1 Thessalonians 5:21 ...test everything; hold fast to what is good...
We all have the task of challenging our own beliefs to the scripture. We need to search the scriptures like the Bereans did (Acts 17:11). My own challenging is exactly why I began to love the Torah. For those that may not already know, “Torah” is the Hebrew word that is translated into “law” in our Old Testament. Other possible and perhaps clearer translations of this word are “instructions” or “directions”.
The reason I came to even look at the Torah, was because I came across a certain pastor from their ministries youtube channel. I found Passion For Truth ministries pastor, Jim Staley, preaching on many topics about the law and why it mattered to us as Christians.
He really challenged me, because he preached these sermons loaded with so much scripture. I had never heard a sermon so jam packed with the Word of God, and it was the scripture itself that pierced my heart and drove me to find out if this guy was full of it or not.
The more I searched my Bible, the more confident I felt that Staley was right, until I came to certain verses in Galatians and Hebrews. I was so relieved he was wrong! Phew! I didn't have to do things that made me uncomfortable!—But then I studied all the scriptures that seemed to say that the law was good — all the places Paul shows high esteem for the law and follows it himself, and again I knew something was wrong. I found that either Paul had multiple personality disorder, or I was missing something.
In the end I concluded that the law is most definitely good, and after letting go and allowing myself to really look at Torah, and do what it says, I have fallen more in love with Jesus, and been so blessed in obeying what I read in the Old and New Testaments.
Since that time, I have been slowly setting out to reconcile what I believe about the scriptures to the verses that don't seem to fit. Many were easily reconciled, others have left me scratching my head. But I keep revisiting these hard verses—I am not afraid to challenge my own beliefs! All that matters to me, is standing on the Word of God and walking in truth. If the Lord proves me wrong I am open to correction — I've been allowing the scripture to prove me wrong a lot the past few years. This is an exercise in obedience and trust. WE MUST SEARCH OUT THE THINGS THAT WE DO NOT FULLY UNDERSTAND! God conceals things from us, because He wants us to seek!
He really challenged me, because he preached these sermons loaded with so much scripture. I had never heard a sermon so jam packed with the Word of God, and it was the scripture itself that pierced my heart and drove me to find out if this guy was full of it or not.
The more I searched my Bible, the more confident I felt that Staley was right, until I came to certain verses in Galatians and Hebrews. I was so relieved he was wrong! Phew! I didn't have to do things that made me uncomfortable!—But then I studied all the scriptures that seemed to say that the law was good — all the places Paul shows high esteem for the law and follows it himself, and again I knew something was wrong. I found that either Paul had multiple personality disorder, or I was missing something.
In the end I concluded that the law is most definitely good, and after letting go and allowing myself to really look at Torah, and do what it says, I have fallen more in love with Jesus, and been so blessed in obeying what I read in the Old and New Testaments.
Since that time, I have been slowly setting out to reconcile what I believe about the scriptures to the verses that don't seem to fit. Many were easily reconciled, others have left me scratching my head. But I keep revisiting these hard verses—I am not afraid to challenge my own beliefs! All that matters to me, is standing on the Word of God and walking in truth. If the Lord proves me wrong I am open to correction — I've been allowing the scripture to prove me wrong a lot the past few years. This is an exercise in obedience and trust. WE MUST SEARCH OUT THE THINGS THAT WE DO NOT FULLY UNDERSTAND! God conceals things from us, because He wants us to seek!
Proverbs 25:2 | Hebrews 11:6 |
I do not claim to have figured it all out. There are still verses that I struggle to understand, a few that seem to prove me wrong, but I feel I have an immense amount of scripture that confirms that this is right and from the Lord.
OKAY... Enough backstory.
OKAY... Enough backstory.
This week I have been reading through Galatians to try to get a better understanding on some of these tricky verses. I was in chapter 3, when I came to this verse:
Galatians 3:15 Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case.
The point of the example was that the Torah did not set aside the covenant made with Abraham. My thoughts were, “If the people of the day understood that a covenant could not be set aside, even a human covenant, and Paul uses this to assure them that the Abrahamic Covenant could not be set aside, than doesn't that suggest that maybe the Mosaic (think Moses, not the art form) Covenant could not be set aside either?”
Immediately, the words “set aside” jumped out at me. I remembered there is a verse in Hebrews said that the Mosaic Covenant was “set aside”. I had to find it. It seemed that maybe these verses were in conflict to each other and I had to figure it out. So I searched through Hebrews looking for it. I had it underlined with question marks drawn around it, because this was one of those verses that seemed to go against what I found in the rest of scripture, but I hadn't been able to explain it to myself.
Immediately, the words “set aside” jumped out at me. I remembered there is a verse in Hebrews said that the Mosaic Covenant was “set aside”. I had to find it. It seemed that maybe these verses were in conflict to each other and I had to figure it out. So I searched through Hebrews looking for it. I had it underlined with question marks drawn around it, because this was one of those verses that seemed to go against what I found in the rest of scripture, but I hadn't been able to explain it to myself.
Hebrews 7:18-19 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.
So according to Galatians, I have just found that not even a human covenant can be set aside, let alone a covenant that God makes, yet Hebrews seems to say that it can be set aside, right?
CONFLICT...
I have read this chapter so many times trying to figure it out. THEN IT JUMPS OFF THE PAGE AT ME! Hebrews 7:18's “regulation” is not referring to the Mosaic covenant! It is referring to a specific regulation of the priesthood. “DUH, LAEL! The whole book of Hebrews is about Christ being our High Priest!”
CONFLICT...
I have read this chapter so many times trying to figure it out. THEN IT JUMPS OFF THE PAGE AT ME! Hebrews 7:18's “regulation” is not referring to the Mosaic covenant! It is referring to a specific regulation of the priesthood. “DUH, LAEL! The whole book of Hebrews is about Christ being our High Priest!”
A few verses jumped out at me that brought context to verse 18.
Hebrews 7:15-16 And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life.
Hebrews 7:28 For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.
The regulation verse 18 was talking about was the regulation of ancestry, the linage of priests, and it was weak and useless, because men are weak. WHY? Well first of all, they kept dying.
Hebrews 7:23-26 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.
And also, they were sinners like the rest of the people, and they had to continually make sacrifices.
Hebrews 7:27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He (Jesus) sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.
Now, through our heavenly High Priest, we have a better mediator and better covenant! Now God takes the Torah and puts it into our minds and writes it on our hearts. It began at the cross and comes to it's complete fulfillment in the New Heavens and the New Earth.... oh boy... I'm going to have to explain why I believe that, huh? Well that will be my next blog I guess. STAY TUNED! And thanks for reading!