Matthew 7:21–23, What is the meaning of the word “iniquity” or “lawlessness” (in verse 23)? It is the Greek word anomia (Strong’s G458) meaning “unrighteousness” or “lawlessness.” Righteousness by biblical definition is “adherence to the Torah-commandments of YHVH” (Ps 119:172).
When the Jewish writers of the Testimony of Yeshua (NT) use the word “law” is almost always a reference to the Torah. In Hebrew thought then (and now), there was no other law except the Law of Moses. This “law” or Torah came from Elohim through the “Angel” or more properly the Messenger from heaven who gave the Torah to Moses, and who was none other than the pre-incarnate Yeshua (Acts 7:37–38). So the word “iniquity” or “lawlessness,” as used in our verse could quite simply be understood to mean “Torahlessness.” In fact, Torahlessness would be an apt translation of the Greek word anomia, which is behind the word iniquity or lawlessness (depending on the English translation).
Quite clearly, In Matthew 7:21-23, Yeshua is speaking to those who claim or profess to be his followers, who claim or profess his name, claim his miraculous power, claim to speak by his authority and even claim, no doubt, to love him, but in reality they fail to love him (according to the biblical definition of love) by obeying his word or Torah-commandments (John 14:15). In other words, they are sinners, walking in sinfulness, for John defines sin in his epistle as “the transgression of the Torah-law of Elohim” (1 John 3:4).
Of these same people, in the day of judgment, Yeshua will say, “Depart from me, you that work [do] Torahlessness, I never knew you.” Yeshua will not accept these people on the basis of their verbal professions or claims, nor will he accept them on the basis of their prophetic or miracle-working abilities. Yeshua, the Living Torah of Elohim made flesh, will accept them only on the basis of their obedience to and orientation toward the Torah-law of Elohim.
Is Yeshua here abrogating or nullifying the Torah-law given to Moses or is he reaffirming it to his followers? The language of this scripture is very clear to those who have ears to hear and to those who are truth-seekers. He is loudly and clearly validating the Torah and its relevance upon the lives of his disciples or followers!
If you are a true follower of Yeshua, the Messiah, THEN you will be making every effort to love him by obeying his Torah as best you can by his grace and the power of his Set-Apart Spirit. So help us Elohim!!!
Excellent article, exactly what I believe, we must obey the spirit and truth of the Torah as taught by the living word/Torah Yeshua.
If we are really living in spirit and truth, then why does the U.S. and Israeli Government tend to live by Republican Politics only. Why does the Israeli Government tend to RESEMBLE mostly White Folks. What happened to the actual 12/Tribes? Where are the Ethiopian Jews and why aren’t they represented in the Israeli Government? There is a reason why the White Republicans are standing with Israel and it is because their Prime Minister actually grew up here in the U.S. and he studied Right Wing Politics and he took it back to Israel and planted it there. Their Prime Minister grew UP in the U.S. A. and he got his education from this country of America at MIT. Also,80-90% of American White Evangelical Ministers are of the Republican Politics as well and they also toot the horn of Israel. Do I stand with Israel? Yes I do, however I stand with the truth about Israel and not these lies of some White Folks who have claimed that land as their own, just as they did here in the US. I am the real Hebrew and most people of color are the real Hebrew Jews and this is the well kept lie. So, when you stand before GOD and say to him, “I DID THIS AND THAT OH LORD!!!”, He will say to most of you, “DEPART FROM ME YOU WORKERS OF INIQUITY, FOR I KNEW YOU NOT.”
I’m not sure what your point is or why you’re choosing my blog to make that point, or why you chose this particular blog post to comment on in the way you have. But for the public record, we don’t countenance any racism or reverse racism in any form. We do not look at the color of a person’s skin, but the content of his character when addressing issues. The Israel of Elohim consists of all races and colors, not just white, and not just black. Our Father in heaven is color blind when it comes to Israel and the family of Elohim and so are we. Are you?
