Judaism vs. Biblical Christianity
Intro
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Good Morning.
We are in week 3 of our series called Faithology.
We are examining some other religious faiths and comparing them to Biblical Christianity so we can have a deeper understanding of Biblical Christianity and a basic understanding of some of the various faiths of the world so we can
better understand the differences and that they are different and
communicate truth with those who hold these other beliefs and
share with them the good news of Jesus Christ so their lives can be changed and
so they can experience eternity in relationship with the One Ture God.
I will tell you that these past weeks has shown me that this series is vital for us at this juncture in history. I hear more and more people, Christians even, who do not have a proper understanding of their own faith and are being led astray by the false teaching that different faiths are worshiping the same God, just in different ways.
I believe they have become confused between the role and the person of God.
You see different religions may have a similar understanding of the role of God – Creator, sovereign, Supreme, etc – but they still could be worshiping very different entities they believe hold that role – but those entities they worship are not really God.
This is the problem I think that many are challenged with, especially regarding Islam, Judaism and Christianity – which all hold to a view that there is one God, who is Creator of all things and is sovereign. They have similar views of the role of God.
But the “god” that each faith believes is in that role is very different. They do not have the same characteristics. They do not reveal themselves to the human race the same way. They truly, are not the same God.
So the question becomes if they are not the same, which is correct, if any?
Because while one may be correct, it is logically impossible for all of them to be correct given the very different characteristics of the gods they are worshiping.
Christians need to understand and know this if we are going to walk in the truth and assurance of our own faith and be able to communicate the gospel to people who hold different views. Because if we do not understand this, what is the point of sharing the gospel? If I believe, falsely, that other faiths are worshiping the same God as me, just in a different way, then why should I share this good news of Jesus with them?
This is exactly what Satan wants people to believe. Do not believe it. Search out truth. Know why you believe what you do. Know the differences between the different religions so you can not only be assured of your own faith, but so that you can be used by the One True God to communicate good news and have an eternal influence on the lives of people for their good and God’s glory.
Transition
So far in this series, we have looked at the essentials of Biblical Christianity – the gospel and the implications of the Gospel Message and last week we looked to get a basic understanding of Islam and how the beliefs of Islam compare to Biblical Christianity to see that the god of Islam is not the same God that is worshiped by those who are believers in the Christianity that is taught throughout the Bible.
This week we are going to consider Judaism.
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Now for many people, they see a close relationship between Christianity and Judaism.
They recognize some of the same prophets of God, some of the writings they believe are the word of God overlap, there is a recognition that some of the same people that are important to their faith spoke with the One True God.
Certainly then, the Jews of today and Biblical Christians are worshiping the same God, right?
Transition
Well, we are going to seek to answer that question today, but first, I want to begin by taking a look at what todays Jews believe.
Now there are at least a couple of branches of Judaism – Orthodox and Reformed. The basic difference, as I understand it is the approach to the Torah.
As I researched Judaism and talked to people who know more than I do, here is what I understand as the difference in their approaches to the Torah.
Orthodox Jews believe that the Torah comes directly from God and cannot be changed, while Reformed Jews view the Torah as a Holy document, but that it is rooted in the past and sees Judaism evolving in their understandings and helping people relate to God in their own way.
http://www.reformjudaism.org/what-most-fundamental-difference-between-reform-judaism-and-orthodox-judaism#sthash.FNym3tp7.dpuf
That is from a reformed Jewish website and being that their view of their own writings is a little looser and seen as evolving, it is quite difficult to pin down what they believe specifically. With that being the case, we are going to just look at the beliefs as understood from an Orthodox Jewish view of things.
So, What does Judaism believe?
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Well to start with, there are some things that Christianity and Judaism have in common, like
Judaism believes in One God
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Just like those of Islam and Christianity, each holds to a view that there is only one true God.
Now Jews might refute, like those of Islam, that Christians believe in One God, but that is because they do not understand the Trinity.
Secondly,
Judaism believes that the Tanach (Old Testament) is the word of God
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They would believe with Christians that the Old Testament is God’s word. Judaism also believes the Talmud (the Oral Torah) is the inspired word of God, but they would not believe the New Testament is God’s word at all.
One final think I was trying to understand about Judaism is there belief about salvation and how a person is saved, but
Judaism doesn’t believe in Salvation as Christianity understands it
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I talked to several people and checked several sources and the best summary of thought on this was this from a website called “Being Jewish.”
They said this in regards to the beliefs of orthodox Judaism and what comes after death.
It is possible for an Orthodox Jew to believe that
the souls of the righteous dead go to a place similar to the Christian heaven, or
that they are reincarnated through many lifetimes, or
that they simply wait until the coming of the messiah, when they will be resurrected.
