Reflections
Brit Hadashah Reflections
Brit Hadashah Reflections 15
Hebraic understanding of the teaching letters of the Apostles
1 Corinthians 13 : 1 to 14 : 40
Paul first visited Corinth on his second missionary journey, in about 52 C.E., and stayed there for 18 months. The letters to the “ekklesia” in Corinth were most likely written from Ephesus about 5 years later. They are pastoral in nature.
The LOVE chapter! Weddings, engagements, funerals, and sundry other emotional gatherings have all been graced by reference to, or reading of, this most amazing passage of Scripture. BUT, it has little to do with any of them! The English language is deficient in ‘single word’ translations of many foreign language words, particularly Greek, which has four words (phileo, agape, storge and eros) with different emphasis of meaning, but each of which is translated as either “love” or “charity” in English. In our reading this week, the Greek word used for LOVE is “agape”. It is a selfless unconditional love, expecting nothing in return.
Last week we ‘reflected’ upon spiritual gifts in the “ekklesia” in Corinth. Paul’s concern was to get each member to appreciate, without envy, the variety of spiritual gifts evident in others, which he said were of equal value in the corporate life and wellbeing of the whole assembly of believers. Chapter 12 ended with the declaration “And yet I show you a more excellent way”. He immediately launched into a description of the various gifts and qualified their value to the “ekklesia” by highlighting the importance of the motive and intent of the one exercising the gift. The God given ministry gifts are to be exercised with “agape”. This is the “more excellent way” to which Paul referred. And dare I add, “agape” which is expressed with humility for the fact that God Himself had chosen to distribute those gifts according to His own knowledge of the recipient.
Without “agape”, Paul said, we are just ‘pushing our own agenda’. The ‘gifts’ sound like ‘a clanging cymbal’. No tune, no harmony, no effect. Nothing. A waste of time and effort for everyone. But with “agape”, well, Paul put it much better than I ever could. Read Chapter 13, verses 4 to 13 again. Selah!
So having spelled out the manner in which all spiritual gifts are to be exercised, Paul then encouraged the members of the “ekklesia” to seek and desire spiritual gifts, so that with “agape”, one might bless and edify and support the whole “ekklesia”. The gift which Paul singles out as being of greatest benefit to the “ekklesia” is the prophetic gift. Last week we quoted David Stern’s description of this gift as “speaking on behalf of God Himself”. For that reason, one has to be super careful to ensure that one is closely attuned to God, to hear correctly, to convey the message without embellishment, and even to wait, then wait some more, asking God to confirm beyond doubt that what one speaks in prophecy IS actually a word from God. There are very severe consequences for those who speak to the “ekklesia” presumptuously, that is, saying ‘thus says the Lord’ when the Lord has said no such thing. (Please friend, trust me on this, there are MANY false prophets alive and well strutting their own agenda within the organisation of our modern day churches. They WILL get their reward. We are told to test the prophets (1 John 4:1)).
There is significant dispute in the ‘church’ of today about the gift of tongues. It is quite unproductive to enter into that controversy, because those who do are usually well entrenched in their own views on this subject, and each side is most resistive to change! What we can say is that Paul had no such reservation. And using David Stern’s description of tongues being “a language not learned” covers both sides with equanimity. Paul clearly said that as a “gift” from God, it was used as a witness to unbelievers. Clearly, an unbelieving visitor from Mongolia, hearing a word spoken in his own language by an American in America would be a powerful witness. But Americans in the same audience would be mystified, unless there was someone present who could interpret that word to them. But a prophetic word to the same audience would produce an exactly opposite reaction. Enlightenment for the American and mystery to the unbelieving visitor. Additionally, persons speaking in “glossolalia”, an undefined utterance, also speak mystery to both believer and unbeliever alike when there is no-one present to interpret that which is spoken.
Paul also defines a simple form of expression which edifies the “ekklesia”. “Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.” There are still some assemblies that practise this. I write from personal experience. But for the most part it is a blessing regrettably forsaken by the church of today. So the God given gifts of prophecy, teaching, and tongues which are present in every “ekklesia”, have no room for expression due to our strict ‘order of service’ routines when we meet.
“Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues. Let all things be done decently and in order.”
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Brit Hadashah Reflections
Brit Hadashah Reflections 14
Hebraic understanding of the teaching letters of the Apostles
1 Corinthians 11 : 1 to 12 : 31
Paul first visited Corinth on his second missionary journey, in about 52 C.E., and stayed there for 18 months. The letters to the “ekklesia” in Corinth were most likely written from Ephesus about 5 years later. They are pastoral in nature.
“Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ”. How clear is that? Yeshua, during His earthly sojourn was extremely careful to keep Torah. He was the perfect Lamb of God. Paul was far from perfect, by his own admission, and yet he “imitated Christ”. He did everything he could to walk uprightly before God and before men. He kept Torah. As should we! In fact Paul immediately commends the “ekklesia” in Corinth for “keeping the traditions just as I delivered them to you”. You won’t hear that preached in any church today. But we are looking at what the Scriptures actually say here, not what has been taught by others.
