What Does it Mean to be “Under the Law?” By Maria Merola

In 1st Corinthians 6:12, the Apostle Sha’uwl (Paul) wrote “All things are lawful for me,” then he counters with “but all things are not profitable.”

Sha’uwl (Paul) was quoting a mantra used by the Libertine Gnostics who believed that all things were lawful. Paul was not declaring that all things were lawful in 1st Corinthians 6:12. He was quoting the Libertine Gnostics and then countering their false mantra by saying “but all things are not profitable.” It would be the equivalent of saying “just because it is legal to smoke cigarettes, does not mean that you should do it.”

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Frequently I hear Christians quoting a familiar Bible passage fromRomans 6:14 “for you are not under the law, but under grace.”

But seldom do you hear them quote the very next verse where the Apostle Sha’uwl (Paul)  declares:

Romiym (Romans) 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under favor (grace)? Elohiym forbid.

If we are under no obligation to obey the Towrah (law) as many Christians suppose, then why did Paul go on to ask this rhetorical question in the very next verse? “Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace?” Obviously Paul knew the true definition of sin according to the scriptures:

1^st Yahuwchanon (John) 3:4 Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the Towrah (law): for sin is the transgression of the Towrah (law).

The Apostle John wrote that sin is the transgression of the law, and Paul wrote that we should not sin (transgress the law) just because we are under grace. At first glance it would seem that Paul was contradicting himself and the rest of scripture, but he is not. When reading the entire book of Romans in context, we begin to understand that Paul is taking us back to the original transgression of the marriage covenant with the molten calf on Mount Sinai. The first time that the nation of Yisra’el transgressed the marriage covenant (the law) was in Deuteronomy 32.

Paul also explains in his letter to the Galatians, that there was one specific “law” that was “added because of transgression.” Which law was added because of transgression?

Galatiym (Galatians) 3:19 Wherefore then serves the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

When was the first time that somebody transgressed the law or the instructions of our Creator? You see the word Towrah (law) in Hebrew means “instructions.” Long before Yisra’el sinned on Mount Sinai with the molten calf, someone else committed a transgression when they were instructed not to do something and they disobeyed. Who was it? You guessed it! Adam & Eve!

YaHuWaH gave Adam & Chawah (Eve) one simple commandment:

Bereshiyth (Genesis) 1:

16 And YHWH Elohiym commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you mayest freely eat:

17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die.

And we know what happened after this. Adam & Eve both transgressed this one commandment. And what did YaHuWaH have to do because of their transgression? YaHuWaH himself came down as their High Priest (Melchizedek) and he made a sacrifice for them:

Bereshiyth (Genesis) 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did YHWH Elohiym make coats of skins, and clothed them. 

This was more than likely on Yowm Kippur aka the Day of Atonement. You see the word kippur comes from another root word kaphar which means “to cover, to make atonement.” When Yah made “coverings” (skins, coats), for Adam & Eve, he was illustrating Yowm Kippur typology! This was the law that was “added because of transgression.” The laws pertaining to blood atonement sacrifices were added because of the transgression of Adam & Eve. However, not all animal sacrifices in the Bible were done for sin. There are other animal sacrifices that are done for thanksgiving and worship. But the only laws that were added because of transgression were those that pertain to blood atonement on Yowm Kippur. Yahuwshuwa was the “lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8), and this means that he was always that sacrifice in eternity. When blood atonement was made down here on earth through the Levites, it was being done as a shadow picture of the lamb slain in eternity until the Messiah would come and “flesh it out” here on earth.

The first Adam was given the role of the High Priest in the Garden of Eden, but he failed. It then became necessary for YaHuWaH himself to come as “the son of Adam” or “the son of man.” The Hebrew word for “man” is Adam. When our Messiah continually made reference to himself as “the son of man,” he was letting us know that he was the Creator himself who came in the role of “the last Adam.”

