2 Kings 17:13-14
Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah, through all His prophets and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets.” 14However, they did not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in the LORD their God.
He is tying together obedience and belief; they are the same thing. He didn’t say that they didn’t obey, He said they didn’t believe, if you don’t obey you don’t believe, that’s what He’s saying. Many Christians have a concept of faith or beliefs as an internal feeling or a passive emotion. James tells us faithfulness without works is dead.
James 2:17-19 (Always say faithfulness instead of faith(fulness) in scripture; that word pistis is a Greek action word, I studied it. I don’t know Greek, but I can take a word and study it and I did, everything I saw on there said it’s an action word, it is not a passive emotional word) James wrote:
James 2:17-18
Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. 18But someone may well say, “You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith(fulness) without the works, and I will show you my faith(fulness) by my works.”
If we claim “faithfulness” without obeying His Torah, we are no better than the demons: This is a fact right here:
James 2:19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. (Are demons saved?) 20But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith(fulness) without works is useless.
You know what faithfulness without works is? Faith.
I have faith that the Lions are going to have a really good football season, what good is my faith, do you think I sent them money, no [Laughter] I just had a good feeling. James speaks of works, what’s meant by works?
Matthew 5:16-17 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. 17“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.
The Greek word for fulfill i’s pleru, it means to make full. That word for abolish doesn’t mean blow up, it means to deplete. He said I didn’t come here to deplete the Torah of the prophets, I came here to make it replete, to fill it up. What they believe is a catchphrase, they say; oh, He fulfilled the law, no He didn’t. They also say, oh yeah, nailed it to the cross, that’s another catch phrase for you, it’s a deception. He continues here in
Mat 5:18-19
“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished. 19“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, 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.
I’ve heard people say, I hope I can just barely get in that kingdom, even if I’m the least. That’s not what this is saying, what this is saying is that the kingdom of heaven is going to call you least.
The kingdom of heaven is going to call you the least that are outside of the kingdom, and the kingdom of heaven is going to call those who keeps and teaches them great.
The average Christian will usually bring up some imagined “contradiction” to these Scriptures by saying “what about Galatians?” There are many misconceptions about the Book of Galatians that are mostly due to translational issues from Greek to English. The simplest way to understand whether or not Paul is teaching Torah in Galatians is to look at
Galatians 5:17-19
For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. 19Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,
In that passage, he says that if we don’t follow Torah, we will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
Galatians 5:19-21
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, (That’s the same Greek word, is uncleanness put uncleanness back in there, impurity, no, unclean, how do you know about what’s clean and what’s unclean, how will you know? If you wash it really good? How, how will you know? By what Torah says is clean and what Torah says is unclean? That’s the only way you know) sensuality, 20idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy (by the way, it shouldn’t be jealousy, it should be coveting.) outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
He says that in the letter to the Galatians. He doesn’t say even if you do these deeds of the flesh, he who has faith will inherit the kingdom of God(Aluah, Elohim) he doesn’t say that does he? Can we keep His commandments, you know many are under the misconception we cannot keep His commandments because we’re imperfect, Scripture says otherwise.
1 John 5:2-3
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. 3For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.
1 John 3:4-7
Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. 7Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;
Let’s not forget our main objective. We want to show our love to the Father and obey His Word. He is to be honored and glorified through His Son and through our obedience to Him. It is through the faithfulness that He has given us and His Spirit dwelling within us that we’re able to keep His commandments and enter into His Kingdom.
Revelation 22:14 NKJV “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.”
Faith and belief, it’s faithfulness, not faith, and belief means obedience, that’s the way scripture does it. Now individually we may look at that differently, Scripture looks at it that way.
Romans 3:3-4
What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? 4May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written, “THAT YOU MIGHT BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS, AND MIGHT PREVAIL WHEN THOU ARE JUDGED.”
Interesting thing about Romans 3:3, what is that Greek word for faithfulness? Pistis is what is called. Now what is the Greek word that’s translated is faith? Pistis, same word. But now we applied to God so it must be faithfulness. You can’t say that God(Elohim) has faith in you and I can we? No, He’s much above that, He’s much wiser than that. When the Brit Hadashah applies Pistis to God(Elohim) its faithfulness. But when it’s us, they say, oh, it’s faith, oh, it’s that emotion, you, get a tear, pray for Jesus. It’s a conspiracy, it’s intentional, it’s deceptive, very deceptive, they want you to keep this emotional thing going, it’s all emotion. How do you make your faith stronger, how can I do that? They tithe more when they have faith. What is the term they use for putting money in the in the bowl, stewardship. They are led to believe good stewardship is how you improve your faith, that means more money in the plate, and you have to keep coming back because faith is that butterfly you can’t quite catch. It’s a feel-good thing, it’s pretty, I can’t quite get my hands on it, I have to get a little closer to that butterfly, come back next week. Don’t step in sin, or sit down there or step in it, come back next week and let me change faith to faithfulness as it should be and see how much difference this makes.
Romans 5:1-2
Therefore having been justified by (the) faith(fullness of God), we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith by (His) faith(fulness) into this grace in which we stand; and we exult (expectation) in hope of the glory of God.
Doesn’t that make a lot more sense than leaving those wispy cloudy fluttery type terms out like faith. If we look at our passage here.
Ephesians 2:8-10
For by grace you have been saved through (the) faith(fulness of the Father); and that not of yourselves, it (being grace) is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, that no one should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works (His Torah), which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.