Tim Hayes – Snapshots

Always Before Me

When we initially encounter someone, their first impression of us is important. And as we continue to interact, we deepen their awareness of what makes us unique, informing them of our values and world view. Like it or not, we’re being watched; people size us up and form opinions about us based on how we conduct ourselves.

And though words are important, in typical social interactions they’re evidently not our primary means of expression; leading research indicates they’re far less important than tone and body language: what we call personal presence.

We might think of presence as the vibe or energy a person feels from us, a complex interplay of facial expressions, body language, posture and verbal tone. When people are paying attention, they can generally tell when we’re present, attentive, authentic, dialed in to ourselves, to others and to our environment; they can also tell when we’re checked out, disengaged, posturing, distracted. disinterested in them and in what’s going on around us.

If we are the light of the world (Mt 5:14), if we are ambassadors for Christ (2Co 5:20), we should expect God to encourage and equip us in developing a strong personal presence that’s edifying and impactful. (Php 2:4) This is evidently mostly why we’re still down here on Earth, to influence one another for God’s kingdom. (Mt 5:19)

So, how do we cultivate a personal energy and demeanor that’s eternally impactful?

A primary first step might be to so ground ourselves in God’s presence that He invites others into His presence through our presence. (2Co 4:7) By practicing the presence of God, we consciously develop an authentic, ongoing, continual, unbroken awareness of the immediate presence of God with us, and we acknowledge Him in our midst. (2Co 2:15) Deliberately setting Jehovah always before us (Ps 16:8a) is evidently inherent in loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. (De 6:5, Mt 22:37)

Since God is omnipresent (Ps 139:7), we can begin doing this by faith, knowing He is always with us; He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us (He 13:5), so He is here with us right now, within and about us. (Ep 4:6) We “set Jehovah before us”, not by repositioning Him but by re-orienting ourselves, aligning ourselves with His omnipresence and engaging it. This is a matter of paying attention, dialing in, being intentional about focusing on Him. (Php 3:20)

A natural consequence of acknowledging the immediate presence of God is noticing that God Himself is paying attention (Pr 15:3); ever mindful of us (Ps 8:4), and this should motivate us to follow His steps (1Pe 2:2), to pay close attention to ourselves, to others, and to our immediate environment. (1Pe 5:8) Checking out and disengaging from the reality before us is actually irresponsible and offensive; allowing ourselves to be distracted is disrespectful to God and to those in our immediate company. Appreciating every moment of our experience as a perfect gift from God requires being fully present in each moment in and with God, and for God. (Ja 1:17) This is what we’re made for. (1Jn 1:3)

And as we honor the majestic presence of God before us, we might also consider that we’re metaphysically connected to those around us. (Ep 4:25) Loving our neighbors as ourselves (Le 19:18) involves being mindful of them, considering them, giving them our attention with interest when we have opportunity to do them good. (Ga 6:10) This is evidently part and parcel of letting our light shine before others. (Mt 5:16)

And when we’re practicing the presence of God, loving Him, ourselves and others with our undivided, focused attention, we find that we’re unshakeable, unthreatened, confident, unmoved by the distractions and concerns of this life. (Ps 16:8b) We become steadfast, immoveable (1Co 15:58), resilient (Pr 24:16), bold and fearless. (Pr 28:1) This gives is a divine energy, confidence, hope, purpose and peace which others can feel within us. (Php 2:15-16)

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That He May Eat It

Once we perceive that Torah is the universal law of God’s kingdom (Mt 5:19) we begin to wrestle with how to apply it where most of us live, in non-Torah observant cultures. Instruction related to this context can be quite insightful.

For example, God tells us not to eat an animal which dies naturally, on its own; we should give to the stranger living among us so he may eat it, or sell it to an alien, an outsider, for we are a holy people unto Jehovah our God. (De 14:21a) Exploring God’s heart here guides us in our application of Torah today. (Ps 119:18)

Firstly, note that livestock were very valuable in ancient Israel; losing an animal unexpectedly from the flock was a significant loss, comparable to $1000 today; wasting it entirely might well have been offensive to those new to Torah, especially if they were in need; though freshly slaughtered meat was preferred, carrion was not forbidden in other ancient cultures.

