And people think, "Well, if you believe in keeping the law, you're a legalist," or they might suggest that because you believe in keeping Yahweh's law strictly, in a way that you're very careful and very cautious to not want to disobey the law, that you're a legalist.
But we find actually written in the Torah, "Be very circumspect," in other words, be very careful, "to do all that Yahweh has commanded."
That doesn't make you a legalist. But then what does legalism actually mean? We're going to look at that question today, and we're going to start with Mark 2:23. We're going to read all the way through into the next chapter, into verse 5 of chapter 3.
Mark 2:23 - Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.
Mark 2:24 - And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"
Mark 2:25 - But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:
Mark 2:26 - "how he went into the house of Elohim [in the days] of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat, except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?"
Mark 2:27 - And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.
Mark 2:28 - "Therefore the Son of Man is also Master of the Sabbath."
Mark 3:1 - And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.
Mark 3:2 - So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.
Mark 3:3 - And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward."
Mark 3:4 - Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they kept silent.
Mark 3:5 - And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched [it] out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.
Very interesting. All He said was "Stretch forth your hand." Some of those who don't understand the value and importance of the Ten Commandments will accuse those of us who love Yahweh's law of being a legalist. They don't mean that in a good way.
Some might be compared to the scribes and Pharisees, simply because we do believe in keeping the Sabbath day. We believe it's important.
It's very evident Yahushua also kept the Sabbath day, but He kept it in the way it was intended to be kept from the very beginning. What is legalism? Is legalism seeking to obey the commandments of Yahweh with all of our hearts? Is legalism adding to the commandments of Yahweh?
Is legalism too much focus on obedience to the law and not enough focus on salvation through Yahushua?
It's difficult to define, because the word "legalism" or "legalist" is nowhere found in the pages of scripture. It's a Christian term.
Because of this, a true definition of legalism is probably just in the eyes of whoever wants to define it.
In the above scriptures, we saw some examples of where the scribes and Pharisees had added to the commandment of Sabbath observance: not allowed to heal on the Sabbath, not allowed to walk through a grain field and pull the grains of wheat or whatever it was off the stalk and eat them.
Those are not forbidden in the Torah, but the point was they believed it was more important to starve on the Sabbath, rather than eat, and it was more important that a man remain crippled than be healed.
They had added to Yahweh's Word things that were never intended by Yahweh nor were they ever commanded. Albeit, now it was in the effort to be careful in observing and keeping Yahweh's commandments.
They would go an extra step. They would build a fence around the commandments of Yahweh. This was something they intentionally did. You actually read about it in the Talmud. They would intentionally go a step further than what the commandment actually said.
They called that the fence law. They figured if you break the fence law, and if you break this extra law that goes further than the law of Yahweh, then at least you have not broken one of Yahweh's commandments.
Maybe their intent was not necessarily bad, but in doing this, the observing of commandments became burdensome, and it turned their focus toward the commandments of men, which were commandments that went further than Yahweh's law, rather than the commandments of Yahweh. Yahweh said:
Deuteronomy 12:32 - "Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.
And so this idea led men to be drawn away from a relationship with Yahweh and drawn toward a relationship with the religious leaders to whom they looked to for extra commands and interpretations, and so this glory was taken away from Yahweh, and it was stolen by corruptible men.
The Sabbath was never intended to be given to us, so that we would starve if we're too busy doing Yahweh's work or ministering to prepare properly. It was given to be a blessing and a benefit. It was made for man.
This seems to be the perspective coming from Yahweh, coming from both the Old Testament and the New Testament, that Yahweh's Sabbath was never intended to be treated the way it was being treated in the first century.
Luke 13:14 - But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Yahushua had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day."
Luke 13:15 - The Master then answered him and said, "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead [it] away to water it?
Luke 13:16 - "So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?"
He was pointing out to them that their interpretation of what the Sabbath was all about was not right. He wasn't telling them to stop observing the Sabbath and that anyone trying to observe the Sabbath is a legalist.
He was explaining to them that their understanding of what the Sabbath was all about was not right. They had added many other things to the scriptures, as well, and Yahushua would show them how wrong it was, and He generally ignored their commandments.
