WHAT IS A TORAH?

Probably one of the most misunderstood words in the entire Bible to Christians is the word LAW. In reality, the word LAW is a very poorly translated and misrepresented word to describe the Hebrew word, TORAH. In this chapter, we will seek to understand the purpose and meaning of God's Torah so that we as Christians can have a true Biblical understanding of how God views His Torah and why it is important to Him.

When most Christians hear the word, TORAH, they take two steps backward and put up a religious wall against any Christian who would mention the word or imply that we need to live our lives according to God's Torah. In fact, most Christians view the Torah with the attitude, "We are not under the Law, we are New Testament Christians and under grace."

WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH

It is a Biblical truth that we are NOT saved by keeping the Torah of God. We are saved by grace through faith and salvation is a FREE Gift from God. In Ephesians 2:8-9, it is written:

" For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."

However, the Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 3:28, 31 that AFTER we are saved, we are to uphold God's Torah as it is written:

"Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law ... Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the Law "

TORAH MEANS INSTRUCTION

While it is true that we are not saved by keeping the Torah of God, we must know and understand WHAT the word, TORAH, means. The word Law is the Hebrew word, TORAH. It is the Strongs word 8451. The best meaning of the word, TORAH, is "teaching or instruction." The word TORAH does not mean salvation but rather "teaching or instruction." There is a word in the Bible which means "salvation." The English word, Jesus, is the Hebrew word, Yeshua . The Hebrew word Yeshua means "salvation." This is the name for Jesus. In Matthew 1:21 it is written:

"And she (Mary) shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS (Yeshua in Hebrew); for he shall SAVE his people from their sins."

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF GOD'S TORAH?

From this, we can understand that JESUS means SALVATION and TORAH means INSTRUCTION. Therefore, the Torah was NEVER meant by God to be a means of salvation for His people. God's only salvation is Yeshua/Jesus the Messiah!

TORAH DOES NOT MEAN LAW

Because there is no proper corresponding word in Greek or English for the Hebrew word, TORAH, it is commonly translated as "law." Law implies a set of do's and don'ts intended to imprison people when they are broken. However, God gave the Hebrew language to communicate His spiritual truths. In fact, God calls Hebrew a pure language (Zephaniah 3:9). This truth is beautifully understood when we do a Biblical word study of the Hebrew word, TORAH.

THE TORAH IS GOD'S INSTRUCTION
MANUAL TO LIVE OUR LIVES

The word Torah, which is the Strong's word 8451 in the Hebrew dictionary, comes from the Hebrew word, "Yarah ". The Hebrew word, "Yarah" is the Strong's word 3384. The meaning of the word, "Yarah " is "to teach, to point out as aiming the finger, to lay a foundation" . By examining the Hebrew meaning of the word, TORAH, we can understand that the word Torah means, "to instruct, to teach, to point out as aiming the finger, to lay a foundation.".

So, the Torah should be correctly seen as God's INSTRUCTION tool to TEACH His people HOW to live their lives AFTER they are saved. The TORAH should be seen as a foundation for our lives and a foundation for understanding the entire Bible. Therefore, the most basic understanding of the meaning of Torah is "instruction for the purpose of teaching done by pointing out or aiming the finger.". God's purpose for the Torah is to "lay a foundation " to communicate His spiritual truths to His people regarding the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven and His redemptive plan for man.

People who are saved by the grace of God through faith without the deeds of the law by putting their trust in the shed blood of Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins will go to heaven. However, salvation does not give us the freedom to neglect God's TORAH because the TORAH is God's INSTRUCTION MANUAL for believers on how to conduct and live their lives in a manner that is well pleasing to their heavenly Father AFTER they are saved.

