Nwsltr-041810-Walking as Jesus Walked
By the Watchman
Dana G Smith
Keywords: light, walk, Jesus Christ, commandments, mitsvah, love, abide, Love, pure religion
Words: 2937
“Walking as Jesus Walked, in the light of God’s Word. Being in fellowship, abiding in love in Christ and the Father as we walk in this present World by faith and obedience.”
The church is so preoccupied with the legal ramifications of what they see in the English usage of the word “Commandments” that they cannot see the forest for the tree’s. They cannot understand fully the Hebrew roots of our faith nor the Apostles who followed Yeshua’s teachings. We get so excited when someone uses “commandments” or even “law” that many times the off button is pushed and they no longer hear anything you say.
We are so caught up in loose grace, free faith, and a religious experience that is devoid of true power and even belief that it is a far cry from the powerful early church found in scriptures. Add to that the countless denominations, pastors, teachers, and all the rest, most of which have varied doctrinal stances, all of which can make for a confusing mess!
If anything we need to get a grip on is the fact that our Savior is Jewish, our roots Hebrew, the first Apostles were Jewish, the first church was Jewish as well. Soon, however, the word got out to the Gentiles of the faith and power of God found in this Messiah Jesus. As a result it sprang up in power. In the course of time, however, as the Apostles died, vicious teachers and false prophets came in and brought with them detrimental teachings that destroyed the faith and truth of the gospel. In spite of this and warnings by the Apostles themselves, the “called out ones”, the ‘ecclesia’ survived. Paul warned of these dangers coming upon the ‘ecclesia’.
Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
An example of this is the Emperor Constantine who at the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325 wanted to further his attempts at removing the vestiges of Jewish influence from the church. His goal was to change the Sabbaths, feasts, and more, while making new ones to fit the Gentile church and the pagan practices that had crept in. Regarding the Passover Constantine said:
“This irregularity [observing Passover] MUST be corrected!”
In their article ‘Why Passover’, Chuck D. Pierce and co-author Robert Heidler says this:
At the council of Nicea, Constantine outlawed Passover and directed that Christ’s death and resurrection be celebrated on “the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox,” which is a time associated with the spring festival of the pagan fertility goddess Ishtar also known as Eastre. (That’s why the Church today celebrates the resurrection at Easter instead of Passover.) Constantine’s goal was to remove Jesus from the context of Passover.
While going through Bible college one of our courses was Church History. I can tell you that while it is most interesting, challenging, moving, and one my favorite courses, they did not cover anything of this. As far as this goes, I believe they do not. We covered the councils, but never did these issues come up! Why? Because we all accepted it. We believed that these did not matter, that is what we were taught! Today, many follow this teaching because that is way we always have done it. But it was not always that way. If one were to get into biblical Hebrew roots, they may touch on it, but to bring such things from history out, it was not done. But this article is not on the feasts nor the Sabbath etc. This is about “Walking as Jesus Walked”!
I have used the term ‘commandments’ many times. When I do, I refer you to the New testament itself and Jesus own words in John 15. In this first portion of scripture Jesus says that “if ye abide in me, and my words abide in you”. Now for the gentiles, the word abide is non threatening, we can handle it. But in the context of this word from scripture, Jesus links “loving him, abiding in him, and abiding in his love with “keeping my commandments.” That is the ouch factor for the gentile church in many parts of the world, especially American churches. The word “commandment” to them is associated with the violently hated word “law”. Which in Gentile lingo and their mislead scriptural interpretation means the ‘letter of the Law’. To this thinking if you keep the ‘law’ or ‘the commandments’, you will fall from grace. The church has trouble linking faith in Jesus Christ with his words to “keep my commandments”. Now the commandments Jesus knew and talked about were his Fathers commandments. In short the Torah!
