Is the Law Written Upon Your Heart?

Brick Parrish 

July 2005

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith Yahweh; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them their Elohim, and they shall be to me a people: (Heb. 8:10, 10:16 )

You often hear this quoted in the churches to indicate that Christians are no longer obligated to keep the law. “We don't have to be bound by that harsh Old Testament law anymore because we're now under grace, not the law,” they say. But, is this true? Has there ever been a time in Israels history when they were not under grace? The short answer is, “Never.” Not one time was any Old Testament saint ever saved by works. All believers are saved by grace or they not saved at all. A list of “heroes of faith” who were saved by grace is given in Hebrews 11.

Since Hebrews 8:10 is a direct quotation from Jeremiah 31:33, let's look at it a little more closely.

Jer 31:31 See, the days are coming, declares Yahweh, when I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

:32 Not like the [Old] Covenant I made with their fathers[which was written on stone] in the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of Egypt; My [Old] Covenant they broke, although I was a Husband to them, declares Yahweh

:33 For this is the [New] Covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares Yahweh, I will put My Torah in their inward parts, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their Elohim, and they shall be My people.

First of all, the New Covenant is only with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Believers become a part of Israel by the in-grafting into the natural Olive Tree, which is Israel. (Romans 11:17) At the Exodus, some Egyptians became believers, and were part of the mixed multitude that followed Moses out of Egypt as part of the Israelite congregation. (Exodus 12:38.) The evidence of the OT and the NT is quite clear: Believers in Yahweh and His Son Yahshua become part of the Natural Olive Tree, which is Israel.

Secondly, believers ought rely more heavily on the Hebrew language rather than the Greek. “Salvation is of the Jews.” (John 4:22) “The Jews were entrusted with the oracles or the words of Yahweh.” (Romans 3:2) The New Covenant is with Judah and Israel. (Jeremiah 31:33) Yahshua is a Jew, the King of the Jews, the King of Israel, and Melech ha Olam- King of the Universe.

By examining Jeremiah 31 in the Hebrew, it is easily and clearly seen that Hebrews 8:10 was incorrectly translated by the Greek translators. As an aside, all Hebrew language Torahs throughout the world have been compared; and there are exactly 9 letters that differ among all the Torahs in the world. By contrast, there are over 5,000 various Greek fragments that comprise the NT; and there are over 20,000 variances among the 5,000 fragments, including the omission of whole words, phrases and sentences.

Thirdly, the Torah written on stone was a “marriage covenant” between Yahweh and His bride, Israel. According to Jeremiah 31, the “New”Covenant is simply the “Old” Marriage Covenant written now on the hearts of believers [rather than on “hearts of stone”]. That the “New Covenant” is also a marriage covenant is emphasized in Jer. 31:34 “... they shall all know Me... !” The Hebrew word translated as “know” is yiddah.... which is quite different from the Greek word for “know”... gnosis, or “head knowledge”. Yiddah means to know, as a Husband knows His wife!

It is unfortunate that the Greeks translated the Hebrew word “Torah” as the Greek word “nomos”, which has been translated again as the English word “law”. “Nomos” was meant as an “equivalent” for “Torah”; but it is not. Neither is the word “law” an equivalent for the Hebrew word “Torah”. What is the Torah? “Torah” means [Yahweh's] “instructions” for how we are to live our lives. Torah contains the whole gamut of His laws and statutes and Commandments. Torah tells us how to please Him.

Does writing the Torah into our hearts mean we no longer have to obey it? The Ten Commandments are the very heart of Torah, yet very few “Christians” keep all of them. The dietary laws are part of Torah, yet few obey these. Yahweh's Feasts are included in Torah. But, “Christians” observe instead, the pagan feasts of christ-mass' [mass is where the priest “sacrifices” the Messiah over and over, “transubstantiating” the wine and bread into the “actual body” of Messiah] and Easter/Ishtar [goddess of fertility, prostitution].

Exo 19:5 IF you will obey My Voice indeed, and keep My Covenant, THEN you shall be a peculiar treasure to Me above all people: for all the earth is Mine

:Exo 19:6 You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.

Peter quotes these verses in Exodus in 1 Peter 2:9-10 to describe believers in Yahshua [unscripturally called, “the church”].

1Pe 2:9 You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him Who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous Light

: 1Pe 2:10 In times past you were not a people, but your are now the people of Elohim: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

1 Peter 2: 10 quotes Hosea 1:9-10 and is speaking of the 10 tribes of Israel that had been scattered into the world, who had become gentile-like along the way, and who were now returning to Yahweh. Peter equates these gentiles with returning Israel. Yahweh's promise is conditional as stated in Exo. 19:5. If they will obey His voice and keep His covenant, then they will become this kingdom of priests and an holy nation.

Where does this leave “believers” who deny that Torah is in effect today, and that they no longer have to abide by Yahweh's unchangeable Word? The language is simple: if they will obey, they will be this kingdom of priests, if not, then they won't – Period!