COMMANDMENTS

     

THE COMMANDMENTS

 

You can’t be under the law, when the law is written within you!

~ Jeremiah 31: 31-33 & Romans 6: 14 ~

                                                      

                                                                  

WHY FOCUS ON THE COMMANDMENTS?

We are focusing on the “Commandments” of God (Elohim) because they are the very parts of the LAW that New Testament believers tend to misunderstand or oppose. Unlike other aspects of the Law of God, his Commandments are the part which present us with clear and binding obligations, as laws which sort of have teeth in them. Though the “Ten Commandments” are only a part of the great body of God’s Commandments, there’s a whole lot more where they came from. In a somewhat recent development, I was astonished to find that there are actually some preachers who are beginning to claim that “the 10 Commandments are obsolete”. I would watch out for false ministers like this because if they will lie about something so clearly refuted by multiple scriptures, then they will also lie to you about the more hidden truths in the gray areas which are much harder to understand! One of them has a short video on the topic of “Confession…” of sins, in an attempt to say that confession of sins is not for the believer. Not only is the whole video clip full of doctrinal and procedural errors but starts off with a blatant lie by stating that “The only two definitions of God in the Bible, only two. God is LOVE, God is LIGHT”. Obviously that preacher is quoting 1st John 1:5 (Light) & 1st John 4:8 (Love). However, he failed to mention that “God is a CONSUMING FIRE” according to Hebrews 12:29 (Consuming Fire). When we look further into scriptures, we find that there are more than just two descriptions of what “God is”, because since he is a consuming fire, there has to be at least three things that he is. This should let you know that either this man is a deceiver, or he tends to spout off assumptions as if they were facts before he has studied them out. I give him the benefit of the doubt by supposing that he has spoken before studying this particular issue out. In a case like this, once you have found out a particular minister has confidently and publicly professed something that is blatantly false, you need to either label them as a false minister and leave them behind or keep your guard up by comparing everything they say in the future with the scriptures. Not only should the doctrine fit the rules of the grammar it appears in, but also the grammar it was written in. The doctrine preached should also be in agreement with the context of the verses around it, the chapter it is in, the chapters before and after it, and the context of the entire Bible from the book of Genesis to Revelation.

 

TWISTING THE WORDS OF PAUL:

Most people use the words of the Apostle Paul which are written in the New Testament (Brit Chadasha) to get out of keeping the Commandments of the Law. They choose to obey Paul over Jesus (Yeshua) even though Jesus himself advised us to keep the Commandments of the Law in Matthew 5:17-19. On the other hand, Paul seems to say as many things FOR the Law as he does AGAINST it. This is due to translation problems and a lack of serious Bible study, as well as the fact that we, being Westerners living in the 21st century, are unfamiliar with ancient Hebrew culture. Peter advised us in 2nd Peter 3:15-16 that the epistles of Paul are hard to be understood and that unlearned and unstable men wrest (twist) them to their own destruction.  In verse 17 he goes on to warn us beforehand not to be led away by the error of the wicked (lawless). Yes, we were warned beforehand that people did and do twist the words of Paul in an attempt to lead others into "Sloppy Agape" and "Greasy Grace".  If Peter, who knew Paul personally and spoke with him on many occasions, and was of the same race, religion, and culture, and dealt with the same scriptures, languages, temple,  and country … had a hard time understanding the things that Paul had written, how can we possibly be able to understand his writings any better, since we are separated from both Peter and Paul by a span of 2000 years of history, the Atlantic Ocean, and a different language and culture?

 

Most people who reject the Commandments, attack the message and messenger before doing an investigation simply because it sounds unfamiliar, or because they have been trained against keeping the Commandments or law. Clergymen seem to have the biggest struggle with the Commandments because keeping them would cause them to be shunned by their denomination, religious movement or church board. 

 

HOW MANY COMMANDMENTS EXIST?