1^st Qorintiym (Corinthians) 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

In order for mankind to be redeemed, our Messiah had to fulfill the role of the twin goats on Yowm Kippur which would then redeem all of mankind back to their position in the Melchizedek Priesthood for which each of us were originally created:

1^st Keefa (Peter) 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;

And so our Messiah began his ministry at the age of 30 years old on Yowm Kippur when he went into the Temple and he read the scroll from Isaiah 61. When we read this account in Luke , we must realize that he was speaking in “Yowm Kippur” language:

Luqas (Luke) 4:

14 And Yahuwshuwa returned in the power of the Ruwach (Spirit) into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.

16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Yeshayahuw (Isaiah). And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

18 The Spirit of YHWH is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the besowrah (gospel) to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

19 To preach the acceptable year of YHWH.

20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

You see, the function of the High Priest (Kohen Gadowl) each year on Yowm Kippur was to act as the “kinsman redeemer” for the nation. The High Priest represented the “husband” of the bride (Yisra’el), and only he could “stand in the gap” for her and make atonement for her sins year-by-year. The temporary role of the High Priesthood was handed down to the sons of Aharown (Aaron) after Yisra’el sinned with the molten calf in Exodus 32. After their “transgression,” the “law of the high priest” was added because of transgression (Galatians 3:19). Moses made Aaron and his sons the new High Priests to minister on behalf of the nation every year for Yowm Kippur. But prior to that, the office of the High Priest for Yisra’el belonged to Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18).

Why did Mosheh (Moses) hand over that role of the “Kohen Gadowl” to the sons of Aharown (Aaron) instead of to the Tribe of Yahuwdah (Judah) from where the Melchizedek Priesthood came? It was because Aaron was the originator of this transgression. He was the one who caused Yisra’el to sin in the first place with the golden calf!

Therefore, the only way that Aaron and his sons could live, is if they were the ones who gave their lives as a ransom for the nation!

Each year when the High Priest performed the role of the kinsman redeemer on Yowm Kippur, he had to first “sanctify himself” with the blood of a bullock, and then he had to make a sacrifice for the nation of Yisra’el with the blood of a goat. The bullock was killed to symbolize that “golden calf worship” was being killed. And the goat was killed to symbolize Yisra’el being killed for her own sins after this transgression in Exodus 32. This act was to remind them year-by-year about the “great transgression” in the wilderness (Psalm 19:13) which they would never again want to repeat.

So you see this “law” that made Levites (mortal men) into “High Priests” each year for Yowm Kippur was now being changed when Messiah was immersed (baptized) by John!

Ibriym (Hebrews) 7:12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

Ibriym (Hebrews) 7:28 For the law makes men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, makes the Son, who is consecrated for evermore. 

Christians often take Hebrews 7:12 to mean that the ENTIRE MOSAIC LAW was now being changed because our Messiah has become our eternal High Priest. Such logic would mean that all of the moral laws against murder, homosexuality, incest, rape, and bestiality have now “changed” and that there is no longer a restriction against these laws. But we learn by reading the entire book of Hebrews in context, that the only law that “changed” was the law that made mortal men into High Priests.

Our Messiah came to restore the role of the High Priest (the husband and kinsman redeemer) back to the order of Melchizedek from the Tribe of Yahuwdah (Judah). And so when Yahuwshuwa was baptized by Yahuwchanon (John), (who was a Levite), John was the “High Priest” in the eyes of YaHuWaH that year. Caiaphas was selected by men (an impostor). John was the temporary “High Priest” until the “seed”(Messiah) would come (Galatians 3:19). When John immersed Yahuwshuwa, he was transferring the role of the High Priest back to the order of Melchizedek! That is why John had to die!

The nation of Yisra’el had a custom of fasting for forty days leading up to Yowm Kippur to commemorate when Mosheh was on Mount Sinai for forty days. At the end of those forty days, Mosheh returned to find them in“transgression” with the molten calf. Mosheh then had to make atonement for them and that is when he instituted the “law” of the High Priests after the sons of Aaron.

This is the reason why the nation of Yisra’el to this day calls for “forty days of teshuwa” or repentance. This is why Yahuwshuwa fasted for forty days leading up to Yowm Kippur. He performed the role of the “twin goats” for Yowm Kippur. He first fulfilled the role of the sacrificial goat at his immersion, since baptism is a symbol of death (Romans 6:4). Then he was lead into the wilderness as the scapegoat by the Ruwach ha’Qodesh (Holy Spirit).