When someone speaks in terms of “white” this, or “black” that, my red flags go up. Speaking in these kind of terms is neither copacetic to the message of the Bible nor the gospel of Yeshua. In the spiritual family of Elohim — called the Israel of Elohim (Gal 6:16), there is neither Jew or Gentile, but the one new man (Eph 2:11–19). There is no logical reason to doubt that the majority of the Jews in Israel are part of tribe of Judah unless one is peddling a racist agenda. Moreover, there are Jews and Israelites who are black, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Native American and so on. Who’s to say who has Israelite blood in them or not, and who is to say they are real Jews, Hebrews or Israelites? No one can definitively say who their ancestors are going back for thousands of years. Genetic tests to determine this are just now being developed, but this science is in its infancy.
I’ll leave it at that for the moment except to say that I have zero tolerance for anti-semitism in any form oblique or otherwise. Shalom.
Your response is exactly what I thought it would be and just for the record, do not label everyone who disagrees with you as, (Anti-Semitic). I am Pro-Israel as I have said, however, I am not one who goes along with everything you say to me. If this is your picture posted then what I am saying is that all I see on TV when it comes to Israel’s Government, are people who look just like you. Nothing wrong with who you are, as I love everyone however what confuses me is the lack of all the races you named in your post but yet I do not see them represented in Israel. You seem more about peddling the race agendas, as that agenda that you seem to be upholding looks more of the same and not representative of the 12 Tribes. So that red flag you insist that needs to go up because I question what appears to be false, ask yourself if you are really being honest yourself. It is with great passion that I question what certain issues look like to me and although this is not a popular subject, does not mean that I come with hatred in my heart. I would never have mentioned the 12 Tribes if I was unaware of Jews being African, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Native American, etc. I noticed that you capitalized all the races and referred to Africans as (black) and did not capitalize the word (black). You referred to that particular race as a (COLOR). I wish you well and may peace be upon you!!!!
Okay…
In four years of doing this blog and 1,686 comments, your comment should win a prize. I’m just sure which one, though.
It proves the old adage, “you can’t please all the people all the time.”
May Elohim bless you.
Was all Israel black? No, they were not. They made up every color. There is neither Jew nor Greek and essentially neither black nor white but ALL make up Israel. I notice that you have anger in your heart towards white people. Let not your anger take hold but in love pray for those you feel sin against you and in love live your life and know and trust that God will make all things right once again. God is in control and He puts people in office as his will. Trust in Him to finish His plan and not worry about man.
Not sure who you’re accusing of having anger in their heart against white people. If you’re referring to me, Natan Lawrence, this is an absolutely absurd and groundless false accusation. I am white, and I totally agree with who you’ve said about Israel being made up of all racial colors and ethnicities, which, as you’ve correctly stated, is exactly what Scripture states. I have stated this in numerous published articles and videos over many years. What I am angry about is when people declare that Israel is one particular race or skin color or another to the exclusion of others. I hate racism in any form that it manifests itself.
Sir, I was responding to Babs, the one with anger in his heart.
Article is spot on! Although I cringe at the comments on both sides. Not because both are completely wrong but because there is certainly an opportunity for iron to sharpen iron, if we can reason together. The separation of views, in this case genealogies, is the reason why we have over 44,000 denominations and counting, in my opinion. Even in the Torah movement. I leave you both with something to consider which one of you was trying to explain but I am not taking sides. Please see the below verses regarding genealogies.
Titus 3:9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, quarrels, and fights about the law, because they are useless and empty.
Gal 3:29 And if you belong to Yeshua Ha’Maschiah (Christ), then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to the promise.
So, who cares about genealogies? Yah certainly doesn’t, at least right now He doesn’t. We know this much, there are 12 gates and none of them are labeled the “Church”. He will tell us what gate we will enter in through if He feels the need to. If you are “assigned” a gate then HalleluYahuah. Me personally, I think we (x-gentiles) will go through the gate of Joseph (Ephrayim aka fullness of the gentiles). But again, does it matter?
In closing, Askenazi, zionist, Rothschild, or whoever wants to stake claim of the title of Judah or Israelite for that matter best be “in Him” and vice versa. I wouldn’t want to be labeled a “fake” Jew or in the case today, Edom. Yah said He Himself will turn us (scattered tribes) back one day and we are seeing it happening with coming back to His Torah. Deut 30
I a seeking to know the truth. I am confused by this, “Yeshua will say, ‘Depart from me, you that work [do] Torahlessness, I never knew you.’”. My understanding of the Torah says that to break one part of Torah means you are guilty of breaking it all.
