The necessity to be in obedience to the will of our Eloah, whose name is Yahuwah, in order to fellowship with Him and His saints is shown throughout the Scriptures, both in the Ibriy (Hebrew) and the Greek portions. Yahuwah demands obedience, period. Under the dispensation of the New Testament, the obedience is required to be from the heart, in the spirit of His law, as contrasted to the requirement of obedience to the letter of the law in the era of the Law of Mosheh (from the giving of that law at Mount Siynay [Sinai] to the shedding of the blood of Yahushua). For those who would have this fellowship, some of the requirements of obedience, with related scripture, are shown below. This list is not to be considered all inclusive, nor is it intended to be. There are too many things that the child of Yahuwah will come across on a daily basis that touch on obedience to the will of Yahuwah for anyone to make a complete list of them. But, the true child of Yahuwah will recognize them as he sees them, and do the thing that our Eloah expects him to willingly and with joy to the Sovereign.
Believe that Yahushuha is the Anointed (haMashiach or the Christ), and that He was killed and buried, and then resurrected by the power of the Father to be King of Kings and Master of Masters. -- Yahuchanan (John) 6:29, 20:31; Rhomaios (Romans) 4:24, 10:9
Repent. Literally change your mind about the way you have been living, and begin to live for Yahuwah. Quit thinking and acting on things of the world, and start acting and thinking on things of the kingdom of Yahuwah. -- Acts 2:38
Be immmersed in the name of Yahushua for the remission of sins. When you believe and repent, your old man of sin dies. To complete the conversion, the old man of sin is then buried and left in the grave of immersion. This is where you will meet the blood of Yahushua that washes those sins (the old man of sin) away, and you rise up spiritually reborn (resurrected) in His likeness. -- Markos (Mark) 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; Rhomaios 6:3-11; 1 Keph (Peter) 3:21
When you do the above, in obedience to the commandments of Yahushua, you are added to His body, the assembly, (which you cannot of your own volition join) by the Sovereign, and become qualified to partake of the fellowship of the saints. To retain that qualification, you must continue in obedience to the commandments of Yahuwah. Although you are now and forever more a member of the assembly, His body, that does not guarantee your entry into the paradise of Yahuwah. If you are willfully disobedient, He will blot your name out of the book of life, and you will suffer the second death at the judgment with the other sinners of this world. As you are human and imperfect, you cannot help but to sin. Just don't sin knowingly and with intent. Those unintentional sins are relieved by confession (to Yahuwah), repentance, and prayer (to Yahuwah the Father in the name of Yahushua) for forgiveness. -- Acts 2:47; Yahuchanan 14:15; 1 Yahuchanan 1:7-10; Revelation 3:5
Being in obedience includes but is not limited to the following areas.
You will worship ONLY Yahuwah our Father, and you will worship Him in spirit and in truth. All of the things that have been worshipped by you in the past will be recognized for the things they are, and no longer be worshipped. Things such as clothes, cars, money, etc. can become idols that are worshipped just as surely as something that is carved out of wood or stone. Praying to and worshipping so called relics and icons, which are used by certain "churches", along with statues of their saints, are forms of idolatry that we must be alert to in order to avoid falling into the same trap ourselves. -- Shemot (Exodus) 20:3-6; Yahuchanan 4:23-24
You will cease to use expletives that infringe on the name of our Sovereign. Using His name in vain does not necessarily mean using it as a curse word. It also means using it in any context that does not bring praise to Him and honor that name. Never ever use His name in any way that does not bring honor to it. Don't say things like, "Oh my God!" or "Thank God!" in relief unless you are really thanking Yahuwah for providing that relief. Remember too that "God" is a title of a pagan god and MUST NOT be used as a name or title of our Creator. This is the One who holds our very being in His hand. This is the One by whom all things consist. Honor and respect Him with the honor and respect with which He is due by using His correct name. -- Shemot 20:7
