Hello,<\/p>\n
I noticed your article on polygyny using I Corinthians 7:2. Do you understand that the Torah is the way, the truth, and life? Just like Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the Word of God. The Word made flesh. It’s written to add or take away from the Torah as sin. Jesus said in his first public address – it’s easier for heaven and earth to pass than the smallest iota to drop from the Torah. He also said until all has been fulfilled. Heaven and earth are still here, and not everything has been fulfilled. Are you calling the Messiah a liar? Because he said he wasn’t going to add or take away from it. And the Torah obviously allows polygyny. You can read in II Samuel 12:8 – the Creator himself accredited himself for giving King David multiple wives. So, are you saying the Creator is a sinner? Remember how harshly the Pharisees were rebuked for adding and taking away from the Torah?<\/p>\n
Study yourself approved. Line by line. Precept by precept.<\/p>\n
Shalom,<\/p>\n\t
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me’<\/em>” (John 14:6).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus is also the Word: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God<\/em>” (John 1:1). The Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament, was given by God. However, you failed to prove that those five books are the way, the truth, and the life that leads to God. Paul, inspired of God, stated, “Now that no one is justified by the Law before God<\/strong> is evident; for, ‘The righteous man shall live by faith.’ However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, ‘He who practices them shall live by them’<\/em>” (Galatians 3:11-12). By this, Paul is saying that the Law required perfect keeping of the law, and no one has been able to do that (barring the Son of God). “Because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight<\/strong>; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin<\/em>” (Romans 3:20). Therein is the problem. The Law taught mankind what was sinful, but that same knowledge became a path to be used as a temptation to sin. The weakness was not in the Law but in the inability of men to keep it perfectly (Romans 7:7-11). As the writer of Hebrews noted, “For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness (for the Law made nothing perfect<\/strong>), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God<\/em>” (Hebrews 7:18-19). Therefore, the Torah cannot be the way, the truth, and the life. It was because it was inadequate that God needed to send His Son.<\/p>\n
Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished<\/em>” (Matthew 5:17-18). You made a false claim because you only referred to a portion of what Jesus said. Jesus stated that he came to fulfill the Law, and the Law would not end until everything in his mission was accomplished.<\/p>\n
The word “fulfill” in\u00a0Matthew 5:17\u00a0comes from the Greek word\u00a0pleroo<\/i>, which means “fill, make full, supply fully, complete.” Its meaning can be seen in how it is used in other passages. For example, numerous passages speak of something being done to fulfill a prophecy, such as in Matthew 1:22,\u00a02:15,\u00a017, etc. The word means that the prophecy was answered in full and brought to completion. When something is made completely full by a task, the task is finished. We say this in English when we say we went to the gas station and filled up the car. In other words, we stopped pumping gas into the car once it reached the full mark because no more gas could be added. This sense of a completed purpose is seen in\u00a0Luke 7:1, “Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum.<\/i>” The word “concluded” is the Greek word\u00a0pleroo<\/i>. Jesus fulfilled his purpose in that particular lesson. Nothing more needed to be said at that moment, so he stopped. It is also seen in\u00a0Acts 19:21, “When these things were accomplished, Paul purposed in the Spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, ‘After I have been there, I must also see Rome.’<\/i>” Paul had completed what he set out to do in Ephesus, so he looked to move on to another region. The same Greek word\u00a0pleroo\u00a0<\/i>is being used, though it is translated as “accomplished.”<\/p>\n
By stating that the law would continue until all was fulfilled or made complete, Jesus implies that the Law was not complete in its current state. We know from the apostle’s writings that the Mosaical Law was missing some essential parts. It could not give its followers life (Galatians 3:21) or make them perfect (Hebrews 7:18-19). Thus, it had a fault, not in itself, but in the inadequacy of those who tried to live by it (Hebrews 8:7). It could explain and hold a person accountable for sin, but in itself, it could not cleanse sin (Hebrews 10:1-4,\u00a08-10,\u00a014). It took Jesus’s sacrifice to bring the missing elements into existence (Hebrews 9:15).<\/p>\n
The difference between destroying and fulfilling the law is the same as the difference between declaring a mortgage note null and void, tearing it up and throwing it into the fire, and paying the note off in full. Both bring the mortgage to an end, but they are done in vastly different ways. Jesus did not cancel the law but brought it to a natural conclusion.<\/p>\n
Jesus explained what he meant by “fulfilled” when he emphasized that the Law would not end until all was fulfilled. “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled<\/i>” (Matthew 5:18). This “fulfilled” comes from a different Greek word,\u00a0ginotai<\/i>. It means “to be, to come into being, to be made, be done, become, or to be celebrated.” Jesus stated that the permanence of the law was conditional. He gave two possible ending conditions: heaven and earth would end, or all would be accomplished. His phrasing is similar to the parent who tells his child, “You’ll sit here all night until you eat your peas.” The implication is that the child would not be at the table all night; the peas would be eaten before then. In the same way, Jesus is saying that the world would have a better chance of ending before God accomplished His purpose for the Law. Some people focus so hard on the first condition that they miss that the second condition would occur before the first. The same type of phrasing can be found in Matthew 24:34\u00a0and\u00a0Luke 21:31-33.<\/p>\n
Another verse that speaks to this same topic is\u00a0Romans 10:4, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.<\/i>” The word translated as “end” is from the Greek word\u00a0telos<\/i>, which means “end, termination, conclusion, aim, result, goal, outcome.” In other words, the purpose of the Law culminated in Christ Jesus. Jesus was its goal. With His death, he brought the law to its conclusion. “Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross<\/i>” (Colossians 2:14). Or as we already noted, “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor<\/i>” (Galatians 3:24-25).<\/p>\n
