8.6.26 – Life's Set-Apart Questions

I was asked a question that is directly connected with this week's Torah portion, Re'eh ("to see"), and I want to share the answer with you—since inquiring minds want to know :-)

This person asked me privately: "If I'm not keeping Shabbat, not eating biblically clean, and not keeping the feasts, am I sinning against God?" I hope you enjoy these thoughts and are able to glean from his willingness to ask.

Before we begin, let me say something concerning the character of God. I believe the Apostle John was correct in 1 John 4 when he stated that God is love. He is not the author of confusion (cf. 1 Cor. 14:33); He does not change (Mal. 3:6), nor would He lead anyone to transgress His own words—the Torah. As Yeshua said in Matthew 12, every word that we speak proceeds from the heart. Since we are made in the image of God, we can deduce that God's Word originated in His heart—the seat of His emotion and character. Personally, I want to be like King David, who was a man after God's own heart. I want to pursue His Word and live it for the world to see. I also want to follow James' admonition to be a "doer of the Word" and not just a hearer (James 1:22).

Secondly, I would like to reiterate that Jesus/Yeshua tells us to be the "light" to the world (Matt. 5:14–16). As we examine that passage, the "light" refers to keeping the Torah so that the world can see it (5:17–19). King David tells us in Psalm 119:105 that God's Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Solomon says in Proverbs 6:23 that the commandment is a lamp and the Torah is a light. Yeshua Himself said, quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, "that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4). Personally, I take that as literally as He spoke it and do my best to follow those instructions. Besides that, I am fully convinced that God's Word—Scripture—is profitable for doctrine, correction, reproof, rebuke, and instruction in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16–17). Instead of going out to create my own set of righteous standards of living (Rom. 10:1–2)—which would be likened to filthy rags in the sight of God—I think I will just put into practice the ones He has already laid out for us to walk in (Eph. 2:10; Titus 3:8, 14; Deut. 6:24–25; 1 John 3:7), preparing myself to be clothed in fine linen, clean and white, which are the righteous acts of the saints (Rev. 19:7–8).

To determine whether doing or not doing something is sin, we need to define sin. 1 John 3:4 tells us that sin is the transgression of God's Law—His Torah. The term "sin" is an archer's term; it means to miss the mark. When an archer shoots for the bullseye and misses, it is called a sin. In competition, points are awarded even when the archer misses the mark, but in the spiritual walk, there are no points for being close. The question is: If sin—transgression of the Torah—is missing the mark, then what is the bullseye? It is righteousness: living the Torah—His instructions. It is the standard that God gave to reveal His character and the vehicle by which we are set apart from all other peoples of the world to identify us with the One True God of all creation. It is this standard by which Yeshua sanctifies us in truth (John 17:17). What is the truth? David again defines the biblical meaning of words by giving us the meaning of truth—it is the Torah, God's instructions (Ps. 119:142, 151, 160).

How are these three areas in your life?

Shalom,
Alan

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