Many times, their commandments would actually violate the commandments of Yahweh. For instance:
Mark 7:6 - He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: `This people honors Me with [their] lips, But their heart is far from Me.
They were not truly serving Him with their hearts. They were giving Yahweh lip service.
Mark 7:7 - And in vain they worship Me, Teaching [as] doctrines the commandments of men.'
Mark 7:8 - "For laying aside the commandment of Elohim, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."
Yahweh's commandments can be ignored, if the commandments of men are the actual focus in our life. Man seeks to write his own laws, and such was the case in that day, and such is also the case, actually, in the generation we live in today.
Whether you call it oral law, catechism, statements of doctrine, we need to be aware of these trappings.
There are traditions, for instance, in the festivals observed by mainstream Christians which are actually a perfect example of a similar kind of legalism that the Pharisees had observed.
They added to Yahweh's commands observances that were never commanded by Yahweh. Festivals like Christmas and Easter and observing the Sabbath on the first day of the week are all traditions that are not found in scripture, but rather come from paganism. All these things are adding to Yahweh's already perfect Word.
Does keeping Yahweh's Torah save us? In other words, did we receive salvation because we kept Yahweh's Torah? Do we maintain our salvation somehow if we keep Yahweh's Torah?
Some suggest that if you keep certain select commandments that look Jewish, you have fallen from grace and steeped in legalism. Such matters are the cause of much confusion today. Let's see what the scriptures say.
Romans 2:12 - For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law
Romans 2:13 - (for not the hearers of the law [are] just in the sight of Elohim, but the doers of the law will be justified;
It's very clear that only the doers of the law are going to be justified. The word "justified" means to be declared righteous. Yet, if you read other verses like Galatians 5:4, it says:
Galatians 5:4 - You have become estranged from Messiah, you who [attempt to] be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
Here it says if we try to be justified by the law, then we're fallen from grace. On the surface, you might say, "That means if we try to do the law, we're estranged from the Messiah," because it says only the doers are justified. So if you are trying to be justified by the law, in other words, if you are doing the law, you're fallen from grace. You're estranged from the Messiah.
That's the very thing that most of those who oppose our Sabbath keeping and other things will point to. The thing they're missing, brethren, is there is more written in the law than just keep the Sabbath.
Are we trying to be justified by the law if we honor our parents? Are we trying to be justified by the law if we only decide to worship Yahweh alone? Are we trying to be justified by the law if we choose to be truthful in everything we speaks and never lie? No.
Then why are we trying to be justified by the law if we keep the Sabbath day? They're not consistent in their logic. To understand what Paul says, let's continue to read some other verses.
Galatians 3:11 - But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of Elohim [is] evident, for "the just shall live by faith."
The just, the righteous shall live by faith.
Galatians 3:12 - Yet the law is not of faith, but "the man who does them shall live by them."
That is, have eternal life by them. Even though only the doers of the law will be justified, we see here that we can only be justified by faith, not by the law. Why?
Only a man who does them, that's a doer of the law, can live, that is have eternal life by them. A very important question is, "Have we done them?" No, we haven't; therefore, none of us can live or have eternal life by them.
If we had kept Yahweh's law from the time we were born until the time we died, then, yes, we could be justified by the law, because the doers of the law are justified.
But, brethren, we have not been a doer, and so we cannot be justified by the law. The law only teaches us what sin is and shows us that we are sinners.
Romans 3:20 - Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law [is] the knowledge of sin.
The law teaches us what sin is, because sin is breaking Yahweh's law. The law is righteous in its standard, but we have not been, and so we need to receive our righteousness some other way than through ourselves. That's where Yahushua comes in.
Romans 3:21 - But now the righteousness of Elohim apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
Romans 3:22 - even the righteousness of Elohim, through faith in Yahushua Messiah, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;
The righteousness of Yahweh is actually predicted to come through Yahushua the Messiah. The righteousness of Yahweh that we need in order to be saved is predicted to come through Yahushua the Messiah. Where is it predicted? In the law, we see the example of Passover. We see these feasts which all point to the redemption of the Messiah in the animal sacrifices and so on.
