Daily Bible Portion (Monday)
Daily Bible Portion – 2 of 7
"DESTROYER"
(Weekly Reading>>Numbers 22:2 to 25:9, Micah 5:6 to 6:8, Jude 1-25, 2 Peter 2:1-22, Revelation 2:14-15)
Clearly, the church has failed to understand and reconcile completely the teaching of Jesus. Jesus is the pinnacle and focus of our New Covenant faith. Jesus was emphatic that His purpose was not to do away with the teaching of Moses and the Prophets. But what does this have to do with denying the Messiahship of Jesus? Before we answer, let's deal with those brethren who assert the teaching of the Apostle Paul.
It is the Apostle Paul and his letters to the Romans, Colossians, and Galatians that serve as the primary reference material for the church's teaching against Torah. The church contends that Paul took issue with Sabbath (promoting first day worship). They argue that the Galatians were told not to circumcise and not to keep the commandments of the Jews. Selected verses from Romans and Colossians are used to fend off Sabbath and holidays. With Paul leading the charge, they claim that other writers join in to say that Jesus said, ALL foods are clean and Peter had a vision to eat non-clean foods. Finally, they interpret that the writer of Hebrews flatly says the New Testament has replaced the Old Testament.
There is an obvious conflict here. You can't have Jesus saying the Torah will not pass away until heaven and earth pass away, and then have the Apostle Paul say it was all nailed to the cross, or when the resurrection happened, or when the Holy Spirit came, or when the New Testament was written, etc. Moses, Jesus, and the Apostles must all be in agreement or our faith is corrupt and self-destructing in itself. A house divided against itself will not stand.
The irony of all this is that the Apostle Peter addresses this controversy in his final letter. There he comments how some men take the words of Paul and twist them.
Peter says that there are some hard (difficult) things said by Paul that are twisted by unstable and untaught men. What things do you think Peter is referring to? Remember when Jesus made the outrageous statement about hating fathers and mothers.
Isn’t Jesus teaching us that the fifth commandment (honor your father and mother) of the Ten Commandments is now done away with? Isn't He teaching us to hate our fathers and mothers, the opposite of the commandment? Of course not! We all recognize that Jesus is making a superlative comparison between God and man. God takes priority, even over family members such as fathers, mothers, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and even our own lives. If we can see this teaching example in its proper context, then why do we say Paul was doing something else when he disputed the Galatians who elevated circumcision, and legalism above the grace and sacrifice of Jesus Christ? Surely, we can see that anything put in priority above the Messiah is wrong. Like Christ's teaching, that doesn't mean that Paul is teaching that the other things are bad or done away with.
It is the Apostle Paul's testimony that he is a bond servant of Messiah Yeshua[Jesus] (bond servants and their commissioning is the Torah). Paul asserts his identity as being an Israelite from the tribe of Benjamin, circumcised on the eight day, trained in the Torah by Gamaliel, a keeper of the Torah to Pharisaic standards, and observer of the Sabbath and Nazerite vows. Acts 17:2 clearly states it was Paul's custom to keep Sabbath. How can the Apostle to the Gentiles be a keeper of the Law (Acts 21:24) and teach anyone something different from it?
I can show you how. You have to twist Paul's words while he is teaching the priority of the Messiah and use them against Moses. This is not a new idea; this is the ancient teaching of Balaam that attempts to render the teaching of Moses as null and void.
Back to our original question and discussion point. The church teaches that Jesus came to do away with temple service, the Torah (Law), and alter the customs of Moses. Interestingly enough, this very statement is in the New Testament but not in the way the church teaches.
At the trial of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, a group of men conspired to bring false evidence against him that would shut him up. Acts 6 describes the conspiracy and the charges brought against him.
Please note the false charge of blasphemy made against Stephen. ‘This man speaks against Moses and God. This man teaches that Jesus of Nazareth came to destroy the temple, do away with the Torah, and alter the customs of Moses (like Sabbath and holidays).’ This is the same teaching of the church today. How is it possible that the church teaches as truth the very same false charge made against Stephen? Obviously, the New Testament (the reference for church teaching) is in conflict with the church of today. So, which is it? Is the New Testament inaccurate here, or is the teaching of the church incorrect? Before we answer, consider this final piece of evidence. Paul was one of the leaders in this conspiracy against Stephen. He is the one who gives us this testimony in the book of Acts.
continues tomorrow...