The term scapegoat literally means “the innocent party who takes the place of the guilty party.” 

When he emerged from the wilderness after his forty days of fasting, he went to the Temple and he read the Isaiah 61 scroll. In this passage he is showing them that he is the “Mashiyach” (the anointed one) and he is declaring to them “the acceptable year of YaHuWaH” which only the Kohen Gadowl (High Priest) could announce each year on Yowm Kippur!

You see, if the red ribbon turned white and the white stone came up, that meant that the nation was “accepted” by YaHuWaH that year on Yowm Kippur. It meant that their High Priest had atoned for his own sins and then he would have been a proper vessel to atone for the nation.

That is why they would have been “accepted” by the Father in heaven. But if the High Priest did not sanctify himself, then he was not fit to atone for the nation either and then he would have died behind the veil and they were “not accepted” that year!

When our Messiah declared “the acceptable year of YaHuWaH” he was essentially saying to them:

“I am now your High Priest, your kinsman redeemer, your husband, after the order of Melchizedek, and you are accepted because I have made atonement for you in eternity as the lamb slain from the foundation of the world!”

Most Christians have erroneously been taught to believe that Paul’s message in Galatians 4 is about Yisra’el entering into two different marriage covenants with YaHuWaH. Paul’s letter to the Galatians shows that Yisra’el had entered into a marriage covenant with YaHuWaH and then when Mosheh went up to Mount Sinai, they entered into a false covenant with the molten calf. This is the covenant that “genders to bondage.” Paul was not suggesting that the Renewed Covenant (also called the New Covenant) is a brand new and different marriage covenant with all different laws.

Paul was not teaching us that the Renewed Covenant allows for false pagan holidays and idolatry. The Renewed Covenant is the very same covenant that Yisra’el entered into with YaHuWaH on Mount Sinai, only this time, Messiah came to “renew, rebuild and repair” that broken covenant and then he ratified it with his own blood! The same Towrah commandments (laws) apply under the Renewed Covenant as with the first covenant. The only laws that were “added because of transgression” (Galatians 3:19) were the laws surrounding blood atonement on Yowm Kippur and the laws surrounding the role of the Kohen Gadowl (High Priest) being transferred temporarily to the sons of Aharown (Aaron). The only law that “changed” in Hebrews 7:12 was the law that made mortal men into High Priests for Yowm Kippur each year.

There was always the possibility that the High Priest could die behind the Holy of Holies each year, and thus the nation would not be “accepted” that year. But now in Messiah Yahuwshuwa, we are always accepted and his blood atonement is forever and permanent. We are now able to keep the Feasts and the Sabbaths as a “memorial” of him.

The prophetic feasts are “The Testimony of Yahuwshuwa” (Revelation 19:10). Those who HAVE his testimony and DO his commandments will have the right to eat from the Tree of Life (Revelation 22:14). The Melchizedek Priesthood now administers the very same laws only with a permanent blood sacrifice that abides forever in eternity. The prophetic Feasts of YaHuWaH and the Sabbath days are not done away with. During the Millennium, Messiah will 100% implement the Towrah (Mosaic Law) as the prophecy states that he will rebuild the Tabernacle of David that is fallen down (Acts 15:16). All of the feasts will be celebrated during the Millennium, and all of the nations who refuse to come to Jerusalem for the pilgrimage feasts during the Millennium will experience drought and famine (Zechariah 14:16-17).

No Longer Under the Law of Divorce

The House of Yahuwdah (Judah) to this day tend to reject the concept of the “Two Houses of Yisra’el” simply because they are only applying the “letter” of the Towrah (Law) and they are forgetting to apply the “spirit” of the words of the Prophets. This is why Messiah said that we must worship the Father in “spirit & truth” (John 4:24).

In Psalm 119:142 David wrote: “Your Towrah (Law) is the truth…”

Therefore, the Towrah (Mosaic Law) is the source of all truth!

