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Did you ever wonder why there was so much confusion over YaHuWShA's own words, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15)? I believe YaHuWShA demands we greatly restrain and limit the "no-mighty" self. I have learned the hard way, of course, that what He says to do in the Scriptures, he means it!
The easiest way to figure out the dilemma of which commandments remain binding and which do not is to first discover what YaHuWShA's High Priesthood did change, which goes on to unveil those commandments of Scripture we must obey. Let's review what has been "done away" by reading Galatians 3:13, which tells us that MaSHiYaCh has "redeemed us from the curse of the Torah by becoming a curse for us".
Ha MaShiYaCH eliminated any responsibility on our part to receive the curses and punishments of the Torah for disobedience. If someone in our Assembly chose to violate the Sabbath by working on it, then apart from MaSHiYaCh's sacrifice we would necessarily have to confirm it, with two or three of us going to his house and pelting him with stones until he was dead. Or if a divorced brother chose to get remarried with his spouse still living, we would have to confirm it according to the Torah and go on to stone him until dead! I cite these examples to illustrate what exactly MaSHiYaCh took upon Himself, the righteous requirement of the Torah that we die for our sins. YaHuWShA became the curse for us to that we would not have to execute the curses of the Torah laid out in the Torah. For lesser sins and offenses involving stripes and scourgings, MaSHiYaCh took those upon His Body as well. Debarim (Deuteronomy) 7:2-4 shows another example of those curses MaSHiYaCh took upon Himself, the need to go out in armies and destroy the peoples of enemy nations. "You should make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them," we are told. While we should still not treat with nations and enter into covenants with them, we are spared from the curses of doing so by the sacrifice of YaHuWShA.
Ibrim (Hebrews) 7:11-12 declares another change in the Torah: the Levitical Priesthood, which was replaced by YaHuWShA's, which "always intercedes for us". Therefore, any worship or service to YaHuWaH involving the spilling of sacrificial animal blood at the hands of the Levitical priests is "done away", replaced by the sacrifice of YaHuWShA "once for all" . Every priestly action under the order of Aaron was done away.
There is also the matter of eating lamb or goat on the New Covenant Passover. The fruit of the vine and unleavened bread is all that the Scriptures mandate for the Passover meal. To include lamb or goat is to "eat and drink judgment" on yourself (1 Corinthians 11:27-34). This is the same as partaking of the table of demons (1st Corinthians 10:14-22).
There you go! These few examples encapsulate what was "done away" and no longer binding in the entire sum of Scripture, so all the rest is binding! Now YaHuWShA's words come to life in Mattithyahu (Matthew) 5:17-19. "Do not think that I come to destroy the Torah or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to complete. For truly, I say to you, till the heaven and the earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall by no means pass from the Torah till all be done."!
To "fulfill" means to obey it correctly by completing the intent of the Scriptures. "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." 2 Yohanan (John) 6 states that "this is love, that we walk according to His Commands."
Please reflect on what Yohanan understood about YaHuWShA's commands as you examine the rest of the website.
Yohanan (John) 8:31-32: "So YaHuWShA said to those Yehudim who believed Him, 'If you stay in My Word, you are truly My taught ones, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.'"
"He who does not love Me does not guard My Words. And the Word which you hear is not Mine but of the Father Who sent Me."
Yohanan (John) 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."
Yohanan (John) 8:31-32: "So YaHuWShA said to those Yehudim who believed Him, 'If you stay in My Word, you are truly My taught ones, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.'"
Yohanan (John) 2:3-6: "And by this we know that we know Him, if we guard His commands. The one who says, 'I know Him', and does not guard his commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever guards His Word, truly the love of ALoHaYaM has been perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. The one who says he stays in Him ought himself also to walk, even as He walked."
Yohanan (John) 3:4: "Everyone doing sin also does lawlessness and sin is lawlessness" [breaking of the Torah].
Yohanan (John) 3:6-9, 24: "Everyone staying in Him does not sin. Everyone sinning has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one lead you astray. The one doing righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. The one doing sin is of the devil, because the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of ALoHaYaM was manifested: to destroy the works of the devil. Everyone having been born of ALoHaYaM does not sin, because His seed stays in him, and he is powerless to sin, because he has been born of ALoHaYaM."
Yohanan (John) 5:2-3, 18: "By this we know that we love the children of ALoHaYaM, when we love ALoHaYaM and guard His commands. For this is the love for ALoHaYaM, that we guard His commands, and His commands are not heavy.... We know that everyone having been born of ALoHaYaM does not sin, but the one having been born of ALoHaYaM guards himself, and the wicked one does not touch him."
Yohanan (John) 6: "And this is the love, that we walk according to His commands. This is the command, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it."
One thing I forgot to mention earlier about the curses of the law is that YaHuWShA does reserve the right to carry out those curses for the discipline of his children. Either through His own hand or by allowing ha Shatan to exploit what openings their sins permit. For example, back in 1 Corinthians 11:27-34, Sha'ul says that "many...are sick and have fallen asleep", which implies death, by taking the wrong symbols at the Passover meal. YaHuWShA allows the brethren to be killed and to be sick because they partake of His Slaughter unworthily. Another example may be found in Acts 5:1-11 with Ananias and Sapphira, where those two lied to the Set-Apart Spirit and were slain. The reason I brought this topic up is to dissuade people from thinking that once they partake of Ha MaShiYaCH they have no guilt on their account. There are too many scriptures that say those who endure to the end will be saved. That is why so many of our brethren have sickness, disease, and infirmities of every kind. They do not understand the power of speaking the word over their lives (Joshua 1) and walking in full obedience.
One final thought to encourage you. Every statute or precept you begin to obey and apply to your life, the closer you will draw to YaHuWShA and YaHuWaH to increase your intimacy with Them in our upcoming marriage of the Bride with the Bridegroom.
The Scripture references are taken from The Scriptures 1998 and the New King James Version.
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