DO YOU LOVE ME? (Or Legalism V Obedience Part 2)

DO YOU LOVE ME?

(Or Legalism v Obedience Part 2)

Yahanan / John 14:21  “He who possesses My commands and guards them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I shall love him and manifest Myself to him.”

As I observe “Christendom” in the 21^st century I find I am astounded by the great array of differing expressions of love and devotion, which believers publicly display, all over the world, to proclaim their personal faith in their Savior, “Jesus”.    

Seemingly, everywhere you look one can witness believers confessing their faith via “Christian” jewelry, t-shirts, hats, ties, music, movies, concerts, magnets, bumper stickers and most recently permanent body tattoos.  Because of the way the modern “gospel” has been presented most believers never even give a second thought as to whether or not any of these displays of faith are contrary to “The Scriptures” and therefore displeasing to Yahweh Elohim.

The way the average believer has learned “the gospel” the TaNaKh is the Old Testament and it was for the nation of Yisrael and it is completely irrelevant to the way believers are to conduct their life today.  “Jesus” came to die so the gentiles can be saved because “the Jews” denied their Messiah and the first century writings are the New Testament written for / to the church!

Thus the thought process, of the average believer, becomes, the old is bad, the new is good, the old is legalism and the new is freedom, the old is law, the new is grace, the old is Jewish, the new is gentile.  However, is this what “the Scripture” teaches?  NO!!!  A Thousand times no!!!  Nothing could be farther from the truth! 

“So you have nullified the command of Elohim by your tradition.” ~ Mattithyahu 15:6b

  

It is high time “the church” audit its anti-nomian (or Torahless) belief system and closely examine the fruit it has been, and is currently, producing.  After almost 500 years since the Protestant reformation it has proven to be by and large the 

2^nd largest failure in the history of “Christendom”.  The first being the Roman Catholic church.  In differing ways, both have presented “another Messiah” and “another gospel” of which the apostle strenuously warned us against. (Gal. 1:6-9) 

WHAT IS SIN?

If you were to ask the nominal believer to define sin you would get many various and abstract answers.  However, “the Scriptures” plainly tell us what sin is, with nothing left to our vain imaginations!

1Yahanan (John) 3:4 “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” i.e. “The Torah”  

       

Sin is defined as transgressing “the Torah” of Yahweh. 

Q.  Where do we find “the Torah”?

A.  In the first five books of Mosheh (Moses) in the TaNaKh (OT).

Q.  How can you know what sin is apart from “the Torah”?

A.  You cannot know what sin is apart from “the Torah”.

Romans 7:7 What, then, shall we say? Is the Torah sin?  Let it not be!  However, I did not know sin except through the Torah.  For also the covetousness I knew not if the Torah had not said, “You shall not covet.”

The average believer does not believe the plain meaning of these “Scriptures” and thus must exercise a complicated series of mental gymnastics to assure themselves that they do not have to obey “the Torah” because they are no longer under “the Torah”, but under grace.  However, this is not what the apostle said, nor what he meant.  Read it again, very carefully!

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. v.15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. v.16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? Romans 6:14-16

All throughout the entire passage found in Romans 6 the apostle instructs us to abstain from sin and not to let sin rule over us.  Again, the $64,000 question is what is sin?  How does the average believer define sin if “the Torah” has been done away with?  The sad reality is the average believer is left to define sin in abstract and non-descript terms and not definitively, according to “The Scriptures”.

The end result of this “gospel” is very telling indeed.  Most believers who regularly read their Bibles, almost completely ignore the TaNaKh (OT) altogether.  After all, why should they waste their time reading or studying ancient texts that are not relevant for today?  Almost universally the new believer is instructed to start reading their Bibles in the “Gospel of John”.  Why is this? 

Ironically, the opening line of the author is “In the beginning”!  A direct reference to Bereshith or Gensis1:1.  It is almost as if Yahweh Elohim knew we were going to misdirect the new believer in the last days and so He knowing all things gave a huge clue of redirection to start reading at the beginning!  After all, name me one other book, in all of the world, that people are instructed to start reading towards the end?      

