Does Love Do Away With the Law?
At Matthew 22:37, Yahshua quotes two verses from the Torah (Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18), to show us that the Torah ‘hangs on’ love:
37 "'You shall love YHWH your Elohim with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Leviticus 19:18) 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” [Mattithyahu (Matthew) 22:37-40]
By quoting these two verses, Yahshua shows us that Love was always the foundation (or the
underpinning) of the Torah. He also implies that without love, the Commandments will fall to the ground (where ‘falling to the ground’ is a Hebraic idiom that means ‘to perish’, and/or ‘to become utterly useless’).
Christianity, however, takes Yahshua’s analogy one step further. Christianity suggests that since the Covenant hangs on love, that love has already rendered the Commandments null, and void. But does that even make sense? Why would love do away with something that was ‘hung’ upon it? Does a building’s foundation destroy the structure on top of it? If we follow this line of thought to its logical endpoint, we will find a hidden malice in Christianity’s spirit. [Remember, Christianity comes from Catholicism and Catholicism comes from Mithraism.]
Understanding that Love is the heart of the Law (as they do), Christians tend to view outward
manifestations of the Covenant with disdain. They wonder how important such things as the Sabbath, the Passover and the Circumcision can possibly be, when Love is the thing that matters most. What Christians tend to forget is that, in Hebraic thought, obedience is the proof of love. Just as John the Baptist told us that he who does not obey does not truly believe, the Apostle John said that the proof of our love is shown by our observance of His Commands: 2 By this we know that we love the children of Elohim: when we love Elohim, and keep His commandments.
Since Yahshuaquotes from the Torah to show that love is still the foundation of the Torah, it means that love always was the foundation of the Torah; even in Moses’ time. However, if Love always was the foundation of the Torah, but Christianity now tells us that Love has replaced the Torah (after Yahshua’s sacrifice), then this would mean that the Torah was always kind of a waste of time; or worse.
Christianity supposes that the Torah is too difficult for any human being to keep, even though Moshe (or Moses) tells us the exact opposite: 11 "For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you; nor is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' 14 But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. [Deuteronomy 30:11-14]
See if you can follow this line of thought: If the Torah was impossible for Israel to keep, and if all that ever really mattered was Love, then when YHWH gave the children of Israel the Torah, He was giving them a kind of a curse. He was intentionally setting them up to fail by giving them an impossible task, so He could reject them cruelly in the end.
True, the Apostle Shaul does tell the Galatians that the Torah can be a kind of a curse; if they mistakenly believe they can earn their Salvation by works of the Law: For as many as are of the works of the Law are under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the Law, to do them.” [Galatians 3:10]
As we will see near the end of this book, the key operant phrase here is of the works of the Law. This did not pertain to the Nazarenes, but was actually directed at a sect called The Circumcision, who as mentioned before, believed that although Yahshua was the Messiah, they still had to save themselves through works of the Law. For this reason Shaul says they were ‘of’ the Law, or ‘under’ the Law. Shaul told them that Yahshua had been sent to set them free from that faulty delusion. In fact, as we will see later, almost the entire Book of Galatians is dedicated to this topic.
Contrary to Christian doctrine, Nazarene Shaul did not say that he no longer believed what was written in the Law, or the Prophets. Rather, he was telling those of the now-extinct sect called The Circumcision not to believe that they could save themselves by the works of their own hands. But while it is a curse to mistakenly try to earn one’s way to Salvation, was the Marital Covenant intentionally given as a curse? Did a heartless, merciless Elohim reward Jacob for his faith, by giving Jacob’s children an impossible Law they could never keep?
Did YHWH intentionally set Israel up for a fall by giving them an impossible task, and then reject them forever, when they were unable to perform it? This concept makes YHWH out to be evil; but Christianity assumes this concept is true, when it tells us that the Law was always impossible to keep. The question any logical mind should ask itself, however, is why Love would abolish the Covenant, when the Covenant was always based upon Love. Does the idea even make sense?
Does a foundation abolish a house? Or do coat racks abolish the coats that are hung upon them? Why would Love abolish the Covenant, when the abolition of the Marital Covenant was never prophesied anywhere in Scripture? And why would YHWH dispose of Israel’s children when the promises to Avraham, Isaac and Jacob had been given as an everlasting covenant? 7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be Elohim to you, and to your descendants after you. [Breisheet (Genesis) 17:7]
When YHWH tells us that the Covenant with Noah was an everlasting covenant (Genesis 9:16), Christians expect it to last forever. However, when this exact same word (‘olam’: forever) is used with regard to the promises given to the Patriarchs, Christianity tells us that these promises were only temporary (or were somehow conditional), because YHWH only gave them ‘to the Jews.’
Despite the lack of intellectual honesty in Christianity’s foundational argument, many Christians still adamantly insist that Love does away with the Law. Many of these insist that the only Commandments the Apostles observed after Yahshua’s death were the Two Great Commandments: To love YHWH, and to love one’s neighbor. Others suggest that after Yahshua’s Ascension, the only Commandments the Apostles would have kept were just the Ten Commandments (which were written on two tables of stone).
But what should we think if the New Covenant actually showed us that the Apostles kept more than just the Ten Commandments, even many years after Yahshua’s Ascension? What if the New Covenant actually showed that although the Apostles absolutely did not believe that
the performance of the Law would lead to Salvation, they nonetheless continued to diligently keep all the Commandments that were written in the Torah; even the seemingly obscure ones?