"DESTROYER"
(Weekly Reading>>Numbers 22:2 to 25:9, Micah 5:6 to 6:8, Jude 1-25, 2 Peter 2:1-22, Revelation 2:14-15)
Clearly, the church has failed to understand and reconcile completely the teaching of Jesus. Jesus is the pinnacle and focus of our New Covenant faith. Jesus was emphatic that His purpose was not to do away with the teaching of Moses and the Prophets. But what does this have to do with denying the Messiahship of Jesus? Before we answer, let's deal with those brethren who assert the teaching of the Apostle Paul.
It is the Apostle Paul and his letters to the Romans, Colossians, and Galatians that serve as the primary reference material for the church's teaching against Torah. The church contends that Paul took issue with Sabbath (promoting first day worship). They argue that the Galatians were told not to circumcise and not to keep the commandments of the Jews. Selected verses from Romans and Colossians are used to fend off Sabbath and holidays. With Paul leading the charge, they claim that other writers join in to say that Jesus said, ALL foods are clean and Peter had a vision to eat non-clean foods. Finally, they interpret that the writer of Hebrews flatly says the New Testament has replaced the Old Testament.
There is an obvious conflict here. You can't have Jesus saying the Torah will not pass away until heaven and earth pass away, and then have the Apostle Paul say it was all nailed to the cross, or when the resurrection happened, or when the Holy Spirit came, or when the New Testament was written, etc. Moses, Jesus, and the Apostles must all be in agreement or our faith is corrupt and self-destructing in itself. A house divided against itself will not stand.
The irony of all this is that the Apostle Peter addresses this controversy in his final letter. There he comments how some men take the words of Paul and twist them.
2 Peter 3:16 “as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.”
Peter says that there are some hard (difficult) things said by Paul that are twisted by unstable and untaught men. What things do you think Peter is referring to? Remember when Jesus made the outrageous statement about hating fathers and mothers.
Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.”
Isn’t Jesus teaching us that the fifth commandment (honor your father and mother) of the Ten Commandments is now done away with? Isn't He teaching us to hate our fathers and mothers, the opposite of the commandment? Of course not! We all recognize that Jesus is making a superlative comparison between God and man. God takes priority, even over family members such as fathers, mothers, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and even our own lives. If we can see this teaching example in its proper context, then why do we say Paul was doing something else when he disputed the Galatians who elevated circumcision, and legalism above the grace and sacrifice of Jesus Christ? Surely, we can see that anything put in priority above the Messiah is wrong. Like Christ's teaching, that doesn't mean that Paul is teaching that the other things are bad or done away with.
It is the Apostle Paul's testimony that he is a bond servant of Messiah Yeshua[Jesus] (bond servants and their commissioning is the Torah). Paul asserts his identity as being an Israelite from the tribe of Benjamin, circumcised on the eight day, trained in the Torah by Gamaliel, a keeper of the Torah to Pharisaic standards, and observer of the Sabbath and Nazerite vows. Acts 17:2 clearly states it was Paul's custom to keep Sabbath. How can the Apostle to the Gentiles be a keeper of the Law (Acts 21:24) and teach anyone something different from it?
I can show you how. You have to twist Paul's words while he is teaching the priority of the Messiah and use them against Moses. This is not a new idea; this is the ancient teaching of Balaam that attempts to render the teaching of Moses as null and void.
Back to our original question and discussion point. The church teaches that Jesus came to do away with temple service, the Torah (Law), and alter the customs of Moses. Interestingly enough, this very statement is in the New Testament but not in the way the church teaches.
At the trial of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, a group of men conspired to bring false evidence against him that would shut him up. Acts 6 describes the conspiracy and the charges brought against him.
Acts 6:9-14 “But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen. And yet they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. Then they secretly induced men to say, ‘We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.’ And they stirred up the people, the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and dragged him away, and brought him before the Council. And they put forward false witnesses who said, this man incessantly speaks against this holy place, and the Law; for we have heard him say that this Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us.’”
Please note the false charge of blasphemy made against Stephen. ‘This man speaks against Moses and God. This man teaches that Jesus of Nazareth came to destroy the temple, do away with the Torah, and alter the customs of Moses (like Sabbath and holidays).’ This is the same teaching of the church today. How is it possible that the church teaches as truth the very same false charge made against Stephen? Obviously, the New Testament (the reference for church teaching) is in conflict with the church of today. So, which is it? Is the New Testament inaccurate here, or is the teaching of the church incorrect? Before we answer, consider this final piece of evidence. Paul was one of the leaders in this conspiracy against Stephen. He is the one who gives us this testimony in the book of Acts.
Acts 8:1, 3 “And Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him [Stephen] to death. And on that day a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house; and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.”
continues tomorrow...