Is Christ the End of the Law

Is Christ the End of the Law?

by John K. McKee
editor@tnnonline.net

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Did the work of the Messiah terminate the Law of Moses? What does Romans 10:4 actually mean? Is the born again Believer still subject to the Torah?

Introduction

A fundamental principle of Christianity is "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). In theory, modern Christians claim to honor the Bible as if all of it is the inspired, inerrant word of the Lord. However, in practice, the same cannot be said, especially when it comes to most Christians' attitude concerning the five books of Moses (Genesis --- Deuteronomy), commonly called the Torah.[1][1]

The psalmist writes, "Doing your will, my God, is my joy; your Torah is in my inmost being" (Psalms 40:8, CJB) and "If Thy law had not been my delight, Then I would have perished in my affliction" (Psalms 119:92). Yeshua tells us in Matthew 19:17 "if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." These fundamental concepts are admittedly hard to understand for today's Christian.

Have we not also been taught, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8) and "if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly" (Galatians 2:21)? These too are fundamental concepts of our faith.

The Apostle Paul writes "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). We are to be very careful when handling Holy Scripture, especially if one claims that certain parts of it, such as the Law of Moses, are no longer for today's Believer. As Yeshua warns, "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:19a).

What is the average Christian to do about these "contradictions" in the pages of the Bible? From one perspective, we could argue that the Torah is not for the Believer whereas from another, we could come to the conclusion that a Believer must and should be honoring of God's commands. Rather than be dogmatic about a particular persuasion, let truth be our ultimate quest. Let us understand that the Bible has no contradictions and that it is our job to seek what is true above all else, even our own opinions.

Through the advent of the Messianic movement and many Christians embracing the Hebraic heritage of our faith, many have been led to study and honor the Torah. But at the same time, there are concerns that exist, the first one being "you are not under law, but under grace" (Romans 6:14). Letting the whole of Scripture be our guide, we will set straight many of Christianity's misconceptions, as "The Torah of Adonai is perfect, restoring the inner person. The instruction of Adonai is sure, making wise the thoughtless" (Psalms 19:7, CJB). As Yeshua told the Pharisees, "if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me" (John 5:46). We seek Scriptural continuity and seek to truly honor the entire Word of God, including His Torah, making Yeshua be our Interpreter.

Initial Christian Misgivings About "The Law"

When many Christians think about the Torah of Moses, they conjure up a listing of rules and regulations given by a God who will "strike them down" if they disobey. They fail to observe that much of modern Western government is in fact based on the writings of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Even more so, the United States of America has more laws than any other country on the face of this planet, and it is considered the world's freest nation!

As far as personal understanding or application is concerned, the Torah is not just "the Law." The Hebrew torah (hrwt) is defined as "law, direction, instruction" and could also be called "teaching."[2][2] Depending on your perspective, you can treat God's commandments as "orders" or as the loving Instructions of a Heavenly Father. The Apostle John writes, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3).

Most of our controversy concerning the validity Torah is not going to come from the Old Testament (Tanakh). It will rather come from the New Testament and Christian misunderstandings or biased translations of certain Greek words. One such example is exists with the Greek noun nomos (nomoß)[3][3] commonly translated as "law." Imperative to a proper New Covenant understanding of nomos is that this word is an all-inclusive Greek term entailing: law, teaching, instruction, rules, or natural laws of the universe. When the New Testament speaks of "the law," it is important to determine what law it is speaking of. Is the nomos mentioned the Law/Torah of Moses, or is it a spiritual law such as the law of sin and death?

Some would agree with what has thus far been mentioned. Very few Christians will say that the Law of Moses "did not serve a purpose," but didn't Jesus say, "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:17)? They will agree that Yeshua did not come to "destroy" (KJV) the Law, but hasn't He already fulfilled it?

To this we answer yes and no. The Greek verb translated "fulfill" in Matthew 5:17, pleroo (plhrow), notably means "to fill to the top: so that nothing shall be wanting to full measure, fill to the brim," or more importantly, "to make complete in every particular, to render perfect."[4][4] We know that in order to be the promised Messiah of Israel, Yeshua must have observed the Torah of Moses perfectly as He is our Passover Lamb and blameless sacrifice. Thus, He fulfilled Torah by living it without error.

