Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
People invariably feel uncomfortable when I suggest to them that we ough some due diligence to Hashem's commandments. In order to soften the blow, they usually quickly protect theselves with the statement, “Oh yes, but he forgives me”, or "We are not under the Law!". These people usually understand very little about the Bible but they know how to use that statement like a theological security blanket. They allow themselves to be proud, to lie, to be selfish with their time or finances, while forgetting that these are the real offenses that are an abomination to Hashem (Proverbs 6:16-19),
There is a theology out there claiming that 2,000 years ago Yeshua came and abolished the need to obey the commandments of the Torah. Think about what this means. This means that 2, 000 years ago, Yeshua came and abolished the moral code that helps us discern right from wrong, good from bad, holy from profane, and sanctified from common. That same theology also claims that the Torah has become obsolete to whoever recognizes Yeshua as his Messiah because he is the Torah written in their hearts. If it were all true, the facts on the ground show me a different reality as those who claim to have Hashem's Torah written in their heart certainly don’t act like it. If it were, our Yeshua believing Western world should be a paradise certainly not facing the sort of social issues it presently faces. Actually, the people who adhere to that theology are doubly guilty for their ungodly actions because they live in opposition to the Torah written in their conscience.
This notion that the Torah is obsolete not only takes away the understanding of right and wrong, but also the fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom. It is therefore the utter foolishness and lawlessness, which is the exact etymological root of the word iniquity. If 2,000 years ago, as people claim, Yeshua abolished to need to live by the Torah commandments, what need is there then today of a Savior to cover our sins?
My friend, the role of Messiah is and has always been to teach us the proper application of obedience to Torah. He came teaching, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17), which means, “turn your ways towards God for the days of his kingdom are near; start living by his Torah and by his instruction.”
In Yeshua, nothing of the sort becomes obsolete, not even the sentence of death that is written against us because of our sins. What happens is that he takes it all upon himself. We therefore owe him our lives. From the Yom Kippur on Mt Horeb when the Moses brought down the Torah for the second time to today, he is our atonement; he is our covering.
PRAYER:
Abba Father: may we understand that your Kingdom is ruled by the commandments that you have outlined in your word. May we realize that we are responsible to your Torah; that repentance means to turn back and start living by your teachings and principles. Forgive us for following erroneous teachings that negate the importance of obedience while we forget the teachings of the Messiah You sent to tell us that, "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:19); Amen אמן.
P. Gabriel Lumbroso
www.thelumbrosos.com
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