Q. The Feast of Shavuot is also Pentecost right?
A. The term Shavuot means “weeks” in Hebrew and it is 7 weeks from the first day of the week after Passover, or the Feast of unleavened bread, plus one day making 50 days. So, the Greek term for this day is Pentecost which basically means “fifty” but that is not the biblical term for this day. It is called “Shavuot” for the above reasons. Historically it is believed to be the day that Moses received the Torah on Mount Sinai with all the wind, sounds and fire and God speaking audibly to His people gathered there at the mountain. Jewish tradition believes that God spoke in the 70 known languages of the world, or in tongues because the commandments apply to all men. Interestingly in Acts 2 the people are again gathered in the Temple for the Feast of Shavuot and God manifests Himself with the same signs of wind and fire and speaks to the people in tongues again.
Q. The word for New in “new testament” is chadash. What does it mean?
A. The word chadash has a basic meaning of “renewed” or “rebuild” but it is also used to mean new. This word is generally understood as to renew. It is related to the word “chodesh” which means new moon. Now, the moon is not new every month, it is renewed as far as to be seen again, and that is why the term “new testament” or covenant carries the idea of being renewed or seen again because it is promised in the Torah (Deut. 29.1-30.20) and again in the prophets (Jer 31.31-34; 32.40; Ezek. 36.22-38) and ratified by Yeshua with His own blood. The new testament is the Torah being written on hearts circumcised by the Spirit. So the difference between the Covenant at Sinai and the new covenant (Moab) is not what is written, but where it is written.
Q. People say that Jesus fulfilled the Law so it is no longer in force. Is that true?
A. Let’s read Matt. 5.17 to see what he is saying. He starts out with the fact we aren’t even to think that he came to do away with the Law. So that answers the question did He do away with it. He said He didn’t come for that and to not even think it. He came to fulfill it which means to carry it out, give it meaning, give substance to it, to interpret it correctly. It doesn’t mean “done away with” as some say. He already said He didn’t come to do that so don’t even think it. But people not only think it they teach it. Yeshua said He came to give meaning to the Torah. You can’t truly understand the Torah and the prophets unless you know Yeshua (John 5.39-47; Luke 24.27,44).
Q. I have a professor who says that Jesus quoted from the Old Testament which is partially true, right?
A. He quoted from the Torah, the prophets and the writings called the Tanak which were the only scriptures they had. Remember there was no “new” testament. Now the terms Old and New are really not very accurate and certainly were never used in the Scripture as they are today. It is used to talk about covenants, which is what testament really means, but when man’s theology began to get in the way of truth a belief system developed that said everything before Yeshua was old and everything after the cross is “new” and so the terms began to take on a whole new meaning. The gospels and epistles are all based on the Tanak (Torah, prophets, writings) as their foundation for presenting the truths contained in them. Not one writer of the gospels or epistles ever believed or practiced a theology that said that the Law was done away with. They kept the commandments, ate clean meats, kept the festivals, worshipped in the Temple and offered animal sacrifices. Paul and Stephen were accused of disobeying the Torah and teaching others to do the same and the Scriptures say these were false accusations, so that tells you they did keep the commandments and that they were not “done away with” as people teach today.
Q. Could speaking in tongues and the interpretation also include writing in a foreign language?
A. The answer to your question is in the question. No, it must be spoken otherwise how could it be a sign to the unbeliever?
Reading something written in a foreign language would not be much of a manifestation of a gift from God. The Scriptures were written in a foreign language but that is not the Gift of Tongues or the Interpretation of Tongues.