GOD'S TORAH IS FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION

EVERYTHING in the Bible was divinely ordained by God to teach or instruct us about the spiritual truths of the Kingdom of God. In Romans 15:4 it is written:

"For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. "

ALL Scripture is inspired by God. In II Timothy 3:16 it is written:

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God and profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. "

It should be understood that when Timothy wrote this letter and made the statement that "ALL Scripture is given by inspiration of God, " he was talking about the Old Testament INCLUDING the TORAH. The New Testament was not canonized when Timothy wrote this letter.

GOD'S TORAH IS THE WORD OF GOD

God's Torah is His Word. The "Torah" and the "Word of God" are synonymous terms in the Bible. Most Christians view the "TORAH" as the first five books of the Bible but "The Word of God" as the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation. However, in Isaiah 2:3, we see an example where the Torah and the Word of God are used interchangeably as it is written:

"And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we shall walk in his paths: far out of Zion shall go forth the TORAH, and the WORD OF THE LORD from Jerusalem."

In this verse, we can see an example of Hebrew parallelism. "Out of Zion shall go forth the Torah" is the same as "The Word of the Lord from Jerusalem." Therefore, from this example, we can see that the Torah and the Word of the Lord are used synonymously in the Bible.

Another example where we can see the word TORAH used interchangeably with the WORD OF THE LORD is in Psalm 119. In Psalm 119:97 it is written:

"O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day."

In Psalm 119:105 it is written:

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

Once again, we can see from the example in Psalm 119 that in one verse, David refers to the TORAH and a verse following he refers to the WORD OF GOD. Therefore, in a strict interpretation of the meaning of the word, TORAH, the Torah is the first five books of the Bible. However, in a broad sense, everything in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation should be seen as God's TORAH or instruction to His people.

WHAT WAS THE TREE OF LIFE
IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN

When God created Adam and Eve, He placed them in the Garden of Eden. In the middle of the Garden of Eden was the "Tree of Life." (Genesis 2:9) What was the tree of life that God planted in the middle of the Garden of Eden? The Tree of Life is the Torah! In Proverbs 3:1, 18 it is written:

"My son forget not my TORAH: but let thine heart keep my commandments ... She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her. "

THE TORAH IS MORE DESIRED THAN FINE GOLD

God said that His Torah is to be more desired than fine gold. In Psalm 19:7-8, 10 it is written:

"The TORAH of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes ... More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb."

THE TORAH IS THE TREE OF LIFE

Those people who delight in the TORAH of God and meditate in God's TORAH day and night are like a tree planted by the rivers of water. In Psalm 1:1-3 it is written:

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the TORAH of the Lord; and in his TORAH doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not whither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

In these verses we can see that a believer who delights himself in the TORAH of the Lord and meditates day and night in the TORAH is like a tree planted by the rivers of water. In Revelation 22:1-2, the tree planted by the rivers of water is the tree of life as it is written:

"And he showed me a pure river of water of Life clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."

Furthermore, Jesus told His Church that those who DO His commandments (Torah) will have right to the tree of life. In Revelation 22:14 it is written:

"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."

Therefore, from these verses we can understand the following:

1. The tree of life that was planted in the Garden of Eden was the Torah
2. God's Torah is worth far above pure gold
3. God's Torah is for the healing of the nations
4. Those who keep God's Torah have right to the tree of life

ABRAHAM: THE FATHER OF OUR FAITH

In Romans 4:16, Abraham is called the Father of our faith. Why did God choose Abraham and why is Abraham called the Father of our faith? God chose Abraham because God knew that Abraham would teach His children the Torah of God. In Genesis 18:18-19 it is written:

"Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord (the Torah), to do justice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he has spoken of him."

Abraham kept the Torah of God. In Genesis 26:5 it is written:

"Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, nd kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my TORAH "

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE TORAH?

Listed below are seven purposes for God's Torah. They are as follows:

1. Teaches and reveals the Divine nature of God

   a) God is Holy (Leviticus 19:2).
   b) God is Love (I John 4:7-8). ·
   c) God is Gracious, Righteous, Merciful (Psalm 116:5)
   d) God is Light (I John 1:5).

