Thoughts on the Independent Fundamental Baptist Movement

Jack Hyles, pastor of First Baptist Church, Hammond, Indiana and founder of Hyles-Anderson College

Independent Fundamental Baptists are not the problem when it comes to abuse and coverups.

Now that I’ve made that statement, I’m going to make some more that may not be quite as welcome. Before I start, I do want to make this known: I have not seen “Let Us Prey: A Ministry of Scandals,” although I intend to, eventually. However, many people that I know have seen it and have told me what it contains. I am not going to comment further about the documentary because to do so would be dishonest, considering I would be commenting on hearsay.

My background

I joined an Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) church by baptism when I was 12 years old. I remained in that circle until I left to pastor a Southern Baptist (SBC) church at age 36 (in March 2023). For 24 years I was a member and served in IFB churches, surrendered to preach in an IFB church, briefly attended an IFB college, was married in an IFB church, and was completely immersed in that culture. If you name a prominent IFB preacher or evangelist, I’ve either heard him preach, read his works, or heard him referenced in sermons for most of my life.

I have known many godly people within the IFB circle. In fact, most of the Christian influences I’ve had in my life come from that sphere, and I can honestly say they were for the most part very godly men, at least as far as I can tell. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached faithfully and boldly from pulpits, on street corners, and on foreign mission fields daily by IFB lay preachers and ordained ministers alike. In my experience, the majority of people are salt-of-the-earth believers in Christ, doing their best to follow His example on earth.

However (you had to know I was getting to this), some of the most damaging practices I’ve seen in 24 years of being an IFB Christian have come from those who are entrenched the deepest in the “Fundamental” aspect of IFB. Now, I know at its root, fundamental means they stick by the stuff, holding fast to the fundamentals of the faith. Unfortunately, though, the denomination as a whole (although they would eschew the affiliation with the word “denomination”) has drifted into isolationism and a form of legalism that is very dangerous and ungodly. I know I am speaking in general terms most of the time when I refer to the IFB, so please understand that. But it is hard to find anyone in that movement (pastors, at least, if not lay people) that won’t say in word and/or in practice one or all of the following:

If a woman wears pants, she’s a hussy in need of repentance
The KJV 1611 is the only inspired word of God in English; all others are per-versions
Calvinism is a heresy that is worse than atheism
If you don’t go to church 3 times a week (and more if the man of God (MOG) deems it necessary), you are a backslider
The MOG is not to be questioned or held accountable
Beards are ungodly and unbecoming for a MOG
If you don’t stand with Israel, Back the Blue, or get goosebumps when the National Anthem is played in church on July 4th, you are a communist and/or a Democrat
If you don’t homeschool your children, or (better yet) put them in the church’s school, you aren’t right with God
Don’t drink Diet Coke from a can because from a distance it could be mistaken for a beer

There’s more, but this is just a small sampling of the things I have personally heard over the years. Granted, most of these are not things my pastors have said, but the preachers who filled their pulpits or taught classes in Bible College certainly did. In Bible College, I was pressured to fully subscribe to the high-pressure salesmanship, I mean evangelism, of the ministry; this was a task I failed to accomplish. Later, when in a different church, my wife (who was then my fiancée) was taken to task by some of the leaders because she picked me up from work when my car was broken down. The crime? She did not bring a chaperone (mind you, this was about 1 month before our wedding). Another time, she was chided by the pastor’s wife because the collar of her shirt was 3 fingers’ width from the collarbone, rather than the prescribed 2 fingers’ width. There are many other examples I could share from personal experience, and hundreds more that I have seen or heard from other people.

The problem

This is a major problem that I think actually stems not from the Fundamentalism, but from the Independent part. They hold to “no creed but Christ,” which basically means, each church is only beholden to their pastor’s personal interpretation of the Bible. And, let’s be honest, if he was trained by an IFB pastor or school, chances are his interpretation of the Bible is Jack Hyles‘ interpretation of the Bible. But it’s worse than that, because much of the abuse, tyranny, and legalism is not even remotely an interpretation of the Bible. Sometimes it is framed as such, with taking verses grossly out of context, but often times it is packaged in the generic wrapping of “godliness.” It is extra-biblical, but arbitrary by nature because of being independant. Again, this is a general observation because there are always exceptions. But in an urgency to separate from the centuries-old creeds and confessions of Calvinistic Baptists that gave birth to Charles Spurgeon, Adoniram Judson, William Carey, and the Baptist forefathers of America, they embrace the creeds of Arminians and Dispensationalists like John R. Rice, Jack Hyles, and C.I. Schofield. The “old paths” are actually nothing more than divergent paths that are sometimes less than 100 years old. And their creed is that they have no creed, which is kind of amusing to the outsider.

