|
Galatians 3:6-14 Righteousness By Faith Table of Contents Avraham: the Man of Faithfulness Galatians 3:6-14 Even so Avraham “believed Elohim, and it was reckoned unto him as righteousness.” Know, then, that those who are of belief (loyalty or obedience to his covenant commandments) are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, having foreseen that Elohim would declare right the nations by belief (loyalty), announced the Good News to Abraham beforehand, saying, “All the nations shall be blessed in you,” so that those who are of belief (loyalty to Yah) are blessed with Abraham, the faithful one. For as many as are of works of Torah are under the curse, for it has been written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all that has been written in the book of the Torah, to do them.” And that no one is declared right by (oral) Torah before Elohim is clear, for “The righteous shall live by faithfulness (to the written Torah).” And the (oral) Torah is not of faith (loyalty), but “The man who does them shall live by them.” Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the Torah, having become a curse for us – for it has been written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs upon a tree.” – in order that the blessing of Avraham might come upon the nations in Messiah, to receive the promise of the Spirit through fidelity. Avraham: the Man of Faithfulness 6 Even so Avraham “believed Elohim, and it was reckoned unto him as righteousness.” Here, “believed” means “he knew it to be so and was supporting it and committed to it” 7 Know, then, that those who are of belief (loyalty or obedience to his covenant commandments) are sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, having foreseen that Elohim would declare right the nations by belief (loyalty), announced the Good News to Abraham beforehand, saying, “All the nations shall be blessed in you,” 9 so that those who are of belief (loyalty to Yah) are blessed with Abraham, the faithful one. 10 For as many as are of works of Torah are under the curse, for it has been written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all that has been written in the book of the Torah, to do them.” Those who choose to place themselves under the "works of Torah," which are man-made commandments (works of Torah is the Pharisaic terminology for obedience to their teachings and traditions), are cursed because by obeying the man-made commandments, they shun the commandments of Yah's covenant. Thus, according to written Torah, they are cursed because they are failing to walk in all Yahuwah's commandments. The Result of Avraham’s Obedience 26:2 Yahuwah appeared to Yitzchak and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; settle down in the land that I will point out to you. 3 Stay in this land. Then I will be with you and will bless you, for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, and I will fulfill the solemn promise I made to your father Avraham. 4 I will multiply your descendants so they will be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands. All the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants. 5 All this will come to pass because Avraham obeyed me and kept my charge, my commandments, my rules, and my Instructions.“ “He shema-d my voice, and guarded my guardians, my mitzvot, my chukim and my torot”
Adding A Fence to the Torah Guarding the guardians: The “fence” around the written Torah is that which further explains and expands upon the meaning of Torah, namely, their own oral interpretations, which themselves replace the written Torah. All such nonsense is against the written word which commands us not to add to or take away from his spoken word (which was then written down). Torot - Two Torahs? No. “Instructions.” Who are the Sons of Avraham? Those who believe = those who respond to Yah in obedience, as Av did. Romans 3:31 Do we then nullify the Torah through emunah? Absolutely not! Instead we uphold the Torah. (Dev 27:26)
Under the Works of the Law 10 For as many as are of works of Torah are under the curse, for it has been written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all that has been written in the book of the Torah, to do them.” If you are “under” (i.e. following the requirements of) man-made rules, then you aren’t obeying written Torah and are thus “cursed” according to written Torah.
Romans 10 3 For ignoring the righteousness that comes from Elohim, and seeking instead to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to Elohim's righteousness. The Yahudim sought their own righteousness by establishing an oral torah, by which they thought they needed to obey to please Yah. 4 For Messiah is the end of the (works of the) law, with the result that there is righteousness for everyone who believes (is faithful to the covenant). 5 For Moshe writes about the righteousness that is by the Torah: "The one who does these things will live by them." 6 And the righteousness which comes from faithfulness says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Messiah down) 7 or "Who will descend into the abyss?" (that is, to bring Messiah up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we preach) Faithful obedience to the Torah counts toward righteousness in Yahuwah’s thinking!
Getting Personal Gal 3:10 must have been quite personal for the Galatian readers. They were aware that it was because of their ancestors disobedience to written Torah that they find themselves to be exiles in a foreign land. Thus, all who ignore written Torah and obey man-made teachings instead are under a curse and are subject to the dispersion as outlined in Devarim 27 (v26) and 28. Marcion’s Misdeed Greek: “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse” Marcion: “For as many as are under the law are under the curse” Marcion was an antinomian – against Torah It is well known that he edited Paul’s letters, putting his “spin” on them. Thus, in the phrase “works of the law” was often condensed to “the law,” implying that the Torah itself is responsible for sin and was thus done away with. So, in Romans and Galatians, where “the law” occurs, we must consider the possibility that the original said “works of the law” or is a reference to Oral Law.