   
   
2. Teaches and reveals sin (Romans 3:20, Galations 3:10, James 2:10, I John 3:4)
3. Teaches and reveals man's need to have a Messiah (Romans 10:4)
   ----> "End" in Greek means "Goal/Target"
4. Teaches and reveals God's redemptive plan through the Messiah (Psalm 40:6-7, Hebrews 10:5-7, Luke 24:36, 44)
5. Teaches and reveals that man is saved by God's grace according to faith and not by the deeds of the law (Romans 3:20, 24, 28, Galations 2:16, Ephesians 2:8-9)
6. Teaches and reveals the difference between the life of the Spirit (the Torah written upon a heart of flesh) and the life of the flesh (the Torah written upon a heart of stone) (Romans 8:1-3, 5-9)
7. Teaches us how to grow from spiritual babies to spiritual maturity (Genesis 17:1, Psalm 19:7-8, Psalm 119:l-2, Ephesians 4:11-15, Hebrews 5:12-14)

TORAH MEANS A FOUNDATION

As mentioned earlier in this chapter, Torah comes from the Hebrew word, "Yarah" which means "to lay a foundation." The prophets and writings build upon that foundation. Spiritually, Jesus is the LIVING TORAH and God's FIRM FOUNDATION. In Isaiah 28:16 is it written:

"Therefore, thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation, he that believeth shall not make haste."

The firm foundation and chief cornerstone of God's House is Jesus. Jesus is the living Torah. This foundation is built upon by the prophets and apostles. In Ephesians 2:19-20 it is written:

"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. "

WHAT METHOD DID GOD USE
TO COMMUNICATE HIS TORAH TO US?

God gave the understanding of Him and His Kingdom in the form of spiritual pictures, blueprints or shadows. In other words, the literal or natural world was given to communicate the spiritual world. Therefore, God spoke His Torah to His people through different mechanisms including:

1. Parables (Psalm 78:1-4, Mark 4:10-13)
2. Deep or dark sayings/mysteries (Proverbs 1:1-6, 1 Corinthians 2:6-10,14)
3. Spiritual blueprints/shadows (Ezekiel 43:10-12, Colossians 2:16-17)

God's Torah was given in the form of parables, deep sayings and spiritual blueprints, so that His Word would be fulfilled concerning the righteous and the wicked. Those who would obey the greatest commandment (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Mark 12:28-31) in spirit and truth (John 4:24) would know and understand the ways of God. But, the wicked would consider the things of God as foolishness. (I Corinthians 2:14)

THE FOUR LEVELS OF
UNDERSTANDING TORAH / GOD'S WORD

1. Peshat - Literal
2. Ramez - One scripture tied to another scripture
3. Derash - Derived interpretation of scripture through exegesis and spiritual applications
4. Sod - Deeper spiritual meaning (dark sayings, mysteries) of the scripture not seen at its surface meaning

HOW DO WE GROW IN THE
KNOWLEDGE (Torah) OF GOD?

God supernaturally begins to reveal himself and the principles of His Kingdom whenever we obey the greatest commandment to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. (Deuteronomy 6:4-7, Mark 12:28-31 ) By obeying the greatest commandment, this will allow the Holy Spirit to lead us so that we can grow into spiritual maturity. This growth is designed by God to be in a step by step fashion, building upon the foundation of the Torah. In Isaiah 28:9-10, it is written:

"Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line, here a little, and there a little."

It is God's desire that after we are saved, we grow in the knowledge and understanding of the ways of God and of His Kingdom "line upon line" and "precept upon precept." In doing so, God desires that we grow from spiritual babies to spiritual maturity. In Hebrews 5:12-14 it is written:

"For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God: and are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: far he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

WHAT IS THE NEW COVENANT?

Most Christians associate the Old Testament (the Biblical name is TeNaKh - Torah, Prophets (Nevi'im), and Writings (Ketuvim) - (Luke 24:44) with the Torah but they do not associate the New Testament (Covenant) with the Torah. However, most Christians fail to realize that the BIBLE tells us that the New Testament (Covenant) is TORAH based!!

