Nobody really. My name is Cajun Pauley but that doesn't really mean anything to you. My family has a long history of being pastors and Marines but so what? I've spent the majority of my life as a warrior. I've practiced jiu-jitsu for three decades, fought pro for six years, taught hand-to-hand in the Marines at the Presidio of Monterey, had my own dojo and have produced some pretty dang good jiu-jitsukas. 

But if you're here I guess what would interest you more is the fact that I used to be an atheist. I grew up in a Christian home. My parents are Baptist missionaries and even today they are still serving in foreign countries. Say what you will, one thing Pauleys are known for is stick-to-it-ivness! Because of circumstances, I allowed bitterness to choke out what little truth about God I had and I became a very rebellious, hateful person. I declared myself to be an atheist among other things. 

But I was never satisfied with atheism. It didn't answer any of the truly interesting questions. In fact, it seemed to always beg them. "Where did I come from?" You're an accident. "Where did the universe come from?" It was an accident too. "What is my purpose?" There is no purpose. "Where am I going?" Nowhere. Small wonder Richard Dawkins believes life came from self-replicating crystals and aliens. The mind simply can't accept such bleak uselessness. There was simply too much order and design to the universe for me to accept that it came from chaotic forces. 

So, I began looking at all the religions of the world. One by one I read their holy texts and examined the lives of their followers. I am a pragmatist at heart. I believe ideas have consequences. Good ideas should produce quality lives. Bad ideas will produce messed up lives. I believe that a religion that claims to have some kind of ultimate truth should get its science right. The same God who inspired the holy text is supposed to be the same God who invented math and set light's speed limits - right? 

I read about the Kabbalah, the Qu'ran, the Bhagavad Ghita, a big chunk of the Talmud (has anyone ever read all of it?), the Book of Mormon and the Pearl of Great Price, the works of Confucius, Mencius, and Lao Tzu among many, many others. I finally deigned to consider the God of my fathers, Adonai adonaim, the Lord of lords. I read through the Bible from cover to cover. I found it to be internally consistent, archaeologically correct, and when it dealt with scientific concepts to be way beyond its time. 

You may ask "I thought the Bible taught that everything was created 6,000 years ago?" No it does not. It does not say that anywhere in the Bible. Bishop Ussher said that and he did so with false assumptions. Every time I looked deep into a scientific or mathematical concept, the Bible was astoundingly accurate, even though it doesn't use scientific language. 

But I'm not here to defend the Bible or to defend God. He's a big boy and He's been around far longer than any of us and I don't think He needs defending. I'm here to defend myself and my understanding of what it means to be a follower of God. He's right. He's ALWAYS right. Me...not so much. So, I bring my views to Him and let Him be the judge. 

Basically I’m fed up with Christianity. Not Christ but “Cultural Christianity”. It’s gotten so bad and our reputation as “Christians” has become so demoralized that in a study conducted by Barna, evangelical Christians ranked 10th out of 11 societal groups, beating only prostitutes in the people’s opinions. By the way, for an excellent overview of Christianity’s image problem consider reading “UnChristian” by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons (www.bakerbooks.com).

Bad Examples of Christianity: Why shouldn’t the world think that way after what they’ve seen for the last century but in particular from the 80s on? Amee Semple McPherson was the founder of the Foursquare Gospel denomination. She abandoned her second husband, had affairs, faked her own kidnapping in order to gain $500,000 and live with her lover and finally died of an overdose of Seconal.

Jim Bakker, an Assemblies of God minister and the co-host of the popular PTL club, ended his ministry with a sex scandal and divorce which resulted in revelations of accounting fraud which brought about his imprisonment. He claimed his show was popular because he “accepted all denominations, and refused no one regardless of race, creed, sexual orientation or criminal record” as worthy of speaking or teaching in his ministry.

Jimmy Swaggart was an Assemblies of God Pentecostal preacher. In 1986, Swaggart exposed fellow Assemblies of God minister Marvin Gorman, who was having an affair with one of his parishioners. The following year, Swaggart exposed fellow Assemblies Of God televangelist Jim Bakker’s sexual indiscretions. Meanwhile, Swaggart was frequenting a prostitute by the name of Debra Murphree. On October 11, 1991, Swaggart was found in the company of another prostitute, Rosemary Garcia.

On and on the morbid lists goes: Lonnie Frisbee, Oral Roberts, Peter Popoff, Mike Warnke, Robert Tilton, Frank Houston, John Paulk, Douglas Goodman, Kent Hovind, Ted Haggard, Paul Barnes, Richard Roberts, Bishop Thomas Wesley Weeks, Bishop Earl Paulk, Phil Driscoll, Benny Hinn, Bishop TD Jakes… These names are synonymous with hypocritical greed. It is a morbid tale of power hunger, sexual abuse, drug addiction, and misappropriation of funds.

