In this last session, we will look at a picture that Paul gives us regarding following the traditions and rulings of man. He compares this to Ishmael, the son of the bondwoman, Hagar, who represents Mt Sinai.

For this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. Galatians 4:25

He concludes that following the oral traditions and rulings of man is bondage.

Paul then contrasts following the traditions and rulings of man (Oral law/rabbinical teachings) with following the written Torah of Yeshua by the spirit. He compares this with Sara, who gave birth to the child of promise, Isaac. He compare us to Isaac, as children of promise:

But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. Galatians 4:26, 28

Those who stand at Mt Sinai, whose mother is Hagar, are walking in the letter of the Torah, and in the doctrines and traditions of man. Those who stand at Mt Zion (Jerusalem), whose mother is Jerusalem, are walking in the spirit of the Torah of Yeshua Messiah.

Paul concludes this allegory and comparison with this thought:

So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free. Galatians 4:31

We are not the people who follow the bondwoman, we are not the people who follow the traditions and doctrines of man. We are the people who follow the free woman, who follow the written Torah of Yeshua by the spirit of God.

But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. Galatians 4:4-5

What does Paul mean when he says “under the law”? It means:

*being in bondage

*following the doctrines and traditions of man

*being a babe of messiah but still being governed by your flesh and your carnal mind

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1

For more of Eddie Chumney teachings and to listen to beautiful Messianic worship music, visit us at our internet streaming radio station, http://www.hebrootsradio.com/. Please visit our home page at: http://hebroots.org/

As a background to our conclusion on the book of Galatians, we will look at Matthew 15:1-2, and 6-9. Paul compares and contrasts following the commandments of God v/s following the commandments and traditions of man:

And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, This people draws near to me with their mouth, and honors me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Matthew 15:6-9

What are the “commandments of men”? Yeshua is stating that following the teachings of the rabbis and submitting to their Oral law, rabbinical interpretation, and authority instead of believing in Yeshua and following His Torah by the Spirit, that they are being taught doctrines and commandments of men.

Paul also addresses this issue in Ephesians 2:15:

Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace.

What is being abolished here? NOT the Torah, but the commandments of man, that are contained in “ordinances”. Ordinances in Greek is: “dogma” and it means:

doctrine, decree, ordinance

A ruling by a man made authority is a “dogma”.

It is the supremacy of Yeshua and His written Torah that we are to follow, not the traditions, rulings or decrees of man.

For more of Eddie Chumney teachings and to listen to beautiful Messianic worship music, visit us at our internet streaming radio station, http://www.hebrootsradio.com/. Please visit our home page at: http://hebroots.org/

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Yeshua from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you. Romans 8:13

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4

Paul is teaching us that our fleshly carnal nature is buried with Yeshua, and that our spirit is raised up in newness of life, and that spirit is what leads us to follow the Torah of Yeshua. Our body is dead to sin, but in Yeshua, by His spirit, we are to live a righteous life.

But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. Romans 6:22

What is holiness? Following the Torah! According to the “works of the law”? NO! According to our own flesh? NO! With a circumcised heart and the leading of the indwelling Holy Spirit!

Paul goes on to say:

Walk in the spirit and you will not satisfy the desires of the flesh. Gal 5:16

Walk is a Hebrew idiom for “following the Torah”. How do we walk in the spirit? Listen in and find out!

For more of Eddie Chumney teachings and to listen to beautiful Messianic worship music, visit us at our internet streaming radio station, http://www.hebrootsradio.com/. Please visit our home page at: http://hebroots.org/

Paul asks a question in Galatians 3:21:

Is the Torah then against the promises of God?

In mainstream Christianity, it is taught that you either believe in Yeshua and follow Him OR you follow the Torah. In other words, it is framed that following the Torah is opposed to the promises of God that we receive through Abraham’s example to us that we are saved by grace through faith. (“Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Romans 4:3, Genesis 15:6)

Paul answers his question:

God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.

Is following the Torah sin? Paul answers his own question with an emphatic NO!

Therefore by the deeds of the Torah there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the Torah is the knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20

What shall we say then? Is the Torah sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the Torah: for I had not known lust, except the Torah had said, you shall not covet. Romans 7:7

Doing what the Torah says is obedience and holiness. NOT following the Torah is sin. NOT following the Torah brings about the curse of the Torah.

For more of Eddie Chumney teachings and to listen to beautiful Messianic worship music, visit us at our internet streaming radio station, http://www.hebrootsradio.com/. Please visit our home page at: http://hebroots.org/

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree. Galatians 3:13

How do we understand this verse from a Hebraic context? Sin is the transgression of the Torah:

Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the Torah: for sin is the transgression of the Torah. 1 John 3:4

So there is a curse or consequence that comes upon us when we sin and transgress the Torah. Yeshua, who knew no sin, took upon himself the curse of our sins when He died on the tree. When we repent of our sin and He circumcises our heart, then we can then follow the Torah by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Messiah redeems us from the curse that comes upon us when we are rebellious and disobedient to the Torah.

Yeshua IS our righteousness. We cannot establish our own self righteousness. Righteousness comes by trusting (in faith) in the promises and covenant given by the God of Israel.

Paul contrasts this with trying to be righteous by trusting in the “works of the law”, by walking in the flesh, or by a spirit of religion.

