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Interesting facts about Christianity

This morning as I was praying, with tomorrow being one of the 7 Feasts of the Lord commanded in Scripture, I began to think back to Scripture and where we are as a group of followers of Messiah. I imagined the pieces we're doing now that are un-Scriptural -- pure man-made religion and tradition -- and reconsidered the purpose and validity of those things. I began to compile a list, which I've posted below.

If there is a mistake in the list below, please correct me in the comments. If you have additional un-Scriptural Christian traditions you'd like to add to this list, please let me know in the comments.

Finally, I suspect some may be offended by this, because most of us actually practice some of these. The purpose isn't to offend, but is only to shed light on what is man-made versus what God has commanded. It's up to you to figure what to do from there. Please understand I'm not saying all these things are evil; I'm simply stating what has Scripture support and what does not. I hope this helps you all align your theology accordingly!

  • Jesus never stated he came to start a new religion.

  • Nowhere in Scripture did Jesus convert anyone to a new religion.

  • Nowhere in Scripture is a man told to say a prayer to ask Jesus into his heart to make him saved.

  • Messiah's first followers were all Jewish.

  • Messiah's first followers met in houses, synagogues, and the Temple, not in churches.

  • All 12 disciples of Messiah were Jewish.

  • Jesus was Jewish.

  • Jesus' name wasn't actually Jesus.

  • Followers of Jesus were not originally called "Christians", but rather, they were a sect of Judaism known as "The Way" community.

  • Whenver "Scripture" is referenced in the New Testament, it is referring to Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings (the Tenakh/Old Testament) of the Jewish Bible; for there was no compiled, canonical New Testament at that time.

  • The term "Trinity" is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • The term "Rapture" is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • The Christian holiday of Lent is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture. However, a pagan origin of the holiday is mentioned negatively.

  • The Christian holiday of Easter is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture. However, the false goddess the holiday is named after is mentioned negatively in Scripture as Ashtar/Ashtoreth.

  • The Christian holiday of Saint Patrick's Day is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • The Christian holiday of Saint Valentine's Day is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • The Christian holiday of Good Friday is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • The Christian holiday of Passiontide is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • The Christian holiday of Palm Sunday is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • The Christian holiday of Christmas is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture. However, a pagan origin of the holiday is mentioned negatively.

  • Yuletide is not mentioned in Scripture.

  • Nowhere in Scripture is it said we are to give gifts to each other on Jesus' birthday.

  • Christmas trees are not mentioned anywhere in Scripture. However, a pagan origin of that tradition is mentioned negatively.

  • Nowhere in Scripture are we commanded to put up a nativity scene on Jesus' birthday.

  • Nowhere in Scripture are we commanded to eat a pig on Jesus' birthday.

  • Nowhere in Scripture is Jesus' birth said to be the 25th of December.

  • Nowhere in Scripture is Jesus' birth celebrated.

  • Nowhere in Scripture does it say you must attend church.

  • Nowhere in Scripture are we commanded to meet on Sunday.

  • Nowhere in Scripture are we commanded to wear our finest clothes or hats when meeting together.

  • Nowhere in Scripture is the Christian practice of Mass or Liturgy.

  • Nowhere in Scripture is the Christian practice of Rosary.

  • Nowhere in Scripture is the Christian practice of Adoration.

  • Nowhere in Scripture is the Christian practice of Confession.

  • Nowhere in Scripture is the Christian practice of Communion.

  • Sunrise services are not mentioned anywhere in Scripture. However, a pagan origin of the tradition is mentioned negatively. They were passed onto the Church through the the Roman Catholic Church's founder, Constantine, who himself was a sun worshiper, a fact admitted by the modern Church.

  • Nowhere in Scripture does it mention Jesus rising from the dead on Easter.

  • Nowhere in Scripture is it commanded of us to eat a pig on Jesus' resurrection day.

  • Nowhere in Scripture does it say Jesus will take us away to Heaven before the world's judgment and tribulation occur.

