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A Lexicon

Abolition Problems

Verses for the Abolitionist to Explain

278 entries · 278 passages · 13 problems

Those who teach that the Law ended at the cross ask Law-keepers to explain a handful of verses from Galatians, Colossians, Ephesians, and Romans. This lexicon reverses the exchange. It gathers the passages an abolished Law cannot account for: the Messiah's own words on the Law, the apostles' commands, the assemblies keeping Sabbath and feasts after the cross, sin defined as lawlessness, and the statutes Yahuah called everlasting.

The verses fall under thirteen problems in four parts. The opponents' own proof texts are answered in a separate tracker and are not repeated here. The Old Testament section admits only verses that speak of the Law lasting for ever or going forth in the age of the Messiah; praise of the Law, which no one disputes, is left out. Deliverance comes first, through the blood of the Messiah; the Law is the walk that follows. Nothing here teaches that anyone is saved by keeping the Law. Everything here shows that the saved are not released from it.

Quotations follow the King James Version with the names restored: Yahuah for the Father, Yahushua for the Son, Messiah for Christ, and Master where kurios refers to Yahushua. Hebrew feast names stand in place of their Greek and English substitutes.

278 entries

Part One

The Messiah's Own Words

Yahushua is the first authority on whether the Law continues. In the Gospels He affirms it, raises its standard, defends it against tradition, and lives it out with His household. None of His words sets an end date at His death.

Problem 1

It Thinks What He Said Not to Think

The problemYahushua's own words are the first authority on whether the Law continues. Every statement below either affirms the Law, raises its standard, or sends His followers to keep it. None of them sets an end date at His death.
  1. No. 1

    Matthew 5:17

    “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”

    The issueHe forbids the very thought that He came to destroy the Law, and the Greek kataluo (destroy) is the word abolitionists quietly put back in.

  2. No. 2

    Matthew 5:18

    “one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”

    The issueNot one stroke passes until heaven and earth pass, and that passing is recorded only in Revelation 20:11 and 21:1, with “It is done” in Revelation 21:6.

  3. No. 3

    Matthew 5:19

    “whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

    The issueDoing and teaching the least commandment is the measure of greatness in the kingdom, which assumes the commandments remain.

  4. No. 4

    Matthew 5:20

    “except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.”

    The issueThe standard rises above the Pharisees, not below them, so lawlessness cannot exceed their righteousness.

  5. No. 5

    Matthew 5:21-22

    “Thou shalt not kill … But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause.”

    The issueYahushua deepens the sixth commandment to the heart, which keeps the commandment and adds to its reach.

  6. No. 6

    Matthew 5:27-28

    “Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you … hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”

    The issueThe seventh commandment is pressed inward, the Jeremiah 31:33 pattern of Law on the heart.

  7. No. 7

    Matthew 5:33

    “Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto Yahuah thine oaths.”

    The issueHe cites Torah on oaths and raises it to plain truthfulness, never lowering it.

  8. No. 8

    Matthew 7:12

    “whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”

    The issueThe golden rule is presented as a summary of the Law, not a substitute for it.

  9. No. 9

    Matthew 7:21

    “but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”

    The issueEntry is promised to the doer of the Father's will, and the Father's will is written in His Law (Psalm 40:8).

  10. No. 10

    Matthew 7:23

    “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

    The issueThe word is anomia, lawlessness, so those turned away are those who practiced Torah-lessness while calling Him Master.

  11. No. 11

    Matthew 12:8

    “the Son of man is Master even of the sabbath day.”

    The issueHe claims the Sabbath as His own day, which would be a strange claim over something He meant to abolish.

  12. No. 12

    Matthew 12:12

    “it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.”

    The issueHe argues about how to keep the Sabbath, never whether to keep it.

  13. No. 13

    Matthew 13:41

    “they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity.”

    The issueAt the end of the age the doers of anomia are gathered out, so lawlessness is judged at the return.

  14. No. 14

    Matthew 19:4-6

    “Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female.”

    The issueHe reaches back to creation to settle a Torah question, showing the Law's roots run before Sinai.

  15. No. 15

    Matthew 19:17

    “if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.”

    The issueAsked how to enter life, He answers with the commandments, and He does not retract the answer.

  16. No. 16

    Matthew 19:18-19

    “Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness.”

    The issueHe recites the Ten Words by name as the commandments to keep.

  17. No. 17

    Matthew 22:37-40

    “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

    The issueThe two great commandments are the hooks the Law hangs on; removing the Law leaves the hooks holding nothing.

  18. No. 18

    Matthew 23:2-3

    “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do.”

    The issueHe tells the crowds to obey the reading of Moses while refusing the hypocrisy of the readers.

  19. No. 19

    Matthew 23:23

    “the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”

    The issueEven the tithe of herbs is not to be left undone, so the lighter matters stay alongside the weightier.

  20. No. 20

    Matthew 23:28

    “within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”

    The issueThe religious leaders are charged with anomia, which proves outward religion can still be lawless.

  21. No. 21

    Matthew 24:12

    “because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”

    The issueAbounding anomia in the last days is what chills love, so lawlessness and love are enemies.

  22. No. 22

    Matthew 24:20

    “pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day.”

    The issueHe expects His followers to be keeping the Sabbath at the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, forty years after the cross.

  23. No. 23

    Matthew 28:20

    “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”

    The issueThe commission sends the apostles to teach observance of everything He commanded, including Matthew 5:19.

  24. No. 24

    Mark 2:27-28

    “The sabbath was made for man … the Son of man is Master also of the sabbath.”

    The issueThe Sabbath was made for man, all mankind, not for the Jew alone.

  25. No. 25

    Mark 12:28-29

    “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; Yahuah our God is one.”

    The issueThe first commandment He names is the Shema, which confesses Yahuah as one and leaves no room for a three-person godhead.

  26. No. 26

    Mark 12:32-34

    “there is one God; and there is none other but he … Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.”

    The issueThe scribe who affirms the one God and the commandments is told he is near the kingdom, so Torah and the Shema stand together.

  27. No. 27

    Luke 10:26-28

    “What is written in the law? how readest thou? … this do, and thou shalt live.”

    The issueHe points the lawyer to the Law for the way of life and says plainly to do it.

  28. No. 28

    Luke 11:42

    “these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”

    The issueLuke records the same command that the lesser matters remain in force.

  29. No. 29

    Luke 11:52

    “Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge.”

