The Armor of Elohim

Many people have heard the story or passage about “the armor of God”, but how many people really understand what it means and what the application of the armor is? It has become a “buzz word” among the Christians without the actual knowledge or application of what is being taught.

Once a person turns to the faith and belief of the Messiah יהושע (Yehoshua), that person joins a battle field where there are many attacks from the enemy. Satan (the adversary) and all his evil forces are the enemy that constantly tries to destroy anyone who turns to follow the government and rule of the Almighty.

There are also a few misconceptions about the armor of Elohim, for instance, it is taught that you must daily put on the armor of Elohim. But I ask you, where does it say daily, or everyday? It just says put it on. Are you not also in need of the armor at all times, even while you sleep? Another thing is that we all need to put on the ENTIRE armor, otherwise it is of no use at all. One piece of the armor cannot function without the others. We will get into that in more detail as we go through this article.

Let us now work through the passage where Shaul teaches about the armor of Elohim:

“Put on the complete armor of Elohim, for you to have power to stand against the schemes of the devil (Accuser).” (Eph 6:11). Here it is very clear that the complete armor is needed in order to stand against whatever the devil has to give. If you do not have the complete armor on, the rest of the armor is of no use and does not function, you cannot have one piece of armor on without the rest, it is a package deal. The Accuser will always find an opening and will always attack you there at your weakest point. That is why the entire armor is needed to stand against his attacks.

“Because we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against authorities, against the world-rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual matters of wickedness in the heavenlies.” (Eph 6:12). So we do not fight one another, but rather the false teachings and false spirits that lead and deceive others. If we all wore the armor of Elohim, then we would all stand together on the same team in total agreement with one another. There are, however, only a very few that truly wear the armor of Elohim, and these people are attacked even by flesh and blood. This is only due to the fact that those attacking are being lead by the evil spiritual forces. By wearing the full armor of Elohim, we will be able to stand up against everyone and everything.

“Because of this, take up the complete armor of Elohim, so that you have power to withstand in the wicked day, and having done all, to stand.” (Eph 6:13). Once again, Shaul teaches the importance to wear the FULL armor of Elohim. If we do not have the full armor on, then we will not be able to stand in the “wicked day.” What day is this “wicked day?” it is the day of judgment where we are going to stand in front of the Almighty, and the devil (Accuser) is going to accuse us of all terrible things. Unless you are wearing the full armor of Elohim, you will fall to his accusations and be guilty of sin. If, however, you are clothed with the full armor of Elohim, you will be able to stand up against any accusation that the Accuser may give.

“Stand, then, having girded your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,” (Eph 6:14). Here we start to learn what the armor of Elohim is. The first item of the armor that is mentioned is the “waist girdle” or “belt” of TRUTH. Truth is the opposite of lies and falsehood. Truth is based upon facts and evidence. Truth is what comes out of the mouth of the Almighty, it is what is written. Any writing that changes the original truth is considered false. That is why it is so important to go back to the original writings, rather than relying on the many false translations that we know as Bibles today. The “waist girdle” is what holds your sword, without truth, you cannot have any weapon to fight or defend yourself with.

The second piece of armor mentioned in this verse is the breastplate of righteousness. Without righteousness, you do not have a breastplate to protect your vital organs, like your lungs and heart. Righteousness is the opposite of sin. It is the obedience of the Instruction of the Almighty which is His Torah, “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves servants for obedience, you are servants of the one whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?” (Rom 6:16). This next verse explains that everyone that does not do righteousness, that is keeping the Torah of YHWH, is not of the children of the Almighty but are rather the children of the devil. To be part of the children of the Almighty, you have to live by His rules, which is His Word also known as the Torah. “In this the children of Elohim and the children of the devil are manifest: Everyone not doing righteousness is not of Elohim, neither the one not loving his brother” (1 John 3:10)

If you do not live righteously, then you do not have a breastplate to protect your vital organs in the Day of Judgment and the Accuser will give you up to death in that Day of Judgment.Having to stand in the wicked day can also mean the day/days that believers are attacked, and one's enemies devise and carry out evil plans against you, so that we do not fall and turn away from Elohim and His ways. These are also to do with schemes of the devil.

“and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace;” (Eph 6:15). The Scriptures indicate beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Good News originated at the very beginning of time. The True “gospel” has always incorporated the Almighty’s Torah (instruction in righteousness) in building a relationship between YHWH and humankind. “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit in you, and cause you to live by my Torah, and ye shall keep my statutes and judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:26-27). Here we clearly see the basis of the Good News, that YHWH Himself shows favor and mercy to His people who will live according to His Word. The Good News is the revelation of YHWH’s Eternal Favor (grace) that saves and empowers His people to be able to stop transgressing (breaking Torah) against Him. Torah is YHWH’s blueprint for moral, righteous living. To attempt to annul Torah is to teach a different “gospel” than what the Talmidim (disciples) and Shlichim (Apostles) originally taught.

False gospels preach that Y’hoshua or “Jesus” is “the gospel” and/or that belief alone in Y’hoshua brings salvation. However, Adam and Chawwah (Eve) “got saved” long before Y’hoshua came to earth, because YHWH is Salvation. Y’hoshua is the door to salvation but belief in his atoning blood is utterly futile without being “re-born” spiritually and keeping His Father’s Commandments (becoming Set Apart). Even the demons believe in YHWH and the fact that there is only One Elohim; but demons are certainly not Set Apart unto YHWH, and therefore belief in itself without a righteous lifestyle is simply false religion. The false gospel has removed the TERMS & CONDITIONS of salvation, covenant and atonement and replaced them with a cerebral belief system or Christian religious label (identity); whereas the Renewed Covenant demands a complete change of lifestyle once Torah (instruction in righteousness) is written upon the heart.

Increased popularity of a false gospel will in no way make it acceptable to YHWH or His Mashiyach. Even if every soul on earth put their faith in a false gospel, it would not cause YHWH to change His Word to comply with man’s opinion. YHWH is His Word and His Promise and He cannot change Who He is! The false gospel is a theology that pits Y’hoshua against the Word of YHWH (Torah). Those who lead the charge of the false gospel adamantly speak against the terms and conditions of the Renewed Covenant. The Good News is that YHWH our Creator is a Loving, Merciful and Forgiving Father, which is why “the sacrifices of Elohim are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart.” This Love of the Father is clearly demonstrated in Y’hoshua haMashiyach as an offering for all souls to turn to YHWH, to enter His Kingdom and turn away from transgression of His Word (Torah).

“above all, having taken up the shield of belief with which you shall have power to quench all the burning arrows of the wicked one.” (Eph 6:16). The shield of Belief is spoken of as “above all.” This is because none of the rest of the armor is of any use without belief. If you have truth and not belief, then the truth is of no use, just as the others are of no use either. It is exactly the same as not being able to have belief without truth and works. “So also belief, if it does not have works, is in itself dead” (Ya’akov/James 2:17). Once again, it is a package deal, it cannot function without the other pieces of the armor, and without the shield of belief/faith, none of the other armor is of any use. This shield stops any fiery attacks that the wicked one may shoot at you. If you do not have belief, then you will not be able to stand against any attacks and will fall.

