The Positive Aspects And Hidden Dangers
of the Jewish Roots Movement (Pt. 4)
Rock of Offence Special Commentary
Examining a Problem that has Plagued
the Church Since the First Century
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This is Part 4 of a seven-part Bible study.
Click on the links below for the next part
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Pt. 1
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Pt. 2
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Pt. 3
Pt. 5
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Pt. 6
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Pt. 7
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The Cross of Christ Sets Into
Motion A New 'Administration
of the Spirit'
The Apostle Paul uses various names and phrases to describe Christ's New Covenant. One is found in Romans 8:1-4 known as "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus". Another is in 2 Corinthians 3:4-11 known as "the administration of the Spirit". In 2 Corinthians 3:4-6, Paul describes it yet another way when he states; "the letter kills but the Spirit gives life" (Once again, Paul is using the phrase 'the letter' to describe 'the law of the Torah').
Notice that all three of these examples are directly connected to God's Holy Spirit and provide insight into the radical change that takes place when the law of the Torah is fulfilled by Christ ... then 'taken out of the way' and nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:13-14).
The administration of the Torah governed before the cross. However, when God takes this law 'out of the way' a new Divine program known as "the administration or ministry of the Spirit" begins to govern in its place. The sacrificial death of Christ officially ends the now obsolete 'administration of the law' and, at the same time, launches the new "administration of the Spirit".
The sacrifice of the "Lamb of God
that takes away the sin of the world"
is the final blood sacrifice of Old
Testament law to atone for sin. As
a result, Christ's sacrifice
perfectly satisfies (fulfills) the
law's demands on the human race ...
and then terminates its government.
The Hebrew Roots movement and a vast majority of churches refuse to accept that Jesus not only fulfilled the law of the Torah but also 'took it out of the way' as taught by the Pauline Revelation. As a result, they believe that both the administration of the law AND the administration of the Spirit coexist and continue to operate as 'one unified program'. They convince themselves that the administration of the Spirit is just an 'update or extention' to the law. This is why we hear many within the church say that Christians must not only 'believe in Christ' but also keep the commandments of the law to be saved. However, regardless of how religious and godly this sounds - the Bible refers to it as 'denying Christ' - because it denies that His sacrificial death purchased our salvation through the act of fulfilling the law. The Apostle Peter said it this way;
"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of." (2 Peter 2:1-2)
We should remember that the law of the Torah consists of 613 different commandments ... and not just the Ten Commandments. For this reason, anyone who teaches this popular Torah-based gospel and claims to be an authentic Christian because they 'keep the commandments' is operating in a dangerous form of spiritual pride.
This is why it's crucial to understand that the 'law of the Torah' was fulfilled by Christ - and therefore 'taken out of the way' - but not destroyed. All of the law's goodness and holiness was previously expressed in the writings of Moses (the first five books of the Bible) and in the tablets of stone known as 'The Ten Commandments'. As a result, Paul used the term 'the letter' to describe these writings of the Torah. The reason Paul sternly warned that 'the letter killeth but the Spirit gives life" (2 Corinthians 3:4-6) is because God no longer recognizes the authority of 'the administration of the letter' (or the law) in determining whether a person has met the conditions to obtain salvation. After the cross, God only recognizes the authority of the new "administration of the Spirit" established by His Son at the cross.
Paul stated this truth in
the following ways;
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (the administration of the Spirit) has made me free from the law of sin and death (the law of the Torah)." (Romans 8:1-4)
(Notice that Paul now refers to the law of the Torah as "the law of sin and death")
"But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He (Jesus) is also mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second." (Hebrews 8:6-7)
"In that He (Jesus Christ) says, “a new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away." (Hebrews 8:13)
The warning from the Bible is both
clear and sobering:
If anyone seeks salvation according
to the now obsolete rules of the
previous program of 'the letter'
(or the law of the Torah) - and not
according to the new 'administration
of the Spirit' established by the
cross of Christ; God refuses to honor
their efforts to achieve salvation.
This tragically results in eternal
death rather than the salvation they
expect. This is why Paul warned that;
"The letter killeth"
We can now see that this discussion is not about 'personal opinion' but about a subject that carries eternal consequences.
