BibleGuy

The lingering-time of a contrail is a function of upper-level humidity. Higher humidites imply LONGER lingering-times, because evaporation is slower in near-saturated air.

"I wisely ignore 99.99% of your posts" Why is it wise to ignore my posts?

"Because I'm not yet "perfected"" Well, Jesus said we CAN be perfect (Mt.5:48) and its easy (Mt.11:30). So, let's be sure to align our conception of "perfection" with His. And yes, the "return" in 1948 is not the full prophesied return....not even close! BUT! the stories about miraculous intervention (e.g., from the 6-day war) are astounding....God was CLEARLY supporting the "Jews" of that time to prevail. blessings..

Interesting....what led you to that conclusion?

Yes....complete/perfect/blameless.....Jesus is quoting Dt. 18:13, which entails our OBEDIENCE to Torah..... That's why we should be complete/perfect/blameless as we grow in faithful obedience to Torah. blessings...

Those ACCURSED were opposed to Paul's Gospel which requires that we HOLD FAST THE WORD PAUL PREACHED (1Cor.15:2). AND! Paul preached the word of FAITHFUL TORAH-OBEDIENCE (citing Dt.30:14 at Rom.10:8). Thus, those are ACCURSED who oppose the Gospel of faithful Torah-obedience...... Unless, of course, you oppose it in ignorance....because God makes provision for forgiveness of sins committed in ignorance....and there's LOTS of (mainly unintentional) ignorance among us..... blessings.....

"James 2:10 (AV) 10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" That's a REALLY good reason to make sure we keep ALL Torah! Moses said it's NOT too difficult (Dt.30:11). Luke agrees (Lk.1:6). "Our only hope to keep Torah is by the imputed righteousness of the only man (God-man)" Yes! And we who receive imputed righteousness are those who also DO RIGHTEOUSNESS (1Jn.2:29;3:7) or else we are child of the devil (1Jn.3:10) who will NOT inherit the forthcoming kingdom (Mt.5:20). "the only man (God-man) who perfectly kept it." Careful! Only Jesus kept Torah SINLESSLY. But Jesus requires that WE keep all Torah (Mt.5:19) in perfection (Mt.5:48), and He says it's EASY! (Mt.11:30). You CAN be perfect (Mt.5:48). Jesus was not joking. "This is what is meant by: Galatians 3:24–25 (AV) 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." Yes, our inability to keep Torah SINLESSLY drives us to pursue Christ's redemption....Christ obeyed Torah SINLESSLY for us....so that He could be the once-for-all perfect and sinless sacrifice that takes away our sins by faith. "This actually frees us from being compelled to keep laws to lovingly desiring to do for our loving God what he wills." Well....we are compelled to love (Jn.14:15;1Jn.5:3;Dt.6:5,25). So BEING COMPELLED and LOVINGLY DESIRING are not mutually exclusive. It's both! "This is what King David (a man after God's own heart) thoroughly understood. " Yes....David understood heart-felt repentance...AND David obeyed Torah too. "it was his absolute trust in the LORD to make up the difference in the deficiencies in his life." Yes, God forgives us our sins. We can't earn it. AND, those who TRUST the LORD are those who OBEY Torah (Ps.37:3+Gal.6:10+Rom.7:12). blessings...

Well said! blessings..

"I don’t care if the Book Of Hebrews was written by Pee Wee Herman....... “ ALL Scripture is GOD BREATHED”" I do.....Pee Wee Herman was EVIL. "Paul said The Law was “ USELESS” in this present Age of Grace.....( Heb 7 ) " You haven't proven Paul wrote Heb. 7. And, of COURSE Torah is useless to TAKE AWAY sins....Torah sacrifices merely COVER/ATONE for sins. Agreed! But Heb. 7 says nothing about "this present Age of Grace". You just made that up! Grace is in Ex.33:13....and the proper response to Grace is to seek TORAH (i.e., God's ways, Ex.33:13+1Ki.2:3). GRACE extends to the HUMBLE (Jas.4:6;Pr.3:34); HUMBLE people obey TORAH (Nu.12:3;Ps.25:9;Zep.2:3;Ex.33:13). "Paul said that the Law was given so that “ sin might increase”" Sure....for those without faith. Agreed! "Paul said that the STRENGTH OF SIN was found in THE LAW" Good point! So STOP SINNING (1Cor.15:34) means OBEY TORAH (given Rom.3:20;7:7;1Jn.3:4). ".........just a little perspective about your “ precious” Law....." Is GOODNESS not precious? (Rom.7:12) Is HOLINESS not precious? (Rom.7:12) Is RIGHTEOUSNESS not precious? (Rom.7;12) Is FAITHFULNESS not precious? (Mt.23:23) Is JUSTICE not precious? (Mt.23:23) Is MERCY not precious? (Mt.23:23) Is TRUTH not precious? (Ps.119:142) Is LOVE not precious? (1Jn.5:3;Dt.6:5,25;Jn.14:15+Mt.5:19) Is SPIRITUALITY not precious? (Rom.7:14) Is the object of our SERVICE not precious? (Rom.7:25) Is the testimony of the SPIRIT not precious? (Heb.10:15-16) Is the BREAD OF LIFE not precious? (Mt.4:4;Dt.8:3) Is JOY not precious? (Ps.119:162) Is PEACE not precious? (Ps.119:165) Is the MESSIAH not precious? (Jn.1:14) Is the BLOOD which inaugurates the New Covenant in TORAH not precious? (Lk.22:20;Jer.31:33) Of COURSE it's precious! Glad we agree now. "Paul said the Law was of value only if you knew how to use it...." GOOD POINT! Let's use ALL TORAH to REBUKE you (2Ti.3:16). To CORRECT you (2Ti.3:16). To TRAIN you (2Ti.3:16). To TEACH you (2Ti.3:16) in righteousness. Encouraging words. blessings...

"No part of a human survives physical death. " To the contrary! Moses SURVIVED: Mt.17:13. Elijah SURVIVED: Mt.17:13. Samuel SURVIVED: 1Sa.28:15. Absent from the body IMPLIES present with the Lord (not dead in the ground!) 2Cor.5:8 God is the God of the LIVING (not the dead). Mt.22:32. Thus Abraham SURVIVED (Mt.22:32;Lk.16:23). Isaac SURVIVED (Mt.22:32). Jacob SURVIVED (Mt.22:32). The poor man SURVIVED (Lk.16:22).

Nice! I'd just add that RIGHTEOUSNESS has two components: Imputation AND our works that we DO. Some of our brothers/sisters in Christ only emphasize the IMPUTATION....and they neglect the DOING component of righteousness. After all, righteousness is something we DO (1Jn.2:29;3:7;2Ti.3:16;Dt.6:25) or else we are a child of the devil (1Jn.3:10) who will NOT inherit the forthcoming kingdom (Mt.5:20). But, I trust you already understand this.....just thought I'd put it out there... blessings...

I'll try that again! Why assume Paul wrote Hebrews? Thanks!

