Month: August 2021

What do You Mean… Works the Law?
By
James Scott Trimm

Often when I share with Christians that the Torah is everlasting, for all generations, they respond by saying, “But we are not saved by “works of the law.”

The phrase “works of the law” (which is sometimes rendered “deeds of the law” in the KJV) appears only nine times in the New Testament and only in Paul’s writings:

Therefore by the deeds of the law
there shall no flesh be justified in his sight:
for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
(Rom. 3:20 KJV)

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith
without the deeds of the law.
(Rom. 3:28 KJV)

Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith,
but as it were by the works of the law.
For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;
(Rom. 9:32 KJV)

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law,
but by the faith of Jesus Christ,
even we have believed in Jesus Christ,
that we might be justified by the faith of Christ,
and not by the works of the law:
for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
(Gal. 2:16 KJV)

This only would I learn of you,
Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law,
or by the hearing of faith?
(Gal. 3:2 KJV)

He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit,
and worketh miracles among you,
doeth he it by the works of the law,
or by the hearing of faith?
(Gal. 3:5 KJV)

For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse:
for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not
in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
(Gal. 3:10 KJV)

(In Gal. 3:10 the Aramaic has “works because of the law” rather than “works of the law”.)

This phrase, “works of the law”, is best understood through its usage in Gal. 2:16. Here Paul writes:

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law,
but by the faith of Jesus Christ,
even we have believed in Jesus Christ,
that we might be justified by the faith of Christ,
and not by the works of the law:
for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
(Gal. 2:16 KJV)

If we consider this passage carefully we can see that Paul uses this phrase to describe a false method of justification which is diametrically opposed to “faith in the Messiah”. To Paul “works of the law” is not an obsolete Old Testament system, but a heresy that has never been true.

The term “works of the Torah” has shown up as a technical theological term used in a document in the Dead Sea Scrolls called MMT which says:

Now we have written to you some of the
works of the law, those which we determined
would be beneficial for you…
And it will be reckoned to you as righteousness,
in that you have done what is right and good before Him…
(4QMMT (4Q394-399) Section C lines 26b-31)

And that this is an amazing inverse literary parallel to Gal. 2:16; 3:6:

This heretical doctrine laid out in MMT is based on twenty-four purity regulations about which the Essenes held a stricter halacha than their Pharisaic counterparts, and which they believed would be reckoned to them as righteousness. Apparently Paul’s opponent takes “righteousness/justification” in this passage of MMT to mean “salvation”. Paul however argues that it is faith in Messiah and not these “works of the law” by which we are saved:

When Paul speaks out against “works of the law” it is like a Baptist preacher speaking out against “Latter Day Saints”, he does not mean the words according to their literal meaning, he has nothing against “Saints” who live in the “Latter Days” he is using the Mormon’s theological technical term to refer to their theology.

There can be no doubt that Paul sees “works of the law” as categorically bad, yet Paul calls the Torah itself “holy, just and good” (Rom. 7:12), certainly Paul does not use these phrases to refer to the Torah itself as obsolete, but to a heresy, a false theology that was never true.

Well it has finally happened. A generous donation in June helped us catch up and has kept us out of the actual red until today.  However, donations in July have been very low, and our high electric bill was high (due to Texas heat wave) We must now raise at least $350 by the end of the day today, or the account will plunge into the negative, starting a cascade of returned items and fees!

I want to thank all of you supporting this work. I literally could not do it without you!

This work takes hours of my time. As many of you know, my wife is very ill, and I spend most of my time at home as her caretaker. I work at a desk less than six feet from her bed. So I am in a position to dedicate many hours to this important work that I have been directed to do.

But I also realize that it is not the activity of James Trimm alone who is responsible to do this work, it is all of us together who are charged with the responsibility of accomplishing this work. I very much look on the efforts of this restoration work as a cooperative one with each one of you. We are all joint heirs with Messiah and should always be about our Father’s business. I am honored to be able to be partnered with truth seekers as this restoration of Scripture moves forward in fulfillment of prophecy.