Old is not always better, and I freely acknowledge that. There are heresies that Paul, James, and Peter had to combat in their day, and some of them persist until the present. However, in an effort to break away from the impure practices in the SBC or other Baptist affiliations, they have created a monster that is swollen with pride and new ideas. I have lost track of how many sermons I have heard that barely went to Scripture but were a diatribe against all other unworthy Baptist affiliations or Bible versions or doctrines. To quote one I heard earlier this year, “I thank God I am not a Calvinist!” as if it were an incurable disease. Never – and I mean not once – have I heard an IFB preacher attempt to explain where the Calvinists went wrong with their interpretation of the words “elect,” “predestination,” or passages like Romans 9, for example. No sir, but they have spent countless precious hours railing against it!

The IFB is a doctrine of legalistic “holier than thou,” at its core. It reminds me of the Pharisee in Luke 18:10-14. It saddens me.

Unfortunately, it is this dedication to outward Godly appearances that has fostered a culture of coverups of abuse and ungodly practices. Sadly, I’ve seen it happen. Thankfully I was not involved and did not know about it until years later, but people I and my wife served alongside were involved in scandals and abuse, some as victims and others as the perpetrators. This mindset of not holding “godly” men accountable to maintain appearances is quite prevalent, but I digress.

I thank God for the many faithful and Godly men and women in the IFB who serve the Almighty. Many of them put me to shame in their dedication and perseverance. However, I would be remiss if I did not make this post, considering I was in that world for so long.

I don’t write this because I am an all-wise “man of God”, or a pastor, or any of that, but because I saw things while I was in that world that I could not speak about then, and that is partly because I couldn’t see clearly or how deep the problem was until I was out.

I don’t write this to anger anyone or to upset anyone, although I know some will experience both emotions.

I write this because people who are in the IFB may be tempted to circle the wagons after the aforementioned documentary hits the screens. Pastors are already speaking out against it and defending the IFB movement. Rather than circling the wagons (which has been going on far too long), you need to be looking within the circle to see if the enemy is inside the circle with you. The enemy is not the SBC or Reformed Baptist church down the road who uses the ESV or doesn’t sing only Fanny Crosby songs in church. Your enemy is my enemy, and that is the wolves in sheep’s clothing. Not all wolves look like Kenneth Copeland. Some look like Jack Schaap.

Independent Fundamental Baptists are not the problem when it comes to abuse and coverups. The Roman Catholic Church has done the same abuses and coverups for much longer. The Methodists’ and Episcopalians’ embrace of sexual immorality is proof of their apostasy. The SBC is full of red flags. There are problems everywhere. Independent Fundamental Baptists need to acknowledge when there is a problem and stop covering it up to save their ministry and reputation. That reputation has already been stained. Now I exhort you to go make restitution and repent and bring honor to the Lord God Almighty’s reputation.

Coming Out

Apparently October 11 is the annual “Coming Out Day” as recognized by gay, lesbian, and all other divergent sexually immoral individuals who wish to make their friends and family aware of their sexual practices.

Being distant from that side of things, I was unaware of this being an actual awareness day, but I suppose that is something that will be remedied. The small but growing population of people who make this their agenda will certainly see to it that we all recognize “COD” as a national holiday.

As I took care of some chores this morning, Adonai gave me a verse to ponder. The more I considered it, the more I realized the term “coming out” is another factor of Christianity that is being hijacked by the Sodomites and their allies. Just like the rainbow, and human sexuality in marriage, they have taken something beautiful that was created by Yahweh and co-opted it into something that turns His stomach. Satan is the master counterfeiter, and he is certainly skilled in what he does, but just like with currency, someone who knows and studies the Master craftsman can easily spot the counterfeit, and has a duty to call it out.

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
2 Corinthians 6:17

Yahweh is calling us to come out. Come out from being unequally yoked together with unbelievers. Come out from the darkness. Come out from idolatry. Come out from fellowshipping with infidels and wicked people. This is the doctrine of separation. Believers in Messiah are to come out of the world and resist it. Resist its hold on us, its influence over us, and its appeal to us. We are not to fit in. We are not to be accepted.This is not to say we should be unpleasant, nor should we head for the hills and become hermits or live in communes. No, we are to be a light on a hill, shining for all to see (Matthew 5:14-16), but when lovers of darkness see a light, they will seek to extinguish it. If we allow our light to be taken by the darkness, it will be put out. We will cease to be a witness, and thus will no longer be effective for our Messiah.

