If you ever wanted to illustrate how man has changed and altered the Holy Bible, and has altered whole manuscript families, a good example shows up in Ch. 10 of Romans.
Growing up in the Church, we are properly taught respect and admiration for our Pastor and Elders. It is a watershed moment when one discovers these very men have lied to us. In fact, it took years for me to get over the disappointment after the realization. What brought me back to Faith was the Holy Spirit, that Spirit of Christ mentioned in Ch. 8 of Romans, showing me, in the Bible, that God's True Word is still there, underneath the pitiful attempts of man to conceal it.
Rom 9:1 I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit,
Rom 9:2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart.
Rom 9:3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh,
Rom 9:4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises,
Rom 9:5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
[Note: Sha'ul is lamenting over his brethren here. Paul is saying he would go so far as to give up Christ and be accursed if he could but save his kinsmen; those who were given so much! Later in this study, some folks will use this statement of Paul's in Romans along with one in Galatians to actually say a person is accursed if he tries to follow Torah after receiving Salvation. When we get to Galatians I'll show this is not true. Paul is speaking in terms of Ch. 8. Remember, without the Spirit of Christ indwelling in you, you cannot possibly follow Torah? The Israelites, Sha'ul's brethren, were guilty of attempting to follow Torah through the Flesh, by creating all manner of man-made rules in addition to or taking away from Torah. One is actually "accursed" if one does not have Christ and attempts to follow Torah on his own! How can one have Christ and be against Torah? Paul has made it abundantly clear this is impossible! You have to go back to Deuteronomy to understand this relationship between the Blessed and the Cursed. Please remember, we have the same Gospel as they did!]
... to get a fuller context, please read all of Roman's 9.
Rom 9:30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith;
Rom 9:31 but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. (Torah)
Rom 9:32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,
Rom 9:33 just as it is written, "BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED."
[Note: Paul's brethren, especially the Rabbis and Pharisees, used man-made rules to "work" their way through Torah. This is different than our "works" required as we "work" through our Salvation with "fear and trembling". Remember, we are judged by our "works" (yes, another word study!). The word, "work(s)" is constantly misused throughout the N.T. Sometimes it means "deeds", sometimes it means man-made "law", sometimes it means Torah! This word is misused like the word "fulfilled" is misused. Paul is simply continuing his thoughts laid out in Ch. 8 and using the Israelites and Gentiles to illustrate his point.]
Rom 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Rom 10:5 For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness.
[Note: OK! Here it is! My Churchy friends will say, "TORAH HAS ENDED FOR BELIEVERS!" Nope! Sorry! Here it is in the Greek w/English below:
v4. τέλος γὰρ νόμου Χριστὸς , εἰς δικαιοσύνην παντὶ τῷ
v4. [the] end indeed of law [is] Christ , for righteousness to everyone -
v4. πιστεύοντι .
believing.
The word for "end" here is "telos" in Greek. Here is Strong's dictionary explaining "telos":
tel'-os
From a primary word τέλλω tellō (to set out for a definite point or goal); properly the point aimed at as a limit, that is, (by implication) the conclusion of an act or state (termination [literally, figuratively or indefinitely], result [immediate, ultimate or prophetic], purpose); specifically an impost or levy (as paid): - + continual, custom, end (-ing), finally, uttermost. Compare G5411.
So, what this means is that Christ, who lived Torah perfectly, is our "telos" or "goal" when it comes to living a life of righteousness for us believers! We are to be perfect (as much as possible), as Christ is, in our living a righteous life! Remember how we went over the word, "righteousness"? It means, "right standing in Torah"! Yes, "telos" can be used in other ways, depending on the grammar and usage in the sentence, but most Bible Scholars and Linguists say Romans 10:4 is used as a "goal" for us. Our English Bible translators do this constantly - misuse words - and we must be on guard always. A question, please. Has a Pastor ever correctly explained Romans 10:4 to you? I'll bet the answer is NO! Why hasn't he? Because if he does, it means Torah is still valid for us Christians, it means the Sabbath is valid, it means Christmas and Easter are pagan and not to be celebrated - IT MEANS THEY HAVE LIED TO YOU OVER CENTURIES AND CENTURIES! Yes, the Jeremiah 16 prophecy is coming true, right before our eyes! Also, please notice verse 5. If we practice (works) a righteous life, we will live according to the law! The Torah is still alive and well - to show us how to live a righteous life!]
Rom 13:8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
Rom 13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
[Note: "he who loves his neighbor" has fully filled Torah, a good thing! "Love" is the filling full of Torah, Torah expressed in it's fullness!]
Folks, the fact is that our Pastors and Priests are now the modern-day Pharisees. They want you to follow their rules and not Yehovah-Yeshua's. Keep searching for the Narrow Gate. You will not find it in Church, most likely!
The Observer
No comments:
Post a Comment