The long road back.
Needing Saved
The long road back.
Tag: Salvation
What’s New in the New Testament?
The doctrines necessary for salvation that are only found in the New Testament.
Audio only below
We spend a lot of time in our walk explaining how the Old Testament is more than relevant to our faith and worship, it’s the foundation. We know that salvation requires both the faith of Yeshua and keeping the Torah and that this was what the faith looked like until the second century AD. So this is what we talk about, because it’s what sets us apart from the rest of the believers in Yeshua. Bluntly, we spend most of our time pointing out how much of the Old Testament continues to be important and that the first century believers really didn’t change how or when they worshiped all that much.
Today we’re taking a different track. I’m going to talk about what is actually new in the New Testament. Today is day 49 in the count for Shavuot. Tomorrow is Shavuot, which is the beginning of something new. Folks who believe like us often minimize or even refute the new things in the New Testament, mainly to discredit the Sunday worshipers. They try to say there is nothing new in the New Testament at all. This is because our brothers and sisters in the Sunday churches have misused the scriptures to create a religion that is not scriptural. Because of the misuse, some go too far in refuting bad doctrine and come up with some new bad doctrine of their own. So let’s get started and take a look at some key doctrines that are indeed unique to the New Testament.
Slide 2 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. (Mar 1:4-5)
This is kind of shocking. John the Baptist was preaching something entirely new, that one could be forgiven through immersion. This is not to be found in the Torah. The immersion in the Torah was after a period of uncleanness, one would wash with water to become both literally and figuratively clean. That became a doctrine called mikvah. The word mikvah in this usage means a collection of water in its literal sense. In another usage, it can mean hope or abiding. So context is key. But in the context of a gathering of water, mikvah became a doctrine. That doctrine turned into pools of water that were managed by Rabbis where people would complete the cleansing cycles listed in Torah and some others. These pools have been useful in archeology to finding ancient synagogues. It’s wonderful to see evidence of people keeping Torah all throughout the known world in history, but the mikveh pools they were never intended or considered to be forgiveness baths.
While washing with water is a mitzvot, a commandment, and the mikvah a doctrine that sprung up from that is kind of cool, washing with water to be forgiven sins was totally new. And John was also circumventing the Rabbinic guardians of the pools. He was going straight into the water and preaching that people publicly confess their sins and be immersed for forgiveness. This a totally new to the NT and, interestingly enough, the people were rather accepting of the practice.
Slide 3 Now when all the people were baptized, Yeshua was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, and the Ruach ha Kodesh descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.” (Luk 3:21-22)
There are two things here that are new to the New Testament. The first is the Ruach descending on someone like a dove.
Slide 4 Then YHVH came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took of the Spirit who was upon him and placed it upon the seventy elders. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do it again. But two men had remained in the camp; the name of one was Eldad and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them (now they were among those who had been registered, but had not gone out to the tent), and they prophesied in the camp. So a young man ran and told Moses and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” Then Joshua the son of Nun, the attendant of Moses from his youth, said, “Moses, my lord, restrain them.” But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all YHVH’s people were prophets, that YHVH would put His Ruach upon them!” (Num 11:25-29)
The Ruach came off Moses to the 70 elders in the wilderness. And it was visible and known. But what happened with Yeshua was something very new and very visible. His anointing came directly from Yahweh and in public. The Ruach came down visibly and then Yahweh called Him His Son for all the people to hear.
In Exodus, YHVH came down in a pillar of fire and spoke to all the people the ten commandments. The people knew Moses was their leader because of the plagues. Moses had a long life before he became the leader of Israel. Yeshua started His ministry with a public anointing, which was also different. In the Exodus, YHVH did have to do some big things at times to tell the people to listen to Moses, here we only have the one time.
The last part of the verse is also a sod level prophecy. It’s a prophecy that nobody realized until Shavuot after Yeshua was resurrected. And is now just partially fulfilled. In Acts 2, which we talk about tomorrow, the Ruach did indeed come down directly on the Apostles. And then they had the ability to pass it to others through the laying on of hands. That was very new to the New Testament. Ezekiel 37:14 says that all of Yahweh’s people at the first resurrection will have His Ruach. After Pentecost, we see a foreshadowing of that in this time.
Slide 5 Now when all the people were baptized, Yeshua was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, and the Ruach ha Kodesh descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.” (Luk 3:21-22)
The second part of this verse that’s new to the New Testament is the identity of Yeshua as Yahweh’s Son. This is absolutely new to the New Testament and the dividing line for salvation.