The hierarchy within a home where Yeshua is worshipped as Lord is the next subject. For all sorts of reasons, few homes actually formally observe Paul’s teaching here. Even worse, where it is observed, men tend to use this teaching as excuse to become dictators in that environment, rather than to be the “priest” as mediator for his family, in love. The wearing of head covering is still meticulously observed in Orthodox Jewish homes as a symbol of spiritual covering which the woman enjoys from her husband. Other cultures also observe this custom, but for differing reasons.
Then Paul delivers the ‘punch line’!! In paraphrase he says “that’s how things should be, but it is not. You’ve got problems which need to be addressed. You’ve set up preferential factions in your “ekklesia”. You are using the celebration of “communion” as an excuse for a party where those of preference are gorging themselves and getting drunk. That is NOT what I taught you.” Then he goes through the ordinance which was instituted during the last Passover Seder Yeshua shared with His disciples on earth. As I ‘reflect’ on this, it is clear to me (but less so to others) that Passover is an annual remembrance of the salvation of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. In His instruction to them at that table, Yeshua said that the wine represented His blood which He was about to shed on Calvary’s cross for the salvation of many. That blood was the symbol, and guarantee, of the New Covenant which is yet to be made with the House of Israel and the House of Judah. It remains an annual celebration for Jews, but we Gentiles have interpreted “as often as you drink it” to mean “drink it as often as you choose” rather than the continuation of the annual “mo’ed” of Passover in which the emphasis is extended from just the salvation from Egypt, to also include the remembrance of His sacrificial death. In any event, it is imperative that all who participate in that remembrance do so in the right attitude. It was never intended to be ‘the party’ which the “ekklesia” in Corinth made it to be.
Then Paul addresses the subject of “spiritual gifts”. Right up front Paul declares that there are a variety of “gifts” manifest in the “ekklesia”. It is an inclusive statement. It is applicable to any “ekklesia” meeting together to worship and honour God. But ALL these gifts are exercised, in God’s name, by the power of the same Holy Spirit of God. The variety of gifts which may be present in a specific “ekklesia” are given, by the Holy Spirit, for the benefit of the whole assembly. Paul is careful not to assign merit to one gift over another. He likens this distribution of gifts as typical of a human body. The different parts, limbs, organs etc. function in ways very different from each other, but ALL for the wellbeing of the whole. There is no jealousy between the various body parts on account of function. It should be the same within a multi-gifted “ekklesia”.
Then in some degree of contrast, Paul provides a list of “appointments”, we know them as “ministries”, which are present within the “ekklesia”. David Stern, in his excellent commentary on “The Jewish New Testament” (page 480) has expanded these “ministries” to show their function. I quote. 1. Apostles (emissaries) proclaimants of the gospel to form new “ekklesia”. 2. Prophets, those chosen to speak for God in an “ekklesia”. 3. Teachers, charged with the task of deepening the believer’s knowledge of God’s truth. 4. Workers of miracles. 5. Those with healing gifts. 6. Helpers. 7. Administrators. 8. Those who speak in languages which they have not learned. I do not believe this list to be exhaustive. There are gifts (which Paul mentions in other Epistles) which have significant benefit to the “ekklesia”, such as Pastoral gifts. However, even though Paul takes care to have each gift, and the person exercising it, viewed with equal standing, he then counsels the whole assembly to “earnestly desire the best gifts”, which he later identifies as “prophecy” (speaking for God).
BUT, dear friend, before one launches out in “prophecy”, one would be well advised to read carefully Deuteronomy 13 and Ezekiel 13 : 4-16. There are significant penalties awaiting the person who misleads the “ekklesia” with words, attributed to God, which He did not authorize. Be extremely careful in this area of ministry.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Brit Hadashah Reflections
Brit Hadashah Reflections 13
Hebraic understanding of the teaching letters of the Apostles
1 Corinthians 9 : 1 to 10 : 33
Paul first visited Corinth on his second missionary journey, in about 52 C.E., and stayed there for 18 months. The letters to the “ekklesia” in Corinth were most likely written from Ephesus about 5 years later. They are pastoral in nature.
Paul now establishes his credentials as an Apostle chosen by the Lord. It is a fact that everyone we know as an Apostle, in the Scriptures, had seen the risen Yeshua face to face. They all lived as men of great faith for sure, but it was faith strengthened in the knowledge that the Yeshua with whom they had spent three years, learning, observing, following and ministering, was now ascended into heaven, and that He had told them that He would return to the same spot, on the Mount of Olives outside Jerusalem from where they had witnessed His departure into the clouds. Paul’s encounter was different, in that he was met by Yeshua in exceptional circumstances, whilst on his way to persecute believers. That story is well known (Acts 9). But it was still a face to face encounter. So that would appear to be the Biblical qualification of an Apostle. Their mission was to build the foundation of the “ekklesia”, of which Yeshua was the chief cornerstone.