There are 613 commandments in the written Torah (Law or the first 5 books of the Bible). 248 of these are affirmative, and 365 are negative. Moses Margolioth was one of the translators of the English Revised Version of the Christian Bible, and also published a catalogue of the 613 Commandments in English in 1743.  A few scholars dispute this finding by claiming that there are a few more but at least Margolioth gave us a rough idea of how many there are. Click here for a list of THE 613 COMMANDMENTS from a Jewish site called Chabad.org.

 

According to Dr. Richard Booker of "Sounds of the Trumpet" Ministries, (www.rbooker.com) from The Woodlands, Texas, there are more commands to bible believers in the New Testament scriptures than in the Old. On page 31 of his book entitled "Torah: Law or Grace?" he states, "While there are 613 Commandments in the Torah for the Jews, the New Testament contains approximately 1050 commandments to the followers of Jesus, be they Jew or Gentile". His footnote on this subject reads "Stern, page 58" in reference to "David Stern, Restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel (Jerusalem: Jewish New Testament Publications, 1988) ..."

Though we are happy that Dr. Booker has discovered 1050 commandments in the NT and rightly thinks they are for both Jews and Gentiles he wrongfully thinks that Jews are the only ones who have to do the 613 commandments in the OT. What he is failing to realize is that once a gentile gets saved or born again by entering Yahweh's covenant, he is no longer a gentile but has been grafted into the "tree of Israel" according to Romans Chapter 11. From now on he or she is no longer a stranger or alien but has been merged into "one new man" with Israel whereby the people of Israel are the only surviving partner in the merger and have become a part of the Commonwealth of Israel according to Ephesians Chapter 2. Yes, Gentiles get annexed or assimilated into Israel and leave their past identities behind. Put simply ... if a gentile gets saved or born again, and still thinks they are a gentile, their salvation is still in question. You cannot separate yourself from Israel and still be in covenant with Yahweh, and anyone who thinks that is possible is missing the point. So, we look to Jews as family, equal heirs and fellow citizens of the Kingdom of Elohim (God).

RELAX, NOT ALL OF THE COMMANDMENTS APPLY TO EVERYONE:

Though there seems to be a large number of commandments, most of us don’t have to keep all 613 of them because many of them solely target specific categories of people, and none of us fit into all the categories. Some apply to farmers, some to soldiers, some to rulers, some to children, some to men, some to women, some to fathers, some to husbands, some to parents, some to foreigners, and some to priests, etc. Most Christians who faithfully follow the scriptures in the New Testament (Brit Chadasha) are already keeping most of the commandments. They don’t eat bats, skunks or toads for dinner or kill other people indiscriminately, they don’t sleep around with prostitutes, or steal from their neighbors when they get the chance. Christians who do not do these and other bad things are already keeping many of the commandments. Since Yeshua has replaced, suspended, or superceded the discontinued Levitical priesthood as a high priest after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:10, 6:20, 7:11 & 12), and since we no longer have a temple on Earth to practice ceremonial law in, we are free from those ceremonial laws for as long as Yeshua decides to keep things this way. Currently Yahweh has a temple in the Heavens where he oversees whatever priestly ceremonies need to be done. The ceremonial works that were to be performed in the temple represent another whole category of commandments that none of us have to worry about anymore.

 

NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES WHERE COMMANDMENT KEEPING IS PROMOTED:

1) Keeping the Father’s Commandments proves that we know him.

• 1st John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. [KJV]

 

2) Keeping the Commandments helps to get our prayers answered.

• 1st John 3:21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. 22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. [KJV]

 

3) We prove our love for Elohim (God) and his children by keeping his Commandments.

• 1st John 5:1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. [KJV]

 

4) We are loving each other when we are keeping the Father’s Commandments.

• 2nd John 1:4 I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father. And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. [KJV]

 

5) Keeping the Commandments and following Yahshua (Jesus) leads to eternal life.

• Matthew 19:16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. . . . 20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. [KJV]

 

6) Yeshua (Jesus) taught us to keep the Commandments of Elohim (God) and to teach others to keep them as well.

• Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. [KJV]

 

7) Yeshua (Jesus) affirmed the idea of keeping the two greatest Commandments.

• There is no benefit in keeping the other commandments if we fail to keep these at the same time.