Heaven's Royal Decree From
God's Throne: Jesus Christ
Is Now Our High Priest
The following is a brief review
of what we have learned in this
section of our study;
The Lord Jesus Christ clearly stated that He came to "fulfill the Law" (Matthew 5:17). After He finished this work at the cross, God considers the following changes to now be in effect:
- The law is "taken out of the way and nailed to the cross"
(Colossians 2:13-14)
- The law is abolished (Ephesians 2:11-22)
- All believers in Christ are now "dead to the law through the
body of Christ" (Romans 7:1-6).
- All believers in Christ have been "delivered from the law"
(Romans 7:1-6)
- Believers are no longer under the law, but under Grace.
(Romans 6:14 - Note: Grace is also known as the unmerited and
undeserved favor of God purchased for the believer by Christ)
- The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set all
believers in Christ free from the law of sin and death
(Romans 8:1-4).
- The program of the law (or law of the Torah) is now considered
to be 'obsolete' and replaced with Christ's New Covenant program
(the administration of the Spirit) based on 'better promises'.
(Hebrews 8:13).
However, In Hebrews 7:11-22 Paul writes
about one more aspect that must be
added to this list of radical changes.
'The law is annulled when Jesus
becomes our High Priest'
The word "Gospel" means good news. The
book of Hebrews teaches about the
annulling of the previous Mosaic
covenant of Law (or the law of the
Torah) and the beginning of Christ's
New Covenant administration of the
Spirit ...
Hebrews 7:11-22 reveals this core truth
of the Gospel of Christ ...
Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron?
For the priesthood being changed,
of necessity there is also a
change of the law.
For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord (Jesus Christ) arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek,
There arises another priest who has
come, not according to the law of a fleshly
commandment, but according to the power
of an endless life.
For He (God) testifies (speaking of Jesus):
“You are a priest forever according to the
order of Melchizedek.”
For on the one hand there is an annulling (Note: 'annul' means to void or make legally invalid) of the former commandment (the Mosaic Law or 'the law of the Torah') because of its weakness and unprofitableness, for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand,
There is the bringing in of a better hope,
through which we draw near to God.
And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath (for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him:
“The Lord has sworn and will not relent,
‘You are a priest forever according to
the order of Melchizedek’”,
By so much more Jesus has
become a surety of a better
covenant.
(Hebrews 7:11-22)
When Jesus was installed as the believer's 'High Priest after the order of Melchizedek', God was required to annul (invalidate - and then remove) the old program of the law connected to the Levitical priesthood of which Jesus did not belong. It was this 'change in the order of the Priesthood' that mandated a change of law ... since this law is what governs the responsibilities of the priesthood and its new administration. Paul refers to this new law as; "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus - and the New Covenant" (Romans 8:1-4, Hebrews 8:6-13). This Divine act of replacing the law sent shockwaves through the spiritual world and motivated Paul to provide some additional details in the next chapter.
"But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He (Jesus) is also mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second." (Hebrews 8:6-7)
"In that He (Jesus Christ) says, “a new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away." (Hebrews 8:13)
Unbelief Masquarades as
Biblical Faith
Unbelief is a counterfeit of Biblical faith and found at the root of all abberant teachings within the church. Authentic Christian faith is based only on the Scriptures as 'God's Word'. Unbelief begins to dominate our lives when we substitute 'what we want to believe' in the place of what Scripture actually says. Unbelief is also expressed by embracing religious traditions or popular theological doctrines which are contrary to Scripture. Jesus described how unbelief works when He said;
"...this people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." (Mark 7:6-7)
We see another example of unbelief when Jesus returned to His own country and began to teach in the synagogue.
"... and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.
And he could there do no mighty
work, save that he laid his hands
upon a few sick folk, and healed
them. And he marvelled because
of their unbelief."
(Mark 6:2-6)
Unbelief is not limited to ‘believing wrong things’. It operates through many of the false systems of theology designed around an allegorized, rather than literal interpretation of Scripture. As a result, unbelief is taught by many Christian churches (but thankfully not all). Contrary to popular opinion, preaching a sermon from the pages of the Bible does not automatically make it 'God's truth' ... when the preacher refuses to respect the context of the Bible.
If you sit under Bible teaching laced with this kind of unbelief long enough (many are exposed their whole life) ... a stronghold is created in your spirit that can block everything your Heavenly Father wants to do. Unbelief in the heart of a Christian is what often blocks divine healing ... and the stronghold remains in place regardless of how earnestly or how often they pray to be healed. When healing fails to materialize, most Christians respond by saying; "it must not be God's will for me to be healed".