The “ekklesia” in Corinth was of special significance to Paul in that he saw them as ‘the seal of my apostleship in the Lord’. Their very existence authenticated his apostleship. But he wanted to emphasize the fact that, even though he might be entitled to ‘a living’ whist he was with them, he was careful not to be seen, in any way, to be profiting from his teaching and counsel to them. Paul was truly living a life of faith, trusting God to make provision for him. (a bit different today when MOST teachers of the Scriptures expect to be paid and to earn a living from their teaching gift, (which has Scriptural merit), but not exactly founded in trust in God for His provision, as Paul did). Paul says his reward was seeing them come to faith in Messiah Yeshua.
Then Paul puts on a “chameleon like” presence. Almost deceptive in expression, in that he declares himself to be changeable depending on the company he keeps! But that is NOT what Paul is actually saying, even though his words appear quite ‘clumsy’ in English. There is an interaction on the Greek “upo nomos” (‘under the law’). To the extent that “nomos” is a Greek interpretation of the Hebrew word “Torah”, he is talking about Jews. But adding the Greek word “upo” ‘under’, changes the sense into a legalistic type observance, wherein “upo” signifies the heavy yoke with which Paul was all too familiar … “Pharisaic Judaism”, with its protective ‘fences’ making Torah observance burdensome. In contrast, his use of the descriptive “those who are without law”, refers to Gentiles. They do not have the same ‘burden’, but the message is the same to both groups. It involves a move to be “under law towards Messiah Yeshua”. He became the living Torah, and that is what He taught during His sojourn here on earth. We are to be like Him.
The continuing theme of avoiding food offered to idols is pursued in chapter 10. Paul is unequivocal about that. However attractive some things may appear to us, he says “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above that which you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” However, as he continues, telling them to “Eat whatever is sold in the meat market”, some have incorrectly concluded that Paul was here championing the end of the Torah dietary instructions. But NO, bearing in mind that Paul, in this pastoral letter is addressing leaders of the “ekklesia”, a Messianic assembly of worshipping people, there is no way Paul would do that. It would be counter to all that Yeshua taught about righteous living wouldn’t it? Is Paul here holding his hand up to be “least in the Kingdom of Heaven”? (Matthew 5:19) I am SURE he is not.
His advice to them is, when invited to dinner by an unbelieving friend, to eat what is put before them UNLESS the host openly declares that food to have been offered to idols. Then, refusal to partake of that food will become a clear point of witness to that unbelieving friend of the change which has taken place in the life of the believing guest.
As an extension of this, Paul is advising the “ekklesia” to avoid giving offence to anyone. Live peaceably with your neighbour. Your words and your conduct WILL BE a witness to them. The question which always arises of course is whether that witness is for good. He might have also added here: -
“Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good WORKS, and glorify your Father in Heaven”.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Brit Hadashah Reflections
Brit Hadashah Reflections 12
Hebraic understanding of the teaching letters of the Apostles
Paul first visited Corinth on his second missionary journey, in about 52 C.E., and stayed there for 18 months. The letters to the “ekklesia” in Corinth were most likely written from Ephesus about 5 years later. They are pastoral in nature.
Evidently, the leaders in the “ekklesia” had written to Paul with some pertinent questions. In response, Paul clearly exhibited the Judaism which many are taught today that he abandoned when he met Yeshua on the road to Damascus. He didn’t! Come to terms with that fact, and you will begin to understand Paul’s writings. Otherwise much of his writing seem to be contradictary to the words of Yeshua. But they are not!
“It is good for a man not to touch a woman.” This is another one of the ‘hedges’ the Rabbinate put around the Torah! And it has merit. Just as Yeshua taught that murder begins with anger, and adultery begins with a lustful look (see Matthew 5 for the full teaching), so Paul is teaching that just to touch a woman who is not ones wife is the first step to a closer, unlawful, relationship. This is precisely what is practised today in Orthodox Judaism. It is a matter which is ‘laughed to scorn’ by some in our broader society today. But Paul was concerned to teach truth about sanctity in marriage. About faithfulness in marriage. About permanence of marriage. And about the quite limited reasons for divorce when one of the marriage partners becomes a believer whilst the other does not. The onus is on the believing partner to uphold marriage sanctity unless and until the unbelieving one voluntarily departs from the marriage. Paul would later write, in his second letter (chapter 6) to this “ekklesia” that believers should not be “unequally yoked with unbelievers”, which is an additional extension of Paul’s conviction about the sanctity of marriage.
There are many appealing modern day arguments put against Paul’s teaching here, but most people reading this will know that Paul was led by the Holy Spirit in his teaching. And one thing is very sure. Conditions and circumstances may be quite variable, but human nature was the same then as it is today. Should we not say then, as the Israelites of old once said? “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient”. Selah. And thereby we see the extent to which the Hebraic message is ignored in our society today, and quite significantly so in the “ekklesia”.
Now Paul moves into uncharted territory for him. Whether a person should marry or not. Specifically he is answering a question about young women in the “ekklesia”. He declared that he has no commandment from the Lord on this issue, but he has an opinion! “What was your situation when you were called into service of the Lord?” He asks. Then in an expansive and verbose response, he opines that married women are, of necessity, taken up with the affairs of the home, whilst the unmarried are not, and therefore free to give more time to the Lord’s service. Paul himself was unmarried. For him it was a happy state in that his service for the Lord was unhindered by domestic responsibility. He considered this to be ideal, and says so, but he does not detract from the state of others who, for whatever reason, find marriage to be equally fulfilling. How else, you may ask, could mankind adhere to the commandment of the Lord to be fruitful and multiply?