THE NEW COVENANT IS TORAH BASED

The New Covenant is Torah based. In Jeremiah 31:31, 33, it is written:

"Behold, the days come, says the Lord, that I will make a NEW COVENANT with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah ... THIS SHALL BE THE COVENANT that I will make with the house of Israel, After those days, says the Lord, I will put my TORAH in their inward parts, and WRITE IT IN THEIR HEARTS, and will be their God and they shall be my people."

The book of Hebrews confirms that the Holy Spirit is a witness that the New Covenant is the TORAH written upon our hearts. In Hebrews 10:15-16 it is written:

"Whereof the HOLY SPIRIT also IS A WITNESS to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord, I will put my laws (TORAH) into their hearts and in their minds will I write them."

GOD DID NOT DO AWAY WITH THE LAW

Why was the New Covenant necessary? Did God find fault with the Torah? NO!! God could not find fault with the Torah because the Torah came from Him. If God found fault with the Torah, He would have to find fault with Himself. So, what did God want to change? God didn't want to change His Torah because the Torah is the Tree of Life and the Torah is eternal. Therefore, what God desired to change was the HEARTS of His people. We can understand this truth in Hebrews 8:7-8 as it is written:

"For if that first (covenant) had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with THEM, he saith, Behold the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah ..."

Therefore, God did not find fault with the Torah that He gave at Mount Sinai. God found fault with the HEARTS of the people who received His Torah!

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
THE OLDER AND NEWER COVENANT?

Because most Christians believe that God did away with the Torah after the death and resurrection of Jesus, they do not understand the difference between the older and newer covenant. Most Christians believe that God found fault with the TORAH given at Mount Sinai and that is why Jesus came to usher in the New Covenant. However, as stated earlier, since God gave the Torah at Mount Sinai, if God found fault with the Torah then He would find fault with Himself. By understanding that BOTH the older covenant and the newer covenant is Torah based, we can understand what God found fault with and wanted to replace. God did not find fault with Himself who is the GIVER of the Torah, but God found fault with the RECEIVERS of the Torah, the HEARTS of the children of Israel. So, if both the older covenant and the newer covenant is Torah based, what is the difference between the two covenants?

1. The Older Covenant = Torah written upon a heart of stone
2. The Newer Covenant = Torah written upon a heart of flesh

The problem with the First Covenant was the HEARTS of the PEOPLE who RECEIVED the Torah NOT THE TORAH!

THE OLDER COVENANT WAS THE TORAH WRITTEN UPON A HEART OF STONE

When God gives His Torah/Word, the target destination of His Torah/Word is the human heart. The older covenant was written on a heart of stone. Therefore, God desired to bring forth a newer covenant and intends for His Torah to be written upon a heart of flesh. We can understand this truth in Ezekiel 36:26-27 as it is written:

"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them. "

WHAT IS A STONY HEART?

Jesus explained to us the characteristics of a stony heart in the parable known as the parable of the sower. In Mark 4:3-6 it is written:

"Hearken: Behold, there went out a sower to sow: And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away."

In Mark 4:14-17, Jesus explains the parable and the meaning of the stony ground (heart) as it is written:

"The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground: who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness: And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended."

Therefore, what are the characteristics of a stony heart according to Jesus?

1. Hears the Word
2. Receives the Word with gladness
3. No root/endures for a time
4. When affliction and persecution arises for the Word's sake they are offended and turn away

THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL RECEIVED THE TORAH WITH A STONY HEART

When God gave His Torah to the children of Israel through Moses at Mount Sinai, they heard the Word and received it with gladness (Mark 4:16). In Exodus 24:3 it is written:

"And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the Lord hath said will we do."

