HHMI Newsgroup Archives
From: Eddie Chumney
To: heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject: Understanding John 1:17
UNDERSTANDING JOHN 1:17
Dear Mishpochah (family):
We are going to continue our studies on understanding particular passages from the NT which dispensationalists have used to explain that YHVH died on the tree to do away with following the Torah.
In this article, we are going to look at John 1:17
KJV John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came
by Jesus Christ.
In this text, the word "BUT" is in italics which means that it is NOT in the original text.
So, the text should read:
John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
In order to understand this passage, we need to have a Hebraic
understanding of Torah and grace / mercy.
THE SOUL THAT SINS SHALL DIE
KJV Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
KJV Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death ...
SIN = DISOBEDIENCE TO TORAH
KJV 1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law:
for sin is the transgression of the law.
THE TORAH REQUIRES A CURSE FOR THOSE WHO DISOBEY
Moses delivered the Torah to the nation of Israel. The Torah REQUIRES DEATH for those who disobey the Torah.
KJV Deuteronomy 27:26 Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words
of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.
THE CURSE FOR DISOBEYING TORAH IS DEATH
KJV Deuteronomy 28:15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
KJV Deuteronomy 28:45 Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee,
and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed;
because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to
keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:
REDEEMED FROM THE CURSE OF THE LAW
KJV Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
ELOHIM = STRICT JUDGMENT
YHVH = MERCY AND FORGIVENESS
The rabbis teach that two of the name for the God of Israel (Elohim and Yahweh) are assocated with judgment and mercy.
The name Elohim is associated with strict judgment.
The name YHVH is associated with mercy, love, compassion and
forgiveness.
THE SIN OF THE GOLDEN CALF
KJV Exodus 32:4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it
with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they
said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the
land of Egypt.
YHVH IS DISPLEASED WITH THE NATION OF ISRAEL
KJV Exodus 32:7 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:
KJV Exodus 32:8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
KJV Exodus 32:9 And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:
KJV Exodus 32:10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot
against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a
great nation.
MOSES PLEADS FOR FORGIVENESS
According to Torah, the nation of Israel DESERVED DEATH for the sin of the golden calf. However, Moses pleaded to YHVH for forgiveness. YHVH was NOT obligated to forgive. According to Torah, the soul that sins shall die.
KJV Exodus 32:11 And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?
KJV Exodus 32:12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.
KJV Exodus 32:13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
KJV Exodus 32:14 And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to
do unto his people.
FORGIVENESS IN THE NAME OF YHVH
KJV Exodus 34:6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
In the Hebrew, this passage reads:
YHVH, YHVH El ....
YHVH is repeated twice. Repetition is done in the Torah for emphasis and to draw awareness to the significance of the words being said.
It is said of YHVH that He is:
#1) Merciful
#2) Gracious
#3) Longsuffering
Abundant in goodness (grace / mercy) and truth.
While Moses gave the Torah to the children of Israel, the Messiah
showed us the grace and mercy of the Torah.
John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
For the law was given by Moses, Abundant in goodness
(grace / mercy) and truth came by the Messiah
MESSIAH FORGIVES US OF OUR SINS
KJV Matthew 9:2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the
palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick
of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.
MESSIAH CLAIMS TO BE YHVH
ONLY YHVH can forgive sins. When Messiah said, 'Your sins be forgiven', He was saying that He is YHVH.
For making the claim that He is YHVH, the Pharisees charged Him with blasphemy.
KJV Matthew 9:3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within
themselves, This man blasphemeth.
MESSIAH CLAIMS TO HAVE AUTHORITY TO FORGIVE SIN
KJV Matthew 9:4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?
What was the EVIL that the scribes thought in their hearts? The evil was that Messiah couldn't forgive sin and that Messiah wasn't YHVH.
KJV Matthew 9:5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?
KJV Matthew 9:6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on
earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,)
Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.
THE BLOOD OF MESSIAH CLEANSES US FROM SIN (Disobeying Torah)
KJV 1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
KJV Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
KJV Colossians 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even
the forgiveness of sins:
IF WE CONFESS OUR SINS, WE WILL BE FORGIVEN
Rather than administering the death sentence to the entire world for disobeing Torah, Messiah died on the tree to forgive us of our sins (disobeying the Torah) if we confess our sins.
KJV 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
THE GRACE OF THE TORAH IS OUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN
KJV Exodus 34:6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
KJV Exodus 34:7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
KJV Romans 4:6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
KJV Romans 4:7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
KJV Psalm 32:1 {A Psalm of David, Maschil.} Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
KJV Psalm 32:2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not
iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
TRUTH CAME BY YESHUA
THE TORAH IS TRUTH
KJV Psalm 119:142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.
THE COMMANDMENTS ARE TRUTH
KJV Psalm 119:151 Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth.
MERCY GIVEN TO THOSE THAT KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS
KJV Exodus 20:6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
KJV Psalm 103:17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;
KJV Psalm 103:18 To such as keep his covenant, and to those that
remember his commandments to do them.
KEEPING COMMANDMENTS = KEEPING TORAH
KJV John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
KJV 1 John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when
we love God, and keep his commandments.
NO TRUTH = NOT KEEPING COMMANDMENTS
KJV 1 John 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his
commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
KEEPING TRUTH = KEEPING COMMANDMENTS = DISCIPLE OF YESHUA
KJV John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
KJV John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make
you free.
YESHUA: FULL OF TRUTH AND GRACE
KJV Romans 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
KJV 2 Corinthians 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the
world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath
committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
LESSON SUMMARY:
#1) Sin = Transgression of the Torah (I John 3:4)
#2) The soul that sins (disobey's Torah) shall die (Ezekiel 18:4, Romans 6:23)
#3) The curse for disobeying Torah is death (Deut 27:26, 28:15, 45)
#4) Forgiveness for disobeying Torah is NOT deserved. It is the grace / mercy of YHVH to do so (Exodus 34:6)
#5) Yeshua showed us this grace / mercy of the Torah by forgiving us of our sin (Matthew 9:6)
#6) We are forgiven of our sin when we confess our sin (I John 1:9)
#7) The blood of Messiah cleanses us from sin ( 1 John 1:7, Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14)
#8) The Torah is truth (Psalm 119:142, 151)
#9) YHVH shows grace / mercy to those that seek to keep His
commandments (Exodus 20:6, Psalm 103:17-18, John 14:15)
SUMMARY: UNDERSTANDING JOHN 1:17
KJV John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
In this text, the word "BUT" is in italics which means that it is NOT in the original text.
So, the text should read:
John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
KJV Exodus 34:6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
For the law was given by Moses, Abundant in goodness (grace / mercy) and truth came by the Messiah
Moses delivered the Torah to the nation of Israel. Messiah shows us the grace (love, compassion, mercy, forgiveness of sins) and truth (how to live a Torah life-style) of the Torah.
I pray that this teaching has been a blessing to your studies.
May YHVH continue to bless you in your studies.
Eddie Chumney
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int'l
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