The Natsarim position on the law - point #6

The Natsarim - Part 7

In Part 6, we outlined the 3rd, 4th and 5th points for the Natsarim position on the law and we now continue with the 6th and last one (for now). - About he difference between the covenant and the law.

Point six

The Natsarim points very specifically to the fact that the law (Torah) and the covenant are NOT the same things. It is strange that we need to point out this obvious fact, but it is one of the main misconceptions by those who accuse the Natsarim of heresy. The biggest reason, of course, being that the “church” in its promotion of its position, simply supressed this fact, in order that people would not question their decision. The wicked hate YAHUAH and love their power, control and other sinning so in their rethoric and writing have sometimes interchanged “law” and “covenant” or imply they are the same thing.

But YAHUAH is righteous, so law and legalities are an essential part of His being, and it runs like a big fat thread all through the Bible.

- Why do you think Satan's demons are raging in all people? It is because they as children of Adam and Eve are under his control since the fall from Eden so that they, by non-repented sin or unbroken curses, become lawful prey for Satan and his demons (as allowed by YAHUAH).

-Why do you think it was important for Satan to have the law abolished in the eyes of the "church" if not to effectively open the floodgates of sin also in the “church” and bring them ALL in under the jurisdiction of Satan’s worldly rule, away from salvation? Who honestly believes evil like these things have been and are being orchestrated, because Satan loves them?

One of the foundational concepts of a legal act which legal systems recognize, are covenants and testaments. A covenant is like a contract, and the old covenant was created between YAHUAH and Abraham (B’resheet / Genesis 17)

"I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. …You are to circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and this will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you."

(B’resheet / Genesis 17:7 & 17:11, BSB)

Here we see that YAHUAH made it perfectly clear to Abraham that the covenant was forever, not "until something better comes along".

If the covenant were to be followed perfectly, the person having faith in YAHUAH would be required to circumcise their foreskins as a token of their acceptance of the covenant. Faith was a prerequisite, and circumcision was the sign of acceptance under faith. Notice that the law is not even mentioned here because it had nothing to do with the covenant per se. Only after was the law appended to the covenant (Shemot / Exodus 4:28).

So, the covenant is a judicial object entirely separate from the law, eternal from YAHUAH's side, but we failed to uphold our end. Sin quickly made man incapable of knowing and keeping the law and judging with righteousness and grace.

If it took just one generation for mankind to become murderers (Kain), imagine the malignancy of hate and iniquity 3000-4000 years later at the time of Yahushua Hamashiach. Being filled with Satan's demons and uncrucified bodily programmings, people became manic lovers of human sacrifices (burning babies in fire!), hypocritical orthodoxy (Pharisees), arbitrary "justice,” and "trials" by battle in the arenas. Today, satanism is widespread and the concept of man, family and male/female is being dissolved and the white man is being hunted to extinction by Satan’s minions.

As the prophet Y’chizki’el / Ezekiel foretold, the Trinity had already, since before time, identified and handled the situation. Man was going to be saved, given a new covenant, to follow YAHUAH's "ordinances" and "statutes," essentially the same but in a new form.

I will take the Israelites out of the nations to which they have gone, and I will gather them from all around and bring them into their own land. …They will no longer defile themselves with their idols or detestable images, or with any of their transgressions. I will save them from all their apostasies by which they sinned, and I will cleanse them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God. …. They will follow My ordinances and keep and observe My statutes. … And I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant.

(Y’chizki’el / Ezekiel 37:21-26,BSB)

The prophet Yirmeyahu / Jeremiah prophesied the nature of the new covenant, but the prophecy did not foretell new laws, as in Y’chizki’el / Ezekiel's case. Instead, the "new" law was (and is) the same law written onto people's hearts such that we finally become able through the Holy Spirit to know and follow the law (as originally intended).

"Behold, the days are coming, declares YAHUAH, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant they broke, though I was a husband to them, declares YAHUAH.

But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares YAHUAH. I will put My law [Torah] in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God  …"

(Yirmeyahu / Jeremiah 31:31-33, BSB)

So, it is clear that YAHUAH has full control over the legalities and what is allowed or not for Satan to do with and through people.

And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God .

(Y’chizki’el / Ezekiel 11:19-20, KJV)

And this covenant was also repeated in the New Testament by the apostle Paul, saying

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith YAHUAH; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them an Alahim, and they shall be to me a people.

(Hebrews 8:10, KJV)

Focusing on the covenants, we find that they have never defined nor erased any part of the law (the WHAT), only governed its implementation and application (the HOW). For example, under the old covenant, the law was written on stone tablets, and under the new covenant, the law is written on the hearts of born-again believers. -Same WHAT, two different HOWs.

