What is a Jew?

What is a Jew?

By

Gary Primo

August 17, 2013

One of the first names I was called when converting to the Way of Yahuwah from Christianity was a “Jew”. I did not mind, because I felt the name brought me closer to Elohim.

Afterword I ran into a number of people who carried their quest to re-establish their Hebrew roots by converting totally back to Judaism, rejecting both the New Testament and the Messiah. Although I have many questions concerning the New Testament myself, it is the only record there is that the Messiah actually existed.

Did the apostles need the New Testament to prove that Yahushua was the Son of Elohim?

Of course they didn’t. There was no New Testament at the time and they proved the Messiah solely from the Old Testament. And, I would dare say, that many more people were converted by the teachings and witness of the apostles (in a single day) than by any other human being since.

Following Shaul’s (Paul’s) ministry, many among the Gentiles began spreading the rumour that Shaul taught that the law was “done away with” and that all one had to do to gain salvation was confess that Yahushua was/is the Son of God. That was it. That one simple confession guaranteed your salvation and introduced the foundation for the “once saved, always saved” doctrine of mainstream Christianity. There was no further work (obedience to the law) involved – no taking on the character (image) of the Messiah, or anything else. One could just kick back in the sun and wait for the Messiah to return. Such are the slothful servants to whom Yahushua is going to say in the judgment, “I never knew you”.

The following passages were spoken by Shaul (the supposed antinomian apostle) and can hardly be disputed (although they certainly try) as declaring that the law certainly does still apply and how it applies.

Let’s examine these passages.

Romans 2:17 - Behold, you are called a Jew, and resist in the law, and make your boast of Elohim,

18 - And know his will, and approve the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;

There are multiple purposes for the law.

1 – The law teaches us wisdom and knowledge.

2 – The law teaches us to become righteous, as Yahuwah is righteous.

3 – The law teaches us the nature of Yahuwah (living love) and encourages us to take on Yahuwah’s nature in ourselves and to base all our decisions based on love.

4 – The law teaches us how to become incorruptible. Since attaining the state of incorruption is a vital requirement for salvation and entry into the future kingdom where corruption will no longer exist, it only makes sense that one must learn and live by the law to attain that state.

5 – The law teaches us to know the will of Yahuwah and the more “excellent things” (of Yahuwah) that elude the most brilliant minds of men.

19 - And are confident that you yourself are a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,

20 - An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which have the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.

The form of knowledge and the truth in the law go hand in hand. Both are learned by the knowledge and doing of the law. If one does not attempt to learn and do the works of the law, one is doomed to ignorance and a preference for the lie, rather than the truth.

21 - You therefore which teach another, teach you not yourself? You that preach a man should not steal, do you steal?

22 - You that say a man should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You that abhor idols, do you commit sacrilege?

23 - You that make your boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonor you Elohim?

24 - For the name of Elohim is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.

It is absolutely imperative that we do what we preach. Any conflict between the two might cause an otherwise dedicated student to falter and fall. It is the doing of the law that is evidence that our obedience is coming from the heart and that we are not merely paying lip service, only. When our actions contradict our words, it causes people to not trust our words, or us. We when cause such a contradiction, we actually blaspheme the Name of Elohim before the Gentiles and cause them to stumble.

25 - For circumcision verily profits, if you keep the law: but if you be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.

Those that were demanding of the newly converted Gentiles that they be circumcised simply could not wrap their minds around the teachings of Shaul. The Jews had, by the time Yahushua came to them, corrupted the laws and teachings of Yahuwah to a very great degree since the time at Mt. Sinai when the commandments were delivered to them. Shaul was pointing this fact out to them and calling them out on their hypocrisy in saying one thing and doing another. He truthfully declared to them that their circumcision availed them nothing if they were going to teach one thing and do another. They were just as condemned as the most sinful Gentile.

26 - Therefore if the uncircumcision keeps the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?

The uncircumcised Gentile who stringently kept and performed the law had his uncircumcision counted as circumcision because of his keeping of the law from his heart. He allowed the law to transform his character and; therefore, kept the righteous intent of the law rather than the literal interpretation of the law out of fear of punishment only. When one does this it becomes their nature to resist sin automatically, without even thinking otherwise.

The point is that Shaul is pointing out most plainly here that everything centers around the keeping of the law. If one is not keeping (and living) the law, whether one is circumcised or not is of no relevance.

Has Yahuwah ever proclaimed that the law of circumcision has been done away with? If he has, I have yet to find any mention of it in the Scripture – New or Old Testament. Therefore, I maintain that Shaul’s intent was not to do away with circumcision altogether, but postpone it until the individual had time to learn all the law, as Jewish children are required to do, before submitting to circumcision. It is like reading the contract and understanding it before signing it. The Jews wanted the new converts to sign the contract before reading and understanding it. This is no different from baptizing babies. Therefore, as far as I am concerned, physical circumcision remains the symbol of sealing of the covenant, and until I have positive proof that Yahuwah changed it, I will continue to support that view.

