October 2011
October 2011
Dearly beloved in Christ,
For the October News Letter, let us study on Judaism with the aim in our mind that we should be equipped to share the Gospel with them.
Christianity has a close relationship with Judaism, both historically and Theologically. Jesus, the twelve disciples, the authors of most of the New Testament, and the members of the earliest Christian Churches were all Jews. Jesus’ family followed Jewish customs and Jesus frequently quoted the Hebrew Bible. Jesus’ followers believed Him to be the Messiah, a Jewish figure predicted in the Jewish Bible.
Despite its Jewish origins, it was not long before Christianity regarded itself as something other than a Jewish sect. The first Christian Council, convened by the Apostles, concluded that pagan converts to Christianity did not have to follow Jewish ritual laws. Soon, converts to Christianity were almost exclusively pagans and Christianity moved further away from Judaism.
In the 2000 years of history since Jesus, the relationship between Christianity and the ancient faith in which it is rooted has often been strained. Christians have criticized Jews for rejecting Jesus as their Messiah, and Jews have criticized Christians for corrupting the concept of one God and following a false Messiah.
Salvation in Judaism is almost always understood as collective and national, not personal and individual. Repent and shall be sure. Yet Judaism does place responsibility for the sin of the individual: places that responsibility on the sinner himself. Consequences for disobedience have effect in the here and now not to the world to come.
Messianic Jews or Christians, salvation has an eternal effect, that in salvation is not only applies to the here and now but also to there and then. A Jewish Rabbi(teacher) says,"You Christians make it easy for you because you can sin all you want and then leave it to Jesus to pay the consequences of your actions!!" What is our answer to that?"No, we die with Jesus and suffer the agony along with Jesus because being Jesus the innocent He only is qualified to take our sins away."
In Judaism, relationship with God has based on three elements:-
Repentance, Good deeds resulting from repentance and Life of Devotion.
Devout Jews base their hope for Forgiveness on three main foundational principles:-
1. Repentance
2. Prayers
3. Merits of the Patriarchs:
but today the third matter is impossible because they have no temple, no priests, no sacrifice.
In Jesus the Messiah the sacrificial requirements were met fully for once and for all; an innocent dying for the guilty. A blameless lamb accepted by God and the severity of sin is eraced by the shedding of blood. " Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we having died to sins, might live for righteousness-by whose stripes you were heald" 1Pet.2:24.
Now let us praise God for the simple way of salvation we have through Jesus Christ!
May God bless you, ever your's in Christ's ministry,
Rev. V. T. John