Most places in the Bible where the word "law" is used, typically is the Hebrew word "Torah". When reading the New Testament (Apostolic Writings), Westerners typically read law with a negative connotation. Unfortunately, this is due to a paradigm that has influenced the Church in a negative way. The first Believers never considered Torah (Teaching) as bad, but good. (1Timothy 1:8 But we know that the law (nomos in greek, Torah in Hebrew) is good, if a man uses it lawfully or legitimately.) The Pharisees did not use it legitimately, but added "traditions" to it which were never in the written Word. These Jesus taught against, never against the Torah or Law of God. (See Matthew 5:17-24). I wonder what He would say today if He walked into a Christian church and heard of all the "traditions" that are not in the written Word that people are condemned against. Hmmmm.
Anway, The Hebrew word Torah is defined as "Teaching" and comes from the word Yarah which literally means "to point at" or the idea of guiding an arrow to the mark or bulls eye. In other words, Torah (Teaching) means to "hit the mark". It is also interesting to point out that the word sin, in hebrew katah, means to "miss the mark". So, can it be true that it is bad to "hit the mark"? God forbid! Can it be true that it is good to "miss the mark"? Again, God forbid! 1 John 3:4 says, "Whoever commits sin transgresses the law, for sin is the transgression of the law (Torah/nomos). So, if we call the law bad, and not keeping the law good, then we are saying "hitting the mark" is bad and "missing the mark" is good. Wow! God forbid! Yes indeed, the paradigm that exists in today's Western Christianity is scary. Somewhere it is written, "In those days they shall call good evil, and evil good." If we were discussing the laws of our nation or state or locality with someone who didn't want to keep them, they would consider those laws in a negative light, in spite of the fact the laws were put into place to protect the individuals and the society. The same holds true with the Biblical (God's) Law. Those who don't want to keep it consider it in a negative light even though it is there to protect and guide the individual and society at large. Indeed, Paul when teaching Timothy was correct when stating the Law (Torah, or Teaching) is good. We should believe him and not those in today's times who, as Peter said 2,000 years ago, 2Pe_3:16 "as also in all his letters, speaking in them concerning these matters, in which some are hard to understand, which those who are untaught and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do also the other Scriptures." It is that simple. Torah is good, teaching how to hit the mark is good. Missing the mark is bad, sin is missing the mark. What is the mark? It is God's law
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