The fruit of this belief system has produced a “Christian” populous who do not know “the Gospel” and whom live their lives indiscernibly different from their worldly contemporaries.  It is a known fact that almost every sin that is prevalent in the world is just as prevalent in “the church” today.  That is, for those who dare to call it sin, but you cannot call anything sin if you have done away with “the Torah”, now can you?  According to “the Scripture”, No Torah = No Sin!  Are you beginning to see the problem?

This brings me back to my original point.  Most believers will never see any of their public expressions of faith as sin because they do not have a “Scriptural” definition of what sin is.  However, “the eternal Word of Elohim” as found in “the Torah” will indict us guilty of both the sins of commission and omission regardless of what we believe to be true, when Yahoshua comes in His esteem. (Matt 7:21-23) I will give two specific examples in this study.    

HOW DO I LOVE THEE?

As I stated in my opening remarks a growing trend in “Christendom” is to express your faith through permanent body tattooing.  As a general rule, over the last 20-30 years, tattoos have become much more acceptable in society and in “the church” as long as the tattoo is not offensive to the sensibilities of what is generally considered acceptable as art by the majority of the congregation. 

However, Tattooing is expressly forbidden by “the Scriptures”.

Way yiqra / Leviticus 19:28 ‘And do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor put tattoo marks on you.  I am יהוה.  

You will most likely never hear this mentioned from the pulpit or in a “Christian” Bible Study, because the forbidding of tattoos is only found in “the Torah”.  And if it is mentioned, it will most likely be with the sweeping remarks about why it was not ok for Yisrael, but how it is ok for the believer today.

Verses 26-27 in this same passage are related to verse 28.  All three verses have to do with abstaining from specific elements associated with the practice of “Sun”

worship.  Of course the believer who has permanently tattooed in “honor” of his Savior will argue that he / she did not get a tattoo to honor the “Sun”, but rather “the Son”. 

To this person “the Torah” speaks expressly, yet again!  According to the testimony of “the Scriptures” this makes the offense even more regrettable.

v.29 “When יהוה your Elohim does cut off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, v.30 guard yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire about their mighty ones, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their mighty ones? And let me do so too.’¹ (Footnote: ¹See also 18:9, Lev. 18:3, Jer.10:2, Ezek. 11:12 & 20:32, Eph. 4:17, and 1 Peter 4:3 v.31) “Do not do so to יהוה your Elohim, for every abomination which יהוה hates they have done to their mighty ones, for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their mighty ones. v.32 “All the words I am commanding you, guard to do it – do not add to it nor take away from it.¹ (Footnote: ¹See also 4:2, Prov. 30:6, Rev. 22:18-19).  Debarim / Deuteronomy 12:29-32

    

As you can see the plain reading and understanding of “the Scriptures” says your tattoo is an abomination to Yahweh and he hates it!  You are trying to honor Elohim (“God”) in the same way pagans honored their elohim (“gods”).  This offense is compounded when the name of Yahweh or other Hebrew words are substituted with names or words that originate from pagan elohim (mighty ones / “gods”).

I recently saw a tattoo that read “Soli Deo Gloria”.  This is actually a very common “Christian” term in the Latin.  I am quite sure the person who bore the tattoo has no idea that the names Deo and Gloria both originate from pagan worship as the names of pagan elohim, Zeus and Gloria, respectively.  Once again this is strictly forbidden in “The Torah”!  Here the “Word of Yahweh”.

Shemoth / Exodus 23:13 “And in all that I have said to you take heed. And make no mention of the name of other mighty ones, let it not be heard from your mouth.”   

I could give many, many more examples of public professions of faith in the Savior that are just as sinful and even called abominations by our Heavenly Father!  What would be the point of doing so, however?  If the ear is deaf it cannot hear and if the eye is blind it cannot see and if the heart is hard it will not receive the love of “the Truth” no matter how many examples it has been given. 

For the life of me I will never understand how mainstream “Christendom” cannot understand the plain meaning of “the Scriptures”.

Malaki 3:6 “For I am יהוה, I shall not change, and you, O sons of Yaʽaqoḇ, shall not come to an end.        

