Your Pastor Doesn’t Know His Bible: The Straight Line of God in Yeshua

Unveiling the Church We Adore Through Yeshua’s Unbroken Line

What if I told you your pastor doesn’t know his Bible—not fully, not in the way that pierces the soul? It’s a bold claim, not tossed lightly. Pastors often dive deep into Scripture, preach with zeal, and lead with heart. Yet, a thread runs through God’s Word, from the Hebrew prophets to Yeshua’s teachings, that many miss—a thread so vital that overlooking it distorts God’s design. That thread is this: the biblical hierarchy is singular and direct, fulfilled in Yeshua, and the human layers we’ve stacked atop it clash with the text they claim to uphold. Translation slips, historical detours, and logical gaps have clouded this truth. Let’s clear the fog.

I write as one shaped by Jewish tradition and set ablaze by faith in Yeshua, the Messiah who binds ancient promises to living reality. My heart seeks clarity, not conflict. So, join me—let’s trace this thread with care, from Jeremiah’s vision to Yeshua’s servant call, peeling back layers of language, history, and assumption. If your pastor stands atop a hierarchy, he might know the verses but not their core. Let’s see why—and lock it down.

The Singular Chain: God’s Direct Design

Jewish tradition prized relationship over rank. At Sinai, God spoke directly to Israel (Exodus 19:16-19)—a raw, unfiltered encounter—until fear drove them to Moses as mediator (Deuteronomy 5:23-27). Priests and prophets bridged the gap, but the prophets foresaw restoration. Jeremiah 31:33-34 declares, “I will put my law [torati] in their minds and write it on their hearts… No longer will they teach their neighbor… for they will all know me [yad’u oti].” In Hebrew, yad’u denotes intimate, personal knowledge (cf. Genesis 4:1)—no barriers, just God and His people.¹ The Greek Septuagint renders it gnōsontai, preserving that relational depth for the New Testament era.

Yeshua fulfills this promise. In Matthew 23:8-10, He dismantles human titles: “Do not be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher [didaskalos], and you are all brothers… Call no man ‘Father’ on earth, for you have one Father… Nor are you to be called ‘instructors’ [kathēgētēs], for you have one Instructor, the Messiah.” Didaskalos echoes the Hebrew moreh—a singular authority rooted in God’s law (cf. Deuteronomy 33:10). English “teacher” softens this; moreh carried communal weight in Jewish life. Yeshua doubles down in Mark 10:42-45: “Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant [diakonos]… For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve [diakonēsai].” Diakonos isn’t the elevated “minister” of some English translations—it’s a lowly servant, akin to a table-waiter (cf. John 12:26).² Hebrews 8:10-11 ties this to Jeremiah’s new covenant, and 1 Timothy 2:5 seals it: “There is one God and one mediator [mesitēs] between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” Mesitēs—a sole intermediary in Greek legal terms—allows no extras. If your pastor claims a higher rung, he’s missed this—one Teacher leaves no room for rivals. Logically, adding layers contradicts a singular chain.

The Human Graft: When Pastors Built Pyramids

Where did these tiers come from? Not Scripture’s root. Acts 2:42-47 paints the early ekklesia—a family breaking bread, praying, and sharing life, led by apostles who served, not ruled. Elders (presbuteroi) and overseers (episkopoi) emerged (Titus 1:5, 1 Timothy 3:1-2), but their role was functional—guiding, not governing. Presbuteros aligns with Hebrew zaqen—a respected elder, not a priestly lord (cf. Exodus 3:16); English “elder” can imply rank where Scripture shows service.³ Philippians 1:1 greets “overseers and deacons with all the saints”—no bishop boss. Acts 15’s council was collaborative—“it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (v. 28)—not a top-down decree. Peter commands elders, “Shepherd the flock… not lording it over [katakurieuousin] those entrusted to you” (1 Peter 5:2-3)—katakurieuousin evokes Gentile oppression, not godly care.

History shifted the frame. Ignatius of Antioch, around 110 CE, wrote in his Epistle to the Magnesians (6:1), “The bishop presides in the place of God.” This inflated episkopos beyond its New Testament meaning—oversight, not overlordship.⁴ Constantine’s Edict of Milan (313 CE) legalized Christianity; by 325 CE, at the Council of Nicaea, he presided over bishops, fusing church and Roman state. Bishops became civic magistrates, their Latin episcopus mirroring imperial titles.⁵ English translations compounded this: “bishop” in the King James Version (1 Timothy 3:1) conjures medieval pomp, not the Greek episkopos—“watcher” or “guardian.” Yeshua had warned, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them [katakuriousin]… it shall not be so among you” (Matthew 20:25-26). Jeremiah thundered, “The priests rule [radu] by their own authority, and my people love it so” (Jeremiah 5:31)—radu means “dominate,” not “serve.” If your pastor stands above, not alongside, he’s echoing Constantine’s Rome, not God’s revelation. He might know the English text, but does he grasp the Hebrew intent or Greek nuance? Historically and scripturally, this hierarchy is a graft, not a root.