The “ekklesia” in Corinth was largely comprised of redeemed Gentiles. They had come out of paganism and idol worship. So they posed the question about consuming foods which had been offered to idols. They obviously could see no harm in that since they had not personally made the sacrifice. Paul appears to be somewhat ambivalent about this, except in one detail. Believers, he says, with the knowledge that our God is above all gods, and that idols are “nothing” (read Jeremiah 10), know that ‘food does not commend us to God’, in that we are no better if we do eat, and no worse if we don’t. But our consumption of this food, can be a potential stumbling block to those who are “weaker” in the faith, especially when such food is consumed in an idol’s temple! For that reason, Paul says, he would abstain from any such food, or anything else which has the potential to cause a weaker brother to stumble in faith, and be lost to our Messiah. It is also significant that this letter was written about 6 years after the decision of the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) regarding Torah teaching for Gentiles new to faith in Yeshua. So it is a little surprising that Paul did not make reference to that in his letter to this “ekklesia” in Corinth at this particular time. He does so later in the letter. As we read the teachings of Paul, it is important to bear two things in mind. Firstly, as always with Scripture, take note of the context in which the teaching is given. Secondly, it is the unique characteristic of the Scriptures that they have a universality of application. For that reason we should be careful always to ask the Lord to reveal to us that which He intends us to learn from each passage of Scripture we read.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Brit Hadashah Reflections
Brit Hadashah Reflections 11
Hebraic understanding of the teaching letters of the Apostles
Paul first visited Corinth on his second missionary journey, in about 52 C.E., and stayed there for 18 months. The letters to the “ekklesia” in Corinth were most likely written from Ephesus about 5 years later. They are pastoral in nature.
The first four chapters of this letter dealt with some ‘contentions’ in the ranks which resulted from groups following different personalities within the “ekklesia” in Corinth. Chapter 5 opens with a serious report of sexual misdemeanour. Such a situation that was not even named in Gentile paganism, from which the recipients of this epistle had come. The offence was grave in nature, and Paul was concerned about it. (It seems that Paul had previously written to them about this (1 Cor 5:9) but copies of that letter no longer exist.) However, for him, even more alarming was the fact that it appeared to be tolerated by the leadership of the “ekklesia”, with little evidence of corrective action being taken. It seems that the offender appeared unrepentant and chose to continue in his immoral relationship whilst maintaining his position in the “ekklesia”.
Paul said that he had already considered the reports of the situation from afar and had judged the person guilty of the said misconduct. To many, this judgement might be seen to be harsh and extreme. ‘Gather the “ekklesia” together, consider me to be present with you in the Spirit, and ‘deliver such a one to Satan’”‘, was his instruction to them. Can that be right? Well that’s exactly what Paul said. But what does it mean? Each believer in the “ekklesia” was, by consent, under the protection of the Holy Spirit. By faith, each had agreed to live by the principles and ordinances prescribed by God. It is no different today. Those who voluntarily ‘join’ a church (“ekklesia”) agree to uphold the standards and the doctrines of that “ekklesia”. In principle it is a safe place where members care for and support each other. It is part of what we think of as the Kingdom of God. The ‘world’ is a very different ‘kingdom’. It is a kingdom where Satan has free reign. If anyone doubts this, just look around you. Listen to the news broadcasts or read your newspapers.
So to be “delivered to Satan”, was to be cut off from the “ekklesia”. To be outside the safety of the Kingdom of God. Then to emphasise the need for such drastic judgement Paul uses an example from ‘Pesach’, the God ‘appointed time’ (mo’ed) of remembrance (originally of the salvation of the Israelites from Egypt) but also, for us today, of the death, burial and resurrection of Yeshua. (The context indicates that this festival was about to take place, and was celebrated by this Gentile “ekklesia” in Corinth). One of God’s instructions regarding preparation for this remembrance was to clean out all the ‘leaven’ (metaphor for sin) from their homes. Then the day after Pesach, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the Hebrew Calendar, the Feast of Unleavened bread commences, wherein no food containing leaven was to be eaten for eight days. This is prophetic of the sinless life of Yeshua. It is a culinary fact that even a small amount of leaven in dough, leavens the whole. The analogy is immediately obvious. To make it abundantly clear, Paul then drew a distinction between the morality of those who remain in the ‘kingdom of this world’, and those who become part of the “ekklesia”. There are distinctly different standards for the latter. Those joined to the “ekklesia” were expected to live according to God’s instructions for righteous living. The biblical word for this is “Torah”. And in Corinth they were mostly a gentile “ekklesia”!
