The Torah is the first 5 scrolls (books) of the TANAKH, or Old Testament. "TANAKH" is an acronym consisting of; Torah, and Nevi'im, and Ketuvim (Instructions, Prophets, Writings). The actual word, Torah, in Hebrew, means "instructions", not Law, as most Bible translations would state. Our western mindset on language has us seeing Torah as a harsh set of rules to be obeyed or denied. In Hebrew culture, however, Torah is seen as a set of instructions in making day to day decisions about our relationship with God and with each other. Torah is also known as "Logos" and "Nomos" in the Greek, as well as "Dabar" (word) in the Hebrew. We all commonly refer to the Bible as the "Word of God". Okay, so the Torah is His Word, His instructions, His commandments.
So, Who is Yeshua?
We now know that Yeshua is the embodiment of the Torah and is literally the walking, living, breathing Torah, Word, Logos, Nomos, and Dabar.
At this point a Church person may say, "Yes! That's right! Jesus lived the Torah perfectly so we don't have to!" Yes, I've actually had folks tell me that. But, the Church person's remark must be validated by the Word, not man, so let's keep going.
Let's make an additional point. Is Yeshua different from Yehovah or are they one and the same? Well, my goodness, even Church doctrine acknowledges that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are One and this agrees with Deut. 6:4, also known as the Shema, which states God is One. The New Testament says this as well, John 10.
At this point one of my favorite topics comes into play; logic. In my opinion, Yehovah is very logical and even mathematical and so is his Word - the Bible. So, if Yehovah the Father teaches a thing, then Yeshua the Son must be in complete agreement. Does this make sense? Did God make a mistake and provided the Son to fix things? Someone saying that the Son came along to repair what the Father messed up is nonsensical, in other words. No, we humans messed up and the Father sent His Son to redeem and fix us!
So, hopefully I've driven home the point that the Bible's teachings are to be believed because it's literally God's Word and that an "Old Testament" belief and doctrine has not been superseded by the Son's teaching via the New Testament. To believe so would be us creating a New God in our own image - with our human understanding - and not the understanding of His Word. If one does not believe the Bible's words at all, then you would be what we call a non-believer.
Therefore:
-The Word is His instructions in Torah, sometimes called commandments.
-The New Covenant is the Old Covenant placed on the heart, under a Melchizedek Priesthood.
-Sin is defined as breaking (transgressing) Torah.
-Righteousness is living by the instructions of Torah.
-Yeshua is Yehovah's Word and the two cannot contradict each other. To do so is saying that Yeshua is working against the Father.
Btw, if Yeshua's teachings contradict Torah then he cannot be the Messiah!
So, on this basis, let's look at the New Testament as it concerns Torah! (ESV, generally)
Matthew (Mattityahu) Ch. 1
Matt 1:1-17 The Genealogy
These verses trace Yeshua's bloodline all the way back to Abraham. Much has been written about this - too much to cover here, but what is necessary to point out is that Yeshua is a Jew. He is called the Lion of Judah. He is not a Greco-Roman-Western figure. He is middle-eastern. He is our Jewish Messiah, our one and only Rabbi - because no man deserves to be called "great one". Rabbi, a title which has the root "Rabi", meaning "Master" in English, which in Hebrew is "Rav", meaning "great one" should never be applied to humans. Moreh is the Hebrew word for "teacher". So, in Judaism a Rabbi is a moreh who teaches Torah and the Talmud, as expressed by Pharisee doctrine. Yeshua said, do not refer to men in this way. (See Matt. 23)
Matt 1:18-25 The Birth of Yeshua - Joseph's Dream
Joseph (Yosef) was bethrothed to Mary (Meriam) and when he realized she was pregnant he decided to divorce her quietly (annul the betrothal), because in those days an unwed pregnant girl was put to death. But Yosef has a dream in which an Angel (Messenger) of Yehovah told him to marry her, saying she is a virgin who will bear a son, and who will be referred to as, "Emmanuel", meaning, "God is with us.", and his name shall be "Yeshua" (Salvation).
You understand don't you, how Yeshua cannot have a separate doctrine (teaching) than the Father? It's the same Covenant, better and renewed, now under an eternal Priesthood.
Next ... Matt. Ch. 5, Torah in the Sermon on the Mount ...
The Observer
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