If we continue reading Yeshua's critical admonition in Matthew 5:18-19, the reader will discover some perplexing statements:

"For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:18-19).

In these verses, the Messiah very clearly tells us "until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished" (Matthew 5:18). Now we would ask the reader, has all been accomplished? Have the prophesies within the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) been fulfilled? Be aware that the foremost of these prophesies is Messiah's return to establish His Kingdom --- which has not occurred.

We would have to answer no to these questions. Furthermore, what did Yeshua mean by stating "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:19)? Was He telling the Believer that he needs to honor the commandments of Moses? Did not Messiah tell us "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but 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 cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness" (Matthew 7:21-23)?

As the Power New Testament translates Matthew 7:23, "I will declare to them that 'I never knew you: you working without Torah must continually depart from me.'"

This, of course, opens up an entirely new range of theological questions. Your average Christian's understanding of Holy Scripture primarily comes from the epistles of Paul, which were letters written to various communities of Believers in Messiah to address problems that each of those communities had. In fact, some have gone as far as to say that Christians need not concern himself with Yeshua's words, because He "was speaking to the Jews" and that Paul was "apostle to the [so-called] Gentiles."[5][5] And most of Paul's writing is actually commentary on the Torah!

This perspective of Scripture, and most importantly the Law of Moses, is totally unwarranted and unbiblical. In fact, throughout his writings Paul upholds the validity of the Torah, stating that "the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good" (Romans 7:12). In Romans 3:31, the Apostle writes, "Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law." The Greek verb translated "established" here, histemi (istemi), actually means "to uphold or sustain the authority or force of anything."[6][6]

Some might argue at this point that they are "under the law of Christ" (1 Corinthians 9:21, CJB; Galatians 6:2), which would be correct. But Who is He? Is not Yeshua YHVH Elohim, the Lord God made manifest in the flesh? As Adonai (the Lord), was not Messiah at Mt. Sinai giving the commandments to Moses? 1 Corinthians 10:4 tells us that Ancient Israel "drank from a Spirit-sent Rock which followed them, and that Rock was Messiah" (CJB). To deny that the Torah composes Yeshua's commandments, says that He is not YHVH Elohim (the Lord God) and thus denies His divinity.

Others would argue that the Law of Moses was "for Israel." 2 Kings 17:37 states that "the statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandment, which He wrote for you, you shall observe to do forever." They misunderstand the fact that Yeshua came as Messiah of Israel telling us "on this Rock I will restore[7][7] My called out assembly" (Matthew 16:18, Author's Compiled Translation) and that at Pentecost Peter declared "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him (Yeshua) both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36). Most important, the Apostle Paul has written that all Believers are members of the "commonwealth of Israel, [formerly] strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12). Born again Believers are not part of a separate group of elect known as "the Church."[8][8]

There is a plethora of references throughout the pages of the Bible telling us that the Torah is "everlasting" or "for all generations" (Exodus 27:21; 28:43; 29:28; 30:21; 31:17; Leviticus 6:18, 22; 7:34, 36; 10:9, 15; 17:7; 23:14, 21, 41; 24:3; Numbers 10:8; 15:15; 18:8, 11, 19, 23; 19:10; Deuteronomy 5:19; Psalms 119:160). But why do we have those trying to tell us otherwise? Are there those within Christianity whose traditions are more important to them than Scriptural truth? In the manner of how the early Reformers challenged the papacy, so we question the modern Christian concept of the eternal Torah of YHVH being annulled.

What Does Romans 10:4 Actually Mean?

We now arrive at the heart of the matter. In most Bibles Romans 10:4 is translated, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." The first part of the verse, "Christ is the end of the law," is a cause of much confusion within Christianity today. First, it would seem to contradict Jesus' admonition to us in Matthew 5:17-19. Second, it would also contradict Paul's writing in Romans 7:12.

The truth is that Messiah is not the "end" of the Law of Moses. The Greek word translated as "end" in Romans 10:4 is telos (teloß), meaning "the end to which all things relate, the aim, purpose."[9][9] (A footnote in the NASB for "end" actually reads "or goal.") Greek scholar Spiros Zodihates, offers us with some valuable commentary by stating that telos "...does not, as is commonly supposed, mean the extinction, end, termination with reference to time, but the goal reached, the completion or conclusion at which something arrives...or as a result, acme, consummation..."[10][10] The Complete Jewish Bible probably translates Romans 10:4 best, "For the goal at which the Torah aims is the Messiah, who offers righteousness to everyone who trusts."

