Home > Teaching Moments

When The Old And The New Come Together

Romans 10: 6-10 tells us, “But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will go up into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Messiah down),  or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Messiah up from the dead).”  But what does it say? “The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the Word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Yeshua as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;  for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

Paul was quoting this verse from Deuteronomy 30:11-14  “For this commandment which I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it far away.  It is not in heaven, that you could say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us and get it for us, and proclaim it to us, so that we may follow it?’  Nor is it beyond the sea, that you could say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us and get it for us and proclaim it to us, so that we may follow it?’  On the contrary, the Word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may follow it.”

Paul was speaking about the righteousness of faith, and Moses was speaking about obeying the Commandments. Could it be that both of them were talking about the same thing?

Paul starts with righteousness based on faith. What was Paul really saying here? Paul is basing  righteousness on the righteousness of Messiah. No need “Going up to heaven,” because the Messiah came in the form of a man and lived amongst us. No need to go down to the abyss, because Messiah rose from the dead. That’s pretty easy! 

Moses says the same thing, about the Commandments, and it is just as easy, for we do not have to go up to heaven or even cross the sea, because God gave us the Commandments on Mt. Sinai.  But Moses was speaking about the one who would proclaim it to the people. The one who would go and get it.

We see Paul was speaking about the same thing. Romans 10:14-15 goes on to say this, “How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?  But how are they to preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”’

 Genesis 15:6 tells us this about Abraham, “Then he believed in the LORD; and He credited it to him as righteousness.

Paul says this in Romans 4:1-5, 13, “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found?  For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about; but not before God.  For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”  Now to the one who works, the wages are not credited as a favor, but as what is due.  But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.” “For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.”

When we see the word Law, we think that we are not supposed to keep the Commandments of God. This is a  wrong translation of the word and we have been taught the wrong meaning. 

 In John 14:15, 23-24 “The Messiah tells us this,  “If you love Me, you will keep My Commandments.” “Yeshua answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will follow My Word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him.  The one who does not love Me does not follow My Words; and the Word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.”

We seem to forget that Yeshua is the Word made flesh. He embodies the commandments.

Matthew 5:17-20 tells us this, “Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.  For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished!  Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. “For I say to you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

In the Hebrew words for abolish and fulfill,  speak about teaching correctly. If you continue to read on in Matthew 5:21-48, you will see that Yeshua begins to correct the people’s thinking on the Commandments. In other words He begins to teach them correctly. Every society and every kingdom has laws. These laws are for the citizens to keep. God also has laws for the people of His kingdom to keep. These laws keep us in right standing or in righteousness. We keep them in faith. We say, by faith I walk out these laws and keep them to the best of my ability, and if I should break one of these laws, unintentionally or intentionally, there is the blood of Yeshua which will cleanse me when I confess with my mouth my sin before God’s court, the blood of Yeshua will wash me clean. I will go from unrighteousness to righteousness by the faith I have in His blood. This is standing by faith in the work of Messiah’s sacrifice, which makes me righteous.