Christians of every stripe, heed these words! You MUST be a light in this dark world! Messiah promised His mission and message would be a target of hatred by the dark forces of this world, and YOU are not immune to their attacks, but that is the whole point. We are not called to be friends to wickedness! No, we were called first to repentance, then to a relationship with our Saviour, then to evangelism and discipleship, and with all of this is the duty to separate ourselves from the ways and desires of the world. Of wickedness.

So come out and show the world what true coming out looks like. Not for our own glory, but for the glory of Yeshua HaMoshiach, Jesus the Messiah!

Is Tithing Still A Commandment?

“If you don’t pay tithe, the Bible says you are robbing God and are under a curse. This curse cannot be removed by your good works or the fact you are born again. You can only reverse this curse if you start paying tithe. Tithe is the only key to prosperity and God’s blessing…Those who don’t pay tithe are robbing God because all income is from God.”
Prophet Owusu Ansa. (Ansa 2013)

The above statement is all too familiar to me, not because I heard Prophet Ansa speak it, but because I have sat through countless sermons in a half-dozen Baptist churches throughout my lifetime where this very verbiage and warning was expounded upon. I know I am not unique in hearing this, because probably the number one complaint I have heard from those who have left “the church” from a variety of denominations is that all the preacher did was ask for money, money, money. While I cannot honestly agree that money is all the preachers talk about, it is a perennial topic that gets multiple sermons devoted to it. IndependentBaptist.com echos this same charge:

“Tithing is not charitable giving. It is more understood to be a form of debt to God for giving you wealth. You can call tithe the interest or usury. You give to charities. You don’t give to the IRS or your school loan agency or your bill collectors, you owe the IRS, your school loans, and your bills. Nowhere in the Bible does the tithe ever been [sic] equated with charitable giving.”
IndependentBaptist.com, n.d.

Rather than continuing to quote men on this subject, let’s return to the source, the Word of Elohim. There are multiple references to the tithe in Scripture (thirty-two to be exact, in the KJV), and my goal is to unpack these verses in this study and see for the reader’s benefit what the Scripture says. The first verse we will look at is the most common one I’ve heard cited, and the very passage Prophet Ansa quoted in his article on tithing.

Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. – Malachi 3:7-10

Context is Everything

Honest and wise hermeneutics require the reader to study each verse and passage within the context of which it was written. Therefore, it is important to understand both who the aforementioned passage was written to and why it was written. From here, I would like to point the reader to Chapter 1, Verse 6. Here the Word of Yahweh Tsebaoth, through Malachi, addresses “O priests, that despise my name.” He then says, “And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name? Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the Lord is contemptible.” (v. 6b-7) Chapter 2 begins with the address, “And now, O ye priests,” signifying He is speaking again to the priests. Yahweh never breaks from this focus throughout the rest of Malachi’s letter. When we get to Chapter 3, Verse 8, we see again the question, “Wherein have we?” followed by Yahweh’s answer. In all of these verses, Malachi records the priests’ questions and Yahweh’s answers to them. The indictment of the priests by Yahweh reminds me of the same corruptions committed by the sons of Aaron, and later, the sons of Eli. The priests have violated and desecrated the temple as well as their ministerial positions. Nehemiah, a contemporary of Malachi, wrote about this in Chapter 13:4-5 of his letter. “And before this, Eliashib the priest, having the oversight of the chamber of the house of our God, was allied unto Tobiah: And he had prepared for him a great chamber, where aforetime they laid the meat offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the corn, the new wine, and the oil, which was commanded to be given to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters; and the offerings of the priests.” In this context, we understand the priests were robbing the storehouse of the tithes and giving them to the enemies of Judah, rather than using them in their proper manner: to maintain the house of Yahweh and to pay the wages of the laborers, musicians, and non-levitical priests.

The fact that there was even a tithe at all does prove that the people were paying a tithe, otherwise the priests could not rob it. This tithe was commanded in the Mosaic Law (Lev. 27:30; Deut. 14:22) for the nation of Israel and they were to bring a tenth of all of their firstfruits of flock and field. This tithe was brought to the priests, who then filled the storehouses with it and were charged with disbursing it on an as-needed basis (Neh. 10:38). Nehemiah, in the thirteenth chapter of his letter, bears witness that the returned Israelites indeed were paying their tithes, although they were being embezzled and stolen by the priests. Since Nehemiah and Malachi were writing in the same period, to the same people, about the same topic – tithes – we can know that Malachi’s phrase for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation must mean something different than the common interpretation, that is, that the whole nation was robbing Yahweh of His tithes. Indeed, this is an example of the grammar in the king’s English in the KJV making things slightly confusing. Either the verbiage is saying the entire nation is collectively robbing Yahweh by not paying His due, or it means something akin to this: “you are cursed, even this whole nation is cursed, because you have robbed me.” This is not implausible because often a large group of people, even an entire nation, is cursed and suffers for the sin of others (re: Achan at Ai, David in numbering the people, etc.). Since I believe the former explanation seems to contradict Nehemiah’s account, I hold to the latter belief. However, I do accept the possibility that both could be true; the faithful were paying their tithes, but the priests were stealing it, all while the rest of the nation refused to pay theirs. This is entirely possible, and warrants further study on the topic, but I will not explore that further for this study.

