I am about ready to embark on a multi-part study here, which I think is pretty foundational, pretty important for us as believers in Messiah to understand. Some of the stuff may have been things you have heard before. I don’t know. It depends on whether or not you are new to observing Yahweh’s Torah (His Law).

But I want to go over this as sort of a foundational study and something to build off the Hebrew Roots video that you find there on EliYah.com. And so, we want to go over this.

I feel it is pretty important for us to grasp as believers, and it is amazing how basic it is, and yet, how it has been hidden, how this truth has just been hidden in plain sight for almost two thousand years in the eyes of some.

And so, we want to talk about this. And the topic in particular is: “Disobeying Torah is the New Testament Definition of Sin, Part 1.”

Now, we all realize we are not supposed to be partakers of sin and people who are a sinful people. But do we realize that the very definition of sin in the New Testament– in Matthew to Revelation, in that particular portion of Scripture– the very definition of sin is disobeying the Law of Yahweh, the Torah?

Now, the word “Torah” is different than the word “Talmud.” The Talmud is the Jewish document developed by Babylonian Jews 200 years/300 years after Messiah was born. So, it is different.

The Torah is simply the Hebrew word for “law.” It is commonly translated “law,” and, actually, the word “Torah” means something more than law. It has to do with construction and teaching.

And we are going to demonstrate, using the books of Matthew to Revelation, that the very definition of sin is disobedience to the Law (Genesis to Deuteronomy, specifically). We could expand it to the entire Bible, from one end to the other, but we are going to talk specifically about Torah itself.

And so, I feel this is a pretty important thing that we grasp. It is probably the most powerful thing to demonstrate, yes, we ought to be observing Yahweh’s Law even though we are believers in Messiah.

This is probably the most powerful witness to demonstrate clearly from Scripture that Yahweh’s Word includes Genesis to Revelation, as far as something that is supposed to be observed today, from Deuteronomy back to Genesis.

Imagine something. Imagine you are talking to someone in a third world country and you are telling them, “We need to follow this Bible,” but then tell them the last one-third, which is the New Testament, does away with the first two-thirds. I mean, right off the bat, we are going to have a hard sell on that, aren’t we?

What good is the first two-thirds then? What do we do? “Oh, it is just to lead you up to the last third. You can ignore the first two-thirds and just do the last third.” Even logically speaking, that does not necessarily make a whole lot of sense.

So, we are going to start with a prediction that Yahushua had about the end times. In Matthew chapter 24 and verse 7, it says:

Matthew 24:7 – For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

8 – All these [are] the beginning of sorrows.

9 – Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.

Matthew 24:10 – And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.

11 – Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

12 – And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

In the Strong’s Lexicon, the Greek #458 is “anomia” {an-om-ee’-ah} from #459, and the definition given here is (the first word): “illegality,” i.e. “violation of law” or (genitive case) “wickedness.” And we see here, in the Strong’s Concordance, after the two dashes, we have the different ways in which this word is translated.

Strong’s: 458 anomia {an-om-ee’-ah} from 459; illegality, i.e. violation of law or (genitive case) wickedness:–iniquity, X transgress (-ion of) the law, unrighteousness.

It is translated, in the King James, “iniquity,” “transgression of the law,” and “unrighteousness.” Interesting.

So, the “illegality”– that is what is happening, causing the love to grow cold.

The Thayer’s Lexicon, if you want a second witness: 458 anomia {an-om-ee’-ah} Meaning: 1) the condition of without law 1a) because ignorant of it 1b) because of violating it 2) contempt and violation of law, iniquity, wickedness.

The reasons why someone would be without law: perhaps ignorant of it; perhaps violation of it; contempt and violation of the law, iniquity, wickedness. “Violation of law.” That is one unifying definition of this word.

Now, if the Law of Yahweh has been abolished, then why is Yahushua predicting that because of violation of law is abounding, the love of many is growing cold? Very important question.

You can grab your Strong’s Concordance, your Lexicons. Look this word up for yourself: “anomia” #458. Look it up.

And we see here that the context is there are false prophets that are rising up, and these false prophets are causing many to become deceived. And as a result, love is lacking and violation of the Law is prevalent. And they are deceiving, not just a few, but many.

Now, in my mind, this verse alone shows what the false prophets will be teaching. They will be teaching us that we need not obey Yahweh’s Law and it is okay to violate Yahweh’s Law. Interesting.

Now, I know what I am about to say may sound bold, and I hope that you do not take this as condemnation, because condemnation is not my intent, but anytime we tell another person that it is okay to violate a commandment found in the Law of Yahweh, we are operating in the spirit of a false prophet.

I will repeat that again. Anytime we tell another person that we do not have to keep a commandment found in the Law of Yahweh, even though we are able to, we are operating in the spirit of a false prophet. That is exactly what false prophets teach.

Now, I understand this may not be anyone’s intent necessarily, and I know that Yahweh consistently shows mercy to us when our hearts are yielded to His will for our lives and yet we are ignorantly, because of a lack of understanding, doing something wrong. We may not realize it. And that is when Yahweh does offer mercy to us in many cases.

Yahushua Himself said– (He is talking to the Pharisees):

John 9:41 – Yahushua said to them, If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, `We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.

In other words, if you are really blind to something, you did not realize that a sin was being committed, then the sin is not accounted to you unless you claim to be the seeing one… “Come to me. I see all.” Then your sin remains.

But we are called to seek the light (right?), the light of truth, and not walk in darkness and blindness. And we want the light of truth to illuminate our path so that we will not walk in blindness and darkness.