“Take also the helmet of deliverance, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of Elohim,” (Eph 6:17). Now this is an interesting verse that has a specific aspect that many people do not understand. All Christians agree that the sword is the Word of the Almighty, but what they do not understand is what exactly the Word of the Almighty is. Let us ask ourselves some questions, “Who wrote this letter? When was it written? and what existed as the Word of the Almighty in that time?” Let us now answer these questions. The letter to the Ephesians was written by Shaul (Paul). It was written in the time of early to mid 60’s AD. Now the key is to what was available in that time as the Word of the Almighty. One thing to notice is that the “New Testament” was not written or compiled yet and it certainly was not considered to be the Word of the Almighty. A lot of it had not even been written yet as most of it was mere letters sent from one believer to other believers. Ephesians was even written before some of the Gospels were.

So what was and still is the Word of the Almighty that Shaul and all the other disciples always referred to? It is the Tanakh (Old Testament) of course, the Tanakh is the Word of the Almighty and always will be as it is eternal. Shaul and many of the disciples studied and referenced the Tanakh in their letters and Gospels too. The Messiah Yehoshua quoted the Tanakh repeatedly and every time He said, “it is written…” so that we can know for certain that it comes from the Word of the Almighty which is the Tanakh.

The Word of our beloved Creator is also called Scripture. The Tanakh is the only thing that is or can be considered as Scripture. The “New Testament” is not the Word of the Almighty. But rather 4 witnesses to the happenings of the Messiah and also a collection of letters, written from believers to other believers who all followed the Scriptures (Tanakh). Let us see, for example, what one believer wrote in his letter to the other believers, “All Scripture is breathed by Elohim and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for setting straight, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of Elohim might be fitted, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Now you have to once again remember that the “New Testament” did not exist at the time of the writing of this letter, and that the Scripture being referenced here is the Tanakh. That proves that the Tanakh is the one and only writing that is considered the Word of the Almighty and the only thing that is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for setting straight and for instruction in righteousness. It is also our only guide to show us what good works are.

It is sad that the Church teaches its followers that it is an Old Testament and yet have no facts to support this evil thought. It is the Living Word of the Eternal Creator and Almighty YHWH. The term “New Testament” is also an evil man made title that has no facts to support it. The correct term is “brit chadashah” which means “Renewed Covenant,” NOT “new”. The term “New” implies that the other is “Old” which is not true but rather a false teaching. The Messiah did not bring a New Law, He came to renew the One perfect law that is eternal and taught us how to obey it. He also does not have any authority to change even one little part of the law at all.

There are many people who claim that the Tanakh is a curse and imperfect that had to be done away with and replaced by something better by the Messiah. Now consider what they are saying… they are saying that the Word of the Almighty, that even teaches us of the Messiah, is a curse and imperfect… would you like to say that to His face one day when you stand before Him? It is a perverse twisting of Scripture to think that the Word of the Almighty is in any way not perfect.

Now to get to the helmet of salvation/deliverance, the verse just says that you need to also take it. Now keep in mind that salvation is not possible without belief, truth, righteousness and the Good News combined, which are all necessary before you can wear the helmet of deliverance. What use is a helmet without a breastplate and a shield and a sword and a girdle to hold your sword? The meaning of our beloved Messiah Yehoshua's Name is, "YHWH is our salvation."

“praying at all times, with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, watching in all perseverance and supplication for all the set-apart ones” (Eph 6:18). Here we can see that the armor is not only spiritual, but physical too. Prayer is a physical act which needs to be done in the spirit. Righteousness comes from physical acts, truth comes from a physical studying of the Word of the Almighty and without the study of His Word, then the Sword is useless to you, and without any of these, belief is not possible as belief comes from the study of the Torah.

The term, “set-apart ones” is speaking of the believers in the Messiah who guard to do the Word of the Almighty. They are those who are set-apart from this world. You cannot be set-apart and still look like the world and do the things of this world. We need to look like and do the things of the Messiah, we need to walk in His footsteps and live like He lived, hating everything that is unrighteous and doing the Word of His Father in heaven. “Blessed are those doing His commands, so that the authority shall be theirs unto the tree of life, and to enter through the gates into the city” (Rev 22:14)

Romans 3 with comentary

This chapter of Romans is twisted so much to suite many false doctrines that the Church teaches. So I am revealing the true context for people to see the Truth. we are not to follow what we think or believe the Scriptures are saying but rather follow what the Scriptures really are saying.


“What then is the advantage of the Yehuḏite (Jew)? Or what is the value of the circumcision? Much in every way! Because firstly indeed, that they were entrusted with the Words of Elohim” (Rom 3:1-2). What Shaul wrote here totally disproves what is called the “replacement theology” that is taught by the Church. You see, the Church teaches that the Jews gave up their right to be called “God’s people”, so that the Church can take their place. This is done so that they can blackmail the population into joining the Church (Christian faith) or else they cannot be saved. This is also where anti-Semitic propaganda comes from, teaching the masses that the Jews killed “Jesus”. This is a very dangerous and evil thought. Shaul makes it very clear that the Jews are truly the chosen people, even until today.

“For what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief nullify the trustworthiness of Elohim? Let it not be! But let Elohim be true, and every man a liar, as it has been written, “That You should be declared right in Your words, and prevail in Your judging.”” (Rom 3:3-4). Now the majority of Judaism denies that Yehoshua is the Messiah and they are still waiting for “the Messiah” to come for the first time. There are however, many Jews that believe in Yehoshua as the Messiah, and keep their belief in silence. There are also many Jews who are totally “non-religious” but the majority of the Jews follow after religious traditions, namely, the Talmud and Oral Law, which Shaul refers to as ‘under the law’.

Now what Shaul is saying here is that just because some of the Jews do not believe in the truth, does in no way make the truth false. The Word of YHWH is truth which is the Torah and the prophets. Any man that speaks words of his own, is a liar. But if a man speaks the Word of YHWH, then his words are true.

If anyone lives according to the Torah of YHWH, then that person will not be found guilty in the time of judgment.

“But if our unrighteousness establishes the righteousness of Elohim, what shall we say? Is Elohim unrighteous who is inflicting wrath? I speak as a man. Let it not be! Otherwise how shall Elohim judge the world? For if the truth of Elohim has increased through my lie, to His esteem, why am I also still judged as a sinner? And why not say, “Let us do evil so that the good might come”? – as we are wrongly accused and as some claim that we say. Their judgment is in the right” (Rom 3:5-8). Here is a piece of text that the Church twists to justify their false doctrines. It is a common thought among the Christian faith that it is impossible to keep the Ten Commandments. The problem with that statement is that it is not supported by the Scriptures. One can see this as soon as you start reading the Scriptures and noticing that the whole theme of the Scriptures is to obey the Word of YHWH. Even the Messiah made this clear when he quoted the Scriptures and said, “But He answering, said, “It has been written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of יהוה (YHWH).’ ” (Mat 4:4). And what is the Word of YHWH? It is the Tanakh (Torah and the Prophets) of course.

The teachings of the Church are humanistic teachings and not the teachings or Words of YHWH. In the days of Shaul, the Christian Church had not been founded yet and Shaul had never heard the word Christian or the word Church, which are both from pagan origin.

Shaul was saying that righteousness cannot be established on unrighteousness. You see, Elohim afflicted and still does afflict wrath on unrighteousness. So the question was that if we established righteousness by our unrighteousness, how can Elohim be righteous if he afflicts us? The answer to this is that righteousness is established on righteousness, NOT unrighteousness.  We are to live by the spirit and not by our flesh. In other words, we are to die to our unrighteous humanistic flesh so that we can live by the righteous Spirit of Elohim who writes the Torah on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33).

