To many people have Swiss cheese Bible full of holes. The holes are from the pages they’ve ripped out deeming that these instructions in righteousness no longer apply to them.
In today’s mailbag, this blog received a nice comment from a very well-meaning individual who has a rather traditional churchianity view of the Torah. He was politely taking exception with my view that the biblical dietary laws are still in force today. He attempts to prove his point by making a distinction between the moral and ceremonial laws of Moses—or the spirit and the letter, while claiming that we are only subject to the latter, but no longer subject to the former. Here’s is my instructive response to his comment. Perhaps this will help you in addressing similar issues with your Christian brethren who believe similarly as this man. Natan
The Bible equates the “Law of Moses” with the Hebrew word Torah, which is usually translated as “law” in our English Bibles, and is a word that means “instructions, precepts, teachings [of Elohim].” As such, they are a reflection of Elohim’s very character and nature. Yeshua summarized YHVH’s Torah-laws when he stated that they show man how to love Elohim with his all and his neighbor as himself.
Are there any parts of Elohim’s precepts or instructions in righteousness that man has the right to nullify, do away with, or subdivided such that any parts of it are no longer applicable to man? If so, then who is man that he can instruct the Almighty Creator on which parts of his laws are for us today and which parts or not? Is this not extreme hubris and pride—a huge sin in itself—in fact the worst and most abominable sin of all (Prov 6:16-17)?
On the contrary, the Bible from Genesis to Revelation unquestionably presents the Torah as an indivisible whole, which stands and falls together. This includes the dietary laws, which are an aspect of being holy or set apart (from this world), even as Elohim is set apart or holy (Lev 11). James says that if you break one law, you’re guilty of breaking them all. John in his first epistle says that sin is the violation of the law. Yeshua in his Sermon on the Mount states that he didn’t come to destroys the law—not even one yud or tag of it. Paul in his epistle to the Romans says that the law is holy, just and good and grace in no way nullifies the law. None of these men of Elohim made distinctions between carnal or moral, physical or spiritual or ceremonial subdivisions of said Torah-law. This is an invention of the early church fathers because of their anti-semitic theological bias. Go read them. I can provide you with actual quotes and references—and not a few!
If the physical, letter aspects of the law, such as diet are no longer applicable, then some of Yeshua’s Sermon the Mount teachings are irrelevant and meaningless. In fact, Yeshua totally contradicts this notion. Who am I to believe? The teachings of Yeshua or the doctrines and traditions of man that make of none effect the word of Elohim? To wit, Yeshua in his sermon affirms that man is not only not to murder, but not to hate as wells; not to commit adultery as well as not to lust and so on. Here he affirms both the letter and the spirit of the law. The same can be said of the dietary laws. Both letter and spirit are applicable to man today. Since the dietary laws are about holiness and separation from the world, this means that we’re not to eat the world’s physical food as well as its spiritual food. By practicing the dietary laws, we learn what true holiness is—both letter and spirit. To become holy, we must stay separate from the world both in practice and in heart and mind, even as Elohim is separate or holy, which is the main point of Lev 11. Oh, and did I mention that Elohim calls eating unclean meats an abomination? That means he detests it just like homosexuality, which he also calls an abomination. If the physical dietary laws are done away with, then likewise, it’s no longer a sin to have physical homo sex (the letter of the law) as long as you don’t lust while doing it (the spirit of the law)! Elohim forbid! May it never be so!
Some try to use 1 Cor 7:19 to prove that the Torah has been subdivided into moral and carnal laws. In reality, this verse is not a statement proving that the indivisible Torah can be subdivided into moral and ceremonial laws. If you read everything that Paul says about circumcision, his main point is that circumcision is not a precondition for salvation. Period. He still practiced circumcision, and he wasn’t for or against it per se. The Pharisees were twisting and abusing the biblical truth of circumcision and making it into something the Torah never intends—a path to salvation and a way to keep Jews and Gentiles separate. This is the issue Paul is addressing. Because men pervert the laws of Elohim (as the Pharisees had done with the law of circumcision), does that mean we toss out the proverbial baby with the bath water? Of course not. Satan has perverted nearly every truth of Elohim. If we toss everything out because of Satan, we’ll have nothing left.
It’s time that Christians took off their colored glasses by which they read the Scriptures and stop viewing it through the lens of man-invented dogmas. Why is it that humans want to carve up the word of Elohim and toss out the parts they don’t like? (The answer is found in Jer 17:9 and Rom 8:7.)
Isn’t believing that certain parts of Elohim’s instructions in righteousness are no longer applicable to us today is ultimately succumbing to the lie of the serpent at the tree of knowledge who told the first humans that Elohim didn’t really mean what he said, and that man can have it his own way by creating his own pick-and-choose religion? There Satan told man that he could pick out the parts of Elohim’s word that he wants to follow, and then invent philosophies that justify his tossing out the parts he doesn’t like. Most Christians have bought into this lie of the serpent.
As a result of following the deceiver’s lies, too many people have what I call the Swiss Cheese Version of the Bible—one that’s full of holes (holes for all the pages they’ve ripped out of Elohim’s word that “are no longer applicable to them). They no longer have a Holy Bible, but instead a Holey Bible!
Finally, Yeshua states in Matt 5:17–19,
Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Please notice the last sentence. Torah obedience will determine one’s level of rewards in the world to come. Those who are saying that certain aspects of Elohim’s law were abrogated and are no longer applicable are consigning themselves to a lower position, a lower reward status in Elohim’s everlasting kingdom—so says Yeshua. Ultimately, it’s up to each individual whether they want to be the least or the greatest in his kingdom. I’m going for the highest reward, which means I’ll continue to follow the biblical dietary laws both letter and spirit. Amein!