We now know animals which die naturally are not ideal for human consumption (in most 1^st world countries it’s actually illegal to sell meat from an unhealthy animal or one that is not properly slaughtered), but the science was unknown at the time; it was an act of faith that could easily have been misunderstood by those outside the covenant community. And God evidently does care about such things (Ex 32:12); He is careful to avoid needlessly offending the ignorant and the weak, or giving them any cause to resent His ways. (2Co 8:3)

In particular, the stranger, being new to Torah and a bit vulnerable while transitioning from another culture (De 24:19), may perceive needless waste in discarding such provision and might easily become offended or disheartened by it, especially if they are in need. If the animal is discovered promptly, it is likely still of at least mediocre quality, not dangerous to consume, and considered a substantial benefit and blessing to the poor. And those passing through the country, entirely unfamiliar with and/or disinterested in Torah, might very well appreciate the extra sustenance, even if it isn’t the highest quality.

Secondly, note that we are not required to pick up the dead animal and proactively take it over it to the stranger and offer it to them as a personal gift, as if we are encouraging or obligating them to accept our generosity, nor are we told to wave down the foreigner, advertise a bargain, and try to get them to buy it. The sense here might indeed be that the stranger hears about our loss, knows we are forbidden to eat it and comes over asking if they can have it; or the foreigner passing through gets the news, stops by and offers to take it off our hands. This does not mean we are encouraging them to eat it, just that we are not going to stop them from doing so if they want it. This then becomes a consume-at-your-own-risk opportunity, which makes all the difference in the intent of this command; rather than different standards of holiness for Jew and Gentile, this can be understood as a merciful, accommodating leniency (Mt 12:3-4) for those untrained in Torah.

The difference in the way the stranger and the alien are treated in the command is noteworthy; this may well be rooted, not in their Jew or Gentile-ness, but in their disposition toward and adoption of Torah, the civil law in Israel at the time. The stranger is evidently transitioning into a Torah-observant lifestyle and is likely in a more vulnerable state than usual. (De 14:21) If they feel the need and want to accept the risk, they may freely partake of it.

The foreigner passing through is also somewhat vulnerable, yet expected to be less interested in adopting Torah than the stranger living among us, so they are not given free access to the community safety net as are the stranger, fatherless and the widow (De 26:12), but they still get a fair price. It is as if God is providing a type of leniency in imposing this particular food law based on one’s interest in and proximity to Torah as a whole.

Consider the impact of such a transaction as it would likely have naturally unfolded. The Israelite, grounded in Torah community, testifies God forbids him the animal because he is holy unto God, so he must let it go if another wants it. The obvious implication is that the recipient is evidently not so holy to God, but this is of his own choosing and it should give him reason to hesitate: he is openly invited more deeply into holiness if he is interested. If he wants to partake of the animal, God won’t allow Israel to punish him for it, but if he has faith to pass on it in seeking a closer walk with God, so much the better. This wisdom avoids offense without encouraging sin.

God’s law is good for everyone and will eventually be imposed universally; until then most of us who are pursing Torah are doing so as a minority, apart from Torah-based community, struggling to understand how to apply it in complex circumstances. Imposing Torah on others outside of cultural norms, either directly or passively, is likely not the loving path.

God is evidently pleased to guide each of us uniquely in our journey as it pleases Him, without imposing everything upon us all at once. We are all at different stages in our understanding and face bewildering complexities at times; we must be patient with ourselves and others, finding balance, refusing to directly promote or encourage sin while patiently loving others through their non-compliance, praying God will work in them to seek Him as He wills.

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The Days of Darkness

I recently experienced a sobering vision-like awareness that I have absolutely nothing of this world; no wife (1Co 7:29), no children, no family, no job, no health, no friends, no home, no nothing. (30) I am currently enjoying all these things, but I do not have any of them; they are like a vapor that will vanish away in an instant. (Ja 4:14b) Ownership and control is an illusion; attachment to illusion is a lie. (1Co 7:31)

I can still feel this, as if I am on my deathbed, my whole life passing before me, and nothing of my temporal interests or activity in this world is of any consequence. Eventually, my entire life will be completely forgotten, as if it never happened, just like all who have gone on before me, dropping out into the infernal blackness, never to be seen again. This is the consummation of all worldly ambition, and it will be the same for mine: nothing.

Such is the way of all the earth, focused on our tiny little lives as if we’re going to live here forever.

The wise Preacher says, “Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun: but if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.” (Ec 11:7-8)

As I navigate this life, I am to remember eternity and focus my heart there. (Mt 6:21) For each of us it will be either glory beyond anything we can imagine (2Co 4:17), or eternal darkness and blackness forever (Ju 13), even darkness which may be felt. (Ex 10:21)

So, what do I actually have right now, in the here and now? I have God, and what He is doing in me to transform me into his image. This is the work of God, and this will endure forever. (1Jn 2:17) This is what I have: the light. (1Jn 1:5) This is all I have; I have nothing else.

