Thursday, February 3, 2011

But What About the New Testament?

I was raised in a home that taught that there was an old covenant and new covenant. The Old Testament was done away with and the New Testament was what was relevant for us Believers now. This meant to me that the OT was the old ways, old laws and the old version of God. And now were under new ways, new laws and a new version of God. Yet, I was always taught that God was unchanging. The same yesterday, today and forever! "For I am the Lord, I do not change." Malachi 3:6 This is something that has always perplexed me. Sure we used some of the OT stuff like the 10 commandments and then a few stories here and there. But honestly, the focus was all on the NT.

Let's first remember that we have assigned the names "old" and "new" to our current Bibles. The "old" testament was really called the Tanakh and it was the Hebrew Scriptures containing the Torah, the Writings and the Prophets. This Tanakh was all the "New" testament apostles, teachers and believers had to read from, learn from and obey. The NT is a compilation of the Gospels and letters written to various churches from various apostles. The New Testaments was not compiled until around 100AD. All 27 books were first officially recognized in a letter written right before the beginning of the fourth century. With this in mind we must be careful to read the NT through the eyes of the Tanakh and not the other way around.

So what about the new covenant? I believe a better translation of the word would have been "renewed". There is nothing new under the sun (Ecc 1:9). In this renewed covenant we no longer have to keep all the law (Torah) in order to attain and maintain salvation. Our Messsiah died on the cross, becoming the perfect sacrifice and becoming the mediator between God and us. The law has not been done away with, but it has been fulfilled. Yeshua is the fulfillment of that law. We are now saved by faith through grace and out of a love for our Messiah, we obey His commandments (Torah). Jeremiah 31:31-33 makes the first mention of this renewed covenant. He says that YHWH will write His commandments on our hearts. He never says He will do away with the commandments (Torah). Most of the NT contains direct quotes of things in the OT. It is very obvious when reading the NT through the lenses of the Tanakh, that the NT only confirms and never contradicts what is said in the OT. The OT contains our foundation (Torah). It shows us the character of God. It is the measuring stick by which we measure everything else we read in the Bible. We cannot build a strong house without a good foundation. I had never thought about this before a few months ago.

So where does the NT tells us to obey Torah? (which has been translated into law,commands or commandments) Let me share with you just a few.

Matt 5:17-19, "Do not think I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth shall pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes 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 does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

Matt 23:1-3, "Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, the scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you -- but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice."

John 14:15, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments."

John 14:21, "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me."

John 15:10, "If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love."

John 15:14, "You are my friends if you do what I command you."

Acts 28:23, "When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets."

Romans 7:12, "So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good."

Romans 7:22, "For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being."

Hebrews 13:7-8, "Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

Heb 10:16, "This is the covenant that I will make with them, after those days, declares the Lord; I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds."

1 John 2:3-6, "And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him; whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked."

1 John 3:24, "Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us."

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

Rev 12:17, "Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea."

Rev 14:12, "Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus."


I ask you to no longer read the Scriptures with a Greek mind, but with a Hebrew mind. In reading the Scriptures with a Hebrew mind you will better understand the Jewish authors and your Jewish Messiah.

2 Peter 3:14-17, "Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found with him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also once wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 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. 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. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity, amen."

2 comments:

  1. Wonderful post! We must remember the whole scripture is the Word of G_d! he has breathed it all Torah, Haftorah, and Apostolic Scripture. Our salvation is through the Grace of Yeshua. However, if we are truly his disciples we must follow him. He followed all of the instructions of Yah. We are blessed to be able to follow his example out of love and gratefulness to him for his amazing love!
    Blessings!
    Joycelyn

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