What? The First Testament calls God merciful? Many believe the gnostic teaching that grace didn’t even enter into the world until the New Testament. But didn’t God so love the world (the world before the New Testament was ever written) that He gave the Messiah to be crucified even before the very foundation of the world? The emphasis of mercy and grace in the Hebrew Tenach (also called the Old Testament), is demonstrated in verses such as Nehemiah 9:31
“Even so, in Your great compassion, You didn’t completely destroy them, nor did You abandon them, for You are a compassionate and merciful God.”
It is also seen in Psalms 119:156
“Great is your compassion, Adonai, in keeping with your rulings, revive me.”
While Christianity boasts of salvation obtained by grace it often teaches that the Hebrew Scriptures were harsh and held no grace.
But Deuteronomy 7:9 says,
“Therefore, know the Lord your God. He is God. The faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for 1000 generations with those who love Him and keep his commandments.”
A generation is considered to be in some cases 70 years. 1000 generations times 70 years would equate to 70,000 years of faithfulness to all those who love Him and obey His commandments.” What are those commandments? They are the commandments of Torah. The commandments that Yeshua walked out perfectly in his very life. Yeshua IS the Torah of God in the flesh. And even Yeshua said,
“If you love me, you will KEEP MY commandments” John 14:15.
Christians hear the Word of the Lord!! -If you love Him you, you obey His commandments – not to be saved but because you’re saved! You do it as a response to His goodness – as an act of self-sacrifice. He gave His life! We give Him our hearts – that is our faithfulness, our obedience. Yeshua’s blood satisfied our need for atonement. What beauty! What grace! How must I respond?
Biblical Christianity is realizing the need for TORAH in our lives to demonstrate the workings of grace in our hearts and by the same token,
Biblical Judaism is realizing the need of MESSIAH to change the heart so Torah may be implemented perfectly in grace.
Recently, I was visiting with an Israeli Messianic believer. She informed me that in the past few months GOD, Himself, has been revealing the Messiah to Jews in Israel and numerous Israelis are coming to faith in Yeshua. So, He is actively removing spiritual blindness!
Yeshua was the living, breathing, walking and living Torah. The Word of God made flesh! When we receive Him in our hearts Torah is then written and alive in our hearts and we also become walking and living Torahs, guided by His Spirit. A new creation! So may we, Christians, also receive this glorious understanding as blindness to Torah is taken away.
God has been and always will be a God that shows grace to those who love him and obey Him and walk according to His ways. What an awesome time to be alive and witness Him supernaturally moving in the Earth.