Yet who am I to presume this? Many think they have a secure relationship with Jesus Christ (Mt 7:22), that He is their best bud — LGBTQ activists, drunkards, fornicators and adulterers, you name it. False hope in a false religion is a wonderfully deceptive thing. (1Jn 3:7-8)

So very few will find eternal light; even the Preacher fell away (1Ki 11:9-10), and we have no real indication that he ever found his way back. How easily we preach the Word and neglect to do it, deceiving ourselves! (Ja 1:22)

Yet he spoke eternal truth that grounds us in reality when we receive the Word with meekness (Ja 1:21): the days of darkness will indeed be many, dwarfing this life until it is all but forgotten, a tiny spec in the distant past. The souls of the lost will long for any faint strand of light, and there will be none. How unspeakably dreadful! Who can even begin to imagine this?

Remembering the pitch blackness of eternity makes me exceedingly grateful for God’s gift of sunlight (Mt 5:45), and for spiritual light, drawing me again to ensure I am not being led off course by seducing spirits (1Ti 1:4) comforting me in my own deception, as they do the world. (Ep 2:2) The foundation of God stands sure: Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but he who does the will of God abides forever. (1Jn 2:17)

The key of assurance, as always, is found in Torah, the light (Pr 6:23), the perfect revelation of Jesus Christ (Jn 5:39), exposing the enmity and darkness of all who despise any part of it (He 10:28-29), as a rejection of Himself. (Ro 8:7) We must keep turning back to Torah (Is 8:20) to enjoy the glory of Christ. (2Co 3:14)

Who will come to One Who demands we give up all to follow Him? (Lk 14:33) When He isn’t offering us prosperity in this life, but to take up our cross for Him? (Mt 10:38) When His offer is to give us new hearts which delight in Torah and keep it all? (He 8:10) How many are drawn to His invitation? Barely a handful? These are His elect.

And yet this is the Christ of the Bible, coming to save His people from their sins (Mt 1:21), from their violations of Torah (1Jn 3:4), the law of His eternal kingdom (Mt 5:19), that we may walk in the light, as He is in the light, and have fellowship with Him. (1Jn 1:5-7) While we have the light, let’s believe in the light, that we may be the children of light. (Jn 12:36)

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Unlearned and Unstable

Near the end of his 2^nd epistle, Peter warns that those who are “unlearned and unstable wrest” the teachings of Paul “unto their own destruction” (2Pe 3:16), highlighting how easy and eternally dangerous it is to misinterpret Paul without a proper grounding in the Tanakh (the Hebrew scriptures or Old Testament). Since Christianity has, ever since the mid-2^nd century, consistently been reinterpreting both Christ and the Tanakh in light of Paul, this is deeply concerning.

The Tanakh teaches all God’s laws are good for all people. (Ps 1:1-3), and that we are to reject any teaching as darkness which does not align with any part of Torah. (Is 8:20) We are commanded to hide the very words of Torah in our hearts and meditate on them continually (De 6:6-7), desiring them more than silver and gold (Ps 19:7-11), continually asking God to open our eyes that we might behold wondrous things out of His law. (Ps 119:8)

The Tanakh also claims all of God’s judgements are unchanging and timeless (Ps 119:160); we are not to add to them or diminish any of them in any way, ever. (De 4:2) There is no indication anywhere in the Tanakh that any part of Torah is only for Jews or temporary in nature. (De 4:6-8) Shame is the expectation for anyone who breaks the least of God’s commands (Ps 119:6); God will eventually trample underfoot all who error from His statutes. (Ps 119:118)

Since Paul clearly grounds all of his teaching in the Tanakh (2Ti 3:16-17), particularly the gospel (Ro 16:25-26), it is a serious mistake to think Christ came to provide a new way for us to be saved or that He changed anything about how we are to relate to God; rather He came to explain what has always been God’s way. So, if our understanding of the Gospel is not firmly grounded in the Tanakh, we are in a very dangerous place.

What Christianity has been claiming since the post-apostolic era is that Christ abolished almost all of Torah, such that only “moral law” remains, effectively re-defining sin as well as repentance, which is no longer a change of mind about breaking Torah, but rather submission to the Christian Church and her dictates.