Ibrim / Hebrewa 13:8  יהושע Messiah is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

Ya ‘acob / James 1:17  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change, nor shadow of turning.

Once again the mental gymnastics most “Christians” are willing to engage in to discount the plain rendering of these “Scriptures” is truly remarkable.  From the beginning to the end every “Word” in “the Scriptures” is the very “Words” of “the Word”, Yahoshua ha MaShiach.  You cannot separate His Words in the TaNaKh and the first century writings. 

I have documented this indisputable reality in the study I have published to my blog, “The ANGEL (MESSSENGER) OF YAHWEH”.  

(http://robertarthurmcduffie.blogspot.com/2012/02/angel-messenger-of-yahweh.html)

The second example I will offer the reader is the sin of omission of not publicly displaying our devotion to our Savior in the way He has commanded His people in His Torah.  I must admit, I myself was stubborn in not wanting to obey His commandment concerning this very public display of covenant.  Until I was willing to obey with my whole heart and not by routine, my Heavenly Father would not let me experience the favor He has given me through obeying Him.  This public display I am speaking of is found in Bemidbar / Numbers 15:37-41 and Debarim / Deuteronomy 22:12

15:37 “And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying, v.38 “Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, and all you shall say to them to make tzitziyot¹ on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue cord in the tzitzit¹ of the corners. v.39 “And it shall be to you for a tzitzit, and you shall see it, and shall remember the commands of יהוה and shall do them, and not search after your own heart and your own eyes after which you went whoring, .40 so that you remember, and shall do all My commands, and be set-apart unto your Elohim. v.41 “I am יהוה your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, to be your Elohim.  I am יהוה your Elohim.”

22:12 “Make tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself.”

The tzitzit are tassels that are to be worn by every believer.  At least one of the cords in the tassels must be blue.  The primary purpose of wearing the tzitzit is so we will remember Yahweh’s Torah to obey it.  However, quite naturally everyone who sees us wearing the tzitzit will bear witness there is something peculiar about us.  Should they inquire why we are wearing the tassels with the blue cord, we should be ready to give an answer. (1Kepha / Peter 3:15)

Incredibly, most believers who have no problem whatsoever expressing their faith publicly through every medium imaginable will find it absolutely distasteful to wear the tzitzit.  Why is this?  Is it because they want to be “free” to express their faith in their own way, even if that way is sinful, rather than to obey their Creator in a spirit of set-apartness?

TORAH? WHAT’S THE TORAH?

Most of the time “the Torah” is translated as “the law”.  However, 38% of the time “law” in “the first century writings” (NT) is not referring to “the Torah” at all, but rather man’s law and natural law.  In addition “the Torah” is much more accurately understood as “the instructions”, “not the law”.  If we throw “the instructions” away then how are we supposed to know how to live our lives as believers in Messiah?

Also, the Hebrew language is a very idiomatic rich language.  It has been estimated by some that as much as 60% of “the first century writings” are Hebraic idioms.  Many of these idioms can be correctly understood if you know the TaNaKh (OT).

For example: both Kepha (Peter) and Yahudah (Jude) described false prophets, preachers and teachers as being without life giving water.

2Kepha 2:17 “These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.”

Yahudah 1:12 “These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots.”

These Hebrew idioms, used by both authors, expressly means they are false because they do not preach “the Torah” as the way of life for the believer in Messiah.  I know this is the correct understanding from studying “the Torah” and the rest of the TaNaKh. 

In addition Hebrew is a picture rich language and one of the primary pictures of “the Torah” is clouds that bring rain or “living water”.  If you want to prove this to yourself just do a concordance study on the words living water(s), rain and bitter water(s) from the very beginning until the very end of “the Scriptures”.

Many believers will tell me that “the Torah” is no longer for today because that which was written on stone is now written on their hearts and on their minds. (Ibrim / Hebrews 8:10 & 10:16)  To these believers I would say wouldn’t that mean all the more we should keep “the Torah”.  When the commands were written on stone they were outside of us and apart from us, however, now they are written on our very minds and hearts, meaning they are a part of who we are, our very nature.