Donations can be sent by Paypal to donations@wnae.org

Or click HERE to donate

As many of you know, my old friend Rabbi Robert O. Miller passed away on July 17th 2021. Rabbi Miller served as Rabbi of Agudat Bris congregation in Temple Texas from 1996 until 2014. Rob and I knew each other online already, but when we met in person at the Knowing YHWH Conference in Florida in 2004 we quickly became very close friends. As it turned out, Rob lived in Temple, Texas, just about two hours from my home.

As we visited in person, we found out we had a lot in common. We were both comic book, sci-fic Fantasy nerds. We even discovered (Rob was about 8 years older than me) that one of Rob’s first job’s had been working at a shoe store about two blocks from the house where I grew up, and where we usually bought my shoes! No doubt we had met in the mid seventies, when he was a young man, and I was a child, and never realized it!

So starting in 2004 and until 2014, Rob and I were the best of friends. When my wife and I went thru a rough patch in 2006, it was Rob who counseled us and saved our marriage (which is now over 31 years old). Rob would come visit, always bringing gifts for my kids, he was like an uncle to them. During those ten years, I would occasionally drive down to Temple to visit Rob, and some time’s Agudat Bris, and occasionally he would drive up to DFW and visit us. Often Rob would drive up to DFW and the two of us would go hit the used book stores looking for interesting theology books, and also make the rounds at the comic book shops (Rob collected Green Hornet and Flash Gordon comics).

Somewhere along the way, I was entrusted with a back-up of Rob’s computer hard drive. The hard drive contains over 750 files, mostly articles Rob wrote between 1999 and 2011. (the earliest and latest file dates). During the years that Rabbi Miller taught at Agudat Bris, he would write his “sermon” as an article, usually with a graphic at the top, to print out and hand out to the attendees at the door. There are literally hundreds of these “articles” on the hard drive. In fact one of them was the guest blog I shared a few days ago by Rabbi Miller Restoring the Feast of Yeshua. It is my intent to share some of these articles as guest blogs from time to time. Perhaps I will find a permenant home for them on the internet at some point.

During his life time, Rob published two books: The Majority Revelation and Spiritual warfare: Equipping Gideyon’s End-time Army (both are on the hard drive in manuscript form).

But Rob had originally intended to publish more books. Two other completed books are on the hard drive, books Rob never got around to publishing. One is titled The Unlikely Kingdom and the other is Mä’eshay HäSheliychiym (A Commentary to the Acts of the Apostles).

One of the files lists two other books Rob had intended to publish: Hebrews, An Inconvenient Book and The Mystery Scroll of Enoch. File folders with incomplete work on each of those two books is on the hard drive. From the content, these appear to be intended as commentaries to Hebrews and the Book of Enoch.

Rob had told me he was working on a Commentary on the Book of Enoch as early as 2004. We even discussed writing it together, but that never happened. From the contents of this folder, Rob struggled with this book and eventually must have given up. There are several files of rewrites of the Introduction and the Commentary on the Book of Watchers section. He also had some preliminary work on the Book of Parables section and the book of Dream Visions section, and on Chapter 101 of the Epistle of Enoch.

Now Rob is gone, and I must consider what to do with this unpublished and unfinished material with which I was once entrusted. I cannot help but feel some obligation here. This is virtually all that is left of my old friend. I keep asking myself, should I just move on, or do I have some personal obligation to complete Rob’s legacy and release some of this material in some form?

I would appreciate any feedback. You can post it here, or privately by email to cleartruth “at” yahoo.com

Render Unto Caesar
By
James Scott Trimm

We often hear the phrase “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s” presented as Yeshua’s revelation on taxation, sometimes shortened to “Render unto Caesar.” But is this phrase, in context, Yeshua’s revelation on taxation, or is it in context, something else?