Yet this step corrupts the gospel itself since it fundamentally changes what salvation is all about: Christ came “to save His people from their sins” (Mt 1:21): from violating Torah. (1Jn 3:4) Inviting the lost to come to Christ for any other reason is offering them false hope in a false Christ (2Co 11:4); using all the same terminology while proclaiming something fundamentally different is a lie of the very worst kind. (2Pe 2:19)

A firm grounding in the Tanakh immediately exposes this as darkness. (Pr 6:23, Pr 4:19) But those unfamiliar with the Tanakh, unstable and inconsistent in how they are interpreting scripture (2Co 2:17), can easily be deceived. Many will be misled in this way, thinking they’re eternally safe only to be turned away by Christ at the end. (Mt 7:22-23)

Are all who are deceived about Torah eternally lost? Certainly not; there are evidently a few souls sincerely seeking God who have not yet understood their obligation to obey Torah. Those of us who would run to Christ even if He were preached authentically and truly, offering to write Torah into our hearts and enable us to obey His Torah in spirit and truth, have received Him even though we have not yet seen Him as He is. (1Jn 3:2) He is longsuffering and merciful in our ignorance (1Ti 1:13); He will lead us into all truth as we continue to seek Him. (1Jn 2:27)

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A More Sure Word

There are many religions claiming to have the truth about how we relate to God. Though they all evidently have some truth, they do, in fact, make contradictory claims, so they can’t all be entirely true. How do we know which one is true? How do we know if any of them are true? How should we evaluate their truth claims? How do we know when we have finally found the truth?

To coherently evaluate truth claims we must evaluate evidence for and against each claim, assuming truth claims cannot contradict or be inconsistent with each other.

We should also perceive from the very existence of multiple, contradicting religions, as well as from the evil apparent in the world, the existence of a lying personality, a spiritual Deceiver determined to mislead us, and expect it to be very convincing. In other words, our search for truth requires honesty and rigor; we must lay aside our bias; we must be thorough and relentless.

A useful device in any pursuit of truth is proof by contradiction: if assuming a truth claim is false implies a contradiction this proves the claim is true.

For example, assuming there is no god implies abiogenesis: that life randomly sprang from non-life, and that the universe spontaneously created itself ex-nihilo, from nothing. Both implications contradict basic, well-established science; therefore, there is a god: both atheism and agnosticism are irrational, invalid world views.

The next natural step is historical; examine the most verifiable fact of all human history: the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Assuming Christ did not rise from the dead implies every single one of His twelve apostles suffered immensely for what they knew was a lie without expecting any earthly benefit; not one of them ever recanted, even under extreme torture. This contradicts human nature on a very basic level. This proves Jesus Christ did rise from the dead.

The next reasonable step is literary: examine the reliability of the Bible. Assuming the Bible is unreliable contradicts Christ Himself; atheists (e.g. Bart Erhman) admit historical records of Christ’s beliefs are reliably preserved for us in the four Gospels, which document Christ’s implicit trust in the Tanakh (the Hebrew scriptures) as the inspired Word of God. (Jn 10:35, Lk 16:31) He claimed to be Jehovah God of the Tanakh (Jn 8:58), and He lived accordingly. His testimony is all we need; we may safely trust the Tanakh as more reliable than any supernatural sign we might encounter. (2Pe 2:19-21)

So, we may conclude that any religion which does not align with both the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the Tanakh is a lie, the work of the Deceiver. Let’s cross-check and verify this, testing each world religion for consistency.

Assuming Islam is false leads to no contradiction: Muhammed could plausibly have been assisted by the Deceiver; he denied the Resurrection, was irreconcilably inconsistent with his own teaching, adapted it conveniently over time and benefited immensely from it.

Similarly, assuming Hinduism is false leads to no contradiction; oral tradition and idolatry mixed with supernatural visions and experiences aided by the Deceiver is certainly plausible.

Assuming Buddhism is false leads to no contradiction; an ancient eastern philosopher got some basic things wrong. Not an issue.

Assuming Judaism is false leads to no contradiction; though He rose from the dead, they continue to reject their own Messiah, presuming they can cover their sins through ritual and tradition, which is inconsistent with the Tanakh. (Eze 18:4) No contradiction here.

Surprisingly, assuming Christianity itself is false also leads to no contradiction; claims that Christ abolished Torah (the supposedly civil / ceremonial parts of Mosaic Law) evidently emerged in the mid-second century in response to Fiscus Judaicus to create a new religion distinct from the Torah-centered apostolic faith, presenting another Jesus which Christ’s Apostles would not have recognized. Though Christianity may contain more truth than any other religion, its rejection of Mosaic Law as the standard by which we define sin (1Jn 3:4) exposes it as an elaborate counterfeit, another work of the Deceiver.

