Are You a Slave to Sin or Righteousness (i.e. Torah)?

Romans 6:14–15 says,

For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace.…What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? Elohim forbid!

What is Paul saying here? Paul is saying that sin (i.e., Torahlessness, 1 John 3:4) shall not have dominion over those who have faith in Yeshua and who have died to their old sinful nature as pictured by the baptism ritual (Rom 6:1–10). The Bible is clear: the wages or sting of sin is death (Rom 6:23; 1 Cor 15:56), for sin is the violation of the Torah (1 John 3:4), and those who are spiritually alive to Elohim through Yeshua (Rom 6:11) not only have had their sins forgiven, but they’re not continuing in habitual sin (1 John 3:4–9). They are walking under YHVH’s merciful grace, so that if they sin (i.e., violate the Torah), they can repent and receive his grace (1 John 1:9) instead of death. This is why Paul can say that the redeemed believer is no longer under the (penalty of) the Torah, but is under grace (Rom 6:14).

Because we are under grace and we have been spared by Elohim’s mercy from the penalty for sinning (i.e., violating the Torah), which is death, does this mean that we can continue in sin (i.e., continue violating the Torah, Rom 6:15)? Certainly not! Paul strongly affirms this in verse fifteen. Elohim’s grace doesn’t give us a license to sin (i.e., to violate the Torah, 1 John 3:4). If a saint sins, he must repent of his sin and not continue in his sin (1 John 1:9), so that the mercy and grace of Elohim will cover his transgression.

Paul then goes to say (Rom 6:16–23) that since we are no longer slaves to sin because of our relationship with Elohim through Yeshua, we now have become slaves to righteousness (i.e., Torah obedience, see Ps 119:172 where righteousness is defined as Torah-obedience). The Torah not only defines what sin is, but also shows us how not to sin. It is the grace of Elohim that not only gives us grace or unmerited pardon for violating the Torah (i.e., sin), but the same grace divinely enables us to live in obedience to the Torah, so that we will not come under the (penalty of) the Torah through sinfulness. This is why Paul can go on to declare that the Torah is holy, and the commandment holy, just and good (Rom 7:12). It reveals to us the path of righteousness and how not to sin by showing us how to love Elohim and our neighbor.

 

Did the Torah “enter” at Mount Sinai?

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Romans 5:20, The law [Torah] entered. The Scriptures reveal that the Torah pre-existed Moses and Mount Sinai. So what is Paul talking about in this passage when he says that “the Torah entered”? Obviously, he is referring to the Torah in its legally codified form as given to the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai. For the nation of Israel to function in a righteous, orderly and cohesive manner, it needed the Torah in written form (in a legal format), so that the leaders of Israel could refer to it even as lawyers and judges refer to a nation’s written legal code when practicing law or making legal judgments.

The offence might abound. Of course, with the Torah written down in black and white, so to speak, and with an established and recorded legal code in place to which legal judges could refer and to which all of Israel’s citizens were held accountable, the knowledge and awareness of what constituted sin (remember, Scripture defines sin as “the violation of the Torah” in 1 John 3:4) would increase. The result was that all became painfully aware of what human actions constituted sin, and that man would have a harder time getting away with sins now that Torah was the legal code of the land with fines and penalties for its violation, and a judicial system in place to enforce the Torah.

Sin abounded…grace did much more abound. As the sinner became painfully more aware of his sin or his violation of the Torah, he also became more aware of YHVH’s mercy and grace toward the sinner—when the sinner would repent and fulfill the requirements necessary to receive atonement for his sins.

 

What’s the truth about “original sin”?

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Romans 5:12–19, It is difficult for our minds to comprehend the concept that as death came to all men because of the sin of one man (Adam), so life can come to man through the righteousness of one man (Yeshua). In these verses, Paul attempts to logically and legally lay out this concept to his readers in a way that they can understand.

