The Salvation Series
Scriptural Salvation
by haRold Smith
a citizen of the Commonwealth (Ephesians 2:19)
And YaHoVeH said, "My Presence will go with you, and
I will give you rest." Exodus 33:14
"For thus says YaHoVeH, the Holy One of Israel:
In returning and rest you shall be saved." Isaiah 30:15
"Lead me in your Truth and teach me,
for you are the Elohim of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long." Psalm 25:5
What is "salvation"? What does it mean to "be saved"? Most think they know what these words mean because of what they have heard from someone they knew and trusted. But, how many of us have actually researched the words from the Hebraic perspective they were written in? Words mean things and, if we are to build our faith upon a firm foundation we need to know for ourselves what these words say and mean - not what
traditional religion (click on highlighted words to view content)
would tell us they mean. If we are to truly understand what the authors of these words were trying to convey we need to constantly be reminded that ALL of the books contained in what we call the Bible were written by Hebrews out of a Hebraic mindset influenced by their Hebrew culture that contained a unique Hebrew perspective that was presented to, primarily, a Hebrew audience who understood the nuances of the Hebrew language. These men were not writing thesis' to some future audience but were primarily addressing their contemporary Hebrew brethren. So, when we look at the words used for "saved", "salvation" or "deliverance" - they need to be approached from the same perspective as the men who wrote them and their perspective was influenced by the verses from above (among others) which say it is in the Presence of YaHoVeH by which we find rest and are saved and that, besides YaHoVeH, there is no other savior.
WHAT? I thought "being saved" meant having "eternal life" from being "born again"
by my acceptance of "Jesus Christ" as my personal Lord and Savior!!
While that is the proper mantra according to the popular Christian religious tradition - the words of scripture tell us something quite different. To begin with, there is no scripture telling people to accept "Jesus" as their personal savior so they can "go to heaven". Scripture does not designate "heaven" as a place but, rather, as a higher
state of being
If you believe Yeshua came so that we would
worship Him
then you are relying on the
tradition of men
- not the words of scripture. All of these Hebrew authors of the Messianic Writings (re-named the NT) knew that there was only ONE
Elohim
(not three in one).
Yeshua came as the Messiah,
the Kinsman Redeemer
of Israel - not another "god of mankind" to worship.
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"...but at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of
God our Savior..." Titus 1:3
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This text leads to a rather perplexing theological problem. Christians are taught that Paul was under the command of Yeshua the Messiah and that his authority came from the Anointed One. Therefore, the teaching goes that it is "Jesus" who saves. What can Paul possibly mean when he clearly says that our God (that is, YaHoVeH) is the Savior? He certainly makes a distinction between "our God" and the Messiah in
verse one.
He does not say that the Messiah saves us or that the Messiah is our God. He uses the Greek
theos,
a word never attributed to Yeshua in scripture. In fact, there can be no doubt whatsoever that theos is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew El and Elohim, the One true God of Israel, used hundreds of times in the apostolic writings and the Septuagint (the Greek text translated as the Engligh "Old Testament"). So, when Paul defines his authority with regard to the proclamation of
the good news of the Kingdom
and the role of the Messiah, he uses the phrase
sotare'
theos.
It is properly translated as two genitive nouns. The first is our Savior. The second, even though it is in the final position in the Greek sentence, is also a genitive (possessive) modifying the noun soteros. Therefore, it is "of God," and the whole phrase is "of God our Savior." The text clearly states that Paul's authority comes from a command
(epitage)
of God our Savior. Now, if Paul's preaching is all about the news of the Messiah, if all he wishes to know is the power of the resurrection - wouldn't you expect him to claim that his authority rests on the sacrificial work of Yeshua? Then why would Paul, of all people, defer to an authority fully contained in the Tanakh (re-named OT) - absolutely in concert with the one God proclaimed by Moses?
