Controversy Corner
Articles on topics that are widely debated in Christianity, Judaism, Hebrew Roots / Messianic and more!
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It has been taught in churches for hundreds of years that all men are equal in the eyes of The Creator. "God loves everyone equally. He loves sinners, and only hates sin," they say. But is that concept true? It is a bit of a trick question. The answer is both yes and no.
There seems to be a fine line within the Torah Observant community regarding how Scripture defines proper leadership. On the one hand, we find the example that the Christian Church has followed for centuries: pastor / priest / minister, elders / bishops, and deacons. On the other hand, we also sometimes see a chaotic mess of no leadership at all, where no one knows what's going on or what to do. Surely we know that YHWH is an El of Order, is He not? It is true, proper leadership is always necessary in our lives. As Believers, it is our responsibility to recognize the authority that YHWH has placed in our lives. As children we obey and submit to our parents. In school we answer to our teacher(s). Once we come of age and begin working in a career, we then answer to our boss. All throughout life, we seem to find a certain structure. To be sure, YHWH designed this structure. Children are commanded to honor and obey their parents (Exo. 20:12; Eph. 6:1). Servants are commanded to obey their masters (Eph. 6:5-8; 1 Tim. 6:2). Surely with all the many examples we have we can find the proper way to structure our weekly gatherings, right? If the Assembly is the Body of Messiah, there MUST be instructions on how to conduct ourselves, right? That is what we're going to look at in this study. As always, we'll consider a logical approach in light of a number of Scriptures. We'll look at the example given to us through Moses, Joshua, and Saul, as well as the words of Yeshua and Paul. You may be surprised by what we'll uncover.  This is the fourth and final part of the series "Yeshua: The Right Hand." If you have not read part 1, part 2, and part 3, please go back and read those first. This final article will examine the relationship of the Holy Spirit (Ruach Ha'Qodesh) and serve to sum up what we have looked at in the three previous parts.  This is part 3 of a series on the relationship between Yeshua and YHWH Almighty. If you have not read part 1 and part 2 already, please do so first, as they fully explain the content that will be presented here. Previously, we established the following things: · Yeshua is Elohim ("God") · Yeshua existed prior to Creation · Yeshua was born of a virgin We have also looked at other things, but if you've already read parts 1 and 2 you know that. Now we'll look at the most important piece of the puzzle: the relationship between Yeshua and YHWH our Father.  This is part 2 of a series on the relationship between Yeshua and YHWH Almighty. If you have not read part 1, please click here to do so. In this part we will examine two massively controversial issues: the preexistence and the virgin birth. I know that many books have been written that address the "proofs" of both sides. Though this writing may simply fall among their ranks, I hope it offers some insight and, Yah willing, some clarity.  I have avoided writing on the Topic of the "divinity of Messiah" for some time now. Regardless of which side I stand on, there will be those that disagree. However, I like to think that no matter which side one takes on this issue, we should all have the same goal: to learn truth, and discard error. So with that, I will attempt to explain from Scripture my position regarding Messiah Yeshua, the issue of whether or not He pre-existed, and His relationship to the Father (and the Holy Spirit). This writing, which will be split into three parts, will seek to answer (in a somewhat brief form, given the size of the topic) three main questions regarding Yeshua, and one secondary question regarding Miryam (Mary) His mother: 1. Is Messiah Yeshua "divine" (or put another way, is He "God")? 2. Did Yeshua exist prior to being born as a child to Miryam? 3. What is Yeshua's relationship to The Father (trinity, binity, oneness or whatever else there is out there). 4. (Secondary question to go with question #2): Was He really "born of a virgin"?  |
AuthorJ. A. Brown Archives
August 2015
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