'Whoever says in the Spirit, "Give me money", or anything of that sort, do not listen to him.' -The Didache

But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. Ezekiel 18:21 If the wicked will save himself from God's wrath, he will repent from sin and keep God's Law. Salvation has ALWAYS been by faith in God's mercy. Nobody ever earned forgiveness and eternal life by obedience to a list of rules, but a refusal to obey is a rejection of God's mercy. You cannot be saved from God's wrath while refusing to repent of sin.

I've spent countless hours debating Christians about why we should follow God's law... It always boils down to this singular question: "Should we mimic Christ's behavior?" Sadly, the response I always get from Christians is a firm and defiant "NO". Unreal.

DOES THE TANAKH REALLY PRESENT THE MESSIAH AS ONLY A MAN? That claim deserves a closer look. No, the Tanakh does not contain the exact sentence, “The Messiah is God.” But that is not the real question. The real question is this: Why is the coming Messianic King repeatedly described in ways that seem to transcend an ordinary human ruler? ❖ Isaiah gives the coming Davidic ruler extraordinary names. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given… And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 “Mighty God” is: אֵל גִּבּוֹר — El Gibbor And this is where the Hebrew becomes especially important. Only one chapter later, Isaiah uses the same expression: “A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob, to the Mighty God.” Isaiah 10:21 El Gibbor. There it unquestionably refers to God. Then Isaiah says the promised ruler will sit on David’s throne and establish a kingdom whose peace and government will have no end. Isaiah 9:7 That is extraordinary language for an ordinary king. ❖ Micah describes the ruler from Bethlehem in astonishing terms. “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah… out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Micah 5:2 He comes from Bethlehem. Yet His origins are described as: מִימֵי עוֹלָם — mimei olam “From ancient days.” And here is something worth noting. Rashi himself identifies the figure in this passage with the Messianic King, referring in his commentary to the “King Messiah” and the coming “son of David.” So the Messianic reading of Micah 5 is not something imposed on the text centuries later from outside Judaism. The question remains: Why does Micah describe this future ruler’s origins in such extraordinary terms? ❖ Psalm 45 addresses the royal figure as God. “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever.” Psalm 45:6 The Hebrew reads: כִּסְאֲךָ אֱלֹהִים — kis’akha Elohim “Your throne, O God…” Then immediately: “Therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions.” Psalm 45:7 Notice the tension. The King is addressed as Elohim, yet God is also described as His God. The King is distinguished from God while simultaneously receiving astonishing divine language. That deserves an explanation. ❖ David describes the coming ruler as his Lord. “The LORD says to my lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’” Psalm 110:1 The Hebrew begins: נְאֻם יְהוָה לַאדֹנִי Ne’um YHWH la’adoni “The declaration of YHWH to my lord…” We should be precise here: Adoni is not the divine name YHWH. But look at what happens to this figure. He is invited to sit at YHWH’s right hand. Then: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” Psalm 110:4 King. David’s Lord. Seated beside YHWH. Priest forever. This is no ordinary Davidic monarch. ❖ Daniel sees a human figure coming with the clouds of heaven. “There before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven.” Daniel 7:13 Daniel is written here in Aramaic: כְּבַר אֱנָשׁ — kevar enash “One like a son of man.” Human language. But then something remarkable happens. He comes with the clouds of heaven and receives: “authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion.” Daniel 7:14 A human-like figure. Coming with heaven’s clouds. Receiving worldwide authority. Possessing an everlasting kingdom. Again, the categories are extraordinary. ❖ Jeremiah gives the Davidic Branch an astonishing name. “I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely…” Jeremiah 23:5 Then Jeremiah says: “This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteous Savior.” Jeremiah 23:6 In Hebrew: יְהוָה צִדְקֵנוּ — YHWH Tsidqenu YHWH Our Righteousness. Whatever explanation one gives, that is remarkable language to associate with the promised Davidic King. ❖ Zechariah may contain the most startling language of all. YHWH is speaking: “They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him…” Zechariah 12:10 Notice the movement: “They will look on ME…” Then: “…and mourn for HIM.” The speaker is YHWH. Yet the pierced figure is somehow both connected to Him and distinguished from Him. That tension should not simply be waved away. ❖ Now put the passages together. The coming Messiah: • Comes from David • Is born as a child • Rules Israel • Reigns without end • Is called El Gibbor, Mighty God • Has origins “from ancient days” • Is addressed as Elohim • Is David’s Lord • Sits at YHWH’s right hand • Is a priest forever • Comes with the clouds of heaven • Receives everlasting dominion over all nations • Bears the name YHWH Tsidqenu • Is mysteriously connected with the pierced YHWH At some point we have to ask the obvious question: What kind of Messiah were the prophets describing? Simply saying, “The Messiah is only a man,” does not make these texts disappear. And no single verse has to carry the entire argument. The evidence is cumulative. The Tanakh unquestionably presents the Messiah as human: connected to David, associated with Bethlehem, ruling Israel. But alongside that humanity are titles, descriptions, authority, names, and heavenly imagery that reach far beyond an ordinary human king. The question is not: “Where does the Tanakh say, in those exact words, that the Messiah is divine?” Perhaps the better question is: Who could possibly fulfill everything the Tanakh says about Him?