To make matters worse Christianity has, to all intents and purposes, been divided and conquered. Wikipedia, in an attempt to classify and organize the religions that their service has uncovered, carefully defined both the term “Christian” and the term “denomination”. They determined the number of so-called “Christian denominations” that they have classified so far to be 38,000. The vast majority of these denominations are Protestant in nature and thus did not exist before 1517. So basically in the last 500 years, Christianity has exploded into 38,000 conflicting shards.

Calling oneself a "Christian" no longer means anything. How could it when everyone from a pope who used to be in the Hitler youth and leads a denomination world renown for pedophilia scandals, to Jerry Falwell leader of the "moral majority" to Benny Hinn scoundrel and master con man extraordinaire to wonderful, humble, peaceable and serving Mother Theresa - all call themselves Christian. There are dozens of flavors of Baptists alone! It's worse than Baskin Robbins! 

All this reminds me of a joke that goes like this...
I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump off. So I ran over and said, “Stop! Don’t do it!”

“Why shouldn’t I” he said.

“Well, there’s so much to live for!”

“Like what?”

“Well…are you religious?”

He said, “Yes.”

I said, “Me too! Are you Christian or Buddhist?”

“Christian.”

“Me too! Are you Catholic of Protestant?”

“Protestant.”

“Me too! Are you Episcopalian or Baptist?”

“Baptist.”

“Wow! Me too! Are you Baptist Church of God or Baptist Church of the Lord?”

“Baptist Church of God!”

“Me too! Are you original Baptist Church of God, or are you reformed Baptist Church of God?”

“Reformed Baptist Church of God!”

“Me too! Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1879 or Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915?”

He said, “Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915!”

I said “Die, heretic scum”, and pushed him off.

Back in 1988, I was struggling with this whole issue. I was struggling with the fact that Lynn and I were being told that in order to become missionaries and establish an orphanage in Cameroon we would have to join a mission board. When I carefully explained the biblical method of sending out missionaries (with mission boards not being mentioned in the process), the church leaders basically said, “Yes, we realize what you are saying is true and biblical but this is the way things are done nowadays.”

I was struggling with the fact that the Bible over and over again commands us to observe the Passover; that the Passover is to be a perpetual statute till heaven and earth passes away and yet no Protestant church I knew of at the time observed it. Instead, they choose to observe Easter, a holiday based on a pagan fertility goddess with absolutely no ties to the date of the resurrection of the Christ.

I was struggling with the fact that the vast majority of Christians were being taught out of barely a quarter of the Bible. I was struggling with the fact that though they would never admit it, many of these Christians were functionally anti-Semites. I was struggling with the idea that nearly every author of the Bible was Jewish; even the parts that are in Greek were written by Jews. Yet, almost no one I knew had even the slightest clue how to interpret biblical concepts through the Jewish culture and mindset. Those seminarians who had learned something of the Jewish manners and customs had all chosen to ignore them in their daily walk.

In my struggles, as I tried to determine for myself what the Scriptures actually state without the prejudice of a lifetime inculcated in fundamentalist Baptist KJV only mentality, I needed to identify the theology I was developing in contrast to the “cultural Christianity” I was drowning in.

The Methodist denomination takes its name from the “methodical” approach John Wesley used with the Scriptures.

Baptists gained their name due to their emphasis on the necessity of post-conversion baptism by immersion.

Presbyterians are known for their hierarchical structure based on the Greek concept of the “presbuteroi”.

“Quaker” refers to the followers of that particular movement “quaking” or trembling under the influence of their ecstatic experience.

Adonai is a Hebrew name of God that literally means “Lord.” Yahweh is considered not only “Lord” but actually “Adonai adonaim” or “Lord of lords.” My theology emphasizes the Sovereignty and Lordship of the Master Lord Jesus. It makes Him King and firmly establishes Him on the throne. It places a high value on demonstrating one’s love and gratitude for salvation by humbly obeying His commands. So Adonaism takes its name from its emphasis on this lordship of God.

Whether they call themselves Adonaists or not, I’m sure that there are others out there who, like me, are frustrated with the state of the Church Universal.

The Holy Spirit gave me the name “Adonaism” without me knowing of any other historical reference to that term, but as we all know “there is nothing new under the sun.” Many years after I began my attempt to develop Adonaic theology, I discovered in a history written by an enemy of the Lord a reference to historical Adonaists. He said…

It would indeed be a most grave historical error to imagine that Judaism formed a single bloc, which has given birth to no theological, esoteric or heretical variation.