Let me illustrate, if I have a glass full of water and I am holding it over my head I am under the water and it is distinctly separate from me.  However, if I drink the water now it is inside of me and it has become a part of who I am.  To the believer who insists that “the Torah” is not for today I would seriously question, “Has “the Torah” been written on your heart?” (1Cor 11:28-31)

Again many would argue “the Torah” is for Yisrael or “the Jews” and I am a gentile so I do not have to keep “The Torah”.  To these I would answer are you under the re-NEW-ed covenant?  If your answer is yes, you better look again and see who this covenant is for.  In both the TaNaKh and the first century writing the re-NEW-ed covenant is for the house of Yahudah (the Jews) and the house of Yisrael. (Yirmeyahu / Jeremiah 31:31-37, Ibrim / Hebrews 8:8-12 & 10:16-17

From the beginning to the end the full counsel of “the Scripture” always refers to gentiles as those who are “out of covenant” with their Creator.  By the very context of usage, if words have any meaning at all, it is impossible to be a gentile believer.  It is 100% an oxy-moron.  By the spirit of adoption every gentile joins the house of Yisrael.  If you are a believer in Messiah, make no mistake about it, you are Yisrael and therefore “the Torah” is written to you and for you. (Eph 2:11-22, Rom 8:14-17 & 9:4-8)               

Even still many will argue the only law that exists today is the law of love.  They site the Words of Yahoshua as recorded in Mattithyahu 22:37-40,

And יהושע said to him, “ ‘You shall love יהוה your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your being, and with all your mind.’ v.38 “This is the first and great command. v.39 “And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ v.40 “On these two commands hang all the Torah and the Prophets.”

Once again believers, conveniently, completely ignore the preposition “hang” as if it wasn’t there at all.  Think of a hanger in your closet. 

Q.  What is the purpose of a hanger? 

A.  Obviously, to hang a garment on.  

In other words without a garment to hang upon the hanger the hanger is essentially without purpose.  In the same way all of “the Torah” and all of the words spoken by the prophets are the garment which hangs upon the two great commandments, both of which are first written in “the Torah”.

In other words without “the Torah” and the prophets you are essentially without a garment.  According to Yahoshua you are indeed naked, blind, poor, pitiable and wretched! (Rev 3:17)

At this point most believers will argue that it is impossible to keep “the Torah” and that is essentially why Yahoshua had to die.  To this I would answer, “the Torah” says otherwise as does the first century writer Luke.

Debarim / Deuteronomy 30:11 “For this command which I am commanding you today, it is not too hard for you, nor is it far off.”

Luke 1:5-6 “There was in the days of Herodes, the sovereign of Yehuḏah, a certain priest named Zeḵaryah, of the division of Aḇiyah. And his wife was of the daughters of Aharon, and her name was Elisheḇa. v.6 And they were both righteous before Elohim, blamelessly walking in all the commands and righteousnesses of יהוה.”

1Yahanan / John 5:3 “For this is the love for Elohim, that we guard His commands, and His commands are not heavy.”

It is absolutely true that no one can be justified by keeping “the Torah”.  Salvation can only be obtained by Heavenly favor through faith in the finished work of the death of the Messiah and His resurrection.  However, how are we to live once we have been saved?  The apostle said we must forsake our sin!  Again, how do we forsake something that does not even exist a part from “the Torah”?  Who or what defines sin if there is no “Torah” for us to hear and obey?

Every now and again I will get a sarcastic reply asking me if I keep all 613 commandments of “the Torah” perfectly.  My answer is always, “Of course I don’t!”  Many of these commands are specifically directed toward the opposite sex so obviously I cannot keep those.  Others commands are specifically toward children living in their parents house and I am grown and living out of the house.  Still others are specifically for those living in the land of Yisrael and I do not.  Finally, most of the commands concern the Lewites, the Lewitical priesthood, service in the Tabernacle / Hekal, the very high priesthood service or offerings and sacrifices all of which no longer apply to the Messianic believer.

Of the 613 commandments a careful study will soon find there are very few “Torah” instructions which apply to the average believer today.  As a matter of fact most people have to know and follow more commandments to obtain and keep a valid driver’s license than they have to know and keep “the Torah”. 