The Fear of God and the Gospel In Hebrew there are two words for fear. Pachad is terror. The fear that runs from what threatens. Yirah is awe. The fear that draws near while remaining aware of the immense gap between Creator and creature. Almost every biblical reference to fearing God uses yirah. This is important. When Scripture calls us to fear God, it is not calling us to anxious dread of punishment. It is calling us to the reverent trembling of a creature who has seen who God is. Jewish tradition speaks of two levels of this trait. The lower is yirat ha-onesh, fear of consequences. That is a real and legitimate starting place. Even the child who first learns not to touch something hot or sharp is beginning to learn something true. But we should aim to grow into a higher fear, yirat ha-romemut, awe at the exalted holiness of God. This is the fear Isaiah felt in the Temple. "I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him stood the seraphim... And one called to another and said, 'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.' And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said, 'Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!'" (Isaiah 6:1-5) Isaiah wasn't being faced with consequences in that moment. He feared the sight of the King Himself. What broke him open was not the threat of punishment. It was the vision of holiness. Fear of God is not opposed to love of God. It is what love of God feels like when we remember who we are speaking to. A child can love a parent deeply and still stand quiet when the parent enters the room in a certain mood. The love and the reverence are not competing. They are the same relationship, held rightly. Isaiah presses this further. In a moment when Judah was terrified of political enemies, Isaiah tells them the only proper fear is fear of the LORD. "The LORD of hosts, Him you shall regard as holy. Let Him be your fear, let Him be your dread." (Isaiah 8:13) When we fear God rightly, other fears lose their grip. Political fears shrink. Financial fears shrink. Fears of what people think shrink. Not because they are unreal, but because we have seen who reigns above them all. And Isaiah tells us something remarkable about the Messiah. The Spirit that rests on Him is "the spirit of the fear of the LORD" (Isaiah 11:2). And the very next verse says of Him, "His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD" (Isaiah 11:3). The King Himself delights in the fear of the LORD. That is not a slave's dread. That is the joy of a Son who knows His Father is holy and loves what His Father loves. The gospel begins with an announcement. "Your God reigns!" (Isaiah 52:7) When we truly hear that, we tremble. We fall silent. We put our hand over our mouth as Job did when he finally saw. But we also draw near, because the reigning God is the God who sent the Servant to bear our iniquity so that unclean lips could speak of Him without perishing. Isaiah's own scene shows us this. A burning coal from the altar touches his lips. "Behold, this has touched your lips. Your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for" (Isaiah 6:7). Only then does he say, "Here I am. Send me."

The Law of Christ = the Law of Moses = the Law of God americantorah.com/2023/02/01…

God doesnt justify rebels. He justifies those who repent and return to Him. Rom 2:13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the DOERS of the law will be justified.

One of the wildest things I encounter on X almost every single day is people who accuse you of rejecting Christ if you... (hold onto your hats) ...believe everything Christ said.

Have I been obedient the way Christians define it? Nope. Have I been obedient the way God defines it? Yup. As soon as some Christian says "you haven't kept God's law perfectly," you know it's a misrepresentation of what Gods said. It also makes a mockery of what Jesus said. "Repent and believe the gospel," "go and sin no more," and "obey Gods commandments," all become nonsensical instructions under the false premise that you must "obey God perfectly."

I know of no Christian who can give a logical premise for which commandments of God a believer should obey. Only ones written in the new testament? Not logical. Jesus spoke thousands of words that we have no record of. The presumption should be that a commandment continues to be in effect unless clearly revealed by the Lord. Can you name a single commandment of God that Jesus said we don't have to keep anymore? No, you can't.