Every other world religion fares similarly; they are all man-made, corrupt, broken. We should not rely upon any of them to guide us in seeking God.

Where does this rigorous pursuit of truth inevitably lead? the Tanakh is where we find our answers (Jn 5:39), carefully using the New Testament as a guide, aware that Christians consistently misinterpret the Apostle Paul to wrest much of scripture, potentially leading us to spiritual death rather than life. (2Pe 3:16)

As we search scripture, we find we are all sinners in need of salvation (Ps 14:2-3); we have all broken Torah and are at enmity with God as a result, deserving of spiritual death. (Eze 18:4)

God has made a way for us to be reconciled with Him through faith in Messiah (Ha 2:4), trusting Jesus Christ to take our place and die for us, being punished for our sin. (Is 53:6, 11)

God imputes perfect righteousness to all who believe in God, submitting to Torah as His righteous law (repentance) and trusting Him as our atonement for sin through Jesus Christ (faith). (Ge 15:6) As we believe on Him He imparts spiritual life into us (Ps 119:140), forgives us of all of our sins against Himself and counts us as perfectly righteous, gives us a new heart and begins writing His Torah into our hearts, enabling us to obey and love Him. (Je 31:33-34)

To all who wish to be reconciled with God, saved from both the penalty and practice of violating Torah, who are willing to give up everything to be transformed by Him, the witness of the Tanakh echoes the call of Jesus Christ, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” (Jn 5:24) This is how we are reconciled to God; this is the way of salvation. There is no other way.

Ask God for understanding and faith until you receive; seek until you find, knock until God opens the door and you know deep within that you are His and He is yours. (Mt 7:7-8)

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Partakers of the Divine Nature

God has already given His children everything we need to live a holy life in fellowship with Him (2Pe 1:3a) by revealing Himself so we may know Him. (3b) When we internalize and walk in His amazing promises, He enables us to partake of and enjoy His divine nature. (4)

For example, God promises to always be with us, to never leave us nor forsake us (De 31:6, He 13:5), so we may partake of and enjoy God’s divine nature by living more like Jesus — boldly, knowing God is our helper, without fearing others or what our future might bring. (6)

God promises to instruct us and teach us how to live, and to guide us along the way (Ps 32:8), so we may partake of and enjoy God’s divine nature by being confident He is achieving His purpose for our lives as we live for Him. (Php 1:6)

As our shepherd He promises to meet our needs (Ps 23:1), so we may partake of and enjoy God’s divine nature by seeking His kingdom and righteousness as our top priority without being overly concerned about basic provision (Mt 6:33-34); He will meet all of our needs. (Php 4:19)

God promises to lead us in the way of righteousness for His own glory (Ps 23:3), so we may partake of and enjoy God’s divine nature by being confident He will sanctify us (1Th 5:23-24), deliver us from the power of sin and present us faultless before His presence with immense joy. (Ju 24)

As we separate ourselves from the evil of this world and pursue Him (2Co 6:17), God promises to dwell in us and walk in us (Le 26:11-12, 2Co 6:16), so we may partake of and enjoy God’s divine nature by continually acknowledging His immediate presence with us every moment of our lives. (Ep 4:6)

God promises His goodness and mercy will follow us every single day (Ps 23:6a), so we may partake of and enjoy God’s divine nature by knowing nothing will ever separate us from His love. (Ro 8:38-39) No matter what happens to us, we will be victorious. (37)

In having such amazing promises we may partake of and enjoy God’s divine nature by cleansing ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2Co 7:1) This is exactly what all of God’s children do. (2Ti 2:19, He 12:14)

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Of Good and Evil

The very first command God gave to Man was to not eat of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. (Ge 2:17) He imposed a dietary law providing a simple, standalone boundary condition, a restriction on what we could consume as food.

Why did God do this? Was the tree poisonous? Did it cause disease? Evidently not; as far as we know, eating from it caused no physical harm. God doesn’t explain exactly why we are not supposed to eat it, so, understanding how obeying a command is beneficial for us must not be the main point; the fact God commands it is all we need. A restriction reminds us we are not God; we are subjects in God’s kingdom.

