I am going to preface this entry with something offensive to most, with the intent that some will be offended. While reading this entry, if you find yourself disagreeing with me, come back here and reread the preface.
“ Jews will not replace us! Jews will not replace us!”
These were the chants of a mob of white extremists protesting the removal of confederate statues in Charlottesville, NC,, in August of 2017. Anti Semitism is a thing. Sometimes it is blatant. Sometimes it is not. Racism can be pervasive. Part of the reason for that is that it can and does become societal or,, to put it more plainly, socially acceptable. That is true of every type of racism.
Antisemitism has been around for a while. It manifests itself in any number of ways. It’s origins? I could argue that it goes all the back to the Garden of Eden. The Bible records many instances of persecution of the Hebraic people. At the inception of the Church, antisemitism did not go away; it simply found a new avenue through which to operate: the Church.
The Church is, oftentimes, celebratory of the history, archeology, and culture of the Jewish people and dismissive of the Jewish influence on the very scriptures they revere. There is even a name for it: ‘Replacement Theology.’ It manifests itself in a variety of ways. One that I have personally heard over and over again from any number of pulpits is, “The Jews killed Jesus!” When something like this is declared over pulpits from the Church’s inception, is it any wonder that antisemitism remains a thing. On to the review.
James 1:1 (CJB) - Complete Jewish Bible
Greetings from James
1 From: Ya'akov, a slave of God and of the Lord Yeshua the Mashiach To: The Twelve Tribes in the Diaspora: Shalom!
First things first. James is writing to Jewish Christians, with an emphasis on ‘Jewish’. It says so right in verse one of chapter one. I understand that most people place the emphasis on the ‘believers’ component of James’ audience, it is a form of replacement theology to discount the fact that, both the writer and the targeted audience of James’ epistle are Jews. In fact, through the remainder of this post, I’ll refer to James’ Hebrew name: Jacob or Ya’akov. See what I mean? King James I, King of England, commissioned an English translation of the existing bible. He wanted to preserve his place in posterity, so he replaced the Hebrew name Ya’akov with his own name, James. Just one of many examples of … replacement theology. The Church, in recent years, has placed a great deal of emphasis on rediscovering the Hebraic name Yeshua, for Jesus, but we pretty much ignore the fact that every book of the New Testament was written by Jews, with the possible exception of Luke, who was believed to be a gentile, but whom recent scholarship has posited could be a Hellenistic Jew. The Jewishness of the history of ancient Israel and the biblical record should not be discounted.
Ya’akov 2:6-9 CJB
6 But you despise the poor! Aren't the rich the ones who oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Aren't they the ones who insult the good name of Him to whom you belong? 8 If you truly attain the goal of Kingdom Torah, in conformity with the passage that says, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well. 9 But if you show favoritism, your actions constitute sin, since you are convicted under the Torah as transgressors.
In chapter two, Ya’akov addresses concerns within the Jewish communities concerning the mistreatment of the poor. In his mind, the mistreatment of the poor constitutes a violation of the Kingdom Torah or ‘the Royal Law’. Ya’akov refers to Yeshua’s words in Matthew 22
Mattith-yahu (Matthew) 22:39 CJB
37 He told him, "`You are to love ADONAI your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.' 38 This is the greatest and most important mitzvah. 39 And a second is similar to it, `You are to love your neighbor as yourself.'
What is overlooked? Yeshua is quoting two Old Testament passages…
Vayikra (Leviticus) 19:18 CJB
18 Don't take vengeance on or bear a grudge against any of your people; rather, love your neighbor as yourself; I am ADONAI.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 6:4-5 CJB
4 “Hear, O Israel: [b]The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
The passage in Leviticus deals specifically with how we treat one another:
Vayikra (Leviticus) 19:11-19a CJB
11 "'Do not steal from, defraud or lie to each other. 12 Do not swear by my name falsely, which would be profaning the name of your God; I am ADONAI. 13 Do not oppress or rob your neighbor; specifically, you are not to keep back the wages of a hired worker all night until morning. 14 "'Do not speak a curse against a deaf person or place an obstacle in the way of a blind person; rather, fear your God; I am ADONAI. 15 "'Do not be unjust in judging - show neither partiality to the poor nor deference to the mighty, but with justice judge your neighbor. 16 "'Do not go around spreading slander among your people, but also don't stand idly by when your neighbor's life is at stake; I am ADONAI. 17 "'Do not hate your brother in your heart, but rebuke your neighbor frankly, so that you won't carry sin because of him. 18 Don't take vengeance on or bear a grudge against any of your people; rather, love your neighbor as yourself; I am ADONAI. 19a "'Observe my regulations.
So, Yeshua, and then Ya’akov are both simply stating what the Old Testament Torah declared. In summary: Love your neighbor as you love yourself. The problem with Ya’akov is that he seems to stop at the penalty for transgression, rather than seeing past the transgression to the cross of Christ. His is the only epistle of the New Testament that does not eventually lead to the cross. That does not surprise me.