If Paul was given his commission by Yeshua following his blindness on the Damascus road, then why would Paul suggest that it was YaHoVeH who commanded him? And here is where it gets perplexing - some interpreters have drawn the conclusion that Yeshua must be YaHoVeH and that's why Paul can use the two interchangeably. But, this is not the case found in the writings of the apostle. Paul never uses
theos
of Yeshua nor christos
of YaHoVeH - Paul does not interchange the Greek terms. But he certainly recognizes two different roles, doesn't he? How in the world can he do this if he really thinks that Yeshua and YaHoVeH are the same being in essence and existence? Perhaps Paul is not aware of Christian
Trinitarian
theology because he clearly views his authority originating with the God of Israel. This means that we should find what we need to know about the God who saves in the Tanakh, the same scriptures Paul had. We should find what we need to know about Yeshua the Messiah in the same scriptures - that was the point of the conversation on the road to Emmaus.
Where confusion has set in is over the use of the English phrase "God" or "Lord" appearing in modern bibles that have replaced the name
YaHoVeH
which appears
over 6500 times
in scripture but not once does it show up in any of our modern translations. The scripture quoted from
Isaiah 43:11
above is the actual reading of the Hebrew text without the English replacement phrase. Why would that be except there is a
deliberate agenda
at work to expunge the very Name by which we are to be saved? Replacement Theology is more insidious than simply "hating Hebrews".
Replacement Theology
is the attempt to purge the Roman religion called "Christianity" from the Hebraic nature of the scriptures in order to set up "Jesus Christ" as a new god to worship. However, any focus on the Son as the object of worship would have been immediately rejected by any Hebrew of the day - even Yeshua as we shall see. Except for
Thomas' single declaration,
we always find the Hebrew Messiah, Yeshua, pointing us to His Hebrew Father for everything - and that single declaration by a disciple does not override all other scripture stating otherwise. In fact, just three verses later in verse 31, John clarifies the reason for including this encounter when he writes, "BUT these which have been recorded are here so that you may trust that Yeshua is the Messiah, the SON of YaHoVeH, and that by this trust you may have Life because of who He is." The reason that
John 20:28
has caused confusion is because Yeshua never asked his disciples to address Him as "God". Note verse 17 which is just 10 verses earlier where Yeshua tells the disciples that His Father was their Father and His God is their God. So He just stated that His God was also Thomas' God. What Thomas is revealing is that he understood what Yeshua had taught, which is that if you have seen Yeshua you have seen the Father for He and YaHoVeH are
echad.
He was not calling Yeshua "God" for Yeshua was a Hebrew and quoted the Shema in
Mark 12:29.
Thomas realized that Yeshua was the "Door" that would allow him to see YaHoVeH. Yeshua was the Son and
manifested
the Nature of His Father. Thomas is clearly saying that it is through Yeshua he has seen the Father. In fact, every book in the newer Messianic Writings all contain a distinction between the Father and the Son in their opening salutations. Yeshua never says to worship Him but, rather,
to worship
the Father, to pray
to the Father, to ask the Father in His Name.
His statements that the only
good One is YaHoVeH,
the only One to serve is YaHoVeH
and that YaHoVeH is greater
than Yeshua resonate with His understanding of Who is Salvation - YaHoVeH. Yeshua is
always
positioned in scripture in relation to the Father, not the other way around. Yeshua never claims credit for Himself but follows the path of the obedient servant - not the victorious king.
"If you have seen Me…"
presupposes an understanding of the work and love of YaHoVeH. What if, in following the pronoun usage, the
all-too-familiar text
should actually be translated, "YaHoVeH as the Giver is the One we must believe"? Notice in the original construction of that verse that nowhere is there a premise of being "saved" to some ethereal place of bliss. The English translated word "perish" comes from the Greek word
apollymi
which means "put an end to ruin" that they may be experiencing Life now, in the
eternal Presence
of YaHoVeH. The question put to the Family of YaHoVeH during the Life of Yeshua was not, "do you believe Yeshua is a god?" but, rather, whether they would accept Yeshua as the promised Messiah of Israel sent to restore the Kingdom of YaHoVeH to that family.