Yes....even believing Gentiles are NOT EXCLUDED (thus INCLUDED) in Israel (Eph.2:12). Again, Paul says the believing Gentiles of Rom.9:24-26 are the ISRAELITES of Hos. 1 (citing Hos.1 at Rom.9:24-26). Again, Paul says that believing Gentiles partake in the COVENANTS (Eph.2:12); the covenants are between God and ISRAEL (e.g., Jer.31:33); thus believing Gentiles are accepted as ISRAELITES. Again, the land is promised to Abraham through Isaac through JACOB (Israel); and even believing GENTILES share in this inheritance (Gal.3:29;Mt.5:5). And, Paul AFFIRMS the legitimacy of Torah-obedient Gentiles (Rom.2:27); and Torah is for ISRAELITES (Mal.4:4); thus, Paul confirms the legitimacy of Torah-obedient Gentiles as Israelites. And yes, Jesus can also be identified as ISRAEL in the prophets. Glad to see you already know all these things! blessings...

Lots of interesting points....thank you.

Hi Resurrection Priest! Thanks for writing.... "And how do you know that every part of "the law" (the 5 books) will remain exactly the same in the age to come?" I don't place GENESIS in the written Torah of Moses. I suspect the material in GENESIS long pre-dates Moses. So, I generally view "the law" as Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy (as in "the written Torah of Moses", 1Ki.2:3). I rather doubt Moses is the original author of all the material in Genesis. I don't see the book of Genesis referenced as "Torah" in Scripture.... But, Dt. 30:8 has us again obeying (in the future, when our diaspora ends) ALL THE SAME commands of Torah as were commanded at that time. So, I actually believe Dt. 30:8. That's why I'm thinking that we'll again obey 100% of all Torah at that time. "Is it not possible that some of those commands were given for that time, in that Ancient Middle Eastern culture, for people of a certain level of moral maturity?" Given Dt. 30:8, it appears that cultural level of moral maturity is NOT pertinent. "Under the "New Covenant" "there is neither male nor female" Of course that's not true. I'm a male. And, WOMEN still exist too (1Ti.5:16). "ALL THOSE raised first will become "priests of God and of Christ" I rather doubt we are ALL going to be priests.... Remember? The priests are limited to the descendants of Zadok (Eze.40:46;43:19;44:15;48:11)....I rather doubt that EVERYBODY who is "raised first" will be the seed of Zadok. "Also many of the civic laws or war commands seem rather cruel or arcane today, though in that culture, at that time, they made sense." Torah commands seem good to me. After all, Torah is good (Rom.7:12). And, the SAME TORAH is promised for 1000 generations....(Dt. 7:9)....that's a good 40,000 years or so.....and we're only some 3500 years into it....we've got a LONG way to go! After all, "cruel" or "arcane" is just an opinion....I'll go with the facts of Scripture. So, it looks like the SAME TORAH will be in force for LONG into the future. "Kill every Amalekite. " What's wrong with that? God has good reasons for His actions, whether you understand them or not. "Kill everything that breathes." What's wrong with that? Especially given corruption of genetics via fallen angel (or nephilim) activity, it's VERY GOOD to kill everything that breathes in such contexts. And again, God has good reasons for His actions, whether you understand them or not. "You are not to trim the "edges of your beard". " I don't think TRIM is a good translation of " שָׁחַת ". And, I don't think beards are even explicitly commanded for all men....rather, IF you have a beard, then don't mistreat it as Torah tells us not to mistreat it. "Tell me BibleGuy. Do you have a full beard?" Yes, but I don't think Torah even requires beards for all men at all times... " Do you have a separate room for menstruating females? " Separate room? Don't see that required in Torah. Lev. 12 applies in the context in which a priest is available (Lev.12:6)...which is not the case in diaspora. Lev. 15 applies in the context in which "My tabernacle is among them" (Lev.15:31)....that's not the case in diaspora. The specifics in Lev. 18 appear observable in diaspora. And Lev. 20:18 does not require a separate room either. "NOTE: In the South, many ministers preached slavery from the OT. " Biblical slavery has many good elements....CORRUPTED slavery, though, is BAD. "Were there some commands given by "the LORD" through Moses, that were given for that ancient culture, that would NOT be considered applicable to our time?" Yes, I've discovered that Ex.12:43 is limited to the local context of that time....because Is. 56 PERMITS foreigners to partake in the Covenant (and, thus, Pesach). But hey, 99% of the Torah commands don't begin until Ex.20, after which point they come out like a flood. So, the section in Ex.12 to Ex. 13 evidently has some unique-to-that-immediate-context instructions. "And is it not possible that the nature of "sacrifices" has "been changed" along with "the priesthood"?" I suspect the FALSE MESSIAH will want you to think so! (Mt.24:24) Remember? The anti-christ plays a role IN THE TEMPLE (2Th.2:4;Mt.24:15), and he will evidently STOP THE SACRIFICES (Da.9:27)....THE VERY THING YOU KEEP ARGUING FOR! So, this is no trivial matter. ALL Torah will again be obeyed (Dt.30:1-8). Jesus Christ comes to RESTORE Levitical sacrifices (Mal.3:4). Anti-Christ comes to STOP Levitical sacrifices (Da 9:27). Let's make sure we're working for the right team! Did you get that? OPPOSITION TO LEVITICAL SACRIFICES IS ESSENTIAL TO THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION (Da.9:27). Let's not argue for the same theology that the anti-Christ will also evidently advocate. Let's work to RESTORE what Jesus wants to RESTORE (Mal.3:4). Jesus DESIRES sacrifices for people of all nations (citing Is.56:7 at Mk.11:17). Jesus COMMANDS sacrifices (Mt.5:24). Jesus requires ALL Torah (Mt.5:19) for ALL disciples of ALL nations (Mt.28:19-20), NO EXCEPTIONS for sacrifices. Levitical sacrifices shall return (Dt.30:1-8;Eze.40-47;Jer.33;Is.66;Zec.6;Zec.14). Jesus upholds the Psalms as law (Jn.10); Psalms require proper sacrifices (Ps.4:5;51:19). Paul applies these sacrifice-laden Psalms to you too (Eph.5:19;Col.3:16). After all, we are Israelites (Heb.8:8). No believers are excluded from Israel (Eph.2:12). We Israelites obey Torah (Mal.4:4). blessings...

Hi there! I ALREADY REPEATEDLY stated that the Blood takes away our sins (1Jn.1:7).....not law without faith....not works without faith....etc.... So, thanks for sharing your ongoing concern....please note the following...... The CONTEXT confirms that I ACCEPT Rom.5:9, just like you do. Shall we thus IGNORE everything else in the Bible about justification? Of course not. Thus, Rom.5:1 is ALSO true. Rom.3:24 is ALSO true. Jas. 2:24 is ALSO true. 1Cor.6:11 is ALSO true. Rom.2:13 is ALSO true. ALL. TOGETHER. We don't just read Rom.5:9 and then IGNORE everything else about justification in the Bible. Rather, we use ALL Scripture to inform our theology. That's what Bible people do. Do you accept Rom.5:1? Then it's not "blood alone"...but it's Blood AND Faith! Do you accept Rom.3:24? Then it's not "blood alone", but now it's blood AND faith AND grace! See the point? We don't just read Rom.5:9 and then IGNORE everything else in the Bible about justification.... That's NOT how systematic theology works. blessings...

