take his yoke upon our shoulders. David Stern points out that:
The Jewish New Testament Commentary Mattityahu (Matthew), Chapter 11
Judaism speaks of the “yoke of Heaven,” the commitment any Jew must make to trust in God, and the “yoke of the Torah,” the concomitant commitment an observant Jew makes to keep the generalities and details of halakhah. Yeshua speaks of his own easy yoke and light burden. These two are sometimes contrasted in a way implying that in comparison with Judaism, Christianity offers “cheap grace.” But this saying of Yeshua’s must be put alongside remarks such as at 10:38 (
To close, I will simply quote from 1 John 2:3-6
Now we know that we have come to know Him by this—if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God is truly made perfect. We know that we are in Him by this— whoever claims to abide in Him must walk just as He walked.