If we are not careful, we will find ourselves worshipping our own
Nehushtan
- the conduit of Life fashioned out of the tradition-think that has been handed down to us instead of Life Himself. Let us, instead, look simply at what the words of scripture unfold before us. Yeshua gave Himself as
the Kinsman Redeemer
to YaHoVeH's family of Israel that the Father's Kingdom might be restored as it was in the beginning
(Luke 4:43).
Attempting to explain in purely "Christian" terms that have been separated from what these Hebrews (looking at their world from a Hebrew perspective) were referring to separates us from the
Root
of the family of Israel, causing us to lose our sense of bearing and end up elevating a mischaracterized Pauline Religion over the Words of
the One
we claim to follow. That religion, over the centuries, has become distorted and distant from what the words on the page actually tell us about the Essence, the Nature and Character of this One True Elohim of Israel. The fact that it is popular does not overrule the Truth of Who YaHoVeH says He is. The testimony of the Life of Yeshua IS the spirit of prophecy (the
spoken oracles
of YaHoVeH). Thus, His Words and Life are the benchmark by which we measure everything - including all other scripture
(Revelation 19:10b).
What this means is that if what we think is Truth is not found in His Life or Words, at the very least it should be held highly suspect until the Father grants us understanding - and Yeshua said that His Words were
not His
but the Words of His Father.
Understanding what constitutes the Nature of
the Present Presence
and then remaining in, residing or living in the Presence of YaHoVeH becomes our Salvation. We come into His Presence both in Spirit and in Truth - not forsaking one for the other
(1Samuel 15:22,
John 10:27-29,
John 4:24).
Scripture is merely a validation that what we are hearing spoken by His Spirit is truly of Him. Scripture has been given as an instruction manual to teach us of the Essence of the Father that we might clearly understand who we are hearing and then conform ourselves in such a manner as to remain in His Presence and find rest unto our soul by
learning of the Source of Life
found in the demonstration of that Life exhibited by Yeshua. That is our salvation. So, in light of this understanding, let us see what the words actually say concerning these traditions we have been taught about salvation, being saved and eternal life.
"You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know,
for
salvation is of the Hebrews." John 4:22
"And THIS IS ETERNAL LIFE -
that they know You,
the only true Elohim,
and Yeshua haMashiach whom You have sent." John 17:3
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...the Words of Life
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Did you notice in these two passages how Yeshua made a distinction between salvation and eternal life? Yeshua (which means
salvation
in Hebrew) made this distinction when He said that salvation comes from the family of YaHoVeH. The Greek text reads
ek ton 'Ioudaion,
literally "out of the Judeans" (a common idiom for Hebrews). The Greek word translated as the English word "salvation" is
soteria
and means "deliverance from molestation". Yeshua is saying to the Samaritan woman at the well that deliverance (salvation) comes out of the Hebrews - that salvation has its source and its existence out of YaHoVeH's relationship and involvement with His Hebrew family. It is to His People, His Hebrew family, that YaHoVeH has revealed His Essence, His Nature and Character. To no one else on the face of the planet, ever, has He said, "These are
My People."
This is why Yeshua, being Hebrew and keenly understanding this dynamic, was constantly pointing people back to the Father of this family. Just as a child growing up in a family, we learn what the Father expects by being involved with the other members of the family. What He expects was handed to His Family in the form of the Ten Words contained in the Torah. To become a member of His Family means to
keep His Words.
Our "salvation" comes from being in the Presence of YaHoVeH. When we remember that all of the books of the Book were written by Hebrews from a strictly Hebraic perspective influenced by Hebrew culture, we find there are only two categories of people contained in scripture - Hebrews and others. These others are called
Gentiles
- defined as those from other nations who worship gods other than the Holy One of Israel. The term "Gentile believer" is
oxymoronic
and does not exist in a Hebraic world view.