The covenant with God was never for Israel exclusively. Gen 18:18 Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him? Joshua 8:33 All Israel, and their elders and officers, and their judges, stood on this side of the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, who carried the ark of the LORD’s covenant, THE FOREIGNER AS WELL AS THE NATIVE; half of them in front of Mount Gerizim, and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded at the first, that they should bless the children of Israel.

I was once the top producing engineer in my department and only worked 40 hours a week. I screwed off for half of that. The second top producer was a jew who worked 10 to 12 hours, 7 days a week. He asked me what was my secret to being so productive. I told him it was that I kept the Sabbath. God designed your body and mind to be more efficient if you take a break once a week. Put your trust in Him and put God to the test yourself, by obeying him.

Those who do and encourage others to obey God's commandments will be elevated in God's Kingdom. Those who discourage others from obeying God's commandments, wont be. It will be bad for them, or worse. -Jesus

"That the sacred scriptures are the alone rule of faith and practice to a Christian, all Protestants are agreed in; and must therefore inviolably maintain, that every Christian has a right of judging for himself what he is to believe and practice in religion according to that rule:" Elisha Williams 1744

God gave a law that included asking for forgivness for sins when a man makes such a mistake. Religious men always make the old testament, and God's commandments, about "earning your salvation" when no such thing ever existed. They intentionally discourage obedience to God by mocking anyone who suggests obeying God. They cant quote a single one who actually says "you earn your salvation." They make it up. Everyone has sinned and needs Gods forgiveness and salvation. What is the only logical response to such a gift? OBEDIENCE to the God who gave it.

You have heard of the Romans Road. I prefer the Emmaus Road, but that's me. The Road to Emmaus and the the Method I Use For Sharing the Gospel On the day of His resurrection, Jesus walked with two disciples on the road to Emmaus. He did not begin by revealing Himself. He did not say, "Look, it is I. I am risen." He asked what they were discussing. He listened as they told Him, sadly, about the prophet who had been crucified and the empty tomb that had left them confused. Then He did something extraordinary. Luke tells us, "Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself" (Luke 24:27). He walked them through the Hebrew Bible. He opened the Torah and the Prophets. He showed them what the Scriptures had been saying all along about the Messiah, His suffering, and His glory. Only after the Scriptures had been opened did He reveal Himself, at the breaking of the bread. And when the two disciples reflected on the encounter, they did not say "we saw Him with our own eyes." They said, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?" (Luke 24:32). The Scriptures were the door. The recognition followed. Philip did the same thing on the road to Gaza. He came upon an Ethiopian official reading Isaiah 53. He did not start from scratch. He met the man where he was, at the passage he was already reading, and, Luke says, "Beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus" (Acts 8:35). Same principle. The Scriptures were the door. Recognition followed. This is the method I try to emulate. Other methods are good too. Peter at Pentecost led with the outpoured Spirit. Paul in Athens led with creation. Paul to the Philippian jailer gave the shortest possible summary. The apostles preached the same Christ with different entry points depending on the audience. The Body has different gifts (Romans 12:6, 1 Corinthians 12:4 through 11), and God has given different callings to different people. Some are given to lead with the cross and the empty tomb. Some are given to open the Scriptures the way Jesus did on the Emmaus road. As long as we are not preaching a false Christ, why would we quarrel about the method? Some brothers ask why I do not lead every conversation with "Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day." I do preach that. It is at the heart of what I proclaim. But I preach it the way Jesus preached it on the Emmaus road, opened up from the Scriptures that were promised beforehand, so that when a reader arrives at the cross and the empty tomb, their heart burns with recognition rather than merely receiving information. Paul tells us the gospel was "promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures" (Romans 1:2). He does not say the promises were downstream of the gospel. He says the gospel was promised through them. So when I take a reader through Isaiah's herald on the mountain, Isaiah's Servant who bears iniquity, Isaiah's ingathering of Israel and the nations, and Isaiah's renewed creation, I am not adding to the gospel. I am opening the Scriptures the gospel was promised through, the way Jesus opened them on that road. The two disciples did not miss the resurrection because Jesus began with Moses. They arrived at the resurrection with hearts prepared to see. That is what the Scriptures do. That is what Jesus did with them. That is what Philip did with the eunuch. That is what this I am trying to accomplish in the book I am working by tracing the roots of the word gospel.

You can't keep the two greatest commandments without keeping all the other commandments.