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upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
1 Corinthians 10:11 (NASB95)
Friday, January 26, 2007
Friday, January 19, 2007
Not By Faith Alone
Q. What does James mean when he says in Jam.2.14 that a man is not justified by faith alone?
A. On the surface this seems contradictory to the concept that a man is not saved by works, but on faith alone, but it really isn’t when it is understood. Without getting into a deep teaching about salvation, let’s just keep in mind that before the foundation of the world God called and justified us according to His good pleasure and purpose. Works does not enter into it because it was through God’s grace that faith was implanted in our hearts according to His timing, when we were sinners and not even looking for God. We had no thought of salvation up to that point (Rom. 3.9-12, 5.8). Saving faith is planted by the Ruach ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) bringing conviction and a need for the Lord. It looks like we were seeking God but in reality that seeking is the first sign that eternal life has been planted already. Then some human messenger comes along bringing the “Good News” and that life is stirred within us.
The New Birth is entirely the work of God, no works are involved. So, in James 2.14-22 James is talking about 2 different things. If a man says he has faith, which I just described in the above scenario, then he will be doing the works of God, which James already said is found in the Torah (1.25, 2.12). If eternal life is in someone they will be obeying the Torah, accepting what it teaches and walking in them. These are the “good works” described in Scripture. If he says he knows God but doesn’t keep the commandments he is lying (1Jn 2.1-4). True faith will not be without works. Faith cannot be seen until there is something done, an action which gives his faith “substance” or evidence (Heb 11.1).
The reason why works does not justify anyone before God is because justification has already been done by God before we were even born (Rom 8.29-39). It’s a gift of His grace and mercy (Eph 2.8). What James is talking about is the evidence of that faith as seen before men (2.18). What he is saying is if your faith is truly from God, the evidence will be obedience to God’s commandments and that is what he presents to be examined. For instance God says to keep the Sabbath. If you have true faith, you will keep that command. On the other hand, if you say you have faith but you don’t keep the commandment for whatever reason (like it’s been done away with or replaced by Sunday) there is something wrong.
The first person can point to his “good work” of keeping the commandment as evidence that he already possessed eternal life which produced the act of obedience whereas the second person will have no valid evidence on that point. That is what James is trying to say. He is contrasting the “professors” with the “possessors” and the evidence is the works being produced. The works gives evidence of the justification that is already there. Remember, God starts the salvation process when we weren’t even looking for Him or even interested, we were yet sinners (Rom 5.8).
He maintains that status and nothing can separate us from Him or snatch us out of His hand, and He will finish what he has started (Heb 12.2, Jude 24). So, the entire salvation process from beginning to end is entirely the work of God. We do not have one thing to boast about. The works being done is the Lord working through us. We don’t receive justification for them. We are already justified before we even do any works. James is simply saying that there will be true evidence in the life of a believer if he professes that he has faith.
A. On the surface this seems contradictory to the concept that a man is not saved by works, but on faith alone, but it really isn’t when it is understood. Without getting into a deep teaching about salvation, let’s just keep in mind that before the foundation of the world God called and justified us according to His good pleasure and purpose. Works does not enter into it because it was through God’s grace that faith was implanted in our hearts according to His timing, when we were sinners and not even looking for God. We had no thought of salvation up to that point (Rom. 3.9-12, 5.8). Saving faith is planted by the Ruach ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) bringing conviction and a need for the Lord. It looks like we were seeking God but in reality that seeking is the first sign that eternal life has been planted already. Then some human messenger comes along bringing the “Good News” and that life is stirred within us.
The New Birth is entirely the work of God, no works are involved. So, in James 2.14-22 James is talking about 2 different things. If a man says he has faith, which I just described in the above scenario, then he will be doing the works of God, which James already said is found in the Torah (1.25, 2.12). If eternal life is in someone they will be obeying the Torah, accepting what it teaches and walking in them. These are the “good works” described in Scripture. If he says he knows God but doesn’t keep the commandments he is lying (1Jn 2.1-4). True faith will not be without works. Faith cannot be seen until there is something done, an action which gives his faith “substance” or evidence (Heb 11.1).