But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. Galatians 3:11

We are saved by grace through faith. AFTER we are saved by grace through faith, we are to follow the written Torah of Yeshua with the help and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

For more of Eddie Chumney teachings and to listen to beautiful Messianic worship music, visit us at our internet streaming radio station, http://www.hebrootsradio.com/. Please visit our home page at: http://hebroots.org/

The primary issue we are seeing that Paul addresses in the book of Galatians and throughout his other letters is this:

Not IF we should follow the Torah but HOW to follow the Torah. Do we follow the written Torah of Yeshua? Or do we follow the Oral Torah of the Rabbis?

Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Galatians 3:3

What does Paul mean by “are you now made perfect by the flesh”? What is walking in the flesh?

Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the Torah of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8:7-8

One who is carnally minded or who is in the flesh, does not walk in or obey the Torah.

The Galatians were walking in the flesh because they were not following Yeshua’s Torah. We are to follow the Torah by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. We are to follow the Torah after the Spirit.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Romans 8:1

For more of Eddie Chumney teachings and to listen to beautiful Messianic worship music, visit us at our internet streaming radio station, http://www.hebrootsradio.com/. Please visit our home page at: http://hebroots.org/

The rabbis taught (in the Oral Torah/Talmud) that if you are a Jew you are not to eat with a non Jew. Paul confronts Peter to his face because Peter would initially have table fellowship with non Jews, but when certain Jewish leaders came to town he would NOT have table fellowship with them:

But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision (the Jews). Galatians 2: 11-12

Peter is later given a vision of a sheet coming down from heaven with unclean animals and he hears: “Arise Peter, kill and eat” (Acts 10:13).

Does this mean it is okay for him to eat unclean food? NO! In this vision, Peter is being shown to have table fellowship with non Jews. They are invited in to the family of God through Messiah Yeshua! The non Jews are to be received as family members!

And he said unto them, You know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. Acts 10:28

For more of Eddie Chumney teachings and to listen to beautiful Messianic worship music, visit us at our internet streaming radio station, http://www.hebrootsradio.com/. Please visit our home page at: http://hebroots.org/

Abraham is our example that in order for us to enter into covenant relationship with the God of Israel that we must be circumcised in our heart. What does it mean to have a circumcised heart?

We repent of our sins, we ask Yeshua to come into our life, we make Him savior and Lord of our life, and we receive His shed blood for our sins. Then we begin to follow the Torah of Yeshua. This is showing a circumcised heart.

We can see that Abraham is our example of having a circumcised heart:

And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. Genesis 15: 6

Paul explains in Romans 2 that a person with a circumcised heart will follow the Torah:

For not the hearers of the Torah are just before God, but the DOERS of the Torah shall be justified. For when the Gentiles, which have NOT the Torah, DO by nature the things contained in the Torah, these, having not the Torah, are a law unto themselves: Which show the work of the Torah written in their HEARTS, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another. Romans 2:13-15

Paul goes on to say that the “weightier matter” of Torah is not the outward sign of circumcision in the flesh but the circumcision of the heart:

For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. Romans 2: 28-29

For more of Eddie Chumney teachings and to listen to beautiful Messianic worship music, visit us at our internet streaming radio station, http://www.hebrootsradio.com/. Please visit our home page at: http://hebroots.org/

But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Yeshua HaMashiach. Gal 1:11-12

In Paul’s former life before he had the encounter with Yeshua on the road to Damascus, he was a “Pharisee of Pharisees” and he followed the Oral Torah of the rabbis, or the “tradition of the fathers”:

And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace….Galatians 1: 14-15

Paul rebukes those in the church of Galatia that are starting to follow after the “traditions of the elders” and the Oral Torah:

I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. Galatians 1:6-7

What was Paul opposing? He was opposing non Jewish believers who believe in Yeshua as Messiah but who were seeking to express their faith in him by following the understanding of the Torah as taught by rabbinical Judaism. This is what Paul called “perverting” the gospel of Messiah.

Listen in to find out more about Paul’s warning about those that would pervert the gospel of Messiah Yeshua!

For more of Eddie Chumney teachings and to listen to beautiful Messianic worship music, visit us at our internet streaming radio station, http://www.hebrootsradio.com/. Please visit our home page at: http://hebroots.org/

The Torah of the Rabbis is called the Oral Torah or the Talmud. It is also called the tradition of the Elders or the tradition of the Fathers.

The rabbis teach that you must always ceremonially wash your hands before you eat. This is not found in the written Torah, but in the Oral Torah. This is the issue that Paul is going to deal with in the book of Galatians. He is addressing primarily non Jewish believers in Yeshua who are then trying to follow the Oral Torah of the rabbis instead of the written Torah of Yeshua.

Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. Matthew 15:1-2

The tradition of the elders is NOT the written Torah that was given at Mt Sinai by Yeshua. It is the Oral Torah of the Rabbis. They are asking him why He and his disciples are not following the authority of the rabbis, the Talmud, the Oral Torah of the Rabbis.

Yeshua answers as follows:

But he answered and said unto them, Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? Matthew 15:3

But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Matthew 15:9

How do we avoid following the “traditions of man” that are found in many religious settings? How do we follow in Yeshua’s Torah? Listen in a find out more!

For more of Eddie Chumney teachings and to listen to beautiful Messianic worship music, visit us at our internet streaming radio station, http://www.hebrootsradio.com/. Please visit our home page at: http://hebroots.org/