Scriptural Legalism Rant; To Teach or Prod

    I have been meaning to write about Scriptural legalism for quite a while. It seems I always find something more "topical" or "worldly" to write or talk about. I am not an in vogue person. I do love to talk and write about what I have learned about our Father, including my own personal relationship with Him. My personal walk with the Father is more then "magical", surreal and rewarding, it is real.
    What I have learned about our Father is that he loves all of us, that is those of us who love him. Yahweh mourns for the ones lost to the evil one. The sad thing is many are led to their death by people meaning well, people who really have good intentions, of course there are many who mislead for their own selfish purposes. The reality though is that it really doesn't matter how you got to hell when your already there, there are no do overs. 
    What all believers need to realize is that their walk with the Father is their own. That doesn't mean "wow I can do what ever I want and there are no consequences".....wrong. You have to get to know Him, even more importantly you have to let Him know you by letting Him in. You get to know him and his nature by reading Scripture. You don't cherry pick verses or chapters, you read from Genesis to Revelations. Then you do it again. And again. He will come to you.
     What the people who press Scriptural Legalism forget is that every believers walk  with the Father is his or her own. We were given the freedom of choice. As much as the Father wants us to make the right decision we are free to make mistakes, including the ultimate mistake.      Scriptural legalists will cite chapter verse letter and law to attempt to "guilt " people into a certain behavior. What they forget is that when Yahshua came to us in the flesh and was nailed to the pole he did away with the legalistic. Yahweh's chosen people couldn't follow the law to the letter and they were trained in it, how could any Gentile. Hence our need for Yahshua. 
       It is great when an individual bears down and learns about the Father by studying the Word. The relationship, however, requires a bit more then study. It actually requires a relationship, a walking talking laughing crying relationship, a profound relationship based on Faith and Trust. When we study and learn we have to remember that we are guides, not answers. When I get questions statements or comments about life tied to Scripture my normal response is to tell them.....pray. You will be fine and you will get a response. I don't typically try to get too involved at first. 
     A Spiritual Legalist will ask questions, most are really traps or funnels to guide their "prey" into certain answers so that they can pass judgement on the behavior using Scriptural Doctrine. I understand we have loved ones we may feel are misguided, and maybe a kind word or a little persuasion might get them right with the Father. My kind words may not be your kind words and sometimes the best intentions backfire because of the perception of "self righteousness". This is one of the lines spiritual legalist cross consistently, it is unfortunate because it drives more people away from the Father then it does draw them to Him.

 So let me do a bit of legalism of my own:

1. The Fathers name is Yahweh, not Jehovah or allah or baal or lord or.....lord is a title not a name. He tells us his name is a blessing. Why would we withhold or change it? Yahweh is the only name I am aware of that is not a noun, it is a verb, I was , I am , I will always be. How tolerant should I be over having Yahwehs name changed to Lord 7000 times in Scripture? How tolerant should I be over others choosing to use Lord? Maybe I should just worry about myself?

2. The Son, Savior and Messiahs name is Yahshua, it means "Yahweh saves ". It is not and never has been Jesus, there is no "J",alphabetically or phonetically, in ancient Hebrew or Aramaic. Just because all copies of Scripture have a footnote stating Jesus means "God saves" does not make it so. How tolerant should I be over poor etymology, I mean my name is Sven, I am sure it sounds like Sven in every language once I have said it( maybe multiple times). 

  Do I tell believers who don't get the names right they are doomed?

3. Holy Ghost? Really? The true translation is "The Set Apart Spirit". Thats it. Holy tells me nothing, set apart means much. Not Holy Spirit, not Holy Ghost. Set Apart Spirit. There is a very good reason for me to hold ground on this one. Short and sweet. Do I chastise or do I teach through love?

4.  Thou shalt not commit adultery....I have written about this before. People really want to focus on what this commandment means on the surface, cheating on your spouse. Yes it shows poor character and a multitude of other human weaknesses. That is not what the commandment is about. Before I tell you what it is about let me prove it through our Saviors words. When he was asked what the most important commandment was he narrowed it down to two, breaking the commandments in half, the first five were about the Father and the second five were about our fellow man. The savior said "Love the Father with all your heart" and then "Love your neighbor as you would yourself".  The adultery commandments is in the first five, it is about cheating on Yahweh with the multitude of "Mystery Religions"in the world. How do you deliver that to people who think they know Scripture? Or maybe they are just lying....