These things all point to the righteousness of Yahweh, which we receive through Yahushua. The point is:
Romans 3:23 - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of Elohim,
Romans 3:24 - being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Messiah Yahushua,
Through the grace of Yahweh, He is willing to place His own righteousness upon us, and His own righteousness was clearly seen through Yahushua the Messiah. Yahushua, didn't He say, "It's not me doing the works; the Father in me doing the works."
In other words, even He wasn't good; only Elohim and His goodness made Him good at all.
We have all sinned, and so we've all transgressed Yahweh's law, because by the law is the knowledge of sin. To receive justification, in other words, to be truly declared righteous, we can't say, "Well, look what I've done."
No, we have to look and see what Yahweh has done through Yahushua. We receive that righteousness through Him. We don't receive righteousness through the law. We receive righteousness through Yahushua the Messiah, in whom is the righteousness of Yahweh.
It's through Him that we are justified or declared righteous, not through the law, because it's no longer we who live anymore.
When He lives in us, we declare this eternal truth:
Galatians 2:20 - "I have been crucified with Messiah; it is no longer I who live, but Messiah lives in me; and the [life] which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of Elohim, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
When the Adam man, the sinner, is dead, and Yahushua, the righteous, lives in us, we have salvation and justification. Only then are we righteous. This is all symbolized in baptism.
Acts 2:38 - Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Yahushua Messiah for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 6:4 - Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Messiah was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
The fact that we are justified, not by the law, but by grace through faith in Yahushua the Messiah, does that mean that we are now free to break Yahweh's law once more? Can we continue in sin, as we did before and just let grace abound? No. Carefully notice Kepha's words here?
Acts 2:38 - Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Yahushua Messiah for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
What does it mean to repent? To turn away. It means to turn, turn away from sin, turn toward righteousness. Repentance is a requirement in order for Yahushua to choose to live in you to begin with.
It's a requirement that must be fulfilled prior to baptism. Repentance does not mean you instantly walk in perfection, and you never, ever sin again. It means that you truly, from the heart, want to walk in perfection and never sin again. He says:
Romans 6:4 - Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Messiah was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
What's the newness of life? Sin, death? No, life and righteousness. Once we have that change of heart, to turn away from sin, we need to seek to live our lives as Yahushua lived His, for He is living in us.
1John 2:1 - My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Yahushua Messiah the righteous.
1John 2:2 - And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
1John 2:3 - Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
1John 2:4 - He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
1John 2:5 - But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of Elohim is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.
1John 2:6 - He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
Many out there today will profess to have a personal relationship with the Savior of men, and will say they hear His voice, and will claim to know Him, and are very focused on what they believe is living by faith. Yet, when it comes to keeping the commandments, they want to hear none of it. They don't want to hear about that.
Some of these are following their own spirit. They're not really following Yahweh's spirit, and they're following a messiah they have invented for themselves, one contrary to the One spoken of in scripture. They are in love with a messiah who does not care one way or the other whether they sin or whether they don't.
Brethren, that's not the Messiah of the scriptures. The Bible does not teach such a messiah anywhere. The truth is Yahweh wants a relationship with each one of us, but it's going to have to be on His terms, not one we invent for ourselves and cause ourselves to be deluded in.
Yahweh loves us so much, it's probably beyond our comprehension. The very hairs of our head are numbered, Matthew 10:30. He counts our steps in Job 31:4. But drawing near to Him with this belief that He's going to mold Himself into what we want Him to be is delusional.
We need to truly seek to know Him, to love Him, because we know how much He knows us and loves us. We need to allow Him to define Himself.
We need to accept what He says He is, and draw near to Him with that condition in our relationship, and not be deceived by this strong delusion that leads us to believe we can continue in unrighteousness, and He doesn't really care, because now we have the Messiah.
The truth is, once we receive salvation and justification, we're not supposed to be returning to the vomit that we got rid of a long time ago.
In fact, that is a more dangerous condition to be in than if we had never known Yahushua the Messiah to begin with.
2Peter 2:21 - For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known [it], to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
2Peter 2:22 - But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: "A dog returns to his own vomit," and, "a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire."
So it's better to never have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it, just turning away from it completely, because no longer can you claim ignorance.
We're not ignorant anymore. The conclusion that we have to come to in regards to the truth of Yahweh's commandments, whether we need to walk in them or not, is revealed in Romans 6:15-16:
Romans 6:15 - What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!
