Click or Tap Icons to Share! Thank you!

Authored By  :
Published On :
Last Updated :



Legalists. Personally, I have had enough of them. The truth of the matter is that it is a complete waste of one's time to even attempt to convince such people of anything. Trust me when I say that you should not hope to win an argument with the legalists. They will believe whatever they want to believe, and trying to convince them otherwise is really next to impossible. You can talk to legalists until you are blue in the face, and it will not make a bit of difference.

For example, consider the legalistic people who make it a habit of arguing over whether Christians should use the name "Jesus Christ" or "Yeshua Messiah", or perhaps some other derivative thereof. There are many variations I have seen on the web, particularly on the social networks. Similar to what Jesus said regarding His own legalistic Jewish enemies -- that is, the Scribes and the Pharisees -- such people are straining at a gnat, and swallowing a camel. They like to argue over every jot and tittle. Consider the following verse:

"Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel."


To be honest, in my view, debating over whether to use the name "Jesus Christ" or "Yeshua Messiah" is not really that much different from arguing over whether to use "Robert" or "Roberto". As many of you will already know, it is the same exact name, except in two different languages; English and Spanish. Should a guy named Robert take offense if he goes to Mexico, and everyone calls him Roberto? Whether we use Robert, Robbie, Bob or Rob, we all know that we are still talking about the same person. So why the silly debate?

So let's take a quick look at these two names which are used by different people when referring to our Savior. According to Thayer's Greek English Lexicon, the New Testament name of "Jesus" is actually the English transliteration of the Koine Greek name "Iesous". At the same time, "Iesous" is the Koine Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name "Yehowshuwa". As you can see, in Greek, the Hebrew "y" is sometimes exchanged for the letter "i". Likewise, in English, the Hebrew "y" is exchanged for the letter "j".

Another simple example is the English name "Lazarus". This name is transliterated from the Greek "Lazaros". In turn, the Greek "Lazaros" is a transliteration of the Hebrew "Elazar", which in the Old Testament of the KJV is written as "Eleazar".

But returning to the Lord's name, for those of you who may not be aware of it, three of these names -- that is, Jesus, Iesous and Yehowshuwa -- mean "Jehovah is salvation". If we remove the vowel points, "Jehovah" is the Tetragrammaton "YHWH", which some folks pronounce "Yahweh". In fact, the Hebrew "Yehowshuwa" is likewise translated into English as "Joshua" or "Jehoshua" as well.

As some of you will know, the word "Christ" is really not the Lord's last name. It is in fact derived from the Greek word "Christos", which means "anointed". So basically, the phrase "Jesus Christ" really means "Jesus, the Anointed One". As I point out in other articles, the reason why Jesus is referred to as the Anointed One, is because He was anointed with the Holy Spirit of His Father without measure, as we are told in the following verse by Jesus Himself:

"For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him."


In the Old Testament, the English word "Messiah" is used in place of "Christ". The word "Messiah" is derived from the Hebrew "mashiyach", which some people also spell "moshiach" or "mashiach". Regardless of which spelling is used, this Hebrew word likewise means "anointed", just like its Greek equivalent "Christos". So what we can plainly see then, is that regardless of whether we use the Hebrew phrase "Yeshua Messiah", or the Greek phrase "Iesous Christos", or even the English phrase "Jesus Christ", they all mean the very same thing, and they all refer to the very same Savior who we all know and love. It is just like the Robert, Rob, Bob example.

That is why I personally view the argument regarding which is the proper name to use when speaking of our Savior, as being both ridiculous, and a waste of time as well. It is legalism, and nothing less. It is foolish nitpicking, and straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel. Even worse, such legalistic debates more often than not accomplish something even worse. They sow discord amongst the brethren, which the Lord absolutely hates, as we can see by these Old Testament verses that are found in the Book of Proverbs:

"These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, AND HE THAT SOWETH DISCORD AMONG BRETHREN."


Actually, as I explain in the controversial series entitled "Welcome to Greater Israel, USA!", it is more than that. Arguing over whether to use Jesus Christ or Yeshua Messiah is just another attempt to Judaize our faith, and turn us all into legalistic, Old Testament Jews, which I for one am not the least bit interested in doing. How about you?

Let me make it clear that we are New Testament Christians who follow the pattern of the New Testament Church of the First Century, as it is outlined for us in the Gospels, in the Book of Acts, and in the Epistles. While it is obviously true that many of our beliefs stem from fulfilled prophecies which are found in the Old Testament -- which I in fact quote from quite extensively in my articles -- that still does not make of us Jews, or require that we use Jewish words and phrases, adopt Jewish customs and practices, observe the Sabbath and other Jewish feast days, or do any of the other things that certain legalistic Christian Judaizers and Zionists insist that we must do. Away with their legalistic yoke of bondage I say! As the Apostle Paul wrote in his strong rebuke to the Christian brethren of Galatia, and as Jesus likewise said:

"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free . . . If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."