It seems that Yeshua is the only one who is not guilty of lawlessness. How can you know Yeshau will not say to you or me, “Depart from me, you that work [do] Torahlessness, I never knew you”? Because try as I might, I will never keep it all. What makes me better prepared on this account that christians who say the law is abandoned?
That’s a really good question.
First, none of us can ever live up to the Torah-law perfectly. That’s why we need Yeshua’s imputed righteousness to cover us at the time of our initial salvation, all they way through our life and even on judgment day. His righteousness combined with our own works of righteousness are like robes that cover us (see Rev 19:7-8). Our righteousness (i.e. Torah obedience) determines our levels of rewards in the kingdom of Elohim (Matt 5:19), but not our salvation, which is always by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-9), the result of which is good works (Torah obedience) (Eph 2:10), which we do because we love Yeshua (John 14:15).
When Yeshua says in Matt 7:21-23, “Depart from me you workers of iniquity/Torahlessness,” in a sense he’s speaking to all of us, since we’ve all broken his law/s, the wages or results of which is death (Rom 6:23). But those who have faith in, love and obey Yeshua have passed from Yeshua’s condemning judgment into life (John 3:18; 5:24). However, in Matt 7, my sense is that he’s not talking to sincere Christians who are truly trying to obey him the best they can and who are living up to the level of light and truth that they have. Instead, he’s talking to the 90 percent of cultural Christians who go to church but who’ve never truly repented of their sins and have been converted and who are not really trying to obey him. I say 90 percent, because that is the statistic that the Barna Research Group came up with in 1995 and published the findings in a book. It’s probably worse now! That was for America. Who knows how bad it is in other countries.
Natan,
What about Galatians 3:24 ??
What about Gal 3:24? What is your question about it in relationship to my post?
Do you need an explanation of what Gal 3:24 means in view of the common Xtian misconception of its meaning as being the end of the Torah? Or what???? Here to help…
Natan, Thanks! That dose clearing my question some. I do know that the more I study and pray, the more I see my sin and desire to live a more pleasing life before HIM.
I Could use a little expounding on Gal 3:24. That is another verse that is difficult to fit into my understanding of Torah and the new covenant.
I have a verbal, but not a written answer to your questions. Let me work on it, and when it’s written, I will post it on this blog.
The word knew in Mathew 7:21-23 , does it mean , knew you in an intimate way? Like a husband and wife. As in, being so close to Him that we come to know his heart and mind about things?
This is a good questions and one I’ve never thought of before.
Here’s what my research discovered. The word “knew” in Matt 7:23 is the Koine Greek word ginosko meaning “to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel; to become known; to know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of; to understand; to know.” The equivalent Hebrew word is yadah meaning the same thing. According to the TDNT, the Jewish translators of the LXX used either the Greek words ginoksein (the root of ginosko) and eidenai for the Heberew verb yadah. As you probably know, yadah was sometimes a Hebraism for “knowing one’s wife in a sexually intimate way (e.g. Gen 4:17, 25; Gen 38:26; Judg 19:25; 1 Kgs 1:4). In each of the four verses previously listed where yadah refers to sexual intercourse, the Greek word ginosko is used in each case. We find this Hebraism again in Matthew 1:25 in reference to Joseph, who, the Gospel states, didn’t “know” (ginosko) Mary, his wife, before Yeshua was born. So, depending on the context of the scriptural passage in which it is found, the Hebrew word yada and the Greek word ginosko can refer to sexual intercourse. However, in Matthew 7:23, there is nothing in the passage to suggest that this is what Yeshua is alluding to here. Moreover, Yeshua will not “know” his bride in an intimate spiritual way until after his second coming when he “marries” his spiritual bride (the saints) and the wedding supper of the Lamb has occurred. This, obviously, hasn’t happened yet.
psalm 125 i need to know the meaning of iniquity-thank u
In Psalem 5:5, “iniquity” is the Hebrew word aven, which is one of the Hebrew words for sin. Aven means “strictly nothingness; also trouble, vanity, wickedness.”
I am so thankful for you sharing your knowledge of the word and I will have many questions but you are a blessing to anyone who has a desire to learn more about the truth.