References to Tithing in Scripture

Briefly, I would like to outline some of the occurrences of the word “tithe” contained in Scripture.

Genesis 14:20 “And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.”
- Melchizedek, the priest of El Elyon (the most-high God) blessed Abram, who in turn gave him tithes. This was a freely-given gift, and not a commandment
Leviticus 27:30 “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord.” (also see verses 31-32)
- What land is Yahweh speaking of? The Promised Land, of course. The land of the Mosaic Covenant
Numbers 18:24 “But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the Lord, I have given to the Levites to inherit” (see also verses 26, 28)
- Who was to give the tithes, and to whom? The Israelites to the Levites.
Deuteronomy 12:17-18a “Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave offering of thine hand: But thou must eat them before the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose”
- The Israelites were permitted to eat their tithes of their crops, not in their own homes, but in the place Yahweh chooses. This was the yearly tithe, and it was to be used in conjunction with worship, such as on feast days. (see also 14:23)
- Chapter 14:24-26 says if the distance to the set-apart place was too far, they were permitted to sell their tithe for money and use to buy “whatsoever thy soul lusteth after,” including wine, strong drink, or meat, and to enjoy it with Yahweh’s blessing.
Deuteronomy 14:28 “At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates:”
- Every third year, they were to lay up the tithe from that year and it would be collected by the priests from each city and each home. (see also 26:12)
Matthew 23:23 “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”
- Jesus is warning the religious elite who boast in their tithing, but do not practice the more important functions of the law (see also Luke 11:42)
Luke 18:11-12 “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.”
- Again, this Pharisee is boasting in his faithfulness to tithe, wrongly assuming it makes him acceptable
Hebrews 7:5-9
- Not quoted here for space consideration, but this passage is comparing the priesthood of Jesus with that of Melchizedek, and addressing how even the Levites, who received tithes, tithed to a higher being through their head, Abram.

What is the tithe?

מַעֲשֵׂר maʻăsêr; a tenth; Strong’s H4643

Something that is interesting to note is that the tithes in the Old Testament are always edible, and never monetary. This is not due to the lack of a currency, or because the Israelites were an agrarian people, but because the tithe was to take care of the priests, Levites, and the poor, widows, and fatherless. Food, wine, and oil was over and above more important to someone struggling to survive, or with no inheritance, than gold or silver. The Levites would have the ability to sell some of the excess for coins, but this was not commonplace. The tithe was not a salary for the priests, nor was it for the improvement of the tabernacle/temple. It was strictly for the physical well-being of the intended recipients. When there was a “building project” or a need to be met for the edification of Yahweh’s people, they would give offerings voluntarily (Exodus 25:2-4; 2 Chronicles 24:8-11; Acts 4:32-37).

Is the Tithe Still Applicable?

The presentation made by Paul clearly establishes the point that the Old Covenant Law, the Mosaic Law, had authority over the believers. But now through the death of Christ this Mosaic Law has been canceled as the principle of authority over the saint.
(Sherlin)

Dispensational theologians worldwide would agree with Dr. Sherlin that the Mosaic Covenant is not binding to anyone who is a believer post-Pentecost. They will maintain there is one exception, and that being the “moral law,” which is an extra-biblical term for the parts of the Law which seem to be unchanging, natural law (such as the 10 Commandments, et al). If that be the case (and I say “if” because I am not sold on either Dispensational or its counterpart Covenant Theology), where does tithing fall? Is it a moral obligation? If so, why does a specific commandment to Israel, to tithe off the firstfruits of the land of Israel, apply to Gentile believers in the twenty-first century, while another specific commandment to Israel, to rest the land of Israel every 7 years, does not apply to the same Gentiles? Did not Yahweh judge and punish Israel for failing to rest the land as well as failing to honor the tithe? Why does one apply to us and not the other? We have to be careful to not arbitrarily dismiss some of the commandments and cherry pick others for our own theology and tradition.

Returning to Malachi 3, let’s look at verse twelve. “And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.” Is this a promise for the United States? Or is it for Brazil, Ireland, or Zimbabwe? The text is quite clear that this is a promise for the nation of Judah, and specifically the remnant that returned from Babylonian exile with Ezra and Nehemiah. If one can understand that this part of the promise is for Judah only, how can we conclude that the curse as well as the preceding blessings are for us all? It does not make any sense to single out some for application and others for non application.