But the problem with only applying the “WRITTEN WORD” (Towrah) and not the “SPOKEN WORD” (Prophets) is that the “written word” without the spirit of prophecy kills, but when you combine truth and spirit together you get life! The “written word” is like the sperm and the “spoken word” is like the egg. Together they form a human life!

2^nd Qorintiym (Corinthians) 3:6 Who also has made us able ministers of the Renewed Covenant; not of the letter, but of the Ruwach (Spirit): for the letter kills, but the Ruwach (Spirit) gives life.

*Here is an Example: 

In Deuteronomy 24:1-2 it says that if a man finds some “uncleanness” in his wife, he may write her a certificate of divorce and put it into her hand and send her away, and then she may become another man’s wife. However, she may never go back to the first husband, for this would be an abomination.

Well, the Ten Northern Tribes of the House of Ephrayim (Yisra’el) did this. Ten of the tribes were divorced by YaHuWaH in Jeremiah 3:8. And then they married their Baalim (false Lords). This would mean that they could never return to YaHuWaH because they married their false husbands. This is why to this day Judaism does not want to allow the redeemed Gentiles back into the house. They think that the “law of divorce” should still apply to these divorced tribes. But they ignore the following prophecies:

Howshea (Hosea) 1:9 Then said Elohiym, Call his name Loammi: for you are not my people, and I will not be your Elohiym.

Howshea (Hosea) 1:10 Yet the number of the children of Yisra’el shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, You are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, You are the sons of the living Elohiym.

 

Howshea (Hosea) 2:23 And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, You are my people; and they shall say, You are my Elohiym.

Howshea (Hosea) 2:7 And she [Yisra’el] shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.

*Note: how can Yisra’el return to her “first husband” without violating Deuteronomy 24?

Well the answer is easy, YaHuWaH sent his son “born under the law” [the law of the temporary priesthood] so that when he was crucified, the restriction against the divorced wife being restored to her first husband [YaHuWaH] would also be destroyed!

Galatiym (Galatians) 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, Elohiym sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law [of  the temporary priesthood]…

When our Messiah was “made under the law” of the first and temporary priesthood, “the WORD was made flesh” (John 1:14), and this means that the Towrah & Prophets was being made into a human life! Our Messiah was the physical embodiment of both Towrah & Prophets or in other words Spirit & Truth!

This means that he made a way for the divorced bride to be restored to him by also fulfilling both Law & Prophets!

This now explains what Paul meant in Romans 7:

2 For the woman which has a husband is bound by the law [of divorce] to her husband so long as he lives; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law [of divorce] of her husband.

3 So then if, while her husband lives, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law [of divorce]; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.

4 Wherefore, my brethren, you also are become dead to the law [of divorce] by the body of Mashiyach (Messiah); that you should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto Elohiym.

To fully understand this concept, see my other blogs “What is a Schoolmaster & What Law Was Added Because of Transgression?”

Which Law Are We No Longer Under?

By now you should be able to figure out what Paul was telling us when he said that we are no longer “under the law.” He was obviously telling us that if we are under the favor and grace of YaHuWaH, that we are no longer under the imperfect priesthood of the sons of Aaron. The laws surrounding this temporary and imperfect priesthood could not save us. These laws only served as shadow picture to point us to the one who could save us, which is the eternal, permanent, and perfect High Priest, Yahuwshuwa!

This means that we are still under the laws of our Creator, but we are not under the laws surrounding blood atonement and the temporary High Priests who were mortals! We now have Yahuwshuwa as our High Priest who is after the order of Melchizedek, and he has an endless life!

Okay, so what does this term “under the law” really mean? Well, as I have already illustrated, it means to be under a temporary priesthood of mortal men who cannot adequately atone for us!

You see, when the House of Judah were taken into Babylonian Captivity in the days of Jeremiah the prophet, many of these priests had become corrupt and they had begun to incorporate pagan sun-god worship customs in the Temple of YaHuWaH as seen in Ezekiel 8. They even brought in trees decorated with “silver and gold” to commemorate Nimrod into the Jewish Temple as seen in Jeremiah 10:1-3. These decorated trees were also called “the image of jealousy” in Ezekiel 8:3-5.

