Over the course of my life, I have heard many Christians say, “We are no better than anyone else. We are all born sinners. We cannot help but sin. We sin every day. We are just forgiven.” People who say this want those who are not saved to like them, to believe that they can be like them, “a Christian.” But the only thing that these alleged Christians are teaching others when they tell them this is that Yeshua (Jesus) went to the cross, died a horrendous death, and it was all for nought, because belief in what He did for people on the cross cannot change anyone. A sinner might as well remain a sinner since Yeshua (Jesus) does not have the power to change anyone; after all, look at them, they are all still “habitual sinners.” Didn’t they say, “we can’t help but sin every day”?
Most of them do not even know what “sin” is. The Bible defines “sin” as “the transgression of the Law” (I John 3:4), so ask them when they tell you they can’t help but sin everyday, “What commandments do you break every day? Do you kill someone everyday, or do you steal everyday, or do you sleep with your neighbor’s spouse everyday? Which of the commandments can’t you help but break everyday?” And when they try to tell you that no one can obey God “perfectly,” tell them God never tells us we need to obey Him “perfectly,” only that we obey Him. So what is their excuse? This idea that God expects us to obey Him “perfectly” is just another man-made doctrine of Christianity. They base this idea on a verse they misrepresent from the book of James Heb. Ya’acov/Jacob),
For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. (James 2:10)
Go back and read this verse in context. These Jewish disciples were showing preference for the rich and giving them the best seats in the house, and ignoring the poor. Sounds like many churches today, doesn’t it? Jacob/James said this to encourage them to further obey the commandments; whereas, Christianity misrepresents this verse and uses it to dissuade people from obedience to the commandments. They will say, “So if we break one, we break them all, and since we can’t perfectly keep the commandments, then why try?” These people are not teaching you the Bible, all they are doing is using portions of the Bible to teach you their denomination of their religion. These people are wolves in sheep’s clothing.
These people have bought into several deceptions and errors that have spread throughout Christianity. Am I saying that Yeshua (Jesus) did not live? No, I am not saying that. Am I saying that He did not die a cruel death for the forgiveness of sins? No, I am not saying that. Am I saying that He did not rise from the dead? No, I am not saying that. So what am I saying? They say that all you have to do to become a Christian is to “believe in Jesus,” but this isn’t true. If it were true, then Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists would be Christians, since they all “believe” something about “Jesus.” And what about the Jehovah Witnesses or Mormons? They claim to “believe in Jesus,” yet they are not accepted by mainstream Christianity. Why not? Their rejection of all these groups, in spite of their beliefs about “Jesus,” demonstrates their deception. In truth, what Christians mean is that you need to become like them.
Another deception they teach is the idea that because Yeshua (Jesus) walked in obedience to the commandments of God, Christians now do not have to do likewise because Yeshua (Jesus) did it for them. This is a deception and a lie. It does not at all represent the person or life of Yeshua (Jesus). The idea that Yeshua (Jesus) identified with us by “becoming sin” for us on the cross, or even worse, “a sinner,” and went to Hell where He was tortured by Satan and the demons for three days and nights is nothing but heresy – a horrendous lie – that has been spread and believed by millions of people around this world. All of this is based on the idea that Yeshua (Jesus) lived as our substitute, and in His death, He identified with us. This is a perversion of what the Bible actually teaches. It does not teach substitutionary living and identification atonement; that, in fact, is the exact opposite of what the Bible actually does teach, which is that He identified with us and was our example in His life in how we are to live, and He died as our substitute (i.e., substitutionary atonement). Yeshua (Jesus) did not have to experience the same things we do in order to heal us or to atone for us. He did not become a sinner for any of us, nor did He become a leper, a drunk, an adulterer, or any other type of sinner. He did not have to do that to forgive us, regardless of what sin we have done. If this was the case that He did, then I guess He cannot heal broken bones, since the Scriptures are quite clear that “none of His bones were broken.”
Much of this deception is based on a mistranslation of 2 Corinthians 5:21,
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (NASB)
First, the words “to be” are not in the Greek. They were added by a translator. This is why in may Bibles, these two words are italicized. Also, the Greek word hamartia [G266] that is translated “sin” is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word chatt’at [H2403], which means both “sin” and “sin offering.” We see this in Leviticus 4:3,
If the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer to the LORD a bull without defect as a SIN OFFERING [H2403] for the SIN [H2403] he has committed.
Here we can see both “sin offering” and “sin” in this verse are translated from the same Hebrew word, chatt’at [H2403]. This means hamartia [G266] should also be seen to mean both “sin” and “sin offering.” Therefore, this verse should read,
He made Him who knew no sin a sin offering on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Some might say, “sin” “sin offering,” so what’s the big deal? The “big deal” is this: a sin offering has to remain pure and spotless before its death, during its death, and even after its death, and if at any point in its sacrifice, it became tainted, or blemished, then at that point, it stopped being a valid sacrifice. If Yeshua (Jesus) literally became “sin” on the cross, as many Christians teach, then no one was “redeemed” or “forgiven,” and we all are lost and still going to Hell. These Christians are basically telling God, “Your perfect Lamb was not holy – but blemished and spotted – an inadequate offering!” That is a huge deal!
Another error they make with this verse is that the verse does not say, “we SHALL become the righteousness of God in Him,” or we WILL become the righteousness of God;” in other words, it is not an automatic as Christians teach. It says “we MIGHT become….” The word “might” indicates a POSSIBILITY, an OPTION, that could happen – but definitely NOT a certainty! Consequently, the “great exchange” doctrine is nothing more than a “great error.”