John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
9 ¶As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
Now this article is not on the Torah either, nor on the law, but it is on “Walking as Jesus Walked”. In order to focus on this, both the Torah and the Law are included. John points out that if we “walk in the light” as he is the light, then we have fellowship one with another.” To the followers of Christ Jesus, the early Apostles for instance had no problem with the “commandments, the law, nor the faith they were to have in their Messiah.”
1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
The real point to this is what John said about those followers who say they “know him and do not keep his commandments, is that the person who does this is a liar and the truth is not in him.” We have been taught in this nation and the churches to ignore all these words “commandments”. We follow loose grace, and in the end get in trouble. All because we do not understand the Jewish idea of Torah, Law, and the other important word called ‘mitsvah’.
1 John 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
James knew all about these words, being a Jew and knowing the Torah. He also knew in whom he believed. But he warned that those who do “look into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and does not forget it, but becomes a doer of it, he is blessed.” Now by modern American thinking we see this and think James is telling us to keep the law and fall from grace. No he is not, for this is not about being justified by grace through faith. It is about having the ‘faith of Jesus Christ’ and walking in his “commandments”. It is about Love, keeping his word, walking as he walked and putting this all together, James sums it up.
James 1:24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
He asks “what does it profit if a man says he has faith and does not have works.” Can that faith save him? He goes on to say if you have faith, then that faith, if it is truly of Jesus Christ, will have Love, that love will prompt you to help people. To have works, based on faith, motivated by love, and revealed in Gods Word or his commandments. James bluntly puts it, if you have faith and it does not have works, then your faith is dead, being alone.
James 2:14 ¶What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
This is where we as Gentiles get lost at times. That is understanding the biblical Hebrew concept of this teaching. Let me illustrate by referring you directly to ‘Ancient Hebrew Word meanings’. One of which is the ‘command’ or also known as ‘mitsvah. The needy according to Gods word have a God given right to aid and the giver has an obligation to God to help. The Jews call this obligation a ‘mitsvah’ [command to us]. The rabbis held that as faithful worshipers of God, Jews should seek opportunities to perform mitsvot [plural of mitsvah]. These were acts of compassion. It was simply part of being Gods people in Gods world and therefore should be done with joy. [Source-www.crivoice.org/needy.html; The Needy In Jewish Tradition-Dennis Bratche]
Further on this point, Jeff A. Benner says this regarding the use of the word ‘mitsvah’ and ‘command’.
The word command, as well as commandment, is used to translate the Hebrew word mits’vah but does not properly convey the meaning of mits’vah. The word command implies words of force or power as a General commands his troops. The word mits’vah is better understood as a directive. To see the picture painted by this word it is helpful to look at a related word, tsiyon meaning a desert or a landmark. The Ancient Hebrews were a nomadic people who traveled the deserts in search of green pastures for their flocks. A nomad uses the various rivers, mountains, rock outcroppings, etc as landmarks to give them their direction. The verb form of mits’vah is tsavah meaning to direct one on a journey. The mits’vah of the Bible are not commands, or rules and regulations, they are directives or landmarks that we look for to guide us. The word tsiyon meaning landmark is also the word translated as Zion, the mountain of God but, not just a mountain, it is the landmark. [source-ancient hebrew word meanings, Jeff A Benner, ancient-hebrew.org/27_command.html]
When I speak of the Torah in this article I refer to the direct revelation of God to Moses, the Pentateuch [five books of Moses]. It is called the Torah, or law. Because of our English roots in America we do not see the word law any other way than if we break it, we go to jail. The Hebrew ‘law’, however is instruction. It is a guide, given in love so that we may walk in it.