Probably all of us have areas in which we are not yet enlightened. And that includes me. But once we are enlightened, once we do have truth shining its light upon our hearts, and we see it and we realize it, then we need to walk in the light that has been revealed to us.

Now, what I am going to share with you today is biblically, inarguably, truth and light. In fact, it is such a fundamental and basic truth, it may shock you at how obvious it should be or should have been.

I know I am being bold in saying this, but the hardest thing for many people to grasp when I begin to share these things is: How on earth did both traditional and modern Christianity lose sight of this fundamental and basic thing? In other words, how could all these people be wrong about something so basic and fundamental?

Because most Christians, if you ask them, “Should we keep the Law? Should we keep (for instance) the Feast Days, or the Sabbath, or the clean and the unclean commandments found in the Law?” most of them will tell you, “No, that was abolished when the Messiah died for our sins.”

Well, that flies in the face of what I just read, that the violation of the Law is something that Yahushua is against. But understand, I am not judging or condemning anybody. My goal is to let Yahweh’s Word speak for itself. Let Yahweh’s Word enlighten us, because He did say, “If you were blind, you would have no sin.”

The question is: If I am able to show you today that the Law of Yahweh is something that we should and could and one day always will observe, what will you do with it, because then you are enlightened? What will you do with it?

Now, the very nature of a false prophet is to utter something that is not true, right? It is not true to say that we are free in Messiah to willfully, intentionally violate the Law of Yahweh. We are called to walk in the light, not in darkness, not in blindness. And that is why Isaiah 8:20 says:

Isaiah 8:20 – To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them.

“If they do not speak according to this word [that is the law and the testimony] it is because there is no light in them.”

And you see, the Law itself illuminates our path. It is a light unto our path, a lamp unto our feet, so that we are no longer walking in darkness. But we have light.

Wouldn’t it be a terrible trick of the enemy to say, “The light is no longer the light. The Law of Yahweh, you are free to disobey now”? Wouldn’t that be a lot like what we saw in the garden of Eden– “Hath Elohim said? You will not surely die”? Yes, it would.

Now, the reason why love is growing cold as a result of violation of law is because of what Yahushua said here in Matthew 22.

Matthew 22:35 – Then one of them, a lawyer, asked [Him a question], testing Him, and saying,

36 – Teacher, which [is] the great commandment in the law?

37 – Yahushua said to him, `You shall love YAHWEH your Elohim with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

Matthew 22:38 – This is [the] first and great commandment.

39 – And [the] second [is] like it: `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

Both of these commands are actually found where? In the Law. That is where they are found. This one here (verse 37) is found in Deuteronomy chapter 6, and this one (verse 39) is found in Leviticus chapter 19.

Matthew 22:40 – On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

In other words, every commandment given in the Law and in the Prophets hangs off another command– either love Yahweh or love your neighbor. On these two commands hang all the Law and the Prophets. Every commandment given in the Law and in the Prophets is about love.

Now, some may feel, “Well, Paul, he defined, in 1 Corinthians 13, what love was,” or maybe some other section of the New Testament which speaks about how to love. But according to Yahushua Himself, the entire Law and Prophets descend from these two great commandments: to love Yahweh and to love one another.

That matches perfectly with what He said earlier. The result of violation of the Law abounding is simply that the love will grow cold. So, anyone who would teach that we do not need to heed Yahweh’s Law (His Torah), they are basically saying that we do not have to love. It is one and the same. One hangs from the other.

You cannot get a set of bolt cutters and cut the rest of the Law and Prophets off the two commandments from which they hang. You just can’t. They hang there. But this is the condition of most of the world. They have set aside Yahweh’s Word and are choosing instead to walk in their own ways.

And for that reason, Yahushua said:

Matthew 7:13 – Enter by the narrow gate; for wide [is] the gate and broad [is] the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.

14 – Because narrow [is] the gate and difficult [is] the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Few who find it. How many are walking in it?

Matthew 7:15 – Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

What are the false prophets teaching? They are causing love to grow cold. They are causing violation of the Law. And that is why “blessed are those who do His commandments,” right? “Blessed are those who walk in the way of life.” And those on the outside are the transgressors.

Yahushua is informing us, though, that the way to life is not the popular way. It is not a road often traveled. Do not be looking for a crowd. He said it is a narrow way and few find it.

Now, if we are on a path that millions and millions– and maybe billions– of other people are on, we cannot be on a path that few find. It is just contradictory.

We cannot be on this path with a big gang of people, a huge crowd of people, and yet expect to be on a path that few find. It just doesn’t work that way. You either have one or the other. You cannot have both.

So, it does not mean that just because you are on a path that few find that you are on the narrow way, but Yahweh’s way is a narrow way. So, relatively speaking, did you know that 1 out of 3 human beings on the planet consider themselves to be Christians? One out of three.

I am not saying all of Christianity and everyone who calls themselves a Christian are going to hell. I am saying do not take confidence in numbers. The way to life is probably narrower than what you realize. And we can find it if we look for it.

Jeremiah said:

Jeremiah 29:13 – And you will seek Me and find [Me], when you search for Me with all your heart.

He wants all of our heart. He wants us to love Him with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our strength. The question is whether we do it. We will find Him, we will find the narrow path, if we seek it with all of our hearts.

Yahushua continues here, as He says…

Matthew 7:15 – Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

16 – You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?