Likewise, Orthodox Jews can believe that
the souls of the wicked are tormented by demons of their own creation, or
that wicked souls are simply destroyed at death, ceasing to exist.
http://www.beingjewish.com/basics/beliefs.html
What I understand from this is that you can be Jewish and believe almost anything you want regarding what comes after physical death.
Another source sums up their thoughts and says
while in traditional Jewish thought the subjects of heaven and hell were treated extensively, most modern Jewish thinkers have shied away from this topic, preferring to …focus on life on earth.
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/heaven-and-hell-in-jewish-tradition/3/
Modern Judaism doesn’t focus so much on eternity, but rather the here and now of life on earth.
Transition
Ok, so that is some basic things to know about Judaism’s beliefs, but what do they believe about Jesus?
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What does Judaism believe about Jesus?
Judaism doesn’t believe Jesus was the Son of God
Claiming to be the Son of God to the Jews was a claim to be God, which was blasphemy. It did not matter if he could show that He was God by signs and wonders and miracles and eventually resurrecting from the dead. To the Jews, this was blasphemy.
We see this in John 5:18 where it says
For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
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And in John 19:7, when the Jews brought Jesus before Pilate, they said
“We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”
Judaism does not at all accept or believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
So they deny the deity of Christ.
Transition
Judaism doesn’t believe Jesus was the Messiah
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Jesus does not fit their conception of the Messiah who is supposed to be a leader who leads them to physical freedom.
It should be noted that many Christians believe that Jesus will sit on the throne of David and bring to fulfillment what the Jews believe during his millennial kingdom reign.
Judaism doesn’t believe Jesus was a Prophet
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He could not be a prophet doing the things like healing on the Sabbath, which they view as a breaking of the law.
In fact, not only do Modern day Jews not believe these things about Jesus, but
Judaism believes that Jesus was a terrible Jew
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The things He was doing in their view – breaking the Sabbath, committing blasphemy by claiming to be the Son of God –not only show he wasn’t a prophet, but they believe show that he was a terrible Jew, even the worst Jew of all time.
Ok, so that is some basic understanding of Judaism’s beliefs and their beliefs about Jesus.
Transition – The History of Judaism regarding Idolatry
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Now I want to spend a few moments reflecting on what we see regarding the history of Judaism found in their own writings, what we know as the Old Testament, especially how it identifies a problem they have over and over again – the problem of falling into idolatry.
Now, just a caveat, while we are going to look at Judaism’s repeated fall into idolatry, this is not only a Jewish problem, but a human problem.
Christians need to be careful and know the word and follow the word so they too do not fall into idolatry.
But throughout the history of Judaism, this happens over and over again.
The Golden Calf
For example, we see in Exodus 32, when Moses went up on Mt. Sinai to meet with the Lord and receive the commands of the Lord, Israel became impatient waiting so Aaron said to the Jews
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Exodus 32:2-4
“Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
The Lord Exiles them for false worship
In 2 Kings 17, As Israel continued to sin, the Lord exiled them for their false worship.
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7All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods …12They worshiped idols, though the Lord had said, “You shall not do this.”
Over and over again, we see this same pattern, God blessing them and Israel turning from God to worship other false gods.
New Testament
Even in the days of Jesus, they were not worshiping God. Listen to what Jesus says to the Jews who were not accepting of Him
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John 5:37-40, 46
37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life… 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.
In speaking to the Jews here who claimed to follow Moses and know the true God, Jesus says you don’t really know God and you don’t believe Moses because if you did, then you would recognize me. He is saying it is apparent because you don’t recognize me that you do not really know God and you are not worshiping Him.
Jesus confirms this same thought in in John 8, when Jesus is telling the Jews about himself and talking about them being slaves to sin. They question Jesus about who His father is. It says in
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John 8:19
19 Then they asked him, "Where is your father?"
"You do not know me or my Father," Jesus replied. "If you knew me, you would know my Father also."
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And going on in
John 8:42, 44, 47
42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God … 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. … 47 He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."
Many of the Jews of Jesus’ day did not believe in Him and because of their unbelief, He tells them that they do not know the Father, that they belong to the devil.
Their worship had turned away from the One True God to that of Idolatry again.
Summary
While many of the Old Testament saints – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the patriarchs, David, etc, truly worshipped the true God, many other Jews, even in Jesus’ day, were not worshipping the true God but instead, they worshipped false gods who ultimately are put forth by Satan.
What does all of this mean?
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Well, this is where I think it is helpful to ask some questions that can help us not only know truth, but help us in how we relate to our Jewish friends.
So,
Do modern day Jews worship the same God as Christians?
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While many of the Jews who lived in the Old Testament times truly worshiped the true God and followed Him in obedience, with the further revelation of God and Him sending His Son as the Messiah in fulfillment of the Old Testament Scriptures, If a person does not recognize Jesus as the true Son of God, the God who became flesh, they are not worshiping the true God.