By the law is the knowledge of sin. If we sin, we are disobeying Yahweh's law.
Romans 6:16 - Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin [leading] to death, or of obedience [leading] to righteousness?
The fact that we're not under the law does not mean we continue in sin. It's on this point many will stumble. The truth is, they want to find some new law to follow. They don't want the old law. They're not looking at the old law. They want some kind of new law that is more societally acceptable.
They're looking for some kind of law and messiah that wouldn't look too Jewish for their comfort. What we really need to do is let Yahweh define His own Messiah.
Yahushua is actually Yahweh's Messiah. He's not our Messiah. Side note here. No verse in scripture ever calls Yahushua our Messiah. He is Yahweh's Anointed. That's what the word Messiah means. It means anointed. He is Yahweh's Anointed. We did not anoint Him. Yahweh anointed Him. Just a side note there.
It's a Hebraic understanding that if we truly understand what anointing is and what anointing does, we cannot anoint Messiah with our own spirit. Yahweh has to anoint Him with His Spirit.
He is our Master. He is our King. He is our Savior. But He's Yahweh's Messiah, because Yahweh anointed Him. He is Yahweh's Anointed.
Remember the Old Testament scriptures? "Touch not Yahweh's anointed." Never did David say, "Don't touch my anointed over there." "Don't touch Yahweh's anointed." Just a little side note.
Sin is still transgression of the law. Sin is still breaking the commandments of Yahweh. Where can I find that in the New Testament?
1John 3:4 - Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.
1John 3:5 - And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.
1John 3:6 - Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
Very interesting. Whoever transgresses the law has neither seen Him nor known Him. Whoever abides in Him does not transgress the law. He was manifested to take away our transgressions of the law, and in Him there is no transgression of the law. See how we can substitute one for the other? Sin is a transgression of the law.
1John 3:7 - Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.
Even then they had this problem.
1John 3:8 - He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of Elohim was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
The question is, if there's some kind of person or spirit trying to get you to transgress the law and say it doesn't matter, is that the Spirit of Yahweh, or is that the spirit of the devil? Didn't the Son of Yahweh come to destroy the devil's works? The devil doesn't want to stop his works.
1John 3:9 - Whoever has been born of Elohim does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of Elohim.
When the fullness of our rebirth has come--a lot of people wonder, "Well, I sinned yesterday. Does that mean I'm lost?"
What is being discussed here is the rebirth. We might say we're born again, saved, partakers of the new covenant. The truth is we're not truly reborn, formerly reborn, officially reborn, physically reborn, until this corruption puts on incorruption at the resurrection.
The truth is we're not fully saved and delivered until we receive that deliverance in the resurrection. We're not really fully in the new covenant, and Yahweh's Spirit is us in such a way that we never sin again, until the resurrection. But we accept these things as done, by faith, because Yahweh speaks the things which are not as though they were.
We accept this by faith. We receive His Spirit, and we live our lives in such a way that is representing this kingdom that is to come.
When the fullness of our rebirth has come, and we receive that immortality, we will be sinless. We are to be living our lives in that way now, because it's evidence that Yahushua lives in us, and He did not sin.
Brethren, if out of a true love for Yahweh, a believer has a strong desire to walk in Yahushua's footsteps, and wants to keep Yahweh's law to perfection, this is not legalism. In fact, Yahushua Himself said:
Matthew 5:48 - "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
That's not a bad thing, not a bad thing at all. It's a good thing. It's expected. Some might say, "If you get too involved in trying to keep Yahweh's law, then you're a legalist." Yahushua said:
Matthew 5:27 - "You have heard that it was said to those of old, `You shall not commit adultery.'
Matthew 5:28 - "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Some would say He took the commandment further, and He made the law even harder to keep. Didn't the Pharisees and scribes make the law harder to keep? That's bad; yet, Yahushua makes the law harder to keep, and that's okay?
Their own views are actually contradictory. They would have to, by their own logic, accuse Yahushua of legalism here. The truth is Yahushua went into the heart of Yahweh's commandments, the intent of Yahweh's commandments, and that's what we should be seeking.