We have seen that in his work on the formation of Christianity, Drews concluded that before the Christian era, there already existed among the Jews a representation of the Messiah, which would become that of Christianity. Later on, the disciples of Jesus rightly sought to present him as having united in his life all the circumstances which had been abundantly described by the Prophets, and did this in order to prove his legitimacy after he had accomplished his mission.

Equally, we noted that Drews, in agreement with B. Smith, affirmed that alongside orthodox Judaism there existed in Israel, or at its borders, sects which had assembled the essential elements of the Christian legend – and this long before the birth of Christianity – around a god which they called Iesoushouah. In this name, Drews found the name of Jesus, for the Hebraic orthography is identical. This fact is significant: it is the first trace of the existence of the Kabbalah, Iesoushouah being one of the “Divine Names” of the Sephira Geburah.

What we glimpse in the doctrine of these sects puts them in rapport with a syncretistic religion, spread across all Western Asia, in the centuries preceding the Christian era, and which engendered numerous religious groups with specific tendencies. This was Mandeanism or Adonaism.

This syncretist religion is based on esoteric revelation, a “gnosis” (manda is synonymous with gnosis), brought down by a god named Ado (“Lord”). In this name we rediscover the root which governed the formation of many of the divine names of these regions: Ado, Ada, Adonai, Adonis, Adam, Atem, Atum. In reality, this esoteric tradition is made from pieces and fragments, and it is constantly in a state of theological parturition!

All the Shemite, Ophite, Naassenian, Cainite, Essenian, Ebionite, Peratean, Sethian and Heliognostic people, and all the pre-Gnostic sects before our era, awaited the mysterious Being who would descend from Heaven and be incarnated in a human form to disperse Demons, purify the Earth and Men, and lead them to the place of the Fortunate Souls in the “Realm of the Father”.

Historical research reveals many Palestinian Jewish doctors in sympathetic relations with the ideas of these sects, which were foreign to Israel.

Let us avoid being derailed by the historical error of a strictly faithful monotheistic Judaism, confined within a sealed vase, without any intellectual and dogmatic evolution! Before our era,

Mandean sects with a Jewish foundation existed, and there were those – B. Smith proved it – which rightly gave the name of Yeshu, Yeheshuah, Yesoushouah, to a Saving God for whom they waited.

Yesh, in Hebrew, signifies fire; at the same time, it designates the lineage, the genealogy. Their Saving God is thus a god of light and of fire. What does Moses tell us? “God is a Fire which burns...”. What was the name of these sects? Iesseenes, Nazoreans, Nazireans...

So we know that the Jewish esoteric sects venerated a Saving God, which they named Yeshu, or Yeheshuah, or Yehoushouah, and a papyrus preserved in the National Library of Paris (N° 174, Greek foundation supplement) contains formulae of conjuration such as: “...I conjure thee, by Yeheshuah Nazarean...” and later on: “...I conjure thee, by the God of the Hebrews: Yeoushuh...”.

We repeat: these sects were before Christianity...[1]

So well before Christ came, there were Jews who believed the Messianic prophecies and worshiped Yeshua, and waited for Him to descend from Heaven, incarnate in human form, disperse demons, and lead believers to the “Realm of the Father.” These people were sometimes called Nazireans but because of their worship of Adon they were primarily called Adonaists. We see the Bible’s reference to these people, these Old Covenant saints in:

• Hebrews 11:37-40 HCSB They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts, mountains, caves, and holes in the ground. All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.

So, I don’t claim to be creating anything new. I’m calling the Church to go back, way back to the original Way. I choose to generally disassociate myself from the term Christian because it has become a liability in my personal witness. I continue to associate with and love those who choose to continue calling themselves Christians and who seek to reform that brand of religion from the inside out. But just as Martin Luther chose finally to pull out of the Catholic Church and begin the Protestant Reformation, I think the time has come to pull out and have another Reformation. 

  [1] From Practical Kabbalah by Robert Ambelain at Biblioteca Esoterica di Esonet.ORG pp 9-10. For the complete text go here

Changing names shouldn’t change true believers, but it allows us to avoid the preconceptions of unbelievers when we identify ourselves. What I believe and the Pope (supposedly a fellow Christian) believes are two very different things. My view of the future and that of Mormons (who are selling themselves as Christians) are two very different things. There is no clear commandment to call ourselves Christians. It was simply a name that was ascribed to us after Antioch.[1] Before that time we were called “followers of the Way”,[2] or “Nazarenes”[3] among other things. Clearly the teachings of the apostles and the requisite lifestyle of the believers didn’t substantially change after outsiders began calling them Christians.

