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Recently a Paulinist mocked my desire to be Torah-observant by asking me whether I wear cotton shirts and wool suits, implying I was breaking Torah. (See excerpt of email exchange with John on March 12, 2013, at bottom.) This was to dissuade me from the Law which supposedly prohibited something so 'normal' that I would want to accept that the Torah is supposedly archaic. But whatever the Torah says, I would do anyway, trusting our inscrutible God. But it turns out the Paulinist did not know Torah, and thus was erroneously trying to mock the word of God, ridiculing it as outdated.
For when I asked my friend Adam -- a Torah expert -- whether wearing wool and cotton -- a wool suit with a cotton shirt -- violates Torah (without sharing my experience), he explained carefully that the answer is no. Here is an excerpt from his informative email -- copied here by license with his permission:
Doug
Regarding your question…the basis for this commandment lies in Yahweh’s general hatred for all things related to cross-breeding. Here are scriptures that speak of things related:
v You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your cattle gender with a diverse kind: you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed: neither shall there come upon you a garment of two kinds of stuff mingled together. - Leviticus 19:19
v You shall not wear a mingled stuff, wool and linen together. - Deuteronomy 22:11
v You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest the whole fruit be forfeited, the seed which you have sown, and the increase of the vineyard. - Deuteronomy 22:9
v And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and you shall slay the beast. - Leviticus 20:15
And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, you shall kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. - Leviticus 20:16
Seed, animals, clothing, sexual relations…they are all amongst things that are meant to remain pure as Yahweh created them. This would mean that things like hybrid seeds and GMO foods should be avoided if at all possible. Man’s messing with Yahweh’s genetic material isn’t a good thing. Take the mule for example. The mule is a cross-breed between a female horse and male donkey. Mules cannot breed (except in extremely rare occasions, and only with females, never males -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Regarding the linen and woolen command specifically…I believe that the issue arises when they are woven together into one cloth, not worn together as two separate pieces of clothing. The Hebrew word sha’atnez there means a “cloth or garment made of two kinds of thread, linen and woolen” (Gesenius’ Lexicon). The reasons for this command are two-fold, according to my present knowledge. The first reason is what was stated above. It is abominable to Yahweh to join or cross-breed things that were never meant to be together (in this case an animal product weaved together with a plant product). It adulterates the end product. The second reason is one of practicality. The washing and drying properties of linen or cotton and wool are very different. If you’ve ever ruined a 100% cotton shirt by tossing it in a really hot dryer you know what I mean. Wool doesn’t have the same result when placed in the dryer. Wool and linen also have different break-down properties. The result after much use of the garment could mean that the plant and animal parts decay at different rates causing rips, tears, and holes in the garments. This would be a very inefficient way to make clothing as it would require making more much more often.
Thoughts?
Blessings,
Adam
Paulinist Ridiculing Distaste for Law's Rules Citing Clothing Command
John N. (March 11, 2013)
It is the principle of righteousness by the atonement of Jesus and the "law" as "teacher" of the principles of righteousness to us that is now the central issue. If Christ be not risen, our faith is in vain - in vain! No keeping of the law will justify us alone. Keeping of the law is vanity. The principles of the law are good and righteous but manifestly unattainable.
Look, do you as an attorney wear cloths to court that are a mixture of synthetic and natural fibers - I do. Then we are violating the law. Condemned are we! Yikes! I don't like that at all. So my justification rests in the shed blood of Jesus and his righteousness. That is the Good News - the Gospel!
The law's principles exist however the entire letter to the Hebrews was the thesis on the end of the practice of the law's obligations and it was written during the existence of the temple. Look in the scripture before and after the tabernacle and the temple for the evidence of the sacrifice and cutting covenant. It starts with Adam and Eve and covering sacrifice by God of their nakedness and also their shame. It continues with Noah and through pre-law with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. What of the covenant of circumcision that was so important that when Moses violated it with his sons he nearly died before his return to Egypt. That now is done away with. The practice of atonement and cutting covenant predates the Law of Moses, which is really not the law of Moses but only given to him as an example of things in the heavens. The argument in Hebrews and in Galatians puts this practice of law keeping in the name of the "principles" to rest.