    The issueThe key of knowledge was hidden by the teachers of the Law, and those who hid it hindered others from entering.

  30. No. 30

    Luke 16:17

    “it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.”

    The issueHeaven and earth must pass before a tittle fails, and they are still standing.

  31. No. 31

    Luke 16:31

    “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”

    The issueMoses is the test of whether a man will believe even the resurrection.

  32. No. 32

    Luke 18:20

    “Thou knowest the commandments.”

    The issueHe assumes the commandments are known and binding when asked about eternal life.

  33. No. 33

    Luke 24:44

    “all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms.”

    The issueAfter the resurrection He still names the Law of Moses as Scripture that must be fulfilled.

  34. No. 34

    John 5:46-47

    “had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me … if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?”

    The issueBelief in Yahushua is tied to belief in Moses' writings, so rejecting Moses undercuts belief in the Son.

  35. No. 35

    John 7:19

    “Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law?”

    The issueHe rebukes His hearers for not keeping the Law, not for keeping it.

  36. No. 36

    John 7:23

    “that the law of Moses should not be broken.”

    The issueHe defends healing on the Sabbath by the Law's own logic, so His argument assumes the Law stands.

  37. No. 37

    John 8:31

    “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.”

    The issueDiscipleship is continuing in His word, and He said His word was the Father's (John 14:24).

  38. No. 38

    John 10:35

    “the scripture cannot be broken.”

    The issueThe Scripture He calls unbreakable was the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings.

  39. No. 39

    John 12:49-50

    “the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment … And I know that his commandment is life everlasting.”

    The issueThe Father's commandment is life everlasting, and the Son only speaks what the Father commanded, which is no Trinity of equals.

  40. No. 40

    John 14:15

    “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

    The issueLove is proven by commandment-keeping, the same pairing as Exodus 20:6.

  41. No. 41

    John 14:21

    “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me.”

    The issueThe one who loves Him is identified as the one who keeps the commandments.

  42. No. 42

    John 14:23

    “If a man love me, he will keep my words.”

    The issueKeeping His words is the condition for the Father and Son making their abode with a man.

  43. No. 43

    John 15:10

    “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments.”

    The issueHe kept His Father's commandments, so the pattern He sets is Torah-keeping, and the Father stands over Him as the source of those commandments.

  44. No. 44

    John 15:14

    “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.”

    The issueFriendship with Him is conditioned on doing what He commands.

  45. No. 45

    John 17:6

    “they have kept thy word.”

    The issueYahushua describes His disciples to the Father as keepers of the Father's word.

  46. No. 46

    John 17:17

    “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

    The issueThe truth that sets apart is the word, which Psalm 119:142 defines as the Law.

Problem 2

It Defends Tradition Over the Commandment

The problemYahushua's sharpest conflicts were over the traditions of men, not over the Law. In every case He defends the commandment against the tradition, the reverse of what the pulpit claims.
  1. No. 47

    Matthew 15:3

    “Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?”

    The issueThe charge is transgressing the commandment, so the commandment is the standard He defends.

  2. No. 48

    Matthew 15:4

    “For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother.”

    The issueHe quotes the fifth commandment as Yahuah's binding word against the tradition that voided it.

  3. No. 49

    Matthew 15:6

    “Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.”

    The issueMaking the commandment of none effect is condemned, which is exactly what abolition teaching does.

  4. No. 50

    Matthew 15:9

    “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”

    The issueVain worship comes from replacing Yahuah's commandments with men's, as Sunday and Easter replaced Sabbath and Pesach.

  5. No. 51

    Mark 7:8

    “laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men.”

    The issueLaying aside the commandment is the sin named, not keeping it.

  6. No. 52

    Mark 7:9

    “Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.”

    The issueRejecting the commandment to keep a tradition is the error He exposes.

  7. No. 53

    Mark 7:10

    “For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother.”

    The issueHe cites Moses as the authority, not as an outdated voice.

  8. No. 54

    Mark 7:13

    “Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition.”

    The issueThe word of God and the commandment are the same thing in His mouth.

Problem 3

It Rejects the Walk He Set

The problemThe usual answer to these verses is that they happened before the cross. That answer asks a whole people who kept the Sabbath, the feasts, and the commandments all their lives to stop overnight, with no word from the Messiah or the apostles announcing it. The Gospels record His household keeping the Law, Yahushua keeping it Himself, and Yahushua sending the men He healed to obey Moses. Scripture shows no switch afterward. The women rested the day after His death “according to the commandment” (Luke 23:56). About ten years later Peter had never eaten anything unclean (Acts 10:14). About twenty-five years later the believers in Jerusalem numbered thousands, “all zealous of the law” (Acts 21:20). The walk recorded here is the walk believers are told to copy: “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6).
  1. No. 55

    Luke 1:6

    “walking in all the commandments and ordinances of Yahuah blameless.”

    The issueZacharias and Elisabeth are called righteous for walking in all the commandments, so Torah-keeping is praised, not exposed as failure.

  2. No. 56

    Luke 2:22

    “when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished.”

    The issueMiriam keeps the purification law after the birth of the Messiah.

  3. No. 57

    Luke 2:27

    “to do for him after the custom of the law.”

    The issueThe infant Yahushua is presented according to the Law.

  4. No. 58

    Luke 2:39

    “when they had performed all things according to the law of Yahuah.”

    The issueAll things were performed according to the Law, not some.

  5. No. 59

    Luke 2:41

    “his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.”

    The issueThe household went up for Pesach every year, the habit Yahushua grew up in.

  6. No. 60

    Luke 4:16

    “as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day.”

    The issueSabbath assembly was His custom, and believers are told to walk as He walked (1 John 2:6).

  7. No. 61

    Luke 4:31

    “taught them on the sabbath days.”

    The issueHe used the Sabbath for teaching, honoring the day rather than setting it aside.

  8. No. 62

    John 2:13

    “the Jews' passover was at hand, and Yahushua went up to Jerusalem.”

    The issueHe goes up for Pesach as the Law required of every male (Deuteronomy 16:16).

  9. No. 63

    John 7:10

    “then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.”

    The issueHe keeps Sukkot even when it is dangerous to be seen there.

  10. No. 64

    John 7:37

    “In the last day, that great day of the feast.”

    The issueHe stands and teaches on the great day of Sukkot, using the feast as His platform.

  11. No. 65

    Matthew 8:4

    “shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded.”