I’ve met and made friends with Messianic believers. The mind set that I encounter when talking to them is that Yeshua is the beginning of the process of salvation and that the Torah must be observed at some level for salvation to be fully realized. In fact, believers from the Messianic community often refer to the New Testament as “The Renewed Covenant”. Notice the difference. New infers something that is brand new. Renewed implies something that has been restored or made ‘like’ new. This appears to be Ya’akov’s mindset.
Ya’akov 2:10 CJB
10 For a person who keeps the whole Torah, yet stumbles at one point, has become guilty of breaking them all.
The important point of the verse above is that this was the overarching intent of the Torah: To condemn all souls, to expose the utter unworthiness of every living soul and to make each soul individually aware of their need for… a savior. It is time for me to introduce an alternative view:
Galatians 1:1 CJB
1 From: Sha'ul, an emissary - I received my commission not from human beings or through human mediation but through Yeshua the Mashiach and God the Father, who raised him from the dead - also from all the brothers with me
First things first. Contrary to popular belief, Jesus did not ‘change’ Saul’s name to Paul. Paul was born ‘Saul’ or ‘Sha’ul’, a Hebrew, of the tribe of Ben Ya’min. He was circumcised on the eighth, regarding the Torah, he was a Parush (Pharisee). However his father was a Roman, so Sha’ul maintained dual citizenship; both Roman and Jewish. Subsequently, his gentile or Goy name was Paul. As it turns out, Paul himself shed his Hebrew name over time in order to better facilitate his outreach to the ‘Goyim’ (Gentiles).
Galatians 3:2-3 CJB
2 I want to know from you just this one thing: did you receive the Spirit by legalistic observance of Torah commands or by trusting in what you heard and being faithful to it? 3 Are you that stupid? Having begun with the Spirit's power, do you think you can reach the goal under your own power?
There is one more thing I must mention: The books of Ya’akov and Galatians are the earliest epistles written. Both were written in or around 49 AD. Be reminded that the entirety of the opening of Galatians was a direct rebuke to the Messianic believers who were being taught that what was begun at the cross must be completed by ‘good works’. It is also obvious that there was contention between Sha’ul and Ya’akov. It is entirely conceivable that these two epistles, Ya’akov and Galatians were written, each to counter the other.
Ya’akov 2:12-14 CJB
12 Keep speaking and acting like people who will be judged by a Torah which gives freedom. 13 For judgment will be without mercy toward one who doesn't show mercy; but mercy wins out over judgment. 14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith but has no actions to prove it? Is such "faith" able to save him?
You will find that there are different renderings of verse 14 in regards to the word, ‘save him’. In this Complete Jewish Bible rendering, it is clear what the train of thought is: that if one does not have actions as evidence of his faith, that faith cannot save him.
Ya’akov 2:17 CJB
17 Thus, faith by itself, unaccompanied by actions, is dead.
Ya’akov puts a point on his point. In doing so he seems to directly rebuff the concept of justification by faith alone; the message that Sha’ul (Paul) preaches among the goyim (gentiles).
Galatians 3:11 KJV
11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
A moment to further ruminate on the possible motivation of Ya’akov. Remember that Ya’akov was the half brother of Yeshua. Given that both Yosef and Miryam were careful to observe the requirements of the Torah concerning the child, Yeshua. There is no reason to believe that they would not have done the same for all of their children, subsequently raising them in the fear and admonition of the Lord.
Lukas 2:22-24 CJB
22 When the time came for their purification according to the Torah of Moshe, they took him up to Yerushalayim to present him to ADONAI 23 (as it is written in the Torah of ADONAI, "Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to ADONAI") 24 and also to offer a sacrifice of a pair of doves or two young pigeons,h as required by the Torah of ADONAI.
You can see the effect on the siblings of Yeshua, in that they strictly observed the Jewish festivals as instructed by the Torah…
Jochanan 7:2-3,10 CJB
2 But the festival of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) in Y'hudah (Judah) was near; 3 so his brothers said to him, "Leave here and go into Y'hudah, so that your talmidim can see the miracles you do;
10 But after his brothers had gone up to the festival, he too went up, not publicly but in secret.
Additionally, Ya’akov led the church at Yerushalayim and appears to have focused his ministry solely to the Jewish community. Remember, Ya’akov did not believe in Yeshua as the Masiach until after Yeshua was resurrected from the grave. IT is written that Ya’akov was very devout and just and that he prayed for the Messianic community at Yerushalayim regularly and fervently from the Temple Mount where the first church was established. Aside from the post resurrection meeting with Yeshua, there is no evidence that he had any further disciplining from the Mashiach or any sort of heavenly revelation that provided enhanced enlightenment comparable to the time that Shaul spent in Arabia. It is entirely possible that Ya’akov sought to reform Judaism based on his simple acceptance of Yeshua as Masiach. After all, based on the common understanding of scripture among the Jews, the Masiach would return to establish His throne in Yerushalayim in Yisrael and return all Hebrew peoples as chief among all nations. That would also account for his entirely jewish train of thought that the Torah must be followed in addition to accepting Yeshua as Masiach. Remember, aside from the Gospels,and the Book of Acts, Ya’akov and Galations are the earliest epistles of the New Testament.