In Chapter 6, Paul opens the subject of judgement within the “ekklesia”. His instruction to them is precisely along the lines of that contained in Matthew 18. It is regrettable that a lack of Hebraic understanding of the Scriptures, has meant that we completely ignore, by misunderstanding, both the instruction of Matthew 18 and this direct chastisement of Paul to the Corinthians in our dealing with disorder within the modern day “ekklesia”. Is it any wonder that divisive elements within the “ekklesia” flourish and grow to the detriment of the whole? We seem sometimes to function as though God doesn’t even exist! Which is the essence of Paul’s letter of guidance to this “ekklesia” in Corinth.
One of the elements which diminishes the testimony of the “ekklesia” in our day is the well documented cover up of sexual sin within some of the church organizations of all denominations. The treasurer runs off with the church organist! The Sunday School teacher has an addiction to pornography! The pastor acts like a business C.E.O.! A dictator. Etc. Etc.
“Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit … for you are bought at a price, therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s”. said Paul. His letter to the Corinthians is very practical. We need to understand it within its original Hebraic intent, unsanitized by the ‘spiritualization’ of the words. He says what he means and he means what he says.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Brit Hadashah Reflections
Brit Hadashah Reflections 10
Hebraic understanding of the teaching letters of the Apostles
Paul first visited Corinth on his second missionary journey, in about 52 C.E., and stayed there for 18 months. The letters to the “ekklesia” in Corinth were most likely written from Ephesus about 5 years later. They are pastoral in nature.
In this week’s reading Paul opens up with a broadside against the evident ‘contention’, regarding certain aspects of doctrine, or perhaps doctrinal emphasis, which had emerged within the “ekklesia” in Corinth. He says that the ‘contention’ between them is indicative of the behaviour of ‘natural men’ rather than that of ‘spiritual men’. He opines that clinging to the views of just one of the messengers, whomsoever that may have been, is what caused division and discord, to the detriment of the true and complete message of the One who is the Master of them all. Each of those messengers are part of God’s whole. Each one of them is chosen by God for a ministry purpose. But none of them has a monopoly on truth. That is the domain of God alone.
It is a lesson that we should all learn. Paul said that during the time he was with them, he laid the foundation on which the “ekklesia” should be built. He used the analogy of a construction site. The foundation stood foursquare on the life, death, and bodily resurrection of Yeshua. It is the faith which individual believers find in His sacrificial sojourn on this earth which changes men from ‘natural men’ into ‘spiritual men’. Men who are then suitable for use in the building itself. Men who become part and parcel of the dwelling place of God Himself. The “ekklesia”. It is not a building made with hands. But there are many, all of them ‘spiritual men’, who are called to partake in the building process. The intent was to build something beautiful, showing the glory of God, but the ‘contention’ in the “ekklesia” in Corinth was causing it to become an ‘ugly’ building. Can we learn the lesson contained in this analogy?
“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwell in you?” That alone is enough for anyone to digest. But Paul continues with a most frightening truth. “If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” Selah. Interestingly, I suggest, this may be applied on two levels. Firstly on an individual level, each person bearing responsibility to act and live in a manner which does not ‘defile’ his/her own temple, but also on a corporate level being applied to the “ekklesia”, wherein the actions and lifestyle of an individual causes ‘defilement’ of the whole.
Follow Paul’s line of thinking carefully here please. It is a particularly difficult thought process for us to follow because we have learned to accept Paul as an authoritative teacher, (which he is) chosen for the specific task of bringing Gentiles to faith. As we move to chapter 4 Paul emphasizes his role as a servant and steward of Yeshua, as indeed are we all who confess Him to be our Lord and Master. But using himself as the example, Paul declares that he has no knowledge of his own failings or weaknesses (other than physical ones) as a servant. So he presents himself with authority. But that alone, he says, does not justify him or make him right. For that reason, he argues, a man cannot judge himself. The ultimate judge of all is the Lord, and He chose all the teachers they were variously following! So when the brethren in Corinth made choices between different teachers, they were judging one as superior. So who are they to decide between them … and then to divide their “ekklesia” loyalties to reflect their choices.
Now today, I suspect that we are all as guilty as these brethren in Corinth because we all make similar choices in a denominational sense. But the real test we should apply in our circumstance is the degree to which the Word of God is faithfully upheld and preached. It surely would have been much more straightforward if Gentile believers in Yeshua (all zealous for the Torah as in Acts 21) had not been detached from the Hebrew roots of our faith. The division then would have remained as it was for the first believers. A choice between Messianic Judaism and Pharisaic Judaism (which Yeshua called the ‘traditions of men’).
At the end of his ‘broadside’, Paul comes out clearly with the solution. He acquaints them with the deprivations which he had endured for the sake of the gospel to bring them to faith. Read verses 11 -13. They don’t read much like prosperity teaching do they!? “I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children (in the faith) to warn you.” So what is the solution? “Therefore I urge you, imitate me”. This might come over as rather boastful on Paul’s part. However, Paul had received a personal ‘one on one’ encounter with the risen Saviour. (Acts 9) That encounter resulted in a personal charge and command from God Himself. And the deprivations he described were counted worthwhile to bring them to faith. Mercifully most of us know nothing about that.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Brit Hadashah Reflections
Brit Hadashah Reflections 9
Hebraic understanding of the teaching letters of the Apostles
Paul first visited Corinth on his second missionary journey, in about 52 C.E., and stayed there for 18 months. The letters to the “ekklesia” in Corinth were most likely written from Ephesus about 5 years later. They are pastoral in nature.