Dear friend, you misunderstand my words. Read more carefully! ONLY the blood of Jesus takes away our sins (1Jn.1:7). AGREED! BUT! JUSTIFICATION is not by "blood alone"..... Remember? I quoted the SCRIPTURES which prove that JUSTIFICATION is by AT LEAST SEVEN ELEMENTS! BLOOD (Rom.5:9) FAITH (Rom.5:1) GRACE (Rom.3:24) LAW (Rom.2:13) WORKS (Jas.2:24) SPIRIT (1Cor.6:11) CHRIST'S NAME (1Cor.6:11) ALL. TOGETHER. Justified by the "blood alone"? NO! I just proved we are justified by BLOOD+FAITH+GRACE+LAW+WORKS+SPIRIT+CHRIST'S NAME It's just Scripture, buddy. You can't dispute it. Well ok, you can disagree if you want.... But why would you oppose Rom.5:1? Rom.3:24? Rom.2:13? Jas.2:24? 1Cor.6:11? That makes no sense to me. Because I'm a BIBLE GUY.... I accept ALL BIBLE.....not just parts here-and-there.... SURE, Rom.5:9 is TRUE! But so is Rom.5:1, Rom.3:24, Rom.2:13, Jas.2:24, and 1Cor.6:11. ALL. TOGETHER. I trust we agree now. blessings...

"How do you Law-Worshippers deal with what Paul said in Hebrews 7: 18 ?" YOU have also confessed to me (elsewhere in these forums) that it's good to obey Torah.... But anyway, "Law-Worshipper?" Well, Paul REQUIRES the Psalms (Eph.5:19;Col.3:16) which entail PRAISING TORAH (Ps.56:4,10)....so it's OK to praise Torah. And, the CONTEXT of Heb.7:18 is the MELCHIZEDEK priesthood..... So OF COURSE we see Jesus passing over Levitical Priesthood rules, in favor of Melchizedek Priesthood rules....WHY? Because Levitical Torah is terminated? NO! Rather, because Jesus is NOT a Levite! So OF COURSE Jesus passes over the former Levitical Priesthood commands and sets them aside for His purpose of permanently taking our sins away via His Melchizedek Priesthood duties. Agreed! And Jesus comes to RESTORE those very Levitical sacrificial activities "as in the days of OLD, as in former years" (Mal.3:4).... And Jesus wants Levitical sacrifices for people of ALL nations (citing Is.56:7 at Mk.11:17). Jesus COMMANDS Levitical sacrifices (Mt.5:24). Of COURSE the Levitical sacrifices are "weak" and "useless" for the purpose of taking sins away....Remember? The blood of animals NEVER took sins away (Heb.10:4).... Levitical sacrifices merely ATONE/COVER for sins....NOT take them away. Are Levtical sacrifices thus terminated? Of course not! They CONTINUE to function as an ONGOING shadow (PRESENT tense in reference to the ongoing shadow-function in Heb.10:1...also Col.2:17). Sure, the Messiah's sacrifice is BETTER because it's the once-for-all sacrifice that takes away ALL sins..... But the SAME MESSIAH requires sacrifices (Is.56:7 cited at Mk.11:17;Mt.5:24;Mt.5:19+28:19-20;Mal.3:4)...and the prophets AGREE God desires the RETURN of Levitical sacrifices for us (Dt.30:1-8;Jer.33;Is.66;Eze.40-47;Zec.6) and even for people from ALL NATIONS (Zec.14). The shadow-function of sacrifices CONTINUES to point to the once-for-all sacrifice of the Messiah. That's why Paul condoned sacrifices (Ac.21) along with THOUSANDS of Christians (Ac.21:20) and along with ANIMAL-SACRIFICING CHRISTIAN PRIESTS! (Ac.6:7) "Foolish me— I had been saying for the longest time that the Law was “ beggarly”" BEGGARLY? Don't be silly! Gal.4:9-10 refers to PAGAN celebrations....NOT the Torah moedim! Remember? Paul COMMANDS Pesach (1Cor.5:7-8)....Would Paul require something "beggarly"? Of course not! "I wish I had known that Paul used a stronger description for your Torah that you put on a pedastal." OOPS! I just proved that "beggarly" does NOT refer to Torah...try again! "it’s “USELESS”. Strong language indeed!" Of COURSE it's useless to have faith without works (Jas.2:24)....or law without faith (Gal.5:4-5). Thus Paul requires BOTH! Justification by TORAH (Rom.2:13) AND Faith (Rom.5:1). BOTH. TOGETHER. "If you can’t handle that Truth , as I said earlier— take it up with Paul...." Ok! Paul requires that you REJOICE in the TRUTH (1Cor.13:6); TORAH is truth (Ps.119:142). So REJOICE in Torah (not oppose it!) Paul applies Psalms to you (Eph.5:19;Col.3:16)....Psalms require TORAH (Ps.1;19;119)...so OBEY Torah! Paul says Torah is GOOD (Rom.7:12). DO GOOD (Gal.6:1) thus entails OBEY TORAH. Paul says Torah is HOLY (Rom.7:12). So be holy, and OBEY Torah! Paul says Torah is righteous (Rom7:12). So DO righteousness in obedience to Torah! (2Ti.3:16) Paul says Torah is SPIRITUAL (Rom.7:14). So seek and desire the SPIRITUAL entails OBEYING TORAH (1Cor.14:1). Paul says he SERVES TORAH (Rom.7:25). So imitate Paul (1Cor.11:1;Php.4:9) and SERVE (not oppose!) Torah. Paul says the Spirit is opposed to the flesh (Rom.8:13); the flesh disobeys Torah (Rom.8:7); so the Spirit opposes Torah-disobedience; so the Spirit leads us to OBEY Torah! So OBEY! Paul says the New Covenant includes Torah-obedience "from now and forever" (citing Is.59:20-21 at Rom.11:26-27). So OBEY! Paul AFFIRMS the New Covenant (1Cor.11) which is given as TORAH (Jer.31:33;Heb.8:10;10:16). Paul AFFIRMS the legitimacy of Torah-obedient GENTILES (Rom.2:27). Paul says you are NOT excluded from Israel (Eph.2:12)....Israelites obey TORAH (Mal.4:4). Paul says that TORAH-OBEDIENCE (Dt.30:14) is the very word of faith which Paul preaches (citing Dt. 30:14 at Rom.10:8)...so OBEY! And on and on and on.... Thanks for bringing up Paul.... These are encouraging words.... "Those with “ ears to hear”, especially those that are new to the Faith or just considering the Christian Faith, get that “ useless” Torah off of the pedestal the Legalists have placed it upon," AGREED! Torah is USELESS if you obey it without faith.....excellent point. AND, those with EARS TO HEAR are those who RETURN (Heb. "שׁוּב", Is.6:10) to God. And those who "שׁוּב" are those who OBEY TORAH (e.g., see "שׁוּב" in Dt. 30:1-8). So we agree again! We must have EARS TO HEAR...which means we should OBEY TORAH.... After all, Jesus requires Torah (Mt.5:19)....why would you disobey Him? Let's HEAR and OBEY His words.... "get that “ useless” Torah off of the pedestal th e Legalists have placed it upon" Agreed again! STAY AWAY from legalists....because legalists require salvation by works (without faith)...and that's REALLY bad....as Paul routinely reminded us. "replace it with the thing that God wants to see extolled " Replace Torah? Don't be silly! Jesus shed His VERY BLOOD to inaugurate the New Covenant (Lk.22:20) which is given as TORAH (Jer.31:33:Heb.8:10;10:16). Torah is not replaced, buddy! "He is going to judge your Eternal Fate by it" Eternal life? Ah yes....OBEY TORAH and you will have it (Lk.10:25-28). Jesus was not lying. " The Gospel ! Read all about it in 1Cor15:1-4" Ok! We are saved IF WE HOLD FAST THE WORD PAUL PREACHED (1Cor.15:2)....and Paul's word of faith is TORAH-OBEDIENCE (citing Dt. 10:14 at Rom.10:8). GOOD point. "Add to it or refuse to rest in it and you could jeopardize your Salvation" AWESOME point! DO NOT subtract from (or add to) the Torah-obedient Gospel of salvation preached by Paul. "let others obsess about the Torah" Obsess? Why would you want that? I'm just emphasizing what you refuse to acknowledge in Scripture...Paul REQUIRES that I use Torah to rebuke you (2Ti.3:16). "it will be as useless on Judgement Day as it was when Paul poor-mouthed it." True....Torah without faith will be TOTALLY USELESS on Judgement Day, as Paul agrees. Good point. "NOTHING but the Blood......" Rather, Justification by the BLOOD (Rom.5:9) AND FAITH (Rom.5:1) AND GRACE (Rom.3:24) AND TORAH (Rom.2:13) AND WORKS (Jas.2:24) and the SPIRIT (1Cor.6:11) AND the Name of Christ (1Cor.6:11). ALL. TOGETHER. The "blood alone" theology of justification is clearly FALSE....as I just showed (given Rom.2:13;3:24;5:1,9;1Cor.6:11;Jas.2:24). Sure, ONLY the blood removes our sins (1Jn.1:7)....but justification by the BLOOD occurs IN CONJUNCTION WITH faith, grace, Torah, works, Spirit, Christ's name (as I just cited from Scripture). Now...WHATEVER YOU DO....DO NOT look up the Scriptures I've just cited. You DON'T want to know.... :-) blessings...