The reason why works does not justify anyone before God is because justification has already been done by God before we were even born (Rom 8.29-39). It’s a gift of His grace and mercy (Eph 2.8). What James is talking about is the evidence of that faith as seen before men (2.18). What he is saying is if your faith is truly from God, the evidence will be obedience to God’s commandments and that is what he presents to be examined. For instance God says to keep the Sabbath. If you have true faith, you will keep that command. On the other hand, if you say you have faith but you don’t keep the commandment for whatever reason (like it’s been done away with or replaced by Sunday) there is something wrong.
The first person can point to his “good work” of keeping the commandment as evidence that he already possessed eternal life which produced the act of obedience whereas the second person will have no valid evidence on that point. That is what James is trying to say. He is contrasting the “professors” with the “possessors” and the evidence is the works being produced. The works gives evidence of the justification that is already there. Remember, God starts the salvation process when we weren’t even looking for Him or even interested, we were yet sinners (Rom 5.8).
He maintains that status and nothing can separate us from Him or snatch us out of His hand, and He will finish what he has started (Heb 12.2, Jude 24). So, the entire salvation process from beginning to end is entirely the work of God. We do not have one thing to boast about. The works being done is the Lord working through us. We don’t receive justification for them. We are already justified before we even do any works. James is simply saying that there will be true evidence in the life of a believer if he professes that he has faith.
A Body Prepared for the Messiah
Q. In Hebrews 10.5 it says that a body was prepared for Messiah. It quotes Psalm 40.6 but it says “My ears you have opened.” Why is there a difference and is this contradiction?
A. No it’s not a contradiction. There is a difference in words but not in meaning. Let me explain from the verse in Psalms. David is clearly talking about the Messiah. When it says that his “ears have been opened” it means “pierced” as a servant’s ears were pierced in Exodus 21.5. So David is saying in a poetic way that the Messiah is a servant. This idea is reinforced in the Book of Isaiah with whole chapters called the “servant” passages. One portion begins in Isaiah 52.13 through 53.12. This portion clearly calls Messiah a servant and it goes on with the familiar crucifixion passages so many are familiar with. So, that brings us to the passage in Hebrews. Paul is quoting a paraphrase of Psalm 40.6 where it puts “body you have prepared for me” where “my ears have been pierced” was. The meaning is this.
In order to have your ears pierced as a servant (to fulfill the servant passages and to be the lamb led to the slaughter in Isaiah 52.13-53.12) you must have a body. It goes on to say in both these passages that the body of Messiah was prepared because the legal requirement demanded of God for sin could not be met by “burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin” so God took no pleasure in them, He never did as far meeting that requirement. Both passages go on to say that Messiah says “Behold, I have come” (with anticipation, eagerness, he is ready). “In the volume of the book (the Scriptures) it is written of me (Mt 26.54, Lk 24.27) to do thy will (which was to offer Himself up –Mt 26.42).”
Because God would not regard the blood of bulls, goats or lambs as meeting the requirement of sin, Yeshua agreed in eternity past, in those conversations with the Father before the world was, to have a body prepared for him, and that he would come to earth and be a servant and offer his precious blood. This was settled in Heaven and in the garden before he suffered when he said, “Not my will but yours be done.” So, putting it all together like that gives you a bigger picture of what was going on. By putting the word “body” in that verse it conveyed the meaning of the passage in Psalms that clearly illustrated why Yeshua came.
A. No it’s not a contradiction. There is a difference in words but not in meaning. Let me explain from the verse in Psalms. David is clearly talking about the Messiah. When it says that his “ears have been opened” it means “pierced” as a servant’s ears were pierced in Exodus 21.5. So David is saying in a poetic way that the Messiah is a servant. This idea is reinforced in the Book of Isaiah with whole chapters called the “servant” passages. One portion begins in Isaiah 52.13 through 53.12. This portion clearly calls Messiah a servant and it goes on with the familiar crucifixion passages so many are familiar with. So, that brings us to the passage in Hebrews. Paul is quoting a paraphrase of Psalm 40.6 where it puts “body you have prepared for me” where “my ears have been pierced” was. The meaning is this.