Understanding Beyond Head Knowledge

To know the Bible isn’t just to quote it—it’s to live it. James 1:22 presses, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says [poietai logou].” Poietai—doers—demands action, not mere head knowledge. Yeshua ties truth to obedience: “If anyone chooses to do God’s will [poiēsai], he will find out [gnōsetai] whether my teaching comes from God” (John 7:17). A pastor might parse presbuteros or episkopos, but if he props up a system that wedges him between God and His people, he’s not aligned with Jeremiah’s yad’u oti—direct knowing—or Yeshua’s leveling call in Matthew 23. The Pharisees “searched the Scriptures” yet missed the Messiah (John 5:39-40), their Hebrew mastery undone by pride. Your pastor might preach “one Teacher,” but does he live it? If he accepts a pedestal, he’s either blind to the design or sidestepping it—his Bible’s heartbeat escapes him, not for lack of study, but for lack of alignment. Logically, knowing without doing is incomplete understanding (cf. Matthew 7:24-27).

Ignorance or Compromise? A Logical Lock

Picture your pastor ruling the flock, sincere but shaped by tradition—unaware presbuteros never meant “overlord.” Does ignorance excuse him? Deuteronomy 12:8 warns, “You are not to do as we do here today, everyone doing as they see fit [yashar b’einav].” Yashar—rightness—rests on God’s standard (Psalm 119:160, “All your words are true”). Leviticus 5:17-18 states, “If anyone sins [chatta’] and does what is forbidden… even though they do not know it [lo yada’], they are guilty [asham] and will be held responsible.” Chatta’—to miss the mark—stands firm; ignorance (lo yada’) requires atonement, not acquittal. Yeshua nuances this: “The servant who does not know… will receive a light beating” (Luke 12:48)—less blame, but still wrong. Acts 17:30 adds, “In the past God overlooked such ignorance [huperidōn], but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.” Huperidōn implies temporary leniency, not license.

Your pastor’s role? It’s not “right.” It defies the ekklesia—a body with one Head (Colossians 1:18), not a bureaucracy. His heart might be pure (1 Samuel 16:7), but the pyramid’s built on sand (Matthew 7:26-27). He doesn’t know his Bible—not fully—because he’s missed its pulse: God’s direct reign through Yeshua, unskewed by translation or tradition. Logically, an act’s rightness hinges on truth, not awareness—ignorance explains, it doesn’t absolve.

Yeshua: The Fulfillment of the Unbroken Line

This is restoration, not rebuke. Jeremiah’s yad’u oti—“they will all know me”—blossoms in Yeshua. He tore the veil (Matthew 27:51), became the derekh—the way (Hebrews 10:20)—and built an ekklesia of servants, not sovereigns. The Hebrew Scriptures yearn for this: no mediators usurping God’s place (Matthew 23:13), no priests dominating (radu, Jeremiah 5:31). Constantine layered tradition, and English softened Greek—diakonos as “minister” hides its servile root—but Yeshua lived the original. Your pastor might not see it, but Yeshua did—and He embodied it. If he stands atop a hierarchy, he’s not tracing the thread to its end. He knows the words, perhaps, but not the Word who flattens power and draws us near.

"Spurn correction, and you forsake your soul; heed it, and you gain a heart of wisdom." - Proverbs 15:32

Final Lock-In: A Sound Logical Conclusion with Loose Ends Sealed

Here’s the steel-clad stance: If your pastor accepts a hierarchical role—ruling over others—he doesn’t fully understand his Bible in the deepest sense. And if he acts on it, even in ignorance, it’s not right. Let’s lock it down, sealing every loose end with Scripture and logic.

• Premise 1: Biblical Hierarchy is Singular
  Yeshua (Matthew 23:8-10) and Jeremiah (31:34) establish one chain: God → Christ → us. Leadership is functional—elders shepherd (1 Peter 5:2), not lord (Mark 10:42-45). Episkopoi oversee with care (Acts 20:28), not control. Human pyramids contradict this directness—logically, adding intermediaries to “one mediator” (1 Timothy 2:5) breaks the chain.