*****
I am not a believer who puts the teaching of Paul at odds with Jesus' teaching. I see his instruction to the church as timely and relevant. If you want to keep the law, keep it in every respect. Do not stray in any regulation or obligation - yet it does not justify the keeper. Paul and I agree, I preach Christ and him crucified. It is finished. There is no "but" at the end of Jesus' statement on the cross. Is there more blood to shed? No. Is there penance to practice? No. Is there another work of grace to experience? No. It only remains to be baptized in water and be baptized in the Holy Spirit.
You are doing a disservice to the letter to the Galatians and the letter to the Hebrews in trying to keep the law.
My Reply 3/11/2013
John
John's Reply March 11, 2013 [Notice the condescending and insulting messages now begin, highlighted in yellow]
Doug, I see you have missed the simple point of my mix fibers example. The point is so badly missed by you that I expect you have a predisposition to a position and either genuinely misses the essence or your predisposition causes you to intentionally ignore the simplicity of my illustration.
My Reply March 11, 2013
John
Look brother, you are wrong on this point. You are chasing bunny trails to no end. Jesus did say things that are foundational but the confession of him as savior is primary. Jesus was asked what must we do to do the works of God. Jesus said believe on him whom he has sent. Short, sweet and to the point as he always spoke.
Your dilemma with Paul is a bunny trail and preposterous. Paul was anointed by God and set apart for his calling by Jesus himself unless Jesus got it wrong and you would not confess to that would you?
You know Jesus violated the law and taught others to violate the law --oops what did John say? He touched a woman who had a flow of blood for many years and was distinctly unclean. He touched lepers and cleansed them. He healed on the Sabbath. He traveled through Samaria. He spoke to a woman of Samaria. He sent his disciples into towns of Samaria. Moreover, he taught the parable of the good Samaritan. In the parable he taught the keeping of the law regarding who was the lawyer's neighbor. In the parable, the Levite and the priest would not touch the bleeding countryman for fear of becoming unclean. He castigated that behavior. Implying that they had violated the law and the prophets by not loving their neighbor. It was left to the reprehensible Samaritan to keep the law and the prophets by loving his neighbor.
Get it?
My Reply of March 12, 2013
John
John's Reply of March 12, 2013
you are not really observant on the mixed fiber issue are you. Have you like me ever hugged your wife during her period to comfort her? That is a violation of the law.
Ta for now.
My Reply of March 12, 2013 on John's Claim Jesus Chose Paul
John
When Jesus appeared to Mary at the tomb and when he appeared to the disciples on the road to Emmaus and when he appeared in the upper room several times including to Thomas and when he appeared on the shore of Galilee after his resurrection and when he was with the disciples for 40 days and when he ascended into heaven -- was it like lightening and did everyone on earth see him. Common now I really do see you are grasping for straws! You cannot let go the fact that Paul was chosen and was recognized by the 11 disciples as chosen by Jesus the Christ. Even Peter refers to Paul in his writing accepting him as a brother and that he has wisdom given to him 2 Peter 3:15. Now I know you are a false teacher and a wolf for you would not deny Peter's testimony of Paul if you were seeking the truth. I would be kind to you and consider you mistaken and yet seeking the truth. But you are not mistaken and you are intentionally acting on doctrines of demons.
May God reveal to you the truth if you are indeed a seeker after Christ. Nevertheless you are the type of person foretold would come in the last days. Time to terminate.
See also Peter's vision in Acts 10. It is abundantly clear that he was told three times to kill and eat unclean animals, to wit, go to the unclean gentiles. Jesus again breaks the law or so it seems by this vision and that 3 times!
Doug it is a paradox I presented to inform you of your false teaching. Paradox man -- I do not think Jesus was not the Christ or the atoning lamb. I do and so have confessed repeatedly in this exchange. You are either ignorant or willful. I choose that you are willful. As Jesus said, you strain at a knat and swallow a camel. That is you Doug. Your references to historical figures during the reformation are well known to me and your invocation of them tells me you are a willful apostate like them as they profess error and try to harm the church.
Sole Fide Bro