American Torah

To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. Proverbs 21:3 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9:13 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with evil intent. Proverbs 21:27 Religion gets a bad rap, but that's not really fair. The dictionary definition of religion is the set of beliefs and practices associated with the belief in and worship of a deity. That includes rituals, prayers, doctrines, and even codes of behavior. It can be good or bad. The Bible is full of positive examples of religion, but it also describes a lot of bad, like that of the Pharisees. In God's religion, the goal of sacrifice and ritual is a right heart, which is one that is full of love and eager to show kindness. If your religion doesn't help to conform your heart to God's, then it's false and probably involves more worship of self than anything else. From Jay Carper at http://www.americantorah.com/2020/12/22/pure-and-undefiled-religion/. Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Parler at https://parler.com/profile/JayCarper/

You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you. You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Exodus 31:13-14 The weekly Sabbath is a sign between God and Israel, whether natural born or grafted in, of our faithfulness and sanctification. It's one of the only commandments that can't be derived from natural law, and it's so important to God that deliberate violation carries the death penalty. See also Ezekiel 20:19-21 and Isaiah 56:3-7. From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com). This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://jaycarper.com/paypal. Follow me on Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@AmericanTorah Send me a friend request on The Torah Network: https://www.thetorahnetwork.com/jaycarper Follow me on Twitter: https://jaycarper.com/twitter Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:14 ESV The phrase "Under Law" is one of the most misunderstood and abused in all of Scripture. The meaning is obvious if you let Paul's letter to the Romans speak for itself, but it can be very difficult to stop filtering his words through our church's doctrinal lenses. It's not Judaizing to teach obedience to God's Law. In fact, that was the dominant teaching of all of Christendom until the last century. The key is to be obedient as a son to his father and not as a criminal slave to his jailer. In this video, the Common Sense Bible Study community addresses the questions of "What is sin?" and "What does it mean to be under law and under grace?" From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com). This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://jaycarper.com/paypal. Follow me on Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@AmericanTorah Send me a friend request on The Torah Network: https://www.thetorahnetwork.com/jaycarper Follow me on Twitter: https://jaycarper.com/twitter Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://jaycarper.com/mewe Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/

The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe. Proverbs 29:25 People can hurt you. If you don't fear the consequences of offending people, you could lose your job, your family, even your life, but this is a trap. There is more to your existence than your job and your physical body. There are much greater consequences for being faithless to God, like losing eternity. On the other hand, if you trust in God and stand up for what's right, even when the immediate consequences could be severe, the long term rewards are far greater than anything you might lose. From Jay Carper at American Torah. http://www.AmericanTorah.com Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Parler at https://parler.com/profile/JayCarper/

When the wicked rise to power, people hide, but when they perish, the righteous increase. Proverbs 28:28 TLV Today's cancel culture is an in-your-face example of Proverbs 28:28. The wicked dominate every institution, every industry, and every branch of government. If you dare to stand up and speak the truths that are glaringly obvious to every rational person, you risk being canceled from everything. So-called "social justice warriors" will attack you relentlessly. They will try to get you fired from your job. They will run you out of business. They will try to get you arrested and even killed simply because you make them aware of the sickness in their own souls. God hasn't abandoned us, though. Sometimes he allows the wicked to rage so that nobody will be able to deny that their destruction is true justice.

The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. Three things are never satisfied; four never say, "Enough": Sheol, the barren womb, the land never satisfied with water, and the fire that never says, "Enough." Proverbs 30:15-16 "Moving the goalposts" is a logical fallacy and a means of manipulating people into giving far more than they intended. If a person is never satisfied with their original request, and always demand a little bit more, then a little bit more, and you never seem to reach the final goal, they're moving the goalposts on you. Once someone has revealed themselves to be a post-mover, there's only one real solution.... From Jay Carper at http://www.AmericanTorah.com. Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Parler at https://parler.com/profile/JayCarper/

Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress. Romans 7:1-3 ESV Related passages from the Old Testament (re the High Priest and levirate marriage) as well as the Greek word for a woman "which has a husband" (KJV) in Romans 7:2 shed significant light on Paul's meaning in this passage. Here's a hint: It does not say that the Law dies or that the commandments in the Law are not for all Christians today. It's about authority relationships, not the applicability of Torah. Deuteronomy 25:5-10 and Leviticus 21:4. From a conversation with the Common Sense Bible Study community at https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com. From Jay Carper at American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com). This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://jaycarper.com/paypal. Follow me on Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@AmericanTorah Send me a friend request on The Torah Network: https://www.thetorahnetwork.com/jaycarper Follow me on Twitter: https://jaycarper.com/twitter Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://jaycarper.com/mewe Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/

Canon is a Greek word meaning "measuring stick". When theologians refer to the Bible as "the canon" they mean that the commonly accepted books of the Bible are used as a measuring stick to judge all other texts. If any prophecy or religious text doesn't measure up to the Bible, meaning it contradicts the Bible, then it should be rejected. We say that the Bible is a "closed canon" because, like any other measuring stick, if we keep changing it, nobody will have an objective standard they can use to evaluate extra-biblical works. In this video, I'm going to tell you why a having a closed canon is a very good thing. Jay Carper from American Torah http://www.AmericanTorah.com Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Parler at https://parler.com/profile/JayCarper/ Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:13-17 What did Yeshua mean when he said he must be baptized to "fulfill all righteousness"? He didn't mean that being baptized would make him more obedient or more pleasing to God. He meant that there is a proper order for everything and this baptism was part of a pattern that God established from the very beginning. From Jay Carper at http://www.AmericanTorah.com. Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Follow me on Parler at https://parler.com/profile/JayCarper/ Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/

When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment. Matthew 8:5-13 The Roman military command probably wouldn't have looked too kindly on a centurion being so friendly with the Jewish residents of Capernaum. Making a public appeal like this to an itinerant Jewish faith healer was likely to jeapordize his career. He had life-or-death command over nearly one hundred soldiers and numerous servants, but he was willing to risk it all for the sake of one of them. This is a great example for leaders on all walks of life. From Jay Carper at American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com). This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://paypal.me/JayCarper. Send me a friend request on The Torah Network: https://www.thetorahnetwork.com/jaycarper Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Follow me on Parler at https://parler.com/profile/JayCarper/ Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/

Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone. Matthew 15:17-20 This passage is often interpreted to mean that the rules concerning clean and unclean animals are no longer relevant, that we can now eat whatever we want without sin (violation of God's instructions). He condemned the Pharisees for making up new rules and teaching people to break God's direct commandments, so does it really make sense for him to turn around and immediately make up a new rule of his own and teach people to break God's direct commandments? From Jay Carper at American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com). This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://paypal.me/JayCarper. Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmericanTorah Send me a friend request on The Torah Network: https://www.thetorahnetwork.com/jaycarper Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Follow me on Parler at https://parler.com/profile/JayCarper/ Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/

Herod had taken his brother's wife, Herodias, contrary to God's commandments in Leviticus 18:16 and 20:21. John the Baptist called him out for it, so Herod put him in prison. Herodias then got her daughter to ask Herod to behead John. There are four lessons I'd like to draw from this story: 1. God cares about who you sleep with. There are no victimless crimes in God's Law. See Leviticus 18:16 and 20:21. 2. God's commandments are his standard of behavior for all people, Jew and Gentile. Every single commandment is about love and justice for God and other people and there is no love or justice that is contrary to God's Law. 3. Wicked people will hate you for telling the truth and could try to do you harm. They will even kill you if they can. 4. Wicked people have no real boundaries. They will deny all wrongdoing and harm anyone to hold onto their sin. They will even use children in the most despicable manner. Everyone sins. The difference between the righteous and the wicked is that the righteous are ashamed of their sins. From Jay Carper at American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com). This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://paypal.me/JayCarper. Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmericanTorah Send me a friend request on The Torah Network: https://www.thetorahnetwork.com/jaycarper Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Follow me on Parler at https://parler.com/profile/JayCarper/ Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. Matthew 1:18-19 If Joseph and Mary were only engaged and not married yet, how could Joseph divorce her? In modern American culture, when two people get engaged to be married, either one of them can change their mind at any time and call the whole thing off. Biblical Hebrew culture is different. Betrothal is not the same as engagement. In fact, God treats engagement almost the same as marriage. If a man has relations with a woman who is betrothed to another man, the penalty is the same as if she were married: death. The only way to end a Biblical betrothal is through divorce. From Jay Carper at American Torah, http://www.AmericanTorah.com. Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Parler at https://parler.com/profile/JayCarper/ Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/