 

• Matthew 22:35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36 Master, which is the great Commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. [KJV]

 

8) Commandment keepers get rest and reward for their works.

• Revelations 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. 13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. [KJV]

 

9) Commandment keepers get access to the New Jerusalem and the tree of life.

• Revelations 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. 13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. 14 Blessed are they that do his [God’s] commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. [KJV] [italics mine]

 

10) Paul assumes that the Commandments of Yahweh (Lord) are still valid because his advice comes from one of them.

• Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) [KJV]  This verse in Ephesians is a quote from, a reference from, or an allusion to one of the 10 commandments from Exodus Chapter 20 as follows: Exodus 20:12  Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. [KJV]

 

MOST ALREADY KEEP MANY OF THE COMMANDMENTS, BUT WHICH ONES ARE WE FAILING TO KEEP?

A) The Command to keep the Seventh Day Sabbath separate from work.

• This is so that we can rest and fellowship with Yahweh.

 

B) The Command to keep the 7 Annual Feasts of Yahweh forever.

• It’s not too difficult to keep the 7 annual feasts once you have learned about them and have completed a whole year’s cycle. The fear of the unknown is the greatest obstacle to overcome.

 

C) The Commands to avoid idolatry, false gods, or mixing in some of their worship methods.

• In Deuteronomy 12:29-31 Yahweh commanded that we should never try to find out how false gods were worshiped and then turn around and worship him in the same way. Christmas and Easter are merely pagan holidays which were celebrated for centuries before the time of Christ but were given Christian names and labels in our modern times. For more information about the pagan origins of Easter and Christmas see our “EASTER” page and our “CHRISTMAS” page.

 

D) The Command to avoid unclean foods.

• There are many unclean foods we are not supposed to eat and almost all of them are scavenger animals, environmental janitors, or bottom feeders which feed on rotten or diseased flesh, and other toxic garbage in order to dispose of them. The most common unclean meats many Westerners eat are pig meat, saltwater sea creatures like crabs, shrimp, prongs and clams, as well as freshwater catfish, and rabbits but this is not the entire list of all unclean foods.

 

WARNING ABOUT FALSE DOCTRINES:

Yeshua (Jesus) warned us to beware of false prophets, wolves in sheep’s clothing, hirelings, and blind leaders of the blind. A blind leader may be honest but only know part of the applicable scriptures on a particular subject. Though many deceivers leave the scriptures out which back alternate viewpoints, there are also honest ones who don't try to sell you or tell you truths they don’t know about. Because of their ignorance and inexperience, they also leave important scriptures out of their teachings. On the other hand, there are also people who are specialists about certain scriptural subjects while at the same time know very little about other scriptural subjects. The way to make the best of such situations is to learn to EAT THE FISH AND THROW THE BONES AWAY. This means that a wise person should only accept what the scriptures clearly promote or allow.  Because many topics are covered in the scriptures from many angles and from many different writers and books, we should make sure that we know what each available writer of scripture has to say about a particular subject before accepting or rejecting an entire doctrine. Failure to be balanced by all of the scriptures that apply to any given subject can leave us unbalanced in our doctrines and practices and open us up to sin and error. When a teacher, preacher, or religious leader of any type comes along and tries to say that the law or the commandments are obsolete, or wants to start an endless antagonistic debate over what the Apostle Paul had to say about Law and Grace as if they are opposed to one another, … the quickest way to wake them up is to show them the scriptures in the New (Renewed) Testament (Covenant) which clearly promote the idea that we are currently supposed to be keeping the Commandments of Elohim (God). This will force them to rethink their doctrines and figure out a way to make all the scriptures agree with each other. Hopefully they will no longer have a love for Sloppy Agape or Greasy Grace once they are forced to make sense of all the scriptures they left out, after they are blended together into the total sum of scriptures.

 

HOLINESS:

Another thing that flies in the face of Greasy Grace, Lasciviousness, and Lawlessness is the commandment to be holy (set-apart or separate from things Yahweh speaks against). He has commanded “Be ye holy for I am holy (1st Peter 1:15 & 16).