This is not to say that Shaul was wrong concerning circumcision of the heart. He was absolutely correct. Unless one circumcises his heart first, physical circumcision is of no effect whatsoever.

27 - And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfill the law, judge you, who by the letter and circumcision do transgress the law?

The unrighteous Jews, who claimed a moral authority over the Gentiles on account of their circumcision but themselves transgressed the law, will be judged by the Gentiles who committed the law to their hearts and thereby took on the nature of Yahuwah and His Son. Hypocrites and transgressors of the law openly declare that they are not fit for the Kingdom. They blaspheme the name of the Father by their actions. In the judgment, Yahushua will look upon these pathetic individuals and tell them that the blood of all the individuals that they deceived and caused to fall away from the truth is on their hands and they must pay the penalty for their treachery. The price is eternal death.

28 - For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:

29 - But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of Elohim.

This is an accusation that Yahushua hurled at the Pharisees and other religious leaders, that they were hypocrites because they paid lip service only towards the law and never committed the law to their heart nor allowed the law to change their nature to that of Yahuwah’s. They lacked the love of Yahuwah which mankind has virtually no understanding of. The law teaches us the love of Yahuwah. We are to obey and judge others out of love, the same way Yahuwah does. When we achieve this state, we have successfully internalized the law of Yahuwah and taken on His nature.

The letter of the law is nothing more than meaningless words if not followed from the heart. We can memorize every verse and rail from the roof tops till we turn blue in the face, but if our actions do not match our words, no one will believe us. We will, in effect, turn more people away from Elohim than towards Him. Their blood will be on our hands and our blood will be required for recompense.

Preaching that the law is “done away with”, as the Christian religion does, is even worse than what these Jews were guilty of. It denies people access to the wisdom and knowledge of Yahuwah. It deters one from perceiving the urgency in learning and taking on the nature of Yahuwah.

Christianity is a religion that worships “the emperor” or “the state” above Yahuwah. The mother church (Great Whore) of the Christian faith is the Roman Catholic Church. It openly declares that their pope is “God on earth” and that his edicts supersede the commandments of Yahuwah. This is emperor worship in its purest form. This is how it has been since the very foundation of this apostate, pagan counterfeit called Christianity was first formed. Then it was Emperor Constantine that they worshipped through the obedience to his royal decrees instead of Yahuwah. Since they still remain obedient to the emperor’s decrees, they are still worshipping him above Yahuwah. Constantine can rightly be proclaimed the first “pope” and “God” of the Christian Church and every pope since Constantine has carried on his office.

None of the other churches (harlot daughters) that broke away from the RCC denounced this heresy, but continued in it. They may have thrown off the Catholic Church but they continue to worship the emperor. Because of this fact, it will be easy for them to reunite with the RCC in forming the One World Religion of the future.

The Jews have not changed much either. They still promote their Talmud (their own interpretation of the law) above the Torah. They still keep the letter of the law only. They have not acquired the nature or love of Yahuwah at all. That fact makes them just as pagan as the lowliest Gentile.

The quest of all Believers and followers of the Way of Yahuwah is to not only hear and speak the words, but to do them; and commit them to our hearts so that we not only obey Yahuwah; we become Yahuwah. That is, we will obey the law because it has become our nature to do so and any thought to sin is completely wiped out of our minds. It will never again even occur to us to sin.

Yahushua brought clarification of this concept when He visited us.

Matt. 5:27 - You have heard that it was said by them of old time, You shall not commit adultery:

But I say unto you, That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

28 - And if your right eye offends you, pluck it out, and cast it from you: for it is profitable for you that one of thy members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell.

29 - And if your right hand offends you, cut it off, and cast it from you: for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell (suffer eternal death).

30 - It has been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:

31 - But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced commits adultery.

Yahushua was admonishing His followers that they were not only to obey the law outwardly, but more importantly, inwardly. Once the will to sin is defeated inwardly, it will no longer manifest itself outwardly.

If the history of the Jews tells us anything, it is that most did not accomplish the task of committing to the law internally. They put all their faith and trust in the outward keeping of the law, only; and never did take on the nature of Yahuwah, as they were supposed to. When the leadership of any faith corrupts itself and the teachings of Yahuwah, it is our duty to follow Yahuwah, not the corrupt human leaders. These leaders cannot disfellowship anyone from the presence or body of Yahuwah, when they have already disfellowshipped themselves.

Conclusion

I have had this argument with many die-hard Christians, to no avail. They cling stubbornly in their loyalty to their emperor. One might say that they are deceived beyond redemption; however, I certainly hope that is not the case. The fact is that if Yahuwah chooses not to open their eyes, there is not much we can do for them. Hopefully going through the tribulation will open the eyes of many within the Christian faith. The only thing we can be sure of in this world is that nothing is as it seems.