Therefore, trying to justify a practice by an outdated covenant doesn’t prove your point.<\/p>\n
By the way, your allusion to Isaiah is pulled out of context.<\/p>\n
“‘To whom would He teach knowledge, and to whom would He interpret the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just taken from the breast? For He says, “Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line, a little here, a little there.”‘ Indeed, He will speak to this people through stammering lips and a foreign tongue, He who said to them, ‘Here is rest, give rest to the weary,’ and, ‘Here is repose,’ but they would not listen. So the word of the LORD to them will be, ‘Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line, a little here, a little there,’ that they may go and stumble backward, be broken, snared and taken captive<\/em>” (Isaiah 28:9-13).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Scoffers in Judah rejected Isaiah’s warning. They claimed the message was too simplistic (suitable for babies). It builds minor points from simple ideas, like a schoolmaster instructing elementary students.<\/p>\n
“They sneer at the prophet, that intolerable moralist. They are of age, and free; and he does not need to bring knowledge to them (da\u201bath<\/em>\u00a0as in\u00a0Isaiah 11:9), or make them understand the proclamation. They know of old to what he would lead. Are they little children that have just been weaned (on the constructives, see\u00a0Isaiah 9:2;\u00a0Isaiah 5:11;\u00a0Isaiah 30:18; Ges. 114, 1), and who must let themselves be tutored? For the things he preaches are nothing but endless petty teazings. The short words (tsa\u0302v, as in\u00a0Hosea 5:11), together with the diminutive \u05d6\u05e2\u05d9\u05e8 (equivalent to the Arabic\u00a0sugayyir<\/em>, mean, from sag\u0131\u0304r, small), are intended to throw ridicule upon the smallness and vexatious character of the prophet’s interminable and uninterrupted chidings, as \u05dc ( equals \u05e2\u05dc, \u05d0\u05dc; comp. \u05d9\u05e1\u05e3 \u05dc,\u00a0Isaiah 26:15) implies that they are; just as the philosophers in\u00a0Acts 17:18\u00a0call Paul a \u03c3\u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03bc\u03bf\u03bb\u03bf\u0301\u03b3\u03bf\u03c2, a collector of seeds, i.e., a dealer in trifles.” [Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament].<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
But the use of short Hebrew words also emphasizes drunken people who are unable to use sophisticated words because of their condition.<\/p>\n
God replies that He will indeed speak to these people, even though they can’t understand. He is going to use foreigners (the Babylonians) to teach them. He taught them the way to rest and happiness, but they refused to listen to their God. Thus, He will treat them as schoolchildren who must learn simple lessons as they stumble off into captivity.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: Hello, I noticed your article on polygyny using I Corinthians 7:2. Do you understand that the Torah is the way, the truth, and life? Just like Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the Word of God. The Word made flesh. It’s written to add or take away from the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[851,115,533],"class_list":["post-69942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-messianic-judaism","tag-old-law","tag-polygamy"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":41526,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wouldnt-the-jewish-bible-the-torah-be-the-most-accurate-since-jesus-was-jewish\/","url_meta":{"origin":69942,"position":0},"title":"Wouldn’t the Jewish Bible, the Torah, be the most accurate since Jesus was Jewish?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 11, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, I have a question\" I googled \"Which Bible is the most accurate?\" and I stumbled upon your page. But my question is wouldn't the Jewish Bible, the Torah, be the most accurate since Jesus was Jewish? Answer: \"Torah\" refers to the first five books of the Old Testament,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":27295,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-you-help-me-reach-my-son-i-cant-even-understand-what-he-wrote-to-me\/","url_meta":{"origin":69942,"position":1},"title":"Can you help me reach my son? I can’t even understand what he wrote to me","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 20, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I wrote to you about\u00a0my son who started worshipping on Saturday. Below is the lastest note I received from him. It does not make any sense to me, but I may not be intelligent enough to understand it. All I want to do is help him. He is highly\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4060,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-jesus-believe-in-life-after-death\/","url_meta":{"origin":69942,"position":2},"title":"Did Jesus believe in life after death?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 13, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Did Jesus believe in life after death all of his earthly life? Was His knowledge gained from the Torah, or was it revealed specifically to Him by God? Answer: Christians believe that Jesus was God in the flesh and thus the author of the Torah (the five books of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":46745,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/talking-with-a-muslim-about-religion\/","url_meta":{"origin":69942,"position":3},"title":"Talking with a Muslim about Religion","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 20, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Titus 1:10-16 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0How do you talk with someone about religion when there is little common ground? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A good way to start is to find something in that religion that is true and that can be used as a basis of discussion. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In a false\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3337,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-talmudism-different-from-zionism\/","url_meta":{"origin":69942,"position":4},"title":"Is Talmudism different from Zionism?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 24, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is Talmudism different from Zionism? 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