• Premise 2: Modern Hierarchy’s Unbiblical
  History built it—Ignatius exalted bishops (110 CE), Constantine fused church and state (325 CE)—not Scripture. Acts 15’s council was collaborative—“it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (v. 28)—not top-down. Philippians 1:1 lists “overseers and deacons” alongside saints, no bishop boss. It’s a graft, not a root—scripturally absent, historically imposed.

• Premise 3: Understanding = Alignment
  Knowing verses isn’t enough—James 1:22 demands doing (poietai). If they stack layers Yeshua tore down (Matthew 23:8), they miss the ethos—ignorant or not—failing to live the ekklesia as a body (1 Corinthians 12:27), not a bureaucracy. Logically, understanding requires embodying intent, not just reciting text (John 7:17).

• Premise 4: Rightness = Truth, Not Ignorance
  Leviticus 5:17—wrong (chatta’) is wrong, even unintentional (lo yada’). Luke 12:48—ignorance lightens blame, not fact. Romans 5:20—“where sin increased, grace increased all the more”—covers sin, doesn’t redefine it. A hierarchical act’s off-script, period—truth doesn’t bend for perception.

• Conclusion
  They might know Greek, but not the heartbeat—Christ’s ekklesia is a body (1 Corinthians 12:27), not a bureaucracy, with Him as sole Head (Colossians 1:18). Acting on that role, even ignorantly, isn’t right—truth stands firm. Grace offers a ramp—“God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 2:25)—but the standard doesn’t shift.

• Loose Ends Sealed

  • Practical Leadership?
    Pushback: “No hierarchy, no order—Acts 2:41 had thousands!”
    Answer: Order is Spirit-led, not man-made—Acts 15:28 (“Holy Spirit and us”), Acts 6:3 (congregation chooses deacons), Acts 13:2-3 (Spirit calls Paul and Barnabas). Elders guide via gifts—“helps, administrations” (1 Corinthians 12:28)—not ranks. Christ’s headship (Colossians 1:18) needs no crutch—didaskalos rules alone. Logically, function doesn’t require domination.

  • Ignorance vs. Accountability?
    Pushback: “Too harsh—grace should clear them!”
    Answer: Leviticus 5:17—guilty (asham), but redeemable with offering. Luke 12:48—degrees of fault, yet still fault. Acts 17:30—grace overlooks past ignorance, then calls to truth (John 16:13, “Spirit guides”). Romans 5:20—grace abounds, but sin remains sin. Wrong stays wrong; grace adjusts penalty, not reality—biblically consistent, logically sound.

  • Cultural Context?
    Pushback: “It’s adaptation—Paul flexed (1 Corinthians 9:22, ‘all things to all people’)!”
    Answer: Culture bows to truth—Jesus didn’t tweak “one Teacher” (Matthew 23:8). Jeremiah 31:34’s yad’u oti didn’t bend for custom. Bishops rose post-Scripture—Acts lacks them. Paul’s flexibility served the gospel’s spread (1 Corinthians 9:19-23), not structural invention—he warns, “Do not go beyond what is written” (1 Corinthians 4:6). Adaptation doesn’t rewrite design—truth trumps pragmatism.

  • Personal Conviction?
    Pushback: “Romans 14—my faith says it’s fine!”
    Answer: Romans 14 governs disputable matters (food, days), not core design—Paul distinguishes “matters of conscience” from doctrine (vv. 1-5). Jesus (Mark 10:42-45) and Paul (1 Corinthians 4:6) lock the ekklesia’s form—conviction submits, doesn’t freelance. The Spirit fits the frame (Acts 13:2), not human whims—subjectivity yields to Scripture.

• Why It Sticks
  Scripture’s consistent—God hates usurpers (Jeremiah 5:31, “priests rule by their own authority”; Matthew 23:13, “you shut the door”). History’s clear—hierarchy’s man-made (Ignatius, Constantine). Logic’s tight—if “right” bent for ignorance, truth would collapse into relativism, undermining Psalm 119:160 (“all your words are true”). It’s a fortress: not right, not fully understood, ignorance or not—grace invites correction, not compromise.

An Invitation to Awake and Act

This isn’t about fault—it’s about freedom. Your pastor might not know his Bible—not because he’s dull, but because he’s human, swayed by centuries of drift. I’ve wrestled this with awe, seeing Yeshua fulfill the Hebrew texts I’ve loved since youth. Now, I invite you: be Bereans, like Acts 17:11—those who “examined [anakrinontes] the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Anakrinontes means sifting, probing—think for yourselves. Dig into Jeremiah 31’s yad’u, Matthew 23’s didaskalos, Acts 2’s ekklesia. Ask: Does my church mirror Yeshua’s design? Does my pastor stand with me or over me?