What the fathers of Christianity did was make Shaul over into their own image just as they did with the Messiah. They took Shaul’s words and twisted them to align with their own (pagan) understanding and then championed Shaul as the author of lawlessness. The objective of all mankind since the time of Adam has been the pursuit of lawlessness. That is human nature. Whatever Yahuwah tells us to do, we do the opposite.

Yahuwah has never, at any time, rescinded his laws. Shaul never, at any time, taught that the law was done away with. The only body that ever has touted the lie that the law has been done away with has been counterfeit Christianity. The Jews continue to keep the law outwardly and maintain that Shaul taught contrary to the law. The Jews condemn Shaul as a false apostle for the exact same reason the Christians exalt him above all the other apostles. Shaul’s words were difficult to understand, as Peter pointed out in one of his epistles, and both the Jews and Christians have twisted his words to their own understanding, for their own corrupt purposes.

The sole purpose for the creation of the Christian religion was to unify all the religions within the realm of the Roman Empire. It was purely a political one, not a product of true faith at all. Yet, everyone was so pleased that they did not have to change a thing, they could continue to pursue lawlessness while prancing around and presenting themselves outwardly as spiritual “beacons of light” and get relief from Roman persecution, that they were quite willing to sell their souls to the Devil.

As far as I am concerned, the only true doctrine of the Christian faith is that the man they refer to as “Jesus Christ”, whose name was really Yahushua ben Yoseph, is the only begotten Son of Yahuwah. This is about the only link between the Christian religion and the Jewish faith. Absolutely everything else comes straight from paganism and is totally counterfeit to the Way of Yahuwah.

Even the Jews do not know what a true Jew is, or should be. They have corrupted their faith through their Talmud. They put the Talmud before the Torah, just as the Christians put their New Testament before the Old. A true Jew is one that keeps the word of Yahuwah as the original Israelites did, from the heart, not by a mere outward show of self-righteousness. By ignoring the command to write the laws on their minds and hearts, they make their physical circumcision of no effect. They blaspheme the name of Yahuwah. And, they crucify the Son anew. They violate the covenant, making it null and void.

Christians, on the other hand, make no pretence about disobeying the word of Yahuwah and excuse their behavior by claiming that the law is done away with. Even in this the Christians are less hypocritical than the Jews. The Jews have changed the “hand delivered” faith that Yahuwah brought to them into a religion of men. It is now every bit as pagan as the Christian faith, or Muslim, or Buddhist. They rejected the Son and thereby rejected the Father also.

The only true faith on the earth today is the Way of Yahuwah. Yahuwah is the author and Yahushua is the finisher. Yahushua is the High Priest and King of this faith. He is the only true Rabbi (teacher). He is the only source of truth. His is the only true light on the road to salvation. If we do not follow as perfectly as we can in his footsteps, we are doomed. There is absolutely no other way to slice it.

A Jew is merely a member of one of the 12 tribes of Israel. They were all once part of the Hebrew faith or the Way of Yahuwah. The northern tribes broke away in one direction, while the Jews broke off in another direction (with the manifestation of the Talmud). The same thing occurred with the Christian Church as did with the northern tribes; and they followed the exact same path as their ancient counterparts. History does indeed repeat itself.

Our quest is to become a true Israelite (or Hebrew) with the rightful interpretation of the law and the commitment of it to our minds and hearts, so that we grow into the full stature and nature of Yahushua HaMashiyack. His nature and what qualified him as the saviour, is the fact that he always lived a life of total obedience to the Father. That is what perfected him and that is the only way that we can ever even hope to attain perfection. Perfection = incorruption and only the incorruptible will ever see the manifestation of the new creation and be a part of it.

We are to become the image of the Father as Yahushua was/is. The laws of Yahuwah are what define His nature. If we discard His laws we also discard the very thing that will lead us towards attaining His nature and becoming like Him.

In answer to the theme of this article, “What is a Jew”, I can only say that a true Jew is one that internalizes the Law of Yahuwah, writes it on his heart and mind and allows it to change his nature so that he becomes the image of the Father.

When we truly do accomplish this, our countenance will change and our faces with shine like the sun. Everyone that sees us will see the Father and be awed and humbled by our appearance.

I know of no one yet (including myself) whose face shines like the sun. Therefore, I must conclude that none of us has yet succeeded in fully replacing our old sinful nature with the righteous nature of Yahuwah. In fact only a few men in all of (scripturally) recorded history have ever achieved this state.

So, this is my challenge to myself and all fellow truth seekers; that we seek out the nature of Yahuwah with every fiber of being and envision the day when our faces will indeed shine like the sun.

Yahuwah Bless

G.P.