The prophet Ezekiel, was shown that the House of Yahuwdah (Judah) were bringing pagan sun-god worship into the Temple! In Ezekiel 8:14, the women were weeping for the reincarnated sun-god of Nimrod named Tammuz. In Ezekiel 8:16, they had turned their backs towards the Temple and they were worshiping the sun-god! In Ezekiel 8:17 they were “putting the branch to the nose” which is mistletoe! You see, this was done in honor of Nimrod who was “cut down like a tree and like an abominable branch” (Isaiah 14:12-19).

After these Jews came out of Babylonian Captivity years later, they returned back to their land in Jerusalem, and at first they had deeply repented for all of their abominations which caused them to be taken captive in the first place. But soon, the Babylonian customs that they had learned while in exile began to be mixed in once again with Judaism. That is when the various factions of Pharisees, Sadduceesand Essenes came into existence. These various Jewish denominations had become corrupted on many levels. Many of these rabbis added man-made doctrines to their religion and thus made it more difficult for the people to want to obey the commandments of YaHuWaH. They replaced all  613 commandments in the Towrah of Mosheh (Moses) with their own set of 613 commandments!
And this is why our Messiah rebuked these religious leaders of his day. Listen to what he said to them:

Marqos (Mark) 7:9 And he said unto them, Full well you reject the commandment of Elohiym, that you may keep your own tradition.

Aha! Now can see how the Laws of our Creator were gradually exchanged for the DOCTRINES & COMMANDMENTS OF MEN! And today we see that the Roman Catholic Church & Protestantism have done the very same thing with our Heavenly Father’s Towrah!

We must be able to distinguish in many of his letters, when Sha’uwl (Paul) was speaking about the Laws of Pharisaism (man-made laws) or the Towrah (our Creator’s laws).

You see, in the days of Sha’uwl (Paul) the Apostle, the term “under the law” meant that you were “under rabbinic law.”

If you were “under the law,” it meant that you were being trained by Hillel, or Gamaliel, or some Rabbinic School. Listen to the context in which Sha’uwl is using this term “under the law:”

1^st Qorintiym (Corinthians) 9: 20 And unto the Yahuwdiy (Jews) I became as a Yahuwdiy (Jew), that I might gain the Yahuwdiy (Jews); to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law.

Sha’uwl (Paul) was speaking about those who were under Pharisaic Law in the above verse. He was saying that he became as those under the Rabbinic authority of the Jewish Sanhedrin in order to win them to faith in Messiah. But the confusing part is when he says “I became as a Jew,” as if he was not already a Jew. You see, Sha’uwl was from the Tribe of BinYamiyn (Benjamin), and the Tribe of Benjamin had assimilated into the House of Yahuwdah (Judah), as they are considered part of the Two Southern Tribes of Yisra’el. And so what does he mean by saying that he “became as a Jew,” when he was already a Yahuwdiy (Jew)?

Sha’uwl was stating that he became as those under Rabbinic Judaism in order to win those who were “under Rabbinic Law.”  You see, there is a difference between being an ethnic Yahuwdiy (Jew) and a“religious Jew” who is abiding by the laws of Judaism. The Apostle Sha’uwl was no longer following the laws of Pharisaism, but he was still still “under the Mosaic Law” (Towrah) given by our Creator.  Now, we are going to discover that Sha’uwl had been trained all of his life in Pharisaism under Gamaliel:

Ma’aseh Shlichiym (Acts) 22:3 I am verily a man which am a Yahuwdiy (Jew), born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward Elohiym, as you all are this day.

Sha’uwl described himself as a Pharisee:

Ma’aseh Shlichiym (Acts) 23:6 “….I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.”

Pilippiym (Philippians) 3:5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of

Yisra’el, of the tribe of Benyamiyn(Benjamin), an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee.

With this background information, let’s take a look at what Sha’uwl wrote to the Corinthians:

1^st Qorintiym (Corinthians) 9:21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to Elohiym, but under the law to Messiah) that I might gain them that are without law.

Paul was stating above, that those who are not under Rabbinic Law, are not “under the law” and so he became as those who are not under Rabbinic Law (Pharisaism), yet he was stating that he was still NOT FREE from the Towrah (law) of our Creator, because he was still UNDER MESSIAH’S LAW! 