Awaken to this: God’s instruction is yours to seek. Rely on Him—He writes His torah on your heart (Jeremiah 31:33), guides you into alētheia—truth (John 16:13). Then, act. Find believers—humble, hungry souls—and build community, not cathedrals. Break bread, share life, discuss what you uncover, live the ekklesia as a family under one King. The evidence spans Hebrew, Greek, history—logical and alive. It’s a call to Yeshua, who bridges Torah and cross, offering not a system but Himself. Test this. If it stirs you, let it reshape you—as it has me—to do what’s right.

Your pastor might not know his Bible yet. Will you show him how?

Reexamining the Modern Church: A Call for Accountability and Authenticity in Faith

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Side Note: A Word on Reformed Theology

Here’s a jolt to wrestle with. Reformed theology—Calvin’s heirs, the Puritans—swears by Scripture alone, sola scriptura. They herald the priesthood of all believers, every heart open to God. You’d think they’d chase Yeshua’s straight path—His lone mediatorship (1 Timothy 2:5), no human thrones in sight. It’s their battle cry, isn’t it?

Then comes the shock. Many Reformed churches hoist pastors and elders sky-high, crafting a steep ladder. They cloak it as “church order,” citing the Westminster Confession, insisting it reflects God’s rule. Titus 1:5—elders appointed—becomes their shield. Sounds biblical, they claim.

But hold on. “One Teacher” (Matthew 23:8) and “all know me” (Jeremiah 31:34) torch every tier—orderly or not. Elders serve (1 Peter 5:2), they don’t tower. The Spirit leads flat and free (Acts 15:28). So why this pyramid?

It’s not just tradition sneaking in—it’s a grotesque error, teetering on idolatry. Sola scriptura demands Scripture’s raw truth: Yeshua alone reigns (Colossians 1:18). Elevating men above that? It’s a betrayal of their own creed—twisting God’s voice into a human echo.

They should shudder at the drift. Sola scriptura could smash those lofty seats, realign them to Yeshua’s level ground. It won’t—unless they face the fracture. That’s the glaring flaw….Grapple with it.

Footnotes

Jeremiah 31:33-34 (NIV, with Hebrew)

• Reference: “I will put my law [torati] in their minds and write it on their hearts… No longer will they teach their neighbor… for they will all know me [yad’u oti].”

• Note: In Hebrew, yad’u denotes intimate, personal knowledge (cf. Genesis 4:1, where “know” implies deep relational intimacy, e.g., “Adam knew Eve”). This reflects Jewish eschatological hope for a direct, unmediated relationship with God, fulfilled in Yeshua’s new covenant ministry. The Greek Septuagint translates yad’u oti as gnōsontai, preserving this relational depth.

Mark 10:42-45 (NIV, with Greek)

• Reference: “Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant [diakonos]… For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve [diakonēsai].”

• Note: Diakonos in Greek papyri and lexical sources (e.g., BDAG Lexicon) denotes a servant or attendant, often in a menial role, such as waiting tables—not the elevated “minister” found in some English translations (e.g., KJV, NIV). Cf. John 12:26, where servanthood aligns with following Yeshua. This underscores the humility Yeshua modeled, contrasting with hierarchical titles.

Titus 1:5 (NIV, with Greek and Hebrew)

• Reference: “Elders (presbuteroi)…”

• Note: Presbuteros aligns with the Hebrew zaqen (e.g., Exodus 3:16, “elders of Israel”), a term for respected community leaders who guided through wisdom and example, not priestly or hierarchical authority. English “elder” can imply rank, but in Jewish tradition and New Testament usage (e.g., Acts 20:17), it emphasizes service over dominion.

Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Magnesians 6:1 (c. 110 CE)

• Reference: “The bishop presides in the place of God.”

• Note: Ignatius’s letters (early 2nd century) mark an early shift toward episcopal authority, urging bishops (episkopoi) to hold a monarchical role—a departure from the collaborative leadership seen in Acts (e.g., Acts 15:22, “apostles and elders with the whole church”). Primary source: Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1.

Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. 2, 135-150

• Reference: Historical shift under Constantine.

• Note: Constantine’s Edict of Milan (313 CE) legalized Christianity, and his presiding over the Council of Nicaea (325 CE) fused church and Roman governance. Bishops (episcopus in Latin) gained civic roles, reflecting imperial structure. Corroborated by primary sources like Eusebius, Life of Constantine, Book 3. Schaff documents this as a pivotal moment in hierarchical development.