It is a sad commentary indeed that most of the western “Christian” pastors will tell you that you absolutely have to follow all of the man made laws, no matter how ridiculous or unjust, but the laws that came from Heaven you can disregard altogether.

For these pastors the clear testimonies found in Mizmore / Psalm 19 and 119 must be void of all meaning as well as the testimony of the Messiah Himself who said in Matt 24:35,

“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”

YOU PHARISEE!!! YOUR 2 LEGALISTIC!!!

I have had many believers accuse me of being legalistic and of being a Pharisee.  This raises some serious questions every believer should carefully consider. 

Q.  Was Yahoshua ha MaShiach (“Jesus” the Messiah) legalistic? 

A.  He kept every single command of “The Torah” perfectly.  This means he would have always worn the tassels on the four corners of His garment with the blue cord in the midst of each one.  Obedience to Yahweh’s command is never defined as legalism anywhere in “the Scriptures”.

Q.  Is it necessarily a bad thing to be a Pharisee?

A.  The apostle Paul was a Pharisee until the day he died and seemingly he was quite proud of it.

Acts 23:6 “Now Sha’ul, perceiving that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, cried out in the council, “Men, brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, I am being judged concerning the expectation and resurrection of the dead!”

26:4-5 “Truly, then, all the Yahuḏim know my way of life from youth, which I led from the beginning among my own nation at Yahrushalayim, v.5 since they have known me from the first, if they wish to witness, that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our observance.”

Philippians 3:4 “though I too might have trust in the flesh. If anyone else thinks to trust in the flesh, I more – v.5 circumcised the eighth day, of the race of Yisra’ĕl, of the tribe of Binyamin, a Heḇrew of Heḇrews, according to Torah a Pharisee, v.6 according to ardour, persecuting the assembly; according to righteousness that is in the law, having become blameless.”

Furthermore, it seems the circumstantial evidence proves that Yahoshua ha MaShiach was also a Pharisee. 

Yahanan 1:24-26 And those sent were of the Pharisees, v.25 and they asked him, saying, “Why then do you immerse if you are not the Messiah, nor Ěliyahu, nor the Prophet?” v.26 Yoḥanan answered them, saying, “I immerse in water, but in your midst stands One whom you do not know,

Yahoshua’s training as a Pharisee would logically explain why all throughout “The Sermon On The Mount” (Matt 5-7) Yahoshua quoted from the oral torah flawlessly.  All throughout His message He contrasts the teaching of Rabbi Hillel with Rabbi Shemmi and then each time He gave His halachic ruling of which one was correct.  Finally, this would also explain the last statement made in Matt 7.

 v.28 And it came to be, when יהושע had ended these words, that the people were astonished at His teaching, v.29 for He was teaching them as one possessing authority, and not as the scribes.    

The scribes had no authority to make any kind of ruling how “the Torah” was to be interpreted and lived out on a day to day basis.  Only the Pharisees of “The Great Assembly of 120”, established by Ezra and Nehemia, were authorized to interpret “the Torah” and issue halachic rulings. 

Even though Yahoshua was not a part of the great assembly He was still issuing halachic rulings and He gave this same authority to His followers.  (Matt 18:18-20 & Col. 2:16-17)

“Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind¹ on earth shall be having been bound¹ in heaven, and whatever you loosen¹ on earth shall be having been loosened¹ in heaven. Footnote: ¹Binding and loosening is Heḇrew idiom for exercising authority (to prohibit and permit). v.19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning any matter that they ask, it shall be done for them by My Father in the heavens. v.20 “For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there I am in their midst.”

Col 2:16-17  Let no one therefore judge you in eating or in drinking, or in respect of a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths – v.17 which are a shadow of what is to come – but the Body of the Messiah.

ITS NOT ONLY WHAT YOU SAY THAT COUNTS!  ITS ALSO WHAT YOU DO!

Ya ‘acob / James 1:22- 25 And become doers of the Word, and not hearers only,¹ deceiving yourselves. v.23 Because if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror, v.24 for he looks at himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what he was like. v.25 But he that looked into the perfect Torah, that of freedom, and continues in it, not becoming a hearer that forgets, but a doer of work, this one shall be blessed in his doing of the Torah. 