You will remember the shabbath of Yahuwah and keep it clean as He has commanded. This day starts at sundown on the day modern man calls by the pagan name of Friday and continues to sundown on the next day, called by the pagan name Saturday (day of the pagan god Saturn). It is the seventh day of the week. This is the day that Yahuwah sanctified and hallowed at creation. He has commanded the seventh day to be perpetually hallowed. It is the Sovereign's Day. He has never changed His mind about which day is His day of rest. -- B'ereshiyth (Genesis) 2:2-3; Shemot 20:8-11; 31:16; Daniye'l (Daniel) 7:25; MattiythYahuw (Matthew) 12:8; Markos 2:28; Loukas (Luke) 6:5
Honor your parents, even if you don't like them. Yahuwah assigned them to you for your upbringing and they deserve honor for that. -- Shemot 20:12
The taking of any human life through malice or intent is murder, and the shedding of innocent blood is not acceptable to Yahuwah. Be careful of the thoughts of your heart concerning your brother. If you hate your brother without cause, you are as guilty of murder as if you had actually killed him. -- Shemot 20:13; MattiythYahuw 5:21-24
Do not look at the opposite sex with lust in your heart. It is not an innocent pastime to do this, as some think. Remember that you are under the law of Grace. This law, unlike that which the Ibriy were under, called the Law of Mosheh, requires that you obey in the spirit of the law, and not the letter only. Yahuwah said do not fornicate or commit adultery. He means don't even think about it. -- Shemot 20:14; MattiythYahuw 5:27-28; Revelation 21:8
Do not take anything that does not belong to you. If you discover that you have inadvertently come into the possession of someone else's property, return it to them immediately. If you do otherwise, like it or not, you qualify for the name of thief. -- Shemot 20:15; 1 Korinthios (Corinthians) 6:9; Ephesios (Ephesians) 4:28
Never tell another lie. Even those of the "little white lie" variety. A "little white lie" is just as disagreeable in the sight of Yahuwah as a major prevarication. There are no such things as small sins. It is either sin, or it is not. If you do sin, Yahuwah turns His face from you until such time as you repent, turn from that sin, and ask Him for forgiveness. Don't tell your children to tell a caller that you're not home, or some other lie designed to keep you from having to deal with the caller. Just be up front. Talk to the person yourself, and if you don't want to discuss what they want to discuss, tell them so, yourself. To do anything else is to bear false witness and to be a liar. -- Shemot 20:16; Revelation 21:8
Be content with what Yahuwah has provided you. Do not worry about what the Jones' have and definitely do not attempt to keep up with them. If you covet what other people have, you are inferring that Yahuwah is not gracious enough to give you what you need. Remember that Yahuwah comes first. When you put him first, He will add to you all that you need in this world. Be satisfied with it. -- Shemot 20:17; MattiythYahuw 6:25-34
Pay your legitimate taxes to the governments of the nation. Do not cheat on your income tax. It is okay to legally avoid taxes, but it is never okay to illegally evade any. Even though Rome laid some ridiculous taxes on the Yahudiy (Jews), Yahushua paid what was due without complaint. We cannot do less. -- MattiythYahuw 17:24-27
Obey the traffic laws of our nation. No speeding, rolling stop signs, running red lights, etc. You must obey all of the laws of man that do not conflict with the commandments of Yahuwah, for this is what Yahuwah wants of us. If we cannot obey a minor human traffic law, how can we expect to obey the laws of Yahuwah? -- 1 Keph 2:13
Do not drink alcoholic beverages to excess. It is okay to have a couple of beers with the boys or during a football game, or whenever else you may want some. It is okay to have a drink now and then as long as you don't do it to excess. Drunkenness is a condition that will keep you from the kingdom of Yahuwah. -- Loukas 21:34; 1 Korinthios 5:11, 6:9-10; Galates (Galatians) 5:19-21; Ephesios 5:18
If you smoke or otherwise use tobacco products, or any other narcotic not prescribed by a legitimate doctor of medicine, cease immediately. Your body is the temple of Yahuwah, and He does not look kindly upon you defiling His temple with poisonous substances such as the tars and nicotine found in tobacco and the substances found in other controlled substances. Tobacco and other drugs have their uses, but internal consumption to cause a "high" or to support a physical or psychological habit is not one of them. Pray sincerely for the Set Apart Spirit to assist you in overcoming that habit and that habit will be overcome. -- 1 Korinthios 3:16-17