This is proof that the Towrah or “law” that Yahuwshuwa Messiah kept was not different from the law of his Heavenly Father!

1^st Yahuwchanon (John) 2:4 He that says, I know him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Yahuwchanon (John) 15:10 If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

The Hanger Laws

People often-times try to make a distinction between “the law of Moses” versus “the law of Christ” as if they are somehow different. They will cite “the two greatest commandments” as if Messiah was giving us only “two new replacement laws” and doing away with the other 611 commandments in the Towrah (the five books of Moses).

But there are several flaws with this line of thinking. First of all, they forget to insert the word “hang” into these verses below:

Mattithyahuw (Matthew) 22: 

³⁵ Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,

³⁶ Master, which is the great commandment in the Towrah (law)?

³⁷ Yahuwshuwa said unto him, You shall love YHWH your Elohiym with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.

³⁸ This is the first and great commandment.

³⁹ And the second is like unto it, You shall love your neighbour as yourself.

⁴⁰ On these two commandments HANG all the law and the prophets.

Were these brand new commandments that he was giving us? Many have been taught to believe that these were brand new commandments that our Messiah was “adding” to the Towrah, and that he was “subtracting” all of the other commandments. But beloved, if that is indeed what he was doing, then he was violating Towrah:

Debariym (Deuteronomy) 12:32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: you shall not addthereto, nor diminish from it.

If we are commanded not to add nor subtract from the commandments, then our Messiah could not have been adding new commandments nor subtracting ones that he had already given us through his servant Mosheh. Now I know what some of you may be thinking right now. You are asking yourself “how could our Messiah, Yahuwshuwa have been the one to write the Towrah with his own finger for Moses, if he had not even been born yet?”

Well, the answer is seen in this verse:

Yahuwchanon (John) 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Elohiym, and the Word was Elohiym.

Our Messiah, Yahuwshuwa is Elohiym, the Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth. All things were created by him (Colossians 1:16) and in him dwells all the fullness of Elohiym (Colossians 2:9). So then whose finger was it that wrote the commandments under the Mosaic Covenant?

Shemoth (Exodus) 31:18 And he gave unto Mosheh (Moses), when he had made an end of communing with him upon Mount Sinai, two tables oftestimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of Elohiym

testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of Elohiym.

I often hear Christians make the ridiculous claim that the “law of Christ”was somehow a different set of laws than the laws of the “Old Testament.” But these verses above prove that it was our Messiah himself who is the giver of the Towrah! Could it be that his very same finger which he used to write the commandments in stone is the finger he also uses to cast out devils?

Luqas (Luke) 11:20 But if I with the finger of Elohiym cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of Elohiym is come upon you.

If these same Christians claim that the Towrah (law) is now done away with, that would mean that our Messiah made a mistake with his finger and he is no longer able to cast out devils. But think about how foolish this reasoning sounds!

So how did Yahuwshuwa determine what were the two greatest of all commandments? He was quoting from the Towrah:

Debariym (Deuteronomy) 6:5 And you shall love YHWH your Elohiym with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.

Debariym (Deuteronomy) 10:12 And now, Yisra’el, what does YHWH your Elohiym require of you, but to fear YHWH your Elohiym, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve YHWH your Elohiym with all your heart and with all your soul.

Wayyiqra (Leviticus) 19:18 You shall not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am YHWH.

As you can see, these were not brand new commandments that he was using to replace all of the others commandments! I call these “the hanger laws.” Something hangs on these hangers. What are they? Hangers serve a purpose. Something hangs on them. If they are there hanging in your closet with no clothes on them, they serve no purpose! What good is a hanger if it is not being used to hang something on?

Likewise, with the “two greatest commandments,” they serve to support the other commandments in the Towrah. In this illustration, the hanger is on top and the other commandments are like the clothes that are “under” the two greatest commandments. By being “under the Towrah (law) of Messiah” you are under these two greatest commandments and with them all of the other ones!

You will notice that the two hangers in the illustration above have something hanging from it—shirts. Now if you remove the shirts, what do you have? Empty hangers that serve no purpose!

