Paul is sometimes hard to understand.

Rather than open this post up with a qualifier about how challenging it can be to decipher the writings of Paul: Pharisee of Pharisees, someone considered to be a true savant of his day, I am going to let Peter do that for me. I also want to point out that the Lord saw fit for the instructions below to be part of our Bible. We would be wise to consider and seek out the reason for the warning.

 "Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found spotless and blameless by Him, at peace, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which there are some things that are hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unscrupulous people and lose your own firm commitment, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." (2 Peter 3:14-18)

Paul's words were being distorted even while the words of the New Testament were being penned, and they continue to be today. Paul was being accused by the Sanhedrin of teaching that Torah obedience was no longer required, one of many false allegations being wielded against him to discredit him. Peter is appealing to his readers that Paul is being misunderstood (I deeply relate to Paul in this).

Righteousness and Faithful Obedience

Abraham's obedience was credited to him as righteousness by which the covenant was made, yes you heard me correctly. Let's take a hard look at Romans 4 :

"What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about; but not before God." (Romans 4:1-2)

Let's break this down a bit. What does Paul mean by "works"?

"For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.'"(Romans 4:3)

The word believed here in Greek is Pistis (πείθω). By referencing the Septuagint, (The Greek translation of the Hebrew Tanakh) you will find that Pistis is used in place of the Hebrew word Emunah (אמונה), a word from the same root as: craftsman, artist, or practitioner. The word means 'Trustworthy' in its simplest form, and in Semitic languages is a dynamic verb rather than simply agreement or acknowledgement or even an object to possess as we use the word in our language. "To Walk Firmly with G-d" is how it is often described by Jewish sages. When Paul is writing bout Abraham, he is discussing Abraham's trustworthiness. How does one become trustworthy? By their actions - walking out one's faith is a practice or a craft to be cultivated.

Paul also notes here that while works are not credited as favor, they are assumed as what is due.

Here it is explicitly spelled out for us in Genesis 26 as the Lord instructs Isaac:

 "Live for a time in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham. I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed Me and fulfilled his duty to Me, and kept My commandments, My statutes, and My laws." (Genesis 26:3-5)

I want to point out that this "credit" is awarded both 1) before the sign of circumcision is completed and 2) before the written Torah is handed to Moses at Sinai. At this point there are more than the commandments as we often think of them, the Lord explicitly refers to Commandments, Statutes, and Laws. So there is an established understanding of a Law as well as the expectation to obey it. It is by this obedience, done in faith, that the Lord bound Himself in a covenant with Abraham.

Let's continue in Romans:

"Now to the one who works, the wages are not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness" (Romans 4:4-5)

What is Paul saying here? Let's again recover some frustration and head back to Peter and remember that sometimes Paul is hard to understand. Paul is simply referencing a distinction here. He is writing to a mixed congregation in Rome, both Jew and Gentile and he is uncovering some mystery around Abraham that points to two distinct types of descendants and is explaining how Gentiles are to be incorporated into the family of Abraham but still distinct from the natural born descendants of Abraham.

"The one who works" refers to the Jewish-born descendant.

Paul notes that those 'works' are described as "what is due". In the Mosaic covenant with Israel at Sinai, Torah obedience is required as part of the marriage covenant with God to receive the physical temporal blessings and protection from God during this age. Paul is explaining that Torah obedience is not cancelled, but an obligation for the natural branches. He then distinguishes that this is not making the Jewish believer more favored in the eyes of the Lord, only different.

"The one who does not work" speaks of the Gentile believer.

One who is justified by faith which, again, means: firm walking in Messiah and that is how he is credited as righteous. Still an act, still a verb, but Paul is ensuring there is a distinction of roles for the two types of family members. He also needs to validate this claim by referencing scriptures and he does:

"Just as David also speaks of the blessing of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, And whose sins have been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.'" (Romans 4:6-8)

Paul is citing Psalm 32 here and using the prophetic words of David to confirm his claim that there has been a plan all along to bring into the family those who are not bound in the same way to the full covenant made at Sinai. He then uses Genesis to draw details from the timing of Abraham's covenant and sign to point to two different distinctions within the family (two brothers if you will). Paul is introducing a younger brother "Those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven" - he is speaking directly to the lawless, meaning those without the Torah. He is proving that pagan Gentiles are also invited and will be redeemed through the atoning sacrifice of Messiah.

"Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, “Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.”  How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised; and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them,  and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised. For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the Law are heirs, then faith is made void and the promise is nullified; for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation." (Romans 4:9-14)

Paul is sometimes difficult to understand, in the above passage, is an understatement.

As a modern Gentile, I would say for me Paul is often infuriating. I am relieved that I am not alone, and actually in good company. Paul's words were so misunderstood that the Epistle of James (written by Jacob, the Lord's brother) is a response to many of these allegations. James is explaining to the Jewish followers of Jesus that Paul has not abandoned obedience or Torah, and that Faith without Works is dead. [6]

"What use is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,  and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? In the same way, faith also, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to acknowledge, you foolish person, that faith without works is useless?" ( James 2:14-20)

With this in mind let's continue to study Romans 4 and find clarity.

Paul is explaining to his audience, in particular the Jewish among them, that if Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness, then a precedent had been set already for the faith of the now incoming Gentile believers. He explains that this happened prior to his circumcision, that the circumcision itself did not credit him as righteous, but his Firm Trust in the Promise of God. His actions backing up and crediting him as trustworthy reveal the true Emunah in his heart. In this way, Abraham is the 'father' to uncircumcised believers in Jesus. He then also explains that the sign of circumcision which was a seal of his righteousness is also the way he is the father to the circumcised.

All Paul is trying to do in this passage, is use a proof-text to back up his message of inclusion of the Gentiles through Emunah (Faith) in Messiah Yeshua.

The writings of Paul, which address very specific circumstances to specific readers, have continued to be used for all sorts of strange doctrines and theological systems. From the theft of the role of the Jewish people as light to the nations and administers of the oracles, to claiming that Jesus canceled the Torah or fulfilled its requirements and redefined Torah observance.

Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes "There is nothing new under the sun."[7] This has occurred since the very beginning. The assault on distinction, roles, and obedience has continued through the ages. It takes a large measure of humility to be willing to step away from the way we have believed with our own understanding to be able to see what God has laid out for us as the truth.

The God of Distinction

From cover to cover the unifying message regarding distinction becomes clear: God is a God of distinction. He is the very antithesis of amalgamation, universalism, and uniformity. First, He separates darkness from light, then He does away with formlessness and there is a distinction between Heavens and Earth. He then separates the cosmic waters. [4]

Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1:3,4)

God made the expanse, and separated the waters that were below the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse; and it was so. (Genesis 1:7)

God both defines and distinguishes over and over and over again throughout history, from cover to cover and that never changes. We see righteousness defined in the garden as trusting obedience, regardless of our understanding. We see Noah distinguished as righteous and preserved through God's wrath upon the earth. The Lord explains through the prophet Ezekiel that Noah, Job, and Daniel were distinguished in their righteousness, which sets them apart from any city or people they dwell among. [5] We also hear the Lord continue to prophesy about this 'remnant' that will come out of Israel when His wrath once again purges and distinguishes the righteous and unrighteous.

"Even though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only save themselves,” declares the Lord God. (Ezekiel 14:14)

We see a continuation of defining and distinction as the Lord carves out a family for Himself to make for Himself a people. A people distinct from the rest of creation, a people to whom He tethers to Himself by way of a covenant.

I use the word tether because when you look at the synonyms for this word the results you get are: secure, bind, chain, and restraint. Let us meditate on those words and apply them to the way the Lord eternally anchored Himself to the family of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

•Secure: peace for us that He has not given up on Creation.

•Bind: Himself to those of us who never give up our trust in His Promises.

•Chain: us to the hope of His redemption of all things so that we might not drift away.

•Restrain: Himself from acting in grief and anger towards rebellious and selfish people.

