Did Yahsuah Add Grace and Subtract the Torah?
One of the fundamental teachings of Torah, the Instructions in the Way, Truth and Life, is the prohibition of Adding to, or Subtracting from, the Instructions of *YHWH.
* YHWH is the Eternal Name of our Creator, it literally translates He Is, He Was, He Shall Be.
“See that you do everything I command you; do not Add to it or Subtract from it,”את What thing soever I command you, guard to do it: you shall not add thereto, nor diminish from it. DEVARIYM (DEUTERONOMY) 12:32;
Ba`al Pe`or, Based on the meaning of the letters the word could be interpreted as:
“in experience of authority (power)”
“Family cover of authority (power)”
“Family to see control”
“House of watch to control”
Combines B and Āl, meaning “House of Āl
(DEUTERONOMY) 4
This stipulation creates a crucial issue for those who believe Grace abolished, or nullified, replaced, or set us free from our Creator's Living, Perfect and Complete Torah; Instructions, pointing to the Way of Life.
There is a church age doctrine called Dispensationalism. Dispensationalism is a system formalized by John Nelson Darby ( John Nelson Darby (18 November 1800 – 29 April 1882) was an Anglo-IrishBible teacher, one of the influential figures among the original Plymouth Brethren and the founder of the Exclusive Brethren. He is considered to be the father of modern Dispensationalism and Futurism. Pre-tribulationrapture theology was popularized extensively in the 1830s by John Nelson Darby and the Plymouth Brethren,[1] and further popularized in the United States in the early 20th century by the wide circulation of the Scofield Reference Bible. Darby embraced Christianity during his studies, although there is no evidence that hScofield Reference Biblee formally studied theology. ) which maintains that history is divided into multiple dispensations in which God acts in multiple different ways. Dispensationalists believe in premillennialism and in a rapture that will happen before the second coming. It divides Biblical history into periods of time. The Torah is referred to as the age of the “Law,” which is now “Old” because the “New” age of “Grace” was dispensed with the giving of the Spirit at Pentecost.
Premillennialism, in Christian eschatology, is the belief that Jesus will physically return to the Earth (the Second Coming) before the Millennium, a literal thousand-year golden age of peace. Premillennialism is based upon a literal interpretation of Revelation 20:1–6 in the New Testament, which describes Jesus's reign in a period of a thousand years.
There is two things one must overstand:
The cultural frame of reference isn't considered.
This belief conflicted what is prevalent in the Torah.
One must begin by compiling the New Testament verses that seemed to support Dispensationalism and I discovered two things: First, I noticed that of the ten verses I studied, nine came from Paul's letters. Peter wrote that parts of Paul's letters were “hard to understand” and “ignorant people” had already distorted his words, just as they do to the rest of the Scriptures:
“He writes this way in all his letters, speaking in them about such matters. Some parts of his letters are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.” 2 Peter 3:16
People have and will continue to distort Scripture, but our Creator has given us a way to test everything we hear for Truth. Does what we hear add to, or subtract from, or lead us away from Torah?
Jesus, His Hebrew Name Yeho-shua, means *YHVH-salvation. He Is the Word (Torah), John 1:1.
He Is the Same, Yesterday, Today and Forever. It is impossible for Him to Lie or Change His mind: Numbers 23:19; Isaiah 40:8; Hebrews 6:18; 13:8; Titus 1:2; 1 Samuel 15:29; Psalm 110:4; 119:89…
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Secondly, I noticed some ambiguous translations. Here are some examples of the English definitions that do not always match up to the original ancient Hebrew of the Torah.
The word Law is an inadequate translation for Torah, which is a difficult word to translate because it is so full of meaning. It is described as the Teaching, or Instruction, of *YHVH. Pointing us in the Way of Truth and Life (which is Doing what is Right), Psalm 119:160; Proverbs 6:23.
Torah is also called Perfect, Complete, Pure, Blameless, Flawless, Purified Seven Times, Everlasting, Spiritual, Light, Wisdom, Justice and Righteousness (Doing what is Right): Deuteronomy 4:6; Psalm 12:6; 18:30; 19:7; 78:5; 119:98,130; Proverbs 10:17; Nehemiah 9:13; Romans 7:14…
The word “Grace” has become known as “Unmerited Favor,” but the original Hebrew word “CHen,” meaning “Favor,” is merited. The Favor of *YHVH is given freely, to all who repent, or turn from, their unrighteousness; the way of sin and death; Acts 2:38; 3:19; Isaiah 59:20; 1 John 5:17, 18; Mark 1:15; Luke 24:47; Psalm 119:3.