    The issueYahushua sends the healed man to obey the Levitical cleansing law, showing His own submission to Moses.

  12. No. 66

    Mark 1:44

    “offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded.”

    The issueMark records the same instruction to obey the Levitical law of cleansing.

  13. No. 67

    Luke 17:14

    “Go shew yourselves unto the priests.”

    The issueThe ten lepers are sent to the priests according to the Law, and they are cleansed as they go.

Part Two

The Apostles' Letters

The letters were written years and decades after the cross. If the Law had ended, the apostles were the ones to say so. Instead they define love by the commandments, define sin as lawlessness, call the Law holy and established, and repeat its commands to Gentile assemblies.

Problem 4

It Separates Love From the Commandments

The problemJohn's letters were written decades after the cross. If the commandments had ended, John would have been the one to say so. Instead he makes commandment-keeping the test of knowing Yahuah.
  1. No. 68

    1 John 2:3

    “hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.”

    The issueKnowing Him is proven by keeping His commandments, written at least sixty years after the cross.

  2. No. 69

    1 John 2:4

    “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar.”

    The issueA professed believer who will not keep the commandments is called a liar.

  3. No. 70

    1 John 2:5

    “whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected.”

    The issueLove is perfected by keeping the word, not by setting it aside.

  4. No. 71

    1 John 2:6

    “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.”

    The issueHe walked in Sabbath, feasts, and commandments, so the believer is bound to walk the same way.

  5. No. 72

    1 John 2:7

    “an old commandment which ye had from the beginning.”

    The issueJohn presents no new law, only the old commandment from the beginning.

  6. No. 73

    1 John 3:22

    “because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.”

    The issueAnswered prayer is tied to keeping the commandments.

  7. No. 74

    1 John 3:24

    “he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him.”

    The issueAbiding in Him belongs to the one who keeps the commandments.

  8. No. 75

    1 John 5:2

    “when we love God, and keep his commandments.”

    The issueLove for the children of Yahuah is measured by love for Yahuah shown in commandment-keeping.

  9. No. 76

    1 John 5:3

    “this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”

    The issueThe commandments are not grievous, which answers the claim that the Law is a crushing burden.

  10. No. 77

    2 John 1:6

    “this is love, that we walk after his commandments.”

    The issueLove is defined as walking after the commandments, not as freedom from them.

  11. No. 78

    2 Peter 2:21

    “it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.”

    The issueTurning from the holy commandment after knowing it is worse than never knowing it.

  12. No. 79

    2 Peter 3:2

    “be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles.”

    The issuePeter joins the prophets and the apostolic commandment as one body of instruction.

  13. No. 80

    James 1:22

    “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

    The issueHearing without doing is self-deception.

  14. No. 81

    James 1:25

    “whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein … this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

    The issueThe Law is called perfect and the law of liberty, so it is not bondage.

  15. No. 82

    James 2:8

    “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well.”

    The issueThe royal law quoted is Leviticus 19:18, Torah itself.

  16. No. 83

    James 2:10

    “whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

    The issueThe Law is treated as one whole still in force, not as a pile to sort through.

  17. No. 84

    James 2:11

    “For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill.”

    The issueJames quotes the Ten Words as the binding law of the assembly.

  18. No. 85

    James 2:12

    “So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.”

    The issueBelievers will be judged by the Law, so it remains the standard of judgment.

  19. No. 86

    James 2:17

    “faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”

    The issueBelief without obedience is dead, which answers the belief-only teaching.

  20. No. 87

    James 4:11

    “if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.”

    The issueSpeaking against the Law makes a man a judge over it, which is the posture of abolition teaching.

  21. No. 88

    Hebrews 5:9

    “he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.”

    The issueEternal deliverance is linked to obedience, the consummation stage that follows entry by the blood.

Problem 5

It Leaves Sin Without a Definition

The problemThe Greek anomia means without law. Where the New Testament names sin, iniquity, or the coming deceiver, it often uses this word. If the Law were gone, lawlessness could not be a sin.
  1. No. 89

    1 John 3:4

    “sin is the transgression of the law.”

    The issueSin is defined as anomia, so where there is no Law there is no sin, and no need of a Savior.

  2. No. 90

    Romans 3:20

    “by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

    The issueWithout the Law no one could know what sin is.

  3. No. 91

    Romans 4:15

    “where no law is, there is no transgression.”

    The issueIf the Law ended, transgression ended with it, and that no one believes.

  4. No. 92

    Romans 5:13

    “sin is not imputed when there is no law.”

    The issueSin is still imputed, which proves the Law is still present.

  5. No. 93

    Romans 6:19

    “as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness.”

    The issuePaul names their old life as anomia, so the new life is the opposite of lawlessness.

  6. No. 94

    Romans 7:7

    “I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.”

    The issueThe tenth commandment is still the means by which Paul knows sin.

  7. No. 95

    2 Corinthians 6:14

    “what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?”

    The issueThe word is anomia, so righteousness and lawlessness cannot share a yoke.

  8. No. 96

    2 Thessalonians 2:7

    “the mystery of iniquity doth already work.”

    The issueThe mystery at work in the apostles' day is the mystery of anomia, lawlessness dressed as religion.

  9. No. 97

    2 Thessalonians 2:8

    “then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Master shall consume with the spirit of his mouth.”

    The issueThe deceiver is called the anomos, the lawless one, so lawlessness is the mark of the enemy.

  10. No. 98

    1 Timothy 1:9-10

    “the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient … for murderers … for liars.”

    The issueThe Law still restrains murderers, thieves, and liars, so it is still active in Paul's day.

  11. No. 99

    Titus 2:14

    “that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

    The issueYahuah gave His Son to redeem a people from anomia, not into it.

  12. No. 100

    Hebrews 1:9

    “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee.”

    The issueThe Son hated anomia, and the same verse says He has a God who anointed Him, which undoes the Trinity reading of verse 8.

  13. No. 101

    Hebrews 2:2

    “every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward.”

    The issueThe Law given by angels carried just penalties, and the writer warns that neglect is now even more serious.

  14. No. 102

    Hebrews 10:26

    “if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.”

    The issueWilful sin after knowing the truth is the gravest warning, and sin is transgression of the Law.

  15. No. 103

    Hebrews 10:28-29

    “He that despised Moses' law died without mercy … Of how much sorer punishment.”