17 – Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

How can we know whether a fruit is good or not? It is one thing to say, “Well, we will know them by their fruits,” but how do we know what a good fruit is or what a bad fruit is? In fact, the wolves look a lot like sheep according to what He said. There are wolves in sheep’s clothing.

We must remember the narrow path calls for discernment. How will we know the difference between the two? Their fruits. Now, both trees are bearing fruit, but one fruit is not good and the other fruit is good.

I believe our generation has lost what the very concept of good is and what the very concept of evil is, because they are not accepting the very standard which determines good and determines evil, which determines love and determines hate.

The Law of Yahweh is the standard, because violation of the Law is the very definition of evil according to Scripture, according to New Testament Scripture. And I am going to lift up that standard today with a number of verses, which I think you will find enlightening and important.

The question is: Who is going to raise the standard today? That is the question.

Matthew 7:18 – A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor [can] a bad tree bear good fruit.

19 – Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

20 – Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

Good and bad. But if you do not know what good and bad are, then you will not even know what fruit you are looking at.

In order to be a proper fruit inspector, we must understand what they are. And so, we must know the difference between righteousness and unrighteousness, between sin and obedience. And Yahushua, in these next verses, will explain to us very clearly what the difference really is going to be.

There are lots of religions, denominations, lots of sects, that are claiming various miracles, signs, wonders, to prove– “We have the power of the Living Mighty One, the Most High. Therefore, come to us. We have the truth.”

But Yahushua says:

Matthew 7:21 – 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.

But, who? “But he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”

Matthew 7:22 – 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?’

Remember, the love of many will grow cold.

They are thinking, “Surely, He was with me. We cast out devils! We did all these awesome works! Surely, He was with me. Surely, I am His child.”

Matthew 7:23 – And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Anomos. Anomia (Grk. #458). There is that Greek word again. The same one.

And so, just because someone considers Yahushua their Master, it does not mean they will enter into life. MANY will be deceived, thinking they know Him and He knows them, but they will not. Even the miracles. The miracles are not the fruit.

The fruit, the evidence of our relationship with Yahweh, is that we are doing His will. That is the evidence. That is the good fruit. The ones who are not doing the will of the Father are the ones down here practicing lawlessness (verse 23). That is what they are doing– Torahlessness, violation of law. That is what they are doing.

There is the definition– (Strong’s and Thayer’s) #458: violation of law. Violation of Yahweh’s Law. The Torah. In fact, you cannot get any plainer than this. You just can’t.

We have a group of people who are proclaiming the Messiah, but are doing so without regarding the need to obey Yahweh’s Law. They thought they were doing the miracles. What did Yahushua say? “Depart from Me, you who practice violation of the Law.”

Now, you might think I am condemning somebody. You might think I am condemning all of mainline Christianity. I am not. I am not condemning. I am simply reading what Yahushua said, and I am repeating it. It is something we must take seriously.

Does that mean almost the entire Christian world is both deceived and condemned? Deceived, yes. I would say deceived. In this particular area, deceived. But condemned?? That is not my place to judge. Perhaps there are things I myself am lacking understanding. I have to be humble or I may find myself falling out of favor with Yahweh.

Yahweh is consistently merciful toward those who are genuinely desiring to do His will, yet are ignorant of something. Do you know what? If He isn’t, we are all condemned, because we all lack perfect knowledge of His will for our life.

So, I place myself in the same category as possibly being deceived unknowingly, not fulfilling my Father’s will. But it is when we reject something that we know is His will. That is where we find ourselves in trouble.

And just to show you I really mean this, let us look a little deeper. I want you to notice that this word, “anomia” (Strong’s #458), it says here that it is from #459. And the same is true down here in the Thayer’s, but I did not have room to put that in there.

But “anomia” is derived from another word– #459. And that word is “anomos.” And “nomos” here is the word translated “law” all throughout the New Testament. The “a” is the negative particle. In other words, “anti” or “against.”

And the meaning here, it says: 1) “destitute of the Mosaic Law.” That is where this word is derived from. 1a) “One who is a Gentile” 2) “departing from the law; a violator of the law (once again).” Very little difference between the two words “anomia” and “anomos.” One is derived from the other.

Thayer’s Lexicon: 459 anomos {an’-om-os} Meaning: 1) destitute of (the Mosaic) law 1a) of the Gentiles 2) departing from the law, a violator of the law, lawless, wicked Origin: from 1 (as a negative particle) and 3551; TDNT – 4:1086,646; adj Usage: AV – without law 4, transgressor 2, wicked 2, lawless 1, unlawful 1; 10.

And “nomos” is the word translated “law” some two hundred times in the New Testament, almost without exception, speaking of Yahweh’s Law (the Mosaic Law). So, it is pretty enlightening here, I think, to dig in and see things that the translators never bothered to illustrate in their translations.

We can find this word (#459) in a number of places. One of them here is in Mark 15:28. It says:

Mark 15:28 – So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, And He was numbered with the transgressors.

And this is a quotation from another verse in the Old Testament– Isaiah 53 and verse 12. It says:

Isaiah 53:12 – Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.

“Transgressors” (Heb. #6586). The reason why I am pulling this out is I want to know, this word right here– “transgressors” (Mark 15:28)– is #459, “anomos,” and I am curious as to what “anomos” takes us back to when we find this Hebrew word (Heb. #6586). A very interesting Hebrew word.

And it takes us back to the Hebrew word “pasha.” And “pasha'” means, basically, “to rebel,” “to transgress,” (of course, transgression of Yahweh’s Law), “to revolt.” And it has a real strong connotation of rebelling against something you know is right, rebelling against the thing that you know is the righteous standard we ought to live by.