The joy and gladness of the hearts of the children of Israel to receive and do the Torah of God is seen in a greater dimension by understanding the Hebrew meaning of the phrase, "All the words which the Lord hath said will we do." In Hebrew the phrase reads, "Na'aseh v'Nishmah," which means, "We agree to do even before we have listened !! "

The heart of the children of Israel was so strong to please God that when God said "Will you ...," the people said, YES!, even before they heard what God was going to request of them. This should be the ATTITUDE of every believer! What the children of Israel lacked was the POWER of the indwelling Holy Spirit to fulfill the conviction to love and serve God with all their heart.

In Mark 4:17, Jesus described that a stony heart becomes offended through affliction and persecution. This is exactly what happened to the child of Israel in the wilderness. Time after time they were tempted in the wilderness and the people became offended from their trials and tribulations and desired to return to Egypt.

When the 12 spies were sent to explore the land of Canaan, 10 spies came back with an evil report that the children of Israel were not able to take the land of Canaan as God promised Abraham. They ended by becoming offended at the promise of God and desired to return to Egypt. In Numbers 14:1-4 it is written:

"And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would God we had died in this wilderness! And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt."

This is the characteristic of a stony heart. The children of Israel received the Torah of God with gladness but later when they encountered the trials and tribulations of the wilderness and the giants in the land of Canaan, they desired to return back to Egypt.

In the same manner, a stony heart keeps Christians from being the Bride of Christ. Many receive God's gift of salvation with great joy. They see the mighty, awesome and wonderful things that the Lord does in their lives to bring them to salvation. They want to talk about God day and night. They have a great fire for God. Even so, they still need to deal with and experience the trials and tribulations of life. When the trials and tribulations of life begin to come upon them, their fire for God begins to fade. They become bitter toward God because of the trials and tribulations in their lives and they say in their hearts, "It was better and I had more fun living in the world." This is a stony heart. Therefore, the children of Israel are not the first and last people on the earth with a stony heart; many Christians have a stony heart also! A stony heart rejects the Torah/Word of God. In Zechariah 7:11-12 it is written:

"But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone lest they should hear the TORAH, and the WORDS which the Lord of hosts has sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts."

The Ten Commandments were written on tablets (hearts) of stone (Exodus 24:12, 31:18, Deuteronomy 4:13-14, 5:22, 9:10-11)

A HEART OF STONE CANNOT
OVERCOME THE FLESH (Sin Nature)

A stony heart exemplifies the characteristics of our sin nature inherited from Adam and rejects the TORAH/Word of God. The newer covenant was needed because in the older covenant the heart of stone could not overcome the sin nature of the flesh. The problem in the older covenant was not the Torah because the Torah is the tree of life! Therefore, what was done away was NOT THE TORAH but the HEART of STONE. God desired to replace the heart of stone with a heart of flesh. This would be accomplished by God putting His Holy Spirit within us! God desired for His Spirit to live inside all believers so that they would have the power to overcome the desires of the flesh and the sin nature inherited from Adam. In doing this, God needed to change the heart of man not His Torah because His Torah is eternal!

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HEART OF STONE AND A HEART OF FLESH?

The Torah given at Mount Sinai was written upon a heart of stone. A heart of stone does not have the power to overcome the flesh. The Newer Covenant is the Torah written upon a heart of flesh. A heart of flesh has the power to overcome the desires of the flesh and our sin nature. The difference between the heart of stone which cannot overcome our sin nature and the heart of flesh which can overcome the desires of our sin nature by the power of the Holy Spirit is the message that is being communicated in Romans 8:2-10 as it is written:

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (a heart of flesh) hath made me free from the law of sin and death (a heart of stone). For what the law would not do in that it was weak through the flesh (a heart of stone), God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh (a heart of stone). That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (a heart of flesh). For they that are after flesh do mind the things of the flesh (a heart of stone): but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit (a heart of flesh). For to be carnally minded is death (a heart of stone) but to be spiritually minded is life and peace (a heart of flesh). Because the carnal mind is enmity against God (a heart of stone): for it is not subject to the law God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh (a heart of stone) cannot please God. But ye are not (have not been given a stony heart) in the flesh, but in the Spirit, (a heart of flesh), if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you (a heart of flesh). Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ (a heart of flesh), he is none of his. And if Christ be in you (a heart of flesh), the body is dead because of sin (a heart of stone): but the Spirit is life because of righteousness (a heart of flesh)."