2:17-18 So also belief, if it does not have works, is in itself dead. v.18 But someone might say, “You have belief, and I have works.” Show me your belief without your works, and I shall show you my belief by my works.

Twice in the 20^th century a popular fad swept the united States and many parts of the western world.  This movement was based on the classic, “In His Steps” and the fad that followed was “WWJD” or “What Would “Jesus” Do?”. 

Sadly, most all of “Christendom” took it upon themselves to answer this question from their own subjective opinions and feelings and not from “the Scriptures”.  “The Scriptures” plainly told us what Yahoshua (“Jesus”) actually did and did not do! 

He most definitely did not get a tattoo and He most definitely wore the tzitzit (tassels) on all of His garments.  The answer to this question is found in “the Scriptures” not in the deceitful imaginations of our own hearts! (Yiremayahu / Jeremiah 17:9)    

One of the primary differences between the Greek culture and the Hebrew culture is the way they learn.  The primary way of learning in the Greek culture is by thinking through the problem.  “I think, therefore I am.”  The primary way of learning in the Hebrew culture is by repeating the same action habit over and over again.

This was probably the biggest obstacle in my walk of faith, over the last 10+ years, as I have been exploring the Hebrew roots of the new covenant fruits.  I was and am the consummate intellectual.  I have always had to know the reason for everything I believe, from “the Scriptures”, and I have to understand the intent of Heaven for each commandment.

While on the surface this may seems logical and correct, (Yeshayahu / Isaiah 1:18 & 1Kepha / Peter 3:15), the ever present reality is we must come to Yahweh by faith in Him. (Ibrim / Hebrews11:6)  His Word says it and that settles it!  It really does not matter whether I believe it or agree with it or not!

Yahweh was very merciful to me and He revealed to me my need obey the command to wear the Tzitzit in a dream.  He did it in such a way that I truly desired to wear them with my whole heart.  In my dream I could hear the set-apart Spirit ask me, “How can 10 men grab a hold of your Tzitzit and say Yahweh is with you if you are not wearing them?” (Zekaryah 8:23)

Since I have put the Tzitzit on the four corners of my daily garments I can honestly say it is amazing how they constantly remind me of “the Torah” written on my heart to guard them and obey them.  How I wish I would have been taught to wear them from my youth and why it was important to always wear them.  I am quite certain my life would have been much different based on the experience I have known first hand this past year.        

Consider the following passages of “Scripture” and tell me how you can possibly explain them apart from their plain intended meaning that we are indeed supposed to walk in the light of “the Torah”? (Mizmore / Psalm 119:105)

Mattithyahu 5:17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Torah or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to complete.”

5:19 “Whoever, then, breaks one of the least of these commands, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the reign of the heavens; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the reign of the heavens.”

 

28:19-20 “Therefore, go and make taught ones of all the nations, immersing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Set-apart Spirit, v.20 teaching them to guard all that I have commanded you. And see, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Amĕn.”

19:17 “And He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except One – Elohim. But if you wish to enter into life, guard the commands.”

  

Yahanan / John 14:15 “If you love Me, you shall guard My commands.”

15:10 “If you guard My commands, you shall stay in My love, even as I have guarded My Father’s commands and stay in His love.”

1Cor 7:19 “The circumcision is naught, and the uncircumcision is naught, but the guarding of the commands of Elohim does matter!”

1Yahanan / John 2:3 “And by this we know that we know Him, if we guard His commands. v.4 The one who says, “I know Him,” and does not guard His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. v.5 But whoever guards His Word, truly the love of Elohim has been perfected¹ in him. By this we know that we are in Him. v.6 The one who says he stays in Him ought himself also to walk, even as He walked.”

3:22-24 “And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we guard His commands and do what is pleasing in His sight.¹ Footnote: ¹Prov. 28:9, John 9:31, James 5:16. v.23 And this is His command, that we should believe in the Name of His Son יהושע Messiah and love one another, as He gave us command. v.24 And the one guarding His commands stays in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He stays in us, by the Spirit which He gave us.”