True....don't bother looking up the Scriptures I've set before you.... You DON'T want to know! (little reverse psychology never hurt, eh?) blessings...

" I have never heard Him refer to Himself as the Torah but ok." Yes, it's not familiar to conventional Christendom....but hey, neither is sound theology! "I think for some when they hear Torah means only the 5 books." Yes, but I identity the written Torah of Moses as: Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. I rather doubt Moses is the original author of all the material in Genesis. "Yet the NT is the word also. That word became flesh." Yes....although Torah is still foundational.... "God through Paul told them.. can Christ die again? There is no more sacrifice for sin. It puts Christ to open shame if they did that." Well, be careful! Paul condoned a sacrifice-laden vow to prove he "walks orderly according to the law" (Ac.21), thus including sacrifices. And, Jesus comes to restore those very sacrifices (Mal.3:4). Many prophecies confirm RESTORATION of future Levitical sacrifices (Dt.30:1-8;Zec.14;Is.66;Jer.33;Zec.6;Eze.40-47;etc.) Paul even applies Psalms to us (Eph.5:19;Col.3:16), and Psalms require proper animal sacrifices (e.g., Ps. 51:19). Yes, ONLY the Blood takes away our sins (1Jn.1:7)....but that's not an excuse to ignore our obligation to perform sacrifices, when we can. After all, Jesus desires sacrifices for people of all nations (Mk.11:17 cites Is.56:7). Jesus commands sacrifices (Mt.5:24). "JESUS is lord! Let give HIM the Father all the glory and praise! In Yeshuas name." amen! blessings...

Haha! Glad you appreciate my repetition.... :-) Better to be single-minded in love for Torah (Ps. 119:113), rather than double-minded and worthy of hate (Ps.119:113). By the way, Paul applies this Psalm to you (Eph.5:19;Col.3:16). And, it's ok to repeat basic truths....especially since our Christian establishment has opposed them for the better part of the past 2000 years.... It takes some people a LONG TIME to break free of the bogus theology they've inherited (Jer.16:19). But don't worry, there will come a time when we will no longer call the Torah a "strange thing" (Hos.8:12). We WILL again obey it all (Dt.30:1-8). blessings.....

"Jesus Is the Word of God (The Logos), Not the Torah" The LOGOS includes TORAH! Check out Dt.31:12 (LXX): ἐκκλησιάσας τὸν λαόν τοὺς ἄνδρας καὶ τὰς γυναῗκας καὶ τὰ ἔκγονα καὶ τὸν προσήλυτον τὸν ἐν ταῗς πόλεσιν ὑμῶν ἵνα ἀκούσωσιν καὶ ἵνα μάθωσιν φοβεῗσθαι κύριον τὸν θεὸν ὑμῶν καὶ ἀκούσονται ποιεῗν πάντας τοὺς λόγους G3056 τοῦ νόμου τούτου See it? LOGOS in reference to the WORD of ALL TORAH (Dt.31:12,LXX). "The Torah is Part of the Word, but is not the whole Word" Sure! Thus, Torah is INCLUDED in Jesus! Jesus includes that very substance (Jn.1:14;Col.2:17). "The Word consists of the Torah, the Prophets, The Writings...." But the TORAH is foundational to the Tanach.... The prophets are authorized by TORAH. The writings uphold TORAH. The TORAH is foundational....thus it passes DIRECTLY into the NEW Covenant (Jer.31:33;Heb.8:10;10:16). " The Law and the Prophets were until John(Baptist), since then the Gospel of the Kingdom is preached. (Luke 16:16)." Lk.16:16 does NOT state that the Law/Prophets STOPPED with John! Lk.16:16 does NOT state that the GOSPEL was not preached prior to Lk.16:16. Is just emphasizing that the Gospel of the Kingdom IN CHRIST is preached in fullness beginning with John. After all, Dt. 30:1-8 is STILL UNFULFILLED....along with MUCH other prophecy..so the law and prophets did not STOP! Also, the gospel was preached even to Abraham (Gal.3:8)....so the gospel did not START with John. Jesus applies ALL Torah to you (Mt.5:19)....it's not terminated. AND! John preaches TORAH (Is.40:8) as foundational to that very Kingdom Gospel he preached! "Now we have the New Covenant in His Blood. " And that New Covenant is given as the SAME TORAH OF MOSES (Jer.31:33;Heb.8:10;10:16)....otherwise Jeremiah is a false prophet (given Dt.13:1-5)....you DON'T want to go there.... "In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. (Heb 8:13)" Exactly! NEW Covenant (Jer.31:31;Heb.8:8). SAME Torah (Jer.31:33;Heb.8:10;10:16). Torah was widely DISOBEYED in the Old Covenant (Heb.8:9). Torah is properly OBEYED in the New Covenant (Heb.8:10;10:16). Agreed. "And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. (Luke 5:37) " And Torah is not bad wine! It's GOOD WINE! It's LIFE! (Dt.30:15-19;32:47) We DRINK of Torah, even in the wilderness (1Cor.10:4)....and those who drink Torah in Christ will NEVER thirst again! (Jn.6:35). Jesus IS the bread of life (Jn.6:35)...and that bread is TORAH (Mt.4:4 citing Dt. 8:3 referencing TORAH)....and it's LIFE (Dt.30:15-19;32:47) as we obey in Christ! After all, Jesus requires NEW AND OLD (Mt.13:52)....not NEW REPLACES OLD! Jesus comes to RESTORE the Levitical sacrifices "as it was in the days of old, as in former years" (Mal.3:4)....that's yet FUTURE. So don't be surprised that the SAME Torah passes into the NEW Covenant (Jer.31:33;Heb.8:10;10:16).....otherwise Jeremiah was a false prophet (Dt.13:1-5)....DON'T go there.... blessings....