However, there is power in a name both for good and ill. The term Christianity no longer has the ability to evoke good meanings in the minds of our potential audience. In fact, research and personal experience indicate it has become harmful to our testimony. So let’s adapt and overcome. Let’s hit Ctl Alt Delete and reboot, getting back to the basics of faith and to the reality of changed lives and identify it as Adonaism so that the old preconceptions are not in our listener’s way.

There is also real power for good in a name. Why do you think Adonai was constantly changing people’s names? He changed Jacob (usurper) to Israel (prince). He changed Abram to Abraham. He changed Saul to Paul. Even Adonai Himself presented Himself with different names at different times.

• Exodus 6:3 HCSB  I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but I did not make My name Yahweh known to them.

When I adopted him, my oldest son’s name was Rito. He had been named after his biological father. However, that man is a scoundrel and my son hated being associated with that name. When the adoption was being formalized he insisted on changing his first name as well as his last name. He chose the name “Alexander” because it means “protector”. That is what he wants to be so he chose a name that would help him remember that.

Changing our name can help us mentally disassociate with the accumulated errors of two thousand years of Christian history. It can help us remember what we actually want to be.

[1] Acts 11:26
[2] Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22; 2 Peter 2:2, 21  cf Acts 16:17; 18:25-26
[3] Acts 24:5

Adonaism is not likely to be well received. It will, in fact be misinterpreted by many as a disloyalty to Jesus the Christ. I want to be as clear as I can be on that issue. I love Yeshua ben Adonai more than life itself. I am His slave, to do with as He wishes. I believe His death to be fully sufficient for my salvation and a compelling argument for a life dedicated to grateful and humble service to both Him and His Bride. My goal in developing Adonaic theology is to bring people back into a relationship with a Person rather than a Religion or a denomination.

I know that changing a name may seem strange but think of the persecution that Martin Luther went through and yet Lutherans are considered a “mainline” denomination today. Remember that there was a day when “Baptist” was a strange and new name and they were (at first) considered a cult. That particular denomination found its origins in the English Separatist movement of the 16th century. Methodism (now considered one of the stodgiest of the Christian denominations) was not created until the British Awakening of the 18th century.

Many will probably mistake what I am doing and I will likely take some hits on the issue. I’m trying to get ahead of the curve on that by trying to make sure

a) that people don’t bandy the word “cult” around without having a good understanding of what a cult actually is and

b) that people understand that I’m certainly not alone in this movement back toward the Church’s Jewish roots. In fact, careful research reveals that there is an incredible explosion of congregations with Jewish or Messianic tendencies!

To help you as you try to determine whether or not this is a cult, I’ve included some characteristics of a cult. A cult is not simply “that which is different than I’m used to” which unfortunately seems to be the working definition for many people.

Theological Characteristics of a Cult:
1. Devaluation of the Bible.
2. Devaluation of the nature of God.
3. Denial of the Trinity.
4. Devaluation of the Person of Christ.
5. Devaluation of the life and work of Christ.
6. Non-biblical teachings about the Holy Spirit.
7. Exalted view of human nature.
8. False basis of salvation.
9. Non-biblical teachings about the after-life.
10. Demonic activity denied or overemphasized.

Sociological Characteristics of a Cult:
1. Deceptive recruiting practices.
2. Dynamic and authoritarian leadership.
3. Elitism.
4. Cultic vocabulary.
5. Alienation from family and friends.
6. Legalism.
7. Induced fatigue.
8. Sanction oriented.
9. Anti-intellectual.
10. Thought stopping.
11. No professional clergy.
12. Doctrine in flux/false prophesies.
13. Financial exploitation.
14. Mind control.

My hope is that as you continue reading you will determine to your satisfaction that none of these characteristics apply to Adonaic theology or to those who follow its basic principles (whether they call themselves Adonaists or not).

Adonaists believe that what is important is neither intellectual methodology, nor external rites, nor hierarchical ecclesiology nor ecstatic experience. We believe that nothing is more important than a person’s redemption from the consequences of sin and the restoration of the human/divine relationship. Adonaists believe that this redemption is dependent on our humble acquiescence to the sovereignty of God in our lives.

Adonaists claim the carpenter, Jesus of Nazareth, was the only begotten Son of God, God in Flesh. As such, He is our Messiah and rightful King.

We believe that those who not only profess but actually live this truth are granted admittance into the Kingdom of God.[1] God’s merciful act of paying the wages of our sin and liberating us from Satan’s dark kingdom[2] often drives the Adonaist to refer to God as the Redeemer (in Hebrew Ga’al) and to the believers as the Ransomed.

Like the infamous Prodigal Son, the Adonaist recognizes the futility of his pursuits and resolves to return to the father, honestly admit the error of his ways, humbly accede to being nothing more than a household servant, and throw himself upon the Father’s mercy.