BDB Hebrew Lexicon for “transgressors”: 06586 pasha’ {paw-shah’} Meaning: 1) to rebel, transgress, revolt 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to rebel, revolt 1a2) to transgress 1b) (Niphal) to be rebelled against Origin: a primitive root [identical with 06585 through the idea of expansion]; TWOT – 1846; v.

Usage: AV – transgress 17, transgressor 9, rebelled 6, revolt 6, offended 1, transgression 1, trespassed 1; 41.

Now, since Yahushua spoke in Hebrew to His contemporaries, I think He probably would have used this word “pasha.” I am not sure if you believe that, but I have discovered through the Hebraic roots of the text that “pasha” would have been the word.

Now, “pasha,” according to the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT), it says: “Predominantly pesha’ is rebellion against Elohim’s law and covenant and thus the term is a collective which denotes the sum of misdeeds and a fractured relationship.”

A fractured relationship as a result of rebellion, essentially.

So, I can see why the translators, who accurately, I think, translated this word into the Greek “anomos,” meaning “destitute of the Mosaic law,” and “anomia,” meaning “violation of law,” was a pretty good translation from Yahushua’s original Hebrew speak.

But it is also tied in here, we see, with this concept of rebellion. That means a willful disobedience. And so, we see two things here. First of all, we see the Law of Yahweh is the standard by which all of us should live our lives. This is the standard Yahushua Himself will uphold when He returns.

This is what we will be judged by when He says, “You are not doing the will of our Father in heaven. You are practicing violation of the Law.” We see that the Law itself is the standard by which all believers in Yahushua will be judged.

But we also see there is a connotation of not just disobedience to the Law, but also a rebelliousness toward it. In other words, we know we should do it, but we don’t. We just do not want to.

And so, I will take the side of mercy, rather than judgment, when talking to my Christian friends and fellow brothers. I think that, yes, Yahweh can have mercy if we are not really rebellious in our intent to disobey the Law of Yahweh.

But at the same time, the Law of Yahweh is the standard, and once we find that out, let’s not rebel against that at all. Let’s do it! Let’s do what He says.

So, there is more than just accepting Messiah into our heart. There is a willingness to do what He says, obviously. And much of the confusion comes when misunderstanding what He desires of us.

Now, I have met some who are in some denomination, or some part of Christianity, who think that repentance is not something you really have to worry about, that once you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that He died for your sins and you accept Him, really that is all we need.

Obedience? Well, that is not so important. The main thing is that we receive this Messiah into our hearts.

But what I read in the book of Romans, written by Paul, he says:

Romans 2:4 – Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of Elohim leads you to repentance?

Repentance! Repentance is expected. We are expected to repent. His goodness toward us should lead us to repentance. Otherwise, we despise the riches of His goodness.

And it says here, as he goes on:

Romans 2:5 – But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of Elohim,

“Your hardness” and “your impenitent heart” is rebelliousness. So, the issue is whether we are hard-hearted or whether we are repentant. Which one are we?

Romans 2:6 – who will render to each one according to his deeds:

We do not want to be rebellious. We want to be repentant, people that are embracing and valuing the riches of His goodness, forbearance, longsuffering.

Romans 2:7 – eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;

8 – but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness — indignation and wrath,

That is what you have stored up for you– indignation and wrath– if you choose to obey unrighteousness.

Romans 2:9 – tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;

Yes, Gentile, too. Not just Jews have to repent. Everybody. The problem is most people do not understand what we are supposed to be repenting of. The standard of righteousness has been changed and adjusted to fit according to traditional Christianity.

But in the final day when Yahushua returns and He judges men for their wrongs, those who walk in illegality, violation of the Law, are going to be shocked. And maybe you are in a state of shock right now. But listen, He gives us the warnings here about disobeying the Law. Will our generation heed it? That is the question.

In fact, if you look in the King James Version, they actually did translate “anomia” correctly once. They did a good job. And I will show you where. In 1 John chapter 3 and verse 4, it says, in the New King James Version:

1 John 3:4 (NKJV) – Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

And most people look at that, and think, “Oh, okay.” But nobody thinks, “Wait a minute. That is Torahlessness. That is without Torah.” That is saying that the Torah has been abolished, that Yahweh’s Law does not have to be followed anymore.

Whereas, the King James Version more correctly illustrates:

1 John 3:4 (KJV) – Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

That is what it is. The very definition of what sin is, is transgression of the Law. And that is why I named our study today: “Disobeying Torah is the New Testament Definition of Sin.” That is what it is.

It is so fundamental. But sometimes it is easy to miss the forest because the trees are in the way or to look into a certain verse with a traditional Christian mentality, a Greco-Roman mentality, instead of a Hebraic mentality.

So, my question would be: Okay, the KJV translators did translate this “transgression of the law” here as the definition of sin– Why were they not consistent? Because that would mean everywhere you see this word “sin” in the Bible, it would simply mean “violation of the Torah” or “violation of the Law.” That is what it would mean every time.

That would be, every time you see this word “sin,” it has that meaning: violating Torah, disobeying the Torah. That is what it means. So, if anyone goes along, and says– “Hey, we can disobey this law. It has been fulfilled,” or, “It has been abolished,” or, “It has been set aside,” or whatever… it is not possible.

