If one seeks to honor Torah, they must first trust, believe, in Jesus as Messiah who died for them to pay a sin-debt they cannot pay them self, receive the Holy Spirit as Guarantor of New Covenant relationship and allow the Spirit’s anointing to produce divine fruit through them, divine fruit that fulfills all that Torah commands concerning morality, divine fruit that fulfills the elements of all moral law (spiritual and codified) while simultaneously pleasing the Father and proving one to be a disciple of Jesus (John 3; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 6:14; Galatians 5:16-23; John 15:8; Romans 7:6).
Christian, you are not under Torah Law (Romans 6:14), you are under grace through faith in Jesus (Romans 6:14). You attain obedience in the New Covenant subsequent salvation by faith in Jesus, obedience that pleases the Father, through the anointing of the Holy Spirit who works through you to produce divine “fruit” (Galatians 5:16-23) that will stand the test of authenticity relevant to the BEMA Judgment of Messiah and this fruit will honor the Father’s will for your life and testify to this lost, defiled, World, that you are a true disciple of Jesus (John 15:8).
Messiah is our Mediator, our Intercessor, our Savior, within the Realm of Time. Jesus is Elohim our Creator, I AM (Exodus 3:14).
–The Father proclaims Jesus as Creator of the World in Hebrews 1:2.
–The Father commands that the angels worship the Son, Jesus our Messiah, in Hebrews 1:6.
–The Father calls Jesus Deity, “God,” in Hebrews 1:8.
–In Hebrews 1:10, the Father proclaims Jesus as “Lord” having laid the foundations of the Earth in “the beginning.”
–In John 1, the Holy Spirit declares that Jesus is the living Word of Elohim and that Jesus is our divine Creator and that Jesus became flesh and dwelt among us beginning in John1:1-14.
–In Colossians 1, beginning with v.15, the Holy Spirit declares that Jesus is the exact image of the invisible God. In v.16, the Holy Spirit declares that Jesus is the Creator of ALL things visible and invisible.
–In John 8:24, and in John 8:58, Jesus declares that He is “I AM” and Jesus uses the deific terminology of egō eimi which harkens back to Exodus 3:14 where Elohim declares He is “I AM.”
— Ἐγώ εἰμι, Egō Eimi (“I Am”)
–Matt. 14:27: “But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Take courage, it is I [egō eimi, ‘I am’]; do not be afraid’” (NASB et seq.).
–Mark 6:50: Same Greek phrase as in Matt. 14:27: ἐγώ εἰμι, μὴ φοβεῖσθε, egō eimi, mē phobeisthe (lit. “I am, do not be afraid”).
–John 6:20: Same Greek phrase as in Matt. 14:27 and Mark 6:50.
–John 8:24: “…for unless you believe that I am [egō eimi], you will die in your sins.”
–John 8:28: “So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am [egō eimi]. . . .”
–John 8:58: “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am [egō eimi].”
–John 13:19: “From now on I am telling you before it happens, so that when it does happen, you may believe that I am He [egō eimi].”
During His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the religious leaders commanded Jesus to tell the people present stop worshiping Jesus as LORD, God, Jesus replied that if they did not worship, the stones would worship Him in their place.
Luke 19,
36As He rode along, the people spread their cloaks on the road. 37And as He approached the descent from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of disciples began to praise God joyfully in a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen:
38“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
39But some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, 👉“Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!”
👉40“I tell you,” He answered, “if they remain silent, the very stones will cry out.”
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No one “invents” the Trinity. The Holy Spirit proclaims that Elohim (Genesis 1:1) has introduced Himself as One-Elohim in three distinct personalities possessing individual will and authority over specific aspects of everything eschatological.
Elohim the Father = Administrator
Elohim the Son = Creator, Warrior, Messiah, Judge
Elohim the Holy Spirit = Logistics, the “dunamis” of the Godhead.
JESUS IS GOD, ELOHIM THE SON (GENESIS 1:1). Those who deny the deity of Jesus are NOT redeemed, they belong to Satan.
Without faith, it is not possible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Do not get your faith and your obedience mixed together or you will find yourself in the Judgment preceding death in Hell.
Before any “obedience” becomes relevant, you must first establish New Covenant relationship with the Father by faith, alone, in Jesus, alone. Your “obedience” prior to establishing covenant relationship with the Father is likened to a bloody menstrual cloth in His nose (Isaiah 64:6). Obedience is NOT an element of salvation in the New Covenant.
Once you have established New Covenant relationship through faith in Jesus, the indwelling Holy Spirit begins a good work within you, He anoints you to walk obediently in daily Christian sanctification and the Spirit produces divine fruit through you (Galatians 5:16-23) and this fruit fulfills all law; both codified and spiritual; this fruit actually pleases the Father and will stand the test of authenticity at the BEMA Judgment; this fruit will also prove you to be a legitimate servant, disciple, of Jesus (John 15:8).