    The issueThe writer argues from Moses' Law to a greater accountability, never to a lesser one.

  16. No. 104

    2 Peter 3:17

    “lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.”

    The issueThe word for wicked is athesmos, lawless, and Peter ties it to those who twist Paul's letters (verse 16).

  17. No. 105

    Jude 1:4

    “turning the favor of our God into lasciviousness.”

    The issueTurning favor into license is the sign of the ungodly men who crept in.

Problem 6

It Makes Paul Void What He Established

The problemPaul is the apostle most quoted against the Law, yet his own words call it holy, spiritual, good, and established. These verses are the ones the abolition reading has to explain.
  1. No. 106

    Romans 2:12

    “as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law.”

    The issueJudgment by the Law is future tense, so the Law is still the measure.

  2. No. 107

    Romans 2:13

    “not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.”

    The issuePaul names the doers of the Law as those justified, after belief has opened the door.

  3. No. 108

    Romans 2:14-15

    “which shew the work of the law written in their hearts.”

    The issueGentiles show the work of the Law written in their hearts, the new covenant promise in action.

  4. No. 109

    Romans 2:23

    “through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?”

    The issueBreaking the Law dishonors Yahuah, so keeping it honors Him.

  5. No. 110

    Romans 3:2

    “unto them were committed the oracles of God.”

    The issueThe oracles entrusted to Israel are counted as a great advantage, not a burden.

  6. No. 111

    Romans 3:31

    “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.”

    The issueBelief does not void the Law; it establishes it, which is the direct answer to the whole abolition claim.

  7. No. 112

    Romans 6:1-2

    “Shall we continue in sin, that favor may abound? God forbid.”

    The issueFavor is not a license to continue in sin, and sin is the transgression of the Law.

  8. No. 113

    Romans 6:15

    “shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under favor? God forbid.”

    The issueNot under the Law's condemnation never means free to break it.

  9. No. 114

    Romans 6:16

    “his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness.”

    The issueObedience leads to righteousness, so obedience is not legalism.

  10. No. 115

    Romans 7:12

    “the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.”

    The issuePaul calls the Law holy, just, and good, three words no one applies to something abolished as harmful.

  11. No. 116

    Romans 7:14

    “we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal.”

    The issueThe Law is spiritual and the problem is the flesh, not the commandment.

  12. No. 117

    Romans 7:22

    “I delight in the law of God after the inward man.”

    The issuePaul's renewed inner man delights in the Law, exactly as Psalm 1:2 describes the blessed man.

  13. No. 118

    Romans 7:25

    “with the mind I myself serve the law of God.”

    The issuePaul serves the Law of Yahuah with his mind after deliverance through Messiah.

  14. No. 119

    Romans 8:7

    “the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”

    The issueThe carnal mind is the one not subject to the Law, so refusal of the Law is the mark of the flesh.

  15. No. 120

    Romans 9:4

    “to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law.”

    The issueThe giving of the Law is listed among Israel's glories, beside the adoption and the covenants.

  16. No. 121

    Romans 13:8

    “he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.”

    The issueLove fulfills the Law by doing it, not by deleting it.

  17. No. 122

    Romans 13:9

    “Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet.”

    The issuePaul recites the commandments as binding on the believers in Rome.

  18. No. 123

    Romans 13:10

    “love is the fulfilling of the law.”

    The issueLove is the way the Law is carried out, so love without the Law has no content.

  19. No. 124

    Romans 15:4

    “whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning.”

    The issueEverything written before, including the Law, is for the believer's instruction.

  20. No. 125

    1 Corinthians 7:19

    “Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.”

    The issuePaul sets aside a fleshly marker but keeps the commandments as the thing that matters.

  21. No. 126

    1 Corinthians 9:8-9

    “saith not the law the same also? For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox.”

    The issuePaul uses a minor statute of Moses as binding authority for church practice.

  22. No. 127

    1 Corinthians 9:21

    “being not without law to God, but under the law to Messiah.”

    The issuePaul states he is not without law, and the word for under the law is ennomos, in-lawed.

  23. No. 128

    1 Corinthians 10:11

    “they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”

    The issueThe wilderness judgments for idolatry and fornication are written as warnings for the last days.

  24. No. 129

    1 Corinthians 11:1

    “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Messiah.”

    The issuePaul imitates the Messiah, and the Messiah kept His Father's commandments (John 15:10).

  25. No. 130

    2 Corinthians 3:3

    “written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.”

    The issueThe tables change from stone to heart, but what is written on them is the same Law (Jeremiah 31:33).

  26. No. 131

    Galatians 3:21

    “Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid.”

    The issueEven in Galatians, Paul refuses to set the Law against the promise.

  27. No. 132

    Galatians 5:13

    “use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”

    The issueLiberty is not license, the same warning as Jude 1:4.

  28. No. 133

    Galatians 5:14

    “all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

    The issueThe one word Paul names is Leviticus 19:18, a command from the Law.

  29. No. 134

    Galatians 6:2

    “Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Messiah.”

    The issuePaul speaks of the law of Messiah, not of no law at all.

  30. No. 135

    1 Timothy 1:8

    “we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully.”

    The issueThe Law is good, and the problem is misuse, not the Law itself.

  31. No. 136

    1 Timothy 5:18

    “Thou shalt not muzzle the ox … The labourer is worthy of his reward.”

    The issuePaul applies Deuteronomy 25:4 to the assembly's elders, treating Torah as current instruction.

  32. No. 137

    2 Timothy 3:15

    “from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation.”

    The issueThe Scriptures Timothy knew from childhood were the Law and the Prophets, and they make wise unto deliverance.

  33. No. 138

    2 Timothy 3:16

    “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

    The issueThe Scripture Paul calls profitable for instruction in righteousness was chiefly the Torah.

Problem 7

It Ignores the Commandments the Apostles Repeat

The problemWhen the apostles correct the assemblies, they reach for the commandments of Torah: the Ten Words, the laws of sexual purity, the laws of clean and unclean, and the laws of holiness. Each entry is a commandment repeated after the cross.
  1. No. 139

    Acts 15:20

    “abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.”

    The issueThese four requirements come straight from Leviticus 17 and 18, the laws for the stranger in Israel.

  2. No. 140

    Acts 15:21

    “Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.”

    The issueThe council expects Gentile believers to keep hearing Moses read every Sabbath.

