Challenge Questions

Our Response to Question 1

We believe that the Bible (the Tanach & the Renewed Covenant known as the Old Testament & the New Testament, respectively) is the inspired (influenced), revealed, inerrant, unchanging, written Word of the Creator.

Some of it is the actual spoken & written word of Yahweh (God), and Yahushua (you may know Him as Jesus). Much of it is written by men who were guided, motivated, influenced and stimulated by Elohim (God) to write what they wrote.

Surely, it is only "inspired" in the original languages, & in the original context. There is no such thing as an "inspired" translation.

I believe that we must ALWAYS study Yahweh’s Word in the original CONTEXT (cultural, social, historical, linguistic and literary), since it was written TO the original audience, but was written FOR us.

    Isn't it true that,  Yahweh’s Word says what it says;
            not what I think it says,
                        not what I believe it says,
                                    not what I’d like it to say,
                                                not what others say it says, and
                                                            not necessarily what I’ve been taught that it says !  

Conclusion – If we want to read and “understand” what the Bible is really telling us, it is essential to :

1: compare the verse studied with several versions of the Bible (this is easily done using the excellent, free Bible software, e-Sword from http://www.e-sword.net/   

2: use several concordances/dictionaries to study the meanings of specific Hebrew words

Our Response to Question 2

Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines 'Truth' as "conformity to fact or reality; exact accordance with that which is, or has been, or shall be'.
Isn't this a person's, a man's, definition ?

Can we accept or trust a man's definition, for Yahweh's, His biblical TRUTH ? Shouldn't we refer to Yahweh's Word for HIS definition of His TRUTH ?

There are many scriptural verses that use the word, TRUTH. There are however, only a few that actually tell us what TRUTH is.

These verses are :

John 14:6, Ps 119:142, & Ps 119:151

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through your TRUTH; your word is TRUTH.

Psa 119:142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and your law (Torah) is the TRUTH.

Psa 119:151 Thou art near, O LORD; and all your commandments are TRUTH.

Psa 119:160 Your word is TRUE from the beginning: and every one of your righteous judgments endureth for ever.

Based on the above scriptures, isn't it correct & accurate to say :

Yahushua (Jesus) is the TRUTH
Yahweh's Word is TRUTH and is TRUE
Yahweh's Torah (law) is the TRUTH
All Yahweh's Commandments are TRUTH ?

Our Response to Question 4

Can we eliminate the groups of people who do not prophesy, do not cast out devils, & do not do many wonderful works, in Yahushua's name ?
I'm thinking of atheists, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, & so on. Do you agree ?

Isn't it reasonable to think that the only group of people who do these things are Christians ? Who else could they be ?

So why does Yahushua tell them, "I never knew you: depart from Me" ?
Doesn't He tell them the reason in verse 23, where He says, "ye that work iniquity" ?

What is "iniquity" ? If we check the Greek word translated as "iniquity" in the KJV, we find it is G458, anomia, which can mean illegality or violation of the law (law-less-ness).

What "law" is being violated by those who prophesy, cast out devils & do many wonderful works, in Yahushua's name ?

In the context of Yahushua's time, surely, it can only be, the written law of Moses (the first five books of the Bible) ?

Our Response to Question 3

Isn't it true that, the only way to really know whether the information we have been taught & have believed, or have read or heard, is true, accurate & correct, is to TEST it, by carefully examining ALL the evidence we can find about that information?

Our Response to Question 5

Webster's 1828 Dictionary records that 'sin' is "the voluntary departure of a moral agent from a known rule of rectitude or duty, prescribed by God; any voluntary transgression of the divine law, or violation of a divine command; a wicked act; iniquity".

Let's compare this man-determined definition with three witnesses from Scripture .

1Jn 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Rom 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

Rom 3:20  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Q: What is 'the law', mentioned by John & Paul in the above scriptures ?

A: Let's see what others write about 'the law', as used in these verses.

We need to do this because, there are at least 15 different uses of the Greek word, nomos, translated in the Renewed Covenant (NT) - refer to the list below.

www.bibleref.com writes that "Lawlessness was associated with those who broke the Law of Moses (the Torah), and were therefore sinners".

www.bibletools.org writes "a clear definition of sin: the attitude and practice of breaking God's laws."

Doesn't this evidence clearly show that SIN, is the breaking of Yahweh's (God's) laws, His Torah ?

Renewed Covenant uses of the Greek word, nomos, translated as 'law'.

1) The Law (Matt 5:17, Luke 10:26, John 7:49, Acts 6:13, and over 100 others
2) The Law and the Prophets (Luke 16:6, Acts 13:15)
3) The Law of YHWH (Luke 2:23, Romans 7:25; 8:7)
4) The Law of Moses (Luke 24:44)
5) The Law of Sin (Romans 7:23)
6) The Law of Sin and Death (Romans 8:2)
7) The Law of the Spirit of Life (Romans 8:2)
8) The Law of Faith (Romans 3:27)
9) The Law of Righteousness (Romans 9:31, 10:4)
10) The Law of Messiah (1 Corinthians 9:21)
11) The law of her husband (Rom 7:2)
12) The law of your fathers (Acts 22:3)
13) The law of the Jews (Acts 25:8)
14) The law of my mind (Acts 7:23)

While 1 John 3:4, Rom 7:2 & Gal 3:19 simply mentions ‘the law’, its context based on Deut 31:26, indicates that it, the book of the law (Torah), was placed outside the Ark of the Covenant.

Heb 7:11, 12, 28 also plainly refer to the Levitical Law whereby men were made high priests.

James 1:25 mentions the ‘perfect law of liberty’, while James 2:8 refers to the ‘royal law’.

Gal 5:3 and James 2:10 both mention the ‘whole law’.