Everywhere you see “sin,” sin is the violation of Yahweh’s Law. You cannot get around it. And so, why were they not consistent in the King James Version? I have lamented over this because imagine what might have happened if people had read this Matthew 7:21-23. It says:

Matthew 7:21 – Not every one that saith unto me, Master, Master, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 7:22 – Many will say to me in that day, Master, Master, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

Matthew 7 23 – And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work transgression of the law.

The same exact Greek word is used here (“anomia”). They would clearly have to connect that with Yahweh’s will being that we obey the Law of Yahweh in the final day and that many will say the opposite. It is pretty sad. But everywhere you see this word “sin,” it is defined as “disobedience to Yahweh’s Torah– His Law.” Pretty amazing.

It is the most fundamental, basic thing. And yet, if we do not think about it and meditate on it with what is actually being said, we will miss it.

So, let’s read the context here. I am going to read from the New King James, because the King James is kind of hard to read for many people. I am going to put the correct translation in here. It says:

1John 3:4 – Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

If you are committing sin, you are doing something else. You are transgressing also the Law. Sin is what? Transgression of the Law.

1John 3:5 – And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.

And you know that He was manifested to take away our [what?] Our transgressions of the Law, and in Him there is no transgressions of the Law.

1John 3:6 – Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

Whoever abides in Him does not [what?] transgress Yahweh’s Law. Whoever [what?] transgresses Yahweh’s Law has neither seen Him nor known Him.

1John 3:7 – Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.

He is warning us about this grand deception the false prophets speak. We read it earlier– the grand deception. He says: “He who practices righteousness is righteous.” You have to practice it. You can’t just say, “Blood! Blood! I plead the blood! Plead the blood!” You have to practice it, too.

If you practice righteousness, you are righteous, just as He is righteous. And so, it is impossible, basically, for us to be saying, “I am abiding in Messiah,” while at the same time violating His Law. At the time you are violating the Law, you are not abiding in Him. He was not a violator of the Law.

And notice here it says, if you act that way, you have not seen Him and you have not known Him. How about that? Doesn’t that sound familiar?

Matthew 7:23 – And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work transgression of the law.

“I never knew you.” Do we see how all of Yahweh’s Word really lines up very well? There is complete continuity, there is complete consistency in this. We do not have to dig very deep to find it. It is as basic and fundamental as believing that Yahushua is the Messiah. It is that basic, that obvious.

Now, you might be looking at me, and saying, “Now you are condemning us. Now you are condemning all of traditional Christianity. This time you are doing it, Tom.” No, I am not. I am reading from Scripture. This is what it says. Am I guilty? I am guilty of reading it for what it says. I am not condemning anyone.

Now, He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Messiah there is no transgression of the Law. So, if we happen to transgress the Law, and, yes, we are all guilty of having failed to temptations, and yet, He forgives us. But we cannot be claiming to abide in Him while we are transgressing His Law. The two are not congruent. They do not mix.

We have to live as He lived and walk as He walked. That is part of what we are called to do because we are born of Elohim, right?

Continue reading here in 1 John 3:

1John 3:8 – He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of Elohim was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

He who transgresses the Law is of the devil. What are the works of the devil? Transgression of the Law.

1John 3:9 – Whoever has been born of Elohim does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of Elohim.

Have we yet been born of Elohim? We make that claim. We believe it by faith. But, you know, the actual rebirth is when the corruptible puts on incorruptible. It is when this corruptible flesh takes on the incorruptible that Messiah grants us when we find Him.

Until then, our hearts are turned toward, not violation of the Law, but obedience to it, because we love Him, because we desire to repent, because we desire to turn away from unrighteousness and toward righteousness.

And so, evidence of His birth in us today is seen in whether or not we are walking as He walked, whether or not we are violating the Law– whether we are sinning.

1John 3:10 – In this the children of Elohim and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of Elohim, nor [is] he who does not love his brother.

It must be our normal practice. And you see that there is an opposite here. There is righteousness and there is transgression of the Law. Two opposites. Righteousness and sin.

Could we not safely conclude that the very definition of walking in righteousness would be keeping the Law of Yahweh? What a sad deception it is to say that the Law of Yahweh is abolished now.

When you take away the standard of right and wrong, good and evil, you water down truth, you confuse people as to what good fruit is and bad fruit is, you gray the line between a true prophet and a false prophet, spiritual discernment goes out the window, false prophets are accepted as true prophets. What a mess!

But if we have good fruit, if we accept what He defines sin is, then all the clarity comes. There is no confusion. Whoever abides in Him is not going to say it is okay to sin. Whoever abides in Him is not going to say, “Let’s transgress the Law. It is all right now.”

And so, 1 John 3 is basically teaching the very thing we read in Matthew 7, that we must abide in the vine. We must know Him. We cannot continue to willfully, rebelliously transgress His Law, and yet, claim to know Him.

Now, there is more Law than just Sabbath and Feasts and the things that I do that may be a little different than somebody else. There are all kinds of ways in which one could transgress the Law– covetousness, adulteries, lying, stealing, murder, dishonoring parents.

There are all kinds of ways people can transgress the Law, not just some of the things that I have come to understand are not abolished. But you need to understand that Yahushua did not come to do away with anything. He came to take away our sin. That is what He came to destroy, the works of the devil.

He came to destroy the works of the devil, which is transgression of the Law. He did not take the Law away so that we would not be guilty anymore. He took our transgressions away. He took our sin away. He bore our sin on His back. That is why we are not guilty. That is why we are set free.

He did not move the Law out of the way so that we would not be guilty. He still is calling us to obedience to that Law. It is just that, yes, we can have our sin cleansed. So, Yahushua did speak truth when He said transgression of the Law would abound. It is. We just have to accept all of Yahweh’s Word.