  3. No. 141

    Acts 23:5

    “for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.”

    The issuePaul corrects himself by quoting Exodus 22:28, obeying a statute of Moses on the spot.

  4. No. 142

    1 Corinthians 5:1

    “such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.”

    The issuePaul condemns a sin defined only in Leviticus 18:8.

  5. No. 143

    1 Corinthians 5:13

    “put away from among yourselves that wicked person.”

    The issueThis is the Deuteronomy formula for removing evil (Deuteronomy 17:7), applied to a Gentile assembly.

  6. No. 144

    1 Corinthians 6:9-10

    “neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers … nor thieves … shall inherit the kingdom of God.”

    The issueThe sins that bar the kingdom are breaches of the Ten Words and the Law of holiness.

  7. No. 145

    2 Corinthians 6:17

    “come out from among them, and be ye separate … and touch not the unclean thing.”

    The issuePaul quotes the prophets' call to separation from the unclean as a present command.

  8. No. 146

    Ephesians 4:25

    “putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour.”

    The issueThe ninth commandment is restated to Gentile believers.

  9. No. 147

    Ephesians 4:28

    “Let him that stole steal no more.”

    The issueThe eighth commandment is restated, still binding after the cross.

  10. No. 148

    Ephesians 5:3

    “fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you.”

    The issueFornication and covetousness are forbidden by name, as the Law forbids them.

  11. No. 149

    Ephesians 6:2-3

    “Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise.”

    The issuePaul quotes the fifth commandment and its promise of long life as still active.

  12. No. 150

    Colossians 3:5

    “covetousness, which is idolatry.”

    The issuePaul links the tenth and second commandments, showing both still stand.

  13. No. 151

    Colossians 3:20

    “Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Master.”

    The issueThe fifth commandment governs the believing household.

  14. No. 152

    1 Thessalonians 4:3

    “this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication.”

    The issueYahuah's will is defined by a commandment of purity.

  15. No. 153

    Hebrews 12:14

    “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Master.”

    The issueHoliness is required to see Him, and holiness is defined by the Law of holiness in Leviticus.

  16. No. 154

    Hebrews 13:4

    “whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”

    The issueThe seventh commandment is backed by future judgment.

  17. No. 155

    1 Peter 1:14

    “not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance.”

    The issuePeter addresses believers as obedient children, leaving the lusts of their former ignorance behind.

  18. No. 156

    1 Peter 1:15-16

    “Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

    The issuePeter quotes Leviticus 11:44, the verse that closes the food laws, as a command to believers.

  19. No. 157

    1 Peter 2:9

    “a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people.”

    The issuePeter applies Exodus 19:5-6 to believers, and that promise was conditioned on keeping the covenant.

Part Three

After the Cross and at the End

The common claim is that the Law died with the Messiah. Acts records the disciples and Paul keeping Sabbath, feasts, vows, and Temple worship long after the cross, Hebrews writes the same Law on the heart, and Revelation shows the commandments, the ark, and the song of Moses present at the close of the age.

Problem 8

It Ends at the Cross What Continued After It

The problemThe common claim is that the Law ended when the Messiah died. These verses record the disciples, the apostles, and the assemblies keeping Sabbath, feasts, vows, and Temple worship after the cross, many of them decades later. Each one is a problem for the claim that the Law died with Him.
  1. No. 158

    Luke 23:56

    “rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.”

    The issueThe women rested on the Sabbath after His death, and Luke calls it the commandment, written decades later.

  2. No. 159

    Acts 1:12

    “a sabbath day's journey.”

    The issueLuke measures distance by the Sabbath after the ascension, showing the Sabbath still framed daily life.

  3. No. 160

    Acts 2:1

    “when the day of Shavuot was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.”

    The issueThe Spirit was poured out on a feast day the disciples were keeping, the first great event of the assembly.

  4. No. 161

    Acts 3:1

    “Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.”

    The issueThe apostles keep the Temple hour of prayer after the resurrection.

  5. No. 162

    Acts 5:32

    “the holy spirit, whom God hath given to them that obey him.”

    The issueThe Spirit is given to the obedient, which matches Ezekiel 36:27.

  6. No. 163

    Acts 6:13

    “This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law.”

    The issueThe charge that Stephen spoke against the Law came from false witnesses, so teaching against the Law was a false accusation.

  7. No. 164

    Acts 7:38

    “who received the lively oracles to give unto us.”

    The issueStephen calls the Law living oracles, given to be passed on.

  8. No. 165

    Acts 7:53

    “Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.”

    The issueStephen's charge is that Israel did not keep the Law, not that they kept it too well.

  9. No. 166

    Acts 10:14

    “I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.”

    The issueYears after the cross Peter has never eaten unclean food, and he later explains the vision was about men (Acts 10:28).

  10. No. 167

    Acts 10:28

    “God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.”

    The issuePeter interprets his own vision as being about Gentile people, not about pork and shellfish.

  11. No. 168

    Acts 13:14

    “went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.”

    The issuePaul's mission begins with Sabbath assembly.

  12. No. 169

    Acts 13:15

    “after the reading of the law and the prophets.”

    The issueThe Law is read every Sabbath in the assemblies Paul visits.

  13. No. 170

    Acts 13:42

    “the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.”

    The issueGentiles ask to hear the gospel the next Sabbath, not the next Sunday.

  14. No. 171

    Acts 13:44

    “the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.”

    The issueA whole Gentile city gathers on the Sabbath to hear Paul.

  15. No. 172

    Acts 16:13

    “on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made.”

    The issueWhere there was no synagogue, Paul still sought out the Sabbath place of prayer.

  16. No. 173

    Acts 17:2

    “Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them.”

    The issueSabbath was Paul's manner, the same word used of Yahushua's custom in Luke 4:16.

  17. No. 174

    Acts 18:4

    “he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.”

    The issuePaul spent every Sabbath for a year and a half teaching Jews and Greeks together.

  18. No. 175

    Acts 18:18

    “having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.”

    The issuePaul takes a Nazarite-style vow from Numbers 6 long after the cross.

  19. No. 176

    Acts 18:21

    “I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem.”

    The issuePaul says he must keep the coming feast; the phrase stands in the text behind the KJV, though the modern critical Greek editions omit it.

  20. No. 177

    Acts 20:6

    “we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread.”

    The issuePaul stays in Philippi through Hag HaMatzot, and Luke dates the journey by the feast.

