In part two, we looked at the testimony of some prominent Jewish men who had come under the blessings of the New Covenant in Yeshua Ha Mashiach (Jesus Christ) and saw how they view the New Testament and Christianity.
Part three was an examination of the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word. We saw the authority of Jesus, the fact that the Gospel was, is and will be given first to the Jew then to the Gentile and the awesome truth that Jesus' substitutionary death made a way for us to draw near to God.
You may recall that in part two, Benjamin Disraeli's words were cited twice. Let's look his comments regarding Judaism and Christianity one more time.
Mr Disraeli presented 2 very different ideas. First, he says, Christianity is completed Judaism, or it is nothing. Then he goes on to say, Christianity is incomprehensible without Judaism, as Judaism is incomplete without Christianity.
Using both statements as a guide, let's try to reach a conclusion as to whether or not Christianity is, indeed, completed Judaism.
First we'll look at a brief overview of Judaism, then the idea of Completion.
A. Judaism
It is unfortunate that, although I made it clear this discussion was not yet complete, the title of this writing has caused some to accuse me of Judaizing. For the sake of clarity, and also because it ties in with the conclusions that will be drawn herein, let me tell you what I believe in relation to this subject...
I believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
I believe in the God who introduced Himself and His commandments to Moses with thunderings, lightnings, and the noise of a trumpet (Exodus 20:8).
I believe in the LORD God of Israel who told of a New Covenant in which He promised, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people (Jeremiah 31:33), which was fulfilled by the atoning sacrifice made by Jesus Christ and by the sending of the Holy Spirit to indwell each believer.
I believe in the God who spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets and Who has in these last days spoken unto us by his Son (Hebrew1:1).
I believe in the Risen Lord Jesus Christ Who when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebrews 1:4).
I believe Jesus is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us (Ephesians 2:14).
I believe in the God who says the law was only a shadow of good things to come and Who taketh away the first, that he may establish the second (Hebrews 10:1,9).
I believe in the God who has granted unto all – Jew and Gentile alike - boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil (Hebrews 10:10:19-20).
Merriam-Webster's online dictionary provides an interesting definition of Judaism...
1. a religion developed among the ancient Hebrews and characterized by belief in one transcendent God who has revealed himself to Abraham, Moses, and the Hebrew prophets and by a religious life in accordance with Scriptures and rabbinic traditions
2. conformity to Jewish rites, ceremonies, and practices
3. the cultural, social, and religious beliefs and practices of the Jews
4. the whole body of Jews:the Jewish people
Merriam-Webster states that Judaism is defined by faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and by a religious life in accordance with Scriptures and rabbinic traditions.
It is those rabbinic traditions that have turned the very real faith of Abraham, Moses and the prophets into something far from what God intended. The apostle Paul, formerly known as Saul the Pharisee, was very well acquainted with and practiced rabbinical traditions. He knew the Scriptures well and did his utmost to abide by God's commands and also followed the traditions of the Pharisees. Listen to Paul's conclusion on the matter. Paul desired to be..
...found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death (Philippians 3:9-10)
The rabbinic traditions practiced in modern Judaism have strayed even further from the original intent of the Law-Giver than in Paul's day. Rabbinic commentaries, such as the Talmud and Midrash, are elevated and esteemed on a level with the Scriptures and, in some cases, the thoughts of the rabbis have replaced the clear teaching of God's Word.
B. Completion
As we have seen, Judaism is no longer an accurate representation of faith in the One, True God and for that reason, I must humbly disagree with Mr Benjamin Disraeli's conclusion that Christianity is completed Judaism, or it is nothing.
However, I do believe the true faith of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is completed by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone for salvation.
The honorable Mr Disraeli said, Christianity is incomprehensible without Judaism. In my opinion, Christianity would become confused by the incorporation of Judaism as it is practiced in all its forms today.
I would however assert that Christianity is incomprehensible without the witness of all who went before us on this path of true faith in the Most High God, such as Moses and all the prophets.
Without the witness of the patriarchs and God's revelation of who He is in His dealings with Israel and the nations, we would never fully comprehend the depths of His grace, the fullness of His love, or the magnitude of His holiness.
The idea of a completed Jew, however, is entirely different.
The label, Judaism, describing faith in the One, True God of Abraham, is a fairly recent phenomenon. According to Online Etymology Dictionary, this word came into existence some time during the 14th century.
It is interesting to note that God never put such a label on those who worshiped Him. He called them My people, daughters of Zion, children of Israel, Abraham's seed, and so on, but such faith in God was not actually labeled until after the advent of the Messiah.
I am aware that some of my brothers and sisters in the Lord tend to avoid and/or dislike the term Christian. Think about the words meanings for a moment.
---The Messiah is the Anointed One. Christ also means Anointed One.
---A Messianic is a follower of the Messiah. A Christian is a follower of Christ.
The only difference is the fact that Messiah is an English derivative of the Hebrew word Mashiach and Christ is an Anglicized form of The Greek word Christos.
The words are one in meaning and purpose, just as God has made Jew and Gentile one in meaning and purpose in Christ. Messianic believers and Christians are made one in Yeshua Ha Mashiach, Jesus the Christ.
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. (Ephesians 2:14-17)
The disciples, the very first believers in the Messiah, considered their faith to be complete in their Savior, as we saw in the first part of this discussion.
It may surprise you to learn that not all Jews follow Judaism. My paternal grandparents were raised as orthodox Jews but later claimed to to be atheistic. My father, a Jew, is a retired Baptist pastor and church-planter.
A Jew who has taken themselves out from under the covenants God made with their forefathers (whether by the practice of rabbinic-imposed ritual or by secularism), who then returns to the LORD God of Israel and places their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation, may well consider themselves to be a completed Jew, since the faith of their ancestors is completed and fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ.
As we saw in part 3 of this discussion (the testimony of the first believers), this is how they viewed their faith in Messiah, as a completion and fulfillment of the faith of their fathers. Many of them heard Jesus Himself affirm this idea of completion and fulfillment of faith when He gave what we know today as the Sermon on the Mount.
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (Matthew 5:17)
Some final thoughts
I have mentioned before elsewhere that although my ancestry is Jewish, I grew up with very little exposure to the Jewish lifestyle or the traditions of Judaism.
My faith rests in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who sent His own Son to pay the penalty for my sin and raised Him up to life and caused me to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).
I am simply a born-again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ who happens to have a Jewish heritage and an interest in the foundations of my faith in The LORD GOD JEHOVAH, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, my God.
The apostle Paul once said, But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:10).
If you know Jesus Christ as your Savior, God's grace has not been bestowed upon you in vain. Jew or Gentile, and no matter what you've done, it makes no difference in the body of Christ. In Christ, you are forgiven and loved. God has a purpose and plan for your life. No other believer is better than you are for any reason and certainly not because of ethnicity or heritage.
Remember, he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us (Ephesians 2:14).
No comments:
Post a Comment