As I've been processing the desecration of the Torah by Ralph Messer (as mentioned in my last posting) I found myself asking, "What is responsible for all the irreverence that exists in the Church world today toward things that are sacred?" The answer came to me immediately as a two-fold answer. It's due:
1. To the Church's divorce from the Torah.
2. To the rape of the meaning of the grace of God.
Both of these reasons arise from the influence of the early Church fathers who misinterpeted Paul's statement in Romans 6:14, "...for you are not under law, but under grace." By misinterpreting and misunderstanding that statement, the Church fathers threw the Law (Torah) into the dumpster and twisted the meaning of God's grace. Once you toss out the Law, you become lawless! And the result of this lawlessness is the loss of the fear and awe of God.
To have a correct understanding of what Paul was communicating in that statement we must take a few things into account. First of all the word translated Law/law in the Apostolic writings is translated from the Greek word nomos. Also, the word translated under means "not subject to the power (of)." So in the case of Romans 6:14 Paul is stating that we are "not subject to the power of the law, but are subject to the power of grace." The key to understanding Paul's statement, therefore, is in how we translate nomos. Since nomos, translated "law", is a general term for law, how it is interpreted depends on the context in which it is used. Nomos in certain contexts is a reference to the Torah, but in other contexts it is used of other laws besides the Torah. And in the case of Romans 6:14 nomos is NOT referencing the Torah, but in the context of the passage it is referencing the law of sin. So when Torah observant Paul writes that we are not "under law" in this context, he is speaking about the law of sin, not the Torah! But we are "under grace."
So then we must ask, what does it mean to be "under grace?" Well it does not mean that we are free from the Torah, or from the Law of God, to live any old way we want to. Grace is not license to excuse our stupidity, stubborness and sin. It does mean that as believers we are now free from the law of sin, from being under its power as slaves to it, so that we are now equally free (by grace) to obey God and subject ourselves to the obedience of the Word of God, i.e., the Torah. According to Titus 2:11,12 grace is the power to live free from sin in obedience to God, it is not a carte blanche freedom to continue living like we did before we knew Yeshua. Listen to what Paul tells Titus in those verses, from the New International Version of the Bible:
"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It [God's grace] teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly possessions (or lusts), and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age."
It is time to rethink what the grace of God really is and accept the fact that the abuse of its meaning has resulted in the deplorable moral and spiritual condition of the modern day body of the Messiah.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Under Torah sin is imputed for sin is not imputed where no Torah exists. Rom 5:13 and for where there is no Torah there is no transgression. Rom 4:5. The nominative case of Rom 4:5 is speaking of the Torah and the Genus Case of Rom 5:13 is speaking of its kind or type not imputed BUT! Death reined from Adam to Moshe. what ten serves the Torah? It was added because of transgression. Gal 3:19. Again the nominative male singular 'nomos' is applied here. The link between Torah and transgression (sin)is clearly established. The Law of sin and death is not apart from Torah but linked to it. For I had not known faults (hamartia) but by the Torah's type Genus Case nomou. Rom 6:14 ou gar este hupo nomon deploys the perfect noun "nomon" in the accusative male singular applied with duel preposition 'hupo'. Used with only two of the Greek cases Genus and Accusative. hupo nomou the genus implies under this kind or type; hupo nomon implies under his to make it full. The negative particle 'ou' implies the absolute negative of fact i.e. not. The conditional is mE. The translation reads " for (gar)faults (hamartia)of your kind (humOn) shall NOT (ou)have dominion (kurieusei verb indicative mood,active future tense)Why? For (gar = this fact) NOT (ou) are ye under the Torah in the complete accusative case. i.e. you are not under to make complete. The nominative nomos is not applied here because it is nominative (imperfect)viz: you are not under the imperfect nature of Torah (it ongoing state) same as the Hebrew sense of the imperfect verb Qal. If one says the Law of sin then Torah is latent because without Torah there is no knowledge of Chatta'ah (sin)and sin is NOT imputed or reckoned where NO Torah exists. So to suggest the Law of Sin lives in vacuum apart from Torah is myth. If the ministration of death engraved in stones (Torah)was glorious... how much the ministration of the Set Apart Spirit. 2 Cor 3:7. Rom 6:14 is not in isolation from Torah because Chatta'ah and Torah cannot be separated. There fore ye are not under torah to complete it. BUT! (alla = the strongest adversative conjunction) under grace viz: under grace complete as 'hupo charin'is also accusative case. Note also if the 'Law of sin' is intended then the ellipses of the noun must likewise be applied to grace i.e. ye are not under the Law of Sin BUT under the Law of Grace. For tisot be the case the nominative 'nomos' not the accusative 'nomon'. A little Greek will not cut the mustard you have to understand the language of things revealed. The Galatian Syndrome will cause many to perish as little leaven (Torah the ministration of death) leavens the whole lump. ON this point Messiah fulfils the Feast of Passover sacrificed for us, Unleavened Bread enmity of Law of Commandment (Mitzvah)in Decress (Mitzvoth 613) slain and nailed First fruit raised again for you justification. No Torah the time of tutors and governors now finished. A new priest after the order of Melchisedek (priesthood of endless life) and if a change priesthood (Aaron to Melchisedek) then also change of Torah.
Post a Comment