“What then? Are we better than they? Not at all, for we have previously accused both Yehuḏim (Jews) and Gentiles that they are all under sin. As it has been written, “There is none righteous, no, not one! “There is no one who is understanding, there is none who is seeking Elohim. “They all have turned aside, they have together become worthless. There is none who does good, no, not one.” (Rom 3:9-12).
Now here is one of the favorite arguments that the Christian Church uses to justify their sinful way of living. But in order to justify that no one can be righteous by this piece of Shaul’s letter, one must either be twisting Shaul’s writings or just be untaught in the Scriptures. Peter himself said that this would happen, “and reckon the patience of our Master as deliverance, as also our beloved brother Sha’ul wrote to you, according to the wisdom given to him, as also in all his letters, speaking in them concerning these matters, in which some are hard to understand, which those who are untaught and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do also the other Scriptures. You, then, beloved ones, being forewarned, watch, lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the delusion of the lawless” (2 Peter 3:15-17).

What Shaul is saying is that no man is righteous if he lives according to his own instruction. But as soon as we live according to the Instruction of YHWH (the Torah), then we live righteously as the Torah of YHWH is righteous. It is evil to believe that it is impossible to live according to the Torah of YHWH, or that no one has or can achieve this. As soon as you believe that to be true, then you believe the Scriptures to be untrue.

Let me point out a few examples. Noah was righteous and perfect (Gen 6:9, 7:1), Abraham was righteous (Gen 15:6), Yoseph (Joseph), the step father of Yehoshua was righteous (Mat 1:19), Yehochanan (John the Baptist) was righteous (Mark 6:20), the parents of Yehochanan were both righteous and walking in all the Commands of YHWH (Luke 1:5-6), a man called Shim’on was righteous (Luke 2:25) and there are MANY more places in the Scriptures that tell of righteous people walking in the Torah of YHWH. Yehoshua the Son of YHWH said that He did not come for the righteous, but for the sinners to come to repentance (Luke 5:32). Repentance is turning away from sin and following righteousness.

What does it mean to be righteous? “And it is righteousness for us when we guard to do all this command before יהוה (YHWH) our Elohim, as He has commanded us” (Deut 6:25)

Also another important point that Shaul makes is that those who are righteous are no more important than the unrighteous. This is because everyone was unrighteous before repentance and only by the favor of YHWH have the righteous found the truth of righteousness.

“Their throat is an open tomb, with their tongues they have deceived, The poison of adders is under their lips, Whose mouth is filled with cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood, ruin and wretchedness are in their ways, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of Elohim before their eyes.” (Rom 3:13-18). Shaul writes of the human nature of men, explaining that no person is good as long as we do not follow the Instruction of YHWH (His Torah). Notice that everything that Shaul mentions here is 100% against the Torah of YHWH. Naturally, man is not good and reverts to all these evil deeds that are written here. As soon as we start seeking the reign of YHWH and His righteousness, then these evil deeds will be disgusting in our eyes, just as they are disgusting in the eyes of YHWH and we will turn away from them.

“And we know that whatever the Torah says, it says to those who are in the Torah (here the Aramaic Peshitta says, “under the Torah”), so that every mouth might be stopped, and all the world come under judgment before Elohim. Therefore by works of Torah no flesh shall be declared right before Him, for by the Torah is the knowledge of sin” (Rom 3:19-20). Now here is a confusing section for those who are untaught or unstable in the Scriptures. This is also one of the favorite sections that the Church use to justify the false doctrine that they do not have to follow the Word of YHWH anymore. They use it to judge the righteous people who are following the Instruction of YHWH, by calling them legalists, as they are ‘under the Law’. This however is a very evil teaching. The term ‘under the Torah’ refers to being under a religious organization like Rabbinical Judaism and even Christianity, etc. (This fact actually proves that the Christians are the ones who are the legalists!)

Only the mouths of the unrighteous have to be shut as they speak evil things. But if a person speaks the words of Torah, then he does not speak his own words, but rather the Words of YHWH by which we live.

‘Works of the Torah’ means exactly the same as ‘under the Torah’, see commentary on verse 28. No one can be saved through works on their own. The Scriptures also teach that those who do not do the Torah of YHWH will be cast into the fire and will not be granted entrance into the kingdom of YHWH (Rev 22:14). The Torah is the Instruction of YHWH for us that leads us to righteousness.

It is crazy how the Church teaches that we should not sin anymore, and then in the same breath, teaches us that we do not have to obey the Torah of YHWH anymore! Is there a contradiction anywhere that is greater than this? The Torah teaches us how to love YHWH and how to love our neighbor too, it teaches us how to care for our animals and how to farm and care for the land too, it also teaches us how to care for the fatherless, the widow and the poor, it teaches us to stay away from evil and idolatry, it teaches us how to look after our bodies and how to stay healthy (all of which the Church totally ignores). The Torah is also the knowledge of sin! Have you ever thought what this means? It means that if you break any of the instructions of YHWH (the Torah), then it is sin.

“But now, apart from the Torah, a righteousness of Elohim has been revealed, being witnessed by the Torah and the Prophets” (Rom 3:21) Yehoshua qualified as Mashiyach because He fulfilled all Torah and Prophetic requirements, and He became Torah. Torah is written upon the heart by the Ruach haKodesh; the Spirit of Mashiyach is Torah which is the Spirit of Mashiyach, or the Manifestation (Word) of YHWH which became flesh and dwelt among us. Therefore, if we live “in” Yehoshua, we will also follow the Torah. It is evil to posture that Shaul brought Torah down, when in fact Yehoshua and Shaul restored and elevated Torah to be the foundation of a spiritual dialogue with Heaven.

If Yehoshua followed the Torah 100%, and we are to follow in His footsteps, does that mean we also have to follow the Torah? (1 Peter 2:21).

“and the righteousness of Elohim is through belief in יהושע (Yehoshua) Messiah to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the esteem of Elohim,” (Rom 3:22-23). Do the demons also believe (James 2:19)? Is believing in the Messiah and continuing in sin acceptable to the Almighty? Are those who believe in “Jesus” but do not keep the Commands of YHWH the true believers? Let us see, “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to fight with the remnant of her seed, those guarding the commands of Elohim and possessing the witness of יהושע (Yehoshua) Messiah” (Rev 12:17), “Here is the endurance of the set-apart ones, here are those guarding the commands of Elohim and the belief of יהושע (Yehoshua)” (Rev 14:12). One cannot believe in the Messiah and not observe the Torah, it is just impossible.

“being declared right, without paying, by His favour through the redemption which is in Messiah יהושע (Yehoshua), whom Elohim set forth as an atonement (a covering), through belief in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His tolerance Elohim had passed over the sins that had taken place before, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He is righteous and declares righteous the one who has belief in יהושע (Yehoshua)” (Rom 3:24-26). There is a teaching in the Church that because “Jesus’” blood covers sin, we can now ignore the Instruction of YHWH. Notice here that that is the exact opposite to what Shaul is saying. Yes Yehoshua became the Lamb that was sacrificed as a sin offering and that He is the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) who presents His blood to YHWH for the covering of sins. But notice also how it says “for sins that had taken place before”. All the sacrifices that were done from the beginning of time were all representative of the Messiah and that the blood of Yehoshua covered all the sins past, after repentance, from Adam to the death of the Messiah. It in no way means that we are now ‘allowed’ to sin or that anything has changed from the Word of YHWH. Is not the Torah everlasting (Mat 5:18)?