   

5:2-3 By this we know that we love the children of Elohim, when we love Elohim and guard His commands. v.3 For this is the love for Elohim, that we guard His commands,¹ and His commands are not heavy, Footnote: ¹See 5:2, 2 John v. 6, John 14:15.

SO WHAT EXACTLY IS MY POINT?

This teaching really does not have anything to do with tattoos or the wearing of the tzitzit.  This teaching has everything to do with righteous obedience and its rewards versus disobedience and death.  My brothers and sisters will never know the fullest blessing of Yahweh in their lives as long as they are a slave to their fleshly appetite. 

The wages of the sin of tattooing the body will eventually be experiential poor health, disease and even premature death for many. (Romans 6:23)  How many times have I picked up the paper to read some stupid person contracted HIV / AIDS or hepatitis from being tattooed with a dirty needle?  How unnecessarily tragic!  The law of sowing and reaping applies to every man, saved or not.

Gal 5:13-18 “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only [use] not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.  For all the law is fulfilled in one word, [even] in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.  [This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.”

If we are fulfilling the lust of our flesh we are not being led by Ruah ha Chodesh (the set-apart Spirit) to do so.  Every time we yield to our fleshly desires we are under the law once again.  One of the primary meanings of “under the law” is to be criminally indictable for a specific transgression.  When we break the law we become criminally indictable.  When we confess and repent of our transgression we are no longer criminally indictable. (1Yahanan / John 1:9)

I used the examples of tattoos and the wearing of the tzitzit for this teaching, but this teaching holds equally true to every heresy and apostasy taught in the “churches” today.  They are a slave to their heresies and apostasies.  They are criminally indictable under the law for each transgression they commit in the name of liberty and grace.  Ironically they will call everyone a heretic who does not hold to their Roman / Babylonian traditions.  Sola Scriptora (By Scripture Alone) was the noble cry of the Protestant reformation. Unfortunately, they never did it!

No wonder the papacy cried out loudly, “you Protestants doth protest in vain!  You call me the anti-messiah and condemn the Roman Catholic church as apostate, while crying out “Sola Scriptora” in every street.  Yet you continue to hold to many of the traditions established by the church alone, you continue to celebrate many of the established beliefs held by the church, and you continue to keep sacred Sunday as well as many of the other holy days sanctified only by the tradition of the church and the Ex-Cathedra of the Papacy and not by holy writ whatsoever!”   

Listen to the Words of Yahoshua, “Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.” Luke 11:52 

True knowledge only proceeds from “the Scriptures”.  The key to understanding “the Scriptures” has always been “the Scriptures”.  This is the key of knowledge Yahoshua was speaking of.

The Pharisees did exactly what the “churches” do today and have been doing for more than a millennium.  They took “the Scriptures” away from the people making them believe that the Pharisees were the only ones who could rightly understand “the Word” of (Elohim).  They also stand guilty of adding to “the Word” of Elohim with “the Oral Torah” which consist primarily of their countless additional man made burdens.

Yahoshua defined legalism as the adding to or taking away from “the Scriptures”!  This is the exact opposite definition of legalism that has taken hold in the “churches” today.  If you hold to “the Scriptures” alone (as Yahoshua did) you will be accused of legalism and labeled a heretic or even apostate.

Now you know why the “church” cannot help but violate most of “the Torah”, the prophets and the rest of the TaNaKh (OT) and continues to hold onto every extra-Scriptural Pagan vice, tradition, holiday and belief.  Our hearts should grieve for our brothers and sisters even as Ruah ha Chodesh grieves and is quenched. 

Let us not argue with them or judge them (for they have judged themselves by “the Scriptures” already).  Rather let us pray fervently and earnestly for them to hear the loud angelic cry “to come out of Babylon”, before it is too late.

With grateful hearts this set-apart Sabbath let us rejoice that we have heard His voice and we ourselves have been called out.  Let us fervently examine ourselves to see, if we be in the faith and if there is any remains of Babylon within our midst that we may repent with joy.

Shalom and choice Messianic blessings in the name of Yahoshua Ha MaShiach.

Sincerely, and In Truth,

Missionary 2 the World!

Robert Arthur McDuffie ~ Gal. 6:14