The Law Not Nailed to the Cross?
Although the term Christian is not used in the Text (per se) until Acts Chapter Eleven, the first Christian probably appears as early as Mark 9:38: 38 And John answered Him, saying, “Rabbi, we saw someone casting out demons in Your Name, who does not follow us. And we stopped him, because he does not follow us.” 39 But (Yahshua) said, “Do not stop him! For there is no one who shall do a work of power in My Name, yet be able to speak evil of Me quickly; for he who is not against us is for us.” [Mark 9:38-40]
Why was this man probably a Christian? Christians believe the Messiah came to “Nail the Law to the Cross;” and for this reason they reject obedience to the Law as a prerequisite of following Yahshua (or Jesus). This is because, according to Christian doctrine, all one needs to do to follow the Messiah is to call upon His Name.
Mark 9:38 shows that this doctrine is false. If all one must do to follow Yahshua is to call upon His Name, then why did John tell us that there was a man who was casting out demons in Yahshua’s Name, who was not following Him? Surely, to cast out a demon in Yahshua’s Name is to call upon His Name; and yet this man was “not following.”
To understand the hidden meaning of this passage, first we must understand the Western Gentile Church’s definition of the word ‘belief’ (as well as the different definition that the Nazarenes used). The Western Church teaches that in order to inherit eternal life, all one must do is to believe on Yahshua. The Nazarenes agreed with this, except that they had a far more stringent set of criteria as to what actually qualified as belief.
Since the Nazarene standard was more rigorous than the Christian one, they felt the Christian standard was inadequate. But how can all this be? Hellenic (Grecian) philosophy generally equates thought and belief. It says that if someone thinks that something is true, they believe it is true. Therefore, if someone were to think that Yahshua is the Messiah, he (or she) believes that He is the Messiah. According to this Hellenistic model, then, just thinking that Yahshua is the Messiah is enough to get one saved.
Notice, however, the logical aftermath of this philosophy, which does not call for obedience to any external standard: Just as long as one thinks Yahshua is the Messiah, then there are no other rules of conduct. One can worship on whichever day one wants, and can do as one pleases. One enjoys complete freedom, just as long as one thinks that Yahshua is the Messiah.
The Nazarenes rejected this thought-centered model as being insufficient. This is because, in the Hebraic model, right-action is the proof of belief. The Hebrew belief is that God (or Elohim, in Hebrew) demands that all men do what is right (as codified in Elohim’s Laws). Therefore, if one’s beliefs do not lead one to obey Elohim’s Commandments, then one’s beliefs are functionally flawed (and by logical extension, one does not properly believe)].
This Hebraic model tells us that no matter how well-intentioned we might be, merely to think that Yahshua is the Messiah is not enough to save us. Rather, genuine belief requires us to demonstrate our obedience to His Commands. The reason that His Commands are so critical is they are the only reliable external standard by which men can safely judge their own actions; for a man’s own heart is desperately wicked, and deceitful above all things:
9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: Who can know it? [Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 17:9]
According to this Nazarene model, men cannot generally be trusted to know what is right and wrong on their own, because their own selfish desires will lead them astray. Therefore, obedience to His Commands is the only genuine proof of one’s faith; and without such substantiation, genuine faith is not present. This kind of thinking confuses most Christians.
The Church has always taught that the desire to obey Elohim’s (God’s) Commandments is nothing more than Legalism; and as such, it should be strictly avoided. The Church also teaches that since Yahshua came to nail the Law to the Cross, that as long as we have Love, there are no more Commandments to obey, and one has complete liberty in the Messiah: 13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in
this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” [Galatians 5:13-14]
But is this doctrine that the Law has been nullified correct? There appear to be some serious problems with it. For example, in His very first sermon, Yahshua clearly told His followers not to think He had come to do away with the Law or the Prophets: [Matthew 5:17-19]
The Christian doctrine that Yahshua was sent to abolish the Law is confusing, when one considers that it directly violates His own Words. Further, Scripture never prophesied that the Law or the Prophets would be abolished, and there are numerous prophecies to the contrary (e.g., Malachi 3:6, Jeremiah 31:36, Matthew 5:17-19, and others).
Who was it in the first century who believed in Yahshua, but also believed that the Apostle Shaul’s words told us that the Law is abolished? Could it have been the very same group of people who still today believe in Yahshua (or Jesus), and yet argue that the words of the Apostle Paul tell us that the Law is abolished? Could it be that the people the Apostle Kefa wrote to warn us about were the Christians? Yes it was; and to understand why, first we need to learn more about the true function and purpose of the Law.
Next Page -The Torah: A Marital Contract - Click HERE .