One thing we need to remember is, how can the Almighty declare someone, who continues to disobey His Instruction, to be righteous? That is impossible. The people who have belief in Yehoshua are all Torah observant and are then declared righteous.

“Where, then, is the boasting? It is shut out. By what Torah? Of works? No, but by the Torah of belief” (Rom 3:27). The Pharisees taught that new believers needed to immediately adhere to all the laws of the Torah, then afterward find belief, however, the Good News teaches otherwise, we first need to believe and have faith, then the Torah will be written on our hearts and we will desire to learn and do the whole Torah of YHWH. We see this when James proclaimed that new believers need not be circumcised immediately in Acts 15 as they needed to believe first and find that out as they study the Torah for themselves. New believers did however need to immediately refrain from certain things, “Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the gentiles who are turning to Elohim, but that we write to them to abstain from the defilements of idols, and from whoring, and from what is strangled, and from blood” (Act 15:19-20). Sadly there is no Christian church that teaches or even abstains from any of these things written in Acts 15.

“For we reckon that a man is declared right by belief without works of Torah” (Rom 3:28) The terms “works of Torah” and “under Torah” predate Shaul by hundreds of years. These terms were discovered in the Dead Sea Scrolls (A Sectarian Manifesto 4QMMT:4Q394-399); while originally referring to the ultra religious halakha of the Essenes, the same principles apply to the Pharisees’ halakha. These two phrases are also mentioned in Romans 6:14, 15, 9:32, 1 Corinthians 9:20, 21, Galatians 2:16, 3:2, 5, 10, 23, 4:4, 5, 21, 5:18. “Under Torah” refers to the orthodox/traditional interpretation and observance of Torah. Religious halakha is clearly NOT what Yehoshua or Shaul followed in their observance of Torah. The Renewed Covenant promise in Jeremiah 31:33 is to write the Torah of YHWH upon the hearts of His people, not the “Torah of men.” The idiomatic expression “works of Torah” provides insight to those of a “traditional” Jewish upbringing. Shaul references Jews at the beginning of this chapter; in verse 19 he states “Now we know” referring to those who understand Torah and halakha.

“Or is He the Elohim of the Yehuḏim (Jews) only, and not also of the gentiles? Yea, of the gentiles also, since it is one Elohim who shall declare right the circumcised by belief and the uncircumcised through belief” (Rom 3:29-30). Once again we see that Shaul is speaking of the Jews and Gentiles when referring to the circumcision and the uncircumcision respectively. Gentile believers (wild olive) can be engrafted into the true belief (good olive) and hence, YHWH is the Elohim of the Jews and the Gentile believers too. Shaul did not in any way teach that Gentile believers need not be circumcised in the flesh as required in the Torah, but rather that they need to believe before blindly doing Commands without belief.

“Do we then nullify the Torah through the belief (faith)? Let it not be! On the contrary, we establish the Torah” (Rom 3:31) As we can see here, faith or belief does not in anyway nullify the Torah, in fact, we cannot have faith or belief without the observance of the Torah. On the other side, the observance of Torah without faith or belief is also not possible.

Romans 2 – Judging, practice what you preach and circumcision

Romans chapter 2 has a couple of teachings that are misquoted so many times and used for so many false doctrines. The one that is the most evident is that of, ‘Don’t judge me, because if you judge me, then you will also be judged.’ Another one is that of, if one subjects themselves to follow the Torah, then that person is under the law. This chapter is also one of the most used verses used to justify that one does not need to be circumcised in the flesh. All of these points are totally false and I will show you why in this article, by using what Shaul wrote here in Romans 2.

One key point that we do not always remember about the letters that Shaul wrote is that they did not originally have chapters or verses, but were written as a continual piece of writing as they were letters sent to the Gentile believers living in Rome.

There are many valuable lessons that can be learnt from Shaul’s letters and even in this chapter in Romans. But in order to learn from these lessons, we need to understand what is being taught in the correct context. If we do not read it in its correct context, we stand the chance of failing to learn what Shaul was teaching, and even worse, we could learn the total opposite of what is being taught, like millions of people around the world because they follow the people who incorrectly interpret Shaul's teachings.

Now let us break this chapter into sections, and I will point out the things that Shaul was really trying to say. 

“Therefore, O man, you are without excuse, everyone who judges, for in which you judge another you condemn yourself, since you who judge practice the same wrongs. And we know that the judgment of Elohim is according to truth against those who practice such wrongs” (Rom 2:1-2). This verse is so wrongly used by millions of people to try and hide or justify their sinful behavior. As soon as someone tries to point out their error(s), the first reaction to this is a very defensive reaction with the phrase, something like this, “don’t judge me, for you will also be judged if you do!”

People only judge when they deviate from the ‘Judgment’ of YHWH. Quoting His Judgment and staying within His Judgment is not being judgmental! Only when one deviates from the Judgment of YHWH, then that person elevates himself above YHWH and will then be judged by YHWH accordingly.

The church has taught us all to be too thin skinned, so that we are incapable of accepting correction for our sinful actions, which is a very dangerous matter, and can lead us into destruction. The fact of the matter is that the majority of the time, when someone points out errors, it is done out of love, in order to help that person become aware of the problem and to fix the problem. Even if the rebuke seems harsh, it is not to be met with a defensive reaction, but rather a personal soul searching on the matter to see if the matter is true. Then we can repent of the error and continue to grow in faith.

“And do you think, O man, you who judge those practicing such wrongs, and doing the same, that you shall escape the judgment of Elohim? Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, and tolerance, and patience, not knowing that the kindness of Elohim leads you to repentance? But according to your hardness and your unrepentant heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of Elohim, who “shall render to each one according to his works”: everlasting life to those who by persistence in good work seek for esteem, and respect, and incorruptibility; but wrath and displeasure to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness” (Rom 2:3-8). Here Shaul is speaking to those who are hypocrites, who judge other people while, they themselves, do the same evils. He is also clarifying that a person only judges if he judges outside the judgment of YHWH (as stated above).

Notice how Shaul points out that those who practice the same wrongs by which they judge others are hard and unrepentant and that these people will be met with the wrath of YHWH in the day of wrath.  These people will be judged by Elohim through His Torah (righteous judgment of Elohim) according to their works.

Also notice how clear Shaul is making the distinction between the righteous and the unrepentant sinners. He shows us here that only those who persist in good works (the Torah of YHWH) and seek for esteem and respect and incorruptibility, will inherit everlasting life. And those that do not obey the Torah (truth) but rather obey unrighteousness (anti-Torah) will receive the wrath and displeasure of YHWH.

“affliction and distress on every human being working what is evil, of the Yehuḏite first, and also of the Aramean” (Rom 2:9). Aramean, as apposed to “Greek” or “Gentile” who have no ancestral ties to Israel. Almost all our English translations of the Bible have the word “Greek” instead of “Aramean” here, which is again a twisting of Scripture. Shaul is extremely clear throughout his epistle to make proper distinction between these two, although the point of the message is clear that YHWH is no respecter of persons.  