Me too Natan. Me too. ( not to be construed to mean that I am getting it all right!!) Well said.
Well said, the only way to dispel the lies of the enemy has sprinkled into the body is with the food of truth. Or one could say the fruit of the Spirit.
Its astonishing to me how the enemy continues to invade the body of Messiah, like many of these parasites that we get from pork and other foods that Yah tells us to stay away from.
I guess we swallowed the lie as easily as we swallow the foods that develop into unhealthy appetites.
It’s a intersting thing, when I think of my past and how I used to think the same way.
“From now on, then, you must live the rest of your earthly lives controlled by God’s will and not by human desires.”
1 Peter 4:2
All those things were for the Jews not for me. I feel like I woke up from a bad dream after having too much sugar to eat.
Many people won’t admit that this thinking is like a gateway drug that leads us into thinking that not only where the guidelines/Torah,laws/Torah and instruction on diet/Torah not for me but that the lessons them selves about our forefathers,were not really for me to look at as instructions/ Torah to my life but more of an example of how not to be. Which leads us to a steady diet of unseen anti-Semitism.
This is the core foundation of the enemy. We take the bait, we take the words of Paul, the disciples and of Yeshua himself, as a lesson on how “not to be like” the Pharisees, Jews and Old Testament/original covenant Israel.
We become prejudiced against the father who called All Of Those and and gave them instructions/Torah.
Our enemy should not be under estimated. How and why can we be so arrogant to think that we know what’s best for us. Why won’t we receive instructions on how to live?
The enemy has clearly come in and done this work in the body. But we are far too arrogant to stop indulging. Not only in our diets but in our personal responsibility to simply follow.
Another thing that I find amazing is the zeal, the energy and the rebellion. That I myself used to show in defending my reasons not to just do what dad says.
And why? So I can go on worshiping my own image.
Nice trick enemy. How true the word becomes. Even the elect are scarcely saved.
“Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?” Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.”
I Peter 4:18-19
Notice the will of God in each one of the Scriptures I gave?
My prayer is that starting with myself and the rest of the body. That we would just learn to except his will, that the blind would see through the same lie the enemy has re-package for our own personal consumption, sort of like our cell phones.
And what is his will?
Isn’t his will expressed through the entire word? Wasn’t his will completely expressed in Yeshua.
I know I have said a lot, but my point is this.
If our king Messiah was our example in all things and he was obedient to death. Think about that. He was obedient. He lay down his life in obedience. He followed father’s instructions/Torah and those instructions were to die to himself.
Why can’t we simply follow the diet, the appointed times and everything our loving father gave us to take care of us, to give us purpose, to give us that life that our King our Messiah our husband layed down without all this debate.
Finally I’ll say this to the enemy of the body. Who resides anywhere in the body.
If you have any question that our Messiah showed his love through obedience and that is what our father wanted.
I suggest you digest these two scriptures that are like a sandwich that will nourish the truth in your bones.
““Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.””
John 10:17-18
Now can we just feast at the appointed times eating the good food father gave us!
Thanks again for another useful tool brother Natan.
Amen
Remember: In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, and in everything else charity.
Wow! I loved this teaching, chock full of the goodness of the word…”despise not wisdom” which is Torah-truly Abba knows best. I wonder though when Scripture says that the law breakers will be called the least in the kingdom…will they even be there or does it just talk about them being least…why would they be there at all? Need clarification please.
Who among us isn’t a lawbreaker? We all deserve death, much less being called least in the kingdom. The righteous are scarcely saved (1 Pet 4:18) and all of our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isa 64:6). In my 18 years of pastoring a local church, I came to the conclusion that some Sunday Christians follow more of the Torah than many self-proclaimed Torah-obedient Messianics. When we view these things from the Father’s perspective, instead of the position of our own self-righteousness, we will see how far we all fall short and need his mercy and grace.
I would like for someone to deal the with the verses such as Acts 15 (why Gentiles like me should keep the law other than what is specified in Acts 15, and Mark 7:19 — For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) I am willing to listen but am not hearing any valid argument about these and other scriptures.
To date, I have 2,246 articles that I have posted on this blog site in the last several years. The answers to your questions have been answered in detail on this blog many times. Due to lack of time and energy, I am not able to answer the same questions over and over again. So this is what I suggest that you do. Go to the main page of this blog and begin typing in keywords into the search box at the top right hand side of the page and you will pull up dozens if not hundreds of articles where I address these and many other verses on the subjects in question. After you have done that for a while, get back to me. Happy treasure hunting! Blessings!
Thank you. Will do. Just discovered you on Youtube–and your web site.
Welcome aboard. You must be a truth-seeker.
Another thing that you can do is simply begin to scroll down through the past blog posts. There are a lot, so knowing what keywords to punch into the search box may be hard to do.
As you’re scrolling down, simply stop at a blog post that interests you and answers a question you have. In this way, little-by-little, you’ll hopefully get all of your questions answered. If you don’t find a teaching that answers your specific question, send me the question via this forum or by email to me and I’ll do a teaching on it. If you have a question, chances are that others do to.
Blessings!
Thank you again Natan for yesturday to answer my call, I was bless for the moment that we share our faith, I thank also Yeshua et our father Yahweh there are best.
Be bless and also those who will read that comments
Shalom Shalom
Thank you and likewise. Pleased meet you.