The authorship of these letters is established right up front, as are the intended recipients. Then immediately following the greetings and the niceties, Paul declared the reason for his writing to them. “There are contentions among you!”
Principal among these contentions was the supposed loyalty of various groups to their perception of differing doctrinal emphases of biblical teachers of whom they had knowledge. Such differences are also prevalent in our church denominations today, albeit with other more contemporary teachers being named! But the message of Paul then, is the same message he delivers today through his Pastoral letters. “Take your eye off the messenger, and concentrate on the message. We are who we are, in Him, because it was Messiah Yeshua who paid the price of our salvation”. That is the simple paraphrase of Paul’s declaration. It is Yeshua who is the message, it is Yeshua who is the power of God and it is Yeshua who is the wisdom of God. “To the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness”.
Evidently, we conclude from Paul’s writing, the “ekklesia” was made up of mostly ‘ordinary’ people. Paul could not readily identify (according to the measure of this world) many ‘wise’, or ‘mighty’ or ‘noble’ members of the “ekklesia” in Corinth. So Paul encouraged them with the thought that they were chosen by God for who they are. Even for their ordinariness, so as to put to shame others who might consider themselves of higher degree. It is a high calling, chosen to be of service to the Creator of the Universe, for His own purposes. Bask in that dear friends, if you will, because it is the same calling that God has placed on you and me. To give credence to his words Paul then identified himself with that same group. “I did not come to you with excellence of speech or of wisdom” said Paul. “No”, he continued, “I came in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. My speech and my preaching was not with eloquent words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God”.
For one claiming to not be wise, it seems to me that he exhibits great wisdom right there! But we MUST conclude that that is precisely the wisdom of God demonstrated in a life totally committed to Him, as Paul certainly was. As he continued in his epistle we see that wisdom shining brightly through the lines of the written word. And Paul lays claim to that wisdom as he proceeds. It is, he says, “the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory”. It is a mystery. It is wisdom made available to him. It is wisdom made available to us. There is no magic formula, but there is a condition! We need to take careful observation of the type of committed life Paul led, in order to gain some insight into what that condition might be. “Selah”.
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him”.
The attributes and gifts, the characteristics, the wisdom, which we both recognize and admire in those we know who love the Lord, do not come by accident. More likely, through many hours of ‘walking’ with the Lord, in prayer, in reading and studying His word, in keeping company with those of like mind, the Holy Spirit of God reveals Himself and implants His special gifts (Galations 5:22) into the life of those who are His.
Paul reminded the members of the “ekklesia” in Corinth, who had ‘contention’ in their ranks, that the wisdom of God is imparted by His Holy Spirit to those who are His. The Holy Spirit does not speak of one doctrine to one and a different doctrine to another. Just as there is one Redeemer, Yeshua, there is one Holy Spirit, and in Him is consistency and truth. Then comes the proof. The test. The evidence. “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them for they are spiritually discerned.” In practical terms then, where ‘contention’ prevails within the “ekklesia”, it is evidence of the operation of the ‘natural man’, and it is certain that the Holy Spirit is absent.
There is no evidence in this epistle, thus far, that there were any Jews in this “ekklesia”. For that reason Paul is not able to draw on his own wide knowledge of Torah as a foundation to emphasize the Hebraic way of dealing with the ‘contention’ within this “ekklesia”.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Brit Hadashah Reflections
Brit Hadashah Reflections 8
Hebraic understanding of the teaching letters of the Apostles
Considered to have been written from Corinth in about 56-57 C.E.
Paul now turns to the practicalities of Jew and Gentile living in harmony within the “ekklesia” in Rome. There are very good lessons for us today in this teaching. Firstly the recognition that, just as in every community of believers today, there are people at different stages of their walk with the Lord. It may well have been more marked in the Rome “ekklesia” because it was such a mixed congregation of Jew and Gentile coming from vastly different cultural backgrounds. But we must also be cautious in our interpretation. “For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.” Tempting as it is to see this as a statement regarding the Torah dietary commandments, it is no such thing. And it is certainly not about the dietary laws being abrogated. So what is it? It is all about the judgement of other people’s enlightenment or otherwise. I write from personal experience. Several years ago, the Lord showed me the path I should take in regard to Deuteronomy 14 dietary instructions. But the Lord also showed me that what He spoke to me, He spoke to me for me, not for anyone else, not even for my wife!
Paul makes this perfectly clear as he continues in saying “But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ.” (If you are concerned about your own position in relation to the Biblical dietary laws, ask the Lord. He WILL show you. And what He shows you, be careful to do.) That is the message of Paul. “So then each of us shall give account of himself to God”. It’s personal. But he continues with the very practical advice about harmony in the “ekklesia”. “It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak”. There surely cannot be more sound advice anywhere. It is within the capacity of every one of us to be considerate and understanding, in love, of one another. Paul is asking these brothers in the Lord to “step up” and put aside such differences as may exist so that they can worship the Lord in harmony together. I am reminded of one of Solomon’s many lovely proverbs. “The beginning of strife is like releasing water; therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts” Proverbs 17:14.