“but esteem, respect, and peace to everyone working what is good, to the Yehuḏite first and also to the Aramean. For there is no partiality with Elohim” (Rom 2:10-11). Now do not think that a Greek or any other nationality cannot be saved because the verse reads “Aramean” instead of “Greek”, that is not what Shaul is teaching. Shaul is teaching that esteem, respect, and Shalom (peace) to everyone that obeys the Torah of YHWH, whether it be Jews or anyone else as Elohim accepts everyone who submits themselves to Him. If a person submits to YHWH, then he has to follow YHWH’s instruction which is His Torah (instruction in righteousness).

“For as many as sinned without Torah shall also perish without Torah, and as many as sinned in the Torah shall be judged by the Torah. For not the hearers of the Torah are righteous in the sight of Elohim, but the doers of Torah (the law) shall be declared right” (Rom 2:12-13)

So those who sin, not knowing the Torah, will perish without the Torah. In order to gain everlasting life, one needs to have the Torah and subject themselves to it. Also notice how those “under Torah” and those “doers of Torah” are put in opposition to one another; therefore, both cannot simultaneously be in error. This is clarified with the phrase “for the doers of Torah will be made righteous.” So, if Torah-doers are made righteous, it stands to reason Torah itself is NOT passing away! The fact that such deep pro-Torah statements are being sent to Gentiles in Rome speak volumes of how mainstream Christianity is perverting Shaul’s teachings. “Under Torah” means to look to its rituals as a form of magic; a power that needs no purity of intent to bring about blessing, but merely fixed repetition. Torah in itself provides no authority of magic. Rather, Torah has authority because it is YHWH’s instruction to man! So “under Torah” is a false teaching that has never been true according to the Tanakh: YHWH blesses man for Torah observance, which is obedience to His Commandments and obedience to Him. Notice in Matthew 15 how Yehoshua rebukes the Pharisees on this very issue, how they set aside YHWH’s Torah (instructions) in favor of their traditions.

“For when gentiles, who do not have the Torah, by nature do what is in the Torah, although not having the Torah, they are a Torah to themselves, who show the work of the Torah written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or even excusing” (Rom 2:14-15)

Shaul does not suggest that Gentiles are spontaneously Mastering Torah. Even common logic will prove this to be true. The point is that they should learn the written Torah without the distraction from Pharisaic or any other man-made traditions which are not rooted in the plain understanding of the Torah.

“in the day when Elohim shall judge the secrets of men through  יהושע (Yehoshua) Messiah, according to my Good News” (Rom 2:16). Here is a scary thought for many people, that in the end on the return of the Messiah, those that have sinned but have not been “caught out”, will be judged for all the sins that they committed in secret. YHWH knows your thoughts and even the intentions of your thoughts too. "According to my Good News" is that of the Messiah who also lifted up and magnified the Torah of His Father. So everyone will be judged according to the Torah of YHWH.

“See, you are called a Yehuḏite, and rest on the Torah, and make your boast in Elohim, and know the desire of Elohim, and approve what is superior, being instructed out of the Torah, and are trusting that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of foolish ones, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and of the truth in the Torah” (Rom 2:17-20). Wow, Shaul makes it VERY clear in this piece that we are all to learn and conduct ourselves according to the Torah! It is very clear through out the entire Scriptures, and stated here again by Shaul, that in order to know the desire of the Almighty, then you must study the Torah. The Torah is a very beautiful Word, however, many false teachers try and claim that it is a curse and that all that subject themselves to it are under a curse.

Is that really what Shaul is teaching? Can that statement or idea be found anywhere in Scripture? Certainly not! The Torah is the Living Word of YHWH, it is the marriage contract between the bride and the bridegroom, it teaches us how to love the Almighty and also to love each other. One can only start reading the Torah and see for themselves that if the world was governed by the Torah (which it will be with the return of the Messiah), then there would not be any hunger or poverty or theft or murders or unrighteousness in any way.

“You, then, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who proclaim that a man should not steal, do you steal? You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abominate idols, do you rob temples? You who make your boast in the Torah, through the transgression of the Torah do you disrespect Elohim? For “The Name of Elohim is blasphemed among the gentiles because of you,” as it has been written” (Rom 2:21-24)

Now here Shaul is once again addressing the hypocrites, or is at least warning the readers to not be hypocrites. He shows us that if we claim to be followers of the Almighty and we have any influence on other people, even if it is by being observed by how we live our lives, then we are to live our lives totally according to the Torah of YHWH. If we do not do this, then we are guilty of blaspheming the Name of Elohim.

What Shaul is also saying here is one of the most important keys to deciphering all his letters (which is the majority of the Renewed Covenant). He is saying here that one has to practice what you preach. Now that is a very important statement! Let me explain why, it is taught by all of Christianity that Shaul taught that it is not any more necessary to follow the Torah, because of the death and resurrection of the Messiah. This false doctrine is never supported anywhere in Scripture nor anywhere in Shaul’s letters.

You see, if Shaul taught that we are to practice what we preach, then he himself would also have to practice what he taught, or else he would also be a hypocrite! So if it was not necessary to follow the Torah anymore, then why did Shaul subject himself to following the Torah till the day he died? He did not deviate one bit from the Torah, in fact, he went out of his way to keep the Torah even when he was in captivity.

“For circumcision indeed profits if you practice the Torah, but if you are a transgressor of the Torah, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. So, if an uncircumcised one watches over the righteousness of the Torah, shall not his uncircumcision be reckoned as circumcision? And the uncircumcised by nature, who perfects the Torah, shall judge you who notwithstanding letter and circumcision are a transgressor of the Torah! For he is not a Yehuḏite who is so outwardly, neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But a Yehuḏite is he who is so inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in Spirit, not literally, whose praise is not from men but from Elohim” (Rom 2:25-29)

Once again, here is a small piece of Shaul’s letter that is grossly mistranslated and many false doctrines are based on these few verses. The false teachers use this piece to teach that it is not necessary to be circumcised in the flesh. This of course is a totally false teaching.

Once again, we need a key to understanding what Shaul really meant here. Why do we need a key? Because Shaul wrote with a Hebrew mindset as he himself was a Hebrew and used Hebrew idioms. We, who are English speaking, are not Hebrews and do not read the Scriptures with a Hebrew mindset. In order to understand these Hebrew idioms we have to actually learn them and that is what the key is and not some magic formula that was “revealed in a divine way” to a single person, like many false teachers claim when they try and teach a new false doctrine to the people.

Now the key to this section is that of the circumcised and the uncircumcised. Shaul is not necessarily classifying the physical circumcision here, but is rather speaking of two different groups of people. Whenever he talks of the circumcision, he is referring to the Hebrews or Jews as that is how they were known, and the uncircumcision are the Gentiles or those that are not native to Israel.

Now with this point clear, you can read the section in the correct context. Those who are of the ‘circumcision’ who transgress the Torah, will become ‘uncircumcision’. If you do not use the key in this instance, you can try and imagine what people might believe, that those who are circumcised must be uncircumcised…. ? Who is going to have their foreskin sewn back on? OUCH!

No, what is being taught is that the Jews who transgress the Torah, will be cut off from YHWH’s people as stated in Romans 11.

Also, because a person could be physically circumcised and be a thief, liar, murderer, etc.