Let us first retranslate verse 12 by using biblical definitions for the terms Paul uses in this verse:

Wherefore, as by one man sin [i.e., Torahlessness — See 1 John 3:4] entered into the world, and death [separation from communion or relationship with YHVH because of sin; i.e., Torahlessness]; even so death [separation from YHVH] passed upon all men, for all have sinned [violated the Torah; i.e., the righteous instructions, teachings, precepts of YHVH as outlined in the Pentateuch or law of Moses].

We know from the Scriptures that the Torah (the righteous instructions, teachings and precepts of YHVH Elohim) not only existed prior to Moses, but prior to the creation of the world (Rom 7:14; Ps 119:142,151; Gen 26:5; John 1:1–2, 14; Gen 1:3 cp. 14). Yet in verse 13 Paul states (in the KJV), “For until the [Torah] sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed where there is no [Torah].” The CJB renders this verse as follows: “Sin was indeed present in the world before the Torah was given, but sin is not counted as such when there is no Torah.” Joseph Shulam rightly states in his commentary on this text that though the Torah existed prior to Mount Sinai, the Continue reading

 

What Is Righteousness? Righteousness Vs. Pseudo-Righteousness

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Righteousness is one of those biblical words that can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. Often righteousness is defined more by the traditions of the churches or religious movement we are a part of (e.g., don’t lie, steal, commit adultery, drink alcohol, dance, play cards, smoke, etc.) than by what the Word of Elohim actually teaches. Have you wondered what the word righteousness really means?

In this study, we have attempted to look up nearly all 297 references in Scripture to righteousness, then list the main scriptures that capture the quintessential meaning of righteousness and then categorize them topically. By this means, we hope to let the Bible itself define righteousness instead of men’s traditions and religious philosophies.

It behooves us to know what righteousness is, since Yeshua declared that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled, and that those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake will inherit the kingdom of heaven (Matt 5:6 and 10). Additionally, he commands us to “seek first the kingdom of Elohim and his righteousness” (Matt 6:33). Elsewhere the Scriptures tell us that “the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of Elohim” (1 Cor 6:9). Yeshua also taught that it was necessary for the righteousness of his disciples (and us) to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees (Matt 5:20). What did he mean by this? And finally, in Revelation 19:7–9 the bride of Yeshua is described as wearing “fine linen, clean and bright” garments which is “the righteous acts of the saints” (NKJV). Notice it doesn’t say “righteous beliefs,” but righteous acts.” What are the righteous acts of the saints?

The Etymology of the Word Righteousness

Let’s first define the word righteousness.

It is the Hebrew word tsedawkaw (Strong’s H6666 and is derived from H6663; TWOT 1879b) and means “justice, truthfulness, ethically right” or “morally straight.” The KJV translates tsedawkaw as follows: righteousness (128 times), justice (15 times), right (9 times), righteous acts (3 times), moderately (1 time), righteously (1 time).

Tsedawkaw derives from tsadak (a primitive root; Strong’s H6663) meaning “to be just, be righteous, to have a just cause, to be in the right, to be righteous in conduct and character, to be put or made right or justified, to make someone righteous, to do or bring Continue reading

 

“Under the law” Explained

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Romans 3:19,

Now we know that what things soever the law [Torah] says, it says to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before Elohim.

When Paul uses the term “under the law” is he referring to those who are keepers of the law (like the Jews were)? Is he further implying that if one isn’t “under the law” one is free to break the law? This is a viewpoint many people in the church have been led to believe Paul is advocating. Let’s analyze what Paul is saying here and see it if lines up with what the Bible teaches.

First, if Paul is saying that those who aren’t under the law (because they’re “under grace” instead) are no longer under any obligation to adhere to the law’s tenets, then this means that it’s permissible to violate the law in regards to the Sabbath, the biblical dietary laws, the feasts, idolatry, murder, lying, theft, rape, incest, witchcraft, homosexuality and so on. This line of reasoning crumbles when we realize that from the Bible’s viewpoint, the Torah-law of Elohim is indivisible: it stands or falls as a unit. James says that if one violates one commandment he is guilty of breaking them all (Jas 2:8–10).