In order to have your ears pierced as a servant (to fulfill the servant passages and to be the lamb led to the slaughter in Isaiah 52.13-53.12) you must have a body. It goes on to say in both these passages that the body of Messiah was prepared because the legal requirement demanded of God for sin could not be met by “burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin” so God took no pleasure in them, He never did as far meeting that requirement. Both passages go on to say that Messiah says “Behold, I have come” (with anticipation, eagerness, he is ready). “In the volume of the book (the Scriptures) it is written of me (Mt 26.54, Lk 24.27) to do thy will (which was to offer Himself up –Mt 26.42).”
Because God would not regard the blood of bulls, goats or lambs as meeting the requirement of sin, Yeshua agreed in eternity past, in those conversations with the Father before the world was, to have a body prepared for him, and that he would come to earth and be a servant and offer his precious blood. This was settled in Heaven and in the garden before he suffered when he said, “Not my will but yours be done.” So, putting it all together like that gives you a bigger picture of what was going on. By putting the word “body” in that verse it conveyed the meaning of the passage in Psalms that clearly illustrated why Yeshua came.
Gift of Tongues
This week we will conclude the subject concerning the Gift of Tongues and show how tongues were used in Acts and Corinthians and why Paul says they were a “sign” to the unbeliever in 1 Cor. 14.22. To understand v 22 you have to understand v.21 where Paul quotes Isaiah 28 11. Starting in v9 of Isaiah he tells the people that God cannot teach knowledge to babies who were just weaned from “milk” or simple things. He has had no success telling them the plain truth about what was coming upon the land. The people wouldn’t listen and so instead of dealing with them as adults, they would be dealt with like children. In v 10 it says “Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line, a little here and a little there.” In Hebrew however it says “ Tzav L’tzav, tzav l’zav, kav l’kav,kav l’kav, ze’er sham, ze’er sham” which doesn’t mean a thing and certainly not how it is translated in English. It’s gibberish and “foreign” sounding and that was the point. Now he says that God was going to speak to this people through stammering lips and a foreign tongue (language).
In other words, because they wouldn’t listen to the plain words of the prophets to repent and turn to Him, he was going to speak to them through people with a strange language they wouldn’t understand, speaking of the Assyrians and Babylonians, later the Greeks and Romans. They would fill the streets of Jerusalem with a foreign language the people would not know as a sign to them that they had rejected the plain words of the Scriptures and the prophets and now this was judgment against them. And we know from history this did indeed happen and the people learned a valuable lesson resulting in a return from the Babylonian captivity after 70 years. But, after awhile they went back to their old ways of not listening to the prophets and began to be like children in their understanding of the Scriptures and when Yeshua came along they didn’t recognize Him because of all the man-made interpretations that overshadowed the plain understanding of the Scriptures and the coming of the Messiah. Yeshua was barely recognizable to the religious man of the 1st century. This brings us up to Acts 2.2-41. The people are gathered in the Temple at the Feast of Shavuot, or Pentecost.
As promised, the Holy Spirit comes upon the believers there and they begin to speak in ”tongues” or foreign languages. In v 5-11 the people who heard these “tongues” were unbelievers at the time and were amazed because they heard them in their native languages and wondered what it all meant (v 12-15). In Acts 2.16-36 Peter says that it was a sign that the Holy Spirit had come as promised as another proof that Yeshua was the Messiah. After hearing this they were shocked and asked what to do and Peter tells them to repent, be immersed and filled with the Holy Spirit, and 3000 were saved that day. The tongues got their attention. So, Paul tells the Corinthians that tongues are a sign to the unbeliever.
They reveal what is in his heart and it will get their attention in order that they might repent and be saved. Tongues were used in the Scriptures as a sign of judgment because the unbeliever has obviously not paid attention to the plain words of the Scriptures and this was to get their attention. That’s why Paul tells the Corinthians not to be so desirous of tongues, not that they shouldn’t desire the gift but know why God manifested Himself in that way in the past.
