Tag: law
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The Twentieth Century and the Reopening of a Closed Door¹ For nearly seventeen centuries, Jewish faith in Yeshua existed under severe constraint. The structures established in late antiquity made it virtually impossible for a Jew to confess Yeshua without abandoning Jewish identity, community, and practice (Parting of The Ways). Against that long history, the twentieth…
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Yeshua: Why His Jewish Context Deepens Our Understanding When we read the Gospels, we are encountering the story of Yeshua of Nazareth, a Jewish man living and teaching among Jewish people, shaped by the Scriptures, rhythms, and expectations of Israel. This is not a minor historical detail; it is essential for understanding what He taught,…
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What Is the New Covenant? Promise, Purpose, and Faithfulness The phrase “new covenant” is often confused with the New Testament itself, as if the Bible were divided into an obsolete “old covenant” section and a replacement “new covenant” section. Scripture never makes that equation. The New Testament writings testify to the new covenant, explain it,…
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What Is a Covenant? Why the Bible’s Most Important Idea Is Often Misunderstood When people read the Bible, they often notice promises, commands, blessings, and warnings, but miss the structure holding it all together. That structure is covenant. A covenant is how God chooses to define His relationship with humanity. Without understanding covenants, much of…
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Grace Was Never the Opposite of the Law Many Christians grow up believing the Bible tells two very different stories: first law, then grace. The Old Testament is often described as harsh and rule-driven, while the New Testament is seen as merciful and faith-filled. But when we read Scripture carefully, we discover that this contrast…
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How Followers of Jesus Relate to God’s Instruction (Torah) Today For many Christians, the word Torah carries a certain tension. It is often reduced to “law,” contrasted with grace, or quietly pushed into the background of the Bible as something important once, but no longer relevant now. Yet Scripture itself does not speak about the…