What I Believe

[Gary]

I believe that the word of God is eternal, and that it was given to us by the Almighty so that we might know Him in truth and enter into an intimate covenant relationship with Him. Furthermore, I believe that the instructions given to us in the Torah not only tell us about the One Who gave them, but that they are also the safeguards given to us by a loving Father—protections that will keep us on the path of life to enjoy the blessings God intends for His children. This means that the laws He has given were good when He gave them, and remain good for all time. This is because I believe God is good, and that all that He does and says is right and holy. Moreover, I believe (on the basis of the Scriptures) that Yeshua, our Master, believed and taught the same thing
(Matt 5:17–20), and that He is grieved when the words of His Father are mocked as the impractical legislation of an angry despot and are no longer applicable for us today.

In fact, viewing the Torah as the barbaric laws of an ancient society is entirely mistaken. The Torah is like the railing on a balcony that keeps people from falling to their death. In fact, God refers to the commandments and statutes He has given to us as “My charge” ( Gen 26:5; Deut
11:1), a translation that masks the obvious meaning of the word, for it is תֶ רֶ מְ שִ ׁמ ,mishmeret, derived from the verb רַ מָ ש ,ׁshamar, “to guard.” The same word is used elsewhere of a “guard post”
( Is 21:8; Hab 2:1), the high point on a city wall or on the perimeter of a village where a guard is posted to watch for enemies and alert the people of danger. When used as description for the Torah, this word would better be translated “safeguards” (as the Stone Chumash translates). Far from being a snare to condemn a wayward people, the Torah is given as a guard, a sentry, to alert us to
danger that would otherwise harm us. Even more, enlightened by the Spirit of God to the hearts of those who have put their trust in God, the instructions of the Almighty protect us from danger, and
particularly from the danger of our own fallen viewpoints.

When we read the Torah as the loving instructions of our Father Who desires to bless us, we understand them from a proper perspective. We seek to know how these divinely inspired words reveal the very heart of our Creator, and how they instruct us in wisdom and righteousness.

Of course, such an enterprise requires diligence and hard work! We cannot be satisfied with a mere surface reading that leaves us with more questions than answers, nor can we attempt to understand God’s word through the politically correct lenses of our day. We must seek to know Him as He has
revealed Himself, not as mankind has refashioned Him to fit his own agenda.

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