Do not consider or teach that obedience is an element of salvation, that is legalism, that is a cult, that is Hell for the soul. Participating in water baptism; keeping a Sabbath; partaking of the Eucharist; attending a Mass or Confession; paying indulgences; praying the rosary; keeping the traditions of Torah; these things are NOT equated to salvation nor do they supplement the sufficiency of Jesus to redeem you by faith in Him as Messiah, alone. Relationship by faith, first – obedience will naturally follow if your faith is legitimate and true.
Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. 5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,
Mocking the Trinity: “Dear Christians: The Christ You Have Created”
Brevity is wisdom, I’ll do my best. I can only “assume” that those of you who deny the Trinity of Elohim (Genesis 1:1) are not redeemed by faith as you are obviously absent the Holy Spirit of Truth and Wisdom (Ephesians 1:13-14; John 14:17). Christianity did not “invent” the Trinity but Christianity simply proclaims what the Scriptures proclaim in a clear and unambiguous fashion; that is, there is a clear proclamation by the Holy Spirit, the Author of Scripture, that Elohim, Genesis 1:1, a plural noun accompanied by a singular verb, has introduced Himself in THREE DISTINCT PERSONS POSSESSING EQUAL DEIFIC ATTRIBUTES YET POSSESSING INDIVIUDAL WILL AND PERSONALITY AND RESPONSIBILITY CONCERNING ALL THINGS CREATED AND ESCHATOLOGICAL IN NATURE.
When one carefully examines the Scriptures, accompanied by the Holy Spirit as their Tutor, it would be a lie, self-deception, abject ignorance through denial, to reject the obvious, the undeniable, Elohim the Father; Elohim the Son; Elohim the Holy Spirit. Personally, I wish, for the sake of simplicity and understanding, that the agreed upon delineation of authority in the divine God-Head was not so, that there were no distinct differences in how our Creator has introduced Himself to His creation, but to deny the Trinity is to deny what the Holy Spirit teaches; to deny the Trinity is to turn a blind eye to what is before me in the Canon of Scripture. I simply refuse to deny what the Holy Spirit has made so very obvious to me!
I humbly and regretfully admit that my three-pound brain lacks the cognitive acuity to explain the Trinity, but I confess that if my three-pound brain could accurately explain our omnipotent Creator, He would not be Deity. Those of you who deny the Trinity are blatantly blind and willfully stupid or you’re simply prejudiced liars and deceivers and your motive is servitude to Satan, himself, an objective of infusing confusion and doubt concerning the reality of Elohim.
As one who loves Elohim, the Father and the Son and the precious Holy Spirit (my true Friend), I grow so weary of your existence in Time and your ever-present willful ignorance of what is before you in Scripture and the demonically rooted doubt that you place in the soul of those eagerly, desperately, searching for hope in Elohim.
Elohim the Father = Administrator Elohim the Son = Creator-Warrior-Messiah-Judge Elohim the Holy Spirit = Logistics (the Divine “Dunamis” of the Canon of Scripture)
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3 (ESV)
What does it mean to be “born again” (John 3:3)?
Jesus used the term to be “born again” in John 3 to indicate that the one who trusts in Jesus as Messiah, receives the indwelling Holy Spirit as Guarantor of New Covenant promise (Ephesians 1:13-14), this redeemed man or woman becomes a “new creation” in Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17); that is, they become a new man or new woman spiritually and their conscience is enlivened by the indwelling Holy Spirit, there is a “new” outlook on life, the old person struggling with the flesh died, the new has been born with a new desire to honor our Creator through obedience to our Creator’s will; that is, the Holy Spirit anoints the redeemed in Jesus with a desire to produce divine “fruit” (Galatians 5:16-23) and this divine fruit fulfills all law (codified and spiritual), this divine fruit actually pleases the Father, this divine fruit proves one to be a legitimate disciple of Jesus (John 15:8). The faithful in Jesus enter into a new life, new outlook, new hope, new joy and peace and assurance that the old person, who was enslaved to the flesh and the Adamic sin-nature (Romans 5:12) could not imagine.
Jesus endured the Cross primarily “to destroy the works of Satan” e.g., death, Hell, the grave; this, for eschatological concerns (1 John 3:8b). Humanity is a recipient of Jesus’ victory at Golgotha by grace through faith in Jesus as Messiah (John 3:16).
Jesus’ war with Satan is first prophesied in Genesis 3:15 and the Gospel, the shedding of innocent blood for redemption via an imputed robe of righteousness, is first prophesied in Genesis 3:21 (2 Corinthians 5:21). The death of Jesus and His Gospel message were foreordained “before Time began” (2 Timothy 1:8-9; Revelation 13:8).
Jesus’ ministry: a methodical transition from Torah Law to Holy Spirit obedience…
Though Jesus was born under the Law Covenant and Jesus fulfilled that Law in perfection for our redemption, Jesus incrementally moved His ministry from one of Law/Torah to one of the production of divine “fruit” via the Holy Spirit by which all law is fulfilled; this is something that Torah could not accomplish.
Jesus condensed the 613 Mosaic laws down to two-greatest commandments (Matthew 22:37-40) and Jesus’ ministry methodically progressed toward the initiation of the New Covenant established in His blood (Luke 22:20); Messiah strategically moved from “keep my Commandments” (John 14:15) to “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” (John 15:8)
Finally, Jesus taught how one should discern authentic teachers of the word from false teachers and in doing so, Jesus provided the impetus or sign by which honorable teachers would be identified contrasted with false teachers: “So then, you will know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:20) Again, another reference by Jesus to divine fruit and its applicability in the New Covenant.