So if the tithe was commanded for Israel, to tithe of the fruits of their land, to be given to the Levites in order to feed the priests, widows, fatherless, and poor, is it still a commandment for believers from the first century onward? Strictly speaking of commandments, I conclude that it is not. However, this does not mean that Yahweh cannot or does not give us some of the blessings associated with voluntary offerings, such as described in Malachi. He blesses whomever He chooses to, so He is not bound to only bless those He promised blessings to. If He wishes to “open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it,” then He is sovereign to do so. But He is in no way obligated to extend to us the blessings He promised an elect few, in a land far away, in a time far gone.

Many have said they have found Yahweh’s blessings in their faithfulness to tithe, and they can do more with the 90% they retain than they could if they kept 100% of their income. I do not deny them that claim, for I understand it quite possibly can be true. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 makes it obvious Yahweh is pleased when we give freely and cheerfully, “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” Notice the theme in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians: bountifully, as he purposeth, cheerful. It is our giving from love that matters, not from obligation or fear of a curse. In fact, in another letter, this one to the believers in Galatia, Paul insists that we are free from the curse of the law. “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law” (Galatians 3:13) Furthermore, nowhere in the entire New Testament does the text indicate that Yahweh curses believers. How can He curse someone who is freed from the curse of the Law and the curse of sin?

“All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,” (Matthew 23:3-5)

The Pharisees (and many modern religious preachers and teachers) place heavy burdens on the people, but Jesus says, “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:30)

In American culture, we desire to have pastors who can be on call 24/7, preach three times a week (or more), provide counseling, weddings, funerals, and other ministerial functions pro bono. This is above the requirement in Scripture to have the ability to teach. If we demand a pastor that is available, we have to be willing to pay him appropriately so he can be set aside for the work of the assembly and also provide for his basic needs as well as that of his family. Our culture today demands so much financially that it usually works best if the church has a set salary and a steady offering that allows for this kind of financial stability, and that is something most pastors also desire. While this is not the model we see in Scripture, I would be presumptuous to say it is unbiblical. To take weekly offerings for the maintenance of the building, the pastor’s salary, benevolence, and other needs of the assembly is perfectly appropriate and necessary. Furthermore, we’ve already seen that Yahweh loves a cheerful giver, and is not afraid to bless one who gives from the heart. But we err in believing, and more seriously in teaching that the tithe is a commandment for the New Testament believer with a curse for one who “robs God” by withholding 10% of their income.

Works Cited

Ansa, Owusu. “You are Cursed if You Don’t Pay Tithe.” GhanaWeb, 5 November 2013, https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/You-are-Cursed-if-You-Don-t-Pay-Tithe-291103. Accessed 3 October 2022.

IndependentBaptist.com. “Why Tithing Is Still For The New Testament Church.” IndependentBaptist.com, https://www.independentbaptist.com/tithing-still-new-testament-church/. Accessed 3 October 2022.

Sherlin, Keith A. “The Law of Moses or the Law of Christ?” Essential Christianity, http://www.essentialchristianity.com/20617. Accessed 4 October 2022.

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Keep My Commandments

To listen to this podcast episode click Keep My Commandments

Lately, I have been asked by numerous people why I choose to “put myself in bondage” by following Torah. By this, these people mean to say that we are freed from the Torah (law) because of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah, Yeshua. Through this series of events, we no longer are bound by the Torah in which we are commanded to abstain from unclean meats, to observe Shabbat, to celebrate the Feasts and to not wear clothing that is mixed linen and wool. However, many of these same people will correctly say that we are bound by other parts of Torah: honoring your parents, worshipping only Elohiym, giving tithes, no lying, stealing, or committing adultery. By their own logic, then, they are still half-bound by Torah. In talking to people who believe this way, a group that I was a part of until the recent past, I have found that the lines are usually drawn on cultural and traditional boundaries. Here in the South, we love catfish and bacon, BBQ and shrimp, squirrel, and crawfish along with college football, country music, and soap operas. According to some, we can enjoy these things because we have freedom in Christ. My question is, however, are we using justification by faith as a justification for our lawlessness? Climb aboard, and let’s ride this train together.

Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me; or else believe me for the very works’ sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father…If ye love me, keep my commandments…he that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father; and I will love him and will manifest myself to him. – John 14:10-12, 15, 21

There are two things that must be established before any further discussion can occur. The first is that Yeshua and the Father (Elohiym) are one and the same. We see this in the passage we just read as well as John 10:30 among many other places (it must be noted here that Yeshua’s statement in John 10:30 where He said, “I and my Father are one,” so enraged the Jews that they tried to kill Him on the spot). Secondly, we need to agree that God never changes. James 1:17 says Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” There are many more places in Scripture that drive home the point that Yeshua is Yahweh, with whom there is no changing. He turns the hearts and minds of men as He will, and His methods will vary by circumstance and individual, but all His deeds and words are the same from everlasting to everlasting. If you disagree with me here, there is no point in going further. You must have this foundation to proceed. Now that we have the previous two foundations laid, we can go into why I made the decision to observe and follow the Torah as a 21^st century Baptist, of pure European lineage, living in the Southern United States. It shouldn’t be that surprising considering this is known as the “Bible belt,” but fellow Bible belters are who are misunderstanding this, so this is dedicated to you.

What are the Law and Commandments?

In our opening passage, Yeshua says 2 profound statements, followed by a promise. 1) He identifies Himself as Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. 2) He says if we love Him, we should keep His commandments. 3) If we love Him, the Father will love us and will manifest Himself to us. Having already established that Yeshua is Yahweh, we now turn our attention to the second statement: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Because the King James Version of the New Testament that I use was translated from the Greek, I looked up the meaning of the word “commandment” in the Greek from whence it was translated. The original word was ἐντολή (entole) which means an authoritative prescription or precept. The connotation is one of a parent who administers their child a medication that was prescribed from the physician. The medicine may be bitter and unpleasant, or perhaps it is smooth and sweet tasting, but the parent’s authority in compelling the child to take the medication is not dissimilar to the meaning of the word “commandment.” The parent commands the child to open and take the medicine for their own benefit, just as Yahweh commands us with authority to follow His precepts. The Hebrew counterpart to this thought is the word מִצְוָה (mitsvah) which means ordinance or precept. So, the idea here is that God’s commandments are precepts, ordinances, and mandated prescriptions. But prescriptions for what?

Sin is the disease. The commandments are the medicine. But the healing comes from the Great Physician, Yehovah-Rapha. Our faith in Him produces the cure as we read in Galatians 2:16

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified

So, the keeping of the Torah will not and cannot justify us in the sight of Yahweh, for they are works. It is faith alone in the Messiah that redeems us from the curse of sin. Look also at Galatians 3:24

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith

Torah brings us to the Messiah and points Him out to us. It did so for Shem, and Abraham, and Moses, and Joshua, and David, and Daniel just as it did for Justin Martyr, and Calvin, and Spurgeon, and Tyndale, and Wycliffe, and all other believers. Torah has a two-fold application: by showing us what the Father expects of us, it reveals our depravity and inability to live up to it, thus our desperate need for redemption. However, once we are redeemed, it is how we are sanctified and obey the will of Yahweh. Therefore, Yeshua said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” His commandments-the precepts, prescription, and principles-are to be followed to prove our love for Him. And because Yeshua is Yahweh, His commandments reach from Genesis to Revelation. And because He does not change, He wants us to obey ALL His commandments, from Genesis to Revelation.

The next word we look at is “law.” Found all throughout Scripture, the word often produces negative connotations to us. We see the law as a hard taskmaster, demanding more from us that we can possibly give, just as the Egyptian pharaoh demanded a bigger quota with fewer materials from the Hebrews before the exodus. However, when looking at the word at its original source, it takes on a much softer meaning. Before we find the definition, let’s read a few verses that contain the word.

And Yehovah said unto Moses, how long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? Exodus 16:28

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Joshua 1:8

Hold up here for just a second. Read that last verse again. Joshua says we are to mediate on the Law, and to do ALL that is written therein and in return our way will be prosperous and have good success. This same verse has been put to music and taught to hundreds, perhaps thousands of youths at Baptist church camps and rallies for who knows how many years (I learned it 20 years ago) by some of the same people who don’t follow the Law and teach that it does not matter to us anymore. That is disturbing to me. Just as disturbing is there is another children’s song that is taught to our little kids by people who deny what the song rightfully says. “Father Abraham had many sons, and many sons had Father Abraham, and I am one of them, and so are you…”. So, the same people who say we are not bound by the Law because we are not Jewish, but have faith in Jesus who redeemed us from the Law also teach our kids that we are children of Abraham. Therefore, whether they realize it or not, this is an admission that we are part of the Abrahamic Covenant, grafted in by adoption. The latter is true, in that we ARE part of Abraham’s seed once we are justified by faith. As a result, we are obligated to keep the commandments and precepts that were given for him and us to keep as a part of the covenant.

