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Answer: Thank you for this excellent question, as many have accused those living a Torah based life-style of being legalistic and putting people back "under the law" or trying to earn their salvation through works. This is not true and is a false assumption based upon "church" misconceptions of Torah and grace. The question should be –What do the Scriptures teach about works and salvation?

Avraham our father believed Yahweh, and his belief was counted or reckoned to him for righteousness or right standing with Yahweh (Romans 4:1-3). His belief was equivalent to righteousness (verses 4-5).

Does this mean that we do not have to obey Yahweh’s Torah? In Ya’akov (James) 2:21 it says, " Was not Avraham our father declared right by WORKS when he offered Yitzchaq his son on the altar?" Is this a contradiction? Or is Ya’akov showing a relationship BETWEEN belief and works? Ya’akov also says in verse 17, "So also belief, if it DOES NOT HAVE WORKS, is in itself dead." He continues in verse 22, "Do you see that the belief was working WITH his works, and by works the belief was PERFECTED." And in verse 24, "You see, then, a man is declared right by works, AND NOT BY BELIEF ALONE."

Yahweh is asking us to develop a perfected belief that is alive unto Him through obedience, and not dead by disobedience.

• Avraham did not receive the promises until AFTER he obeyed Yahweh, "because Avraham OBEYED MY voice and guarded My commands, My laws, and My Torot." Bereshith (Gen.) 26:5."NOTE: Yahweh’s Torah existed BEFORE Mt.Sinai, Moshe, and the nation of Yisrael! He had given it to Avraham.

• " And in your seed ALL the nations of the earth shall be blessed, BECAUSE you have OBEYED MY voice." Bereshith (Gen.) 22:18. NOTE: All nations are blessed because Avraham obeyed Yahweh. His obedience brought about the promise being fulfilled of his seed being in every nation.

Otherwise Yahweh is saying for belief to be perfected, it must be accompanied by works of obedience in order to be perfected, and Yahweh’s grace applied.

Favor or grace is the FREE gift from Yahweh.He owes us nothing and does not have to give it to us. BUT, He found someone (Yahshua) to agree to pay the price for our sin (Torah breaking) or debt we owed Him IN OUR PLACE! Yahshua, the Messiah, became the surety for our Torah breaking (sin), and did so out of love and compassion for us. He gave His life FREELY.Even though he gave His life freely; someone still had to die for our sin. The Torah of sacrifice had to be satisfied. The grace of Yahweh did not do away with the law of sin that demands payment of a life or blood for sin (Ivrim –Hebrews 9:22). Because it was obeyed THEN His grace could be applied to those receiving that sacrifice through Yahshua. We repent AND believe for the grace to be applied.

This proves why it is impossible for us to earn salvation through works. If there were any sacrifices we could make short of our death, things we could give, offerings we could make, services we could render, money we could pay, any remorse we could show, or any work we could do which would EQUAL the penalty of death for sin, THEN we could earn salvation by our works.

But, the fact of the matter is there is no way out of our debt we owe Yahweh except our death or the death of a perfect unblemished substitute man in our place for: "The WAGES of SIN is DEATH." Romans 6:23!

NO AMOUNT OF TORAH OBSERVANCE CAN PAY THAT PENALTY FOR US AND THE OBEDIENCE TO ONE LAW CANNOT PAY THE PENALTY FOR BREAKING ANOTHER LAW. THERE IS NO AMOUNT OF GOOD WORKS ONE CAN DO TO PAY FOR ONE’S LIFE EXCEPT DEATH! TORAH OBSERVANCE DOES NOT ERASE THE DEATH PENALTY FOR OUR SIN!

This is where Yahweh’s favor or grace enters. Forgiveness for our sin has been provided because someone has come to pay the penalty for us: Yahshua the Messiah of All Yisrael! Yahweh has accepted his perfect sacrifice, as a FULL PAYMENT for our transgressions of the Torah.This is the ONLY way out for us since the death penalty hangs over our heads as sinners in the hands of an angry Yah! We are all on Death Row and sentenced to death. This is why we need a Savior! Someone had to pay the price demanded for our transgressions of Torah.

Yahshua has come to save us FROM our sin and set us FREE from our SIN (Matt.1: 21) as a FREE GIFT (Eph.2: 8-9) by HIS belief or faith-the faith of Yahshua!

