How to Follow God: Part 4 – Torah: Dying to Live
Before we continue, let me make sure some important details did not get missed.
In part 3, I said the following:
If we’re identifying with Israel in this story (the Exodus story, as a picture of our salvation), why have we been told that the law is done away with? If the story really is a picture of our walk with Jesus, why was the law given AFTER they were “saved”?
I then pointed out that according to Jeremiah, the New Covenant was ” with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. (Jeremiah 31:31) “
In other words, why do we apply the promise of the Holy Spirit to ourselves, which was clearly said to be for Israel and Judah, but not the rest of the promise: That the Law (Torah) would be writen on our hearts and that God would cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to do My judgments. (Ezekiel 36:26-27).
That’s like a Bride saying, “yes I’ll marry you, but I’m not going to keep my wedding vows because that’s trying to earn my marriage.”
No, you keep the commandments as evidence that you love Jesus. (John 14:15). You keep your wedding vows, not to earn your marriage, but BECAUSE you’re faithful to your marriage.
You might be saying, “but wait what about Romans 10:4: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”
Look up the word for “end”. In Greek it’s “telos”.
It doesn’t mean “end” like destroy or abolish.
To understand what kind of “end” we’re talking about, let’s keep the context. Just 2 chapters earlier in Romans 6:21-22 Paul also uses “telos”, twice!
21 Therefore what benefit were you then having from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end (telos) of those things is death. 22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you have your benefit, leading to sanctification, and the end, eternal life.
Did you catch that?
The “end” of sin is death. Sin does not abolish death. It results in– culminates in it.
The “end” of sanctification (which by the way, God is the one doing the process through the Holy Spirit within you) is eternal life. God sanctifying you certainly does not destroy or abolish eternal life. It’s the destination. The culmination. The GOAL.
1 Peter 3, says the “telos” of our faith is the salvation of our souls.
Christ is the GOAL, the FINISH LINE, the culmination of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Those last 3 words are the qualifier. To those that do not believe, the law just exposes you as a sinner. Sin’s wages are death.
To those that DO believe, the Law (Torah) has a different effect. God writes it on your heart, because it’s His standard and instruction for righteousness (Psalm 119:172, Deuteronomy 6:25).
But didn’t God count Abraham’s faith as righteousness? (Genesis 15:6, Romans 4:3, 4:9, 4:22, Galatians 3:6, James 2:23).
Yes, but it wasn’t an empty faith. Abraham acted on God’s instructions, even up to being ready to offer up his own son.
Don’t lose sight of the bigger picture.
After Abraham willingly attempted to offer up his son (and God stopped him), God said BECAUSE you have not held back on obeying me I will bless you (I’m paraphrasing, Genesis 22:16-17).
How many people have read this passage just a few chapters later and missed the following:
Genesis 26: 4 And I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and I will give your seed all these lands; and by your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; 5 because Abraham listened to My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws .”
Let’s look at Romans 8:2 where it says “we’re set free from the law of sin and death.”
We’re “set free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2; pointing to 6:23 and Genesis 2:17 and 3:19) in the same way that you are free from the law that resulted in your speeding ticket when the fine is paid and you’ve gone through traffic school. The law is still good, and there for public safety. You’re just not condemned by it.
THAT is why Paul said what he said just 1 verse earlier in Romans 8:1.
Have you noticed what the longest “chapter” in the Bible, Psalm 119 is about? If not, go look.
Okay. So what about 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. Seems pretty clear there we’re not “under the Law.”
19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. 20 And to the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews. To those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law. 21 To those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. 23 So I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.
Let’s make things simple. Remember the traffic ticket analogy I gave.
First, Paul cannot be contradicting Jesus in Matthew 5:17-19. IF he was, whose side will you pick? Paul or Jesus?
He’s not contradicting Jesus. We just need to understand what he means.
Let’s also try not to make the same mistake Peter warns about in 2 Peter 3:16.
2 Peter 3:16: “He (Paul) writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction .”
We’re free from the law’s condemnation (Romans 8:1-2), because Jesus, who satisfies the requirement of the Torah (Romans 8:3-4) paid its price and is now transforming us by writing it on our hearts! (revisit parts 1-3 if you’re struggling to grasp this).
That’s why Paul is “free from all”. It’s from this freedom that he operates.
To keep things simple I’ll just explain it and we can explore things further in the days to come.
1) “And to the Jews I became as a Jew”: What law were the Jews under? Whose authority were they under? The Sanhedrin, Pharisees, Saducees. Well clearly they weren’t submitting to God’s commandments either (Mark 7:8-9). That’s the reason for the Sermon on the mount. Jesus was getting to the heart/Spirit of the Torah. No one by legalism to “the letter” can keep it rightly without still being condemned. Where you think murder starts, is not where God sees it start: the heart (5:21). In fact, not only were they missing the heart of Torah, they even added things that weren’t even IN the Torah! (like Matthew 5:43; see Leviticus 19:18).
2) Back to 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. Those who say we’re not under the law, focus on verse 20, “…though not being myself under the Law…” Don’t disconnect it from verse 21, “To those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ
Read that again. “as without law” BUT not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ
He made sure to clarify that he is NOT “without the law of God”, He IS with the Law of Christ.
WITH the Law and UNDER the law are not the same thing. Driving the Speed limit is keeping WITH the law. Once you speed, someone needs to pay the fine.
We’ll have to explore more in the days ahead.
For now, I’ll leave you with Micah 4:1-3. Reflect on the context, of when this takes place.
1
Now it will be that in the last days
The mountain of the house of Yahweh
Will be established as the head of the mountains,
And will be lifted up above the hills,
And the peoples will stream to it.
2
And many nations will come and say,
“Come and let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh
And to the house of the God of Jacob,
That He may instruct us from His ways
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For from Zion will go forth the law,
And the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.
3
And He will judge between many peoples
And will render decisions for mighty, distant nations.
And they will hammer their swords into plowshares
And their spears into pruning hooks ;
Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
And never again will they learn war .
Soon we’ll talk about walking in the Spirit, putting to death the deeds of the flesh, and bearing the fruits of the Spirit.