On the flip side, those who are of the uncircumcision (Gentiles), who keep the Torah of YHWH, will be reckoned as the circumcision (grafted into the good olive tree) again explained in Romans 11. You see, the true faith of YHWH and His Son the Messiah is to love Him and to watch over the righteousness of the Torah and to become righteous by doing the Torah of YHWH.

So are we to be circumcised in the flesh too? Well…. What does the Torah (the Living Word of YHWH) teach us on this subject? I am sure you can look it up for yourself!

So if you read Shaul’s letters in the correct context, it makes so much more sense and dismisses all the false teachings that stem from them. Shaul NEVER taught that it was not necessary to keep the Torah, but rather that it was absolutely necessary to keep the Torah of YHWH in order to inherit everlasting life.

Born Again

“And there was a man of the Pharisees, Naḵdimon was his name, a ruler of the Yehuḏim.
This one came to  יהושע (Yehoshua) by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from Elohim, for no one is able to do these signs You do if Elohim is not with him.”
יהושע (Yehoshua) answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born from the beginning, he is unable to see the Kingdom of Elohim” (John 3:1-3)

“Born from the beginning” litterally, “from the start” as Adam who was born into perfection without sin. This refers to the Ruach haKodesh (Set Apart Spirit) birthing the “image of Elohim” (perfection) into the Neshama (spirit of man). The term “born again” (as it is written in the KJV and many other English Bibles) can be rather misleading as though being born once more, or a “rebirth” rather than experiencing the indwelling of the perfection of YHWH. See Genesis 1:27; 6:9; 17:1; Deut 18:13. Another handicap of the term “born again” is that many are told that they are “born again” when they accept certain theologies or become part of a Christian denomination, or get on a “religious high.” But then, some are informed that they’re not “born again” when they disagree with the teachings of the religious status quo.

The term “born again” has become a religio-political term that is used to judge souls and/or manipulate them into subjection to various religious hierarchies. Many followers of Mashiyach experience a series of “born anew-like” experiences as from “faith to faith” (Romans 1:17).

However, you have confidence of being “born anew” when your souls thirst for righteousness and follows in the footsteps of Mashiyach, observing Torah, and living to please Master YHWH. This is evidence that you’ve entered into Covenant with YHWH which is established in Mashiyach’s blood!

There are only two Laws.

(I truly apologize for another long article, I did not intend to make it so long but as I started writing it, I realized that there was so much information on the subject. There is a lot more that I did not put in this article as there is just too much.)

Probably the biggest delusion of the Christian faith is that the Law of YHWH has been done away with or abolished by the death and resurrection of the Messiah. The Church relies almost only upon the teachings of Paul to justify this false doctrine. Does Paul have the authority to change or abolish the Word of YHWH? Did Paul teach against the Torah of YHWH or that we should not adhere to it? No, not at all, In fact, he taught us to uphold the Torah (Law) of YHWH.

Peter told us that the writings of Paul were hard to understand and that those who were untaught and unstable twist what is said in Paul’s letters to their own destruction (2 Peter 3:15-16). Paul is clearly talking of two laws at times. The Christian faith does not make any differentiation between the two, thus creating many false doctrines.

There are only two laws in this world. The one is an everlasting Law that cannot change or be done away with. The other law has been abolished through the death and resurrection of the Mashiyach. Every person on this earth is either doing one or the other, you cannot keep both or not do either, it is impossible. The one law binds and the other sets free.

Let us have a look at which one will never pass away. “For truly, I say to you, till the heaven and the earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall by no means pass from the Torah till all be done” (Mat 5:18). Here the Messiah Himself is saying that the Torah of YHWH has not passed away, not even until the heaven and the earth pass away. So it is very clear to see that Y’shua did not do away or destroy the Torah of YHWH! “The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but My words shall by no means pass away” (Mat 24:35)

It is also very clearly written that we are to adhere to the Torah (Law) of YHWH, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Master, Master,’ shall enter into the reign of the heavens, but he who is doing the desire of My Father in the heavens.  Many shall say to Me in that day, ‘Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Your Name, and cast out demons in Your Name, and done many mighty works in Your Name?’ And then I shall declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from Me, you who work lawlessness!’” (Mat 7:21-23) lawlessness = without the “law” – those who do not do the Torah of YHWH.

“and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. And the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the messengers. As the darnel, then, is gathered and burned in the fire, so it shall be at the end of this age. The Son of Adam shall send out His messengers, and they shall gather out of His reign (The English translations do not have the word “reign”, but “kingdom” which has been taught to mean the “kingdom of Jesus") all the stumbling-blocks, and those doing lawlessness, and shall throw them into the furnace of fire – there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Mat 13:39-42).

 “And because of the increase in lawlessness, the love of many shall become cold” (Mat 24:12).

“Blessed are those whose lawlessness’s are forgiven, and whose sins are covered” (Rom 4:7). This last verse once again shows us that sin is lawlessness. Only those who’s lawlessness has been forgiven are blessed. One cannot be forgiven if that person continues in lawlessness. Repentance is a turning away from sin or lawlessness and not returning to it. Only a dog returns to its own vomit (Prov 26:11)

“Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness? And what fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Cor 6:14). Now this verse makes it very clear that those who are lawless are unbelievers and are referred to as darkness. The Torah is light and those who walk in the Torah of YHWH also walk in light. “Let no one deceive you in any way, because the falling away is to come first, and the man of lawlessness is to be revealed, the son of destruction. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power and signs and wonders of falsehood” (2 Thes 2:3,9). Once again, this verse speaks of the Anti Messiah as being the man of lawlessness which is according to the working of Satan.

Yes you must have guessed by now what the other law is. It is the law of sin, or better known as lawlessness. Y’hoshua set us free from this law when he died on the torture stake and rose again on the third day. Only by following after YHWH and His Son can we be set free from the law of sin. We are to adhere to the Law of YHWH in order to be set free from the law of sin as sin is lawlessness, “Everyone doing sin also does lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4).

“For the saving Gift of Elohim has appeared to all men, instructing us to renounce wickedness and worldly lusts, and to live sensibly, righteously, and reverently in the present age, looking for the blessed expectation and esteemed appearance of the great Elohim and our Saviour יהושע (Y’hoshua) Messiah, who gave Himself for us, to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for Himself a people, His own possession, ardent for good works” (Tit 2:11-14). This verse sums up what is known as the Good News (Gospel) of Y’hoshua the Messiah. He came to redeem us from ALL lawlessness so that we can turn away from worldly lusts and wickedness and live righteously to be His own possession, a clean people. We are also to beware and watch so that we do not be led away from the truth by the delusion of the lawless people who twist the writings of Paul and other Scripture too:  “You, then, beloved ones, being forewarned, watch, lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the delusion of the lawless” (2 Peter 3:17) “For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; For not the hearers of the law are just before Elohim, but the doers of the law shall be justified” (Rom 2:12-13). Only the doers of the Torah will be justified? We are not justified by the Torah, but only those that do the Torah can be justified.

“Do we then nullify the Torah through the belief? Let it not be! On the contrary, we establish the Torah” (Rom 3:31)

“Blessed are those doing His Commands, so that the authority shall be theirs unto the tree of life, and to enter through the gates into the city” (Rev 22:14). Only those who do the Torah of YHWH may enter into the city through the gates and will have access to the tree of life. The Torah truly does set us free. “For the Torah of the Spirit of the life in Messiah יהושע (Y’hoshua) has set me free from the law of sin and of death” (Rom 8:2).