Do not eat to excess. This is just as bad as drinking alcohol to excess. As a matter of fact, doing just about anything to excess is sin to Yahuwah. Almost all things are okay in moderation. Nothing is okay in excess. -- Proverbs 23:21
If you make a promise to someone, keep it. No matter how small or insignificant the promise may be, or how insignificant and unimportant you may think the promisee is, you as the promissor have pledged your word as a child of Yahuwah to perform that promise. You must maintain behavior that will bring honor and praise to Yahuwah and not bring discredit upon Him by bringing it upon yourself. Yahuwah always performs what He promises, and we must do our best to do the same. -- 1 Kings 8:56; 1 Keph 2:11-12
If you harbor any racial biases, give them up. There are no races or other ethnic groups in the brotherhood of Yahushua. We are all one. Yahuwah is not a respecter of persons, so how can we be? -- Rhomaios 2:10; Galates 3:26-29; Ephesios 6:9; Kolossaesus 3:25; Ya'aqob (James) 2:1-4, 9; 1 Keph 1:17
Do not swear to or take an oath about anything. If you are required by the laws of man to testify in a court of law, you tell the judge that you are a child of Yahuwah and therefore must tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. You have no choice in the matter. Also tell him that because you are a child of Yahuwah you can not and will not swear to that or anything else. The very book that is used in many courtrooms to swear on contains the admonition to not swear at all. Also, the very One who says don't swear is often called upon by those who are doing exactly that when they say during the oath, "so help me God." Swearing means to take an oath. The same holds true in any action where you are asked to take an oath, including notarizing documents. Just don't do it. It is sin. -- MattiythYahuw 5:33-37; Ya'aqob 5:12
If you are a practicing homosexual, you must give it up immediately and completely. The Sovereign sees this as an aberration and an abomination, and those who are such will be excluded from fellowship with the saints and His kingdom. Abusers and defilers of themselves with mankind (arsenokoites) in the Scripture refers to homosexuals. If you know or have friends or family who are practicing homosexuals, you must tell them of this, and if they refuse to repent and be converted, you must separate yourself from them. -- 1 Korinthios 6:9; 1 Timotheos (Timothy) 1:10; 2 Thessalonikeos (Thessalonians) 3:6
These are some of the immediate things that should be on your mind as a child of Yahuwah as you walk in the ways and obey the will of Yahuwah. As you study His word and grow in grace, other things not mentioned here will begin to become apparent to you also. Not to worry. He said His yoke is light, and therefore it is. But you must read and understand His word FOR YOURSELF if this is going to happen. Also, if you are going to understand the Scripture you must learn how to rightly divide it. (Sha'uwl [Paul] told us this in 2 Timotheos 2:15.)
2 Timotheos 2:15 Be diligent to show yourself approved to Yahuwah, a workman that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Some people like to think that the last part of this verse should be rendered as "correctly handling the word of truth," but it doesn't say that in the Greek, so therefore it shouldn't say that in the English! A literal translation of the Greek words found there is "correctly cut a straight line through the thoughts of verity" (meaning the Scripture), which "rightly dividing the word of truth" expresses very well
Part of this right division is understanding that Yahuwah has used two systems of law with his children and these two systems have definite starting and stopping points in the Scripture. (He's had more systems than this, but only the last two forms of His law are the ones with which we are concerned.) These two systems are the Law of Mosheh (Moses) (Old or first Testament) and the Law of Grace (New or second Testament). The Law of Mosheh was given to Mosheh for the Yisra'eliym at Siynay (Sinai) during the exodus and became of force when Mosheh sprinkled the people and the book of the law with the blood of bulls and goats (Shemot 24:8, Ibriym (Hebrews) 9:18-21). It was in force until Yahushua sprinkled our hearts with His own blood and placed the Law of Grace (New Testament) into force. Read the entire ninth chapter of Ibriym for an excellent explanation of this eternal fact. (Pay particular attention to verses eleven through eighteen.)