A few more verses speaking of the law:

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of Yehovah; and in his law doeth he meditate day and night. Psalm 1:1-2

There it is again: meditate on the law day and night.

O how I love thy law! It is my meditation all the day,” Psalm 119:97

So, what is this law that God chided Moses for disobeying and that Joshua and David fondly speak of meditating on constantly? It is the Hebrew תּוֹרָה (torah) and it means “precept or statute.” Torah, mitsvah, entole: precept, commandment, ordinance, prescription. They are spoken of with affection by those who obey it and with contempt by those who do not. Yeshua said if we love him, we will keep His precepts, which are from everlasting to everlasting. Is that not reason enough?

Besides the opening passage from John, what else did Yeshua Himself have to say about the law? Surely, He has the authority to announce that the Law is abolished. We find our answer in Matthew 5:17-19

Think not that I am come to destroy the law {torah}, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law {torah}, till all be fulfilled. Whosever therefore shall break one of these least commandments {entole}, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

In His first major sermon, the above passage immediately follows the Beatitudes. He delivers all the apparent paradoxical statements; Blessed are the…, and then follows that with saying He did not come to destroy or abolish Torah, but to fulfill it. Does fulfill mean that He kept the law so the rest of us don’t have to? No, not at all! To fulfill the law means that he satisfied the penalty associated with breaking the law. We know this by seeing what the original meaning of the word “fulfill” is, but Yeshua Himself clarified this immediately afterward. He says not one jot or tittle shall pass from the law until ALL be fulfilled at the passing of heaven and earth. Basically, neither the dotting of an “i” nor the crossing of a “t” will go away until the earth does. And last I checked the earth still exists. A quick example of the fulfillment of the Law is this. When you incur a speeding ticket and you pay the judge, did you abolish the law or fulfill the Law? Or better yet, when you do not speed at all, thus not requiring a speeding ticket, are you destroying the Law, or fulfilling it? Yeshua said He came to fulfill the Law; He fulfilled it because we cannot, not fully, not every time, and not sufficiently. Also consider this: one day, we will stand before Yahweh at the bemah seat to give an account. The Scripture says if we transgress one portion of the Law, we are guilty of breaking all of it. So, when the Father has us answer for our ways, I believe He will ask first, is this man guilty of breaking the law? It doesn’t really matter how many laws we’ve broken, or the magnitude of them. One is sufficient to damn us. But Yeshua the Son will step up and declare that He has fulfilled the Law despite our inability. At this point Yahweh will turn to us and ask us what did we do with this newfound redemption? And then we will have to answer for our stewardship of His gifts and precepts.

Yeshua then goes on to verse 19, which is often overlooked by many; He declares that anyone who teaches us that even the LEAST of the commandments is null will be called least in the kingdom. Notice He doesn’t say they won’t be in the kingdom, further proof that this is not a matter of salvation. But He does say they will be least. Their rewards will be few. If obeying out of love isn’t enough, how about coming in last place? Is that enough to motivate you to obey the Torah? What is the least of all the commandments of the Law? Is it keeping Shabbat, consuming unclean meats, or something else? I will leave that up to you to decide. Whatever you determine to be the least of them all, Yeshua said if you teach others that it is of no consequence, then you will be considered the least in the Kingdom. I don’t have any aspirations to be the greatest one in Heaven, but I would not want to disobey any commandments of the Father and do not want to be known as the least. He is the propitiation for my sins; my only hope is to hear “well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee rule over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord” (Matthew 25:23)

As an aside, the closest Yeshua ever came to overriding Torah was to make the law stiffer, and not laxer. Consider Matthew 5:21:22; 27-28

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, thou shalt not kill; and whosever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: but I say unto you, that whosever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgement: and whosever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosever shall say, thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire…ye have heard that It was said by them of old time, thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, that whosever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

So far, we’ve looked at 1) Yeshua is Yahweh, and as thus, He spoke the world into existence, gave torah to Moses (and wrote it on the hearts and probably spoke it to the God-fearing men before him). Therefore, when He said, “keep my commandments,” He was referring to all the law given since the beginning of time. 2) If we love Him, we will obey Him. If we don’t obey Him, we are not showing our love. It is a sad situation when a redeemed spirit cannot love it’s Redeemer enough to obey even in the least of things. 3) This brings us back to John 14:21. Yeshua says if we keep His commandments and love Him, the Father will love us. We know Yahweh already loved us as His creation in need of redeeming, and we see two examples of this in John 3:16 and Romans 5:8. He loved us WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS! But when we are redeemed by His son’s blood, His love for us deepens, and when we keep His commandments out of love for His son, we reach an unprecedented level of affection in the Father’s eyes. His love for us does not diminish when we disobey, but His blessings will, for He heaps His blessings upon us when we show ourselves faithful through our obedience and love for Him.