  21. No. 178

    Acts 20:16

    “he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Shavuot.”

    The issuePaul hurries to be in Jerusalem for Shavuot about twenty-five years after the cross.

  22. No. 179

    Acts 21:20

    “how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law.”

    The issueThe believing assembly in Jerusalem is zealous for the Law, and the apostles commend it.

  23. No. 180

    Acts 21:24

    “thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.”

    The issuePaul's Temple offering is meant to prove he keeps the Law, and he goes through with it.

  24. No. 181

    Acts 21:26

    “to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.”

    The issuePaul joins in Temple purification and offerings after the cross, which he could not do if he taught the Law was finished.

  25. No. 182

    Acts 21:28

    “This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law.”

    The issueThe charge that Paul taught against the Law is again the accusation of his enemies, and it was false.

  26. No. 183

    Acts 22:12

    “Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews.”

    The issueThe disciple who baptized Paul is praised as devout according to the Law.

  27. No. 184

    Acts 23:3

    “sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?”

    The issuePaul appeals to the Law against his judge, treating it as in force.

  28. No. 185

    Acts 24:14

    “believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets.”

    The issuePaul testifies under oath that he believes all things written in the Law.

  29. No. 186

    Acts 25:8

    “Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all.”

    The issuePaul declares he has not offended against the Law in any way.

  30. No. 187

    Acts 27:9

    “because the fast was now already past.”

    The issueLuke dates the sea voyage by Yom Kippur, still on the believers' calendar.

  31. No. 188

    Acts 28:17

    “I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers.”

    The issueAt the end of Acts Paul still claims he has done nothing against the customs of the fathers.

  32. No. 189

    Acts 28:23

    “persuading them concerning Yahushua, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets.”

    The issuePaul preaches Yahushua out of the Law of Moses, so the Law is the foundation of his gospel.

  33. No. 190

    1 Corinthians 5:7-8

    “Messiah our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast … with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

    The issuePaul tells a Gentile assembly to keep the feast because the Lamb was sacrificed, not in spite of it.

  34. No. 191

    1 Corinthians 16:8

    “I will tarry at Ephesus until Shavuot.”

    The issuePaul plans his travel around Shavuot.

  35. No. 192

    Hebrews 4:9

    “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.”

    The issueThe word is sabbatismos, a Sabbath-keeping, and it remains for the people of Yahuah.

  36. No. 193

    Hebrews 4:11

    “Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.”

    The issueThe wilderness generation fell through disobedience, so the rest is entered by belief and walked by obedience.

  37. No. 194

    Hebrews 13:8

    “Yahushua Messiah the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

    The issueThe Messiah who kept the Law yesterday has not changed today.

Problem 9

It Empties the New Covenant of Its Content

The problemThe new covenant is the Law moved inward, not the Law removed. The same promise is quoted twice in Hebrews.
  1. No. 195

    Hebrews 8:10

    “I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts.”

    The issueHebrews quotes Jeremiah 31:33, and the laws written are Yahuah's own laws.

  2. No. 196

    Hebrews 10:16

    “I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.”

    The issueThe promise is repeated, so the new covenant's content is the Law, now internal.

Problem 10

It Removes the Law Before Heaven and Earth Pass

The problemThe last book shows the commandments, the ark of the covenant, and the song of Moses present at the close of the age. It also completes the timeline of Matthew 5:18: the Law stands until heaven and earth pass away, and that passing is recorded only here.
  1. No. 197

    Revelation 2:14

    “to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.”

    The issueThe Messiah rebukes Pergamos for breaking the very Acts 15 laws taken from Leviticus.

  2. No. 198

    Revelation 2:20

    “to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.”

    The issueThyatira is rebuked for the same breaches, so Torah standards judge the assemblies.

  3. No. 199

    Revelation 9:20-21

    “Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.”

    The issueThe unrepentant are judged for breaking the commandments, and idolatry heads the list.

  4. No. 200

    Revelation 11:19

    “there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament.”

    The issueThe ark held the tablets of the Ten Words, and it is seen in the heavenly temple.

  5. No. 201

    Revelation 12:17

    “make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Yahushua Messiah.”

    The issueThe dragon's war is against commandment-keepers who also hold the testimony, the blood and the bread together.

  6. No. 202

    Revelation 14:12

    “here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Yahushua.”

    The issueThe saints at the end keep the commandments and the belief of Yahushua together.

  7. No. 203

    Revelation 15:3

    “they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb.”

    The issueThe victors sing the song of Moses alongside the song of the Lamb, not instead of it.

  8. No. 204

    Revelation 20:11

    “from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away.”

    The issueThis is the passing of heaven and earth that Matthew 5:18 set as the Law's horizon, and it comes only at the final judgment.

  9. No. 205

    Revelation 21:1

    “the first heaven and the first earth were passed away.”

    The issueHeaven and earth pass here, so until this verse not one tittle has passed from the Law.

  10. No. 206

    Revelation 21:6

    “It is done.”

    The issueThe Greek gegonen marks the completion of all things, the “till all be fulfilled” of Matthew 5:18.

  11. No. 207

    Revelation 21:8

    “the fearful, and unbelieving … and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars.”

    The issueThe second death is assigned by the categories of the Ten Words.

  12. No. 208

    Revelation 21:27

    “there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth.”

    The issueDefilement still bars entry, so the clean and unclean distinction stands at the gates.

  13. No. 209

    Revelation 22:14

    “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life.”

    The issueCommandment-doers enter by the gates; the modern critical Greek editions read “wash their robes,” but the blessing on the obedient stands either way with Revelation 22:15.

  14. No. 210

    Revelation 22:15

    “without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.”

    The issueThose outside the city are the Law-breakers, so the Law decides who is in and who is out.

  15. No. 211

    Revelation 22:19

    “if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy.”

    The issueThe Bible closes with the same warning against taking away that guarded the Law in Deuteronomy 4:2.

Part Four

The Old Testament Witness

Old Testament verses are admitted only when they carry the Law past Moses, past the cross, or into the age to come. The question from the notebook stands over this whole part: why would Yah bring back the Torah in the last days if it had been voided?