The word “Faith” also has a different meaning in Hebrew. “Emunah,” (from the root אָמַן Aman) means Faithfulness, to Confirm or Support. “Belief and Action” are not separate in Hebrew thought.
Professing ones “Belief” in God without “Faithfully” Doing what He says is called Dead Faith; James 2:17.
Aligning Our Idea of Grace with Our Creator's Word
A good start, when searching for Truth, is recognizing our opinions and then setting them aside in order to objectively look for their origins. Not everyone has the desire, or the time, to research world religions, but I went that route. Over the course of decades I found incredible similarities but no greater Truth claim than the Torah.
The bottom line is, the Torah declares the end from the beginning. If it is the Word of the One Who spoke the universe into existence, why then would we, as created beings, believe the contradictory words of another created being? From the serpent in the garden, to the founders of new religions that add to, subtract from, or lead us away, from our Creator's Instructions.
I declare the End from the Beginning, and ancient times from what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will Stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish. Isaiah 46:10
What is our Creator's purpose? To Save mankind from the Law. Not the Torah but the Curse of Death, incurred by our debt of Sin. This is the Law He nailed to the tree, so we can Return to the Blessing of Life, like it was in the beginning. So we might Die to Sin and Live to Do what is Right (Righteousness), 1 Peter 2:24.
Our Creator's purpose will Stand, despite imperfect translations, misunderstood figurative examples, meanings of names, word rhymes and concepts that don't carry over into other languages, Numbers 23:19; Isaiah 55:11; Matthew 24:35.
The Torah continues to make a clear distinction between Reality, or Truth, Light and Life, and Deception, Darkness and Death. Whether we know it or not, we are Tested in this life to find out who Loves *YHVH with all their heart and soul, Deuteronomy 13:3; Psalm 11:5.
*YHVH also tells us His Commandments are not too difficult for us, or beyond our reach, Deuteronomy 30:11.
The true Messiah's words must match up to the Torah and they do. He says, My Yoke is Easy and My burden is Light. There is a difficult and heavy Yoke, that no one can bear, and it is every added, man-made, Law, Matthew 11:30; 23:4; Acts 15:10.
Do not add to His Word, lest he prove you and you be found a liar. Proverbs 30:6.
Examine the Scriptures
… Test all things. Hold fast to what is good. 1 Thessalonians 5:21
The Bereans were more noble minded than the Thessalonians because they examined the Scriptures daily to see if Paul's message about the Messiah was true, Acts 17:11.
What if Paul had told the Bereans the Scriptures are now Old, because the Messiah came to Abolish the Torah, and Prophets. By His death He made the Commandments obsolete, so we don't have to keep them anymore. Now you just say you believe and you will be saved by Grace. Anything more than that is trying to earn your salvation.
Those who know the test of a false prophet would easily spot these conspicuous lies. Yet the Bereans believed Paul because his words about the Messiah matched up to the Scriptures; the Torah and Prophets.
We are tested and we are taught how to test a false prophet:
See that you do everything I command you; do not add to it or subtract from it. If a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you, and if the sign or wonder he has spoken to you comes about, but he says, “Let us follow other gods (which you have not known) and let us worship them,” you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. For *YHVH your God is Testing you to find out whether you Love Him with all your heart and with all your soul… Deuteronomy 12:32 –13:3
In his letter to the Romans Paul clearly defines the difference between the Law of the Spirit of Life and the Law of sin and death:
For in Messiah, Jesus, the Law of the Spirit of Life Set you Free from the Law of sin and death. Romans 8:2.
Ya'acob also refers to the Torah as the Perfect Law of Liberty, because it is Freedom from the Law of sin and death, James 1:25.
When Jesus said, “Follow Me,” He was calling us to Walk in Torah; the way of Truth and Life. As the Word of *YHVH, the Light of Truth, the Life-giving Spirit continues to call us to turn from the darkness of death and walk, הָלַךְHalak, in the prescribed Way of Life, Deuteronomy 5:33; Luke 1:6.
