“And then I shall declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from Me, you who work lawlessness!’” – Matthew 7:23
These are words that no one wants to hear from our Messiah. But what exactly do these words mean? I heard them quoted often in the mainstream church, but do we really understand what our Messiah is speaking in this passage?
To understand this text, we need to understand the word “lawlessness.” The Greek word used in the Matthew 7:23 text is “anomia” (Strongs H458). It is defined as iniquity, disobedience, or sin. According to Strongs usage of anomia, it refers to a state of being without law, or more specifically, living in violation of Yahuah’s law. It denotes a willful disregard for Yahuah’s commandments.
But I thought the law was “done away with?”
Well, that is the message often taught to believers. But is this factual? Can we experience sin if the law has been abolished? The scriptures teach otherwise.
“Everyone doing sin also does lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” – 1 John 3:4
Here, John gives us the definition of sin. It is lawlessness, or “anomia.” We get the Greek-derived word, “antinomianism” from here. This is the belief that we are not required to be obedient to Yahuah’s law. Many in the church practice and teach this. I was once one of them. But as I have mentioned previously, the word “law” is often viewed in a negative context among believers. This is unfortunate, as the word Torah is more appropriately understood as “instructions” rather than “law.” When we sin, we are disregarding Yahuah’s instructions.
Even the Messiah emphasized that He did not come to abolish the law. And that not one yod or tittle shall pass from the law.
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Torah or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” – Matthew 5:17
The word “fulfill” that is used in Matthew 5:17 is juxtaposed with the word “destroy” that we find earlier in that verse. The word “fulfill” in the Greek is “pléroó” (H4137), and it conveys the idea of filling something to its full capacity. According to Strongs lexicon, it can refer to bringing commandments to their full expression.
Here, Yahusha is bringing the Torah to its full expression. The Pharisees and religious leaders of His day were not following the commandments but had added their own teachings. But He is showing us how to properly walk in the Torah of His Father, Yahuah. He goes on to speak of some of the commandments, providing their proper teaching in the proceeding passages. What does Yahusha then say about the Torah after this verse?
“Whoever, then, breaks one of the least of these commands, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the reign of the heavens; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the reign of the heavens.” – Matthew 5:19
He is expressly teaching us not to break Yahuah’s Torah (instructions). Will we? Yes. No one is perfect except for the Messiah. And according to Paul in Romans, chapter 3, we all fall short. But the writer of the Book of Hebrews also says that we should never purposely violate the instructions of the Most High.
“For if we sin purposely after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a slaughter offering for sins,” – Hebrews 10:26
We should not purposely violate Yahuah’s Torah just because the blood of the Messiah has redeemed us. The blood does not set us free from the Most High’s instructions. But rather from the sin penalty of breaking His instructions. And although the church often teaches that the “law” (Torah) is a burden, slavery, or a curse, the writers of Scripture teach otherwise.
“What, then, shall we say? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? Let it not be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” – Romans 6:1-2
You see, we have the unmerited favor of grace in our lives. But Paul tells us that it is not an excuse to continue to violate Yahuah’s Torah. And according to Paul, the Torah is not a burden, but rather a blessing, for which he delights in.
“So that the Torah truly is set-apart, and the command set-apart, and righteous, and good.” – Romans 7:12
“For we know that the Torah is Spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold under sin.” – Romans 7:14
“For I delight in the Torah of Elohim according to the inward man,” – Romans 7:22
Lawlessness is the willful and continual breaking of Yahuah’s Torah. And did you realize that the coming antichrist is called the “man of lawlessness” in 2 Thessalonians 2:3? When the man of lawlessness appears on the scene, he will be welcomed by many. This is because lawlessness (acceptance of breaking Yahuah’s Torah) is increasing.
“And because of the increase in lawlessness, the love of many shall become cold.” – Matthew 24:12
Unfortunately, we are living in those times. We have been taught to disregard the Torah of Yahuah because we now have the “blood of Jesus.” But this is a trampling on the blood of the Messiah. He freed us from the death penalty of sin, not from our Father’s instructions. But to know what sin is, we must understand the Torah instructions. We must recognize the Torah for what it is…instructions from our Father. And although it is necessary for us to have the blood of Yahusha for our salvation, we benefit greatly from knowing and following the instructions of the Most High! In the last days, it is these people who are called His remnant, the set-apart ones…
“And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to fight with the remnant of her seed, those GUARDING THE COMMANDS OF ELOHIM, and possessing the witness of Yahusha Messiah.” – Revelation 12:17
“Here is the endurance of the set-apart ones, here are those GUARDING THE COMMANDS OF ELOHIM and the belief of Yahusha.” – Revelation 14:12
FAITH IN MOTION 