Second, if “under the law” means that believers are now free to disregard the Torah, then how do we explain all the scriptures that show us that Paul and the other apostles (and even Yeshua himself) upheld the validity of the Torah as a rule for the saint’s life? (See Matt 5:17–19; John 14:15; Rom 3:31; 6:14, 15; 7:12, 14, 22; Acts 21:24; 24:14; 25:8; 1 Cor 7:19; 1 John 2:3–6; 3:4.) It is evident that Paul can’t, at the same time, be both teaching against and advocating Torah-obedience. This would make Paul into a duplicitous liar and hypocrite, and call into question the validity and divine inspiration of the Scriptures as well. The fact is, the problem isn’t with Paul or the Bible, but with man’s faulty interpretation of YHVH’s Scriptures.

So when we strip away the layers of men’s church doctrines and traditions, what is Paul really saying in Romans 3:19?

Paul is exposing the Jews for being over-confident in their special relationship with YHVH because (a) they were Jews and the seed of Abraham, (b) because YHVH had given them the Torah, and (c) because they were circumcised. Yet despite these facts, many Jews had failed to obey the Torah, thus making their outward appearance of righteousness (i.e., their circumcision) an act of hypocrisy. Paul takes the Jews to task for this hypocrisy and declares that whether one is uncircumcised or not is immaterial; rather, what matters to YHVH is one’s heart orientation toward him (i.e., is one circumcised in heart or not, Rom 2–3:4). After all, logic decrees that circumcision can’t be a condition for salvation, since it’s impossible for one half of humanity (i.e., women) to be physically circumcised, while, at the same time, the entire population (both men and women) can be circumcised in heart!

Paul was being accused of promoting Torahlessness because of his stand that circumcision was not a salvation requirement, and that a Jew who is circumcised, and yet lives a Torahless life is no better than a Gentile sinner. In fact, an uncircumcised Gentile who follows the basics of the Torah that are written in his consciences will be blessed on the day of judgment (Rom 2:14–16).

Additionally, Paul is attempting to level the spiritual playing field (or to tear down the middle wall of separation, see Eph 2:14) between Jews and Gentiles by showing that a hypocritical, law-touting, circumcised Jew has no standing in righteousness before YHVH, while an uncircumcised Gentile who knows little about the Torah, yet follows the light of truth that he does possess with his whole heart has righteous standing before YHVH.

The bottom line is that all (both Jews and Gentiles) have sinned (i.e., violated the Torah, 1 John 3:4), and all are under sin’s death penalty (Rom 3:9–19).

After declaring that all men are sinners (Rom 3:9–18), Paul brings in the concept of under the law and relates this to man being “guilty before Elohim” (Rom 3:19). That is to say, since each man has sinned (i.e., violated the Torah, 1 John 3:4), each one has come under the penalty that the Torah prescribes for sin; that is, he has come under the law. Paul expresses this same concept elsewhere when he writes, “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, ‘Cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them’” (Gal 3:10).

Paul is coming against those who, in his day, put their trust in their own ability to punctiliously obey YHVH’s Torah assuming that this would put them in right standing before Elohim (Rom 3:20). Paul is attempting to correct this spiritual delusion, since no man can keep the law perfectly without sinning, for if he violates but one commandment, he brings upon himself the law’s death penalty and is now under the law. In other words, anyone who sins by breaking one of the least of the Torah’s commandments comes under the curse of the law, which is death, for the Word of Elohim teaches us that the person who sins will die (Ezek 18:4), and the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23).

Therefore, since the Torah defines sin, it cannot at the same time bring man to right standing (or righteousness) before YHVH, since all men are guilty before Elohim of violating the Torah (Rom 3:19–20, 23).

