Blogs

Earning Your Salvation

Dispelling a fundamental misunderstanding of first century Judaism.

One of our goals at Emet HaTorah is to restore the Jewish Jesus.  While this may seem like a self-evident truth and an unnecessary objective, there are many aspects of this truth which remain hidden from the majority of Believers… even those acutely aware that Jesus was Jewish.  Many of the interpretations and concepts we impose on the Scriptures, particularly the Apostolic Scriptures (the “New Testament”), claim to find their origin within the Scriptures themselves, or at least within the historical record of the biblical narrative.  While these interpretations may not ever seem to be problematic to many Believers, there are many times these interpretations actually undermine the authority of the biblical canon and compromise the immutability of the Almighty.  In our attempt to explain Scripture, particularly the Apostolic Scriptures, we need to verify that our interpretation does not compromise the basic revelation found within the sacred text.  Unfortunately, this is more often the case than not when theologians find themselves caught between the Jewish Jesus and Christian dogma.  So, let’s take a look at one particular expression of this way of thinking.

Blessed Are The Peacemakers

In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), Yeshua challenges his disciples in many areas of life. In his longest recorded sermon, he reveals the will of the Father in relationship to how the principles of Torah should be lived out.  This lengthy teaching begins with what has been labeled as the Beatitudes.  These are short, pithy sayings in which the Master praises a particular character trait or behavior and associates it with a reward or gives the result of such action.

Restoring the Gospel - Part 6

In our study thus far, we have seen how the Gospel — the Good News — of John the Immerser, Jesus, the Apostles (represented by Peter) and Paul are all in agreement as to its basic content. The Gospel first proclaimed by John pointed to a coming King who held judg­ment in his hands. Of him, John said,

Foundational Teachings of Messiah - Part 6

Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repen­tance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. (Hebrews 6:1–2)

Torn Garments, Wine Skins and Blotted Paper (Pt. 2)

In our previous edition of Dust of the Master, we made the observation that many times a Jewish text can help us better understand a teaching of Yeshua. We started by exploring the text of Mark 2:21-22. In this issue we will look at a traditional interpretation of this passage and then look at a few Jewish texts which will help us better understand Yeshua’s words in this instance.

Let’s first take a look at the traditional understanding of this passage. Here is a traditional interpretation pulled at random from an internet search:

Emet HaTorah Enters the Amazon Marketplace

We have now entered the Amazon Marketplace with our first book, The Four Responsibilities of a Disciple (published September 3, 2013). This will help our resources be seen by thousands of people who would otherwise not be aware of them. In the next few days we hope to make available a Kindle version of our book as well, which can be purchased from the same location.

Torn Garments, Wine Skins and Blotted Paper (Pt. 1)

Many times in our exploration of Jewish sources there will be a text which will help better elucidate a passage within the Scriptures, particularly the words of our Master. I would like to show how one such text does so in relation to Yeshua's double-parable of the Torn Garment and the Wine Skins. For no particular reason, I am going to use the version found in Mark's Gospel account. Let's take a look at this parable together.

Second Interview with The Grafted In Perspective

Recently, I was interviewed for a second time by Gabriel Rutledge of The Grafted In Perspective. This interview covered my perspectives on Hanukkah for followers of Yeshua and my new devotional for Hanukkah, Eight Lights. Be sure to listen and give us some feedback!

Ministry Updates October 2013

Shalom friends and talmidim! I just wanted to give you a brief ministry update and let you know what all was going on here at Emet HaTorah. It is difficult to keep everyone updated with just the monthly newsletter, so we have decided to begin a series of blog posts which will keep you informed on the happenings of this ministry on a more timely manner.

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - blogs