1Cor. 1:30: Text and notes in copyable format below.

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30 But by hi you are i Mẽssiah Yẽshua, who is becom wisdom to us from the Almĩghty, besides also justic, holiness, and redemptionⁿ” (MISB, 1Cor. 1:30).

 

(Link to MISB: http://www.torahtimes.org/NewTranslation/bibleframe.html)

 

 1. by him”, i.e. by means of Elohim—the Almighty; without Him we are able to do nothing (cf. John 15:5)

 

 2. The word in should not be overliteralized by English speakers that are not used to seeing the word used this way. No one says “I’m in the king”. The usage is peculiar to Hebrew and Greek. The typical reader will try to figure out what it means in the most basic sense of “inside of”, and then the sky is the limit as to what philosophies can be invented to explain how it is so. The truth is the word is used with a lot less restriction in Hebrew and Greek. It is therefore, necessary to understand it in the context of other scripture. In John 15:2,4,5,6,7, etc. Yeshua defines the phrase “in me”, which is the same as Paul’s third person reference “in Messiah”. Yeshua connects “in me” with remaining in him, with remaining in His love, and this is done by keeping his commandments (John 14:21, 15:10), which we are enabled to do by remaining in the vine. By remaining in the vine, then the life of the Almighty can flow to us—his holiness, his justice and righteousness, and redemption.

 

 3. Messiah “is become” these things in several ways. 1. Whereas before we did not know him as justice, righteousness, holiness, and redemption (personified), now we do. So in our eyes he is become these qualities externally. 2. But, Messiah is the source of these qualities, which means they can become our qualities. So “is become” will refer to the things of Messiah that we have already accepted into our own lives. 3. Paul does not say all that is Messiah’s is ontologically (really) ours yet, because the time is not right (cf. Gal. 5:5). That will come with time, and is completed in the age to come. So what is Messiah’s is “planned” or “intended” (מְחֻשָּׁבִים לָנוּ) for us. It is fulfilled through our obedience (cf. James 2:23), because we are choosing to remain (abide, stay) in his Word. I use the Hebrew root חָשַׁב here. It means 1. to account, reckon 2. consider, intend, plan. What is ours already is accounted. What we have not received yet, is planned or intended for us. The concept goes under the term “imputation”, which needs to be understood by the Hebrew term (the Greek will agree too), as we already have the imputation of his death, but the full imputation of his resurrection life must be waited for. Thus it means righteousness is planned and intended for us.

 

 a. In Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, “justice” is righteousenss, and righteousness is justice. In the Scriptural sense, righteousness is showing mercy to those who should receive it and not showing it to those who should not receive it. Justice is showing mercy or not showing it depending on the case. Righteousness is right treatment of others, and justice is morality and vice versa. Since the word צְדָקָה means so much, it is best to specify what Paul means here. First the justice of the Almighty (which is really pure mercy—not legalistic equity) on the cross when Yeshua paid the penalty “is become” ours (past tense). On the other hand we have only ontologically (in the real sense) received part of His righteousness. This is because we must learn to walk in faithfulness to his commandments. Therefore, in “is become” in our eyes, Yeshua is what we need, but we don’t have all of it now. Having it all requires enduring to the end (Mat. 24:13; Gal. 5:5). What we do have is the justice given in the payment of the penalty, and this remains ours if we continue in faithfulness.

 

 n. Catholics view “righteousness” as totally infused at baptism, so that the existence of sin in the converted is expiated in eternity—i.e. never existed (which is as pardoxically mystical as one can get). Protestants view Christ’s positive obedience to the law (his righteousness) as put on one side of the balance against sin to make everything equal by assuming it levels out. Thus it does not matter how much sin is on the balance or in the life of the sinner: it is either expiated (made to never exist) or balanced out (totally compensated for). This doctrine says that Jesus was righteous for you, so that you don’t have to be righteous. Several facts need to be pointed out. 1. the consequences of sin cannot be wholly compensated for or totally undone. 2. Yeshua paid the penalty, BUT the penalty was changed before he paid it, and everything else outright forgiven. The penalty was changed when the Almighty reduced it from eternal death to the temporary death of His Son as the substitute. 3. And this changed forgiving-penalty is avaiable for everyone, but is only allowed to those who are willing to repent. So we can only assume that the Catholic and Protestant doctrines were invented to keep people from seeking to be righteous, and to assure them that obedience is not required because God can either erase all the sin and its consequences or he can fairly pay for it all out of his own pocket. I have explained what true “imputation” is in the other notes on this text.

 

1Cor. 9:20-21: Text and notes in copyable format below.

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20 And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under tradition, as under tradition, [though not being myself under tradition¹], that I might win those who are under tradition; 21 to those who are without tradition, as without tradition, though not being without the Law of the Almĩghty but under the Law of Mẽssiah, that I might win those who are without tradition.” (MISB, 1Cor. 9:20-21).

 

(Link to MISB: http://www.torahtimes.org/NewTranslation/bibleframe.html)

 

 1. The Majority Text and Syriac Peshitta omit this phrase, along with a ca. 9th century corrector of Codex Bezae. Also L (8th century) and Ψ (10th century) omit the phrase, and 1881 (14th century). The text is supported by texts no earlier than the 4th century, so earlier discoveries could be a new factor. Whichever reading is correct, the Aramaic employs the word נמוסא in the rest of the verse, which is a loan word from the Greek νόμον. The Greek word was also loaned into Hebrew. Paul, of course, wrote to Greek speakers, and was later translated into Aramaic. This explains the Syriac borrowing of the word nomos, and also helps underscore the fact that Paul did not mean Torah. Nomos in Greek means “custom”; mouse over the word “tradition” and you will see the range of meaning. Paul was willing to follow tradition or no tradition so long as it did not conflict with the Law of Messiah—which is the same as Torah.

 

2. Link to lexical entries for nomos: http://www.torahtimes.org/Greek_database/greek_words_index.htm#nomos

 

3. Link to general article on nomos and other important words:

 

 http://www.torahtimes.org/NewTranslation/45_romans/romans_commentary02.html#keywords