Adonaism teaches that like the godly father in the story of the Prodigal Son, when we draw near to God, humbly confessing our sins and repenting of them, the Lord not only forgives, but actually adopts us into His family, turning us into Jews much as He did our spiritual ancestor Abraham (a concept referred to as “ezrach’”[3] or “native”).[4]

This emphasis on the grafting of the believer into the House of Israel strongly characterizes the culture of Adonaism. A profound interest in the Hebrew language, culture and mindset heavily influences the interpretation and application of the Scriptures. Many Jewish terms are used simply because there are no counterparts for the concepts in our modern languages. The Hebrew names of God are also heavily referred to, especially in the devotional life of Adonaists.

Finally, Adonaic theology is built upon three pillars:

Imrah                       Mussar                           Tzedekah

What we believe         What we are                    What we do

Biblical Doctrine         Character development     Right living

[1] Matthew 7:15-27; 21:28-31; 25:31-46; Mark 1:15; 10:15; Luke 13:24-27
[2] Colossians 1:13
[3] Strong’s Hebrew #249; consider Matthew 3:7-9; Hosea 2:23 cp Romans 9:24-26; Romans 2:27-29
[4] Romans 2:27-29 cp Matthew 3:7-12; Hosea 2:23; Romans 9:22-23

Frankly, I don’t know what this will end up being. I think right now a “coalition of like minded people” is probably a better term. There are no (and there are no plans for) a rigid hierarchy or desire to build a centralized and subsidized base. I believe in the power and authority of the local congregation. I find nothing in Scripture that even remotely resembles a denomination (as in some overarching ecclesiastical structure that supersedes the authority of the local congregation). Though individuals or congregations may choose to team up to tackle specific challenges, Adonaic material is open source and free for the taking. Deciding to use our materials or to associate with us will not entail any loss of independence. All we ask is that you let us know who you are and to what degree you use our material so that we can take encouragement in that and so we can better tailor our efforts in the future.

Obviously, for us to be “like minded” we need to have at least a basic grasp of the fundamental proclamations of biblical theology. However, we believe that there are two kinds of theological statements: d’var mishnah which is clear settled law and shikul ha da’at which are matters which are unclear and left for to the judgment of either the individual or a congregation’s elders. Allowances will be made for the shikul ha da’at issues of life such as the timing of the Rapture.

Christians make a big deal about their name, saying that they are following passages like:

• Matthew 10:22 HCSB  You will be hated by everyone because of My name. But the one who endures to the end will be delivered.
• Matthew 18:5 HCSB  And whoever welcomes one child like this in My name welcomes Me.
• Matthew 18:20 HCSB  For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there among them."

First, the meaning here is not naming ourselves after His specific name but to associate with the Master and to do mitzvah’s for His sake.

Second, even if you hold to specifically using His name as an identifier, why the English version? Are believers of other languages out of luck because the set of consonants and vowels that form the sound “Christ” different? I’m being facetious but I’ve got a point I’d like to make. Why “Christ” and not “Christos” or “Messiah” or “Yeshua” or whatever? I think that it’s informative that those who tend to consider Adonaism a cult based on this point also tend to think that the English King James Version was a particularly inspired text. Was that text superior to the French Louis Segonde?

Third, Christ is not our Master’s name. It is one of His titles and it’s the Gentile one at that. Christ is the Gentile version of Messiah. If we truly wanted to identify ourselves specifically with His name we would have to be “Jesuits” or “Yeshuaites” or something.

Adonai is one of many names God has given us. Its meaning enunciates the emphasis of my doctrine. Like Hagar who identified Yawheh as “Yahweh Rohi” or “God who sees me” in her time of need, I choose to identify the Messiah as “my Lord” and thus my beliefs as Adonaism. 

As a theologian, I attempt to be precise in my language. As a pastor, I try to be evocative. You will generally see/hear three pairs of terms, each reflecting the duality of Adonaism vs. cultural Christianity but within different contexts.

When speaking of theology I use
Adonaism vs. Cultural Christianity

When speaking of the cultural aspects of our faith I use
Highlander vs. Lowlander

When speaking specifically of salvation I use
Ransomed vs. Enslaved

What benefit is the Old Covenant (OC) to the Christian today? Is the Christian under the OC as a system of justification? Should the Christian look to the OC for guidance regarding the work, worship and organization of the Lord’s church? If not, why even bother with reading and studying the OC?

The New Testament is the pattern we follow for the establishment of Christianity wherever we are and is what most Christians emphasize today. However, I don’t think we should simply disregard the OC. There are many ways in which the OC is helpful to us.

The OC is inspired by God.

First, I hold the thirty-nine books of the OC to be inspired of God. The OC documents claim to be the products of revelation.