"So, you would expect the writer of Gen. 1:2 to expect his readers to interpret it according to Jer. 4:23 which had yet to be written and would not be written for quite some time? " Which "readers" are you referencing? We "readers" have the ability to properly inform our conception of Hebraic thought with a LONG history and trail of evidence subsequent to the time of the writing of Genesis. The original "readers" did not have that privilege.... So, we interpret in the context of the body of information available to us....those with greater information can properly USE that information. It's ok! Paul applies Torah to 1st-century applications (e.g., 1Cor.9:9-11)....even though Moses may NOT have had all those applications in mind when he wrote Torah to His readers centuries earlier. Again, it's OK to understand that future revelation can properly inform our interpretation of past revelation (Da.12:9). "Shouldn’t the passage containing the so-called "HEBRAIC THOUGHT" (whatever that is) in Jer. 4:23 be understood by the "HEBRAIC THOUGHT" given in Gen. 1:2 and not the other way around since Gen. 1:2 was written at a much earlier date than Jer. 4:23?" Rather, BOTH passages use the SAME TERMS....so BOTH PASSAGES give us interpretive options for those terms. And, if "formless and void" can mean what it means in Jer.4:23....then "formless and void" can mean the same thing in Ge.1:2....unless we have compelling contextual reasons in Ge. 1:2 to suppose otherwise....but I don't see any such compelling reasons. We need not assume that the style of usage of "formless and void" in Jer.4:23 is DIFFERENT than it has been at any time in the past.... Rather, we may view usage of "formless and void" in Jer.4:23 as evidence that "formless and void" may well have ALWAYS been properly used in that same style..... After all, it's the same general language, culture, context, and Spirit inspiring the words.... So, the answer to your question is "NO". The direction of Hebraic-thought-informing-considerations goes BOTH WAYS. Use can use OLDER texts to inform later texts, AND vice versa. "For centuries the Jews understood that Gen. 1 referred to the creation of the universe and continue to do so and yet for some reason you persist in believing otherwise. Interesting that." Don't be so confident in your interpretation of Gen.1! There are probably THOUSANDS of interpretations...and a PLETHORA of views regarding what "the Jews understood" about Gen.1. Walton's theory is just another option for us to ponder....and Walton claims that his interpretation is what the ancient (even PRE-Jewish) audience may have understood.... After all, Gen. 1 was NOT written to the "Jews" as the original audience....Genesis LONG pre-dates Judah. And, we have no good reason to suppose that all historical "Jewish" theological viewpoints are correct. And, I never said Ge.1:1 can not be taken as reference to the creation of the universe. I DID, in effect, say that Ge.1:2 implies that MUCH may have occurred between Ge.1:1 and Ge.1:2. "My contention is how could God place anything under judgment when He called it good?" Genesis 1 does NOT call the rebellion GOOD! So, your contention misunderstands my position and the facts of Genesis 1. A rebellion is NOT something God created in Ge.1:1! A rebellion is evidently something God JUDGED in Ge.1:2. Moreover, the rebellion judged in Ge.1:2 (for all we know) may have had its origins in something "prior" to physical creation of the universe....i.e., it could be just the latest stage in an ongoing cosmic battle between God and evil supernatural beings which pre-date physical creation of the universe. So again, the GOODNESS of the creation in Ge.1:1 is NOT inconsistent with the EVIL of rebellious beings whose rebellion may have pre-dated that very creation, or whose rebellion may have occurred AFTER Ge.1:1 so as to be inferred in Ge.1:2. God is VERY BIG.....Let's not pretend this is the only universe He ever created....that would be an unjustified assumption on our part.... Just look at Ezekiel's vision...or John's.....there's LOTS of mysterious things going on....and that's probably just barely scratching the surface.... "I rather doubt He would have done so." Sure, God would probably not call a rebellion GOOD....but that's not my position....so I'm ok. "Evidently after Adam sinned and the curse was pronounced he and everything else ceased to be "good"." That's in reference to MAN....but there are many beings who are NOT human.....the GOOD and BAD which pertains to them may well be in different timing than in the case of man.... Why assume all non-human rebellion occurred at EXACTLY the same time Adam and Eve sinned? I see no good reason to suppose that....and LOTS of reasons to disagree.... "Why would God create anything which would be and is good and pronounce judgment on it during the process or shortly thereafter?" I never said God created the rebellion inferred in Ge.1:2. I never said that God said the rebellion inferred in Ge. 1:2 is good. God can create a GOOD physical creation. AND! Non-human entities can potentially do BAD things: (1) PRIOR to that creation, (2) DURING that creation, and (3) SUBSEQUENT to that creation. The CREATION is good....the REBELLION is bad. "I doubt you fully understand the import of that verse but then that's not surprising." Rather, Ge.2:18 proves that NOT everything created by God was ALL-GOOD from the beginning...thus disconfirming your apparent claim to the contrary. I'm surprised you haven't acknowledged my apparent disconfirmation of your position. "So, you are using proper hermeneutics because you say you are using proper hermeneutics. I’m convinced!" Rather, it should be evident and agreeable to YOU that Paul's usage of a term in ROMANS can inform his use of a term in CORINTHIANS. WHY? Because it's the SAME language, context, and Spirit inspiring a consistent message. Or do you DEMAND that EVERY VERSE be interpreted as it's own island? THAT would be silly! But you can be silly if you like.....modern biblical scholarship (particularly the "liberal" scholarship) sometimes manifests elements of this very silliness...thus modern scholarship is, in many ways, considerably askew. You can choose any hermeneutics you like! Choose wisely....because if you're not honestly seeking....well....then that's your fault. "Anyway, such is not the case here when the passage in question is clearly taken out of context as is evidently the case here." NOT out of context. Rather, context is INFORMED by meanings of words in a LANGUAGE. And, meanings of words in a language are determined by usage THROUGHOUT the extent of that language's usage.... That's just how we do it! You can't just interpret every little passage as it's own island..... In that case, virtually EVERY usage of JESUS in the Gospels could refer to a DIFFERENT PERSON! Because hey....you can't use Scripture to inform Scripture, right? That would be "out of context"!!! See the problem? "Many a false teacher has, and no doubt would have claimed to be using proper hermeneutics. " And your failure to properly use a language's widespread usage as evidence of linguistic meanings IS a concern regarding the improper hermeneutics you evidently uphold. "Merely stating that you are doing so proves nothing." It's not mere assertion! You can't just interpret every little passage as it's own island..... In that case, virtually EVERY usage of JESUS in the Gospels could refer to a DIFFERENT PERSON! Because hey....you can't use Scripture to inform Scripture, right? That would be "out of context"!!! See the problem? That's why my hermeneutics is better than your "every passage is an island" hermeneutics. That's why your "out of context" objection is unfounded. " It’s become quite clear that you intend to persist in your error no matter what. " Then you don't even know me. Justify your position as better than mine...I'll happily conceded! I've nothing to lose...but my ignornace, if you can better inform me. But I MUST follow the evidence where it leads... And right now, your hermeneutics appears unjustified....so I can't go there. " You injure no one but yourself. I shall leave you to your confusion. I just hope that no one has subscribed to your error. Blind leading the blind and all that. Goodbye." Ok then...when you're ready to defend your position against the reasonable objections I've set before you....let me know! blessings...