All three synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) present the account in which a group of Pharisees and Herodians ask Yeshua if it is lawful to “pay taxes to Caesar” (Matthew 22:15-22; Mark 12:13-17 and Luke 20:20-26). The following is the account given by Matthew (but they are all very similar):

15 Then went the P’rushim, and took counsel together concerning this saying.
16 And they sent to Him their talmidim, with the servants of Herod, saying, Rabbi, we know that you are a sincere man, and teach the way of Elohim, in truth, and are not influenced by any man: for you regard not the face of man.
17 Tell us therefore, how seems it to you? Is it right to give tribute to Caesar, or not?
18 But Yeshua knew the evil in their hearts, and said to them: You hypocrites! Why tempt you Me?
19 Show Me a coin of the tribute: and they brought to him a coin.
20 And He said to them: Whose is the likeness and this inscription?
21 And they answered Him and said, Caesar’s. Then said He to them: Give therefore to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to Elohim the things that are Elohim’s.
22 And when they heard it, they were amazed, and left Him, and withdrew.
(Matthew 22:15-22 HRV)

These questioners were attempting to put Yeshua between a rock and a hard place. If he says it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, then he will have said that it is lawful to finance the atrocities of the Roman Empire. But if he says it is not lawful, then they will have him arrested for sedition.

But Yeshua was above all of that, and would allow his hand to be forced.

The key word here is “likeness” or “image” (Hebrew: צלם; Aramaic: צלמא; Greek: eikona).  To the Torah observant Jew this term immediately evokes Ex. 20:4 & Deut. 4:16-17 which forbids graven images.  Both the Aramaic Peshitta and the Aramaic Targum have צלמא for “image” in Ex. 20:4 & Deut. 4:16-17.  By using this specific word Yeshua was plainly stating to any Torah Observant Jew that the coins in question were idols of Caesar forbidden by Torah.  

“Caesar” refers to “Augustus Caesar”. His real name was Gaius Octavius and he was the grandnephew of Julius Caesar. Since Julius Caesar had legally adopted Octavius as his son, Octavius took the name “Caesar” from Julius.  In later years “Caesar” became a name almost equivalent to “emperor.” “Augustus” is a Latin term that means “worthy of reverence.”  Certainly an “image” (צלמא) of  Augustus “worthy of reverence” Caesar was nothing short of an idol.

No Torah Observant Jew would even want to be in possession of such an item.  Yeshua was effectively saying “you’re the ones who own these idols and your asking me if it is permitted for you to give them back to Caesar?”  Of course you should, what are you doing carrying these idols around in the first place?  However Yeshua had carefully chosen this word so that the challengers could not accuse him of sedition without placing the Torah itself at odds with Roman Law (something they would certainly not be willing to do).

“Render unto Caesar” is not Yeshua’s revelation on taxation, instead it was his revelation on idolatry!

We cannot say what Yeshua’s revelation on taxation might have been. Had he addressed the topic, perhaps he might have said “taxation is theft!”

As many of you know, we were called out of town unexpectedly about three weeks ago for a family emergency. We expect to head home on Tuesday morning. However finances are tight. Up until Thursday, we had not received a single donation all week. Thankfully we have since received a few donations that will help a lot. Thank you to those who donated so far, you were lifesavers. The electric bill is past due, rent is due today and we still need funds to make the trip back home. This has been a terrible time for a “donation drought”. If you can help us out, please donate by Paypal to donations@wnae.org

I want to thank all of you supporting this work. I literally could not do it without you!

This work takes hours of my time. As many of you know, my wife is very ill, and I spend most of my time at home as her caretaker. I work at a desk less than six feet from her bed. So I am in a position to dedicate many hours to this important work that I have been directed to do.

But I also realize that it is not the activity of James Trimm alone who is responsible to do this work, it is all of us together who are charged with the responsibility of accomplishing this work. I very much look on the efforts of this restoration work as a cooperative one with each one of you. We are all joint heirs with Messiah and should always be about our Father’s business. I am honored to be able to be partnered with truth seekers as this restoration of Scripture moves forward in fulfillment of prophecy.

Donations can be sent by Paypal to donations@wnae.org.

or click here