When a Gentile or foreigner (someone from outside the family, from another nation) becomes adopted or
grafted
into YaHoVeH's Hebrew family of Israel by observance of the standards set by the Father
(keeping the Sabbath,
etc., from the Ten Words),
it has always been the case that he is to be treated
no differently
from those naturally born into the family. When "saved" from a Gentile background, we are brought into YaHoVeH's family that maintains a higher standard of Life than the rest of the world with YaHoVeH as the Father. So, when a Gentile abandons the multiple gods of any society and "comes to faith" in YaHoVeH, the One True God of Israel, he is considered a Hebrew convert - and becomes "saved" through his relationship with YaHoVeH as Yeshua said in John 17:3 above. We are presented with the
opportunity
to become as He is and to grow, like a child in a family, in the knowledge of Who the Father is by "putting on" (wearing) the higher standard of the Life the elder brother (the Hebrew Messiah) presents to us
(Romans 13:14).
The Essence of YaHoVeH's Presence is revealed in the instructions He has given to His family. He has appointed His Son to show us how those instructions are to be lived out. Being brought up and fashioned into His Likeness is not an consequence of some verbalization but necessitates time in His Presence to understand Who this Presence is. An impartation of His Life into ours is not an instant osmosis but is the result of a deliberate choice of action on our part to embrace Who He has revealed Himself to BE - not who we want Him to be.
Yeshua said to have eternal life IS to know, to be intimate in relationship with, the One Who is the Source of Life and lives, abides in eternity. When does eternity begin? Right
NOW.
To be in the Present Presence of Life
right NOW IS eternal life. It is interesting to note that when asked the question, "...how do I obtain eternal life?" curiously, Yeshua pointed to the Ten Commandments contained in Torah. In the four places the gospels record His response to being asked directly how to obtain eternal life His response was the same - to keep the commandments given by Moses in the Torah. He even repeated them so there would be no misunderstanding as to which ones He was referring. How can that be if His purpose was to "do away" with the commandments of
the law
as has been drummed into us? Apparently, Yeshua thought there is something we must actually DO to conform ourselves to, in order to obtain, lay hold of this eternal life He spoke about. Could it be, could the correlation be made, that these things spoken of in the Ten Commandments are the things
of Spirit
- of Life? In other words, redemption means accepting the provision that the Elohim of Israel offers and joining His Kingdom - not dictating to Him who we think He ought to be. Salvation isn't going to be found anywhere else because salvation is out of the family of YaHoVeH. Salvation is being able to access His Presence through the manner given to that family. If I become a member of YaHoVeH's chosen people by adoptive naturalization, then I join a community that has been dealing with Him for thousands of years. My orientation toward life shifts toward the instructions YaHoVeH gives for His family. My paradigm moves. I delight in the difference it affords me because it is the difference the Source of Life directs. Now the whole God becomes my God, the whole Bible becomes my book because I am part of the family. My life is altered by my manner of behavior in embracing the manner of Life He has shown to me. The Torah becomes a "born again" way of life. I am "saved" into the family of Israel's Righteous One, no longer a
Gentile
- someone who worships other gods.
Yeshua said to have eternal life IS to know, to be intimate in relationship with, the One Who is the Source of Life and lives, abides in eternity. When does eternity begin? Right
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Scriptural Salvation - a discussion
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"Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?" And Yeshua said to him,
if you would enter life, keep the commandments.
The young man said to Him, "Which ones?" And Yeshua said, "You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother,and love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 19:16-19
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The Salvation Series
Part One: Scriptural Salvation
Part Two: To Be Saved
Part Three: To Be Born Again
Part Four: To Be Grafted In
Part Five: the Book Of Life
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???Questions???
Please feel free to email me at harold@hethathasanear.com.
While not claiming to have all
the answers, it would be an honor to partake with you of what Spirit is uncovering.
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