  • The Pope is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • Catholic priests are not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • Archdiocese are not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • Scripture does not mandate the position of Pope.

  • The Pope's position of "Jesus Christ on Earth" is not supported anywhere in Scripture.

  • Confession to Catholic priests is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • Catholic Holy Water is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • Catholic Holy Salt is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • Sprinkling the dead with Holy Water is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • Giving last rites is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • Confession before death is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • Baptism right before death is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • Baptism of those unwilling or unable to be baptized is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • Post-mortem baptisms are not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • Infant baptism is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • Praying to Christian saints is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • Praying to Mary, mother of Jesus, is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • The deification or semi-deification of Mary is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • Wearing crosses or execution stakes around your neck is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • Kissing crosses is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • Kissing the feet of statues of Christian saints is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • Kissing prayer-counting beads is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

  • Nowhere in Scripture was the Sabbath changed to Sunday. The Roman Catholic Church modernly acknowledges they changed the Sabbath by their own authority.

  • Nowhere in Scripture does it say the Torah, or Law, is abolished. In fact, Jesus said the opposite.

  • After Jesus' death, gentile followers of Messiah were told by the apostles to keep at least a subset of the Torah, the Noahide laws from the Torah. Modern Christians do not keep these, let alone the whole Torah.

  • Modern Christians do not keep all 10 Commandments from the Torah.

  • Nowhere in Scripture does it say God's covenant with Israel is broken.

  • Nowhere in Scripture does it say God has replaced Israel with the Church.



Despite all these things, folks that actually keep the Scriptural Feasts and commandments are said to be misled, "under the Law", not under grace, and putting others under condemnation.

How far we have come! I wonder if much of modern Christianity would be recognizable to the Jewish Messiah Yeshua, who has for so long been exiled in Rome? Or a better question may be, will the fully Westernized, Hellenized religion of Christianity recognize the Jewish revolutionary who restores Israel and judges all the nations from Jerusalem, and finally inviting the whole world to celebrate the Feasts of the Lord with Him? Or will He be written off as too Jewish: "under the Law", too-much-judgement-not-enough-grace?

The thought of judgment, condemnation, and discipline are concepts so foreign to us westerners, it sounds almost like a different religion. Too many are put to sleep by the all-grace, all-forgiving, happy peacenik Jesus preached in the pulpits. Such a Jesus would never judge, never condemn, never correct. In other words, such a Jesus is a pushover. Such is being taught in western pulpits.

16 comments:

  1. I have some issues with your list:

    *Messiah's first followers were all Jewish.
    * All 12 disciples of Messiah were Jewish.
    * Jesus was Jewish.
    So?


    * Messiah's first followers met in houses, synagogues, and the Temple, not in churches.
    How do you define church? Is not a church a place that Christians meet? If so then those houses synagogues, and the Temple were all churches. If you mean the style of the building has changed, then my response is So?


    * Jesus' name wasn't actually Jesus.
    True. Of course my name is not actually Pat. In fact it is not really Patrick but a word in Gaelic I cannot pronounce. I assume that is why we call him Jesus instead of Yeshua.


    * Followers of Jesus were not originally called "Christians", but rather, they were a sect of Judaism known as "The Way" community.
    Not True. Their name could be translated as "The Way". You made this point previously with Jesus' name. Christian is a descriptive term meaning someone who follow Christ. As such I am a Christian and I believe you are as well.

    * Whenever "Scripture" is referenced in the New Testament, it is referring to Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings (the Tenakh/Old Testament) of the Jewish Bible; for there was no compiled, canonical New Testament at that time.
    Is it helpful to point out that the New Testament does not refer to itself? In what way?

    * The term "Trinity" is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.
    True, but the trinity is mentioned.


    * The term "Rapture" is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.
    True, but the rapture is mentioned.

    In these last two cases should we not have created words to describe these things?

    * Nowhere in Scripture are we commanded to eat a pig on Jesus' birthday.

    Nowhere in Scripture are we commanded to eat on Jesus' birthday either. From whence did this come? I am not aware of a tradition to eat Pork on Christmas?