11 And that no one is declared right by (oral) Torah before Elohim is clear, for “The righteous shall live by faithfulness (to the written Torah).” 12 And the (oral) Torah is not of faith (loyalty), but “The man who does them shall live by them.” What Torah? The righteous shall live by belief in what? Faithfulness to written Torah. No one is declared right by doing man made commandments – righteousness is manifested through written Torah!
Redeemed From What? 13 Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the Torah, having become a curse for us – for it has been written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs upon a tree.” – 14 in order that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the nations in Messiah, to receive the promise of the Spirit through belief. We are redeemed from sin! The curse of Torah is placed on those who do NOT uphold and obey the written word! (Dev 27:26) All of Devarim 30
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Example of Avraham 6 Even so Abraham “did believe Elohim, and it was reckoned unto him as righteousness.” 7 Know, then, that those who are of belief are sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, having foreseen that Elohim would declare right the nations by belief, announced the Good News to Abraham beforehand, saying, “All the nations shall be blessed in you,” 9 so that those who are of belief are blessed with Abraham, the believer. 10 For as many as are of works of Torah are under the curse, for it has been written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all that has been written in the book of the Torah, to do them.” Avraham’s “Belief” Beresheit 15:5 He took him outside and said, "Peer into the sky and count the stars--if you are able to count them!" Then he said to him, "So will your descendants be." 6 Avram believed Yahuwah, and Yahuwah counted it for righteousness. !m;a' (aman) to confirm, support, uphold (Qal); to be established, be faithful (Niphal); to be certain, i.e. to believe inHiphil). hn"Wma/ (eműnâ) firmness, fidelity, steadiness. Avraham was commended for his steadfastness to Yahuwah his Maker. Avraham was credited with righteousness because he was faithful to the covenant Yah had made with him! He trusted everything Yah told him, and thus obeyed everything Yah told him! The Nature of Avraham’s Emunah Did he “just believe” or did he obey? Bereshith 12:1-4 13:14-18 15:9,10 17:9-14; 22-26 22:1-3 Scriptural “faith” means trusting in what Yah has said (commanded) and doing it. To What was Avraham Emunah ("faithful")? 26:2 Yahuwah appeared to Yitzchak and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; settle down in the land that I will point out to you. 3 Stay in this land. Then I will be with you and will bless you, for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, and I will fulfill the solemn promise I made to your father Avraham. 4 I will multiply your descendants so they will be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands. All the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants. 5 All this will come to pass because Avraham obeyed me and kept my charge, my commandments, my rules, and my Instructions.“ “He shema-d my voice, and guarded my guardians, my mitzvot, my chukim and my torot” It was this quality of Avraham - his fidelity to his relationship with Yah, resulting in full compliance (obedience) to all that Yahuwah commanded him - that was the basis for crediting Avraham with righteousness! Thus, "Avraham believed and it was credited to him as righteousness" should be understood to be saying, "Avraham trusted Yahuwah, resulting in full compliance to Yahuwah's will, and it was credited to him as righteousness." Who are the Sons of Avraham? Those who believe = those who respond to Yah in obedience, as Av did. Romans 3:31 Do we then nullify the Torah through emunah (faithfulness)? Absolutely not! Instead we uphold the Torah.