“And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to fight with the remnant of her seed, those guarding the commands of Elohim and possessing the witness of  יהושע (Y’hoshua) Messiah” (Rev 12:17)

“Here is the endurance of the set-apart ones, here are those guarding the commands of Elohim and the belief of יהושע (Y’hoshua)” (Rev 14:12)

Does Paul teach us that we don’t have to keep the Torah of YHWH, or that we must keep it? “Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Torah through the body of Mashiyach, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for Elohim, for while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Torah, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the Torah, for we died with Mashiyach, and we are no longer captive to its power. Now we can really serve Elohim, not in the old way by obeying the letter of the Torah, but in the new way, by the Spirit” (Romans 7:4-6)

The heart of this passage is the phrase, “For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Torah, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.” Sinful passions have always been aroused by Torah. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Chawwah came to know sin only when YHWH said “thou shalt not eat” and then after they sinned they tried to cover up their nakedness. In addition the “new way, by the Spirit” is really the old way, of Abraham (Romans 4:2-16), but it became new because by Y’hoshua’s time the “conventional wisdom” of the Pharisees was anything but wise! The consistent point of Rav Shaul, though, is that Torah is the way sin is defined, and yet, just a few lines later he makes it clear that:

“As a result, Torah is Set Apart; and the Commandment is Set Apart, and righteous and good” (Romans 7:12)

Notice that the “old way” was the Pharisees tradition of obeying the “letter of the Torah,” but this is most certainly not an indictment against Torah! Y’hoshua taught that Torah is good, but we are instructed to look at the intent, heart and Spirit of Torah:

“Woe to you, teachers of the Torah and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices – mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the Torah – justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former” (Matthew 23:23)

“Yet a time is coming, and now has come, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. Elohim is Spirit, and His worshippers must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (Yehochanan (John) 4:23-24)

Now let us look at the other passage where “died to the Torah” appears:

“For when I tried to keep the Torah, I realized I could never earn Elohim’s approval. So I died to the Torah so that I might live for Elohim. I have been nailed to the stake with Mashiyach” (Galatians 2:19)

Shaul realized that he had fallen into the same trap that he now accuses other religious authorities of being in. He gives more details on the method behind that trap here:

“For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism… I was advancing in Judaism beyond the Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers” (Galatians 1:13-14)

Notice Rav Shaul does not mention Torah here, but “the traditions of my fathers” (i.e., the fences built by men around the Torah). Here the ritual became so important that it gave birth to regulations that became erroneously identified as sanctification. Instead, the true justification is in the next line:

“But when Elohim, who set me apart from birth and called me to His favor (grace), was pleased to reveal His Son to me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man” (Galatians 1:12-16)

Once again, it is always the faith behind the rituals that really counts.

Here is some more passages that shows that Paul taught us to live by the Torah of YHWH, “For sin shall not rule over you, for you are not under the law but under favour. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under Torah but under favour? Let it not be! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves servants for obedience, you are servants of the one whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?” (Rom 6:14-16).

“So that the Torah truly is set-apart, and the command set-apart, and righteous, and good” (Rom 7:12)

If the Law of YHWH has been "nailed to the cross," why does YHWH tell us clearly that when the Mashiyach returns to this Earth to rule, that SAME law will go forth to the rest of the world?

“And many peoples shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of יהוה (YHWH), to the House of the Elohim of Ya’aqob, and let Him teach us His ways, and let us walk in His paths, for out of Tsiyon comes forth the Torah, and the Word of יהוה (YHWH) from Yerushalayim.” (Isa 2:3)

“And many nations shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of יהוה (YHWH), to the House of the Elohim of Ya’aqob, and let Him teach us His ways, and let us walk in His paths. For out of Tsiyon comes forth the Torah, and the word of יהוה (YHWH) from Yerushalayim.” (Mic 4:2)

YHWH repeats this twice by two different people for us and tells us that His Set-Apart Law, which is active today, will continue after Y’hoshua returns, and will go out and be the rule by which the nations are judged and corrected. Today, we would do well to realize that if Y’hoshua’s death truly "did away with YHWH's Laws," then why would they be back, and going out to the physical people and nations after Y’hoshua's return?

YHWH's Law is a reflection of His mind and character, as it is of Mashiyach. We are to be conformed, BY obeying YHWH's LAW, and with YHWH's spirit working in us, into the very image and character of Y’hoshua. The Law of YHWH stands now and will abide forever (in reflection of action and thought) because YHWH abides forever, and YHWH's law simply reflects His mind!

Y’hoshua the Messiah came to be an example for us to live. We are to walk as He walked. Y’hoshua kept the Torah of YHWH perfectly. Should we then also keep the Torah of YHWH? “For to this you were called, because Messiah also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (1 Peter 2:21). 

“He who possesses My commands and guards them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I shall love him and manifest Myself to him” (John 14:21)

If you do not live according to the Torah of YHWH, then you are living according to the law of sin.

So, which Law do you adhere to? Is it the Law of YHWH unto righteousness, or is it the law of sin that leads to destruction?

I will leave you with a part of this beautiful psalm:

“But the kindness of  יהוה (YHWH) Is from everlasting to everlasting Upon those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children, To those who guard His covenant, And to those who remember His orders to do them. יהוה (YHWH) has established His throne in the heavens, And His reign shall rule over all. Bless יהוה, you His messengers, Mighty in power, who do His Word, Listening to the voice of His Word. Bless יהוה (YHWH), all you His hosts, You His servants, who do His pleasure. Bless יהוה (YHWH), all His works, In all places of His rule. Bless  (YHWH) יהוה, O my being!” (Psalm 103:17-22)

The Way, the Truth and the Life

Here is a great example that if you do not study and know the Torah, then you are not going to understand what the Mashiyach Y’hoshua is saying when he said: “יהושע (Y’hoshua) said to him, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). How many times have you read over this verse or even quoted it? Did you really know what the Mashiyach was saying? The fact of the matter is that the majority of the time that this verse is quoted, it is way out of context and is being quoted to say something that is not true to this statement. To truly understand this statement, one has to go to the Torah and understand what is written there first.

Let us break the sentence up and have a look at some of these statements individually to get the full understanding of what our Savior was saying.

The Life

What was the Mashiyach saying when he said that he is the life? Let us look at a few Scriptures that reveal to us what the life is. “But do not eat flesh with its life, its blood” (Gen 9:4). “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make a covering for your lives, for it is the blood that makes a covering for the life” (Lev 17:11). “for it is the life of all flesh. Its blood is for its life. And I said to the children of Yisra’ĕl, ‘Do not eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Anyone eating it is cut off” (Lev 17:14). “Only, be firm not to eat the blood, for the blood is the life, do not eat the life with the meat” (Deut 12:23). So as you can clearly see, the life that Y’shua was talking about is his blood. “He redeems their life from oppression and from violence; And their blood is precious in His eyes” (Psalm 72:14). Is it the blood that is precious in the eyes of the Almighty, or is it their life? The life of a person is in his blood. “יהושע (Y’hoshua) therefore said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Aḏam and drink His blood, you possess no life in yourselves.