We should implicitly trust God as intrinsically good, without evaluating and double-checking Him based on our own limited perspective. But believing the lie that God is keeping something good from us by imposing restrictions seems to be our natural inclination ever since the Fall, when the serpent first suggested it. It wasn’t too hard to convince us even when we were sinless.

So, if God’s first command actually was good, an outflow of His love for us, and He was not withholding something good, what was He shielding us from?

Some presume knowledge itself must be bad for us, that God is discouraging us from earnestly pursuing understanding. They admonish us for digging deeply into spiritual matters and trying to more fully understand God’s ways. They remind us that knowledge puffs us up (1Co 8:1a), so we shouldn’t bother with systematic theology, critical thinking, apologetics and the like, just love one another. (1b) Yet God encourages us to seek knowledge and wisdom, to get understanding above everything else. (Pr 2:3-5, Pr 4:7) We ignore it at our own peril. (Pr 1:29-31) Something else is in play.

Notice carefully the full name of this forbidden tree; it’s not the Tree of Knowledge, but the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. There is a specific kind of knowledge which is harmful and destructive: the knowledge of good and evil. What is this, exactly?

Satan’s claim in the immediate context provides a clue: in eating the forbidden fruit Adam and Eve would “be as gods, knowing good and evil.” (Ge 3:5) In other words, by disobeying God we start deciding what is right and wrong for ourselves, making up their own moral law as we go, and since moral law is God’s domain, we’re actually acting as if we are God. (Ge 3:22)

Trying to act like we are God when we aren’t is problematic on a number of levels, not the least of which is that it insults God Himself; it’s our attempt to displace God and position ourselves at the center of the universe, at the center of Reality, at the epicenter of Being itself. Yet there can be only one true Center (Re 4:11); when we all start jockeying for this position we create conflict, confusion and resentment, making up rules for everyone else so we can please ourselves.

Most all of the human-induced suffering and injustice in the world can be traced back to each of us acting as if we are God without the loving, selfless wisdom of God. At heart, when left to ourselves, we’re selfish, needy, fearful little creatures, constantly competing with God and with one another. So, in forbidding us to eat from the forbidden tree, God is commanding us to not do that which we are all now naturally inclined to do: to sit in judgment of His laws and of His ways and decide for ourselves what is good and evil, abusing Him and one another in the process.

What would it be like if we all started obeying God, just because He’s God? Call it Paradise. (2Pe 3:13) God’s commands are the definition of righteousness (Ps 119:172) and all of them are truth. (152) Those who walk in them comprise His kingdom. (1Jn 3:10)

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To Fulfill

Christ our Messiah didn’t come to destory or abolish Torah, the Mosaic Law, He came to fulfill it. (Mt 5:17) Fulfill comes from the Greek play-ro’-o, meaning to fill up, make replete, cram; it’s used in many places in scripture to indicate a fulfillment of prophecy by bringing to pass what was predicted. (e.g. Mt 1:22, 2:15, 17, 23, 4:14, etc.) Christ certainly fulfilled hundreds of biblical prophecies as God used Him to accomplish what they foretold.

Another way in which Christ fulfilled the Law and the prophets was by His perfect obedience to Torah, and to all the godly precepts and principles which the prophets have derived from Torah. (Mt 3:15) It was necessary for Christ to live like this, to be perfectly righteous, in order to suffer for our sins: He had to be innocent, pure and holy in every possible way so He could become a proper substitute for the ungodly (Ro 5:6), that He might bring us to God. (1Pe 3:18)

Yet many presume that since Christ has kept God’s law for us, we don’t have to keep it; He has obeyed Torah for us, on our behalf, so we are free break it. But since God defines sin as the violation of Torah (1Jn 3:4), this is equivalent to claiming that since Christ died to save us from our sins we are now free to sin. In other words, since He is our Great Physician, we are now free to be sick; since Christ has set us free from the bondage of sin we are now free to be slaves of sin (Ro 6:16); since Christ is our Resurrection and our Life, we are now free to pursue death. It’s a contradiction on such a basic level only the reprobate mind can tolerate it. (Ro 1:28) Nothing could be farther from the truth. (2Ti 2:19)

Clearly, Christ did not come to save us so we can persist in our sin, delivering us from sin’s lawful penalty so we could go on living in disobedience without consequence. No. Christ also came to set us free from the power and dominion of sin (Ro 6:14), to work godliness and holiness within us as a manner of life. (He 12:14) We are elect unto obedience (1Pe 1:2), created in Christ unto good works, which God has preordained that we should walk in them. (Ep 2:10)

We might think this settles the matter, yet most Christians still ignore Torah and use this idea that Christ fulfilled the law as justification. The claim is that much of Torah was temporary in nature, either applicable only to Jews to distinguish them as God’s chosen people until Christ came or foreshadowing what Christ would accomplish in His ministry. The assertion is that though Christ did not actually abolish any of Torah, in completing His ministry He fulfilled or completed certain types of laws such that they are no longer useful or binding; they have served their purpose and are therefore now obsolete.