Those who added things to Yahweh's law, like you can't pick up your bed after you've been healed, after laying on it for 20 years, on the Sabbath.
Wasn't that a testimony? The very bed he was laying on, because he was crippled, he picks up, he carries after being healed. They think that's a bad thing. They're not looking into the heart of Yahweh's commandments and the intent.
The law is not a list of do's and don'ts. It's an explanation of how to love Yahweh, how to love our fellow man, how to know Him, how to walk and talk and be just like Messiah.
The commandments are just, and right, and holy, and they teach us how to be just and right and holy.
We should be aware of reasonings of men that attempt to excuse away what Yahweh does say. Yahushua was not adding to any of the commandments here. He taught that if you hate your brother, that's like you're committing murder in your heart. He taught that if you lust after a woman, then you've already committed adultery in your heart.
Lust and hate were not new things that were wrong. They were sins long before Yahushua came on the earth. It was already written in the Ten Commandments not to lust. It says, "Do not covet your neighbor's wife."
It was already written that we're not to take vengeance and bear grudges and hate our brother.
Leviticus 19:17 - `You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.
Leviticus 19:18 - `You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I [am] YAHWEH.
Contrary to what many teach, the law was not a bunch of external commandments, and then Yahushua internalized them, not true at all. The law was internal. Look at the tenth commandment of the Ten Commandments. It's a commandment you can only break in your heart, and that is coveting what belongs to another.
What if a man goes around and teaches the commandments of Yahweh, and puts a lot of focus on them? Is that legalism?
No. It's part of the Great Commission, actually, in Matthew 28:18-20.
Matthew 28:18 - And Yahushua came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Matthew 28:19 - "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Matthew 28:19 - "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Matthew 28:20 -
Isn't that part of what we're supposed to be doing, teaching others to observe the things which Yahushua has commanded? What was one of the things Yahushua taught? He taught that we ought to keep Yahweh's commandments. They're not contrary to one another.
There's not a list of the Father's commandments on one side and Yahushua's commandments on another, and they're doing battle and contrary to one another. Not at all. Yahushua says:
Matthew 5:17 - "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
Matthew 5:18 - "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
If you take a look out your window, you see that heaven and earth has not passed away yet; therefore, the law has not passed away yet.
Matthew 5:19 - "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches [them], he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
What are these least commandments? These least commandments are from the law that He just talked about there.
Very interesting. Those that go around doing and teaching these commandments and the law of Yahweh will be the great ones. Why then would those who do such things be called legalists, some kind of derogatory term?
The motivations are many, but probably the strongest motivation is what I like to refer to as conscience relief.
If somebody can insult a commandment keeper by calling him a name, like legalist, as though it's a bad thing, then it relieves them of their conscience, which is often harassing them, because they see a righteous example of Yahushua in another person, and so they sear their own conscience.
We need to let the commandments of Yahweh and the righteous examples we see train our conscience to be in conformity to the words of our Creator by the Spirit of Yahweh.
The bottom line is most people are generally looking for some kind of excuse to be disobedient to our heavenly Father's will.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 - To everything [there is] a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
In the same way there's a season for everything and purpose, it seems to me there is an excuse to break every commandment Yahweh has ever given. Take the Ten Commandments, for instance:
Exodus 20:3 - "You shall have no other gods before Me.
From a pagan, one time, I heard, "We're not supposed to have any Elohim before Yahweh. Of all the gods I worship, Yahweh has to be the number one god, and He is."
Do you believe someone would say that? Yahweh said:
Exodus 20:4 - "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness [of anything] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth;
Exodus 20:5 - you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, YAHWEH your Elohim, [am] a jealous Elohim, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth [generations] of those who hate Me,
There's an excuse for this one, too. People will say, "I'm bowing before that statue of Jesus there. That doesn't mean I'm worshiping the idol. I'm just worshiping the One it represents."
Yahweh said:
Exodus 20:7 - "You shall not take the name of YAHWEH your Elohim in vain, for YAHWEH will not hold [him] guiltless who takes His name in vain.
Then there's the excuse, "We just take the name Yahweh completely out of scripture." That makes it vain, useless, of no purpose, and so on. They say, "We take it out so people won't use it; that way, they can't blaspheme it or take it in vain."