    * Nowhere in Scripture does it mention Jesus rising from the dead on Easter.

    This is a non sequitur. Easter is the accepted (though not proven and likely not) day that Jesus rose from the dead. I believe your point is that Easter, the day Jesus rose from the dead, is not described definitively in scripture. It is not prescribed as a feast day. Given that is is not based on the Jewish calendar it is likely the wrong day.

    * After Jesus' death, gentile followers of Messiah were told by the apostles to keep at least a subset of the Torah, the Noahide laws from the Torah. Modern Christians do not keep these, let alone the whole Torah.

    Yes and no. Though what you say is true, Paul and others also admonished those who insisted that Gentiles embrace Judaism to be saved.

    Modern Christians do not keep all 10 Commandments from the Torah.
    True, but neither did the apostles. In fact the only person to keep all ten commandments was/is Jesus.

    Just more subversive thoughts from your liberal peacenik brother in Christ.
    Pat O

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  2. Pat, don't get the wrong impression, I'm not condemning here or judging here. Just pointing out that we've come along way in our own traditions, and also that many things Christians hold near and dear aren't actually in Scripture, and also point out odd facts that seem rather interesting today (such as, all disciples and Jesus being Jewish, but most all modern Christians being gentile).

    Do you want me to modify any of the items on the list? I would be happy to update the post to include Christian objections to anything on the list.

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  3. Judah,

    Maybe the questioned should have been: What traditions and holy days etc. do we follow that were commanded by G-d? Your list might have been smaller. You won't go wrong following the ways of Elohim. I find it interesting how men will get all bent out of shape when you start talking about traditions of men.

    Rick

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  4. Rick, yes, the list would be very short I suspect!

    The problem is, Christians look at God's commandments, God's Feasts, and disregard them as Jewish. In fact, they are not Jewish; they are God's. (Lev 23, "These are my appointed feasts, the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as holy")

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  5. There is no requirement for becoming a Christian other than faith in Jesus. Gentiles are not required to become Jews. However,the problem as I see it, is that pagan traditions were brought into the church and established through tradition and the passing of time to create a religion as dead and displeasing to God as that of the Pharasees of Jesus' day.

    The Jewish holidays facinate me but as a Gentile believer, I know that all that is really necessary for me is Jesus Christ because He fulfilled them all. I could celebrate these holidays in remembrance of Him but they are not required of me. Neither are the Gentile holidays that have been 'Christianized'. I am the kind of believer of which the Bible describes as 'one day being like another'. For me, every day is a day to celebrate and rejoice in the work God has done and is doing in me in Christ Jesus.

    I do appreciate the things you post though and I learn a great deal from them.

    Pam

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  6. Pam, thanks for visiting. I assume you're the same Pam from Gracehead?

    One thing to be sure, the Feasts of the Lord are not Jewish feasts. See Leviticus 23, God says they're His feasts, His appointed times.

    There are some Jewish feasts that are not Scriptural: Rosh HaShana and Chanukkah are not God's Feasts. However, Unleavened Bread, Passover, First Fruits, Pentacost, Tabernacles, Trumpets (Yom Teruah), and Atonement are God's Feasts, not Jewish feasts.

    Jesus fulfilled the first 4 feasts in real-time chronologically:

    Unleavened Bread, by becoming the only one without leaven or sin,

    Passover, by becoming the sacrifice lamb for us on Passover. His blood causes the evil one to pass over us,

    First Fruits, by raising from the dead on that feast, becoming the first fruits from the dead,

    Pentacost, by sending his spirit to the disciples on that Feast.

    Those 4 spring feasts he fulfilled in real-time, chronologically. However, the last 3 feasts he did not fulfill. We speculate Messiah will fulfill the last 3 when He returns.

