What Do I Do?
For those new to trying to live out the Torah today, here are some thoughts on how to get started on your journey as we answer the question - what do I do?
119 Blog
in Going Deeper
Why Bother?
It is often asked, “If the law of God is just there to prove we can’t keep it, then why bother trying?” This is a good and fair question based on a snippet of Scripture being misunderstood. The Law of God instructs us on how to live; in doing so, it does point out our sin, with sin being defined as breaking the law of God (1 John 3:4). The curse of the law, or rather the penalty of it, is death (Romans 6:23); this is known as the law of sin and death (Romans...
1 Timothy 1:8 and the Lawful use of the Law
As "great" as Paul was, as a Pharisee who felt he knew the law and lived by it, he realized that simply following the letter of the law wasn't right, and that he wasn't even living correctly! Note that in 1 Timothy 1:13 he even called himself a blasphemer! The point here is this, Paul realized that only living by the legality of the law wasn’t enough, he also needed the spirit. He was not discarding the requirement of obeying the law, but simply applying another aspect of it, the...
Sabbath pleasure?
Does Isaiah 58:13-14 mean that we cannot have any pleasure on the Sabbath? Isaiah 58:13-14 “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you...
The Great Commission
Matthew 28:19-20 19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”In the "Great Commission" of Matthew 28:19, Yeshua tells us to go out into the world and make disciples of all nations, but what does it mean to make disciples? The operative word, or...
Every Word
Every Word If one believes that the Law of God has been done away with, can they really believe the words of our Savior that says, Matthew 4:4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Because if one part of God’s word nullifies another part of God’s word how can He say that we live on EVERY word that comes from the mouth of God? Just a thought...
The Heart of the Matter...Expanded
1 Samuel 16:7 …The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. Why does the Lord look at the heart? What should have been in the heart even here regarding King Saul? Deuteronomy 30:14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. From the very beginning, the Lord has desired obedience from the heart. This is why, in Mark 12:30, Christ quoted from Deuteronomy...
Acts 10 with Mark 7
Many people bring up Acts 10 and Mark 7 regarding the dietary laws of God to show they no longer apply. Do Acts 10 and Mark 7 really tell us how the dietary laws set down in Leviticus have changed?. Acts 10:1-22 is Peter’s vision where God tells Peter to kill and eat all manner of clean and unclean animals...This is often interpreted as meaning that God made all things food and clean to eat. However, this is not the case as Peter explained the vision a little...
Obedience: God's Love Language
A number of years ago Gary Chapman wrote a book with a lot of insights into men, women, and relationships. In his book, he describes 5 specific love languages of which every person functions in at least one of them. They are: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. What does it mean to have these love languages? It means that either through someone speaking words of affirmation to you, spending quality time with...
The Heart of Torah - Part 1
I was once having a conversation with the pastor of a church from mainstream Christianity. In his attempt to understand where I was coming from, or my perspective, he posed several questions to me: “Where is the focus of the Torah Keepers? Is it on considering precious and personal the whole Torah, or just an emphasis on the commands that they say are being broken.” And “Isn't the point of keeping Torah, to treasure and walk after His and mankind's whole life...
Righteousness, The Pharisees, and You - Part 4
How Your Righteousness can exceed that of the Pharisees.
Righteousness, The Pharisees, and You - Part 2
What is righteousness according to the New Testament?
Righteousness, The Pharisees, and You - Part 1
What does the righteousness of the pharisees have to do with you according to Messiah in Matthew 5:20?
Where Was the Proof Against Paul?
Act 25:7-8 And when he was come, the Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove. While he answered for himself, Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all. Question: Why didn't the Jews just read Paul's letter's for proof? I thought his letters taught against the law? Perhaps they didn't know Paul wrote letters ;) But wait...
Heaven and Earth, and the Law of God
There are at least two reasons why Yeshua (Jesus) said that “not one jot or tittle of the Law of God” can change “till Heaven and Earth passes away.” Have you ever considered this matter? "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is...
The "Law" Limbo Begins: "How Low Will They Go?
By Clint Branham www.AwakenedChurch.com The “Law” Limbo begins; “How low will they go? “ Here are some examples of lies being spread about Stephen and Paul; Acts 6:9-14, Acts 21:18-26, Acts 25:7-8. Scripture clearly teaches that these matters are false, but these blatant lies have been adopted as truth and doctrine by Mainstream Christianity. Don't believe me? Read on... Act_6:9-14 (9) Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is...
The Pauline Paradox - Lawfulness or Lawlessness?
The Pauline Paradox - Lawfulness or Lawlessness? Are you that sure that Paul teaches that God has abolished or changed His law? Do you attempt to discern what law (instruction) Paul is teaching on in context? Do you realize how many "laws" Paul mentions in his letters? Here are some "laws" Paul specifically mentions: "Law of God" "Law of Sin" "Law of Sin and Death" "Law of Faith" "Law of my mind" "Law of Righteousness" "Law of Christ" Have you ever wondered why Peter says Paul is...
No Law, No Love
As we near the end, false prophets are supposed to appear and take away God's law. Mat 24:11-12 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. The whole point of all of God's law is love, loving God, and loving others. When we abolish it (mostly because of Paul according to Peter - 2 Peter 3:15-17) it creates lawlessness. Even if we abolish just some of it, it creates problems. The less law there is, the less...
The Word is He, In a Doctrinal Pickle are We
John 5:46 For if you BELIEVED MOSES, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. 47 But if YOU DO NOT BELIEVE HIS WRITINGS, how will you believe MY WORDS?” Moses wrote of Him? John 14:24 He who does not love Me does not keep MY WORDS; and THE WORD which you hear is NOT Mine but the Father’s who sent Me. Not His Words? John 1:14 And the WORD became flesh and dwelt among us, What Word? Mark 7 9 He said to them, “All too well you reject THE COMMANDMENT...
The Pharisees Were Lawless, and That Was Bad. Is Lawless Now Suddenly Good?
Halley’s Bible Handbook states that the: “Pharisees were the most numerous and influential of the religious sects of Jesus’ day. They were strict legalists. They stood for the rigid observance of the letter and forms of the Law, and also for the Traditions”. Is this view correct? Did the Pharisees stand for the observance of the law, did they keep the law, were they ‘legalists’, or instead did they prefer to keep traditions of men? The first mention of the...
in Going Deeper
Dancing with the Scriptures: The "But" Boogie
Let us look at two passages that use the word “but” and the interpretations associated with them. Before we start we need to have a quick English Grammar Lesson. The word “but” is a type of coordinating conjunction, also called a coordinator. It is a conjunction that joins two or more items of equal syntactic importance, such as words, main clauses, or sentences. Specifically, "but" presents a contrast or exception. Not left...