Hebrew Roots

In Romans 6-8, Paul makes an appeal to a variety of different forms of “law”. However, because these terms are entirely absent in the New Testament with the exception of this one epistle to the Romans, proper handling of this writing in order to arrive at the correct interpretation has proven difficult given that a variety of interpretations have developed over time. In chapters 6-8 of Romans, Paul includes three terms which seem to be of his own devising: Law of the mind Law of sin or Law of sin and death Law of the Spirit In Romans 7, Paul begins by addressing his Jewish audience and directing attention to the Torah, specifically it’s rulings regarding marriage and adultery. When husband and wife enter into a marriage contract, the Torah is said to hang “over” the two, as a spiritual standard acting as a witness against them should one or the other decide to transgress the terms of the marriage. The marriage contract only lasts for as long as both are living: “Do you not kn...

Hebrews 8:7-13: For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no mor...

Judaism teaches that there is not a just man upon earth who does not sin: "He said to him, 'Indeed you have taught us, our master, for there is not a just man upon earth, who does good and does not sin'" (Talmud, Sanhedrin 100B) Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would not be able to stand against God's judgement: "If the Holy One, blessed be he, had entered into judgement with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, they would not have been able to stand against the reproof" (Talmud, Arach 17A) Since man will always fall short of God's standard, Chesed (Mercy/Grace) was an important principle in early Judaism. Simeon the Righteous was of the remnants of the Great Assembly. He used to say, “On three things the world stands: On the Torah, On the Ministry, and on Chesidim (Acts of Mercy/Grace).” (m.Avot 1:2) The sages of the Mishnah ruled that the world is judged by Chesed: “All is foreseen, but freedom of choice is given; and the world is judged by grace ...

The New Covenant must be examined in light of the succession of Covenants that set the foundation for its arrival. When the all too familiar passages of Jeremiah 31:31, Ezekiel 11:19 and Ezekiel 36:26-27 are read in isolation from the context of their respective chapters, we feel we have a solid grasp of what it represents. Jeremiah 31:31-34 is frequently reviewed because a reference is made in the book of Hebrews. After the narrative makes its strategic inclusion of a few declarative statements found in Jeremiah, it moves on, leaving behind the context of Jeremiah 31 as a whole. When the context is restored and entire chapters are read, elements completely foreign to our paradigm begin to surface. A consistent theme can be identified, appearing throughout the text in every chapter making reference to the New Covenant. While the Book of Hebrews has done well to reveal the spiritual insights behind the changes introduced by the New Covenant, unfortunately it has set a precedent for co...