Ya’akov 2:19-20 NLT
.19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God.[f] Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?
Beloved, what stands out to you in the passage above? Is Ya’akov dismissing faith without works as being useless as demons in believing in God? On the surface, that seems so but, the implications are much deeper and far more dire than that. You see, the demons or fallen angels actually spent eons in the very presence of God Almighty. Their rebellion against God was deliberate. Their defeat was complete. Their penalty for that rebellion is final and everlasting. There is no wonder that they shudder at the thought of what awaits them eternally. Ya’akov seems to imply that faith without works will reap the same everlasting judgment.
Ya’akov 2:21-24
21 Wasn't Avraham avinu declared righteous because of actions when he offered up his son Yitz'chak on the altar? 22 You see that his faith worked with his actions; by the actions the faith was made complete; 23 and the passage of the Tanakh was fulfilled which says, "Avraham had faith in God, and it was credited to his account as righteousness." He was even called God's friend. 24 You see that a person is declared righteous because of actions and not because of faith alone.
Beloved, Avraham avinu was counted as righteous when he believed God. That occurred earlier that the episode at
B’Reyshith (Genesis) 15:5-6 CJB
5 Then he brought him outside and said, "Look up at the sky, and count the stars - if you can count them! Your descendants will be that many!" 6 He believed in ADONAI, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
B’Reyshith (Genesis) 22:1-2,10-12 CJB
1 After these things, God tested Avraham. He said to him, "Avraham!" and he answered, "Here I am." 2 He said, "Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Yitz'chak; and go to the land of Moriyah. There you are to offer him as a burnt offering on a mountain that I will point out to you."
...and…
10 Then Avraham put out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. 11 But the angel of ADONAI called to him out of heaven: "Avraham? Avraham!"He answered, "Here I am." 12 He said, "Don't lay your hand on the boy! Don't do anything to him! For now I know that you are a man who fears God, because you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me."
Beloved, I maintain that God’s promise in chapter 15 was irrevocable. What you see in Chapter 22 is not works as justification, but rather, works because of justification. Take a peek into Avraham’s reasoning:
Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 11:19 NLT
19 Avraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Avraham did receive his son back from the dead.
Simply put, Avraham’s reasoning had to do with his belief that God could do the impossible.
Ya’akov 2:25 CJB
25 Likewise, wasn't Rachav the prostitute also declared righteous because of actions when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another route?
This is the best of Ya’akov’s examples from the Tanakh. However, was Rachav’s righteousness a result or a cause? Throughout Scripture, we see examples of people being redeemed when they acted by faith. Because they normally are identified as Hebrew, we conclude that their path was pre-ordained. What about people who were born outside of the promise? Does not their faith motivate them toward God’s desire? I’ll close with Shaul’s thoughts on the matter.
Ephesians 2:9-10 CJB
9 You were not delivered by your own actions; therefore no one should boast. 10 For we are of God's making, created in union with the Messiah Yeshua for a life of good actions already prepared by God for us to do.
Beloved, I have no problem with the Book of Ya’akov. Throughout his epistle, he pushes us to be better Christians and to be better people. His instructions are simple and practical. I can put his theological premises in context, knowing that his theology is rooted in his understanding of the best of Hebrew tradition and thinking. Was Ya’akov saved? Absolutely! He was martyred for just that confession. Does his incomplete understanding of Grace condemn him or his followers? No, otherwise we would all find what we know or how we understand incomplete and insufficient. I am thankful that, while I may not know as I ought, from the beginning of time, I was fully known by God.
1 Corinthians 13:12 CJB
12 For now we see obscurely in a mirror, but then it will be face to face. Now I know partly; then I will know fully, just as God has fully known me.
Selah
wb
Yirmyahu (Jeremiah) 29:11-14a CJB
11 For I know what plans I have in mind for you,' says ADONAI,'plans for well-being, not for bad things; so that you can have hope and a future. 12 When you call to me and pray to me, I will listen to you. 13 When you seek me, you will find me, provided you seek for me wholeheartedly; 14 and I will let you find me,' says ADONAI
Ephesians 2:4-5 CJB
4 But God is so rich in mercy and loves us with such intense love 5 that, even when we were dead because of our acts of disobedience, he brought us to life along with the Messiah - it is by grace that you have been delivered.
