FAQ 382
What Does It Mean to
Have a 'Jewish Nature'?
Q. What does Paul mean when he says: "...we have a Jewish nature ourselves, and not those who are from gentile sinners?" (Gal.2:15, AENT) Does this mean that Jews are different from anyone else? Does it mean they have a superior nature?
A. Unfortunately such scriptures are potentially open to abuse by racial supremacists, Jewish or otherwise, so you need to be very careful. As the translator of the version you quoted (Gabriel Roth) himself noted in his commentary:
"The only place in the Aramaic Renewed Covenant writings where the phrase "Jewish nature" appears. The word kyanna refers to a classification without a physical occurrence, kind of like having an image of a bird in one's mind, but not seeing the literal bird. As such, the only types of natures that are discussed are animal, human, and divine. In this lone exception however, Rav Shaul bifurcates human nature further into Jewish and (by implication) non-Jewish" [1].
The first thing that needs to be said that this passage has nothing to do with modern Jews [2], a reason why other messianic versions more accurately use the term "Judean" (HRV), that is to say, someone living in the ancient territory of Judah at the time of the apostles prior to the final explusion from the Holy land and disapora into the world. Had Paul been speaking to a fully Israelite audience, that is to say, to all 12 Tribes before the 10 tribes of the Northern Kingdom were taken into captivity by Assyria, he would have used the term "Israelite". But even so, the connotation is not racial but has to do with the Torah lifestyle.
A sinner is identified in scripture as one who breaks the mitzvot (commanents), that is, one who fails to live the Torah properly. "Gentiles" are therefore "sinners", not because they don't have the DNA genes of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but because they are lawless - Torahless - so naturally they are daily in violation of even the most fundamental and basic mitzvot (commandments) like the Ten Commandments. As Paul makes clear many times in his letters, those who had formerly been pagans had lived a debauched, hedonistic lifestyle.
In other words, those who habitually lived the Torah lifestyle had a huge advantage over former pagans, heathens or gentiles who had not. Gentiles are sinners, not by blood or DNA, but because they are lawless, like Satan (2 Thes.2:9). That is not to say that Hebrews, Israelites or Judeans were not, are not, and cannot be lawless because plainly they are - frequently - and were judged harshly for it, a reason they were oppressed and went into exile so many times.
The good news is that Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) not only forgives the lawless deeds of genuinely repentant sinners who accept Him as their Master and Deliverer (Lord and Saviour) and forsake their wickedness, for Messiah cleanses them from sin, but empowers them to resist temptation and to live Yahweh's Kingdom lifestyle, which is New Covenant Torah.
"Blessed are those whose Torahless (lawless) deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom Yahweh shall not impute (account) sin" (Rom.4:7-8, NKJV).
We too can enjoy an 'Israelite, 'Hebrew' or 'Judean' "nature" - a nature conformed to Yahweh's image of holiness through long-term, habitual Torah-obedience empowered by the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) thanks to the atoning work of Messiah on the cross. In other words, the Torah lifestyle becomes natural to the true believer empowered by Elohim (God) through trusting in Messiah.
In the process of this we become - through in-grafting, no matter what our race or ethnic origin, whether or not we have any of the blood of DNA of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - Messianic or New Covenant Israelites. Indeed, the only Israelite that is acceptable in Elohim's (God's) eyes is the one who trusts, and is obedient to, King Yah'shua (Jesus). To be a part of His Kingdom, we must acquire His nature inwardly through trusting and be obedient to its torot (laws) outwardly too, the obedience being not an attempt to be saved but because we are saved. There is only one group of Israelites in this aeon, those who are fully subject to King Messiah, trusting in His redemption:
"I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people (Judahites and Benjamites - Paul was a Benjamite) to envy and save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? If the part of the dough offered as bikkurim (firstfruits) is qadosh (holy, set-apart), then the whole batch is qadosh (holy, set-apart); if the root is qadosh (holy, set-apart), so are the branches.
"If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, 'Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.' Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by emunah (faith). Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if Elohim (God) did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.
"Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of Elohim (God): sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for Elohim (God) is able to graft them in again. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!"
(Rom 11:13-24, NIV).
Again, the important thing is not race, but nature - the spiritual life within you. Those racially of Israel are cut-off if they rebell by refusing to accept Yahweh's Son, Yah'shua (Jesus) as Messiah and King. Thus those Jews or Judahites who may have some of the blood of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in them cease being Israelites until they have repented and come to Messiah. If they have that blood in them, then they are Jacobites but not Israelites, as Jacob himself was before he was renamed 'Israel':
"Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with Elohim (God) and with men and have overcome" (Gen.32:28, NIV).
There is therefore only ever one Covenant people at a time, not two (or more). You are either saved and in Messiah (and are an Israelite - one who has struggled and overcome through faith) or you are unsaved and not in Messiah (and are not an Israelite, no matter your DNA). The one who has the "nature" of Messiah is the one trusting in, and empowered, by Messiah who is spontaneously living the New Covenant Torah lifestyle which distinguishes him from the sinning Gentile who is not. And he who was once a lawless Gentile is now, through Messiah, a Torah-obedient Israelite ... a Messianic Israelite.
What about those who are trusting in Yah'shua (Jesus) and are saved but who are only selectively living the mitzvot (commandments) of Torah? They are disobedient believers, whether ignorantly (because they have been taught falsely) (Ac.17:30) or deliberately (knowing what the truth is). The former Yahweh excuses in the days of their ignorance, but once they have had the emet (truth) taught them, they are without excuse and must make teshuvah (repent) or risk judgment. Thus one who builds on such a willfull a false foundation may well remain saved but takes a grave risk and must necessarily suffer punishment, for:
"...his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames" (1 Cor.3:13-15, NIV).
So what does it mean to have this wonderful nature of which Paul speaks? It means to be like Messiah and to be like Elohim (God), and there is no more wonderful thing than that. Therefore let us:
"...put on the new self, created to be like Elohim (God) in true righteousness and holiness (set-apartness)" (Eph 4:24, NIV).
Endnotes
[1] Andrew Gabriel Roth, Aramaic English new Testament (Netsari press, USA: 2012), p.563
[2] See, What is a Jew? and the Israel & Israelites website
This page was created on 21 September 2018
Last updated on 21 September 2018
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