    The first of the last 3, Yom Teruah or day of shouts and shofar blasts, is most likely the day when Messiah will return; we know from Scripture that the wedding party will sound a shout and with the blast of the great shofar, we will all be changed in the twinkling of an eye. This would fit Yom Teruah -- celebrated with joyful shouting to God and shofar blastings -- to a tee. Moreover, given that Messiah fulfilled the first 4 feasts in real-time, it is likely he'll fulfill the last 3 in real-time as well.

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  7. Pam, I'd also add that Jesus did say, at Passover, "When you do this, do it in rememberance of Me".

    Not to mention, the Feasts are an eternal, everlasting covenant with Israel, which gentiles are grafted into through Messiah. Thus, I do believe we should show up for God's appointments and celebrate them.

    As Paul put it in his letter to Corinth,

    "Messiah, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. So let us keep the Feast, not with the old leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

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  8. Hi Judah,

    Yes, it is Pam from Gracehead.

    I didn't mean to sound like I think it is wrong to keep the holy days...I really know so little about them. I do keep the Lord's Supper and have always been taught that Believer's Baptism and the Lord's Supper are really the only two oridinances required for Christians. Also, since Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles, I consider Him to be my Apostle and the directions he gave to the Gentiles was to not eat anything strangled, not to drink blood, worship idols, or practice sexual immorality. He placed no other requirements, other than faith in Jesus Christ upon us. I believe there is a reason for that. I also believe that the Law and Ordinances were given specifically to Israel just as Salvation is given specifically to the church. I do not despise the Law and Ordinances of the OT the way some Christians seem to today but I do believe that Jesus Christ has so changed my heathen heart that the Spirit of what the Law and the Ordinances teach have become what my heart now desires and the Law is natural to my new nature in Christ. That is why (in a nutshell that I hope makes sense) that I don't think it is necessary for me to keep OT oridinances. However, I am interested in learning about them and I think celebrating them would be fun and much more meaningful that what have become traditional Christian holidays, which I mostly stay away from or celebrate differently than most.

    I live in an area where there are few Jewish people and I really have no idea how to go about starting to celebrate these holidays.--- Ironically, my husband's great grandfather was named Israel. He came to this country and converted to Christ and became a Methodist Minister. The family burried their Hebrew identity (probably from fear) and only in recent years when my husband's dad had a family tree put together did they find that they were decendents from the tribe of Levi. My husband's dad fought in WWII with no idea that he was a Jew! My children are very interested in their Hebrew heritage and I think knowing about these holidays would be important to them. They are very disillusioned with traditional Christianity.

    I'm not sure all of this made sense :0) but that's kind of where I'm at with the whole thing.

    Pam

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  9. Pam, interesting stuff, thanks.

    You mentioned, "I consider him [Paul] to be my apostle and the directions he gave to the Gentiles was to not eat anything strangled, not to drink blood, worship idols, or practice sexual immorality."

    Yes, all the disciples gathered together, including Paul, and decided that new gentile believers in Messiah should start out by keeping only a subset of the Torah, the Noahide Laws. I'm glad you feel you should keep those.

    However, some folks forget the very next sentence stated by Paul and the disciples, "It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For Moses [the Torah] is preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath."

    What is your take on that, Pam?

    Personally, I believe they are saying, "Let new gentile believers follow the basics of Torah -- the Noahide laws -- and they'll get the rest preached to them every sabbath."

    What do you think?

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  10. Hi Judah,

    Well, LOL! hold on...I have always read that and thought that the Law is preached and taught all of the time and still people are not able to keep it all and earn God's approval. The Law can't make unholy human beings holy. In Christ, there is something better than the Law, (not because the Law is evil or unholy for it is very holy and also very good for human beings)better because what the Law could not do, Christ can do and does do and that is change us in the inward man to make of us persons who live under the personal direction of God by the leading of the Spirit. There are those who do not know the Law but obey the Law by nature, they are a law unto themselves. These are those who have received a new nature in Christ.