5.Thou shalt not use Yahwehs name in vain.....This is not about poor grammar. I have written about this before as well. This is a clear warning to anyone who misleads Yahwehs beloved from him, mostly this is for the clerics, ministers, preachers, priests who consistently teach for their own profit, who tailor their sermons to fleece their flock, they cherry pick Chapter verse phrase and word in order to invoke an emotional out pouring of..........cash. There are those, however, who mislead by forcing and brow beating people. Yahweh did not win me over with a brow beating, he is sympathetic, empathic, sensitive loving and caring(did I forget omnipotent). If we are learned we have to teach by word and example, not by negative re-enforcement. There are people on the fence who could be shown "The Way" if shown by love. Remember every human is free. You can't win 'em all.

6. Christmas and Easter.....There are few places in Scripture where Feasts are addressed. Leviticus 23 is the best resourse. Here it is( with the Fathers name in Hebrew) You can scroll down, I put it in red as a reference...........

Leviticus 23

23:1 And  spake unto Moses, saying,
23:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of , which ye shall proclaim to be set-apart convocations, even these are my feasts.
23:3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, a set-apart convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath of  in all your dwellings.
23:4 These are the feasts of , even set-apart convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
23:5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is 's passover.
23:6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto : seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
23:7 In the first day ye shall have a set-apart convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
23:8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto  seven days: in the seventh day is a set-apart convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
23:9 And  spake unto Moses, saying,
23:10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:
23:11 And he shall wave the sheaf before , to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.
23:12 And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto .
23:13 And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto  for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin.
23:14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your Elohim: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
23:15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete:
23:16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto .
23:17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto .
23:18 And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto , with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto .
23:19 Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings.
23:20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before , with the two lambs: they shall be set-apart to  for the priest.
23:21 And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be a set-apart convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.
23:22 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am  your Elohim.
23:23 And  spake unto Moses, saying,
23:24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a set-apart convocation.
23:25 Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto .
23:26 And  spake unto Moses, saying,
23:27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be a set-apart convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto .
23:28 And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before  your Elohim.
23:29 For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.
23:30 And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.
23:31 Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
23:32 It shall be unto you a Sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath.
23:33 And  spake unto Moses, saying,
23:34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto .
23:35 On the first day shall be a set-apart convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
23:36 Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto : on the eighth day shall be a set-apart convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto : it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.
23:37 These are the feasts of , which ye shall proclaim to be set-apart convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto , a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day:
23:38 Beside the Sabbaths of , and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto .
23:39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto  seven days: on the first day shall be a Sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath.
23:40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before  your Elohim seven days.
23:41 And ye shall keep it a feast unto  seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
23:42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:
23:43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am  your Elohim.

23:44 And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of .

So where was Christmas? Easter? Not there. Do I even dare go there and start a war with "true believers"? If I were a legalist and wanted to start a revolution I could, just by pressing this point. Easter and Christmas are not called out. The two, however , are tied together and not in a "holy" way. I will stop on this subject here.....for now.

7. Christian. When the Dead Sea Scrolls were translated, in the New Covenant it was found that the word Christian was used only twice. Was it used to describe a new religion? No. It was used in the context of "Brethren". So is there really a "Christianity". I am being flip, of course there is....now. My definition would be a bit different. I would say there are different degrees of Judaism, from Orthodox to Messianic to Grafted on Messianic. I will concess to the definition of Christian, or maybe I should just castigate and chastise.......

8. The Cross. Do I even dare...of course truth trumps tradition. In the Greek text the word "stauros" is used as the implement of crucifixion. Stauros means pole. That is actually the correct description of the implement of crucifixion. There are two methods of crucifixion, one with a simple pole in the ground, person nailed with their arms straight up, or the "T"where the persons hands are nailed to the t and the feet to the post. It was never a cross.

9. Alcohol use. Many want to tell you alcohol was not used or approved of by our Father, wrong. One of the first mentions is with Abram when the high priest of Jerusalem, Melchizedek, broke bread and wine with him, the Hebrew word for wine was yayin, fermented wine not grape juice.  Yayin is used in the Hebrew text over 100 times. Noah drank it. Lott drank it. The Father told his people to enjoy yayin at the yearly festivals. Scripture makes it clear that there is a right way and wrong way to use drink. The word for strong drink is used over 20 times the word is "shekar". I know there are people who would like to have everyone practice abstinence, but lets be real, a Jewish wedding with grape juice, Yahshua made wine for the wedding not grape juice, the Greek word used in the New Covenant "oinos" is used for both fermented and unfermented wine. I think I made my point. Do I chastise those who use alcohol? Do I chastise those who chastise those who use alcohol? Neither are my place.

   My whole point with all this writing is to get people to understand that a a relationship with the Father is just like any relationship and requires time and effort on a personal level. When others interfere in negative ways the relationship can be destroyed. If you are learned and see someone struggling, be tender merciful and inviting not legalistic, judgmental and cold. If they are unresponsive back off a bit and watch for the right moment, wait be patient, the Father will let you know.