"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,"


"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."


"And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:"


"But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?"


"Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all."


"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God."


Clearly then, we have been set free from the ceremonial laws and customs of the Old Testament period. We have been totally set free from the legalistic Jewish yoke of bondage through our faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, watch out for Jews and Christian Judaizers and Zionists who attempt to ensnare you therein again through their crafty words, and their dangerous twisting and perverting of the Scriptures. Don't believe them or their deceptions for one minute! Remain free in Christ!

Now, if you happen to know any of these legalistic Judaizers and Zionists, and if you feel so inclined, you can attempt to share the previous information with them. However, trust me when I say that they will not budge one single inch. They will try to convince you that you are wrong; either because of their pride, or simply because they want to impress you with how much they love the Jews and the nation of Israel. Some of them appear to be totally consumed by this goal of pleasing the Jews.

In the case of our Christian brethren who do this, while they probably don't even realize it, they are in fact brainwashed puppets who have become unwitting tools for, and mouthpieces of, the Zionist agenda. They are full of fear, because they have been tricked into believing that if they do not support Israel and the Jews, God will punish them. In fact, this lie and deception is so devilish, that they even believe that to fight against or not support the antichrist nation of Israel, is to fight against God Himself. How tragic!

As I informed one of my Facebook friends, these misguided Christian Zionists and Judaizers grasp at a few verses which are found in the pages of the Old Testament, and try to use them to support their wayward and weak position. Yet at the same time, they seem to totally ignore so many other verses in the Bible -- including in the New Testament, which is the blueprint for modern Christianity -- where God reveals His extreme displeasure with the unbelieving Jews; particularly after they rejected Christ, and began to persecute His First Century followers. Now, for those of my Christian brethren who are not honestly aware of these things, allow me to share with you what God's Word really says regarding the unbelieving, antichrist Jews:

"Ye [speaking to the Jewish leadership] are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."


"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves."


"In whom the god of this world [Satan] hath blinded the minds of them [the Jews] which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."


". . . Did ye [speaking to the unbelieving Jews] never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected [meaning the Jews rejecting Jesus], the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, [from the Jews] and given to a nation [God's new born-again Christian nation] bringing forth the fruits thereof. [meaning the fruits of true repentance]"


"But ye [meaning we Christians, since Peter was writing to the Christian brethren, and NOT to the unbelieving Jews] are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:"


"And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom [the Jews who falsely claim to be God's "Chosen People"] shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."


"I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan."


"Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee."


"Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son."


"And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world."


"For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist."


That is God's Word, my dear brethren. Those are not my words. I did not just invent them. They were both spoken and written by Jesus and the First Century Apostles regarding their very own unbelieving Jewish brethren. Now please explain something to me. If that is what Jesus and the founders of our Christian faith thought and believed regarding the unbelieving Jews who persecuted them -- please note that some of those verses are even found in the closing Books of the Bible, which indicates that it is their final thoughts regarding the matter -- how where and when did you arrive at the conclusion that God has changed His mind about those antichrist Jewish reprobates? Do you believe the words of your manipulators above God's Word?

If only you understood what gross spiritual blindness has in fact overtaken your life. Do you realize that the very same wicked people who you so vehemently and adamantly support, are the very same evil antichrists who are at this current time doing everything within their power to totally destroy your country from within? Do you know who controls American politics with their vast financial resources? Do you fathom that they likewise control and manipulate America's banking system, beginning with the Federal Reserve System itself? If America is at the financial breaking point, who do you think put her there? Do you understand who owns and operates some of the largest publishing houses in America, and is therefore responsible for pumping so much junk into American society?

Are you aware of who manipulates your thoughts and point of view on a daily basis through their ownership and control of major areas of the American mass media, including newspapers, magazines, television networks and stations, radio stations, etc.? You complain and complain about all of the immorality that comes out of Hollywood -- which I prefer to really call unHolywood -- but are you afraid to discuss exactly who is in control of Hollywood? You complain and worry about all of these things, but you are afraid to look into or discuss the "who"; that is, the actual names and faces of the people who control all of these different areas of American life. Why is this? Is it because they control you, and you are afraid of them? Is it because you just blindly follow your pastor who himself is likewise a tool and a puppet of militant Zionism?