Paul goes on to explain through the remainder of the chapter that we are made righteous (or cleansed from sin or Torahlessness) because of our faith in Yeshua, but that this in no way invalidates (or makes void) the Torah, but rather establishes the Torah (Rom 3:22–31), since, even though the Torah defines what sin is, and the stipulates the penalties for its violation, the Torah also shows us the path of righteous that will keep us from sinning and hence from coming under the laws penalty for sin.

 

Don’t give up!

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Romans 2:7, Patient continuance in well doing. Scripture speaks of not becoming weary in well doing (Gal 6:9; 2 Thess 3:13). Yeshua in his Olivet Discourse (Matt 5–7) admonishing his disciples says, “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Matt 24:13). The context of this remark is tribulation, betrayal of brethren, the deception of false prophets and false messiahs, wars and rumors of wars, sorrows, famines and pestilence. The saint is engaged in an uphill struggle in their battle against the world, the flesh and the devil (Jas 2:15), or as John states it, “the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life” (Jn. 2:16). These are the same three areas (body, soul, spirit, 1 Thess 5:23) in which Yeshua was tempted of Satan, the Adversary, in the wilderness (Matt 4:1–11), and in which Adam and Eve were tempted at the tree of knowledge when in describing the forbidden fruit Scripture records: “the tree was good for food [temptation of the flesh] and that it was pleasant/desirous to the eyes [lust of the eyes or temptation of the soul (i.e., the mind, will and emotions)] and a tree to be desired to make one wise [pride of life or temptation of the spirit](Gen 3:6). Enduring and overcoming the world, the flesh and the devil is a lifelong process. Paul echoing Yeshua’s remarks of Matthew 24:13 says in 2 Timothy 2:10, “Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Messiah Yeshua with eternal glory.” What these Scriptures show is that salvation is a process. One is saved upon belief in Yeshua, yet one must work out one’s own salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12) lest one fall away (Heb 6:5), or one’s faith become shipwrecked (1 Tim 1:19).

Patient continuance, enduring and overcoming involves warfare. Paul was well aware of this in his personal struggles in his ministry to advance the gospel of the kingdom of heaven.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through Elohim to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of Elohim, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Messiah. (2 Cor 10:3–5)

Put on the whole armour of Elohim, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of Elohim, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of Elohim. (Eph 6:11–17)

The words overcome or overcomes occur 22 times in the Testimony of Yeshua and it is interesting to note that five of the seven churches of Asia Minor are admonished to overcome the result of which is great heavenly rewards (Rev. 2:7, 11, 26; 3:5, 12). The word overcome is the Greek word nikao meaning “conquer, prevail, get the victory.” This is the path to which believers are called. It will be the most difficult trek one will ever make, since all the powers of death, hell and Satan are arrayed against those born not of flesh and blood, but of the Spirit who are in this world, but not of it, who are sojourners and pilgrims passing through and who are citizens of a heavenly kingdom. Yet for those who overcome, endure to the end and continue patiently the rewards are more than humanly imaginable:

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which Elohim hath prepared for them that love him (1 Cor 2:9 ).

 

What is Paul really saying in Romans 2?

Romans 2, In this chapter, Paul is trying to level the spiritual playing field by showing what the proper approach to Torah, and hence a right relationship with YHVH, should be. It should be a non-hypocritical and humble-heart approach, which is neither dependent upon one’s race (i.e., Jew or Gentile) nor upon the factitiousness with which one keeps the various prescription of Torah.

Being a Jew or not being one is not the point with YHVH. Rather, what is one’s heart attitude vis-à-vis Torah-obedience. This is lifting Torah-obedience to its proper intent and highest level.

This is the true message of this chapter as summed up in verse 29: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. The word Jew is the Hebrew word Y’hudi which is related to hodayah which means “praise.” Therefore, a true Jew is a literally a “Yah-praiser,” and Paul is using a wordplay hear to make this point. Why does one want to be a Jew, or why does one want to keep Torah? To please men, or to please YHVH? To keep Torah to be a man-pleaser negates the true intent of Torah and of being a Jew which is to help one to be a hodayah; i.e., a Yah-praiser.