More generic English Bible translations such as the Contemporary English Version translate Romans 10:4 as "But Christ makes the Law no longer necessary for those who become acceptable by God through faith." Interestingly enough, a footnote exists in the CEV stating, or "But Christ gives full meaning to the Law."

Romans 10:4 also brings us to a more perplexing paradigm, what does it mean "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes"? This passage of Scripture continues, explaining,

"For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness. But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: 'Do not say in your heart, "Who will ascend into heaven?" (that is, to bring Christ down), or "Who will descend into the abyss?" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).' But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' --- that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.' For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for 'Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved'" (Romans 10:5-13).

One might say that Messiah is a termination of the Law as far as righteousness is concerned. But a critical question we must ask ourselves is: Did righteousness ever come through the Law? Paul commentates in Galatians 2:21 that "I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly." Yet, the Apostle also tells us "Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law" (Galatians 3:21).

If we consider a more correct translation of Romans 10:4, we see that "Messiah is the aim/purpose of the Torah." Perhaps a better way to phrase this is that "Torah is to point to the Messiah," as is consistent with the CJB. With this in mind, what is the Law to do? To this, Paul writes "I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, 'You shall not covet'" (Romans 7:7). In other words, the commandments of Torah convicted Paul of his sin. As he also tells us, "For what the Torah could not do by itself, because it lacked the power to make the old nature cooperate, God did by sending his own Son as a human being with a nature like our own sinful one. God did this in order to deal with sin, and in so doing he executed the punishment against sin in human nature" (Romans 8:3, CJB). The purpose, telos, of the Torah is to convict man of his sin, show him that he has violated God's commandments, and thus reveal his own sin nature. For the Believer, the Torah is to continue to convict, thus one can "work out [his] salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12), knowing what to confess daily before the Father.

Yeshua HaMashiach summed up the Law of Moses for us in the following verses:

"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 22:36-40).

What may be surprising to your average Christian is that Yeshua's admonition in Matthew 22:36-40 He was quoting directly from the Torah. These commandments were not "made up" as some would like us to believe.

"You shall love YHVH your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates" (Deuteronomy 6:5-9).

"You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am YHVH" (Leviticus 19:18).

Summarized, both Yeshua the Messiah and the Apostle Paul uphold the validity of Torah for the Believer. This is not to say that the position of Torah has not changed since Yeshua's sacrifice, but it is to say that Christianity as a whole needs to reevaluate its position. Let us truly make Messiah "the goal at which the Torah aims" (Romans 10:4, CJB) as opposed to the "end of the law." Otherwise, Paul has contradicted himself (Romans 7:12) and we should consider Yeshua's admonition of the Law not passing away (Matthew 5:17-19) null and void. Thus, we join liberal theologians and their assault on that the Holy Scriptures are not the inerrant Word of God and are full of contradictions. The true Believer in Yeshua cannot accept this and therefore must accept His teaching: "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments...He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him" (John 14:15, 21). What are those commandments? They are found in the Torah!

The First Century Believers Were Torah Observant

By this point, the reader may be wondering, "Alright, I understand that the Law is to convict me of sin and that Jesus upheld the validity of it. But, weren't the first non-Jewish Believers told that they did not have to keep the Law?"

In the days of the first Messianic assemblies (or "churches") there was a controversy. In Acts 10:9-16 the Apostle Peter was shown the vision of the sheet. On the sheet, he saw animals of all types which God told him He had made clean. Peter denounced this, saying that he had never eaten of meat which was, according to Torah, considered unclean. God then told Peter "What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy" (Acts 10:15).

Most in Christianity interpret this passage of Scripture has meaning that the Mosaic dietary requirements have been eliminated. What they forget to do in Acts 10 is consult Peter's interpretation of his vision.

"On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance; and he saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air. A voice came to him, 'Get up, Peter, kill and eat!' But Peter said, 'By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.' Again a voice came to him a second time, 'What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.' This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into the sky" (Acts 10:9-16).

"And he said to them, 'You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean. That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was sent for. So I ask for what reason you have sent for me'" (Acts 10:28-29).