When the promises to Abraham were carved into a covenant, the process of God's distinction continued. First, the Lord desired for us to understand that this covenant with Abraham was irrevocable, one of the ways He did this was by showing us in history that, although Abraham attempted to interpret the mode of delivery for the promise, he never once doubted the promise itself. So we see the Lord continue to deliver on this promise because the promise had no contingencies reliant upon Abraham. We also see the 4,000 years of consequences for disobedience in the form of war, violence, and bloodshed between the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael that continues today. This informs us that there are incredible consequences for sins, still, He retains all of the promises that He has made.

Role Assignments, Usurpation & Humble Submission

In the book of Jude (Judah), the Lord's brother warns against role usurpation in the second to last book of the Biblical canon. He writes that even though it was burning in his heart to write about their mutual salvation, instead he is burdened to warn and rebuke these waterless clouds and wandering stars.[8] In the order of Cain, Korah, and Balaam, he writes, that they should be cut off from among the community. He uses the term wandering star as a descriptive. We are told that God created the stars [9], set them into place [10], and even named them [11]. There are numerous references to stars as angelic hosts and there are three recorded heavenly rebellions in the Tanakh. (Genesis 3, Genesis 6, Genesis 11 - confirmed in Psalm 82 & Deuteronomy 32)

These wandering stars did not stay fixed in their designed distinct roles.

Jude also references humans who step out of their assigned roles and pine after another. Cain is referred to in this order of offenses. Note that in Genesis 4 when God rejects Cain's sacrifice that is not the thing that leads to his demise, we see the Lord warn Cain about his response :

“Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” (Genesis 4:6)

We are not told how much time passed between this warning and the murder of Abel, but there are two things we can take away from these events :

• Cain did not heed the warning and allowed the sin to devour and consume him leading to the sin that caused him to be sent into exile, murder.

• Cain's refusal to accept the ruling of God's rejection of his sacrifice is a blatant usurpation of authority. Who is Cain to disagree with the creator?

After the Exodus, Korah rebelled by rising up and claiming that all in the community of the Lord are loved the same, he was dissatisfied with the distinction the Lord had set for Moses and Aaron [12].

They assembled together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You have gone far enough! For all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is in their midst; so why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?” When Moses heard this, he fell on his face;  and he spoke to Korah and all his group, saying, “Tomorrow morning the Lord will make known who is His, and who is holy, and will bring that one near to Himself; indeed, the one whom He will choose, He will bring near to Himself. (Numbers 16:3-5)

Balaam took it upon himself to set up a stumbling block for the tribes of Israel which consisted of tempting them into disobedience [13]. In both instances, we see an example of someone assuming a role that does not belong to them and the fury of the Lord with regard to obedience. According to Isaiah, the Lord would set up a stumbling block for Israel for His purposes [14]. In Leviticus, it is not permitted to set up a stumbling block for the blind[15]. Paul warns about setting stumbling blocks for another in Romans and Corinthians. The Lord alone is the one who can allow for the testing and stumbling of His image-bearers.

Jesus Himself offers a chilling warning for those who cause stumbling blocks [16]. 

The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:41-42)

What is disobedience truly? It is a usurpation of roles. It is creation turning from the creator, it is rejecting our design, the distinction between us and Him, rejecting the place we have been put in.

What do roles, distinction, and obedience all have in common? The answer is humility.

If we cannot humble ourselves, we will undoubtedly end up entangled in its antonym: pride. This is where all disobedience is born from. We can plant seeds of humility or pride in our gardens and that will determine whether our fruit is obedience or disobedience. That is in its most distilled state what the Bible is saying. It is one consistent message from beginning to end. God elaborates in endless ways and formats so that every mind can find this message regardless of where they find themselves in scripture.

The consistency and continuity of our Creator's message is so simple, so direct so narrow in its scope that once the reader can see it, it can never be unseen again. It is patterned and repeated over and over again as a constant reinforcement that the narrative as you continue to read, has not changed, is not changing, and will never change because, "He never changes, nor casts a shifting shadow."  [17]

Islamic Immigration, Jesus & The Heart of the Father.

There is a global conversation taking place centered around a growing concern for the mass immigration of the Third World into the West, in particular Islam.

As a disciple of Jesus and a believer that Jesus is Jewish and that ultimately Christianity must return to Biblical Judaism, it could be tempting for me to jump at this opportunity to speak out against the coming shift in population for the sake of safety.

