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Apostolic Writings Discussions Torah

Open your heart to those who don’t know what time it is (Genesis 18–19; Romans 1–2)

We look on in dismay at how degenerative American culture and politics have become, fret how so many of our fellow Americans vote for politicians and laws that accelerate that decline. It’s very tempting to harden our hearts against such people.

But via the Torah reading Vayera וַיֵּרָא Vayera (“he appeared,” Genesis 18–22), God calls us to be like Abraham, who walked in faith, depending completely on God’s mercy yet acknowledging God’s justice as he watched Sodom and her neighboring cities go up in flames. Abraham’s heart was so sensitive that he implored God to save them all — even the most wicked of them — if only 10 of her citizens were righteous before God.

Categories
Discussions Torah

New covenant = Sinai + Spirit (Exodus 18:1–20:22)

Rather than the Law and the Spirit of God being in opposition to each other and the latter usurping the former, as some teach, we will see in this study of the Torah passage Yitro (“Jethro,” Exodus 18:1–20:22) that we receive the “new birth” in Mashiakh Yeshua (Christ Jesus) via both Sinai and Spirit.

Categories
Discussions Torah

Genesis 49:22–26: Yosef teaches us how to be ambassadors for Christ

How do we become righteous? Yosef’s life story shows the way. He walked in the path of righteousness, he did not “do in Rome as the Romans do” and refused to hold grudges against or plot revenge against those who persecuted and defamed him. What we can learn from the Torah reading ויחי Vayechi (“he lived,” Gen. 47:28–50:26) is this was the Messianic template that Yeshua walked too.