For those of you who have become fascinated by -- or perhaps deceived would be a better word for it -- the idea of trying to discover if you have any Jewish or Hebrew roots, consider the truth of the following verses and be warned:

"Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? . . . There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."


"Neither give heed to fables and ENDLESS GENEALOGIES, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do."


"But avoid foolish questions, and GENEALOGIES, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain."


"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."


"But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."


"As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh."


"For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God."


"For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh."


As the previous verses clearly reveal, what we are -- or are not -- in the flesh makes absolutely no difference to God whatsoever. As Jesus clearly states, "the flesh profiteth nothing". Please also carefully notice how the Apostle Paul exposes the legalistic Jews by stating that the reason why they endeavored to pressure the Gentile Christian believers into performing circumcision, and observing other Jewish laws and customs was so "that they may glory in your flesh". You see, the Jews -- particularly the Zionist Jews -- and people like John Hagee and CUFI, want to brag about how they have converted you into a law-bound Old Testament Jew, who is once again trapped under the legalistic yoke of bondage. Will you let them do that to you? As the Apostle Paul asks in the previous verse set "having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?"

To reiterate, all that matters to God is whether or not we have been washed in and cleansed by the Blood of the Lamb. What we are in the flesh is meaningless; so please get over your futile fascination with trying to discover whether or not you have any Hebrew roots. It is simply a legalistic Zionist trap. It is walking in the flesh, and trying to make yourself feel good in the flesh, by trying to establish a physical, fleshly connection to the Jews. Who cares? God most certainly doesn't.

If you think that I am just inventing these things regarding Jewish control of America; or if you are of the opinion that I am just deceived; then I again ask you to please read the series "Welcome to Greater Israel, USA!" from the beginning to the very end -- please don't just skim through it -- and learn the truth for yourself. It is time for you to wake up!

As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, personally, I am totally fed up with such legalistic people. In fact, as some of you will already know, I keep them at arms length on my Facebook timeline; that is, if I even let them in the door in the first place. If they start up with their legalism on my timeline, and persist after a few warnings from me, they quickly find themselves being escorted to the door, and they are blocked. I keep very busy here with the Lord's Work, and I honestly do not have the time to deal with such legalistic nonsense. I am not about to come down from the wall of God's service in order to waste my time arguing and debating with them over matters which are not that important. Allow me to also refer you to the article "Should Christians Engage in Doctrinal Debates?".

In fact, as I mention in the aforementioned series, and also note in one of my timeline graphics, it irks me when these pro-Israel CUFI -- John Hagee's Christians United For Israel organization -- parrots visit my timeline and greet me with the typical Jewish greeting of "Shalom". Excuse me, but you really do not need to prove to me how much you love the Jews. There is really no need for you to try to impress me with how pro-Israel you are. Quite frankly I really don't care. If you wish to act Jewish, then please do it on your own timeline, and not on mine. Thank you. Let me also add that the phrase "God bless you" has served me fine as a Christian greeting for the past forty-six years. That being the case, please use it when you visit my timeline, and not "Shalom", because I am not Jewish. I am a New Testament Christian who strives to follow the pattern of the First Century Church.

Furthermore, being as I am an American citizen -- and not an Israeli citizen -- and thus grew up reading, speaking and writing the English language, and reading the Holy Bible in the English language, if you decide to post comments on my timeline, please have the courtesy and the respect to use the name "Jesus", and not "Yeshua" or some other Hebrew variation thereof. Thank you very much. Again, you do not need to try to impress me by demonstrating how pro-Israel you are.

In conclusion, if any of my Facebook friends are offended by my previous comments, then do us both a favor. Please do not post comments on my timeline. In fact, if you really feel so inclined, you are welcome to unfriend me as well. Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Normally, I would offer my customary closing remarks. However, I imagine that a certain number of my friends and readers may not find this particular article to be a blessing or an inspiration in their lives, despite the fact that it does state the truth.

For those of you who have enjoyed reading this article, and who have perhaps even been liberated by what I have stated herein, please consider sharing its URL with your online friends. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would also appreciate if you would take the time to click on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you have found it informative, enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

Are Christians Obligated to Keep the Sabbath?
God of Peace, God of War
Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas?
Is God a Racist?
Once Upon a Time: A True Story
Should Christians Engage in Doctrinal Debates?
The Fruits of Disobedience
The Royal Law: Thou Shalt Love!
Welcome to Greater Israel, USA!

Click or Tap Icons to Share! Thank you!

---

---

Please avail yourself of other areas of the Bill's Bible Basics website. There are many treasures for you to discover.