Of course, in taking the name out, you've just made it nothing. That's what the word "vain" means.
Yahweh said:
Exodus 20:8 - "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
We've all heard the excuses. "That was for the Jews." Or "The Messiah is our Sabbath now." Or "Every day is our Sabbath." Or "I keep the Sabbath; I just do it on any day I choose to call Sabbath."
Yahweh said:
Exodus 20:12 - "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which YAHWEH your Elohim is giving you.
We've often heard the excuse, "My father and mother are evil, so I don't need to honor them."
There is an excuse for every commandment. Some of us, who want to do exactly what Yahweh says, are called legalists, because we don't believe and go along with their excuses.
Yahweh said:
Exodus 20:13 - "You shall not murder.
We might hear the excuse today, "If I abort..." That's a fancy name for murder. "...my baby now, he won't live in this cruel world where I won't be able to support them."
All kinds of excuses, isn't there?
Exodus 20:14 - "You shall not commit adultery.
Well, we've all probably heard the excuse, "She was the one dressed that way. How could I not look at her in that way?"
Excuse. Yahweh said:
Exodus 20:15 - "You shall not steal.
Some would say, "Nothing in that tax code says I have to pay income tax." Watch what happens when you don't pay income tax. You'll end up in jail. They interpret their own law, don't they?
Others might say, "They're rich. They won't notice. They won't even care." Go ask permission and see what they say. Thou shalt not steal, bottom line.
Exodus 20:16 - "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Some might say, "That's just what I was told. It's just a white lie. White lies are okay. I didn't know that was just a rumor." Be careful. What comes out of our mouth needs to be the truth.
Yahweh said:
Exodus 20:17 - "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that [is] your neighbor's."
For this, we might hear, "I'm not coveting. I just hope to have one just like that one, one day, when I can afford it." Or "I'll just put it on a credit card." Or, again, "Well, she was the one dressed that way."
With every commandment, there is some kind of excuse to break it, like the Sabbath, for instance. "My work makes me work on the Sabbath. My job, my boss makes me work on the Sabbath." Really? Do they have a gun to your head? What is it?
No. Even if they did have a gun to your head, you should not break Yahweh's commandment. Who's first? Yahweh or your boss?
What's first? The kingdom of Yahweh and His righteousness or the kingdom of mammon and their unrighteousness?
Brethren, these things, these excuses are all attempts to compromise and do away with the clear commandments of Yahweh. For those of us who seek no excuses, we're branded a legalist.
It's all conscience relief efforts. When they call you a legalist, it's just another tactic and excuse for them to continue in disobedience.
Many other excuses would be, "Messiah fulfilled that," or "We aren't Jews," and "He didn't mean that literally."
We've heard those, haven't we? Yahushua gave us fair warning:
Matthew 7:21 - "Not everyone who says to Me, `Master, Master,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
Matthew 7:22 - "Many will say to Me in that day, `Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'
Matthew 7:23 - "And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'
These many will come to Him, thinking that they knew Him. They think that Yahushua knows them and that they know Yahushua.
There's some kind of exception given. He says these people are not known by Yahushua. Who are they? You that work iniquity, those that do not do the will of the heavenly Father.
If you look in your Strong's Lexicon and look up the word "iniquity," what it means in the Greek language, it's "anomia," number 458, and its primary definition, which they always put in italics, is "illegality, violation of the law, or genitive case, wickedness."
It's translated iniquity, transgression of the law, and unrighteousness. Very interesting.
One of the definitions here, the main definition of this word, "anomia," which is translated "iniquity," is illegality.
In other words, Yahushua is saying here, "I will profess unto them, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you illegalists.'"
Brethren, it's evident that too many people are too concerned about being a legalist and not nearly enough concerned that they are an illegalists and are ignoring the commandments of Yahweh.
Let's hear the words of Yahushua:
Luke 6:46 - "But why do you call Me `Master, Master,' and do not do the things which I say?
Luke 6:47 - "Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like:
Luke 6:48 - "He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.
Luke 6:49 - "But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great."
On the surface, both houses may look the same; but you look at their foundation, one's built upon the rock, and one's built upon the sand.
Upon which have we built our foundation? What kind of house do we want to build? Let's build the house with the foundation built upon the rock.