Some of the Corinthians were puffed up in pride and liked the more demonstrative gifts to show their spirituality so Paul had to put these things in proper order and perspective without dampening their desire for spiritual gifts as a whole.
In other words, because they wouldn’t listen to the plain words of the prophets to repent and turn to Him, he was going to speak to them through people with a strange language they wouldn’t understand, speaking of the Assyrians and Babylonians, later the Greeks and Romans. They would fill the streets of Jerusalem with a foreign language the people would not know as a sign to them that they had rejected the plain words of the Scriptures and the prophets and now this was judgment against them. And we know from history this did indeed happen and the people learned a valuable lesson resulting in a return from the Babylonian captivity after 70 years. But, after awhile they went back to their old ways of not listening to the prophets and began to be like children in their understanding of the Scriptures and when Yeshua came along they didn’t recognize Him because of all the man-made interpretations that overshadowed the plain understanding of the Scriptures and the coming of the Messiah. Yeshua was barely recognizable to the religious man of the 1st century. This brings us up to Acts 2.2-41. The people are gathered in the Temple at the Feast of Shavuot, or Pentecost.
As promised, the Holy Spirit comes upon the believers there and they begin to speak in ”tongues” or foreign languages. In v 5-11 the people who heard these “tongues” were unbelievers at the time and were amazed because they heard them in their native languages and wondered what it all meant (v 12-15). In Acts 2.16-36 Peter says that it was a sign that the Holy Spirit had come as promised as another proof that Yeshua was the Messiah. After hearing this they were shocked and asked what to do and Peter tells them to repent, be immersed and filled with the Holy Spirit, and 3000 were saved that day. The tongues got their attention. So, Paul tells the Corinthians that tongues are a sign to the unbeliever.
They reveal what is in his heart and it will get their attention in order that they might repent and be saved. Tongues were used in the Scriptures as a sign of judgment because the unbeliever has obviously not paid attention to the plain words of the Scriptures and this was to get their attention. That’s why Paul tells the Corinthians not to be so desirous of tongues, not that they shouldn’t desire the gift but know why God manifested Himself in that way in the past.
Some of the Corinthians were puffed up in pride and liked the more demonstrative gifts to show their spirituality so Paul had to put these things in proper order and perspective without dampening their desire for spiritual gifts as a whole.
Speaking in Tongues vs. 'Gibberish'
An interesting thing happened this week when getting ready to submit my usual article. I didn’t have anything to write about or have any questions to answer, so I asked the Lord to show me what to write about.
A few minutes later a woman named Donna called me from Nevada, Tx. She said that she was singing a song this Sunday in her Assembly of God church and it had Hebrew lyrics and she wanted to know how to pronounce the words. Not knowing the song or the lyrics, I didn’t know what to tell her. I asked her why she was singing a foreign language she didn’t know to people that would not understand what she is saying. It would sound like gibberish to them, no communication. She said she never looked at it that way and I suggested she sing the English lyrics and forget the Hebrew for now.
Now, in our Wednesday Bible study we are going through the New Testament and learning how these books relate to believers today. We are currently in 1 Cor. 12 and discussing the Manifestations of the Spirit. We are right in the middle of Paul’s teaching about tongues and then I had an answer to my prayer of what to write about. Donna’s call is a perfect illustration of what Paul was trying to explain in 1 Cor. 12.
What are Tongues and the Interpretation of Tongues? The gift of Tongues is that ability to speak a language you don’t normally know and the gift of Interpretation in translating what was said for people to understand. It is not the “gibberish” that is seen today in many circles. Christians, Mormons, Hindus and religions all over the world have a history of “tongues” but that is not what Paul is talking about. This is a language that that has hermeneutic rules. In fact the word for “interpretation” in Greek is where we get the word “hermeneutic” from, which rules out the meaningless gibberish that passes for “tongues” in history.