To support this claim, ever since the mid-second century, post-Apostolic Christianity has been cleverly partitioning Torah into moral, civil and ceremonial laws, and claiming the civil and ceremonial laws are fulfilled. So, while the moral law is still valid (clearly, we’re not free to murder, lie, cheat and steal, etc.), Sabbath, dietary law, God’s feasts and the like are no longer applicable. This avoids obvious absurdity and may seem reasonable on the surface, but no justification is ever provided for the partition itself; it is taken for granted.

However, dismissing certain parts of Torah as obsolete plainly violates the immediate context, in which Christ states (as clearly as it can be stated) that every single detail of Torah will remain relevant in God’s kingdom until every single prophecy has been fulfilled, until Heaven and Earth pass away. (Mt 5:18) He emphasizes and affirms that anyone breaking any of the least of Torah’s commands will be considered least in God’s kingdom, and whoever does and teaches all of Torah will be considered great in His kingdom. (Mt 5:19) It is difficult to imagine how Christ might have been more explicit, or how He might have stated this more clearly.

As we consider the rest of scripture, we find no indication how to partition Torah into sections we might ignore; Torah is consistently treated as an integrated whole, like a mirror (Ja 1:23); breaking any part of it makes one a law-breaker. (Ja 2:10) Each command elaborates on how to love God and our neighbor (Mt 22:40), so dismissing any part of Torah diminishes and corrupts this biblical revelation of love.

Apart from having no biblical precedent for a formal Torah partition, actual attempts to classify Torah this way, sorting commands into these arbitrary classes, are rare and deeply problematic (for example, why classify Sabbath as civil instead of moral?). Rather than discarding parts of Torah, this entire man-made paradigm should be discarded; it is evidently a lie and should be scrapped entirely. Each of God’s commands outlives the universe. (Lk 16:17, Ps 111:7-8, 119:44, 152, 160)

Even so, post-apostolic Christianity persists in discarding the bulk of Torah and ignores it as God’s perfect standard of righteousness for today (Ps 119:172), leveraging numerous Pauline passages to effectively abolish the supposed civil and ceremonial laws. Paul does write many things which are hard to understand; those who take him out of context in an unlearned and unstable manner, as they do the rest of scripture, do so to their own destruction. (2Pe 3:16) This should concern any earnest soul; we may not choose between Christ and Paul, we must reconcile them.

In my experience, we won’t get much help from organized religion, and this should be no surprise. Yet if we are prayerful, persistent and careful, taking each passage in context, we find Paul’s new, godly nature loves Torah (Ro 7:22); he affirms and validates Torah as God’s definition of sin (Ro 7:7); he sees no inconsistency between faith in Christ and strict Torah observance (Ro 3:21), and he never encourages us to break it. (Ro 6:1-2) We find what we should expect to find: there’s no inconsistency between Paul and Christ; Torah is the law of God’s eternal kingdom, and if we love Him we should be obeying all of it that we can. (1Jn 5:3)

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At My Right Hand

Practicing the presence of Jehovah God means orienting our minds, hearts and spirits to acknowledge and appreciate the immediate presence of the King of the universe in every moment of our lives. (Ps 139:7-10) He lives and walks among us unseen (Ac 17:28), yet once we rightly believe on Him He also lives within us, closer than our breath. (Ep 4:6) To ignore Him even for an instant, failing to continually acknowledge Him is, for all practical purposes, to live like an atheist. Being conscious of Him and honoring His majesty moment by moment changes everything. (Ps 104:1)

Can we be fearful and afraid as we acknowledge the sovereign King of the universe in our midst? (2Ti 1:7) Who lets nothing pass through His hand but what will glorify Himself in and through us? (1Pe 1:7) Can we bring fearful energy and doubt into a trial while confidently knowing He has already told us to count it all joy? (Ja 1:2) that the trying of our faith works patience and steadfastness? (3) Nay, we are more than conquerors through Him Who loves us. (Ro 8:37)

Who can be seeking approval from others while acknowledging the presence of Almighty Jehovah God Himself before us? while recognizing all desire for approval is created by Him and for Him and through Him? (Ro 11:36) He will judge us all, and He has built into our very DNA this anticipation. Yet it is only His judgment, His accounting of us that matters. If we’re living to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”, we will not be snared in seeking approval from others. (Pr 29:25)

Can we hesitate to ask the only wise God (1Ti 1:17) for wisdom when He, Who alone is truly wise (Ro 16:27), stands beside us and bids us freely ask, without wavering and doubting, even reprimanding anyone who dares to doubt the ultimate goodness and benevolence of God in giving freely to all who ask of Him?