• Exodus 4:12 HCSB  Now go! I will help you speak and I will teach you what to say."
  
• 2 Samuel 23:2-3 HCSB  The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me, His word was on my tongue.  (3)  The God of Israel spoke; the Rock of Israel said to me, "The one who rules the people with justice, who rules in the fear of God,
• Jeremiah 1:7-9 HCSB  Then the LORD said to me: Do not say: I am only a youth, for you will go to everyone I send you to and speak whatever I tell you.  (8)  Do not be afraid of anyone, for I will be with you to deliver you. This is the LORD's declaration.  (9)  Then the LORD reached out His hand, touched my mouth, and told me: Look, I have filled your mouth with My words.

The OC writers claim heavenly guidance more than 2,800 times. A claim alone, of course, is not sufficient for proof. Nonetheless, the assertion of inspiration must be acknowledged.

Jesus Christ agreed with the claims that the OC writings were from God.

• Matthew 5:17-18 HCSB  "Don't assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. (18)  For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished.
  
• Matthew 22:31-32 HCSB  Now concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven't you read what was spoken to you by God: (32)  I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living."
• Luke 24:44-45 HCSB  Then He told them, "These are My words that I spoke to you while I was still with you--that everything written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled." (45)  Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

Obviously, the “Scriptures” had to mean the OC since the NT had not yet been written.

• John 5:46-47 HCSB  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, because he wrote about Me. (47)  But if you don't believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

The writers of the NT viewed the OC scriptures as inspired.

• Luke 2:22-24 HCSB  And when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were finished, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord  (23)  (just as it is written in the law of the Lord: Every firstborn male will be dedicated to the Lord)  (24)  and to offer a sacrifice (according to what is stated in the law of the Lord: a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons).
  
• 2 Timothy 3:15 HCSB  and that from childhood you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
• 2 Peter 3:2 HCSB  so that you can remember the words previously spoken by the holy prophets, and the commandment of our Lord and Savior given through your apostles.

The astounding prophecies, the incredible unity, the uncanny accuracy – these circumstances (and much more) make an indisputable case for the divine nature of the OC.

The OC provides a history of Adonai’s progressive revelation.

While it is true that Christians are not under the OC law of sacrifices – neither were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

• Deuteronomy 5:2-3 HCSB  The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Horeb.  (3)  He did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with all of us who are alive here today.
  

Hashem has been progressively revealing his will to humanity over the millennia. He began telling Adam and Eve that a Messiah would come as the “seed of a woman” (note that the Messiah was virgin born without the aid of a human father). Then He extended the Noahic covenant to Noah. He then revealed Himself as a caretaker to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Subsequently He extended an offer to save and rule the people of Israel. Finally He extended the offer to all mankind to be ruled and saved by His Son. Each covenant was built upon the last. In each covenant some elements of the last were no longer required. However, many elements remained. Isn’t it interesting that when the Apostles were asked whether or not the Goyim were required to circumcise according to the Sinaiatic Law, they responded by limiting themselves to the Noahic covenant?

• Acts 15:28-29 HCSB  For it was the Holy Spirit's decision--and ours--to put no greater burden on you than these necessary things:  (29)  that you abstain from food offered to idols, from blood, from eating anything that has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these things, you will do well. Farewell.

And the deciding factor on a decision that would involve the day to day lives of NT believers? OC principles!

• Acts 15:15-18 HCSB  And the words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written:  (16)  After these things I will return and will rebuild David's tent, which has fallen down. I will rebuild its ruins and will set it up again, (17)  so that those who are left of mankind may seek the Lord--even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord who does these things, (18)  which have been known from long ago.
• Amos 9:11-12 HCSB  In that day I will restore the fallen booth of David: I will repair its gaps, restore its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old,  (12)  so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that are called by My name--this is the LORD's declaration--He will do this.
• Isaiah 45:22-23 HCSB  Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth. For I am God, and there is no other.  (23)  By Myself I have sworn; Truth has gone from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow to Me, every tongue will swear allegiance.

The OC is a source of understanding of where we came from.
There remain therefore many advantages to the study of the OC. The OC teaches us where we came from. The early portion of the OC (e.g. the initial chapters of Genesis) provide a history of the origin of the universe and the commencement of mankind.

• Genesis 1-2
• Exodus 20:11 HCSB  For the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.
• Mark 10:6 HCSB  But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female.
• Romans 1:20 HCSB  From the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse.

The OC teaches us what our purpose in life is. The sacred account also reveals that man’s purpose upon this globe is to serve the Creator, and therein is ultimate human happiness to be found.

• Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 HCSB  (13)  When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is: fear God and keep His commands, because this is for all humanity.  (14)  For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil.
• Isaiah 43:7 HCSB  everyone called by My name and created for My glory. I have formed him; indeed, I have made him."

The OC gives us insight into the enemy.
  The OC gives us insight into how our enemy the devil works.

• Genesis 3:1-5 HCSB  Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You can't eat from any tree in the garden'?"  (2)  The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden.  (3)  But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, 'You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.'"  (4)  "No! You will not die," the serpent said to the woman.  (5)  "In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
• Job 1:6-12 HCSB  One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them.  (7)  The LORD asked Satan, "Where have you come from?" "From roaming through the earth," Satan answered Him, "and walking around on it."  (8)  Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil."  (9)  Satan answered the LORD, "Does Job fear God for nothing?  (10)  Haven't You placed a hedge around him, his household, and everything he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions are spread out in the land.  (11)  But stretch out Your hand and strike everything he owns, and he will surely curse You to Your face."  (12)  "Very well," the LORD told Satan, "everything he owns is in your power. However, you must not lay a hand on Job himself." So Satan went out from the LORD's presence.

The OC reveals our need for a Savior and King.
The OC also delineates man’s fall into sin, setting the stage for a proper understanding of our need for salvation and clarifying why the Messiah had to die.

• Genesis 3:1-5 HCSB  Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You can't eat from any tree in the garden'?"  (2)  The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden.  (3)  But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, 'You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.'"  (4)  "No! You will not die," the serpent said to the woman.  (5)  "In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
  
• Romans 3:23 HCSB  For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
• Romans 5:12 HCSB  Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned.
• Romans 6:23 HCSB  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

It teaches us that sin is a transgression of the law of God.

• 1 John 3:4 HCSB  Everyone who commits sin also breaks the law; sin is the breaking of law.

Even though the human conscience provides man and woman with a sense that there is a “right” and “wrong”, the conscience is not sufficient to define the nature of transgression. Hence a written law was provided to the Israelite people to codify sin – to sharpen human awareness of the character of rebellion against god. Paul declared that he would not have known sin except through the law. The law threw a floodlight on sin, revealing it as exceedingly evil.

• Romans 7:7 HCSB  What should we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin if it were not for the law. For example, I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, You shall not covet.
  
• Romans 7:13 HCSB  Therefore, did what is good cause my death? Absolutely not! On the contrary, sin, in order to be recognized as sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment sin might become sinful beyond measure.
• Galatians 3:19-21 HCSB  Why the law then? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise was made would come. The law was ordered through angels by means of a mediator.  (20)  Now a mediator is not for just one person, but God is one.  (21)  Is the law therefore contrary to God's promises? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, then righteousness would certainly be by the law.

In fact, it has been my personal experience that those who are most avid at setting aside the OC and, according to their understanding of the term, “living by grace” have usually winked at or excused sin.

The OC is an apologetic resource in regards to prophecy.
But knowledge of sin, with no remedy in sight, provides only misery. Consequently humanity needed to know that the merciful Creator had a provision for dealing with the human sin problem. Therefore the key word that describes the design of the OC writings is “preparation.” Everything recorded in these narratives is ultimately preparation; preparation for the coming of a sacrifice to atone for man’s sin. This face compels me to focus on the evidentiary nature of the OC as it foreshadows the coming Christ.

In his Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy (New York: Harper and Row, 1973, pp. 645-650), professor J. Barton Payne catalogued a total of 3, 348 Bible verses that prophetically pertain to the life of Christ. This represents almost 10% of the 31,124 biblical verses. The astounding prophetic details relative to Jesus of Nazareth, identifying Him as the promised Messiah, as the Son of God, can be resisted only by the most willfully stubborn.

• 2 Corinthians 3:14-16 HCSB  (14)  But their minds were closed. For to this day, at the reading of the old covenant, the same veil remains; it is not lifted, because it is set aside only in Christ.  (15)  However, to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts,  (16)  but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.

The OC can guide our worship.
The OC is a valuable source of devotional material. The OC documents are rich in wonderfully thrilling details about the nature of the great God of the universe. Those who immerse their souls in the lyrics of the 150 songs that collectively constitute the book of Psalms will be refreshed with a level of devotion that challenges us to rise above the common plateau of superficiality that is characteristic of so many professed disciples.

• Psalms 119:15-16 HCSB  I will meditate on Your precepts and think about Your ways.  (16)  I will delight in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.

The OC is a source of moral and spiritual lessons.
The literature of the OC abounds with examples of obedience and disobedience, and the rewards and penalties associated with each. The NT specifically points to these as containing lessons from which we can learn.

• Romans 15:4 HCSB  For whatever was written before was written for our instruction, so that through our endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we may have hope.