Peter did not see a vision which made meat considered unclean by Mosaic standards clean. Rather, as he attested, "God has shown me that I should no call any man unholy or unclean" (Acts 10:28). Peter was not sent to the marketplace after his vision to purchase pork or shellfish, considered unclean by the Torah.[11][11] Peter was sent to the home of Cornelius, a God-fearing Roman centurion, to tell him the good news about Yeshua the Messiah (Acts 10:24-48).

Now the reader may be wondering, "But didn't this go against the Jerusalem Council's ruling in Acts 15?"

As we should recall from Acts 15:1, "And some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, 'Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.'" The issues that the Jerusalem Council had to face were those of the Pharisees who believed in Messiah, but were requiring non-Jewish Believers to "convert to Judaism" so that they could "be saved." The issue of whether or not non-Jews had to observe the Torah was of importance and thus the Apostle James, brother of Yeshua, ruled the following:

"Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are [re]turning[12][12] to God from among the Gentiles [heathen], but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath" (Acts 15:19-21).

Four requirements were given to the new non-Jewish Believers in order for them to congregate with Jewish Believers in Messiah:

1. Abstinence from pollutions of idols
2. Abstinence from fornication
3. Abstinence from things strangled
4. Abstinence from blood

Briefly summarized, non-Jewish Believers were told to avoid idols, fornication (sexual immorality), meats that were not killed in a clean method (Deuteronomy 14:2-20), and from blood (Deuteronomy 12:23-25).

Why were heathen coming to faith coming to faith told to observe these four things? The answer might startle you.

"For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath" (Acts 15:21).

The inference is that born again non-Jews were to observe these things so that they could enter the synagogues to be taught Torah or the Instruction of God as delivered through the five books of Moses. The non-Jewish Believers were expected to honor God's Law and given time assert their rightful place as citizens of the Commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:12).

"Under The Law"

Perhaps the Scriptures do uphold the validity of the Torah, but we're not under the Law, correct? As the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 6:14, "For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace."

Some Christians have unfortunately misinterpreted Romans 6:14 and similarly, 1 Corinthians 15:56, "The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law," as meaning that honoring the Torah of YHVH is sin. Does not Paul also say "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!" (Romans 6:15). Add to that his crucial admonition in Romans 7:12 where he states "the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good."

True Believers in Yeshua the Messiah are not "under the Law." But what does "under the Law" mean exactly? To most Christians it means being in observance of Torah. But is this truly what the Scripture tells us?

In Galatians 3:10-13, Paul commentates to this regard:

"For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.' Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, 'The righteous man shall live by faith.' However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, 'He who practices them shall live by them.' Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us --- for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"' (Galatians 3:10-13).

We are told in Galatians 3:10 that those who consider works of the Law as a method of righteousness "are under a curse." Furthermore, we are told in Psalms 14:1 "There is no one who does good." Everyone is guilty of breaking God's commandments and is thus under the curse of the Law if they are not saved. Galatians 3:23 states "But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed," in reference to our pre-Messianic state. However, as Paul attested in Galatians 3:13, "Christ [has] redeemed us from the curse of the Law."

No Believer who has been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and who has faith in Yeshua the Messiah is "under the law." But being "under the Law" is not being obedient to God's commandments. Being "under the Law" is being "under the curse of the Law," which is eternal damnation. We are told in Galatians 3:24-25 "the Torah has become our custodial guide to Messiah, so that we could be made righteous by faith: and since faith has come we are no longer under custody" (PNT). Again, we would emphasize that the custody that we as born again Believers were previously under was the curse of the Law, not the Torah itself.

In Romans 10:5, Paul quotes Leviticus 18:5: "So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am YHVH." This is inferring that if you follow God's commandments, you will be expected to live up to them. James comments, saying, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all" (James 2:10). Many Christians argue that since they can't keep the Law, because there are human, as we all are, and are expected to observe it all, that they should not follow any of YHVH's Instructions for mankind. We must reject this heresy! Rather, the Torah is to continue to convict even the Believer --- making him "work out [his] salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). For righteousness indeed comes through faith, but being holy, or set-apart comes through obedience to our Father's commands.

"For you are a holy people to YHVH your God; YHVH your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth" (Deuteronomy 7:6).