The difference between the older covenant which is the Torah written upon a heart of stone and the new covenant which is the Torah written upon a heart of flesh is the difference between two natures within us. The Torah written upon a heart of stone is the nature of the flesh. The Torah written upon a heart of flesh follows after the nature of the Spirit of God. This is the message being communicated in Galations 4:22-26, 29 as it is written:

"For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a free woman, But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh (a heart of stone) but he of the free woman was by promise (a heart of flesh). Which things are an allegory: for these are two covenants (or two natures): the one from the mount Sinai which gendereth to bondage which is Agar (a heart of stone). For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children (a heart of stone). But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all (a heart of flesh) ... But as then he that was born after the flesh (a heart of stone) persecuted him that was born after the Spirit ( a heart of flesh), even so it is now."

In Romans 7, it tells us that the Torah is holy and the commandments are holy, just, good, and spiritual. It also tells us that the Torah bears fruit after the INWARD man. In Romans 7:12,14, 22 it is written:

"Wherefore the TORAH is holy, and the commandments holy, and just and good ... For we know that the TORAH is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin ... For I delight in the TORAH of God after the INWARD man."

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF
THE NEWER COVENANT?

The newer covenant is the TORAH written upon a heart of flesh (Jeremiah 31:33). This would be accomplished by God putting His Holy Spirit within us so that the Spirit of God can teach God's people how to walk in the ways of God and keep His Torah and be obedient to His commandments. In Ezekiel 11:19-20 it is written:

"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 a 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."

A stony heart brings death but a heart of flesh brings life. This is what the Apostle Paul was talking about in 2 Corinthians 3:3, 6 as it is written:

"Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tablets of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart ... Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament: not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life."

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN
THE NEWER COVENANT?

1. The Holy Spirit is a witness that the Newer Covenant = Torah written upon our heart (Jeremiah 31:31, 33, Hebrews 10:15-16)

2. The Holy Spirit was sent into the earth to teach us the TRUTH of God
   (John 14:16-17, 26, 15:26, John 16:13)

3. What is the TRUTH? God's Torah/Word of God is TRUTH?
   ( Psalm 119:142, John 17:17 )

4. God wanted to write His Torah upon our heart and teach us His Torah which is called "TRUTH" (Psalm 119:142) through His Holy Spirit who is called "THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH" (John 14:16-17,26, 15:26, 16:13)

5. We need God's Spirit WITHIN us for the following reasons:

   a) Have the power to overcome the sin nature inherited by Adam
   b) To bear spiritual fruit in our lives (Galations 5:22-25)
   c) To understand, grow, and have a revelation of God's Torah/Word
   

SUMMARY

In summary, Torah does not mean "Law" but instruction. We are not saved by keeping the Torah of God. We are saved by grace through faith and salvation is a free gift from God. God gave His Torah so that we could have a knowledge of sin and the holiness of God. By having a knowledge of sin, man could understand that he needs a Messiah. However, AFTER we are saved without the deeds of the law, God's Torah serves as his instruction manual concerning how Christians need to live their lives in a manner pleasing to God. God's Torah is a tree of life and it is eternal! Those who refuse to follow the Torah of God have a stony heart and do not overcome the desires of the flesh and the ways of the world. By not overcoming the desires of the flesh and the ways of the world, stony heart Christians will not be the Bride of Christ. Those who love God with all their heart, mind, soul and strength and bear much fruit in their lives through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit have a heart of flesh and will be the Bride of Christ.

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