"The Torah sure is a lot of things ! Mainly " Mainly? You just made that up.....Scripture does NOT say "mainly"..... And you IGNORED the many pro-Torah Biblical arguments I just cited....I wonder why? And OF COURSE the law is weak to save without faith. Agreed! That's why we are justified by LAW (Rom.2:13) AND FAITH (Rom.5:1). BOTH. TOGETHER. "My biggest desire is to be saved" With eternal life? Awesome! Jesus says Torah-obedience is sufficient (Lk.10:25-28)....and things like visiting the sick and those in prison is sufficient (Mt.25:31-46). After all, Jesus expects you to obey (Mt.5:19) and LIVE (Mt.4:4 citing Dt.8:3 referencing Torah). "I humbly suggest...." Awesome! I'm GLAD you are humble. God gives grace to the humble (Jas.4:6;Pr.3:34); AND, humble people obey TORAH (Ps.25:9;Zep.2:3;Ex.33:13;Nu.12:3). "the POWER OF GOD resides- The Gospel Of 1cor15:1-5" Ah yes! ===>IF<=== you hold fast the word Paul preached (1Cor.15:2), which is TORAH-OBEDIENT FAITH (citing Dt. 30:14 at Rom.10:8). After all, the GOSPEL is the POWER OF GOD (Rom.1:6) preached by Paul in TORAH-OBEDIENT FAITH (citing Dt. 30:14 at Rom.10:8;citing Is.59:20-21 at Rom.11:26-27). "Add to that Gospel Of Grace Plus Nothing with ANYTHiNG" Scripture adds A LOT to justification! Remember? We are justified by GRACE(Rom.3:24)+FAITH(Rom.5:1)+LAW(Rom.2:13)+BLOOD(Rom.5:9)+SPIRIT(1Cor.6:11)+WORKS(Jas.2:24)+CHRIST'S NAME(1Cor.6:11). So, your "grace plus nothing" theology is CLEARLY unbiblical. "especially TORAH WORSHIP and you will “ fall from Grace”" Jesus IS Torah (Jn.1:14)....it's ok to worship Jesus (Jn.20:28). And, "fallen from grace" refers to those who seek justification by law WITHOUT FAITH (Gal.5:4-5)....of COURSE that's bad....I oppose that too. After all, we are not justified by law without faith. Rather, We are justified by GRACE(Rom.3:24)+FAITH(Rom.5:1)+LAW(Rom.2:13)+BLOOD(Rom.5:9)+SPIRIT(1Cor.6:11)+WORKS(Jas.2:24)+CHRIST'S NAME(1Cor.6:11). ALL. TOGETHER. NOT law alone (Gal.5:4-5). NOT faith alone (Jas.2:24). But ALL. TOGETHER. "REST in the Gospel or God will consider you in a state of “ disobedience and UNBELIEF”. " The GOSPEL is the word of TORAH-OBEDIENT FAITH (citing Dt.30:14 at Rom.10:8). FAITH is of TORAH (Mt.23:23). Jesus was not lying. "a Modern-Day Judaizer ." Agreed. Judaizing is BAD. Remember Peter's hypocrisy? That was BAD! "That would be anyone that adds to Grace with Works of the Law or ,or in other words, Works Of The Torah." OOPS! James says we are justified by WORKS (Jas.2:24)....even though you don't want to believe that. "Grace is what saves" Jesus saves too! (Mt.1:21). And we are saved from SIN (Mt.1:21), and SIN is TORAH-disobedience (Rom.3:20;7:7;1Jn.3:4), which means we now OBEY TORAH (not SIN!) He saved us from Torah-disobedience! (Mt.1:21) That's why we OBEY! Of course! He requires ALL Torah (Mt.5:19) for ALL disciples of ALL nations (Mt.28:19-20). "all the Torah is good For is to “ shut your mouth up” and show you your NEED for that Grace." OOPS! You're just making things up again...STOP. Torah has MANY functions.....not just to "shut your mouth up". Remember? Torah is HOLY (Rom.7:12); be HOLY (1Pe.1:16) means OBEY TORAH! Torah is RIGHTEOUS (Rom.7:12); DO RIGHTEOUSNESS (1Jn.2:29;3:7) means OBEY TORAH, or else you are a child of the devil (1Jn.3:10) who will NOT inherit the forthcoming kingdom (Mt.5:20). Torah is GOOD (Rom.7:12). Do GOOD (Gal.6:10) thus entails OBEYING TORAH. Torah is SPIRITUAL (Rom.7:14). Seek and desire the SPIRITUAL (1Cor.14:1) thus entails obeying TORAH. Torah defines sin (Rom.3:20;7:7;1Jn.3:4). STOP SINNING (1Cor.15:34) thus means OBEY TORAH. The New Covenant inaugurated in CHRIST'S BLOOD (Lk.22:20) is given as TORAH (Jer.31:33;Heb.8:10;10:6). So OBEY the Torah of the New Covenant which Christ's shed His blood to inaugurate for you! Torah brings PEACE (Ps.119:165); that's a fruit of the Spirit! (Gal.5:22-23) Torah is our JOY (Ps.119:162); that's a fruit of the Spirit! (Gal.5:22-23) Torah is of FAITH (Mt.23:23;Dt.32:20;Ps.119:30,86,138); that's a fruit of the Spirit! (Gal.5:22-23) Torah is obeyed in LOVE (Dt.6:5,25;1Jn.5:3;Jn.14:15+Mt.5:19); that's a fruit of the Spirit! (Gal.5:22-23) Torah exhibits GOODNESS (Rom.7:12); that's a fruit of the Spirit! (Gal.5:22-23) Jesus' words are SPIRIT (Jn.6:63); Jesus' words include ALL TORAH (Mt.5:19); thus, Torah is the Spirit of Holiness spoken by Jesus! And sure enough, the SPIRIT leads us to OBEY TORAH (Heb.10:15-16;Eze.36:27;Is.59:20-21;Rom.8:7,13). And again, GRACE is given to the humble (Jas.4:6;Pr.3:34). HUMBLE people obey TORAH (Nu.12:3;Ex.33:13;Ps.25:9;Zep.2:3). "The Torah shut my mouth years ago....how about you?" Agreed! Nobody can obey Torah sinlessly....GOOD THING that Christ's blood ALONE takes our sins away! (1Jn.1:7) blessings...

