B"H

Hey Pastor Steve,

Sorry it's been such a long time since I've left any comments here. As I may or may not have mentioned, I got laid off from my job in Jan. Since then I took a few computer classes at our local community college and am now trying to pass the CompTIA A+ certification exam. I took the first part, Essentials, and didn't pass. I'll probably try again maybe next week, but it costs $168.00 for each attempt.

Anyway, I mentioned all that simply to say that I have been busy with other things in life. I enjoyed the brief time we spent together over lunch, but it was much too loud and our time was too short. I have thought quite often about your invitation to come sit in on your Sunday school class as you study Romans. While I love you as a brother in the LORD, I hesitate to get involved because I think we have some very different understandings of Paul and the NT in general. Bringing those differences to light in the context of your class doesn't seem like a good idea to me.

I could reference several quotes and statements in this post that I take exception to, but I don't want to merely start a dispute or an argument. As I have shared with you before, Christians and Messianic Jews share the core elements of our faith in Jesus as the Messiah, but in regard to the Torah we generally walk on divergent paths. Christians, especially those who are Evangelical, usually subscribe to the idea that the Law = the Torah, and that GOD in His great mercy has freed His people from the bondage of law-keeping as a pathway to salvation. From a Jewish point of view it is agreed that there are legal aspects of the Torah, but Torah includes much more than laws, rules and regulations. The word Torah literally means instruction. After the deliverance from Egyptian bondage GOD gave the Ten Commandments and the Torah to Israel as a gift. It was purposed to teach and guide the newly formed covenant community. Salvation is, and always has been, established by the work of GOD on behalf of His people. Obedience to the dictates of the Torah was designed to give life, not salvation.

"The Law points to God because it defines sin and reveals the character of God, but it also points us to Christ because it points out our complete inability to conform to the character of God and thus the need for a savior."

" ...the Bible points out repeatedly, no one is capable of obeying the Law. So what to do?

Christ obeyed the Law perfectly. Christ fulfilled the Law (Mt. 5:17). Christ is the end of the Law (Romans 10:4) and through the New Covenant, made the Old Covenant OBSOLETE (Heb. 8:13).

When a person becomes born again, they are placed in Christ (1 Cor. 12:13). All that is Christ's becomes reckoned to the believer: His death, His burial, His resurrection, His righteousness, His sonship, AND his standing in regards to the Law! If I am in Christ, I am regarded as having obeyed the Law - I am JUSTIFIED! Declared RIGHTEOUS! "

My dear brother Steve. If one were to paraphrase the ideas portrayed in your post and most specifically in these few sentences a very pernicious view of GOD the Father emerges. Here is a god who has issued many legal decrees which He knows no one can fulfill. The purpose of this intentional exercise in anxiety and frustration is that each individual should cry out to GOD for mercy and then find it in the provision of Jesus who saves/delivers those who call on Him from any further bondage to this system of legal works/righteousness.

Every week, in synagogues all over the world, at the close of the Torah service the Torah scroll is raised and the following is said,

"And this is the Torah that Moses placed before the children of Israel. It is given by the hand of Moses; it is from the mouth of GOD."

As the Torah scroll is being placed in the Ark (closet) the following is said,

"Leader: I have given you good instruction: Do not forsake My Torah!"

"It is a tree of life to those who take hold of it, and happy are those who support it. Its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace. LORD, turn us to You and we will return. Renew our days as of old."

Most certainly I understand your point regarding the common misuse of the Mosaic Constitution and the resulting 'selective obedience' to some commandments and not other ones. On the ohter hand though, I think that Christians need an entirely revised orientation to the Law of Moses. IMHO, the best way for this to take place is for Christians and Messianic Jews to meet for fellowship and study.

I would like to have lunch again sometime my brother. Perhaps you could come here (Evanston) or I'll come there again if that works best. Let me know.

Blessings,

Shlomo

Hey, brother

This may actually be a good reason for you to come and speak to my college students. I would like to challenge both them and myself with points of view that are perhaps differnet from ours but not outside the pale of orthodoxy.

In the class, we have been covering Romans 6-7 recently, and of course it seems that Paul is equating release from the bondage to sin in chapter 6 with release from the bondage to law in chapter 7. I think the point could be made that Paul is not limiting his thoughts to Mosaic Law, but rather is speaking of law as a principle and as such is likely including Mosaic Law. Paul seems to anticipate his readers reacting to the equating or paralleling of bondage to sin and bondage to law, so he makes a defense of law as a good and holy thing later on in chapter 7.

I'm sure you know all this, but my point is that there is much to learn regarding the relationship between law and grace in the life of the believer, and I believe you could contribute to that discussion. I'd like you to at least consider the possibility.

June-August are terribly busy for me, but I'd certainly like to get together again, and perhaps I can still talk you into coming to dialogue with my students :0)

Peace,

Steve

Steve -it's Bethany- I think you already know my opinion on this from Facebook lol.

Just wanted to stop by and say I'm back on Xanga.. you should check out my blog,

and don't hate me for my last entry lol.

Peace, fool.