Slide 6 “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.” (Isa 42:1)
Yahweh’s Son is alluded to in the Tanakh. Moses prophesies about one like Him being raised up from among the people. Psalm 2 talks directly about the Son. Peter knew the Messiah was the Son of Yahweh apparently from Psalm 2 but it was also revealed to him by Yahweh. They didn’t grasp what this really meant until after He was resurrected, but that Yahweh has a real, literal, Son that came and walked among us is new to the New Testament. And is the most important thing for us to know.
Slide 7 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. (1Jn 5:11-12)
This is the dividing line. And we must have the Son of God to have life. While the Son was alluded to in the Tanakh, it was not known how important He was until He lived, died, was resurrected, and then told us.
Slide 8 Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time separate from Messiah, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Messiah Yeshua you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Messiah. (Eph 2:11-13)
Our being grafted in is new. Without the New Testament, we don’t make any sense at all. Sure, the Tanakh talks about the nations coming to Jerusalem and all nations praising Yahweh, but we are something different than what I see pictured in the Tanakh. What I see there is the period of time that hasn’t come yet, when the millennial kingdom is established and everyone comes to worship. We are called out of seemingly nowhere and grafted into Israel. We become fellow heirs of the promise. We become citizens of the commonwealth of Israel and are used directly by Yahweh to call others. Calling people from the nations, making us holy, and using us to spread the Gospel is new to the New Testament. And we are being called now so that after the resurrection we can be used to fulfill those future prophesies.
Slide 9 For as in Adam all die, so also in Messiah all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Messiah the first fruits, after that those who are Messiah’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. (1Co 15:22-24)
The resurrection being literal and the order of resurrections is new. Ezekiel 37 and 38 read literal to me but I have always known of the resurrection. Some may have thought it to be metaphorical, some clearly didn’t believe in it at all. There are only hints of the afterlife in the Torah, hints that we all see since we all have been raised after Yeshua’s resurrection. The New Testament reveals so much more. 1 Cor 15 is the pattern for the rest of this age. Yeshua was resurrected, next come the saints at his coming – the first resurrection, then comes the second resurrection which is judgment time and the end of this age. Our ability to attain to the better resurrection through the blood of the Messiah is revealed through the New Testament only, and the pattern of there being two resurrections 1000 years apart, is also exclusive to the New Testament.
Yeshua Our Mediator
The most important information in the history of mankind is that Yeshua (Jesus) is the Son of God and the Mediator between us and God.
Video with slides below courtesy of Rumble.
Audio only below courtesy of Spotify.
Today is the Sabbath before we break for Sukkot. By now I hope all the calendars are done observing Yom Kippur, but you never know. Yom Kippur is incredibly important to Christianity. It’s a shame that only a small percentage of those of us who accept Yeshua as the Messiah observe. The New Testament has an entire book devoted to Yeshua being our Mediator, which is the Book of Hebrews. The most important piece of information any human can know and believe is that Yeshua is the Messiah, the Son of God, and died for the sins of anyone who accepts this. This is the only information that is the gateway to eternal life through either the resurrection of the dead or through being caught up in the air when Yeshua returns. Everything we do in our walk with Yahweh and His Son is based on this truth. Today, before we break, let’s refresh on this truth.
Slide 2 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Messiah Yeshua, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was appointed as a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. (1Ti 2:5-7)
Still slide 2 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the violations that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. (Heb 9:15)
Paul didn’t write the book of Hebrews so here are our two witnesses. This concept of a mediator. However, Paul writes that he was appointed a preacher and an apostle to teach the gentiles this specific truth. That’s very significant because we are the beneficiaries of his teachings. Through Paul, Yahweh evangelized the western Roman empire of the truth of the Messiah. Paul was a very unique individual, born and trained for such a time as that. He was a gifted Rabbi, trained by Gamaliel himself, but was also a full Roman citizen so he could travel freely and operate anywhere within the Roman Empire. He knew several languages fluently, specifically Greek, so he could teach the Messiah to the world. This starts with the Torah.
Slide 3 Then YHVH Elohim said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all the livestock, and more than any animal of the field; On your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life; and I will make enemies of you and the woman, and of your offspring and her Descendant; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel.” (Gen 3:14-15)
In our way of thinking, we accept the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, as scripture and applicable to our lives and faith. The Torah, also called the Law or the Pentateuch, is the foundation of all scripture and truth. This right here is a prophecy of Yeshua. It was a mystery how a descendant of the woman could damage the serpent until Yeshua came born of Mary. Mary, a virgin, impregnated miraculously to give birth to the Son of God.
Slide 4 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Yeshua. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered and said to her, “The Ruach haKodesh will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God.” (Luk 1:30-35)
The Name of the Messiah is Yeshua, which means salvation. This is from, among other places, Isaiah 52. In verse 7 it says how delightful the feet are of those who announce Salvation, which is a prophecy of John the Baptist who came as an Elijah ahead of Yeshua to announce His arrival. And then at the end of Isaiah 52 and into chapter 53, it prophecies Yeshua’s crucifixion and death, calling Him Yahweh’s Servant in 52:13.