It is no secret that the religion of Islam calls for the eradication of Jewish people along with every other non-Muslim for their messiah to come and establish global peace through forced, (and if required) violent conversion. The word Islam literally translates to Submission.

While both the Hebrew Bible and the Christian New Testament also teach complete submission to God, how this is achieved could not be further from the instructions of the Quran. The methods of Islam stand in direct opposition to the teaching of Jesus. Hashem and Jesus of Nazareth both require obedience and a life wholly submitted to God and His commandments, but there is a clear distinction in how that submission is sought: It is through willing surrender, and acceptance, and it is a choice. It is not attained through dominance, or a forced conversion (despite many unfortunate instances where this was done in God's name throughout history).

Another unfortunate misunderstanding of the Christian New Testament is the idea that Jesus and His followers disregarded or somehow closed the chapter on obedience to the Law of Moses (The Torah). This error has caused the union of the followers of Jesus and their Jewish brothers and sisters to remain unrealized.

I have expounded on this subject extensively in another blog post you can read here. Due to this misrepresentation within Christianity, observant Jewish people have drawn parallels between Christianity and Islam believing that these two faiths no longer see the obedience to the Torah Commandments as a requirement.

“As it turns out more than half the world, because of Christianity and Islam, believe in the Torah as the word of God. Moses appears more frequently in the Quran than Muhammed. The majority of the world believes [in the God of Abraham]. [Abrahamic religions] believe that Judaism is a default baseline, they believe there were Mitzvot that were given to the Jewish people. The only thing is, these other Abrahamic religions believe that the Commandments found in the Torah are no longer obligatory, and therefore, they believe, in those religions, and they believe that [observant Jews], miss the boat." Rabbi Tovia Singer

What an incredibly sad reflection this is for the Christian faith. While this is not true of the religion of Jesus, and nowhere in the Christian Bible is there evidence supporting this, professing followers of Jesus have, in one way or another, preached this and used this as a tool for evangelism for nearly two thousand years.

So where there is unity in both The Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and the Brit Chadashah (New Testament), the majority of believers within the Jewish and Christian communities do not seem to recognize it.

The Accurate Distinctions between these Three Abrahamic faiths are:

• Both the Hebrew Bible and the Christian New Testament confirm obedience to the Torah.

• Both Judaism and Christianity are presented with the choice both corporately and at a personal level to submit to God's authority or rebel against it.

• Both Christianity and Judaism approach this life as an opportunity to willingly turn our hearts to God and not merely conform our behaviors.

• Both Judaism and Christianity teach that through trust and obedience, covenants are made with God as the authority in our lives that God alone can uphold and carry out.

• In contrast, the Quran teaches its followers that submission to Allah is required to bring about the fullness of the messianic age and that it may be achieved by any means necessary. Islam is founded on the idea that The ends justify the means. Deception, oppression, physical threats of violence, and torture are all on the table in the Noble Quran as long as those things are to further the advancement of Islam on the earth.

How does understanding the teachings of Muhammed paired with the historical record of Islam since its beginnings help us to continue to act as "People of Light" in service to God? This knowledge helps us to look upon the majority of Muslims with compassion.

If a religion calls for its advancement using the measures mentioned above, then we can assume that most of its members are either deceived, oppressed, threatened, or tortured to keep them within the religion.

The history of the Islamic faith is rife with enforced oppressive and violent submission upon its people, and unfortunately, they have not outgrown this in our modern day.

Consider the Paradox of The Books:

While you may find hate-filled violent humans on earth that profess Christianity or Judaism, this is only a result of not reading or living the teachings of their Book.

In juxtaposition to this, you can find many peaceful Muslims throughout the earth, and that too, is also a result of them not reading their Book.

The Jewish and Christian Scriptures call for peace. The Quran calls for violence.

The critical difference is that Islam holds a large amount of humanity in its grip by force. Those that misunderstand Christianity and Judaism on the other hand, are not currently occupying entire people groups or nations under their religious beliefs through tyranny.