Paul had just appealed to a messianic prophecy in the OC.

• Romans 15:3 HCSB  For even the Messiah did not please Himself. On the contrary, as it is written, The insults of those who insult You have fallen on Me.

With that in mind, note carefully what he said in Romans 15:4. Things “written before” (i.e. the OC) were “written for our instruction”. The OC was written and preserved especially for NT believers’ benefit! The OC provides “patience and comfort” that we “might have hope”! It provides a record of Hashem’s faithfulness; how He kept His promises to Abraham and the people of Israel, to judge the wicked and avenge the righteous, to forgive the penitent and to protect the humble. As we read this history of  God’s dealings with Israel, it gives us hope that God will keep His promises to us!

Again, the OC was written for our admonition.

• 1 Corinthians 10:6 HCSB  (6)  Now these things became examples for us, so that we will not desire evil as they did.
• 1 Corinthians 10:11 HCSB  (11)  Now these things happened to them as examples, and they were written as a warning to us, on whom the ends of the ages have come.

Note carefully what Paul said. The events described may have happened to Israel, but they were written for OUR admonition on whom the ends of the ages have come. Again, what we call the OC was written and preserved especially for the benefit of Christians!

The OC contains countless examples of divine principles that are timeless in their application (consider for example the book of Proverbs). These are helpful to God-seeking people in any age or in any culture.

• Proverbs 1:1-7 HCSB  The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:  (2)  For gaining wisdom and being instructed; for understanding insightful sayings;  (3)  for receiving wise instruction in righteousness, justice, and integrity;  (4)  for teaching shrewdness to the inexperienced, knowledge and discretion to a young man--  (5)  a wise man will listen and increase his learning, and a discerning man will obtain guidance--  (6)  for understanding a proverb or a parable, the words of the wise, and their riddles.  (7)  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

So, we shouldn’t be surprised to see how often the NT writers appealed to the OC in instructing believers as in:

Paul: Romans 12:19-21; 1 Corinthians 10:1-11; 2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1; 9:7-10

Author of Hebrews: Hebrews 3:12-19

James: James 2:20-26; 5:7-11

Peter: 1 Peter 3:8-12; 2 Peter 2-3

The OC can lead one to salvation in Christ!

• 2 Timothy 3:14-15 HCSB  But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing those from whom you learned,  (15)  and that from childhood you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Paul noted that Timothy had known the “sacred Scriptures” since childhood. When Timothy was a child, the only scripture available was the OC so Paul clearly had the OC in view when he made this statement. He said the OC is “able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” How is that possible? The OC provides instruction on:

1. The fall of man and the rise of sin.
2. The background and development of God’s redemptive plans.
3. Hundreds of Messianic prophecies which describe what to expect when He came.

One cannot hope to fully understand such books of the NT like Hebrews without an understanding of the Levitical priesthood, or Revelation without an understanding of OC prophecy and apocalyptic literature. If we want to be wise concerning our salvation in the Messiah it is imperative we study the OC!

Paul went on to state that ALL Scripture, including the OC is profitable.

• 2 Timothy 3:16-17 HCSB  All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness,  (17)  so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

From the OC we may learn…

1. Doctrine – such as the nature of God, man, sin and Satan
2. Reproof and correction – the need for repentance
3. Instruction in righteousness – what it means to live a godly life.

Therefore, to not read and study the OC is to deprive one’s self of much admonition, learning, wisdom, and instruction that Hashem clearly intended for his children! Should one study only those Scriptures that pertain to the covenant or “dispensation” under which they live as so many claim? If so, the Jews should have discarded everything from Genesis through the first fourteen chapters of Exodus! And we should discard the Gospels, since Jesus lived, taught and died under the Old Covenant!

No, obviously we must not ignore the OC for it provides the background and setting for the NT along with much in the way of admonition, learning, case history, comfort, hope, devotional life and even saving faith in the Messiah. I find it interesting that when the disciples were despairing the Master used the OC as a source of hope and instruction concerning His atoning work and Messianic character.

• Luke 24:25-27 HCSB  He said to them, "How unwise and slow you are to believe in your hearts all that the prophets have spoken! (26)  Didn't the Messiah have to suffer these things and enter into His glory?" (27)  Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted for them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

I believe it to be a telling characteristic, a sad statement on the heart, that many would cast aside a potential resource that the Master and the Apostles used so widely and often! We must be careful not to neglect what was written and preserved for OUR benefit.

• Romans 15:4 HCSB  For whatever was written before was written for our instruction, so that through our endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we may have hope.
• 1 Corinthians 10:11 HCSB  Now these things happened to them as examples, and they were written as a warning to us, on whom the ends of the ages have come.