Problem 11

It Cuts Short What Yahuah Called Everlasting

The problemOld Testament verses are admitted to this list only when they speak of the Law lasting beyond Moses, beyond the cross, or into the age to come. Each verse below attaches a time word to a statute: for ever, perpetual, everlasting, throughout your generations, or to a thousand generations. The problem for the abolitionist is simple: a statute Yahuah called everlasting cannot be given an expiration date by a later teacher.
  1. No. 212

    Genesis 26:5

    “Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

    The issueCommandments, statutes, and laws were being kept four hundred years before Sinai, so the Law did not begin with Moses and cannot be confined to his era.

  2. No. 213

    Exodus 12:14

    “ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.”

    The issuePesach is fixed as an ordinance for ever, with no clause ending it at the cross.

  3. No. 214

    Exodus 12:17

    “ye shall observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.”

    The issueHag HaMatzot carries the same everlasting language, and Paul still tells the assembly to keep it (1 Corinthians 5:8).

  4. No. 215

    Exodus 12:24

    “an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.”

    The issueThe ordinance passes from father to son for ever, so it was never designed to stop at one generation.

  5. No. 216

    Exodus 12:49

    “One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.”

    The issueThe stranger who joins Israel lives under the same Law, which removes the claim that Torah was for Jews and not for Gentile believers.

  6. No. 217

    Exodus 20:6

    “shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.”

    The issueLove and commandment-keeping are joined inside the Ten Words themselves, the same pairing Yahushua repeats in John 14:15.

  7. No. 218

    Exodus 31:16

    “keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.”

    The issueThe Sabbath is called a perpetual covenant, and a perpetual covenant does not lapse when a church council changes the calendar.

  8. No. 219

    Exodus 31:17

    “It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever.”

    The issueThe Sabbath is a sign for ever, and those grafted into Israel (Romans 11:17) inherit the sign along with the root.

  9. No. 220

    Leviticus 3:17

    “a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.”

    The issueThe ban on blood is perpetual, and the Jerusalem council repeats it to Gentile believers in Acts 15:20.

  10. No. 221

    Leviticus 16:31

    “a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.”

    The issueYom Kippur is a statute for ever, and Luke still marks its date in Acts 27:9 years after the cross.

  11. No. 222

    Leviticus 16:34

    “this shall be an everlasting statute unto you.”

    The issueThe Day of Atonement is called everlasting, which points to its fulfillment and continuation in the heavenly sanctuary rather than its cancellation.

  12. No. 223

    Leviticus 23:14

    “it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.”

    The issueBikkurim is a statute for ever in all dwellings, so it was never limited to the Temple or the land.

  13. No. 224

    Leviticus 23:21

    “it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.”

    The issueShavuot carries the same everlasting wording, and Paul hurries to Jerusalem to keep it in Acts 20:16.

  14. No. 225

    Leviticus 23:31

    “it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.”

    The issueYom Kippur is repeated as everlasting a second time, so the point cannot be dismissed as a single stray phrase.

  15. No. 226

    Leviticus 23:41

    “it shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.”

    The issueSukkot is a statute for ever, and Zechariah 14:16 shows the nations keeping it after the Day of Yahuah.

  16. No. 227

    Leviticus 24:8

    “Every sabbath he shall set it in order before Yahuah continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.”

    The issueThe Sabbath bread is tied to an everlasting covenant, linking the Sabbath to the bread of the commandments.

  17. No. 228

    Numbers 15:15

    “One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations.”

    The issueOne ordinance for Israelite and stranger alike, for ever, leaves no room for a separate lawless track for Gentiles.

  18. No. 229

    Numbers 15:39

    “that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of Yahuah, and do them.”

    The issueThe fringes were given throughout their generations as a reminder to do the commandments, not to admire them as history.

  19. No. 230

    Numbers 23:19

    “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent.”

    The issueA Lawgiver who does not change His mind does not issue an everlasting Law and then withdraw it.

  20. No. 231

    Deuteronomy 5:29

    “keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!”

    The issueYahuah's stated desire is commandment-keeping always and for ever, the opposite of a temporary arrangement.

  21. No. 232

    Deuteronomy 7:9

    “which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.”

    The issueA thousand generations reaches far past the cross, so the covenant of mercy to commandment-keepers is still running.

  22. No. 233

    Deuteronomy 12:28

    “Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever.”

    The issueThe blessing of obedience is promised to the children for ever, which assumes the words remain in force for them.

  23. No. 234

    Deuteronomy 29:29

    “those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

    The issueThe revealed Law belongs to the children for ever, and its stated purpose is doing, not merely remembering.

  24. No. 235

    Deuteronomy 30:6

    “Yahuah thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love Yahuah thy God.”

    The issueThe circumcised heart is promised in Torah itself, so the inward work of the Spirit is the Law's own plan, not its replacement.

  25. No. 236

    Deuteronomy 30:14

    “the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.”

    The issuePaul quotes this verse in Romans 10:8 as the word of belief he preaches, which means the gospel and the Law share the same nearness.

  26. No. 237

    1 Chronicles 16:15

    “Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.”

    The issueThe commanded word is set for a thousand generations, a span no reading of history has yet exhausted.

  27. No. 238

    Psalm 89:31-32

    “If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; Then will I visit their transgression with the rod.”

    The issueThis is spoken of David's seed, and the Messiah's household is still accountable to the statutes, not released from them.

  28. No. 239

    Psalm 105:8

    “He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.”

    The issueThe psalm repeats the thousand-generation span, so the commanded word outlasts every age of men.

  29. No. 240

    Psalm 111:7-8

    “all his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever.”

    The issueCommandments that stand fast for ever and ever cannot have fallen in the first century.

  30. No. 241

    Psalm 119:44

    “So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever.”

    The issueKeeping the Law is described as an everlasting activity, not a stage the believer outgrows.

  31. No. 242

    Psalm 119:89

    “For ever, O Yahuah, thy word is settled in heaven.”

    The issueThe word is settled in heaven, so no earthly council or pulpit can unsettle it.

  32. No. 243

    Psalm 119:142

    “Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.”

    The issueThe Law is called the truth, and Yahushua prays that His disciples be set apart by that truth in John 17:17.

  33. No. 244

    Psalm 119:152

    “thou hast founded them for ever.”

    The issueThe testimonies were founded for ever, which puts their foundation beneath every later covenant.

  34. No. 245

    Psalm 119:160

    “every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.”

    The issueEvery one of the judgments endures, not a selected moral nine with the rest discarded.

  35. No. 246

    Ecclesiastes 12:13

    “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

    The issueThe duty is assigned to man, not to Israel alone, which makes the commandments universal.