Why were these gifts given in the first place? They were given as a sign to the unbeliever. Let me explain and give you several examples. In Isaiah 28.9-13 the prophet is telling the people that God has tried to communicate with them in clear, simple words so that even a child could understand, but they were continuing in unbelief as if they didn’t understand. He couldn’t have made it simpler. So, he says if they won’t listen to a clear, intelligible message. He was going to speak to them through a people with a foreign tongue, or language, and that would be a sign to them of His judgment.
The Lord was speaking about Assyria, Babylon, Greece and later Rome. Because they would not listen to the prophets and killed those sent to them, the people learned the hard way with a people who spoke in other tongues. So, tongues are a sign of judgment. So, let’s go to Acts 2 and see what happened. The people are gathered for the feast of Shavuot and were in the Temple. The Holy Spirit descends upon the believers gathered there and they speak in languages understood by all those from foreign lands (2.6-11) and there were at least 17 different languages. So, what happened?
Remember that in the time of Isaiah God had spoken plainly through he prophets, but they were like children who can be obstinate and stupid and didn’t listen. So He threatened them with another method. He would speak to them with foreigners speaking foreign languages, or tongues. Next week we will take it from there and go to Acts and Corinthians and show how tongues were used again by the Lord in the same way, why the Corinthians had no reason to be so desirous of them and how it relates today as a “sign” to the unbeliever.
A few minutes later a woman named Donna called me from Nevada, Tx. She said that she was singing a song this Sunday in her Assembly of God church and it had Hebrew lyrics and she wanted to know how to pronounce the words. Not knowing the song or the lyrics, I didn’t know what to tell her. I asked her why she was singing a foreign language she didn’t know to people that would not understand what she is saying. It would sound like gibberish to them, no communication. She said she never looked at it that way and I suggested she sing the English lyrics and forget the Hebrew for now.
Now, in our Wednesday Bible study we are going through the New Testament and learning how these books relate to believers today. We are currently in 1 Cor. 12 and discussing the Manifestations of the Spirit. We are right in the middle of Paul’s teaching about tongues and then I had an answer to my prayer of what to write about. Donna’s call is a perfect illustration of what Paul was trying to explain in 1 Cor. 12.
What are Tongues and the Interpretation of Tongues? The gift of Tongues is that ability to speak a language you don’t normally know and the gift of Interpretation in translating what was said for people to understand. It is not the “gibberish” that is seen today in many circles. Christians, Mormons, Hindus and religions all over the world have a history of “tongues” but that is not what Paul is talking about. This is a language that that has hermeneutic rules. In fact the word for “interpretation” in Greek is where we get the word “hermeneutic” from, which rules out the meaningless gibberish that passes for “tongues” in history.
Why were these gifts given in the first place? They were given as a sign to the unbeliever. Let me explain and give you several examples. In Isaiah 28.9-13 the prophet is telling the people that God has tried to communicate with them in clear, simple words so that even a child could understand, but they were continuing in unbelief as if they didn’t understand. He couldn’t have made it simpler. So, he says if they won’t listen to a clear, intelligible message. He was going to speak to them through a people with a foreign tongue, or language, and that would be a sign to them of His judgment.
The Lord was speaking about Assyria, Babylon, Greece and later Rome. Because they would not listen to the prophets and killed those sent to them, the people learned the hard way with a people who spoke in other tongues. So, tongues are a sign of judgment. So, let’s go to Acts 2 and see what happened. The people are gathered for the feast of Shavuot and were in the Temple. The Holy Spirit descends upon the believers gathered there and they speak in languages understood by all those from foreign lands (2.6-11) and there were at least 17 different languages. So, what happened?
Remember that in the time of Isaiah God had spoken plainly through he prophets, but they were like children who can be obstinate and stupid and didn’t listen. So He threatened them with another method. He would speak to them with foreigners speaking foreign languages, or tongues. Next week we will take it from there and go to Acts and Corinthians and show how tongues were used again by the Lord in the same way, why the Corinthians had no reason to be so desirous of them and how it relates today as a “sign” to the unbeliever.
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