The contrast between Y’shu’ah HaMashiach, the true Messiah, and the counterfeit messiah who promotes lawlessness is a foundational issue—one that impacts faith, obedience, and eternal life. Y’shu’ah, the true Messiah, embodied Yahuah’s Torah (instructions) and demonstrated how to live in righteousness. The counterfeit, on the other hand, distorts grace into lawlessness, leading many away from Yahuah’s truth.
The Scriptures, from the Torah through the Prophets and the Apostolic Writings, do not contradict themselves. Y’shu’ah’s life, His warnings, and the teachings of Paul and Jude all call us to discern truth from deception.
Together, let’s walk through this step by step—digging into the Hebraic and Greek meanings, historical context, theological depth, and practical application. As we journey, let this truth be a personal guide, challenging us to examine our faith and walk as Y’shu’ah walked.
1. Y’shu’ah Fulfilled, Not Abolished, the Torah
In Matthew 5:17-19, Y’shu’ah makes His purpose clear:
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Torah or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the Torah till all is fulfilled.”
Key Word Study: “Fulfill” (Greek: plēroō)
The Greek word plēroō (πληρόω) is critical to understanding Y’shu’ah’s statement. It does not mean to abolish or replace but to:
Bring to full expression
Demonstrate completely
Establish or magnify
This aligns perfectly with the Hebraic concept of fulfillment. In first-century Judaism, to “destroy” the Torah meant to misinterpret or misapply it, while to “fulfill” the Torah meant to live it out correctly and teach others to do the same.
Tanakh Connection:
Psalm 119:142: “Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your Torah is truth.”
Isaiah 42:21: “Yahuah is well pleased for His righteousness’ sake; He will magnify the Torah and make it honorable.”
Y’shu’ah fulfilled the Torah by embodying its perfect meaning, showing us its heart: love for Yahuah and love for others.
Matthew 22:37-40: “You shall love Yahuah your Elohim with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Torah and the Prophets.”
Y’shu’ah lived and taught the Torah as it was intended—not as a burden but as a guide to righteous living.
Y’shu’ah’s Warning Against Lawlessness
Y’shu’ah’s words in Matthew 7:21-23 deliver a sobering warning:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Master, Master,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”
Breaking This Down:
“Master, Master”: These individuals recognize Y’shu’ah as their Master and even perform miraculous works. Outward religious activity alone is not enough.
“The Will of My Father”: What is Yahuah’s will? To walk in His ways, as laid out in the Torah:
Psalm 40:8: “I delight to do Your will, O my Elohim, and Your Torah is within my heart.”
“Lawlessness” (anomia): The Greek word anomia means “without Torah”. It refers to rebellion against Yahuah’s instructions.
Tanakh Connection:
Deuteronomy 30:16: “I command you today to love Yahuah your Elohim, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply.”
Reflective Question: Are we living in obedience to Yahuah’s Torah, or are we relying on outward works while walking in lawlessness?
2. Paul’s Teachings: Grace Establishes the Torah
Paul is often misunderstood, but he consistently upheld the Torah as Yahuah’s standard of righteousness.
Faith and Obedience Work Together
Romans 3:31: “Do we then nullify the Torah through faith? Elohim forbid! On the contrary, we establish the Torah.”
Faith in Y’shu’ah does not cancel the Torah; it empowers us to live in obedience through the Spirit:
Romans 8:4: “That the righteous requirement of the Torah might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Grace Is Not a License for Lawlessness
Paul warns against using grace as an excuse to sin (lawlessness):
Romans 6:1-2: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Elohim forbid! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”
What Is Sin?
1 John 3:4: “Sin is lawlessness.”
The Spirit of grace leads us to reject sin and walk in obedience:
Titus 2:11-12: “For the grace of Elohim that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.”
3. Jude’s Warning: Twisting Grace Into Lawlessness
Jude warns believers about false teachers who distort grace:
Jude 1:4: “For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who turn the grace of our Elohim into lewdness and deny the only Master Yahuah and our Master Y’shu’ah HaMashiach.”
These individuals twist grace to justify sin, leading people into rebellion against Yahuah’s Torah. This mirrors Y’shu’ah’s warning in Matthew 7:23.
4. Walking as Y’shu’ah Walked: Practical Application
To follow the true Messiah, we must:
Keep the Sabbath:
Exodus 20:8-11: Yahuah commands the Sabbath as a perpetual covenant.
Luke 4:16: Y’shu’ah observed the Sabbath.
Celebrate Yahuah’s Feasts:
Leviticus 23: These moedim (appointed times) are eternal.
John 7:2-14: Y’shu’ah observed Sukkot.
Reject Lawlessness:
Align your life with Yahuah’s Torah.
Walk in Love and Truth:
1 John 5:3: “For this is the love of Elohim, that we keep His commandments.”
Conclusion: The Call to Choose
The choice is clear:
Will we follow Y’shu’ah HaMashiach, the Torah-walking Messiah, and live in obedience?
Or will we follow the counterfeit, which promotes lawlessness?
Y’shu’ah says:
John 14:15: “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
Let us return to the ancient paths and choose to walk as Y’shu’ah walked, empowered by faith and grace to live according to Yahuah’s eternal Torah.
Reflective Challenge: Are you walking in obedience, or have you been led into lawlessness? Choose today whom you will serve.Discussion Questions
What does Y’shu’ah mean in Matthew 5:17-19 when He says He came to fulfill the Torah? How does this differ from abolishing it?
How does 1 John 2:6 challenge us to “walk as Y’shu’ah walked”? What examples of His life can we imitate today?
According to Romans 3:31, why does faith establish the Torah instead of nullifying it?
How does Jude’s warning about turning grace into lawlessness (Jude 1:4) apply to modern beliefs?
What are practical ways to recognize and reject lawlessness in our lives and embrace Yahuah’s instructions?
"Fill-in-the-Blank" Study Questions
“Do not think that I came to destroy the ______ or the ______. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17)
“He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to ______ just as He ______.” (1 John 2:6)
“Sin is ______, and whoever commits sin also commits ______.” (1 John 3:4)
“Do we then nullify the Torah through faith? Elohim ______! On the contrary, we ______ the Torah.” (Romans 3:31)
“Depart from Me, you who practice ______.” (Matthew 7:23)
Jude warns about turning the grace of Elohim into ______ (Jude 1:4).
“I will put My ______ within you and cause you to walk in My ______.” (Ezekiel 36:27)
Answer Sheets
Discussion Question Answers
Y’shu’ah came to fulfill the Torah by living it out perfectly and demonstrating its true purpose. “Fulfill” (Greek: plēroō) means to bring it to fullness, not abolish it.
Walking as Y’shu’ah walked means observing the Torah, keeping the Sabbath, celebrating Yahuah’s feasts, and living in righteousness. He is our example.
Faith establishes the Torah because it leads believers to obedience. Grace empowers us to live according to Yahuah’s instructions, not reject them.
Jude warns against misusing grace as an excuse for sin and rebellion, which is lawlessness. This warning remains relevant today as many reject Yahuah’s Torah.
Practical ways include observing Yahuah’s appointed times (Sabbath, feasts), rejecting pagan traditions, following dietary laws, and aligning life with Scripture.
Fill-in-the-Blank Answers
Torah, Prophets (Matthew 5:17)
Walk, walked (1 John 2:6)
Lawlessness, lawlessness (1 John 3:4)
Forbid, establish (Romans 3:31)
Lawlessness (Matthew 7:23)
Lewdness (Jude 1:4)
Spirit, statutes (Ezekiel 36:27)
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