  36. No. 247

    Isaiah 40:8

    “the word of our God shall stand for ever.”

    The issuePeter quotes this verse in 1 Peter 1:25, applying the everlasting word to the believers he writes to.

  37. No. 248

    Malachi 3:6

    “For I am Yahuah, I change not.”

    The issueAn unchanging Yahuah does not reverse His own definition of sin from one covenant to the next.

Problem 12

It Voids What the Prophets Send Forth in the Last Days

The problemThese verses speak of the Law in the age of the Messiah, the last days, and the restored kingdom. If the Law had been voided at the cross, these prophecies would describe Yahuah bringing back the very thing He had removed.
  1. No. 249

    Isaiah 2:3

    “out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of Yahuah from Jerusalem.”

    The issueIn the last days the Law goes forth from Zion, so the last days are a time of Torah spreading, not Torah ending.

  2. No. 250

    Micah 4:2

    “the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of Yahuah from Jerusalem.”

    The issueMicah repeats Isaiah word for word, and the nations come up asking to walk in Yahuah's paths.

  3. No. 251

    Isaiah 8:16

    “Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.”

    The issueThe Law is sealed among the disciples, not taken away from them.

  4. No. 252

    Isaiah 42:4

    “the isles shall wait for his law.”

    The issueThe servant brings law to the Gentile coastlands, and Matthew 12:18-21 applies this passage to Yahushua.

  5. No. 253

    Isaiah 42:21

    “he will magnify the law, and make it honourable.”

    The issueThe Messiah's work is to magnify the Law, the opposite of abolishing it, which matches Matthew 5:17.

  6. No. 254

    Isaiah 51:4

    “a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.”

    The issueThe Law proceeds to the peoples as a light, the same light Paul says he carries to the Gentiles in Acts 13:47.

  7. No. 255

    Isaiah 51:7

    “the people in whose heart is my law.”

    The issueYahuah's people are defined by the Law in their hearts, the new covenant mark of Jeremiah 31:33.

  8. No. 256

    Isaiah 56:2

    “Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it.”

    The issueThe blessing on Sabbath-keeping is spoken in the same chapter that opens the house to foreigners.

  9. No. 257

    Isaiah 56:6

    “the sons of the stranger … every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant.”

    The issueGentiles joined to Yahuah are described as Sabbath-keepers, so the Sabbath is not a Jewish-only marker.

  10. No. 258

    Isaiah 56:7

    “mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.”

    The issueYahushua quotes this verse in Mark 11:17, and its context is foreigners keeping Sabbath and covenant.

  11. No. 259

    Isaiah 58:13

    “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight.”

    The issueYahuah calls the Sabbath His holy day and a delight, never a burden to be lifted.

  12. No. 260

    Isaiah 66:23

    “from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me.”

    The issueIn the new heavens and new earth all flesh keeps Sabbath and renewed moon, so the Sabbath is present at the very end.

  13. No. 261

    Jeremiah 6:16

    “Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein.”

    The issueThe prophet sends Israel back to the ancient paths, and the people's refusal is what brings judgment.

  14. No. 262

    Jeremiah 31:33

    “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts.”

    The issueThe new covenant moves the same Law inward; it does not write a different law or no law at all.

  15. No. 263

    Ezekiel 11:19-20

    “I will give them an heart of flesh: That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them.”

    The issueThe new heart is given for a purpose, and the purpose is walking in the statutes.

  16. No. 264

    Ezekiel 36:27

    “I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments.”

    The issueThe Spirit is given to cause obedience to the statutes, which makes a Spirit-led lawlessness impossible.

  17. No. 265

    Ezekiel 37:24

    “David my servant shall be king over them … they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes.”

    The issueUnder the Messianic King the people walk in the judgments and statutes, so His reign is a reign of Torah.

  18. No. 266

    Ezekiel 44:24

    “they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.”

    The issueIn Ezekiel's restored house the Sabbaths are still hallowed, which places them in the future, not the past.

  19. No. 267

    Ezekiel 46:3

    “the people of the land shall worship at the door of this gate before Yahuah in the sabbaths and in the new moons.”

    The issueSabbath and renewed-moon worship appear in the restored order, matching Isaiah 66:23.

  20. No. 268

    Zechariah 14:16

    “shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, Yahuah of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.”

    The issueAfter the Day of Yahuah the nations keep Sukkot year by year, so the feasts are still on the calendar at the end.

  21. No. 269

    Zechariah 14:19

    “the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.”

    The issueNations are punished for refusing Sukkot, which would be impossible if the feast had been abolished.

  22. No. 270

    Malachi 4:4

    “Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel.”

    The issueThe last charge of the Old Testament, given just before the forerunner of the Messiah, is to remember the Law of Moses.

Problem 13

It Does What the Prophets Warned Against

The problemThese verses expose the teachers and powers that alter, hide, or neglect the Law. They pair with Yahushua's woe on the lawyers in Luke 11:52 and with Daniel's little horn, who sets out to change times and law.
  1. No. 271

    Deuteronomy 4:2

    “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it.”

    The issueRemoving commandments is forbidden as plainly as adding them, and Revelation 22:19 closes the canon with the same warning.

  2. No. 272

    Proverbs 28:9

    “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.”

    The issueTurning from the Law corrupts even prayer, which shows that lawless worship is not acceptable worship.

  3. No. 273

    Isaiah 8:20

    “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”

    The issueEvery teacher is tested by the Law and the testimony, and the one who speaks against them has no light.

  4. No. 274

    Isaiah 24:5

    “they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.”

    The issueThe earth is judged for changing the ordinance, so changing the Law is listed as a cause of end-time judgment.

  5. No. 275

    Ezekiel 22:26

    “Her priests have violated my law … and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths.”

    The issueThe priests who hide the Sabbath are the forerunners of the lawyers who took away the key of knowledge (Luke 11:52).

  6. No. 276

    Daniel 7:25

    “think to change times and laws.”

    The issueChanging times and law is the work of the little horn, so the alteration of Sabbath and feast is a mark of the opposing power, not of Yahuah.

  7. No. 277

    Hosea 4:6

    “seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”

    The issueThe people perish for lack of knowledge, and the knowledge they lacked is named: the Law.

  8. No. 278

    Malachi 2:8

    “ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law.”

    The issueTeachers who cause people to stumble at the Law stand under Yahuah's rebuke, then and now.