In the prophetic words of Daniel, he writes about a ruler that will rise in the last days before Messiah. He states that this figure worships "the god of fortresses" hinting that this will be a god of military strength that has a stronghold on the earth. Paul warns about false gospels and prophetically states that "for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." These words would come to fruition 500 years later when Mohammed emerged from a cave with a new gospel, one that divorced Jews from God and Judaism from Jesus after encountering an angel of light claiming to be Gabriel.

If we are a disciple of Jesus we must not make the same mistake as Muhammed, and accept a different gospel, one that claims the Torah is obsolete or that the covenant promises of God to Israel are no more. When we do this, we put ourselves at risk of making the same misstep of apostasy and allowing the enemy to take over and wage war on our hearts and minds. This very thing has led to the continued radical violence Islam represents today. Would it surprise you to know that Muhammed began as a worshiper of the God of Israel? Or that he turned towards Jerusalem and prayed to the One True God? Despite the warnings of Paul in Romans, Muhammed became arrogant as a son of Ishmael and twisted the scriptures to claim to be "chosen" rather than be grateful to the descendants who were chosen to spread light and unify humanity in service to God.

Today we are watching the spread of radical Islamic ideas begin to permeate the globe once again. The rise of the Ottoman Caliphate has already set itself into place, and a spirit of antisemitism is again wrapping its fingers one by one around the neck of the earth. This pattern has happened in history repeatedly, and in the most recent global examples, the majority of professing followers of Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ) failed miserably in their calling.

When Jesus revealed the heart of the Father in His Sermon on the Mount, He was giving a distillation of what it means to observe and follow the Torah. This was not a change, this was not an alteration or redefinition of the Law of Moses. Jesus was bringing the revelation of the true Spirit and Heart behind the Laws, Statutes, and Commandments of God. The centrality of the Torah and The Beatitudes is the practicing altruism, which the Cambridge dictionary defines as "the belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others."

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evildoer. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him also the other. And the one wanting to sue you and to take your shirt, let him also have your coat. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors do the same, don’t they? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than anyone else? Even the pagans do that, don’t they? Therefore be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:38-48

So as followers of the Author of The Ten Commandments, as imitators of Jesus, what are we to do in today's climate and rapidly growing Muslim immigration into the West? Are we called to resist and wage war upon them? Are we called to rise up and demonize the people behind this deceptive religion? Are we called to isolate ourselves and hunker down into a monastic lifestyle and wait it out?

We are not.

We are called to be the Salt of the Earth, we are called to be the Light of the World, and we are called to bring This Gospel of the Kingdom to every Tribe, Tongue, and Nation.

The Muslim-majority nations have been the most difficult to penetrate with the Gospel in the world. At the same time, the Underground Church of Iran is the single fastest-growing movement of Messianic believers in Yeshua on Earth. This informs us that there is a deep longing from a group of people who truly want to know God and have not yet found the fulfillment of His presence in their enforced religion and tradition.

What does the Torah teach us about the treatment of foreigners among the ancient Israelites?

“Do not take advantage of foreigners who live among you in your land. Treat them like native-born Israelites, and love them as you love yourself. Remember that you were once foreigners living in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 19:33-34

This passage almost insinuates the purpose of the Captivity in Egypt was to teach Israel exactly how not to treat foreign people among them. Despite popular Islamic propaganda, the state of Israel remains the single most welcoming nation of all faiths, ethnicities, and cultures in the Middle East. To their own harm and detriment, Israel has gone far above and beyond the secular expectations to be welcoming and tolerant of all people groups.

Recently, the global spread of Islamic populations in the world has sparked political rhetoric, cultural fear-mongering, and outrage all over the world. Jewish people (understandably), political conservatives, and professing Christians are all guilty of engaging in this way. If we truly view the heart of the Father as given by the ministry and teachings of Jesus, we must resist the temptation to join the world in this. We have to look at this from the vantage of Heaven. We must ask:

What is God doing in this?

God is moving the unreached and the unengaged that have been trapped within the walls of the god of fortresses out into the free world. He is making our calling to "Preach the Gospel of the coming Kingdom" to a previously unreachable people group far more achievable.

We must overcome the love of our own lives so that we can remain obedient to the Great Commission.

And then Messiah will come.

Maranatha!