What would that tell us?
Next Page - Understanding Acts Twenty-One - Click HERE .
37 "'You shall love YHWH your Elohim with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Leviticus 19:18) 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” [Mattithyahu (Matthew) 22:37-40]
By quoting these two verses, Yahshua shows us that Love was always the foundation (or the
underpinning) of the Torah. He also implies that without love, the Commandments will fall to the ground (where ‘falling to the ground’ is a Hebraic idiom that means ‘to perish’, and/or ‘to become utterly useless’).
Christianity, however, takes Yahshua’s analogy one step further. Christianity suggests that since the Covenant hangs on love, that love has already rendered the Commandments null, and void. But does that even make sense? Why would love do away with something that was ‘hung’ upon it? Does a building’s foundation destroy the structure on top of it? If we follow this line of thought to its logical endpoint, we will find a hidden malice in Christianity’s spirit. [Remember, Christianity comes from Catholicism and Catholicism comes from Mithraism.]
Understanding that Love is the heart of the Law (as they do), Christians tend to view outward
manifestations of the Covenant with disdain. They wonder how important such things as the Sabbath, the Passover and the Circumcision can possibly be, when Love is the thing that matters most. What Christians tend to forget is that, in Hebraic thought, obedience is the proof of love. Just as John the Baptist told us that he who does not obey does not truly believe, the Apostle John said that the proof of our love is shown by our observance of His Commands: 2 By this we know that we love the children of Elohim: when we love Elohim, and keep His commandments.
Since Yahshuaquotes from the Torah to show that love is still the foundation of the Torah, it means that love always was the foundation of the Torah; even in Moses’ time. However, if Love always was the foundation of the Torah, but Christianity now tells us that Love has replaced the Torah (after Yahshua’s sacrifice), then this would mean that the Torah was always kind of a waste of time; or worse.
Christianity supposes that the Torah is too difficult for any human being to keep, even though Moshe (or Moses) tells us the exact opposite: 11 "For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you; nor is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' 14 But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. [Deuteronomy 30:11-14]
See if you can follow this line of thought: If the Torah was impossible for Israel to keep, and if all that ever really mattered was Love, then when YHWH gave the children of Israel the Torah, He was giving them a kind of a curse. He was intentionally setting them up to fail by giving them an impossible task, so He could reject them cruelly in the end.
True, the Apostle Shaul does tell the Galatians that the Torah can be a kind of a curse; if they mistakenly believe they can earn their Salvation by works of the Law: For as many as are of the works of the Law are under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the Law, to do them.” [Galatians 3:10]
As we will see near the end of this book, the key operant phrase here is of the works of the Law. This did not pertain to the Nazarenes, but was actually directed at a sect called The Circumcision, who as mentioned before, believed that although Yahshua was the Messiah, they still had to save themselves through works of the Law. For this reason Shaul says they were ‘of’ the Law, or ‘under’ the Law. Shaul told them that Yahshua had been sent to set them free from that faulty delusion. In fact, as we will see later, almost the entire Book of Galatians is dedicated to this topic.
Contrary to Christian doctrine, Nazarene Shaul did not say that he no longer believed what was written in the Law, or the Prophets. Rather, he was telling those of the now-extinct sect called The Circumcision not to believe that they could save themselves by the works of their own hands. But while it is a curse to mistakenly try to earn one’s way to Salvation, was the Marital Covenant intentionally given as a curse? Did a heartless, merciless Elohim reward Jacob for his faith, by giving Jacob’s children an impossible Law they could never keep?
Did YHWH intentionally set Israel up for a fall by giving them an impossible task, and then reject them forever, when they were unable to perform it? This concept makes YHWH out to be evil; but Christianity assumes this concept is true, when it tells us that the Law was always impossible to keep. The question any logical mind should ask itself, however, is why Love would abolish the Covenant, when the Covenant was always based upon Love. Does the idea even make sense?
Does a foundation abolish a house? Or do coat racks abolish the coats that are hung upon them? Why would Love abolish the Covenant, when the abolition of the Marital Covenant was never prophesied anywhere in Scripture? And why would YHWH dispose of Israel’s children when the promises to Avraham, Isaac and Jacob had been given as an everlasting covenant? 7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be Elohim to you, and to your descendants after you. [Breisheet (Genesis) 17:7]
When YHWH tells us that the Covenant with Noah was an everlasting covenant (Genesis 9:16), Christians expect it to last forever. However, when this exact same word (‘olam’: forever) is used with regard to the promises given to the Patriarchs, Christianity tells us that these promises were only temporary (or were somehow conditional), because YHWH only gave them ‘to the Jews.’
Despite the lack of intellectual honesty in Christianity’s foundational argument, many Christians still adamantly insist that Love does away with the Law. Many of these insist that the only Commandments the Apostles observed after Yahshua’s death were the Two Great Commandments: To love YHWH, and to love one’s neighbor. Others suggest that after Yahshua’s Ascension, the only Commandments the Apostles would have kept were just the Ten Commandments (which were written on two tables of stone).
But what should we think if the New Covenant actually showed us that the Apostles kept more than just the Ten Commandments, even many years after Yahshua’s Ascension? What if the New Covenant actually showed that although the Apostles absolutely did not believe that
the performance of the Law would lead to Salvation, they nonetheless continued to diligently keep all the Commandments that were written in the Torah; even the seemingly obscure ones?
What would that tell us?
Next Page - Understanding Acts Twenty-One - Click HERE .