Introduction
    It has been said, “The Law of Moses is dead, that it’s been nailed to the tree.”
   Let’s consider the question, “As a believer in the Messiah, does my eternal salvation depend upon my understanding of the teachings of Moses?” Before answering consider the adage:
   “The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.”
   Let’s think about that, while I cover just little bit of my background as it is pertinent to the article at hand.

A Little Background
    In the fall of 1999, the Spirit of Yahweh visited me in the depths of poverty – not financial poverty, but spiritual. I sat in a pew in a Sunday-keeping “Signs and Wonders” church and I was content to live in this world. Happy to listen to the messages being given at the pulpit, I thought, “For certainly, the man standing there has formally studied the Bible and knows much more than I.” After all, “it is his profession.”
   I was enamored with the worship team’s “Spirit-filled” music being ‘performed’ there. I was willing to be “slain in the Spirit,” and willing to participate in “Holy laughter.” I didn’t know I was impoverished, lying in the gutter of contentment; drinking from the bottle of false doctrine.
   While I sat there in that pew, in the quiet fatigue at the end of another Sunday service, the Set-apart Spirit of Yahweh wrote three words on my heart: “Honor My Sabbath.” It was written simply, gently, clearly, and powerfully.
   It was written within me as if it had always been there. In that instant, it became a part of my personality, my belief system. I felt no need to resist its presence within me. The message burned inside of me with complete oxidation. I was energized, and from that point on, I set apart the Sabbath Day, from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, to do three things:
      1. To search the Scripture,
      2. To sing praises, and
      3. To pray for continued strength to do the will of the Father

First Impressions
    The very first verse that was impressed upon me was Romans 3:4:
   Let Yahweh be true and every man a liar.
   The Spirit was telling me that I had to consider everything that I had been taught as the teachings of man. I now understood that I was to read the Word as the Truth. For the first time in my life, I read the Bible without the encumbrance of man’s commentary. I began to realize that the Word in Scripture was different from words spoken at the pulpit.
   I met with the pastor to explore these differences, and after three months, he finally became exasperated with me and said, “Don’t read the Old Testament; it’s only good for a few stories!”
   Well, those were the last words he spoke to me. I couldn’t go back. My wife, who at first considered that I might be having a mental breakdown, nevertheless listened to what I was learning from the Scripture.
   She came to an understanding of the Truth that was being given to me, not by just believing me, but by searching the Scriptures herself. One morning, we woke up and looked at each other, and the same thought ran through our heads, as we exclaimed to one another, “You know, we can’t go back.”
   We soon began looking for a congregation that preached the Truth of the Bible.

Making The Move
    Well, here we are, having moved from Fresno, California, to Fulton, Missouri, and into a Biblebelieving Assembly, where it seems to me that everyone here, is here, because they began reading Scripture to see what “It” had to say, instead of what mankind had to say, about the Truth.
   Here we are … where everyone is happy. There are no struggles, no pain, no controversy, no problems and absolutely no confusion, right? Not exactly.
   Besides the fact that Satan attacks those closest to the Truth, we struggle to understand ourselves, the Scriptures, our spouses, our children and our very purpose in life with such questions as, “How can I serve the brethren more?” and “What does Yahweh desire from me?”
   There is often pain – physical, emotional, spiritual. There is sometimes controversy – why? Because no two people experience the same thing in the same way. We have learned we must work to come to an agreement in the Assembly. We must have hope in Yahweh and pray He will manifest His Truth to those who trust in Him.

Back To The Question
    Let’s get back to the question, though. We need to talk about Moses – and the Law that came to us, through him, from Yahweh our Elohim.
   We need to ask, “As a believer in Yahshua the Messiah, does my eternal salvation depend upon my understanding of the teachings of Moses?”
   There are a number of verses in Scripture that are among my favorites, because they have opened my eyes AND dropped my jaw! An amazing thing happened when I decided to read the Scripture without the encumbrance and burden of the teachings of men. I became amazed with what the Bible actually SAID! For example: Yahshua, speaking of the Law of Moses, says in John 5:47, But if you do not believe his writings, HOW will you believe My words? NASB.
   HOW must we come to understand the Messiah? Through reading the Law of Moses! Yahshua confirms this in verse 46 of the same chapter, “for he wrote about Me.” Now, this is easily cast aside or glossed over if one has been taught that the Law is dead. “Oh, He was speaking to the Jews.” But, if one disregards the teachings of Churchianity as far as the Law is concerned, the Light of Truth will begin to shine. Let me demonstrate what I mean by looking at a passage that is often used to malign the Law of Moses.
   Romans 3:21-24 says,
   But now the righteousness of Elohim without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of Elohim [which is] by faith of Yahshua the Messiah unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of Elohim; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Yahshua the Messiah, KJV.