Then Paul promised them that he would one day visit them in Rome. He could not have contemplated that his proposed visit would be forcibly accompanied by Roman chains! His plan was to visit Spain and to call into Rome on the way there. But he doesn’t miss the opportunity of again reminding the Gentile element of the “ekklesia” of their responsibility towards the Jews. A lesson we might take to heart, as indeed do the faithful ladies who are members of the Zion’s Voice prayer group. Paul says that at the time of his writing he was about to go to Jerusalem bearing monetary gifts for the saints there. Jewish saints, those who had put their faith and trust in Yeshua. “For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things.” In Christian churches today Paul is revered for his teaching. But there are not very many Gentile congregations who give any attention at all to this particular exhortation of Paul’s.
Paul’s journeys are more fully covered in the Acts of the Apostles. He asks the “ekklesia” in Rome to join him in prayer for his safety when he returned (with the monetary gifts from the Macedonians) to Judea. The Jewish community there was split, as today, between those who believe in Yeshua (and we are told in Acts 21 that at that time they were counted in their tens of thousands) and those who continued in Pharisaic Judaism in opposition to Yeshua. It was this latter group who eventually facilitated Paul’s return to Rome in chains! And it was only the providence of God which preserved Paul’s life to make that journey!
In concluding these ‘reflections’ on the Epistle of Paul to the “ekklesia” at Rome, it is noteworthy that Paul ended his letter with a number of commendations. People for whom Paul had gained respect through fellowship in various places on his journeys. Many of these friends in the faith were Gentile believers. Notwithstanding the fact that Paul had spent much of his letter promoting harmonious fellowship between Gentiles and Jews, he also could see that as the “ekklesia” grew, there would be some which would have Gentile leadership. Perhaps, the pivotal part of his epistle was therefore in Chapter 11 in which he emphasized the need for Gentile believers to appreciate and value the very roots of their faith which lie squarely in the teaching and example set by the first believers. All Jewish, with insight of, and love for, the Torah of Moses. How quickly we forget!
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Brit Hadashah Reflections
Brit Hadashah Reflections 7
Hebraic understanding of the teaching letters of the Apostles
Considered to have been written from Corinth in about 56-57 C.E.
For some, Romans 9 to 11 is thought of as an interruption to the flow of Paul’s teaching, and that he picks up again in Romans 12 where he left off in Romans 8. But, we know that Paul did not write the convenient chapter and verse divisions that we have in our Bible today. They came just a few short centuries ago. Stephen Langton, who later became the Archbishop of Canterbury, provided the chapter divisions in 1227. Then the French printer Robert Estienne added the verse divisions in 1551.
Romans 11 contains a stinging rebuke to Gentiles who misunderstand the importance God places in Israel, His chosen. Through the ‘stumbling’ of the Jew, salvation came to Gentiles, but “God did not forsake Israel”, Paul tells us. Then chapter 12 begins with a “therefore”. That always signifies the need to take note of that which precedes it, doesn’t it? So the narrative flows as Paul, firstly addressing the Gentile, but shortly joining in the whole “ekklesia” of Jew and Gentile together, moves to teach the necessity of harmonious interaction between them within the fellowship.
His analogy of ‘presenting our body a living sacrifice’ seems dramatic, but it perfectly fits the example of Yeshua, who is the central theme and focus of Paul’s exhortation to all who will listen, even today. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” is the instruction Paul gives to this “ekklesia”. The leader of a large church organisation in Australia, a few years ago, encouraged his congregation ‘to find the best the world has to offer and bring it into the church’. That seems at odds with Paul’s exhortation doesn’t it? We are encouraged to ‘renew our minds’, ‘to be transformed’ from what we were to what we have become in Yeshua our saviour.
Within any “ekklesia” of God worshippers there are many diverse and valuable gifts and talents. Not all members have the same attributes, but all members have equal attributes before God. It is our capacity to ‘corporatize’ everything today that attributes rank and status within the body of believers. None more so today than attaching the words ‘senior’ and ‘chief’ to otherwise humble God given gifts and ministries which He has set within an “ekklesia” for the benefit of the whole. Read the list Paul has presented for the edification of the “ekklesia” in Rome from verses 4 to 18 of chapter 12. It is just as applicable today as it was 2000 years ago.
Then Paul’s exhorts ‘every soul’ to be subject to governing authority. This is considered by commentators to be the civil authority of the nation. And there is ample evidence for this interpretation in the text. But we all know that such authority is capable of, and susceptible to, all manner of corrupt and devious behaviour. Never-the-less Paul says that those in the “ekklesia”, which includes all of us who are believers in Yeshua, should order their lives in a manner which is above reproach. Sounds like a tall order because of our humanity doesn’t it? But that is the standard we are set. “Pay your taxes, yes GST as well”, “Don’t cheat the government”, “Don’t claim expenses you haven’t incurred”. Does that sound familiar? At the same time, we know that there are occasions when disputes arise between the brethren. I refer you to Matthew 18 and 1 Corinthians 6 for guidance there. It is noteworthy that in Judaism, two or three highly esteemed members of a synagogue community are appointed to make up a “Beit Din” (House of judgment) to arbitrate at such times. When we understand the Hebraic nature of the Scriptures we see that they are the “two or three gathered in My name” of Matthew 18. But Christianity has no such equivalent.