We also see that the "new covenant" (the covenant of Redemption) was not made to man but was the agreement within the Trinity - made long before man was created - to bring us the salvation we now need.

"… Jesus of Nazareth was a man certified by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know. He was delivered up by God's set plan and foreknowledge, and you, by the hands of the lawless, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross."

(P’yilut Hashaliachim / Acts 2:22-23, BSB)

Under this covenant, the Father plans redemption and sends the Son to save His people. The Son agrees to be sent and do the work necessary to protect the elect (Yohanan / John 10:17-18) through his sacrifice (Hebrews 8:8-13). The Spirit agrees to apply the work of Hamashiach to us by sealing us unto salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14).

Because the result of sin is death (Romans 6:23), the new covenant was formed, in which YAHUAH Himself would fulfill the requirements of the law on behalf of mankind and give the people the ability to follow Him in love and obedience (Yirmeyahu / Jeremiah 31:31-33).

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”

(Y’chizki’el / Ezekiel 36:26-27, NIV)

The prophecy of Yirmeyahu looks forward to the coming of the Holy Spirit, who would indwell all who have faith, teaching and helping them to follow the YAHUAH’s commands (Yohanan / John 14:26) (T’hilim / Psalms 23:3-4) (Romans 8:9-11).  

It would be a fair rhetorical question why YAHUAH would go through the effort to write the "old" law onto the hearts and minds of the elect (Hebrews 8:10-11) (Yirmeyahu / Jeremiah 31:33) if it was abolished along with the old covenant and no longer be followed (and heresy even to consider it)?

The reason for Him doing that is apparent; YAHUAH wants mankind to obey the law, and by inscribing it onto the new "hearts of flesh" of the born again believers, expressing the two great commandments (from Yahushua) AND also sending the Holy Spirit, He makes this very clear to the born-again believers (and also likely) that we will want to follow it.

Finishing off with some refutations:

Some of the "evidence" brought by the "church" for the law being abolished includes (Hebrews 7:12) "For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed as well." But, the verse does even talk about the covenant but of the priesthood. And the law was indeed made non-mandatory for salvation. Yahusha's priesthood is naturally different as the implementation of the law moves into the born-again instead of remaining on the societal level.

Another one is (Hebrews 7:18) "So the former commandment is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God." The context of this verse clarifies that the commandment spoken of is circumcision as a token of (faith in) the old covenant. It essentially says that physical circumcision did little to save people as they could not keep the law anyway. Yahusha represents the only hope in that regard, and the definition of "circumcision" changed instead to a metaphorical "foreskin of the heart" (Deuteronomy 10:16) (Deuteronomy 30:6) (Leviticus 26:41).

The next verse usually brought up says the same thing (Hebrews 8:6-7) "Now, however, Jesus has received a much more excellent ministry, just as the covenant He mediates is better and is founded on better promises. For if that first covenant had been without fault, no place would have been sought for a second."

The final verse I will raise here is sometimes used to claim that the law did change as it was made to fade and vanish into the "New and Better" covenant that Yahusha Hamashiach brought. (Hebrews 8:13) "In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away." But the text is not about the law (at all), but the covenant, which (again) indeed changed, but a change to the covenant does not mean that the law vanishes. Again, this takes us back to the necessity of clearly distinguishing between the covenant and the law.

To summarize, any attempt at following the law as a true believer is not heresy, nor does it invalidate the sacrifice of Yahushua on the cross since it is an absolute necessity for our ability to obey the law and even is the way that we are supposed to show our love for YAHUAH.

Therefore, trying to obey the law as true born-again believers only brings honor and glory to YAHUAH for having made it possible for us to finally honor our end of the covenant and worship him as initially intended – in faith(!)

When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.

(Kehilat / Ecclesiastes, 13:13-14, BSB)

Start your journey by trying to clear paganism away from your heart and from holidays that your family celebrates and give them content that more reflects the prescriptions in the Torah (Old Testament). Holidays and feasts are excellent and pleasant opportunities for gradually learning. Just because you love YAHUAH, have faith in Yahusha, the Holy Spirit within you and for this reason want to please Him and honor the sacrifice He made to make it possible for you(!)

I am YAHUAH Almighty. Walk before me, and be blameless.

(B’resheet / Genesis 17:1, BSB)

In part 8, we look to yet another interpretation of the Natsarim designation as being the guardians of the true names, you do not want to miss that !

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NOTE : 
This article is draws for the same studies foundation as my book "Pandemonium", available om Amazon.