Yahushua said:

Matthew 4:4 – But He answered and said, It is written, `Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of Elohim.’

Every word that proceeds from the mouth of Yahweh. If He said it, we want to live it. We want to feed on it. We want to do it. Because we love Him.

But the transgressors are the ones in trouble…

Isaiah 66:24 – And they shall go forth and look Upon the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, And their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.

The transgressors are the ones in big trouble. And that word is “pasha,” violation of the Law– rebellious, willful violation of Yahweh’s Law.

Yahushua said that we should be so serious about not transgressing Yahweh’s Law that we would be willing to give up whatever causes us to stumble and thereby break Yahweh’s Law.

Mark 9:43 – If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched —

If your hand causes you to transgress the Law of Yahweh, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to the lake of fire.

Mark 9:44 – where `Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.’

What is He quoting from? He is actually quoting from Isaiah. That is what He is quoting from. We just read it… “For their worm does not die. And their fire is not quenched.” He is quoting it from Isaiah, saying the ones who transgress are the ones who are in trouble.

Mark 9:45 – And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched —

If your foot causes you to transgress the Law of Yahweh, cut it off.

Mark 9:46 – where `Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.’

47 – And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of Elohim with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire —

If your eye causes you to transgress the Law of Yahweh, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of Elohim with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into the hell fire.

Mark 9:48 – where `Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.’

Yahushua is pretty consistent. What happens to the one who is walking in transgression of the Law? These are the least in the Kingdom, the ones that are not going to be favored.

And so, Yahushua’s words are really consistent with what is found in the Old Testament. It all agrees with each other. He quotes one to support what He is saying. He quotes Isaiah.

And so, I have to believe it is true when Scripture says that transgressors will be destroyed, just as Yahushua predicted He would say: “I never knew you. Depart from Me. I do not know you.”

It is abundantly clear, according to Messiah, our willingness to subject ourselves to Yahweh’s Law is a fundamental basic issue.

Romans 8:5 – For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those [who live] according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

6 – For to be carnally minded [is] death, but to be spiritually minded [is] life and peace.

We understand this (carnal mind, spiritual mind), but do we realize why the carnal minded one is headed for death and destruction in the lake of fire?

Romans 8:7 – Because the carnal mind [is] enmity against Elohim; for it is not subject to the law of Elohim, nor indeed can be.

To be “subject to” means “to be subordinate to,” “to obey,” “to do” what the Law of Yahweh says. Completely consistent with what Yahushua taught us. We must be subject to the Law of Elohim. We must be because we are spiritually minded.

The Law is spiritual. The problem is we are carnal. And it is for that reason it was predicted in the book of Ezekiel… He says:

Ezekiel 36:27 – I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do [them].

That is what the Spirit leads us to do. It leads us to be subject to the Law of Elohim. It is all one consistent book, Genesis to Revelation. It is so basic, so fundamental. And yet, people miss it because it is not the paradigm that we see today among Christians. It is not within that paradigm.

And, yes, I understand. We can claim ignorance. We can say, “I didn’t know. I didn’t know any better. I didn’t realize it.” And mercy may be available to us. But, you know? I wonder. I wonder and I am concerned with the Scriptures so available to us in this age. Search it with a few keystrokes.

To what extent can we really claim ignorance? Yahweh help us. I mean, maybe in the dark ages or other eras in Christian history where people did not have access to the Scriptures, they are going to have a much bigger claim to ignorance than we do today in the information age.

Are we so busy checking our Facebook news feed and messages on there that we ignore the real Book we are going to have to face? Do we have our priorities in the right place? I pray Yahweh has mercy on all of us.

It is one thing to claim ignorance. It is another thing to be ignorant because we are not spending time seeking out HIs wisdom. It is a lot like a child.

You know, I am really convinced that most of what we need to understand about our relationship with the Father in heaven is very clear and obvious when we have children of our own. A lot of what we need to understand about our relationship to Yahweh is seen in how we were taught by our parents how we should relate to them.

I mean, for instance, how did our parents react when we supplied the age old excuse “I didn’t know”?

Now, if they were good parents, sometimes they would say, “Well, okay, I will teach you.” And if they were good parents, sometimes they would say, “Well, I think you should have known better, son (or daughter). You should have known enough to at least ask and find out.”

It is really a lot like that with our heavenly Father, what He tells us. There are times that we should know better, and there are times we are really completely unaware of His will for us.

And He knows the thoughts and intents of the heart. And those are the things that He is going to be looking at on that final day. You will not be able to hide. You will not.

So, I want to summarize here what we have looked at so far, just so we are clear. We see (to review):

• Anomos/Anomia defines sin as “illegality, violation of the law, violation of the (Mosaic) law.” That is how it defines it.

• The Hebrew word “pasha” adds the element of rebellion, like a rebellious “I am not willing to do what Your Law says. I just do not want to.” So, this gives us, hopefully, a little bit of mercy here. If we are not being rebellious about it and we just do not realize it, I hope that Yahweh will be merciful to us.

• Love growing cold = violation of the Law because the Law hangs from the 2 Great Commands to love Yahweh and love our neighbor. If we are walking in His Law, then we are walking in love. If we are not walking in His Law, then somewhere, somehow, we are failing to love.

• False Prophets will “deceive many” into thinking it is okay to violate the Law. This is their fruit. That is what a false prophet will teach.