The legalist accusation will often undermine that. Yes, it's possible for someone to go to the extreme and forget it's Yahushua who brings them salvation.
There is such a thing as mercy, and Yahweh gives it liberally to those who confess their sins and truly want and endeavor to walk before Him blamelessly.
1John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We need to confess them. What if we come across something in His Word that we've not noticed before and realize we were not walking in obedience? Shouldn't our first step be to stop there and pray at that moment and confess our sin to Him?
I think that's what we need to be doing. That's the right kind of attitude. Even our confessions are acts of obedience.
Is that what we often see today, fear and trembling? What is usually heard is, actually, "He doesn't care about that commandment or this commandment. We don't have to do that anymore, because..." Put whatever excuse you want in the blank there.
How about we seek to walk in His perfect will because we love Yahushua so much that we want to be just like Him?
Who is truly like Him? Who seeks to walk in the Torah as He did? Who will be His representative on the earth, as a part of the body of the Messiah? Very few.
Very few observe the Sabbath, as He did. Very few keep the feast days that He did. Very few wear the tassels, as He did. Very few keep the clean and unclean commandments, as He did. Very few honor Yahweh's name, as He did. Very few are willing to take up His stake or cross daily and suffer, as He did.
Very few show the true love for obedience to Yahweh that He did. He's very picky about who He would call a brother.
Luke 8:20 - And it was told Him [by some], who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."
Luke 8:21 - But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of Elohim and do it."
How's that for a qualifier? It cuts right through all the excuses. Yahweh says it, we do it, that settles it, case closed, end of decision, no excuses!
If that's our attitude, that's not legalism. Look at how devoted to obedience Yahushua was, as He's sweating blood, in His efforts in love and desire to be obedient to His Father.
Matthew 26:38 - Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me."
Matthew 26:39 - He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You [will]."
Yahushua not only obeyed the commands given to Him, without excuse, rather than saying, "I can do it halfheartedly and get by," no, He obeyed them to the point of death, even though nobody else was with Him.
He asked His disciples to watch with Him, but they didn't. They fell asleep. Brethren, even if we are the last ones standing on the earth who seek to obey His Word, we must not turn away.
The One who loved us is worthy of that kind of devotion. If we happen to do what's commanded to us to do, stay humble.
Luke 17:10 - "So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, `We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.'"
It's the power of Yahweh in us that gives us the strength to do His will to begin with. We are nothing of ourselves. It is not we who live; it's Yahushua who abides and lives in us, doing the works.
Galatians 2:20 - "I have been crucified with Messiah; it is no longer I who live, but Messiah lives in me; and the [life] which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of Elohim, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
We need to seek to know Him, to love Him, to let Him walk out His life in us, as He walked on the earth. Through it all, to Yahweh be the glory.
Psalms 115:1 - Not unto us, O YAHWEH, not unto us, But to Your name give glory, Because of Your mercy, Because of Your truth.
Our righteousness comes from Yahweh, through Him, not from the Torah. We surely must have a heart that desires true obedience to His word.
We should not listen to the excuses and the insults and ramblings of those who are inspired by the wrong spirit.
It is not the spirit of Yahweh that tries to get you to be disobedient. It's an unclean spirit motivating people to do that to you. Yahweh will never make you feel guilty for keeping His Word. You can be assured of that.
You will never be judged a wicked sinner for keeping His commandments.
Where does it ever say, "Depart from me, you commandment keepers. Into the lake of fire you go." No!
It's the commandment breakers, it's the illegalists that are in trouble. Let's not sleep, as the disciples did, when Yahushua prayed and chose Yahweh's will over His own. Let's arise and keep the commandments of Yahweh, as He intended us to keep them, with a true attitude of love, for by this He knows:
1John 5:2 - By this we know that we love the children of Elohim, when we love Elohim and keep His commandments.
John 14:15 - "If you love Me, keep My commandments.
John 14:16 - "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever --
John 14:17 - "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
John 14:21 - "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."
Brethren, this is not legalism. This is love. We love Him, because He first loved us. May Yahweh bless you, and may He have mercy on us all.
Home | Refer this page to a friend | Request printed copy of this page | Search