• Galatians 2:16,"knowing that a man is not declared right by works of the Torah, but through belief (OF in the KJV) in or OF Yahshua Messiah.."

Now, whose faith is it that justifies us? Ours? Our faithfulness? NO! Yahshua’s faith or belief and not by our works of Torah! No amount of works can be placed in Yahweh’s balance of justice to offset our sin and rebellion against Him. Justice has to be satisfied for Yahweh to be JUST and TRUE, yet it is tempered with Chesed (Covenant kindness), mercy, and grace. If it was based upon OUR faithfulness then we are all doomed to face the lake of fire as we all fall short of the standard in Yahshua (Romans 3:10-24)."Being declared right, WITHOUT PAYING, by His favor through the redemption which is inn Messiah Yahshua, Whom Yahweh set forth as AN ATONEMENT, through belief IN HIS BLOOD, to demonstrate His righteousness, because of His tolerance Yahweh had PASSED OVER the sins that had taken place." It is through Yahshua’s faithfulness to Yahweh and the Torah, and His belief Yahweh would raise Him from the dead (Col.2: 12) as He promised Him.

Since we are acquitted by favor through the FREE GIFT of Yahweh by Yahshua’s faithfulness, are we "saved" from having to obey Yahweh’s Torah?

• Ephesians 2:10, "For we are His workmanship, created in Messiah Yahshua unto GOOD WORKS, which Yahweh prepared beforehand that we should WALK in them."

• Yahshua said, "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Master, Master’, shall enter into the reign of the heavens, BUT HE WHO IS DOING THE DESIRE OF MY FATHER IN THE HEAVENS." Mattithyahu 7:21.

Yahshua did not come to save us from the Torah, but from our Torah breaking (sin). There are conditions (Acts2: 38) for His grace to be applied to our hearts and lives. For us to continue in our sin or Torah breaking life-style after Yahweh’s acquittal, brings the death penalty once again (Romans 6:23, Ivrim-Hebrews 10:26-30). There are no more gifts that Yahweh can give! (Ivrim 6:1-9).

Hebrews 6: 4-12 talks of FALLING AWAY. "Fall way from what? The heavenly gifts of Yahshua, the Word of Yahweh, and the Ruach Hakodesh. What are the gifts of Yahweh? They are faith (Eph.2: 8), favor and justification (Rom.4: 9-15), the Ruach (Acts 2:38,10:45), Eternal life (Rom.6: 23); read also 2 Kepha-Peter 2:20-22. Now, how then do we FALL AWAY from these things? BY RETURNING TO THE LIFE OF REBELLION AGAINST YAHWEH’S LAWS AND A LIFE-STYLE OF SIN! Sin, which is breaking the Torah (1 Yochanan – 1John 3:4), will lead us right back to the wide gate that leads to destruction (Matt.7: 13-14). Then our hearts and minds become hardened to the Ruach Hakodesh and we develop a callused heart towards the things of Yahweh. The Torah is the light and lamp that leads and keeps us on the narrow path of obedience-which is the true expression of belief.

So, why keep the Torah of Yahweh? To earn your salvation, or buy your eternal life by works? NO! It is to prevent us from falling away from those things mentioned, and living a vibrate life from an obedient heart towards Yahweh by keeping His Torah or commands which produces righteous works and fruit keeps us FROM SIN.

We in Messianic Yisrael must be careful not to fall into the trap of LEGALISM (Greek- erga nomou) over the belief system of Torah observance. Legalism is a result of actions stemming from a boastful, self-righteous belief that by doing the Torah, or a list of man-made rules in one’s own strength, without true trust in Yahweh or faithfulness to Him, one can earn Yahweh’s praise and favor, and obligate Him to give you eternal life. This is a PERVERSION of Torah and is exactly what Yahshua opposed in Mattithyahu 23. Yahshua was not opposed to the Torah, but He was against the legalism that the Pharisees and Scribes were placing upon Yisrael through their Oral Traditions. Let us not fall into the same trap, as did the leadership of Yisrael at the time of Yahshua.

I pray this answers your question concerning the Torah and grace. No! We do not try to earn our salvation by Torah observance. We hold fast to the belief that salvation and justification is by belief in Messiah Yahshua and His atoning blood sacrifice on the stake.

Shalom and Yahweh Bless,

Rabbi Edward Levi Nydle

B’nai Avraham Messianic Congregation