“He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood possesses everlasting life, and I shall raise him up in the last day” (John 6:53-54). What Y’hoshua was saying to his disciples was not to physically eat his flesh and drink his blood as that is against what the Torah teaches. What he was saying was that they should “eat his flesh” do as he did, and “drink his blood” that his blood was for the covering of their sins.

Clearly you should now see that the blood of Y’hoshua that was spilled on the torture stake was for the covering of our sins.

This is what Y’hoshua meant by “I am the life”

The Truth

When the Scriptures speak of truth, it is referring to the Torah of YHWH. Here are some Scriptures again that show you this to be true. “He who walks blamelessly, And does righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart” (Psalm 15:2). “Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the Elohim of my deliverance; On You I wait all the day” (Psalm 25:5). Is Dawid wanting to be taught in Truth or in the Instruction of YHWH (Torah)? Or is it not maybe the same thing? Let us see what he has to say about this. “You are near, O יהוה (YHWH), And all Your commands are truth” (Psalmlm 119:151). “The sum of Your word is truth, And all Your righteous right-rulings are forever” (Psalm 119:160). Here you can see that Dawid is referring directly to the Torah as the Truth. So if someone speaks truth, they are speaking the Torah of YHWH, on the other side of the coin, if they do not have or speak the Torah of YHWH, then there is no truth in them. This is what John was saying when he wrote: “And by this we know that we know Him, if we guard His commands. The one who says, “I know Him,” and does not guard His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever guards His Word, truly the love of Elohim has been perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him” (1 John 2:3). John had a very good understanding of the Torah and of Y’hoshua. With this knowledge, he showed us that we are still to obey the Instruction of YHWH.

“But you shall say to them, ‘This is a nation that did not obey the voice of יהוה (YHWH) their Elohim, nor did they accept instruction. Truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth” (Jeremiah 7:28). Here Jeremiah was prophesying and revealing that Israel did not accepted the Torah (Truth) of YHWH. That is why Israel looks like it does today.

Daniel was also a great prophet and was righteous as he lived in truth. He understood that the Torah of YHWH was truth. “Now I, Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar, am praising and exalting and esteeming the Sovereign of the heavens, for all His works are truth, and His ways right. And those who walk in pride He is able to humble” (Dan 4:37), “As it is written in the Torah of Mosheh, all this evil has come upon us, and we have not entreated the face of יהוה (YHWH) our Elohim, to turn back from our crookednesses, and to study Your truth” (Dan 9:13), “But let me declare to you what is written in the Scripture of Truth, and there is no one supporting me against these, except Miḵa’ĕl your head” (Dan 10:21). Is Daniel saying that we must turn from crookedness and study the Almighty’s truth? What is his truth? The truth is the Words of YHWH which is His Torah!

Here is another example: “These are the words you should do: speak the truth (Torah) to one another, judge with truth (Torah) and right-ruling for peace in your gates” (Zech 8:16)

“I rejoiced greatly because I found some of your children walking in truth (Torah), as we received a command from the Father” (2 John 1:4). Here John is telling us that the Almighty rejoiced greatly when he found some of the children walking in Torah as was commanded by Him. Is this not after the death and resurrection of the Mashiyach? “I have no greater joy than to hear of my children walking in truth (Torah)” (3 John 1:4). YHWH is clearly happy when we turn to His Truth and follow His Torah, He rejoices when we do. He becomes sad when we turn from doing the Torah and even becomes angry too.

So when Y’hoshua said “I am the truth” he was saying that he was the Torah of YHWH and we are to follow in his footsteps.

The Way

Now if you go read the Torah, especially Leviticus, you will notice very quickly that the people of Israel did not go directly to the Almighty for the forgiveness of their sins. They went to the priests with their offerings and the priests performed the sacrifices and presented it to YHWH. The High Priest also made a covering of the sins of the nation once a year on Yom Kippur. The High Priest had to set himself apart from the nation and from sin in order that he does not die when he enters into the Most Set Apart of the Set Apart place. This is because the presence of YHWH was there and if the High Priest did not cleans himself from ALL sin, he would have fallen dead immediately. Aharon the High Priest was also referred to as Mashiyach (Anointed One). So basically, the priests where the way to the father for the forgiveness of sins.

Let us look at a few Scriptures: “And you, speak to all the wise of heart, whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, and they shall make the garments of Aharon, to set him apart, for him to serve as priest to Me” (Exodus 28:3), “And you shall put them on Aharon your brother and on his sons with him, and shall anoint them, and shall ordain them, and shall set them apart, and they shall serve as priests to Me” (Exodus 28:41)

“and shall gird them with girdles – Aharon and his sons – and put the turbans on them. And the priesthood shall be theirs for an everlasting law. So you shall ordain Aharon and his sons” (Exodus 29:9). Here you can see that the priesthood is an everlasting law. If it is everlasting, does that mean that it is still a law today? Is today part of everlasting?

“And Aharon shall make a covering upon its horns once a year with the blood of the sin offering of a covering – once a year he makes a covering upon it throughout your generations. It is most set-apart to יהוה (YHWH)” (Exodus 30:10). Here is where it describes some of the duties of the High Priest (Aharon at that time) that was done on Yom Kippur every year.

“And he shall do with the bull as he did with the bull as a sin offering – so shall he do it. And the priest shall make a covering for them, and it shall be forgiven them” (Lev 4:20), “and shall bring his guilt offering to יהוה (YHWH) for his sin which he has sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a female goat as a sin offering. And the priest shall make a covering for him, for his sin” (Lev 5:6), “And he shall prepare the second as a burnt offering according to the right-ruling, and the priest shall make a covering for him, for his sin which he has sinned, and it shall be forgiven him” (Lev 5:10), “The guilt offering is like the sin offering, there is one Torah for them both: the priest who makes a covering with it, it is his” (Lev 7:7). In these verses, who is it that actually forgives sin? It is not the priests that forgive the sins of the people; it is YHWH who forgives the sin. It is however the duty of the priests to present the sin of the people with the covering of blood to YHWH so that their sins may be forgiven. Without the priests, no sin could be forgiven as there is no one to present the sin and it’s covering to YHWH in order to be forgiven.

With the death and resurrection of the Mashiyach changed this law? Certainly not, it is an everlasting law. Does Y’hoshua haMashiyach have the ability to change any of the Commands and Laws of his Father? DEFINITELY NOT! So what happened after the death on the torture stake and the resurrection of our Mashiyach? Y’hoshua became the High Priest who presents our sins with the covering to his Father so that our sins may be forgiven. So as you can see, nothing has changed.

So when Y’hoshua haMashiyach said: “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”, he was saying that he was:

• The Way – the High Priest who presents our sin with his own blood as the covering to YHWH his Father so that our sins may be forgiven.
• The Truth – He is the Torah of his Father and requires us to walk in the Torah just as he did.
• The Life – It is his blood that is the covering for our sins that took the place of the blood of the slaughtering of lambs.

Without these three, no one can come unto the Father. Y’hoshua has become all three so that we can come unto the Father through him.

Nothing has changed from the Instruction of YHWH given to us through Mosheh. We just have a perfect lamb that laid down his own life so that we do not have to bring our own livestock to the priests to be slaughtered. We are to walk as he walked by guarding to DO the Torah of YHWH. However, if we fall short of doing any of the instruction of YHWH, we can go to our High Priest and have him present the sin with the covering of his blood to the Almighty so that our sin may be forgiven so that we too may have eternal life.