"Now that You no longer equate Jesus and the Torah, Let's look at your next misconception. " It's not a misconception. JESUS IS THE TORAH-MADE-FLESH (Jn.1:14). In that sense, JESUS IS TORAH. "We Who teach Grace do not negate The Torah In the least bit, But We fulfill the Torah Through Christ Jesus who fulfilled the requirements on the cross. " Awesome! I uphold that same grace. "The only thing we have to do is Rest in HIS finished Work on the Cross." There's MUCH WORK to do! We don't just sit around, never doing anything besides "resting in his finished work on the cross". Jas.2:24. "So We No longer offer sacrifices on an alter in the Temple" Guess you forgot tell Paul! Paul CONDONES a sacrifice-laden vow to prove he "walks orderly according to the law" (Ac.21). You should likewise uphold this sacrifice-affirming model (1Cor.11:1;Php.4:9), not oppose it. "We No longer offer sacrifices on an alter in the Temple, But we rest on His sacrifice on the cross," False dichotomy. Jesus desires both.....SACRIFICES (Mt.5:24;Mk.11:17 citing Is.56:7;Mt.5:19+Mt.28:19-20) AND His blood to inaugurate the New Covenant for us (Lk.22:20). After all, Jesus comes to RESTORE those very sacrifices you claim we should no longer offer (Mal.3:4). And you've contradicted the pattern of the 1st-century church, where Paul (Ac.21), and THOUSANDS of Christians (Ac.21:20) and even Christian Priests (Ac.6:7) partook in sacrifice-laden Torah portions. And you've contradicted the prophets which PROMISE that sacrifices will return (Dt.30:1-8;Zec.14;Eze.40-47;Jer.33;Is.66;Zec.6;Mal.3:4;etc.) " By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Yes, Jesus' Blood alone takes our sins away. Agreed. "And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (Heb. 10:10-14)" Awesome! "Sanctification comes from Resting in Him and His finished work, Not from fleshly obedience" FLESHLY OBEDIENCE is an oxymoron! The flesh CAN NOT obey Torah (Rom.8:7). Proper OBEDIENCE is not FLESHLY! OBEDIENCE is of the SPIRIT who testifies we should obey Torah (Heb.10:15-16) "from now and forever" (citing Is.59:20-21 at Rom.11:26-27). After all, we are sanctified in the Spirit (1Cor.6:11), and the SPIRIT opposes the FLESH (Rom.8:13), and the FLESH opposes Torah-obedience (Rom.8:7), so the Spirit opposes Torah-disobedience, so the Spirit sanctifies us in Torah-OBEDIENCE. Remember? We are sanctified by truth (Jn.17:17); TORAH is truth (Ps.119:142). Thus, we are sanctified in TORAH-OBEDIENT TRUTH. Not Torah-OPPOSITION. Not Torah-disobedience. But in OBEDIENCE. " But the Torah being written Upon the heart, By submitting to the Work of the Holy Ghost in us. " Exactly! And TORAH UPON YOUR HEART means you OBEY IT (Dt.30:14). After all, that's what Paul preaches! TORAH-OBEDIENT FAITH (citing Dt. 30:14 at Rom.10:8). And that includes sacrifices, when properly observable. "Using our power and might to fight sin will always lead to failure" Yes. Works without the Spirit is bad. Works without faith is bad. Works without grace is bad. Works without the Blood is bad. It's a package deal! Thus we are justified by TORAH (Rom.2:13) AND Faith (Rom.5:1) AND Grace (Rom.3:24) AND the Blood (Rom.5:9) AND the Spirit (1Cor.6:11) and WORKS (Jas.2:24). ALL. TOGETHER. And we must overcome sin....and sin is Torah-disobedience (Rom.3:20;7:7;1Jn.3:4;Is.42:24). Thus we must STOP SINNING (1Cor.15:34), meaning OBEY TORAH (and that includes sacrifices, when properly observable). After all, Paul applies ALL Torah to you (2Ti.3:16)...no exceptions for sacrifices. "But trusting in the Holy Ghost to sanctify you leads the Law being written on the heart." Excellent. The Spirit writes Torah upon our hearts SO THAT WE OBEY IT! Even sacrifices. Agreed. "Our strength to obey, and our mind's will to obey are the things we need to get out of the way in order for the Sanctification of the Holy Ghost to begin." NOT! We love God with our MIND and STRENGTH....it's not a mindless activity without exercise of our strength. After all, Jesus applies Dt. 6 to you (Mt.22:37). And Dt. 6 (in context!) requires ALL Torah (Dt.6:5,25). So, love requires OUR MINDS AND STRENGTH....and John agrees (with Jesus) that love requires all Torah (1Jn.5:3). "and our righteousness will then exceed that of the Pharisees who keep the letter of The Law, but not the Spirit of the Law. " Yes....and this is TORAH-OBEDIENT righteousness required by Jesus in Mt. 5:20. "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. (John 15:5)" Good! The FRUIT includes LOVE (Gal.5:22-23) which requires TORAH (Dt.6:5,25;1Jn.5:3). The FRUIT includes JOY (Gal.5:22-23); we REJOICE in Torah (Ps. 119:162). Simchat Torah! The FRUIT includes PEACE (Gal.5:22-23); we have peace if we LOVE Torah (Ps.119:165), not disobey it. The FRUIT includes FAITHFULNESS (Gal.5:22-23); FAITHFULNESS is of TORAH (Mt.23:23;Ps.119:30,86,138;Dt.32:20;Rom.3:27). The FRUIT includes GOODNESS (Gal.5:22-23); Torah is good (Rom.7:12). So OBEY Torah! And Yes...ABIDE in Him....AND! Let His WORDS also abide in YOU (Jn.15:7)....thus Mt.5:19 should abide in you....that's ALL TORAH abiding in you! "Your own strength and will to obey the Law can not lead you to righteousness, But Christ Jesus can and does through the sanctification of the Holy Ghost. " Yes. "Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. (Mal. 3:18) " Nice! Let's SERVE GOD! By the way, those who SERVE GOD are those who OBEY TORAH (Jos.22:5). The RIGHTEOUS are those who OBEY TORAH (Dt.6:25;2Ti.3:16). The WICKED are those who DISOBEY Torah (Ps.119:53,61;Pr.28:4). Paul serves in the Spirit (Rom.7:6). Serves what? TORAH! (Rom.7:25). So, let's be righteous (not wicked) and serve Torah in the Spirit, in obedience to God! "the discernment of righteousness and wickedness is lost to the Jewish People" Well...not ALL of the Jewish people....there were THOUSANDS who obeyed Torah AND obeyed Yeshua (as we should, Ac.21:20)... And there are HUNDREDS of Thousands now (Jewish AND non-Jewish), if not a few million, who have a better understanding of obedience to Torah in Yeshua, as we should. " When they are restored, they will once more see the distinction between righteousness and wickedness, which comes not by the Torah, But by the heart that abides in the vine. " Well, the "heart that abides in the vine" WILL obey Torah! After all, the VINE requires all Torah (Mt.5:19) for ALL disciples of ALL nations (Mt.28:19-20). And when WE are restored (Ac.3:21), WE will again obey 100% of ALL Torah (Dt.30:1-8) when we return to inherit the land promised to ALL OF US as believers (Mt.5:5;Gal.3:29;Eph.3:6). "So For example, Someone keeping the Law who never committed adultery according to the law, may have committed adultery many times in their heart according to the sermon on the mount for lustfully looking upon another man's wife." Committing adultery in your heart is ALSO anti-Torah. The law does NOT approve "committing adultery in your heart". Jesus was simply showing how to apply Torah commands into your personal life, just in case you didn't already "get it". It wasn't new! It was just a proper application. "Or Like David in Psalm 139:22 said he hated his enemies, which was considered a good thing according to the Torah was said of Jesus to Love your enemies, and to bless those who persecute you...." Wrong again! Ever heard of a "love-hate relationship"? You can love your enemies...and kill them too, if necessary. LOVE and HATE are NOT mutually exclusive. God is LOVE (1Jn.4:8)...AND! God also HATES (Mal.1:3). BOTH. TOGETHER. "This is the difference between keeping the Torah by your own strength and will, vs the righteousness that comes by the sanctification of the Spirit." No....the "love-hate" issue is NOT the difference. The difference is whether you function under LAW+GRACE+FAITH+SPIRIT+WORKS+BLOOD, or whether you EXCLUDE essential elements such as these. If you got the package deal, then your good! If you got law alone (Gal.5:4-5), you're bad. If you got faith alone (Jas.2:24), you're bad. If you got Spirit alone, you're bad (Heb.10:15-16;Is.59:20-21;Rom.8:7,13;Jn.6:63+Mt.5:19). If you got works alone, you're bad (Eph.2:9). Etc. So we receive the PACKAGE DEAL....ALL...TOGETHER. That's the proper conception of righteous sanctification in the Spirit. It's not about terminating your own "strength and will and mind".... It's about making sure your your own "strength and will and mind" is in proper alignment with LAW+GRACE+FAITH+SPIRIT+WORKS+BLOOD. But maybe we already agree on this one.... "Once You see this, then all of a sudden the Torah pales in comparison to the One who... worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (Phil. 2:13)" The Torah IS the One who works in us! Jesus PERSONIFIES Torah....Jesus EMBODIES Torah....thus Jesus IS The Torah in this sense (Jn.1:14;Col.2:17). So, no need to minimize Torah relative to God....they are unified! After all, the GOD who works in us is the GOD who leads us to OBEY TORAH... Because TORAH is His will (Ps.40:8). Torah is GOOD (Rom.7:12). "Read Eph. 1:5-14" ok! Let's start at verse 1! Eph.1:1 Paul upholds Christ (who requires Torah, Mt.5:19) Eph.1:1 Paul upholds God's will (which includes Torah, Ps. 40:8). Eph.1:1 Paul upholds FAITHFULNESS (which is of Torah, Mt.23:23;Dt.32:20;Ps.119:30,86,138;Rom.3:27;Dt.30:14 cited at Rom.10:8). Eph.1:2 Paul upholds GRACE. Grace is given to the humble (Jas.4:6;Pr.3:34). The HUMBLE obey TORAH (Nu.12:3;Ps.25:9;Zep.2:3;Ex.33:13). Eph.1:2 Paul upholds the Father (who requires Torah, Dt.1:3;5:27-33), and the SON (who requires Torah, Mt.4:4;5:19-20,48;7:21-23;13:41-42;22:27;23:2-3,23,34;Lk.10:25-28). Eph.1:3 Paul upholds the Father (who requires Torah, Dt.1:3;5:27-33), and the SON (who requires Torah, Mt.4:4;5:19-20,48;7:21-23;13:41-42;22:27;23:2-3,23,34;Lk.10:25-28). Eph.1:3 Paul upholds SPIRITUAL blessings. Torah-obedience brings those blessings (Dt.30:15-19) which are spiritual (Rom.7:14) in Christ (Eph.1:3). Eph.1:4 Paul upholds HOLINESS. We be HOLY by OBEYING TORAH (Lev.11 cited at 1Pe.1:16). After all, Torah is holy (Rom.7:12). Eph.1:4 Paul expects us to be BLAMELESS...and that's TORAH! (Dt.18:13) Eph.1:4 Paul upholds LOVE. Love entails TORAH-OBEDIENCE (Jn.14:15+Mt.5:19;Dt.6:5,25;1Jn.5:3). Eph.1:5 Paul identifies us as SONS. That's ISRAEL LANGUAGE (Ex.4:22). And we Israelites obey TORAH (Mal.4:4). Eph.1:5 Paul upholds CHRIST who requires all Torah (Mt.5:19) for all disciples of all nations (Mt.28:19-20). Eph 1:6 Paul upholds GRACE. Grace is given to the humble (Jas.4:6;Pr.3:34). The HUMBLE obey TORAH (Nu.12:3;Ps.25:9;Zep.2:3;Ex.33:13) Eph. 1:7 Paul upholds GRACE. Grace is given to the humble (Jas.4:6;Pr.3:34). The HUMBLE obey TORAH (Nu.12:3;Ps.25:9;Zep.2:3;Ex.33:13) Eph. 1:7 Paul upholds the BLOOD by which we are JUSTIFIED (Rom.5:9). AND, justification is a Torah-inclusive package deal (we are justified by TORAH (Rom.2:13) AND Faith (Rom.5:1) AND Grace (Rom.3:24) AND the Blood (Rom.5:9) AND the Spirit (1Cor.6:11) and WORKS (Jas.2:24), ALL TOGETHER). Eph.1:8 Paul upholds WISDOM. TORAH-OBEDIENCE is our wisdom (Dt.4:6). Eph. 1:9 Paul upholds God's will (which includes TORAH, Ps. 40:8). Eph.1:10 Paul upholds CHRIST who requires all Torah (Mt.5:19) for all disciples of all nations (Mt.28:19-20). Eph.1:11 Paul upholds our forthcoming INHERITANCE (which includes the LAND, Mt.5:5;Gal.3:29;Eph.3:6). AND, we inherit the land in 100% obedience to ALL Torah (Dt.30:1-8). Eph.1:12 Paul upholds HOPE. And our hope is in the covenants (Eph.2:12) which are given as TORAH (e.g., Jer.31:33). Eph.1:13 Paul upholds the MESSAGE OF TRUTH. TORAH is truth (Ps.119:142). So Paul's message includes TORAH. Eph.1:13 Paul upholds the Gospel of salvation by which we are saved (1Cor.15:2), IF we hold to Paul's word of faith which he preached (1Cor.15:2). And that's the word of FAITHFUL TORAH-OBEDIENCE (citing Dt.30:14 at Rom.10:8). Eph.1:13 Paul upholds BELIEVING.....just like Abraham BELIEVED...AND, Abraham also obeyed TORAHS available to him (Ge.26:5). Eph.1:13 Paul upholds the SPIRIT. The Spirit opposes the flesh (Rom.8:13); the flesh disobeys Torah (Rom.8:7); so the Spirit opposes Torah-disobedience; so the Spirit leads us to OBEY Torah. Also, Heb.10:15-16. Also Is.59:20-21 (cited at Rom.11:26-27). Eph.1:14 Paul upholds our forthcoming INHERITANCE (which includes the LAND, Mt.5:5;Gal.3:29;Eph.3:6). AND, we inherit the land in 100% obedience to ALL Torah (Dt.30:1-8). Eph.1:14 Paul says we are God's POSSESSION....that's ISRAEL LANGUAGE! (Dt.4:20;9:26,29;32:9;33:12)...and we Israelites obey TORAH (Mal.4:4;Jer.31:33;Heb.8:10;10:16). Eph.1:15 Paul upholds FAITH (which is of Torah, Mt.23:23;Dt.32:20;Ps.119:30,86,138;Rom.3:27;Dt.30:14 cited at Rom.10:8). Eph.1:15 Paul upholds LOVE. Love entails TORAH-OBEDIENCE (Jn.14:15+Mt.5:19;Dt.6:5,25;1Jn.5:3). Wow! I never actually looked into it that carefully before....but wow! It's dripping in Torah! Thanks for bringing out this important passage... blessings...