We see that Messiah’s ministry, having begun under the Law Covenant, slowly and methodically transitioned into a ministry that emphasized the work of the Holy Spirit dwelling within Him and the strategic method of producing obedience in His disciples, then and now, through the production of divine fruit (Galatians 5:16-23) via the anointing of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14) who is a promised Guarantor of redemption in the New Covenant established in the blood of Jesus (Ephesians 1:13-14; Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:27; Hebrews 8:10).
The subtle dangers of Torah worship in the New Covenant,
Law will never be “abolished” as law is present to define the behavior of evil men (1 Timothy 1:9) and law; both codified and spiritual, provide a context for divine and secular responses to same which mandates due process for order and peace. Law will be relevant in the “New Jerusalem” as free will there is extant by necessity.
Where you err, Ben, is your inordinate obsession’s with Torah and Hebrew Roots fanaticism not understanding that grace and faith have replaced Torah’s letters in the New Covenant.
You cling to the old hoping to receive the benefits of the NEW and my concern is that you’re trusting in Law + Faith to redeem you from sin and ingratiate yourself with Elohim in righteousness. Problem is, Ben, if you’re depending on Torah to supplement faith in Jesus, you ultimately lose both in heresy and your religion is foul and defined as a cult. Please be careful.
If you’re celebrating law in Torah because you are a traditionalist and love the order and pomp of Torah, the days, feasts, celebrations, celebrated in the Law Covenant, that’s OK…just understand that eternal life is not something that is earned through your work and obedience to Torah, but that life with Jesus is manifest solely by trusting, believing, in Jesus as your Messiah acknowledging that Jesus has done the work for you and you’re receiving the gift of forgiveness and eternal life solely by grace (unmerited favor). You have told me prior that you understand grace and faith as priority but your obsessive posts concerning Torah, the Old Covenant, keeping laws and commandments, belays your testimony of trust, belief, in Yeshua as essential.
Is evil more of a problem for Theists or Atheists?
Evil, for those redeemed by faith in Messiah and the conscience arbitrated by the indwelling Holy Spirit, is not a problem as the Spirit’s discernment and wisdom allows the redeemed to readily identify evil, even in its most subtle forms, and take precautions to stymie said evil’s effects in their life. Another very relevant bulwark to compromise with evil in the life of the redeemed in Jesus is the Holy Spirit’s gifts of joy, contentment, peace, assurance; these divine promises permit the Christian to see beyond temporary trials and tribulations knowing that our Creator has our back and irrespective of the World’s demonic agenda, the Christian is secure, eternally.
The atheist is likened to a sheep led to the slaughter, their discernment and wisdom is stymied by the sin-nature that has no dependable barriers other than fear or shame and these bulwarks are limited and made impotent by unnatural desires, pride, arrogance, narcissism…ultimately a life of turmoil, stress, often addiction, due diminishing returns resulting from inordinate desires that can never be satiated.
Hebrew Roots; A passion for Torah Observance in the New Covenant? A concern, a warning, a better way…
Torah Law is of no relevance concerning obedience in the New Covenant. Torah could not provide righteousness or obedience for Jacob’s children nor could same provide guidance and obedience for the Apostles as they discussed the inclusion of the Gentile in the New Covenant as per Acts 15. Though Moses was read in the Synagogues, the law was discussed with pure intent yet subjectivity, relevance, situational relevance, were always at the forefront because the human conscience not only abhors authority but the conscience void the Spirit inevitably seeks obfuscation and rationalization. Letters don’t work in Judeo-Christian ethics, these letters don’t work in secular jurisprudence…the conscience absent the Spirit as an Arbiter is the obstacle.
A better way to approach Biblical obedience…. The New Covenant…
Torah, Letters, could never adequately tame the sin-nature but Elohim enacted a New and LIVING WAY for His redeemed to walk in righteousness; this, through His indwelling Spirit that arbitrates the conscience of the “new creation” the “new man” (2 Corinthians 5:17) and the focus of the New Covenant is on the Spirit and on divine fruit……it is this fruit (Galatians 5:16-23) that fulfills the obedient intent of every statute in Torah, every commandment of Jesus in the Decalogue and the two-greatest Commandments (John 15:8).
Hebrew Roots? A concern, a warning…
I suppose you are affiliated with the “Hebrew Roots” movement? Yes? Ben, if you desire to honor Torah and days, diets, clothing restrictions, feasts, you are perfectly welcomed to do so in the New Covenant…that can be an honorable thing, honoring Torah and traditions, there is NOTHING wrong or sinful with same UNLESS YOU ARE HONORING TORAH FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS SAKE. If you are honoring Torah in order to ingratiate yourself with Jesus and supplement His sufficiency to save you by faith, you are NOT redeemed, you remain in your sin, you are seeking death in Hell. Do you understand that?
"RickeyD" Holtsclaw 