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1 John 2:23
No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
So the answer to the question if Modern day Jews and Biblical Christian are worshiping the same God is no,
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not if they do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah. Now there are Jews today who do recognize Jesus. We call them Messianic Jews. There has always been a remnant of true believers and worshipers among the people of Israel, even to this day. We recognize them as true believers because they have recognized and received Jesus as the Messiah.
If a person does not recognize Jesus as the Son of God, they do not worship the true God.
Transition
Well, If Jews today are not worshiping the true God,
Are the Jews still the Chosen People?
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Yes. They still are the People God has chosen through Abraham.
How is that if they are no longer worshiping God?
I really want you to hear this, because this is vital for Christians to understand about God as well.
The unfaithfulness of people has no bearing on the faithfulness of God.
God is faithful to His word eternally. He cannot be anything but faithful.
I want to take a moment and visit the covenantal promise that God made to Abraham and consider that for a second, because how we understand this covenant impacts not only how we understand Judaism, but how we understand God ourselves and how we relate to the Jewish People.
Read with me Genesis 12:2-3.
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Genesis 12:2-3
2 "I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you."
Is there any part of this promise that contains any responsibilities for Abraham or his descendants? Is there any part that says “I will do this as long as you and your descendants follow me?”
No. This promise and covenant that God makes with Abraham is unconditional meaning that God will fulfill this promise based upon His own faithfulness to His word, not based on the faithfulness or unfaithfulness of Abraham’s descendants.
So, Israel is still the chosen people because God chose them and them being the chosen people has nothing to do with their faithfulness.
So Yes, Israel is still the chosen people of God even though they are not worshiping the true God at this point.
Transition
But this covenant has other implications for us as well.
Not only do Biblical Christians recognize the Jews as God’s Chosen People even now in the midst of their unfaithfulness and idolatry but
Christians should be a blessing to Jews
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Look at verse 3 again. It says
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
In the Abrahamic covenant there are promises to those who are a blessing to Israel .
We believe that is a real promise from a faithful God, so we should seek to be a blessing to the Jewish people.
How should we be a blessing?
One way to be a blessing is that
Christians should share the gospel with Jews
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Listen to Paul’s heart in wanting the Jewish people to come to Christ.
Romans 9:2-5
2I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, 4the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised!a Amen.
Paul recognized the truth of the History of Judaism being a Jew himself and wanted his people to come to a point of recognizing Jesus as the Messiah so they might be saved.
We need to be helping people see the truth of who Jesus is, the Messiah, the Son of God the God who became flesh.
We need to seize the opportunities that we God gives us through our personal relationships.
And we also seek to share the gospel as a church through our Missions support.
We support a group called Life in Messiah that seeks to evangelize Jews disciple them and equip them.
We praise God for the work of this mission organization and it is one way we can be a blessing to Israel.
Transition
Another way to be a blessing is that
Christians should support the land claims of Jews
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In Genesis 15, God gives some more specifics regarding the land promise to Abraham and his descendants.
The Bible tells us in Genesis 15:18-21
On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates — 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."
Biblical Christians recognize the Sovereignty of God and that He is in control of everything He has created including us.
So we don’t support Israel’s claim to the land of Israel because they are better or more deserving, but simply because we recognize that the God who created everything and is in control of everything made an unconditional covenant giving that land to them.
And as we worship the true God, we worship Him by respecting and recognizing what He has said and promised.
That is an act of worship.
Transition
And finally, while we do not believe that today’s Jews are worshiping the same God as we do,
Christians should recognize that many Jews will come to accept Jesus as the Messiah
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God has still made promises to them and we believe that God will draw them back to Himself and they will come to realize the truth the Jesus is the Messiah that they have been waiting for and they will be saved!
Listen to the words of Paul speaking to the Christians of his day and are applicable to us today as well.
Romans 11:25-32
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25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
"The deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27 And this is my covenant with them
when I take away their sins."
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28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29 for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. 32 For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
As the end approaches, God’s attention will again turn to Israel, even though they are not worshiping him truly right now.
God will be faithful to His promises to Abraham and the covenant he made.
Conclusion
So in the meantime Christians should
Pray for your Jewish friends.
Be a blessing to them.
Share the Good News of Jesus with them.
Realize that even though today they are not worshiping the true God, they are still God’s chosen people and God will turn his attention to them again.
It is in that day when they will come to realize the truth that Jesus is the Messiah, that He is God in the flesh and they will realize the truth that He was truly and always, the Lamb of God who died to take away their sins.
If you today have realized that Jesus truly is the God who died for you and resurrected to give eternal life, then won’t you receive Him today so you too can experience the life that only He can give and worship the One True God.
Let’s pray