Who can break Torah and sin presumptuously, pretending no one else can see, when God is all seeing, standing right beside us? (Pr 15:3) when all the secrets of men will be opened up before the entire universe? (1Co 4:5) It is the atheist who pretends there are secrets; rebellion blinds to spiritual reality (Ps 73:11); let us not be like them. (Ps 10:4)

The world tries to stabilize itself by focusing on nothing, or in praying to “the spirit of the universe”, teasing us with its empty, shallow focus. It makes more sense to pray to a pet rock or seek guidance from a stuffed animal. The wicked want the benefits of a benevolent Mind without acknowledging His existence; it is blindness. Let no man spoil us with these trinkets, and not after Christ. (Co 2:8)

Jehovah God, King of the universe, is with me; He is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Jehovah is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? (Ps 27:1) I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. (Ps 16:8)

Get Understanding

I am intrigued by the idea that Nicodemus, an earnest Pharisee living in ancient Israel, in the epicenter of God’s chosen people, having memorized the entire Tanakh (Old Testament) and trained himself to teach its core principles (Jn 3:1), could be clueless about eternal salvation and how to be reconciled with God. (10) Similarly Paul, also a Pharisee in all good conscience before God, thought he was serving God by persecuting Christians, profoundly ignorant of justification by faith (1Ti 1:13), until Christ Himself taught him the Gospel. (Ga 1:11-12)

This begs a profound question: why has God written His word the way He has, with the gospel itself being so elusive, hidden and mysterious? Even if we’re intimately familiar with scripture, we still might be missing its primary message. It’s as if God is hiding the truth from us and doesn’t want us to find it very easily.

We know God cannot be pleased in our ignorance because He is supremely loving, to the point of self-sacrifice for anyone who will turn to Him, and He is infinitely wise and good; He did not design His word the way He did by accident; ultimately, He must have some merciful and gracious purpose in mind. (Ro 11:33)

Perhaps God is acknowledging that mankind as a whole will persist in unbelief no matter how clear He explains the gospel, and is hiding the truth so He might have mercy on us all. (32) God is acting as if no one will be receptive to the truth even if He does make it obvious (2Ti 4:4), as if everyone will refuse to be reconciled with Him (Ro 3:11), and so by hiding the truth, purposely making it difficult to find, He is in a sense giving us all somewhat of an out, an alibi to lessen our condemnation. Perhaps God is hiding the truth so He can be a little bit more merciful to those who willfully refuse to seek Him.

Evidently, as there are levels of reward in Heaven (Mt 5:19), it stands to reason there are also levels of punishment in Hell. (Ro 2:5) Perhaps God is dealing with the fact that no one will seek Him on their own; nearly everyone is voluntarily headed for eternal destruction. (Mt 7:13) Perhaps God is providing room for a little bit of mercy to lessen the severity of damnation for all those who neglect to pursue a relationship with Him.

And for His elect, in whom He mercifully intervenes and softens our hearts, it may very well be that in earnestly searching out the truth when it is so hard to find, this very process not only strengthens us (Php 2: 12-13), but makes the truth itself that much more precious to us when we do find it. (Mt 13:45) This is evidently very good. (Pr 25:2)

We should all seek God earnestly so we may know Him (Je 9:24), so we may walk with Him in spirit and truth. (1Jn 1:3) The fact that the truth is hidden is no issue; God has promised to give understanding to all who seek it. (Ja 1:5-6) So, it is not a matter of whether we can ultimately come to understand the truth (Mt 7:7-8), it’s more a question of how God chooses to get us there, how we must invest in doing so: it does cost us everything. (Lk 17:33)

God tells us to commit our all to Him in this pursuit (Mt 19:21), to value Wisdom and Understanding above all else. (Pr 4:7) There is nothing more important than walking out a practical knowledge of God, grounding ourselves in spiritual reality (Php 3:8-9), putting on display what He reveals to us about Himself as we seek Him.

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