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Tuesday, August 9, 2016

The apostle Paul: Zealous for the law, but not traditions

Many "christians" use the book of Galatians to try and prove the apostle Paul was speaking against Yahweh's instructions and try and make a case that we are no longer to follow the Torah (or Law - better translated as instructions)  They use verses such as Galatians 1:13-16 to claim Paul was speaking against Yahweh's instructions - His Torah.

Galatians 1
13  For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:
14  And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.
15  But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,
16  To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:


Paul was speaking against the TRADITIONS, not the law just like "christians" celebrate christmas and easter and claim it is "worship of God" or "celebrating Jesus' birthday and resurrection".  The holidays of christmas and easter have NOTHING to do with True Christianity just like the traditions Paul was keeping had NOTHING to do with worship of Yahweh or following Messiah Yeshua.  Notice Paul did NOT say that he was following Torah and  that was wrong - he said he was in the JEWS RELIGION and following TRADITION.  Torah is not tradition, it is Yahweh's instruction and is, like Yahweh, the 'same yesterday, today, and forever'.

Messiah Yeshua also spoke against TRADITION of the rabbis.  Since Yeshua NEVER sinned and sin is violation of Torah, He never spoke against the Torah but spoke against the traditions that the rabbis had added to their religion.  Yeshua said the pharisees were violating the law by their TRADITIONS.  This is the very same thing that "christians" are doing when they celebrate pagan holidays that are actually worshiping other [false] "gods" and when "christians" claim that "sunday is the christian Sabbath" where there is no such thing in scripture.

Matthew15:3  But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

1 John 3:4  Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.


Many "christians" believe that "sunday is the christian sabbath" simply because the catholic church told them it was.  They use the reasoning that Paul spoke until midnight sunday and they congregation had a church service all day long because of this verse:

Acts 20:7  And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

1)  The day starts at sundown so this was saturday night after the TRUE Sabbath ended
2) Until 135 AD (because of the bar Kokhba revolt) the believing Jews and gentiles met with the unbelieving Jews in the synagogues to worship Yahweh and learn Torah
Acts 13
13 Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.
14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.
15 And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.

Acts 15
19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
21 For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.
3) sunday morning worship did not start until centuries later
4) the work week was six days with Sabbath being the only day off.  The work week and school week today in Israel is 5-1/2 days long (they end the day early on friday to prepare for Shabbat - the Sabbath)
5) After the Sabbath, the disciples met to have a meal to fellowship after having learned Torah in the synogogue in the morning and learning about Yeshua after the synagogue service ended.

When the apostle Paul taught in Berea, it was before he wrote any of the letters which became part of the new testament.  The only scripture Paul's teachings were compared with was the Torah, the prophets,  and the rest of the writings of the old testament,

Acts 17
10  And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11  These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
12  Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.


Yeshua never broke Torah (which is what sin is) otherwise He would not have been qualified to be Messiah.  The apostle Paul never taught against Torah otherwise he would not have been a true apostle and the Bereans would have rejected him.

When Paul returned to Jerusalem, James told him there was a controversy in that the believing Jews who were ZEALOUS FOR THE LAW believed Paul had been speaking against the law.  James said he knew that Paul had not violated the law and asked him to show the believers in Jerusalem that he was still keeping the law.  NOTE:  it was IMPORTANT to James that Paul show that he was not a law breaker.  Obviously James was teaching the believers in Jerusalem that they were to obey the law!  Also note, this included sacrifices - obviously not sin sacrifices but those of purification and other vows (such as the Nazarite vow)

Acts 21
18  And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.
19  And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.
20  And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:
21  And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.
22  What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.
23  Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them;
24  Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing;
but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.
25  As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.
26  Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.


People love to twist Paul because, like Peter said, he is hard to understand.  Peter said those who twist the words of Paul fall from the error of the lawless.  

2 Peter 3
14  Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.
15  And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,
16  as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.
17  You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.


If anything Paul said contradicted Messiah Yeshua, then Paul would be false so if a person  believes Paul said we no longer had to obey the Torah (the law) and Messiah Yeshua said we do - then that person is claiming Paul's words have a higher authority than the Messiah they claim to follow and are claiming Yeshua is not their Messiah but Paul is since that is the voice they are listening to.  The apostle Paul is a true apostle and most people do not understand him.  Most of "christianity" has made the Paul of their own imagination and is the "messiah" they are following.  Many of the  christians who now claim to follow Torah also do not understand Paul so they claim he is a false apostle.  This false assumption of Paul places 90% of the new testament into question which discredits the entire new testament cannon of scripture.

Those who claim to follow Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) need to obey what He said and follow HIM.  If something in the bible seems to contradict Torah which Yeshua never violated or spoke against (if He had spoken against it, it would have been rebellion against Yahweh) then the troublesome passage needs to be studied to see the true meaning of it.

1 John 3:4  Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Matthew 7
21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
G458

Strong's number G458 iniquity (transliterated as anomia)   :
anomia
1) the condition of without law
     a) because ignorant of it
     b) because of violating it
2) contempt and violation of law, iniquity, wickedness
John14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments.

John14:23  Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

John15:10  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

1 John 2
3  And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4  He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

1 John 5
2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Revelation 14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

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