As you know, the four gospels all tell the story of Yahushua's life and ministry up to and including His death, burial, and resurrection. It was at His death, when His blood was shed, that the Law of Mosheh was superseded and the Law of Grace came into effect. Instantaneously one stopped and the other started. Because we know when He died, we know when the change in the law occurred, so therefore we know that the events recorded in all four of the gospels were in the times under the dispensation of the Law of Mosheh until Yahushua's death. We also know that all four gospels were telling everybody about the coming of the kingdom of Yahuwah. Yahushua said time and again that in order for anyone to be a partaker of the kingdom, they had to believe and obey Him. Once He had died, the New Testament was in force and the law of Mosheh was no more. It had been fulfilled as He said He would do.
Many people think that the Law of Mosheh starts with the Ten Words (Commandments). This is just not true. Mosheh, speaking of the law that was to bear his name, said in Dabariym (Deuteronomy) 29:1 that, "These are the words of the covenant which Yahuwah commanded Mosheh to make with the children of Yisra'el in the land of Mow'ab in addition to the covenant which he made with them in Choreb."
Note that Mosheh said that these words of the law, which bears his name, are in addition to the words that Yahuwah had given them personally in Choreb. The words He gave them personally are found in Shemot 20:2-17 and are erroneously called the Ten Commandments. These "commandments" are what this article is based upon, and in some cases state one of these "commandments" directly.
Another division is made up of the formation of the assembly and the growth and maintenance of the assembly. Once we have the information in the gospels, we understand and have reason to believe that Yahushua is the Son of Yahuwah. The book of The Acts of the Delegates then tells us what was done and is to be done with that information, or HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE BODY OF Yahushua, His assembly. It also tells the history and formation of His assembly starting from the day of its Grand Opening, which was the day of Pentecost after His resurrection. All of the books after that are epistles (letters) except the book of Revelation. All of these epistles, from Romans to Yahudah (Jude), are to those WHO ARE ALREADY IN THE BODY OF THE ANOINTED. They do NOT tell you how to GET there, but how to STAY there and grow.
The book of Revelation (apocalypse in Greek) is the revealing, or revelation, of Yahushua the Anointed to the Delegate Yahuchanan about things past, present, and future. It directly tells what had happened to the assembly, what is happening to the assembly, and what is going to happen to the assembly. It also tells much, much more, especially about what is to befall those who refuse to believe and obey.
So there you have it. How to become a child of Yahuwah, and how to grow in grace once you are a child of Yahuwah. What is presented here is the very basic information that you need to get started. Now it is up to you to obey, learn, and grow. Remember that it is incumbent upon you to read and study for yourself the word of Yahuwah. Check out everything, including and especially what I have written here. Believe no one, until you have confirmed what they have said to be true by comparison with the Scripture. Man can be an excellent source of information, but he can also be and usually is a source of disinformation, so check it out.
RNV Yechezq'el (Ezekiel) 33:11-16 Say to them, 'I live!' says the Sovereign Yahuwah, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, house of Yisra'el?' 12 And you, son of man, say to the sons of your people, 'The righteousness of the righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression. And the wickedness of the wicked, he will not fall because of it in the day that he turns from his wrong nor will the righteous be able to live in the day that he sins.' 13 In My saying to the righteous that he will surely live and he trusts in his own righteousness and does unrighteousness, none of his righteousness will be remembered and because of the unrighteousness that he has done, he will die. 14 And in My saying to the wicked, 'You will surely die,' and he turns from his sin and does justice and righteousness, 15 the wicked returns the pledge, gives back what he has stolen, goes in the statutes of life, does not do unrighteousness, he will surely live. He will not die. 16 None of his sins that he has committed will be remembered against him. He has done justice and righteousness. He will surely live.
C.F. Castleberry
http://www.considerthis.net
buck@considerthis.net