The “Good News” of Yahshua and
the Torah Work Together
By Terry G. Nash

S

ome may ask why we teach new Believers to obey the Torah (Law or Instructions), and its commandments. And, why not just teach the Messiah instead of the Torah? Isn’t that old Jewish Law done away?

In the first place, we teach Believers to obey Yahweh’s Commandments because the Good News of Yahshua ha Mashiach itself enforces obedience to the Commandments. Second of all, what defines sin is the commandments. And thirdly, we cannot teach the Good News without teaching obedience to Yahweh’s Torah.

~The Purpose for Yahshua’s Coming ~

Now let’s consider the Scriptural proof to my statements above. Shaul (Paul) states, “…Messiah Yahshua came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief,” (1 Tim. 1:15). An angel of Yahweh proclaims, “He shall save His people from their sins,” (Matt. 1:21). Again Shaul states, “Messiah died for our sins” (1 Cor. 15:1-3), and “…that He by the grace of Yahweh should taste of death for every man (Heb.2:9). The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). Yahchanan (John) says this about sin “…sin is the transgression of the Law (Torah)” (1 Yochanan 3:4).

Note that it says that sin is the transgression of the Law, which is the breaking of Yahweh’s Torah Com-mandments. This is the Scripturarl definition of sin.

The Scriptures plainly tell us why Yahshua ha Mashiach came to earth. He came to be the sacrificial offering for our sins. And we know that sin is the breaking of Yahweh’s Torah commands. Therefore, the Good News is that Yahshua died for our acts of breaking the Torah commands. This is a Scriptural fact. The Commandments of the Torah, both before, and at the time of Yahshua’s death, is what defines sin. All students of the Scriptures must admit to this fact. It is the same today (Malachi 3:6 and Heb. 13:8).

      ~Obedience to What Was Once Broken~

Mattithyahu 1:21 tells us that Yahshua came to save His people from their sins. We must conclude that in saving us from our acts of breaking the Commandments, Yahweh would require obedience to the Torah commands that we had been breaking. He did not come to take away the Commandments that defines sin, but to take away our sins (1 Yochanan 3:5). In other words, Yahshua came to take away our transgressions OF the Law, but not the LAW itself, that defines our sins.

Sin, transgressions, disobedience to Yahweh’s Torah commands, brought death into the world (Rom. 5:12). In the Brit Chadashah (New Covenant), we are told that the wages, or our payment, for our sins has not changed. It is still death! (Romans 6:23). Presently, Yahshua is our Savior FROM our sins, not IN our sins. Through faith in Him and obedience to the terms of the Brit Chadashah, we are gorgiven of our sins, and at that moment, we are made free from sin, and dead to it. Then we become servants of righteousness (Rom. 6:1-2, 6, 17-18).When we are made free from sin by the power of the Holy Spirit (Ruach ha Kodesh) dwelling within our minds and hearts, the righteousness of Yahweh’s Law is fulfilled in us. Shaul states, “That the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit,”(Romans 8:4).

~The Knowledge of Sin~

Shaul tells us, What shall we say, then?Is the Law sin? Yah forbid! Nay, I had not known sin but by the Law; for I had not known lust, except the Law had said, ‘Thou shall not covet’” (Rom. 7:7). Shaul then states, “…for by the Law is the knowledge of sin.” (Rom. 3:20). Put these two statements together, and we see that Shaul is definitely teaching that by the Torah Commandments is the knowledge of sin for us today (and every day). He stated that he would not have known sin but by the Law, then explains further, “For without the Law, sin is dead,” (Rom. 7:8), and “… for where no law is, there is no transgression,” (Rom. 4:15).

In other words, Shaul is saying that without the Law there is no sin. Sin, we know, is the breaking of the Law, Yahweh’s Holy Law. And so, if Yahweh’s Law is abolished, as some teach that it is, then there would be no sin, and if there be no sin, we would have no need for a Savior.

~Attributes of the Law~

Shaul writes, “Wherefore the Law is holy, and the Commandment holy and just and good,” (Rom. 7:12). If the Law and the Commandments were holy, just and good in Shaul’s time, then they must still be today. So why aren’t they taught today in mainstream Christianity? It’s no wonder the majority of Christians are confused. They do not know the Scriptural definition of what sin is.

~The Law is Spiritual~

Shaul tells us, “For we know that the Law is Spiritual,” (Rom. 7:14). Yahweh’s Torah commands are spiritual, and only those who are spiritual, who are led by the Ruach ha Kodesh can fulfill its requirements (Rom. 8:4). If we have been cleansed and made free from sin through Yahshua’s shed blood, and have His Spirit within us, then the righteousness of Yahweh’s Holy, Just and Good Law, will be fulfilled in us, Amein!

Perhaps you can see by now why we must teach Yahweh’s Torah when we preach the Good News of Yahshua ha Maschiah and His Kingdom. The Good News calls for us to repent, to turn away from our sins, and to accept Yahshua as Master and Savior to save us from our sins, not to save us in our sins How can people repent of their sins when they have no idea what sin is? By the Torah is the knowledge of sin, so then to know what sin is, we must study and teach Torah (Law).

~Obedience to Torah~

Yahshua preached the Good News, the same Good News that we are commanded to preach (Mark 1:14-15, 16:15-16, and Matthew 24:14; 28:19-20).

The Sermon on the Mount is part of the Good News that Yahshua preached. He taught full obedience to the Commandments of Yahweh’s Torah. He commanded us to do, and to teach, all of them (Mat. 5:19).Yahshua did not teach a substitute law, but magnified Yahweh’s Torah (Isaiah 42:21).

In Mat. 5:21-22, Yahshua magnifies the sixth Commandment to include hatred. 1 Yochanan (John) 3:15 states, “He who hates his brother is a murderer.” We must obey from the heart. If we are holding on to hatred of any kind toward anyone, we are guilty of murder, thus breaking the sixth Commandment.

In Mat. 5:27-28, Yahshua magnifies the seventh Commandment. He tells us that lust in the heart breaks the command that forbids adultery.

Yahshua ha Mashiach came to save us from our sins, and Yahweh’s Torah is to be written upon our hearts by the power of the Ruach he Kodesh (Mat. 1:21; 2 Cor. 3:2,3; Heb. 8:10).

Our hearts are cleansed by faith, and the love of Yahweh is shed abroad in our hearts by His indwelling Spirit. Lust and hatred are removed, and Yahweh’s love compels us to total obedience to the Torah commands. This is how the Good News of Yahshua ha Mashiach and the Torah work together. ~ Terry G. Nash