Yeshua is Yahweh’s Servant. Let this sink in. Here in the middle of the message is probably the most important topic:
Slide 5 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of everything that He has given Me I will lose nothing, but will raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” (Joh 6:38-40)
Yeshua’s will could have been different than Yahweh’s. But the way, Yeshua is the Name of the Son of God, Yahweh is God’s Name. Yeshua was and is an independent being. The message of the Gospel is that the Son of God came down and fully, 100%, submitted to Yahweh. That He died sinless, murdered by both the Gentiles and the Jews, brutally, and was resurrected by Yahweh three days and three nights later. By us accepting that God sent His only begotten Son, we have the chance at eternal life. By accepting that Yahweh made a way for mankind to be reconciled to Him, a way that is foolishness to most, understanding this truth, and deciding to obey, we have the chance to enter into eternity with Yahweh and Yeshua. And how was this accomplished?
Slide 6 “The God of our fathers raised up Yeshua, whom you put to death by hanging Him on a cross. He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Ruach ha Kodesh, whom God has given to those who obey Him.” But when they heard this, they became infuriated and nearly decided to execute them. (Act 5:30-33)
Do you see how this is the most important information in all of humanity? Peter and the apostles were granted the Holy Spirit to be able to stand in front of those with the power to kill them and testify that Yeshua died innocently, on a cross even, the execution method of the pagans and a curse to hang an Israelite on a tree. That it was the God of their fathers, who are now our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Yeshua who did this. And that through Yeshua’s death and resurrection repentance is possible as is the forgiveness of sins. They were standing before the very people who had killed Yeshua two months prior and were telling them the very information they killed Yeshua to stop. And how do they start?
Slide 7 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”(Act 5:29)
This is the verse prior to their testimony and they told the High Priest Himself that they had to obey God rather than men, meaning them. This is incredible because up until this point. The Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, was the mediator between God and men and these brothers were telling him that was no more.
Slide 8 Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord set up, not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, “SEE,” He says, “THAT YOU MAKE all things BY THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN TO YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN.” But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, to the extent that He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises. (Heb 8:1-6)
We have a new High Priest with a new covenant established in the heavenly tabernacle. This is a better covenant. But we don’t get to get carried away with this. Because we can’t understand the New Covenant without understanding the Old Covenant.
Slide 9 For in finding fault with the people, He says, “BEHOLD, DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD, WHEN I WILL BRING ABOUT A NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND THE HOUSE OF JUDAH, NOT LIKE THE COVENANT WHICH I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS ON THE DAY I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND TO BRING THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT; FOR THEY DID NOT CONTINUE IN MY COVENANT, AND I DID NOT CARE ABOUT THEM, SAYS THE LORD. “FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT WHICH I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS, DECLARES THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS, AND WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS. AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. (Heb 8:8-10)
This is a quote from Jeremiah 31 but it’s prefaced with finding fault with the people. Boy did Yahweh find fault with them when they decided to crucify His Son. The Torah establishes and defines sin. It defines proper behavior for the children of God. The Old Covenant did work, by the way. The sins were atoned for with the blood of bulls and goats, but it was in a cyclical fashion. It was repeated annually. Yeshua’s death atoned for sin for all time, looking back and forward, which is why the curtain was torn at his death. It signified that all the sins heaped upon that curtain were finally atoned for AND there is a new way to Yahweh, a new High Priest. The people who obeyed and the priests who served honorably did well. We can’t read this to come to the notion that Yahweh gave the Israelites something bad, or strung them along. That’s a reprehensible thought. And we know that sin remains today, which is the transgression of the law. And we know at the end, all will be measured against the law. But this was part of the story. This is the plan of salvation. And those who came before will be judged based on the information of their day.
Slide 10 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Messiah—this Yeshua whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what are we to do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Yeshua Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Ruach ha Kodesh. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” (Act 2:36-39)
Brothers and sisters, Yahweh’s plan was laid out from the beginning. From Genesis 3 where Eve’s descendant was declared to bruise the serpent on the head until the crucifixion of our Lord, until His ascension, until the Gospel going forth from Zion, until His return, and until the end, when we enter the olam ha ba, it all has to come to pass. So let’s enjoy ourselves at Sukkot, fellowshipping with our believing and obedient brethren. Let’s enjoy meeting in larger groups, good teachings, music, dancing, food, and festival. But do so in the Name of our Mediator, Yeshua the Messiah.