Mainstream Teachings
   As you have probably been taught, according to these verses, “all one has to do to be saved is believe,” right? After all, as they say, “the Law is dead and we are free to worship as we see fit. It’s all about freedom … that’s what it says right here, that without the law, the righteousness of Yahweh is manifested by just having faith in Yahshua the Messiah!”
   That’s what it may look like to someone who, in speaking contemporary English, reads the English of medieval times. But ironically, that interpretation is completely contrary to what the author is actually saying.
   In the phrase, “without the Law,” the English word in question here is, “without.” It is the Greek word “choris”, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, G5565, which means, “at a space” or “apart from” in the sense of an “empty expanse” between two objects.
   It does NOT mean “excluding.” The Apostle Paul here, is making a comparison.

No Depth Without The Law
    Try this sometime just to see what the word really means: put a patch over one eye and drive in the 5:00 Friday traffic of Los Angeles or some other big city. (Don’t do that.) But, now imagine doing it with both eyes open. What’s the difference? With ONE eye, you’re dead – there’s no depth perception. With BOTH eyes open, you live! This DIFFERENCE is what I think Paul is trying to show us.
   We were given two eyes for providing us with depth in our perception of what is seen. Having the Law and ALSO having the Messiah, improves our vision toward life. The TWO give us DEPTH, enabling us to SEE clearly.
   If Paul were trying to exclude the law, he might easily have used the word, “Ekkleisai” [Strong’s G1576], which means “to exclude.”
   Compare Ekkleisai to Ekklesia, G1577, the “called-out ones,” separated and excluded from the world. The word “choris” – “at a space” or “apart from” in the sense of an “empty expanse” between two objects – on the other hand, holds a completely different meaning.
   Paul is calling attention to the fact that the Law and the Prophets spoke of the Messiah and that now, we have seen Him who IS the Messiah manifesting His power among us. We used to have ONLY the Law and the Prophets as ONE witness of our salvation. But now, we have TWO – the Law (including the Prophets and the Writings) AND the Messiah Himself.
   Using this understanding, the second half of Romans 3:21 makes sense. “The righteousness of Elohim as evidenced BY the Law, is MANIFESTED, being witnessed by the Law and the prophets.” The Law is manifested in the Messiah, a picture which Paul paints so eloquently.
   It’s beautiful! Paul SURROUNDS the Messiah, textually speaking, with the Law. “The righteousness of Elohim as evidenced BY the Law, is MANIFESTED, being witnessed by the Law and the prophets.”
   Now, how confusing is it to validate something by something you’ve just INvalidated?
   Let’s think about that. That’s what one would have to believe if the Law and the Prophets were excluded, as some teach the meaning of this verse.
   Let’s read the verse again:
   “But now the righteousness of Elohim without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the prophets.”
   What? The Law is a witness against itself? It’s the same circular argument that was used in the 1960’s TV space science fiction story to destroy the evil computer. Remember? Captain Kirk [whose name, incidentally, is the transliterated word for the Greek circe, from which comes the word, “church!”] spoke to the computer, “Everything I say is the truth. My first statement is a lie.” The computer self-destructs, trying to make sense of Kirk’s retraction! The same thing will happen to us, if we don’t understand the Law. If you do not believe Moses’ writings, HOW will you believe Yahshua’s words? Paul summarizes this discussion 7 verses later:
   Do we, then, nullify the Law by this faith? Certainly not! Not at all! Rather we uphold the Law, Romans 3:31, NIV.
   Paul never, ever abandoned the Law of Yahweh, preached to us through Moses. He knew, as we should, that without the Law, there simply is no Messiah! In fact, Yahshua IS the Law.
   Understanding this one principle opens one’s understanding to much Scripture. For example, the Bible teaches that “Sin is lawlessness,” (1 John 3:4), the Breaking of Yahweh’s Law.
   Sin, therefore, is not having the Messiah, Yahshua, the Word, and His Law, in our hearts.