The entire premise of keeping Torah is loving Yahweh enough to keep His law. We do not fear the law – or the consequences of breaking it – because Yeshua took that upon Himself as the final sacrifice on the cross, but by His own words, He did not do away with the Law. He did not strike the laws from the books, or even the penalty of the law; He instead fulfilled the Law’s demand for justice. He is the propitiation – an atoning victim – for our sins (Romans 3:23, I John 2:2, 4:10).

Objections to Torah

One of the common objections I get from people who challenge my position that Torah still stands today is they point to Deuteronomy 21:18-21 and ask if I still believe this portion of the law applies today:

If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: then shall his father and his mother lay ho on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; and they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, and he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

First, this is not a case of little Johnny having a moment of rebellious defiance over eating broccoli at dinner. Neither is this a teenager struggling with a rebellious streak. Notice he is a “glutton and a drunkard.” Not only does this suggest that he is a grown, but unmarried son, but it also shows that there is a clear pattern of this behavior that the son is not correcting, even to the exasperation of his parents. He, as an adult heir to the family name, is dragging it through the mud and dishonoring his parents (violation of the 4^th commandment). Yahweh, through Moses, established the penalty of dishonoring one’s parents to be death, because as we know from 1 Samuel 15:23, rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and “thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” (Exodus 22:18). HOWEVER, just as Yeshua paid our penalty for the sin of breaking Shabbat (“for the wages of sin is death”), He fulfilled the penalty for rebellion and dishonoring our parents. It is still a sin to break Shabbat just as it is still a sin to dishonor our parents, but He paid the sin debt for both. HalleluYah!

Another misconception is the clean vs. unclean meats question. Many say this law was abolished on the cross, but more vividly when Yahweh told Peter “what God hath cleansed, that call not thou common” (Acts 10:15) and when Paul said “let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink…” (Colossians 2:16) For the sake of time and space, I will address this topic alone in a separate study, but I must simply say those two passages and similar ones are grossly misinterpreted. Peter’s vision and Paul’s instruction simply do NOT nullify Yahweh’s commandments that predate Noah to abstain from unclean meats. Briefly, the vision of the sheet being lowered and full of all kinds of animals was a visual representation of all of humanity: some are the dregs of society, some are disgusting, some are simply barbaric while others are proper, respectable, and morally or physically clean people, but all are worthy of the redemption of Messiah. While Torah and the Abrahamic Covenant was given to the Hebrew people for safeguarding and cherishing, Yahweh was now telling Peter it is acceptable for all people to receive it, and how will they receive it unless he takes it to them? THAT is what the vision represented.

Conclusion

Revelations is the undisputed, well, revelation of the end times for humanity on earth. It was given by Yahweh to the Apostle John in a vision on the island of Patmos. Here, John was serving a life sentence of exile as punishment for preaching the message of Yeshua. As the last surviving member of the Twelve and even outliving Paul by at least 3 decades, he was the last person on earth to receive a message from Yahweh that would be canonized into Scripture. Revelations chapter twelve gives an account of the dragon (Satan) being at war with the woman (the Abrahamic Covenant) and her seed (Yeshua and those who abide in faith in Him). The entire chapter is worth reading in this context, but verse seventeen is what I will read here:

And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of Yahweh and have the testimony of Yeshua Messiah

Satan is not at war with the physical seed of Abraham. He hates the remnant that keep the commandments of Yahweh and have the testimony of Yeshua Messiah. It isn’t those who claim to follow Christ, who will one day say “Lord, Lord, have we not done many wonderful works in thy name?” that he is after. The remnant is those who keep His commandments and have the testimony (give evidence) of Yeshua Messiah. These are the same people of whom Yeshua said “if you love me, keep my commandments” and who “will be loved by the Father” if we love Him.

As I close, I want to be clear on something. I am NOT saying that those who disagree with me are condemned to Hell. I may be completely wrong in my conclusion of what the Bible says about keeping the commandments of old. However, I would rather err on the side of obedience than disobedience. However, I do believe there are millions of people who love Christ and are justified by faith but are wrong or unaware on the issue of keeping Torah, and I don’t think they will be refused eternal life because they are ignorant on this, but they will be judged according to how they obeyed the Father. You see, the word of God is everlasting to everlasting; before Moses, there was a distinction between clean and unclean animals and practices. Before Mt. Sinai, there was a proper way to sacrifice. Prior to the 10 Commandments, there was the seventh day Shabbat. Before the Apostolic era, there was a commandment to tithe. And so forth. Yahweh does not change.

Yeshua Messiah the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Hebrews 13:8