• If we are teaching it is okay to violate Yahweh’s Law, whether it is a Sabbath Day or a Feast Day, or anything else that might be in the Law of Yahweh, then we are walking in a spirit of false prophets. We don’t want that.

• Yahushua is not in a relationship with those who practice a willful violation of the Law. He just does not know you if we are willfully violating what we know He wants us to do.

• It is those who are bearing bad fruit that are going to be in big trouble. And the bad fruit is violation of the Law– “anomos,” “anomia,” “pasha.” Those are the words we are looking at here in the original languages and, sadly, our translations have somewhat hidden from us.

And so, I want to look at some other instances here where we find this word “anomia.” One is in Matthew chapter 23, and it is verse 27. Yahushua says:

Matthew 23:27 – Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead [men’s] bones and all uncleanness.

28 – Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

This word “lawlessness”– violation of the Law. That is the Greek word “anomia.”

You know, so many people today act as if the Scribes and Pharisees are these perfect little Law keepers, who had all their “p’s” and “q’s,” and had their “i’s” dotted and their “t’s” crossed, and yet, they just were not good enough because they needed a Savior.

But listen, they were not perfect little Law keepers. They were not. Yahushua just said it. We read it right here: “You look like it, but you are not inside. It is not there. You are in violation of the Law.” They were.

And they were not Law keepers. That is so far from the truth. Yahushua said they looked righteous. Inwardly, they were just acting. They were just a bunch of actors, a bunch of pretenders.

And He spoke about them in Matthew 23 and verse 4. He said:

Matthew 23:4 – For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay [them] on men’s shoulders; but they [themselves] will not move them with one of their fingers.

5 – But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.

Talking about the tassels.

And so, they are doing everything just to be seen by men. These Scribes and Pharisees, the ones He is talking about (I am sure there may have been some who were actually righteous), but the ones He is talking about, they look like sheep on the outside, but were ravenous wolves on the inside. Their heart was not yielded to the Law of Yahweh.

In fact, He said about them in John 7:18:

John 7:18 – He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.

Yahushua sought the glory of Yahweh, His Father. The Scribes and Pharisees, speaking from themselves, had their own commandments and doctrines and catechisms and commentaries and whatever. They sought their own glory.

John 7:19 – Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?

They were not Law keepers. They were murderers. He said, “Why do you seek to kill Me?” They were not Law keepers. They were Law breakers.

And He told them, in verse 13, in Matthew 23:

Matthew 23:13 – But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in [yourselves], nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

False prophets. Transgressors. Violators of the Law.

Matthew 23:14 – Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

“For you devour widows’ houses.” That is definitely against the Torah. “For a pretense make long prayers.” Just to make it look like you are praying.

Matthew 23:15 – Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

Wow! They were not Law keepers. They were unrighteous, wicked, blood-thirsty men, who put the praise of men ahead of the praise of Yahweh. There was no relationship there. And do you know what? Before we get too high and mighty against the Pharisees and the Scribes, this is a question we are all going to face: Will we go against the grain?

Many of the people in Yahushua’s day were too concerned about the praise of men to accept Messiah. They were too concerned about that. It says in John 12:42:

John 12:42 – Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess [Him], lest they should be put out of the synagogue;

They believed, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him. Why? “Lest they should be put out of the synagogue.”

John 12:43 – for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of Elohim.

They were in this same dilemma. They had been turned into this “son of hell” (this “son of Sheol,” “son of the grave”) that the Scribes and Pharisees were in. Through peer pressure, through societal pressures, they were afraid to confess Messiah openly.

Well, I want to tell you. A similar dilemma will be faced if you begin to accept the basic and fundamental truth that Yahweh’s Law is to be observed today. There will be churches who will no longer welcome you. There will be Christian friends who will abandon you. There will be people who will think you have lost your mind and have joined some cult.

Are we willing to love the praise of Elohim more than the praise of men? Or are we concerned about what our friends may say, what our relatives may think, if we accept the fundamental and basic truth that sin really is the violation of the Law?

And if we violate the Sabbath or we violate the commands telling us to refrain from pork, or any other lifestyle changing and publically noticeable habits, are we willing to violate those and displease Yahweh and please men? Or are we willing to keep those and please Yahweh, and more than likely, displease men?

We cannot let the opinions of men be a factor in our decision or in how we look at Yahweh’s Word. Even if it is our own family members who will hound us, who will kick us out, who will hate us– even if they were going to kill us– Yahweh comes FIRST. We obey Yahweh.

Yahushua said:

Matthew 10:32 – Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.

33 – But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

Look, we live in a culture where pretty much everyone who believes in the Bible recognizes that Yahushua is the Messiah. You are not going to get anybody persecuting you too much for that. But look at what He said next:

Matthew 10:34 – Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.

35 – For I have come to `set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’;

36 – and `a man’s enemies [will be] those of his [own] household.’

Matthew 10:37 – He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

38 – And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.

“Cross” = “stauros” or “stake.”

“AND he who does not take his “stauros” (his “stake”) and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.” That means we have to follow after Him– follow His path, His walk, the way He lived. Follow the Lamb wherever He has gone and wherever He will take you.

It is not enough just to confess Him. It is not. We have to follow Him as humble children. That is what children do. They follow. We must receive Him as a little child.

Matthew 10:39 – He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

“He who finds his life will lose it.” In other words, if you are looking to save your life in this age, you will lose it in the age to come. “He who loses his life [in this age] for My sake will find it [in the age to come].”