A perfect example of this principle is what the Ya’aqob (Jacob), the brother of our Messiah wrote:

Ya’aqob (James) 2:

¹⁴ What does it profit, my brethren, though a man say he has faith, and has not works? can faith save him?

¹⁵ If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

¹⁶ And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be you warmed and filled; notwithstanding you give them not those things which are needful to the body; what does it profit?

¹⁷ Even so faith, if it has not works, is dead, being alone.

*Note: Here is a classic example of someone who would say that they “Love Yah” or they “Love their neighbor” but nothing is hanging on their love. There has to be works of faith in action to show that they truly do love Elohiym. You have to hang something on those commandments! Have you ever heard the expression “actions speak louder than words?” That is precisely what James is teaching us:

Ya’aqob (James) 2:

¹⁸ Yes, a man may say, You have faith, and I have works: show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

¹⁹ You believe that there is one Elohiym; you do well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

²⁰ But will you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

²² See you how faith working together with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

²³ And the scripture was fulfilled which says, Abraham believed Elohiym, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of Elohiym.

²⁴ You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

You see, this is precisely what it means to be “under the law of Messiah.” It means that you hang the other commandments (works of faith) on your love for YaHuWaH and your neighbor. Our Messiah’s laws did not contradict the laws of his Heavenly Father! And so if I can summarize what Romans 6:14 is all about, Paul was merely stating that we are now under the law of Melchizedek our High Priest rather than the law of the temporary High Priests from the sons of Aaron. But does that mean that the other laws have been done away with? No! The only law that actually changed as a result of Messiah dying on the tree, was the law that made mortal men into High Priests. We are still under the law of Messiah, which is the same Towrah that he gave to us through Moses!

Another Context of “Under the Law.”

We have read that the term “under the law” meant to be under Rabbinic or Levitical authority. The Apostle Sha’uwl (Paul) illustrated this when he said that “he became as one under the law,” so that he might win those who are “under the law.” In this context, it would appear that he is referring to coming under Rabbinic authority, because if he meant this in a different context (as I am about to explain), he would appear to be saying that he was placing himself “under the penalty of the law,” as if he was a sinner or a law-breaker. And we know that is not what he was saying. So let’s take a look at this phrase “under the law” in a different way.

Romiym (Romans) 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law says, it says to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before Elohiym.

*Note: Paul is saying that the Towrah (law) is only reaching out and convicting those who are not keeping it. An example would be if you are honoring the 7^th day Sabbath, you don’t need to go back and read those commandments in the scriptures again telling you to obey the Sabbath, for you are already obeying it. Therefore it is already in your heart to do it. Hence, the Sabbath commandment is already “written in your heart.” This would explain the following verse:

Romiym (Romans) 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under favor (grace).

Notice what Paul says before he says “you are not under the law.” He says “for sin shall not have dominion over you…” But what exactly is sin? As I explained previously, sin is the “transgression of the Towrah (law).” Paul is essentially saying “if you are obeying Towrah, then you are not under the penalty of the law.” The law that was added (blood atonement laws) are no longer needed if you are obeying Towrah!

Now we understand what Paul is getting at. When people sin, they are “under the penalty of the law,” but if they are not sinning or violating Towrah, they are “not under the penalty of the law.”

Notice the man behind prison bars. He is “under the law” because he is under the penalty of the law. Why? Because he broke the law!

Now this other person has been given grace, becauseMessiah has fulfilled the penalty for breaking the law. This man gets a “get out of jail free card” only because he has repented.

Now that he is out of jail, should he continue to sin (transgress the law)? Yah forbid! What happens if he uses his free gift of grace to go out and break the law again? Does he get another “free get out of jail card?” No!

The translation from Aramaic to Greek to English makes it appear that Paul is saying that we are “not under obligation to obey the Towrah” (Mosaic Law), but that is not what he is saying at all! The way that these other languages are conveying the message makes it appear that way, but what he is really saying is that if we are under “grace” (favor), we are under the supernatural ability to obey the Towrah! If we are under the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit, then we are not under the penalty of the Towrah (law), because that would mean that we are obeying it! When YaHuWaH sees that it is already in our hearts to obey Towrah, he gives us extra grace (ability) because he sees that we are trying to obey it. You see, he only gives grace to those who are humble and obedient:

Ya’aqob (James) 4:6 But he gives more grace. Wherefore he says, Elohiym resists the proud, but gives favor (grace) unto the humble.