Now compare the Torah to the Catholic (Universal) religion. They say they have been given authority by God to add and subtract from His Word. It is said to be founded on the words of Peter, their first Pope. Nevertheless, we can trace the man-made doctrine, that were made official at the Counsel of Nicaea in 325 A.D., to the 2nd Century Bishop of Rome, Xystus, pronounced Sixtus; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Sixtus_I,
Grace is The Free Gift of (Renewed) Spiritual Life
“For it is by Grace you have been Saved through Faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the Gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast,” Ephesians 2:8, 9
For the wages of sin is death, but the Gift of God is Eternal Life in Messiah, Jesus our Lord, Romans 6:23
Nothing has changed, we still turn from the way of sin, which is death, by Keeping the Commandments to Enter Life:
“…If you want to enter Life, Keep the Commandments..,” Matthew 19:17; Revelation 22:14
As you can see, a man is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. James 2:24
The Gift and Wages are indisputably two different things, yet a gift does not cancel out the Wages. The worker still receives the reward for the work they have done:
“Now the wages of the worker are not credited as a gift, but as an obligation.” Romans 4:4.
The deeds (פְּעֻלַּ֣ת from Paal) of the Righteous (צַדִּ֣יק Tzaddiq) lead to Life, but coming (תְּבוּאָה tebunah from bo) from the Wicked (רָשְׁע Rasha) is Sin (חַטָּאָהChattah), Proverbs 10:1
The Gift and the Wages
Some of us really get the Gift, but not the Wages, and visa versa, even though one does not exclude the other.
Confusion is compounded by translator bias. We cannot know the Truth without searching for it by studying and praying for Spiritual Wisdom. The casual reader, without questions, will miss the reward we will all receive for our Wages, whether we do wrong, or right:
The Wicked (רָשְׁע Rasha) does Deceptive (שֶׁקֶר Sheqer) Work (פְעֻלָּה Peulah), but he who sows Righteousness reaps a True (אֶמֶת Emet) Reward (שֶׂכֶר Seker). Proverbs 11:18
The New Testament continues to instruct us to Repent, or Turn Back, so our sin will be wiped away. Nothing has changed, we are still instructed to go and sin no more, John 8:11; Acts 3:19.
Behold, I Am coming soon, and My Reward is with Me, to give to each one according to what he has done, Revelation 22:12
Understanding Bondage and Freedom
1. Romans 7:6 and Hebrews 8:13 speak about what Bound us, the Old, or Obsolete, Aging, way of the Letter, as opposed to the New, or Renewed, way of the Spirit. From which Covenant, or Law (Nomos #3551), have we been Released?
Keep in mind, every 1st Century writer referred to the Torah and Prophets as the Scriptures, and the Word of God. There was no concept of an “Old” Testament until the 4th Century A.D. when the “New” Testament was officially canonized into the book we have today.
The Torah defines the physical Curse of mankind's sin and death. In his letter to the Romans, Paul is sharing the Good News of our Release from the Law; the Curse, that Bound us:
“But now, having Died to what Bound us, we have been Released from the Law, so that we Serve in the New (Renewed) way of the Spirit, and Not in the Old (Palaiotés) way of the Letter (Gramma).” Romans 7:6
Would it be Good News, for those who Love the Torah of *YHVH, to think we've been Released from the Living and Active Word of God? Hebrews 4:12; Psalm 119:113
Anyone who knows the Torah would never mistake it for the Old way of the Letter. It is the Curse of our physical flesh that grows old, withers, and dies like the grass and the flower. The Word of *YHVH Stands Forever, Isaiah 40:8; 1 Peter 1:24, 25.
Paul's words are Good News when they are understood in the context of the Torah and the Prophets. In the beginning, when Adam and Eve became physically Bound by the Curse of Death, so did All mankind, Genesis 2:17.
They were also given hope in the Good News. The Promise, or Covenant, of the Seed who will crush the serpents head, Releasing mankind from the Curse of Death, Genesis 3:15.
Abraham was foretold the same Good News when he was given the promise, or Covenant, of the Seed. Through his Offspring, All nations will be Blessed. How? The Messiah has crushed the head of the serpent and Released mankind from the Curse of Death:
“All nations will be Blessed through you,” Genesis 3:15;12:3, 7; 18:18; 22:18; Acts 7:5; Galatians 3:8,16
Death is the Law that is Aging, and will soon Disappear, Not our Creator's Torah. The Renewed, Spiritual Life-giving, Covenant, came through the promised Seed, the Messiah, Anointed of *YHVH. He has made the first, physical Law, Obsolete