Yet, the real cause of the failure to
be healed is the unbelief they have
allowed to take root in their heart.
The first step in dealing with spiritual strongholds of this nature - is recognizing the wrong teaching you’ve embraced. This may involve leaving a church you've attended all your life in order to get away from the influence that produced the unbelief. The second step is to start feeding on real spiritual truth from God’s Word. However, few will take these emotionally painful actions.
On the surface, unbelief always sounds reasonable and 'Biblical' to the spiritually inexperienced masses. However, it has the ability to limit and even 'shut down' the power of God; as it did with Jesus in the account from Mark's gospel.
What does this have to do with the subect of how Jesus fulfilled the law? (Matthew 5:17) Many theologians and church leaders are secretly offended by this particular benefit of the cross ... and voice their objection by saying something like; "You can't just throw the law away."
After being confronted by a member
of his congregation concerning the
truths found in Hebrews 7:11-22,
one angry pastor literally shouted
from the pulpit;
Nobody changes God's Law!
This certainly sounds good in a sermon. However, the pastor's response contradicts the New Testament Scriptures (specifically Romans 3:20 Romans 6:14, Romans 7:4-6, Galatians 3:10-12, Galatians 5:4 - and most importantly Hebrews 7:11-22).
By carefully examining 'Heaven's Royal
Proclamation' in Hebrews chapter 7, we
discover that it is God Who is changing
what previously existed as 'His own Law"
No man is making this change.
Why is this important? After the cross, the Priesthood is now under the rule of Jesus Christ from the Jewish Tribe of Judah, and no longer under the authority of the Tribe of Levi. This change in the priesthood is the reason God introduced a new legal system.
This new legal system or 'New Covenant of
Christ' is not an update, extension or
continuation of the previous Old Testament
Levitical program. Insisting that the New
Covenant is just a 'continuation or extension
of the old' is how most church leaders 'get
around' God's decree. Yet, what they are
actually doing is disguising their denial of
the finished work of Christ with a false
'form of godliness'.
This Divine proclamation concerning the new ‘High Priesthood of Christ’ contains such clear language that it's difficult to misinterpret God's intentions. The reason a vast majority of church leaders reject, ignore or try to redefine God's Heavenly decree - is because most Christian ministries are built on the law of the Old Testament (or the law of the Torah) that God has now declared to be obsolete following His Son's sacrificial death.
In these passages we see that God, through the cross of His Son, didn't just change Old Testament law; He took it completely out of the way. In the language of Hebrews 7:11-22 the law is 'annulled' (or invalidated).
As a result, God now demands that His true ministers and their followers embrace this change. Yet, agreeing with God on this subject will discredit many cherished yet false traditions and church doctrines found within Christendom.
In all our various studies and commentaries we only repeat and emphasize what the Scriptures say. The objections that come from various church leaders concerning this major change in the law represents a dangerous type of unbelief that sends their congregations astray without their knowledge. It is caused by a failure to recognize how God deals with Old Testament law after the cross.
When ministers deny the finished work
of Christ that 'takes the law out of
the way' ... and quietly reinserts
the same law back into their gospel
message - one of the most dangerous
heresies found within Christendom is
created. The Apostle Paul refers to it
as ...
"a different gospel
and another Jesus"
This practice exists on both the Roman
Catholic and Protestant sides of the
isle ... and nearly everything in
between. (Galatians 1:6-8)
Martin Luther (1483-1546), considered by some to be 'the Father of the Protestant Reformation', stated these same truths in a slightly different way;
"Either sin is with you, lying on your
shoulders, or it is lying on Christ,
the Lamb of God. Now if it is lying on
your back, you are lost; but if it is
resting on Christ, you are free, and
you will be saved. Now choose what you
want."
The law is not being 'thrown away' (or destroyed) as many claim. Jesus said that He didn't come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it - which involves a radical change in its previous role. As a result, God "takes the old program of the law out of the way" and replaces it with something new - and better.
In his Epistle to the Hebrews
Paul calls it;
A Better Hope
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This is Part 4 of a seven-part Bible study.
Click on the links below for the next part
or return to the homepage.
Pt. 1
---
Pt. 2
---
Pt. 3
Pt. 5
---
Pt. 6
---
Pt. 7
Return To Home Page
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