1^st Keefa (Peter) 5:5 Likewise, you younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yes, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for Elohiym resists the proud, and gives favor (grace) to the humble.

If I get pulled over by a police officer because I am traveling 45 miles per hour in a 35 mph zone, I am “under the law” because I have violated it. Therefore, I am subject to it. But if I plead with the officer to give me grace because I did not realize that I was speeding, he may give me grace because he understands that I was not deliberately trying to break the law. 

He may give me a warning and let me go. But if this continues to be a pattern where I get pulled over by that same officer later on in the same location, he will know that I am speeding on purpose and then he won’t give me grace again.

Paul is saying that we are “under the penalty of the law” when we are deliberately being lawless and our heart is against the Towrah. But if we are doing our best to be obedient, and YaHuWaH sees that we have an obedient heart, he will show mercy to us when we accidentally slip out of old habit patterns. As an example, you may accidentally utter profanity from your lips, but if you immediately catch yourself and repent right away, you are still under grace. But if you continue to sin willfully (Hebrews 10:26), then you will continue to grieve the Ruwach ha’Qodesh (Holy Spirit), and that may lead you to fall from favor or grace (Galatians 5:4).

There is a difference between someone who is in the process of being set free from former bad habits, and they are learning to walk by the Spirit in consistent obedience, versus someone who is only using “grace”as a license to continue sinning. Such a person is only fooling themselves, for they are not under any kind of favor or grace what-so-ever.

An example of a person who abuses grace would be like the man who knows that it is a sin to look at pornography and yet he goes out and purchases videos or magazines at the store. This is different than a man who is walking down the street, and he happens to see a woman who is scantily dressed and he has a moment of weakness. But if this man immediately casts down those lustful thoughts and imaginations and he repents, that is different than someone who is willfully going out and looking to commit sin. Grace is for this kind of person who is quick to correct himself. But grace is not available to the one who is looking for an opportunity to sin. Grace covers us in those moments of weakness. Grace is not for those who consistently and willfully sin!

That is exactly what the Apostle Paul was illustrating in his letter to the Romans. He is saying that grace is available to those who are on the path of learning to obey Towrah and they have a heart towards obedience. But for those who take advantage of grace, he says Yah forbid that we should sin on purpose!

Romiym (Romans) 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? Elohiym forbid.

If I get a speeding ticket, it is because I was breaking the law. If I have to pay the fine, it means that I am “under the law” and it’s requirements. I am under the penalty of the law. But when I am obeying the law I am no longer “under the law” because I am in harmony with the law. I am only “under the law” when I am in violation of it.

The writer of Hebrews illustrates this point very well:

Ibriym (Hebrews) 10:

²⁶ For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins,

²⁷ But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

²⁸ He that despised Mosheh’s Towrah (Law) died without mercy under two or three witnesses:

²⁹ Of how much greater punishment, suppose you, shall he be thought worthy, who has trodden underfoot the Son of Elohiym, and has counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and has done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

³⁰ For we know him that has said, Vengeance belongs unto me, I will recompense, says YHWH. And again, YHWH shall judge his people.

³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living Elohiym.

And so the bottom line is this: Grace is for those who love Yah and they are striving to obey his Towrah. Grace is not available to those who abuse it and use it as excuse to keep on sinning. Those who despise Towrah (Mosaic Law), and they think it is done away with, are not under grace at all. They are in fact “under the law” because they have rejected it. Therefore, they are still under the penalty of the law!

As a matter of fact, if you are one of those people who erroneously thinks that you no longer have to obey the Towrah, even your prayers are considered an abomination, so there is no way that you are under the favor or grace of YaHuWaH:

Mishley (Proverbs) 28:9 He that turns away his ear from hearing the Towrah (law), even his prayer shall be abomination.