    All of the Law and Ordinances are to teach men to be holy. In Christ, we are made holy, recreated in the inward person, so that the what the Laws and Ordinances teach in outward observance have been instilled in us who are in Christ apart from the Law and Ordinances. This is what it means to be a Gentile believer. I love God with all my heart because He has changed my heart. I no longer desire to kill. I no longer desire what my neighbor has...etc. and He is ridding me of all that remains in me that is not pleasing to Him but not by my obedience by the power of my flesh but by the power of His Holy Spirit that lives in me through faith in Jesus Christ.

    Culturally, Judah, the Law and Ordinances can never have the same meaning for me as they have for you but in Christ, we are made one people, the people of God. I have great respect for God's Chosen people but I'm not one, I am of the 'called out company', the ekklesia. You, because of your heritage, are chosen and because of Christ also called out as part of the church. In Christ there is no difference. We have both been made equal before God. And there is no one to receive the glory for that marvelous work than God Himself!

    Be careful about asking me what I think;-]you'll get an earful! I'm an old bird and there isn't much I haven't thought about or overthought!

    Pam

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  11. First of all, Pam, thank you for being so civil and respectful. I really do appreciate your tone.

    Regarding your long reply, hey, that's fine, I wanted your opinion on it. For clarity, let's read that passage again but with your take on it replacing the contended bits:

    "It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For the Law is preached and taught all of the time and still people are not able to keep it all and earn God's approval."

    By constrast, my take is:

    "It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For the Law is taught everywhere, every sabbath, these new believers will pick up the rest as they mature."

    Heh, well, I guess there's no agreement here, but at least there is clarity over where we stand.

    Pam, you said, "I no longer desire to kill. I no longer desire what my neighbor has."

    What I hear you saying is, the Law is being written on your heart. Is that right?

    We would agree -- it is better to have the Law in your heart than only outwardly.

    The part of your theology that seems conflicting to me is, saying you keep the inward things, but not the outward things. Much like how baptism is an outward sign of inward cleanliness, I likewise think of the Law as an outward sign of inward things.

    If the Law were kept without inward cleanliness -- without Messiah -- then I'd be as dead as the Pharisees.

    But with Messiah, I am complete: the Law written on my heart and mind thanks to Messiah, and the Law practiced with outward flesh and action out of a desire to live a Godly life outwardly as much as inwardly.

    More than anything, I practice the Law because Messiah himself did and told us to. I cannot bring myself to denying Messiah's command so as to pacify what folks see as Paul's angst against the Law.

    Let me ask another question of you, Pam. Feel free to let loose on this one. :) Gentiles aside, do you believe Jews should keep the Law?

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  12. Hi Judah,

    It is not just tone, Judah. My heart is more than civil toward you and I'm not offended by disagreement and often, even disagreement is a surface illusion. When we come to know each other better, we may find much more agreement than disagreement.

    Language often causes us to disagree. It is almost impossible for human beings to attach the same exact meaning to words and I think one such word between us is 'keep'. To me, keeping involves effort. If I'm to keep the produce from my summer garden then it requires a lot of effort on my part. This is kind of like what I think about when some one talks about 'keeping' the Law or 'keeping' special holidays, alot of human effort. That isn't what I have in Christ. In Christ, I am kept, the effort is His. That doesn't mean it is okay for me to break God's Laws, it is not, that is to deny Christ. When I say 'no' to Christ and live my own way, I invaribly break one of God's Laws but every time I say 'yes' to Him, those Laws are naturally fulfilled. Jesus fulfilled all of God's Laws and Ordinances perfectly and because I am in Him, this perfection has been applied also to me but I don't possess it on my own, or have any hope of doing so. Striving to keep the Law and Ordinances on my own would probably give me a better life on earth but it would not give me eternal life. It will never give a Jew eternal life either. Eternal life is only in Christ Jesus, the Messiah.

    I need to read that verse for myself again and I'll come back when I do because I've company coming and I need to find the reference (I'm good at remembering what but not where). However, I am a Gentile believer in an area where there is one small synogogue to serve an area of many hundreds of square miles. I've never been invited there either so I don't think I'd have any chance of picking it up just because of commonality. I have studied the Bible a lot on my own and by the washing of God's Word, I have been changed and yes, God's Laws are being written upon my heart and that would never have happened without Jesus Christ but Jesus came into my life completely apart from the Law for I am a Gentile and was not brought up under the Law.