A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. Proverbs 13:1 ESV Why did Solomon have so much to say about parenting and marriage? Because he had so much experience! Age and experience gives perspective, knowledge, and wisdom. Pay attention to your elders. They're not completely ignorant. From Jay Carper at American Torah (http://www.AmericanTorah.com​).

The Old Testament took over one thousand years to write and a few hundred more years to finalize. On the other hand, the entire New Testament was written in less than 50 years and the books that were to be included were probably finalized within a century after that. Even so, there's a lot of confusion about why we have certain books in the New Testament and not others. The New Testament canon (the list of books) was set by consensus among congregations all over the Roman Empire and beyond. Despite their very different cultures and traditions, the twenty-seven books that we have now are the ones they all agreed on long before Emperor Constantine convened the Council of Nicea Additional note: There was some controversy about a few of the NT books, like 2 Peter and Hebrews, but the vast majority of Christians in the second and third centuries were in agreement. From Jay Carper at American Torah (http://www.AmericanTorah.com) Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Parler at https://parler.com/profile/JayCarper/ Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/

Correction: The end of the video says April 7 for the Ryan White event, but I meant to say April 9! Sorry about that! The Common Sense Bible Study crew has a conversation with Jon Behrens, pastor of Restoration Messianic Fellowship in Boulder, Colorado, about the fifth commandment, "Honor your father and mother". All of our cultural and national problems can, at least in part, be attributed to a breakdown of the parent-child relationship as God intended it. Jon offers us several pieces of advice on giving our children a better life and fighting the culture war. 1. Stay married. There's no substitute for having both mother and father in the home. 2. God's design for the male-female dynamic is fundamental to the structure of the universe and a healthy family. 3. Stay connected with your church, community, and family in order take advantage of their accumulated wisdom. 4. Be consistent in prayer as a family for revival and against unrighteousness. 5. Persist in sharing the Word and in standing against the degradation of culture and morals. 6. Encourage one another. 7. Discipline your children. 8. Don't be overly harsh with your children. 9. Parents, but especially fathers, read the Proverbs together with your children. 10. Learn to think about what you're thinking about. Be aware of your state of mind and how you got there. You can visit Jon's ministry website at https://crimsonthread.com. Books mentioned in this conversation: All About Men by Joseph H. Peck. https://amzn.to/3nqSKSg The Boy Crisis by Warren Farrell and John Gray. https://amzn.to/3M4kLcm Everyday Holiness by Alan Morinis. https://amzn.to/3FW7r64 From Jay Carper and Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com). and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com).

No, you can't earn your salvation, and you can't make him save you. Your eternal fate is solely at God's discretion. He adopts us as sons or he doesn't. However, God has told us that he will save or condemn us based on our faith in him and also that we can be disinherited for rejecting him. There is no contradiction in this with anything in Romans. It is not a "salvation by works" or "salvation by merit" soteriology. God the when, if, and how of your salvation, no matter what you do or believe. There is a lot of truth in both Calvinism and Arminianism, but just like every other -ism, neither is complete, because they both try to fit God into a brain-sized box. From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com). This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://jaycarper.com/paypal. Follow me on Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@AmericanTorah Send me a friend request on The Torah Network: https://www.thetorahnetwork.com/jaycarper Follow me on Twitter: https://jaycarper.com/twitter Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://jaycarper.com/mewe Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/

An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. Proverbs 31:10-12 ESV The Hebrew word used to describe this wife and translated variously as "excellent", "of valor", and "competent" is "chayil". It most often refers to an army or a might warrior. Do you want an excellent wife? Then look for a woman with strength, competence, and intelligence coupled with humility and a desire to serve her husband.