The word torah is literally the teachings of the teacher or parent. When a parent is teaching a child a new task and he demonstrates a willingness to learn but fails to grasp the teaching completely the parent does not punish the child but rather encourages and builds on the teaching. In contrast to this a law is a set of rules that if not observed correctly will result in punishment and there is no room for teaching. The torah of God are his teachings to his children which are given in love to encourage and strengthen. [source-ancient hebrew word meanings, Jeff A Benner]
Now again this article is not on the ‘law’, but on the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ called us to walk in him, abide in him, and love him. All this is demonstrated by us keeping his ‘commandments’. James knew this, so in his teachings, he reflects this knowledge of ‘mitsvah’ and the duty as a Jew to take care of Gods world and those in it, including the poor, needy, widows, orphans, etc. If a Jew did this out of ‘law’ and duty to God, how much more should the early church, apostles, disciples, and of us today do this out of love to Christ? James put it again, I repeat here, ‘faith without works is dead.’ You cannot say you love God, love Christ, and do not keep his ‘commands.’ As his followers, we are to do good, as James says “pure and undefiled religion before God is to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”
In Gods view, our churches, our success, our wealth, our denominations, our own teachings don’t do a thing, unless they follow, teach, and reflect the heart of God revealed in his teachings, his word, his commands. All of which, are given to us to guide us into his love and faith so that we truly walk as his people.
In conclusion, I suggest you read Psalm 119. Notice the following words that are used in this Psalm: precepts, judgments, commandments, and testimonies. Also notice the value of knowing what this author of Psalm 119 is talking about. Today as we walk by faith in our Messiah Yeshua, may God grant to us understanding of his call to walk in his commandments as well.
For example we I say ‘precepts’ what comes to mind? There are two Hebrew words used in this Psalm 119 for precepts. In English, we have one word ‘Precepts’, but in the Hebrew we have two. The first one is found throughout the 119th psalm, but look at verses 15 and 27.
This word Precepts, strongs, h6490 [piqqud, pik-kood; appointed, i.e. a mandate of God, plural only, used collectively for the law]
The second word is h4687, Mitsvah, mitswah, command ex Neh 9:14, Dan 9:5
commandments- [mitswah -aka- hebrew mitsvah], denotes a body of laws given by divine revelation. They are Gods word. They mean order, prescription, and instruction.
It is this second word, Mitsvah that we talk about in connection with James on taking care of those who need help for instance. James knew the background, teaching, and understood that the Messiah came to bring ‘love, faith, deliverance, and hope to all men.’ He gave us ‘instructions, commandments’, but in them all he took them directly from the Torah. He did not have the Kings James bible! There was no New testament! Today we have both and thank God for it, because you cannot fully understand the New without the full understanding of the Torah the other books in what we call the Old testament. All of it combined is ‘instruction’, a ‘prescription’ from the Lord, and also ‘commandments’ to keep us in his path.
Below are other words from Psalm 119. Take a look at them and then read Psalm 119. Let the Lord fully relate how these all bind together to reveal the ‘divine witness of God to man’ and his ‘divine instructions’ on living in Gods world and pleasing him. Remember, we are to ‘walk in the light, as he is the light.’ Walking as Jesus Walked!
Testimonies-
[edah/ay-daw, testimony, witness, always plural and always of laws as divine testimonies] These relate to the Witness of Gods laws, his divine witness to men, and also man’s testimony to the divine witness of the Law.
5713- Testimonies, ex Deu 4:45, 6:17 , Psalm 119:24
found in Psalm 119;
witness-testimonies
from: 5749-to bear witness,
5715- Testimonies, ex Psalm 119: 14, 36, 88, more
stipulation, regulation, can also mean “the testimony” as a formal written copy of the precepts and stipulations of a covenant-testimony.
from: 5749 as well [see above]
Judgments-
Mishpat- The word here we are focusing on is the word judgments used in Psalm 119 most, some examples found in this psalm are verses 7, 13, 20, 43; also Eccl 11:9, 12:14. This word sense in these verses deals with the act of sitting as a judge, hearing a case, and rendering a proper verdict1
4941-justice, judgment, law, regulation
from: 5880- “spring of judgment”
cf8199-to judge
Originally posted 2010-04-18 00:00:51. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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