I am saying these things because we are not just talking about believing in Messiah. We are talking about following Him. Yahushua Himself was a Law keeper. He never violated Yahweh’s Law even once. If He did, He could not be our Savior.

And even after He died for us and rose again, 1 John says:

1John 2:6 – He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

You say that you are living in Messiah. You ought yourself to walk just as He walked.

So, I am talking about taking up our stake and following Him, putting our choice to follow Him and His example of keeping Yahweh’s Law– whether it is eating clean, keeping Sabbath or keeping Feast Days, or whatever things– putting Him and His ways and following after Him at a higher priority than following the opinions of our family members.

Even if it is our parents, even if it is a spouse, Yahushua says He must come first or we are not worthy of Him.

And so, getting back to what He said about the Pharisees. One of the reasons they are so soundly condemned is because they valued the praise of their peers and their family members over the praise that comes from Yahweh. And so, inside, their motive was not to please Yahweh. It was to please man.

And so, they were rebelliously walking in Torahlessness, violation of the Law. And we have to be careful that in our judgment of the Pharisees we are not essentially doing the same thing, falling to the same temptations. Those who have the mentality of the Pharisee are tares among the wheat.

Yahushua gave a parable in Matthew 13, verse 24. He said:

Matthew 13:24 – Another parable He put forth to them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;

25 – but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.

26 – But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.

Matthew 13:27 – So the servants of the owner came and said to him, `Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’

Wheat and tares look the same at first. When they first come out of the ground, they both look very, very similar to one another. But over time, it is evident that the tares have no wheat kernels. There are no wheat kernels in the tares.

And so, it is only evident when you inspect the fruit of the plant that it did not come from a good seed. It did not come from the good Word of Yahweh above and therefore it is not bearing good fruit. It is the words of the enemy that is being planted.

We are called to be wheat. Yahushua says “unless a grain of wheat goes into the ground and dies.” That means we die to ourselves. We die to the flesh and the carnal way about us. We lose our life so that we will actually begin to sprout and be fruit-bearers bearing the good fruit.

And so, continuing on here…

Matthew 13:28 – He said to them, `An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, `Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’

29 – But he said, `No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.

30 – `Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.’

We want to be the wheat, the ones bearing fruit. Remember, Matthew 7.

And so, later on, after He explained another parable:

Matthew 13:36 – Then Yahushua sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.

37 – He answered and said to them: He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.

38 – The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked [one].

Matthew 13:39 – The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.

40 – Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.

41 – The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,

And you guessed it. There is no doubt. There, in verse 41, the word translated “lawlessness” is “anomia”– violation of the Law.

Matthew 13:42 – and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

43 – Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Why are the righteous shining? Because they have light in them. The false prophets who do not speak according to the law and to the testimony do not have light in them and neither do those who follow them. They are violators of the Law.

This is one very, very consistent Word of truth if we accept it and we walk in it. He who has ears to hear, do you have ears to hear today? Then listen to what I am telling you. This is the truth.

There are two kinds of people who will be condemned in the final day: Those who rebelliously violate Yahweh’s Word and those who offend. These are the false prophets– both those who cause others to fall and those who are falling themselves.

Those who practice Torahlessness, violation of the Law, they are thrown into the lake of fire if it is a rebellious Torahlessness.

The tares among us are the ones who appear righteous outwardly, but inwardly, they are really just seeking the praise of men. And they, like the Pharisees, are not willing to put Yahweh first.

They are just content to ride along with the rest of the crowd, along that broad path, content to walk down it with the crowds where they roam, too afraid to be different, too afraid to be persecuted, too afraid to be the oddball in society, among their family. Too afraid… too afraid.

But Elohim has not given us a spirit of fear. He has given us a spirit of power, of love, of LOVE walking in Torah, and of a sound mind.

The fear of men. The tares and woolen-clad wolves– they consider to be much more weighty and important the opinions of men. Rather than the fear of Elohim, they walk in the fear of men. And, my friend, I hope that is not you, and I hope that is not me.

Can we accept what Yahushua said in these verses we have read so far? We cannot escape it. To willfully violate Yahweh’s Law is a serious matter. It is willful and it is rebellious when we learn, “Yes, Tom, I think you are right about this,” but we are too concerned about what others may think when we do it. And so, we put it on the back burner.

We set it aside “oh, for now.” “For now,” we rationalize. “Someday… one day… I will do a full study on that.” “Someday, one day, in the future,” we rationalize. “I will get serious about it then.” But for now, too much heat, too much persecution, too much to give up. “Sorry, Yahushua, it is just not worth it to follow You.”

That is the willfully, disobedient mind. If that is your mind, He does not know you.

I say this because I care about you and I love you. Because, I should warn. I say this in fear, also, because I am subject to the same mistakes. There is temptation we all face.

I do not want to be boastfully assuming I am perfect in this or will always be perfect in this. It is just that we have these Scriptures in front of us that lays out this clear path that few find, much less travel. Are we willing to follow Yahushua? He is worth it, isn’t He?

Do we love Him? He loved us. Do we love Him? I know He kept Yahweh’s Law. I know He kept Yahweh’s Torah. The only question is whether I am willing to follow Him, follow in His steps. That is the question. And I have much more to share in our next segment. I have much more to share.

But until then, my brothers and my sisters, let us ponder Yahushua’s path He has set before us. Seek out everything I have said, and see whether or not it is true. Let us seek to walk in the truth of His Word– every moment of every day.

And as you do so, my brothers and sisters, may Yahweh bless you, and may Yahweh have mercy on us all.