Core of the Bible

When it comes to understanding who Yeshua is, we need to exercise care with a lot of time-honored Christian tradition that has built up over the centuries to see if we can peel back some of these layers of orthodoxy to reveal what the Bible actually says about this individual who has come  to be known as Jesus Christ. God’s anointed ones or messiahs have been numerous and characteristically fulfil...

One of the primary features of Jewish culture revolves around the reciting of what is known as the Shema. The Shema is based on a very familiar passage to most believers. Deuteronomy 6:4-5 "Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one! "You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." The Shema has been the primary defining statement of the He...

What is torah? Torah is instruction. Torah is also known as the law of God. Anytime God commands or gives direction to something or someone, torah exists. I believe torah is through every fiber of the Bible, from the first page of Genesis all the way through the Revelation; yes, even into the New Testament. The word torah itself simply means instruction or direction. It comes from a Hebrew root wo...

If I was to make a declaratory statement about my own views regarding the Bible, it would be something like this: I believe that complete message of the Bible points to the faithfulness of God with his people Israel, culminating in the person and ministry of the Lord Yeshua. Through God's holy Spirit and his Word, the Bible, God desires to lead people to faith in Yeshua and to guide them in a life...

In this podcast, I have come to realize that in order to continue to build on the core biblical principles, I'll have to begin delving into areas of historical doctrine and show not only how those core principles apply, but also reveal a more detailed rendering of my own personal, biblical worldview. As ancient Christianity was trying to understand itself, its writings, and its beliefs, there were...

Proverbs 23:26 - O my son, give me your heart. Let your eyes observe my ways . Throughout the Proverbs, Solomon is writing in the context of conveying all of this information and instruction to his child. As a parent wants to instill their children with all of the right information they can, he continually reminds his son to maintain what is right in the face of surrounding adversity. Proverbs 4:2...

Today we will be looking at the core Bible principle of integrity, and how, it is only when we understand what God’s perspective is that we can know what’s truly right and what’s wrong. Deuteronomy 12:28 – Observe and hear all these words which I command you , that it may go well with you, and with your children after you forever, when you do that which is good and right in the eyes of Yahweh your...

Exodus 20:16 - You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. As I have mentioned many times before, when God set the Hebrew people apart as a people for himself, he provided them a basic set of community rules, the Ten Commandments, to maintain order within their new society. I believe these rules were the baseline of God's expectations for all humans that would become evident in the con...

1 Peter 3:8-9 - Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other in brotherly love. Be compassionate, and keep a humble attitude.  Do not give back evil for evil or insult for insult but, on the contrary, give blessings, since you were called for this, so that you may inherit a blessing. For us to be truly compassionate with others, we should be operating from a base of harmon...

Isaiah 55:7 – Let wicked people abandon their ways . Let evil people abandon their thoughts . Let them return to Yahweh , and he will show compassion to them. Let them return to our God, because he will freely forgive them. The problem that arises in our modern context is that most people, even bad people, do not consider themselves as bad people. They justify themselves in their actions based on...

In our study today, we will be reviewing how the teachings of both Yeshua and Paul can provide detailed actions that can help us to pattern our lives after the faithful lives of the early believers. In the Sermon on the Mount, Yeshua taught two ways that anxiety in life, caused by focusing on worldly needs, can be overcome. The first way is to recognize spiritual priorities. Matthew 6:31-33 – “The...

2 Timothy 2:22 - Flee from youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Paul was encouraging Timothy to stick to these basics of Kingdom living to ensure he would remain separated from falsehood. To pursue righteousness, Paul argues, one needed only to focus on faith, love and peace with all, especially those within the commu...

Exodus 19:5 – “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant , then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples…” In this passage, God made it clear that those who obey him by keeping his covenant would be his people. The word we translate as keep or to keep in English comes from the Hebrew root word shamar which at its most rudimentary level means to observe and...

Matthew 5:20 – “For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. What Yeshua was teaching the audience of his day was nothing new. God had continually put before the Israelites that the integrity of the actions they were to pursue and the decisions they made should have been coming should have been coming from a genu...

Within God’s Kingdom, the law of God provides the guide for all behaviors that God expects of his people. One of the primary boundaries of God’s law concerns security of individual belongings where stealing is prohibited. Interestingly, God’s solution for discouraging theft is its exact opposite: a type of forced generosity. Those who violate the law must give abundantly or they must give themselv...

Deuteronomy 15:7-8 - If there is a poor man among your brothers within any of the gates in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you, then you are not to harden your heart or shut your hand from your poor brother. Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him whatever he needs. The concept of giving to those in need is evident all through the biblical writings. Traditionally, thi...

Luke 6:43-45 – For there is no good tree that brings forth rotten fruit; nor again a rotten tree that brings forth good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people don’t gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings...

It is important to note that Hezekiah removed the worship sites known as "the high places." These were ancient worship sites that had been used by the Canaanites long before Israel inhabited the land. Especially before there was a temple in Israel, and sometimes after, it was a common practice to worship gods, including Yahweh, in areas on high mountains that were considered sacred. But Hezekiah w...

2 Corinthians 7:1 – Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God. What promises is he referring to? 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 – And what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, as God said: I will dwell and walk am...

Colossians 3:1-3 - If then you were raised together with Messiah, seek the things that are above, where Messiah is, seated on the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Messiah in God. It seems that Paul was basing this concept of seeking the things that are above on the same principles that...

Genesis 6:9 - This is the account of Noah and his descendants. Noah was a righteous man; he was blameless in his generation. He walked habitually with God. From this description of Noah, we can begin to paint a portrait of what type of person pleases God. Noah was righteous, blameless, and walked with God as a way of life. By looking at each of these characteristics, we can draw some application f...

Matthew 5:21-22 - “You have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, ‘You shall not murder;’ and ‘Whoever shall murder shall be in danger of the judgment.’ But I tell you, that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment; and whoever shall say to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council; and whoever shall say, ‘You fool!’ shall be in d...

Luke 6:35-36 - …he is kind toward the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, even as your Father is also merciful. In our English Bibles, sometimes verses that express compassion will mention mercy or kindness; sometimes compassion is equated with forgiveness. However it is expressed, we are commanded by Yeshua to be like God in regard to his mercy and compassion. God’s compassion has been ev...

Our words are important, and in this day of instant and voluminous communication, there are numberless words spent daily in the vast sea of our digital culture. Not all of that communication is helpful, and much of it is downright hurtful. However, as believers, all of our words should be a blessing to others. 1 Peter 3:9 – Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult...

Philippians 4:6-7 – Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Trust in God is not an abdication of all responsible action; it is a recognition of power or skill beyond you...