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).