    I do not despise the Law nor do I despise God's holy days or really have any problem with celebrating them (though it is a very new idea to me after 32 years of knowing Jesus Christ) but they cannot add anything to what I already have in Christ Jesus. I can be no more 'saved' than on the day that I first accepted Jesus as my Savior and on that day, I knew nothing but what was revealed to me by the Holy Spirit. If it were not for the drawing of the Holy Spirit, I would never have had any interest at all in anything of God but once Jesus was revealed to me, I could not resist Him.

    As a more mature believer, I have come to view the dispensation of the Law as being very different from the dispensation of Grace but they are inter-related. If God had not blinded the Jews to Jesus, we would not be having this conversation and because the Jews were blinded, God in His Mercy was able to save me and because He was able to save me and all other Gentiles who have been grafted in, then too will He be able to save all Israel.

    We are both in Christ but you are still a Jew and I am still a Gentile. I cannot become a Jew anymore than you can become a Gentile and it isn't necessary for either of us to do so for we are made equal in Christ.

    Pam

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  13. "Striving to keep the Law and Ordinances on my own would probably give me a better life on earth but it would not give me eternal life."

    Yes, I agree. The book of Galatians was written to a people who were saying you had to be circumcised and follow the Law (both the real Torah as well as the rabbinical Oral Law) to be saved. Paul rebuked such people harshly.

    "I cannot become a Jew anymore than you can become a Gentile and it isn't necessary for either of us to do so for we are made equal in Christ."

    Once again, I agree.

    I hope I can make it clear to you I am not trying to turn anyone into a Jew.

    By saying, "keep God's commandments", I am talking about obedience to God. I am not asking anyone to convert to Judaism or become Jewish.

    Instead, I'm asking you to know God's ways and do your best to walk in them. If you are truly walking in Messiah, I do believe you are walking in Torah, for Messiah lived and fulfilled the Torah. I think some honest Christian gentiles by instinct follow a good deal of the Law simply because they're following Messiah.

    However, folks who walk in Messiah only to say the Torah is abolished, are walking in neither God's commands nor the Messiah.

    The one saying, "I'm in Christ, and I reject God's commandments" is a liar.

    That may be harsh, but perhaps a harsh word of correction is needed for some. 1 John states this precisely,

    "We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did."

    Thanks for stopping by, Pam. Blessings in Messiah.

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  14. Pam, one last thing. In addition to the above reply, I'd like to say that obeying God's commands in the Torah do have an eternal benefit, in addition to benefiting your life on earth.

    Jesus put it this way,

    "I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

    Messiah explicitly and succinctly states that those who practice and teach God's commandments in the Law will be considered great in the kingdom. That's awesome.

    Jesus further stated that no one comes to the Father but through Him.

    Thus, it seems to me we ought to both proclaim Messiah and obey God's commandments.

    This is why it is stated in Revelation,

    Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

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  15. Good Morning Judah,

    Again, I think we agree much more than disagree and I more heartily disagree with Gentile Christians who go so far as to call the Law evil and I agree, they need strong correction.

    I've never met anyone but Jesus, or Yeshua, (my Mexican friends sometimes call me Pamula, but I am the same woman :0)) who kept the entire Law and I certainly am glad that I have His blood to cover the times that I do but I am also grateful for my new nature that I have received in Him that has changed my desire to wanting to please God. If I love Jesus, then yes, I want to keep His commands and all the Law and Prophets hang on love. Love does not break the commandments or ordinances of God for Love is the Spirit of them and God is Love.

    I am a regular reader, Judah. I enjoy reading what you have to say and learning from your perspective on things.

    Pam

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  16. You hit on a key point there, love. 1 John hits this deeply, right after talking about loving God and obeying him through the Law.

    Thanks again for stopping by. I'm grateful to have such wise and respectful family in Messiah as readers.

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