Salvation is a life-long walk with God. It is NOT a ONE-TIME walk down to the altar in the front of the church, saying the “sinner’s prayer,” and wham-O, you are suddenly saved with an automatic ticket to heaven. That is nothing more than just a deception. Confessing our sins before God, and repenting of them, means more than telling God, “I am sorry for what I did,” repenting means changing your lifestyle. Stop disobeying God and start obeying Him. And do not believe the lie of Christianity that no one can keep the commandments; its humanly impossible. That is not true at all. Ask them to explain “Zacharias and Elizabeth,” the parents of “John the Baptist.” The Bible describes them as the following,
In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were BOTH RIGHTEOUS IN THE SIGHT OF GOD, WALKING BLAMELESSLY IN ALL THE COMMANDMENTS AND REQUIREMENTS OF THE LORD. (Luke 1:5-6)
Obviously, their teaching that no one can keep them except “Jesus” is not biblically sound, huh? Here Luke clearly says that both Zacharias and Elizabeth were “both righteous in the sight of God,” and that they walked “blamelessly in SOME of the commandments and requirement of the LORD”? Did he say this? No, he said “ALL the commandments and requirements of the LORD.” So if no one can keep “the law,” as Christianity teaches, then how do they explain this elderly couple?
Now does obeying the commandments make you and I perfect? No, absolutely not, it just makes you and I obedient. If “the law” taught that the people were “saved” by “the law,” as Christianity teaches, then God would have given them His commandments while they were still slaves in Egypt. He would have then told them, “If you can keep these commandments, then I will redeem you from Egypt.” But did God do and say this? No, He did not. Instead, He redeemed them and delivered them from their slavery in Egypt FIRST, and then He brought them to Mt. Sinai and gave them His commandments. The commandments were given as a way for us to show our gratitude, love, and loyalty to God for redeeming us as His people, NOT to save us at all. For Christian ministers to preach that God’s Word in the “Old Testament” teaches that they were “saved” by their obedience to the commandments is an outright lie – a horrible slander against the character and nature of God. It is definitely NOT taught in the Bible.
Christians have to present God’s commandments as impossible things to keep. Why? Because it is the only way they know to justify the need for a Savior and “Jesus” (Heb. Yehoshua/Yeshua) dying on the cross. They really don’t know how to explain it any other way. Why is this? Because they really don’t know the Bible as well as they say they do. Bible teachers, evangelists, Pastors, Priests, Bishops, Cardinals, or even the Pope know only how to teach their own denomination or branch of Christianity. They never consider that there denomination’s or Christianity’s view of the Bible could be wrong. One obvious thing that they are missing: The Bible was not written by Christians; it was written by Torah-observant Jews.
The Bible is not a “Christian book,” but God used the people of Israel to write and proclaim His teachings. Christians would be quick to point out that “Luke” was not a Jew or an Israelite, except modern researchers now believe that Luke was a convert to Second Temple Judaism. Therefore, in order to properly understand the Bible, we need to understand that it is ONE COMPREHENSIVE REVELATION FROM GOD – NOT a DIVIDED BOOK. Also, like any other book, we need to put it back into its original three intended contexts: The History of Israel, the Hebrew Scriptures, and Second Temple Judaism. However, Christianity knows very little about Judaism, particularly Second Temple Judaism, or what changes happened in Israel after the Babylonian Exile and during the Second Temple period. So how can they conclusively teach us about a text that has been removed from its original contexts, misinterpreted, misunderstood, and errors allowed in their perception and understanding of the Scriptures or what it teaches? There is, in fact, not one interpretation or reason that Christianity teaches about why they should not be keeping God’s commandments, that is even close to being valid or true. Every one of their reasons has more holes in it than a spaghetti strainer, as I’ve shown through these few beliefs within this article. I have looked at each and every one of their arguments against the keeping of “the law,” and they are all flawed. Now am I saying that Paul is flawed? No, I am saying that there understanding of the “New Testament,” including Paul is flawed, and they do not teach everything that Paul taught, but usually only those things of his that they like or that supports their doctrine. For example, I have never heard a minister teach on this verse:
Therefore, having these promises, beloved, LET US CLEANSE OURSELVES FROM ALL DEFILEMENT OF FLESH AND SPIRIT, PERFECTING HOLINESS IN THE FEAR OF GOD. (2 Corinthians 7:1)
When was the last time you heard a minister tell you that you have a role in cleaning yourself up “from all defilement of flesh and spirit,” and you were to be involved in “perfecting holiness in the fear of God”? I most definitely have not heard any TV ministers say this – NOT A SINGLE ONE! What I have actually heard is that “we are saved by grace through faith,” and that all we have to do is accept what Jesus did for us on the cross, and that He will do ALL THE WORK TO CLEAN US UP, and that if we do anything at all, it is “works,” and therefore, it is not “grace” or “faith.” Their teachings may be what they teach and even what their denomination teaches, but I guarantee you, when we view what the whole Bible teaches, it is not Bible.
So do not rely 100% on ministers and others for your teaching of the Scriptures, but be a modern-day Berean, listen to what they have to say but do not whole-heartedly just embrace it as truth. Instead, do what the Bereans did in Acts 17:11, “for they received the word with great eagerness, [repeatedly] examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so.” And what Scriptures were they searching? The “New Testament”? No, because they were not written yet. They were studying “the Law and the prophets” (or what is called the “Old Testament”). Isn’t it interesting that this same set of Scriptures are the ones that many ministers try to persuade people from studying them by saying, “Those Scriptures don’t deal with us,” or “Those are only for the Jews, not for Christians,” or “the Old Testament has been fulfilled and isn’t for us anymore.” Do yourself a favor and don’t listen to these wolves in sheep’s clothing. Study the whole Bible, and see what it has to say for yourselves.
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