Finally, in further emphasis of the Hebraic nature of Paul’s exhortation, please note again the frequent reference to the Hebrew Scriptures in this passage. Quoting from the Exodus announcement by Moses of the “Ten Commandments”, (which are overwhelmingly accepted as the very basis and foundation of modern day Western Cultures), Paul sums up these main relational commandments into the single commandment found in Leviticus 19:18, which was also quoted by Yeshua in Matthew 22 as like the greatest commandment, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself”. Now it is possible to dismiss this as a kind of ‘motherhood’ statement which we all know. But, dear friends, it is worthy of our long and careful consideration. Or as the Psalmist would say …. Selah.
“Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk properly ..”
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Brit Hadashah Reflections
Brit Hadashah Reflections 6
Hebraic understanding of the teaching letters of the Apostles
Considered to have been written from Corinth in about 56-57 C.E.
It would be an extreme rarity to hear an exposition on this chapter of Romans in a Christian church today! It is far too challenging for most. We remind ourselves that this whole letter was written by Paul to an “ekklesia” with relational issues between the Jew and Gentile members of that “ekkelsia”. (Not too different to today eh!) And to again use David Pawson’s summary, in chapter 9 we saw Israel chosen by God. In chapter 10, their rejection of that calling. And now, in chapter 11 we find Paul reminding us that God will keep His covenant with them and restore Israel to the place He has reserved for them. That situation is still future to us today, but we see the signs of it happening as God is orchestrating the return of Jews to Israel, in increasing numbers, from all countries to which they were scattered. We live in a time of great privilege to witness prophecy being fulfilled before our eyes. Prophecies that were entrusted to men, anointed by God to bear His message over 2,500 years ago.
In emphasis of the relationship God has with Israel Paul asks: - “Has God cast away His people?” Then a resounding “Certainly not!” And then he explains some of the history of the Jews, quoting extensively from the Hebrew Scriptures, to indicate that they had in fact ‘stumbled’. “..Have they stumbled that they should fall?” he asks. Again the emphatic “Certainly not!” An amazing revelation follows. God has used the “stumbling” of the Jews to bring salvation to the Gentiles. And that for the specific purpose, “to provoke them to jealousy”. And in that “ekklesia” in Rome it may well have been the case. But in our day, in the 21st century, there has been a complete reversal, and it is not difficult to understand why. No longer is the Jew “provoked to jealousy” by the salvation of the Gentile believer. Why? Because for many centuries the Gentile believer has presented Messiah Yeshua (the Christian Jesus) as a false prophet. One who overtly seeks to take the Jew away from the word of God as declared in the Torah. That is a serious charge, because it represents a complete failure to fulfil the purposes of God. Paul says “If their being cast away is the reconciling of the world”, which it is, “what will their acceptance (reconciliation) be, but life from the dead?” Do not be tempted to minimize this failure on the part of Gentile believers. We have disguised the Jewish Messiah so that He is unrecognizable to the Jew. (the same as Joseph was unrecognizable to his brothers in Egypt)
Then another shock! I was brought up to believe that once one is saved one is always saved. One cannot become “unsaved”. But that is not what Paul teaches this Rome “ekklesia” is it? There is good news and bad news here. Firstly, Israel is likened to a ‘natural Olive Tree’. Branches of that tree were ‘broken off’ (by God) because of unbelief. Other branches, Gentile branches, were grafted into that natural Olive Tree (as in the “ekklesia” in Rome). That’s the good news. But Paul offers a stern warning, of which all Gentile believers should take careful note. “Do not boast against the branches .. remember that you do not support the root (Israel) but the root supports you.” Then comes the bad news. “If God did not spare the natural branches (because of unbelief) He may not spare you either (for the same reason).”
Paul then gets to the main point of his discourse. “if they do not continue in unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God is able to graft them in again.” They can be restored. And there are other places in the Scriptures which confirm that this is what WILL happen. Notably, Paul quotes from Isaiah, (but it is also written in Jeremiah and Ezekiel) “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.” In case you missed it, this is one of the major elements of the New Covenant which God will make with the House of Israel and the House of Judah as recorded in Jeremiah 31 and repeated Hebrews 8. Israel’s future is secured by the blood of Yeshua. But then, in the Rome “ekklesia”, and today in our modern world, many are still in semi darkness, with a God made veil over their eyes.
“Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements and His ways past finding out!”
It is my prayer that all who read this ‘reflection’ will come to recognize, as Paul taught this “ekklesia” in Rome, that Israel, and the people of Israel, are precious to God. And what is precious to God we should be very careful to acknowledge and support. For centuries we have been taught that the Jew has to conform to “our way”. God sees it very differently. Do not boast against the branches. Become a branch.
Shabbat Shalom
RS