New Covenant and More Depth
    We call the teachings concerning the Messiah, “the New Testament,” or, as Yahshua refers to this portion of the Word, “the New Covenant.” Now, with understanding, Jeremiah 31:31-34 makes monumental sense:
   “Behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant that they broke, though I was their husband,” declares Yahweh. “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares Yahweh: “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their Elohim, and they shall be My people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know Yahweh,’ for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares Yahweh. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more,” ESV.
   Understanding Who the Messiah is, and the connection between the Messiah and the Law of Moses, lifts the veil from one’s eyes. It was for this reason, that the author of the Book of Hebrews referred to Yahshua’s body as the veil hanging in front of the Holy of Holies in the Temple of Yahweh; and when the Savior’s body was torn, so was this veil, giving us access to the Spirit of Yahweh, to those who understand … and believe (Heb. 10:18-22).
   In John 5:43-47, we find Yahshua speaking to some of the Jewish leaders at Jerusalem:
   “I have come in My Father’s Name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How CAN you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the [One and] Only Elohim? Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, HOW will you believe My words?” NASB.
   What is Yahshua saying here? How will you believe “My words” if you don’t understand “the Law,” as given to you by “Moses?” Can’t you see “Me,” in the “Law?” Yahshua is saying that He is in the Law. In fact, He IS the Law!
   John 1:1-2 says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Yahweh, and the Word was Elohim. The Same was in the beginning was with Elohim, KJV.
   Let us re-read that verse, using some of the Greek words in the text: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with tón Theon, and the Word was theos. He was with tón Theon in the beginning.”
   When the Greek word theos, G2316, is preceded by the Greek word tón, G3588, it is referring to the “supreme Divinity,” whose name is Yahweh, the Heavenly Father. Without that article, [which in English is equivalent to the word “the,” it means, “a deity” – a mighty One. John is saying that Yahshua was the “Word” – the Law, that He IS Elohim and that He was WITH Yahweh in the beginning.
   John 1:45 says, Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and [also] the Prophets wrote, Yahshua of Nazareth, the son of Joseph’,” NASB.
   In Luke 16:30-31, Yahshua speaks a parable about “a certain rich man,” who was relying on salvation through his ancestral connection to Abraham. This “certain rich man” died and lay in torment, looking And he said, “No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” He said to him, “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead,” ESV.
   In Luke 24:27, we read Yahshua speaking to two of His disciples, after having risen from the grave:
   “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself,” NIV.

Foundational Teachings
    What Moses taught is foundational to understanding the Messiah. Yahshua did not quote from the Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, the Epistles of Paul, James, Peter, John, or Jude or the Revelation of Yahshua Messiah.
   Why? Well, they hadn’t been written yet! There was no need to read from these Sacred Texts. Everything we need to know is in the Old Testament!
   Speaking of Yahshua, He said to them, “These [are] the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the Law of Moses and [in] the Prophets and [in] the Psalms, concerning Me.” Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures, Luke 24:44-45, KJV.
   And what Scriptures might these be? The same Scriptures the Bereans used to test whether or not Paul was speaking the Truth when he preached to them about Yahshua the Messiah; the same Scriptures Paul referenced in his letter to Timothy, in 2 Timothy 3:15: and from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Messaih Yahshua, NIV; the same Scriptures Peter referenced in 1st Peter 1:1-2, when he wrote, to Yahweh’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, [in other words, to us] who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of Yahweh the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Yahshua the Messiah and sprinkling by His blood, NIV.
   Of this age, as in times past, Peter observed of some who are either dull of hearing or willingly ignorant, saying, of his apostolic peer, He [speaking of Paul] writes the same way in all his letters [academic teachings], as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction,” 2 Peter 3:16, NASB. In other words, they who do not know the Law, and/or are confused about the Law, distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction … speaking evil of things which they neither understand, nor know (2 Pet. 2:12; Jude 1:10) – the rest of the Scriptures? none other than the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings of the Old Testament. It shouldn’t be dismissed either, that Peter is as much declaring that the writings of the Apostles are equivalent to what was written as holy men of old were moved upon by the Holy.
   Consider what is being presented to you today, and don’t believe a word of what’s written here if it’s not in agreement with Yahweh’s teachings. In Paul’s words in Romans 3:4, “Let Yahweh be true and every man a liar.” Be as a Berean; test everything; go to the Scriptures.
   Read the Law of Moses, not just in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament, as well. There is some Truth in the adage, “The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.”
   It is confirmed in Scripture that not all of what you have been taught is of Yahweh or His Savior, Yahshua Messiah.
   You have received, in the past, teachings that are of the imaginations of men, some well-meaning; and some deceived by tradition, self-gain and ignorance.
   This is my prayer, and I hope it will be yours, too: “May we be diligent in our study of Your Word, in order to present ourselves to You, Yahweh, and obtain Your approval, workers who do not need to be ashamed, having rightly divided the Word of Truth. In Yahshua’s Name, HalleluYah!”