How did we get the Old Testament canon? part 1 Why do Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, and Coptic Bibles have different books in them? Why were some books included in the Old Testament and others not? There's a lot more on this topic that I would like to have said, but I'm sure I'll cover it later in some form. Part 1 of 3 from Jay Carper at http://www.AmericanTorah.com. In this video: 1. Introduction to the canon, the measuring stick of all theologies and religious texts. 2. Why different groups have different lists of books in their Bibles. 3. How the Old Testament was formed. 4. How we didn't get the canon. 5. Four useful criteria used to determine if a book should be included in the canon. Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Parler at https://parler.com/profile/JayCarper/ Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/

I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. Romans 1:14 ESV The world is chaos and our assignment is to bring spiritual order by restoring people to their Creator. When God gives you a task, he necessarily gives you the authority required to carry out that task. Always keep in mind that such authority is never inherent in the person and that it is always given for the benefit of the Kingdom of God and its citizens. From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com). This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://jaycarper.com/paypal. Follow me on Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@AmericanTorah Send me a friend request on The Torah Network: https://www.thetorahnetwork.com/jaycarper Follow me on Twitter: https://jaycarper.com/twitter Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope... Romans 5:3-4 ESV There is so much suffering in the world. Poverty, sickness, disaster, oppression... eventually everyone asks why God would allow it. The easy answer is that God has a plan, and we need to trust him. That's true, of course, but it's more complicated than that. In an online discussion of Romans 5:3-4, the Common Sense Bible Study community tackled this question. From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com). This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://jaycarper.com/paypal. Follow me on Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@AmericanTorah Send me a friend request on The Torah Network: https://www.thetorahnetwork.com/jaycarper Follow me on Twitter: https://jaycarper.com/twitter Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://jaycarper.com/mewe Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/

The children of the Israelites who had left Egypt were not circumcised in the wilderness. God told Joshua to circumcise them after they had begun the conquest of Canaan. This tells us something very important about the controversy in Acts 15. Read more from American Torah at http://www.americantorah.com/2017/09/22/the-one-thing-that-really-matters/ Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Parler at https://parler.com/profile/JayCarper/

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:1-4 ESV What does it mean to be dead to sin and baptized into Yeshua's death? Was his death a sacrificial offering like those performed at the Temple? The Common Sense Bible Study community explores these questions and the power of Jesus' blood in this video. From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com). This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://jaycarper.com/paypal. Follow me on Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@AmericanTorah Send me a friend request on The Torah Network: https://www.thetorahnetwork.com/jaycarper Follow me on Twitter: https://jaycarper.com/twitter Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://jaycarper.com/mewe Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/

God made covenants with Eve, Noah, Abraham, Israel, Aaron, the Levites, David, and many others. The Bible is the story of covenants made and fulfilled; that is its central theme. Yet not one new covenant ever annulled an older one. That's just not how covenants work. From Joshua 22:1-6. For a little more on the relationship between the Old and New Covenants see this article at American Torah: http://www.americantorah.com/2019/09/24/did-the-new-covenant-make-the-old-covenant-obsolete/ Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Parler at https://parler.com/profile/JayCarper/

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Matthew 2:13-16 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. Hosea 11:1 In Matthew 2:15, Matthew quotes Hosea 11:1, "out of Egypt I called my son." The original text was a prophecy about the people of Israel, but he attributes it to Jesus, aka Yeshua. Once you understand the nature of Biblical prophecy, you can see why Matthew's application of Hosea was legitimate and perfectly aligned with how prophecy works throughout the Old Testament. From Jay Carper at http://www.AmericanTorah.com. Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Parler at https://parler.com/profile/JayCarper/ Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/