Under the Works of the Law 10 For as many as are of works of Torah are under the curse, for it has been written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all that has been written in the book of the Torah, to do them.” If you are “under” (i.e. following the requirements of) man-made rules, then you aren’t obeying written Torah and are thus “cursed” according to written Torah. Romans 10 3 For ignoring the righteousness that comes from Elohim, and seeking instead to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to Elohim's righteousness. 4 For Messiah is the end of the (works of the) law, with the result that there is righteousness for everyone who believes (is faithful to the covenant). 5 For Moshe writes about the righteousness that is by the Torah: "The one who does these things will live by them." 6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Messiah down) 7 or "Who will descend into the abyss?" (that is, to bring Messiah up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we preach) In Romans 10, Sha'ul is describing the righteousness the Yehudim chased after when they chose to ignore the written Scriptures and put the Pharisaical Oral Torah as their authority and way to righteousness. Anytime one chooses to lay aside Yahuwah's way of righteousness (steadfastness to the Covenant) and chooses a man-made route instead (following Oral Torah, following Church doctrine, following your pastor's teaching), that one has forfeited the benefits offered by Yahuwah. There is no righteousness apart from the written Torah of Scriptures. This is the righteousness which Messiah Yahusha' enables us to obtain "by faithfulness" because of his substitute death on the tree in our place. Getting Personal This statement must have been quite personal for the Galatian readers. They were aware that it was because of their ancestors disobedience to written Torah that they find themselves to be exiles in a foreign land. Thus, all who ignore written Torah and obey man-made teachings instead are under a curse and are subject to the dispersion as outlined in Devarim 27 (v26) and 28. Marcion’s Misdeed Greek: “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse” Marcion: “For as many as are under the law are under the curse” Marcion was an antinomian – against Torah. It is well known that he edited Paul’s letters, putting his “spin” on them. Thus, in the phrase “works of the law” was often condensed to “the law,” implying that the Torah itself is responsible for sin and was thus done away with. So, in Romans and Galatians and in any other Pauline epistle, where “the law” occurs, we must consider the possibility that the original said “works of the law.” We must always interpret "the law" in its context and determine which "law" Sha'ul is referring to. There is no other way, besides context, to ascertain which Torah he is referring to. 11 And that no one is declared right by (oral) Torah before Elohim is clear, for “The righteous shall live by belief.” 12 And the (oral) Torah is not of belief, but “The man who does them shall live by them.” What Torah is he talking about here? The righteous shall live by belief in what? Faithfulness to written Torah. No one is declared right by doing man made commandments – righteousness is manifested through written Torah! Redeemed From What? 13 Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the Torah, having become a curse for us – for it has been written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs upon a tree.” – 14 in order that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the nations in Messiah, to receive the promise of the Spirit through belief. We are redeemed from sin! We are NOT redeemed from the Torah of written Scripture. The written Scriptures show us the righteous way of life which please Yah. The curse of Torah is placed on those who do NOT obey the written word (see Devarim 27,28)! Faith = Faithfulness Devarim 32:19 But Yahuwah took note and despised them because his sons and daughters enraged him. 20 He said, "I will reject them, I will see what will happen to them; for they are a perverse generation, children who show no loyalty (Heb. “aman”). “in whom is no faith” Under the Works of the Law 10 For as many as are of works of Torah are under the curse, for it has been written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all that has been written in the book of the Torah, to do them.” If you are “under” (i.e. following the requirements of) man-made rules, then you aren’t obeying written Torah and are thus “cursed” according to written Torah. Devarim 27:26 'Cursed is the one who refuses to keep the words of this instruction.' Then all the people will say, 'Amen!' Romans 3:31 Do we then nullify the Torah through emunah? Absolutely not! Instead we uphold the Torah.
And that no one is declared right by (oral) Torah before Elohim is clear, for “The righteous shall live by faithfulness (to the written Torah).” And the (oral) Torah is not of faith (loyalty), but “The man who does them shall live by them.” Gal 3:11,12 What Torah? The righteous shall live by “belief” in what? Faithfulness to written Torah. No one is declared right by doing man made (oral torah) commandments – righteousness is manifested through written Torah! Marcion’s Misdeed Greek: “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse” Marcion: “For as many as are under the law are under the curse” Marcion was an antinomian – against Torah It is well known that he edited Paul’s letters, putting his “spin” on them. Thus, in the phrase “works of the law” was often condensed to “the law,” implying that the Torah itself is responsible for sin and was thus done away with. So, in Romans and Galatians, where “the law” occurs, we must consider the possibility that the original said “works of the law” or is a reference to Oral Law. Redeemed From What? 13 Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the Torah, having become a curse for us – for it has been written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs upon a tree.” – 14 in order that the blessing of Avraham might come upon the nations in Messiah, to receive the promise of the Spirit through fidelity. We are redeemed from sin! The curse of Torah is placed on those who do NOT uphold and obey the written word! (Dev 27:26) Hung on a Tree Devarim 21:22 If a person commits a sin punishable by death and is executed, and you shall hang him on a tree, 23 his body must not lodge all night on the tree; instead you must make certain you bury him that same day, for cursed of Elohim is the hung one. You must not pollute your land which Yahuwah your Elohim is giving you as an inheritance.
Written by David M Rogers
www.BibleTruth.cc
Published:
|