“There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.”― Soren Kierkegaard

​​​

The word “sin” is used in both the Old and New Testaments, and applies to not keeping the relevant parts of the Fathers law that exists in both Testaments.

​

John 5:14 Afterward Yahusha found him in the Set-apart Place, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, so that no worse matter befalls you.”

​

John 8:11 And she said, “No one, Master.” And Yahusha said to her, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.”

​

And so did Luke in Acts

​

Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, “Repent, and let each one of you be immersed in the Name of Yahusha Messiah for the forgiveness of sins. And you shall receive the gift of the Set-apart Spirit.

 

Acts 3:19 “Repent therefore and turn back, for the blotting out of your sins, in order that times of refreshing might come from the presence of the Master

​

What then is the sin that was being spoken of? Sin is defined in most dictionaries as an offense against religious or moral law. In the context of the Scriptures, it is then wrongdoing or transgression of the Fathers law and that can be on one of three distinct types 1) sinful attitude; 2) sinful flesh; and 3) sinful acts, the cleansing we receive must take that into account.

 

Each of these types of sin has its own causes in our lives, but the result of each is still sin that we need to cleanse from our lives. The Scriptures tell us in many places how to clean our lives, I am always reminded of Psalm 51, the change has to come from within us.

​

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O Elohim, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

​

Having the right motivation actuated by the right attitude is crucial. That needs to be followed by a renewing of our minds that are so affected by long-held beliefs and our education. We are educated for failure. Cleansing requires a rebirth of our mind. Only then can we effectively begin to clean up our act – our acts of sin, and obeying the Laws of and commandments of the Father and the Messiah:

​

John 14:15 “If you love Me, you shall guard My commands.

 

So what is that commands we should follow? In the New Testament, the Messiah expanded on the Ten Commandments (He obeyed the Commandments, and did not do away with the Commandments). We know this because He gave us a new Commandment. The Messiah also fulfilled certain prophecies, meaning that the sacrificial rules and the rules on how we approach the Father no longer applied for worship or the atonement of sin.

​

Some wrongly conclude that Yahusha instituted a new Covenant by His death, burial, and resurrection. But the correct translation of the original words is “renewed Covenant”. Others wrongly conclude that because the Old Covenant is between Israel and the Father, it now no longer applies, and nor do the laws set out in the Old Testament.

​

Nothing could be further from the truth – this mis-information is intended to misguide you from the truth. The old Covenant was not cancelled with the Messiahs crucifixion, it was modified – have a look back on the original Greek wording and check the wording yourself.

​

The prophecy of the Messiahs first coming, and the Fathers salvation plan have only been partly fulfilled, so the salvation plan set out in the Old Testament is yet to be completed – that is, the salvation plan has not completed and certain laws and prophecies still apply. The Old Covenant was modified with the death of the Messiah, as the sacrificial system for the atonement of sin is now no longer necessary. We can be forgiven our sins if we honestly and openly approach the Father through the Messiah and ask for forgiveness, and amend our ways.

 

We then commit a sin if we do not follow the laws of the Father set out in the Old Testament. The rules and laws set by the Father are in the Pentateuch, the Books of Law which are the first 5 Books of the Old Testament. Within those Books, we are told what expectations are for us to lead a life without sin, and this also includes the Ten Commandments.

​

We cannot pick what parts of the Scriptures we follow, we are either in completely, or we are not in the agreement with the Scriptures. The Old Testament sets out what we must follow – we cannot pick and choose what suits our lifestyle, and denominations should not pick or choose what they will teach to their members.

Paul reinforced this in Romans when he told the Romans directly that the Torah still applied

 

Romans 3:31 Do we then nullify the Torah through the belief? Let it not be! On the contrary, we establish the Torah

 

Romans 6:14 For sin shall not rule over you, for you are not under the law but under favour.  15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under Torah but under favour? Let it not be!

 

Paul is very clear – the Torah still applies. We are still under the remaining parts of the law, what is defined as a rule or law there, and that is still applicable after the Messiahs death, still  applies now.

We are not excused from obeying the Old Testament parts that still apply. If this were the case, Paul would not have spoken so favourably about the Law. So what are the laws? Have a look at Exodus 20 starting at verse 3:

​

1 “You have no other mighty ones against My face.

2 “You do not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of that which is in the heavens above, or which is in the earth beneath, or which is in the waters under the earth,  you do not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, Yahuah your Elohim am a jealous Ěl, visiting the crookedness of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing loving-commitment to thousands, to those who love Me and guard My commands.

3 “You do not bring the Name of Yahuah your Elohim to naught, for Yahuah does not leave the one unpunished who brings His Name to naught.

4 “Remember the Sabbath day, to set it apart. “Six days you labour, and shall do all your work, 8 but the seventh day is a Sabbath of Yahuah your Elohim. You do not do any work – you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. “For in six days Yahuah made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore Yahuah blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart.

5 “Respect your father and your mother, so that your days are prolonged upon the soil which Yahuah your Elohim is giving you.

6 “You do not murder.

7 “You do not commit adultery.

8 “You do not steal.

9 “You do not bear false witness against your neighbour.

10 “You do not covet your neighbours house, you do not covet your neighbours wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, or whatever belongs to your neighbour.”

 

Which of these do you not keep? Many denominations teach that the Messiahs birth and sacrifice are replaced with pagan false deities, but the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 7th Commandments are also replaced with pagan practices.

You cannot pick and choose what you follow and expect the Father to be happy with you. For the sake of your salvation, you need to challenge the teaching and interpretation where it does not align with the Scriptures. If the church you belong to will not align totally with the Scripture, you need to leave there, join the Natsarim Way and follow the true Scriptures.

​

Scripture reveals just how central true repentance of sin is to believers. True repentance is a spiritual about-face and is an essential piece of saving faith. Without the Messiah, we are lost, heading in the direction of the second (and permanent) death. At salvation, we repent, and we do an about-face. Our minds and spirit are reborn, leaving behind our former life we place our trust in the Messiah. Repentance and faith are intrinsically intertwined, one does not exist without the other.

 

 

 

 

 

​​