"But you are a chosen race, A royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy" (1 Peter 2:9-10).[13][13]

Conclusion

Your response to the truth of the validity of Torah is totally up to you. As it is written in Psalms 119:142; 152, "Your (God's) righteousness is eternal righteousness, and your Torah is truth...Long ago I learned from your instruction that you established it forever" (CJB). The psalmist also writes, "Those who love Thy law have great peace, And nothing causes them to stumble" (Psalms 119:165).

An unfortunate admonition to us comes from Proverbs 29:18, "Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law." Is this the state of Christianity today? What is the long-term purpose of the modern Christian's walk with Messiah? Are we truly praying "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven" and doing all we can to see Yeshua return in power and great glory to establish His eternal Rule? Let us not be as "he who turns away his ear from listening to the law, [whose] prayer is an abomination" (Proverbs 28:9).

There are no easy answers to these questions. There is no easy answer that we can give to the Christian whose beliefs have just been challenged. We can tell you, however, what Yeshua told us, "He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him" (John 14:21). If we truly believe that Yeshua is YHVH, the Lord, then we will do what He said.

Matthew 24:12 tells us that in the Last Days "because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold" or as the CJB states, "people's love will grow cold because of increased distance from Torah." Yeshua the Messiah puts it best in Matthew 13:41, "The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness (CJB: 'people who are far from Torah')." Will you be one of those people? Will your messiah be the man of lawlessness, the antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2:3)?[14][14] Or will your Messiah be the One who said "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:19)?

We leave you to answer these questions. Will you see the Law as pointing to Messiah, in revealing the sin to repent of in your life? Or will you see Yeshua as lawless, antichrist, annulling the commandments of the Father? As it has been validly observed, if YHVH had a problem with His Torah, He must had found a problem with Himself. And to say that the God of the Universe has a problem with Himself, is to deny His omnipotency and all-powerful state.

If the Torah is for you and its validity is upheld by our Lord Yeshua and the New Covenant saints --- what "Christian" traditions or practices will you need to discard or reevaluate because they violate our Heavenly Father's holy commands? If Scriptural continuity is what you seek, then truly aim to see Messiah in the Torah!

The Torah of YHVH is what has defined sin for mankind and as all of sinned, we are all guilty of transgressing God's commandments. We must repent of our previous lawless nature and pursue obedience of our Heavenly Father's instructions. Yet we know that even as regenerate Believers, we will still stumble but have the understanding that Messiah has taken away the curse of the Law (Hell).

This article does not address all of the questions that the reader may have regarding the validity of Torah. The editor would like to create a future article regarding this subject in a question & answer format. If you have a question that you think would be beneficial for this discussion, then please e-mail it to us.

NOTES

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[1][1] The Torah is also referred to as the Pentateuch, a Greek term meaning "book of five."

[2][2] Strong's #H8451; Quickverse 6.0: Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions, CD-ROM, Hiawatha IA: Parsons Technology, 1999.

[3][3] Strong's #G3551.

[4][4] Strong's #G4137; Quickverse 6.0: Thayer's Greek Definitions, CD-ROM, Hiawatha IA: Parsons Technology, 1999.

[5][5] Note that the term "Gentile" actually means pagan, heathen, or "of the nations." In saying that Paul was Apostle to the so-called Gentiles, the editor is implying that there is a misconception of the word "Gentile" in modern Christianity.

[6][6] Strong's #G2476; Quickverse 6.0: Thayer's Greek Definitions.

[7][7] Greek oikodomeo (oikodomew); Strong's #G3618.

[8][8] Consult the editor's articles "The Identity of Israel" <tnnonline.net/theonews/messianic/identity-israel/> and "When Did 'the Church' Begin?" <tnnonline.net/theonews/churchhistory/church-begin/>.

[9][9] Strong's #G5056; Quickverse 6.0: Thayer's Greek Definitions.

[10][10] Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D., Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible (NAS, NASB) (Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 1994), 1881.

[11][11] Leviticus 11:17; Deuteronomy 14:18; Leviticus 11:9-12; Deuteronomy 14:9-10.

[12][12] Greek epistrepho (epistrefw); Strong's #G1994.

[13][13] Cf. Isaiah 61:6; Hosea 1:10; 2:23.

[14][14] Daniel prophesies that the antichrist (man of lawlessness) "will make alterations in time and law (torah)" (Daniel 7:25).