Bibilcal Faith vs. Man's Faith

I have been asked recently, “Why, if you are a Christian, do you write so much or care about Judaism?” As a Christian, my goal is to become obedient to the God that my ancestors worshiped and walked with.  Truth is, the first members of the Christian movement were Jewish and they held to Jewish principles of the time. Rabbi David Wolpe says “To see Jesus as he was is difficult to isolate from the rift it represented from Jewish history. To see Jesus as he was is a difficult task because of the legacy left toward the Jewish people by Christianity.”[1]

Within Judaism, Christianity historically represents pain and persecution, efforts of understanding sabotaged by hatred, rejection, belittlement and horror. Think about it, from the Spanish Inquisition all the way to modern day Palestine Christians have done very little to help the people of Israel except to try to help them change.

Historically Speaking:

Notable converts from Judaism who themselves attempted to convert other Jews are more visible in historical sources beginning around the 13th century, when Jewish convert Pablo Christiani attempted to convert other Jews. This activity, however, typically lacked any independent Jewish-Christian congregations, and was often imposed through force by organized Christian churches.[2] In Eastern Europe, Joseph Rabinowitz established a Hebrew Christian mission and congregation called “Israelites of the New Covenant” in Kishinev, Ukraine in 1884. Rabinowitz was supported from overseas by the Christian Hebraist Franz Delitzsch, translator of the first modern Hebrew translation of the New Testament. Rabinowitz created a sample order of worship for Sabbath morning service based on a mixture of Jewish and Christian elements. Mark John Levy pressed the Church of England to allow members to embrace Jewish customs. In the 1890s, immigrant Jewish converts to Christianity worshiped at the Methodist “Hope of Israel” mission on New York’s Lower East Side while retaining some Jewish rites and customs. Missions to the Jews saw a period of growth between the 1920s and the 1960s. In the 1940s and 50s, missionaries in Israel, including the Southern Baptists, adopted the term meshichyim (משיחיים “Messianics”) to counter negative connotations of the word notsrim (נוצרים “Christians”, from “Nazarenes”); the term was used to designate all Jews who had converted to Protestant evangelical Christianity. In the 1970s, a growing number of young Jews who had converted to Christianity were committed to maintaining a culturally Jewish lifestyle, in the mode advocated by Rabinowitz in the 19th century. Going against the thinking of the older members of the Hebrew Christian movement, they believed that different methods of evangelism of Jews were needed.

Theology and Doctrine:

In general, essential doctrines of Messianic Judaism include views on God (that he is omnipotent, omnipresent, eternal, outside creation, infinitely significant and benevolent—viewpoints on the Trinity vary), Jesus (who is believed to be the Jewish Messiah, though views on his divinity vary), written Torah (with a few exceptions, Messianic Jews believe that Jesus taught and reaffirmed the Torah and that it remains fully in force), Israel (the Children of Israel are central to God’s plan; replacement theology is opposed), the Bible (Tanakh and the New Testament are usually considered the divinely inspired Scripture, though Messianic Judaism is more open to criticism of the New Testament canon than is Christianity), eschatology (sometimes similar to many evangelical Christian views), and oral law observance varies, but most deem these traditions subservient to the written Torah). Certain additional doctrines, including those on sin and atonement and on faith and works, are more open to differences in interpretation.

How then shall we Worship?

Worship services are generally held on Friday evenings (Erev Shabbat) or Saturday mornings. According to the Southern Baptist Messianic Fellowship (SBMF), services are held on Saturday to “open the doors to Jewish people who also wish to keep the Sabbath”. The liturgy used is similar to that of a Jewish siddur with some important differences including the omission of “salvation by works” as the Messianic belief is Salvation through Jesus.

Beliefs of the SBMF, Objectives and Ethical Statements[3]

SBMF Beliefs:                                                                     

We believe that the Torah, the prophets and the Holy Writings were given by God through ancient Jewish holy men who wrote as God directed them. We believe that this collection of inspired writings, the Tanach (Old Testament), is true and inerrant.

We believe that the New Covenant is the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Tanach, especially of Jeremiah 31:31 (verse 30 in some editions) in which God promised to give to Israel a New Covenant. We believe that the Tanach and the New Covenant comprise the Divinely given, inerrant Word of God, which is God’s complete and final revelation.

We believe that Yeshua, Who was born in Bethlehem and grew up in Nazareth, is the Divine Son of God, the Son of David of the Tribe of Judah, the true Messiah prophesied in the Torah, the Prophets and the Holy Writings (Genesis 49: 10; Deuteronomy 18: 15 – 18; Isaiah 53; Jeremiah 23:5- 6; Micah 5:2 [1]; Psalm 2; Psalm 22; Proverbs 30:4; and many more!)

We believe that all people of the world are invited to be a part of Israel’s New Covenant by trusting in Israel’s Messiah, (Isaiah 42:6-7; 49:6; 60:3).

We believe that forgiveness of sin comes only through a blood atonement as stated in the Torah (Leviticus 17: 11) and that the only atonement God accepts today is the atonement made by Messiah Yeshua (Psalm 2: 12; Isaiah 53: 10-11; John 14:6; Acts 4: 12).

We believe that Messiah Yeshua was resurrected from the grave to be the eternal Priest of the New Covenant (Psalm 16: 10).

We believe that Messiah Yeshua is coming back to earth to rule the earth in a Kingdom of Righteousness. We believe that He came the first time as the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 to make atonement for sin, And that He is returning to set up God’s Kingdom on earth (Isaiah 2; Isaiah 11; Daniel 7; Matthew 19: 27-28).

The SBMF is Committed to Certain Objectives:          

1. The worship of Yeshua Hamashiakh (Jesus Christ) as Lord and Saviour.
2. The evangelism of the world’s Jewish population in the belief that Yeshua IS THE Jewish Messiah as well as the Son of God and Saviour.
3. To encourage Jewish believers that their ethnic and historical heritage need NOT be lost upon their commitment to Yeshua.
4. To encourage planting of Messianic Jewish congregations and fellowships as worship homes for Jewish believers and their families.
5. To encourage the Church to partner with us in evangelizing the Jewish people.
6. To follow the Baptist Faith and Message.

We are ready to meet the people in churches to discuss and bring the message of the need for this biblically mandated ministry (Romans 1:16).

Ethical Statement Relating to Jews and Gentiles:        

Since we believe that Yeshua is the true Jewish Messiah Who takes away the sin of the world, and that we are Scripturally obligated to present this “good news” to everyone, we resolve that:

1. We will try to present the message of redemption through the atonement of Messiah Yeshua with love and compassion to Jews and Gentiles throughout the world.
2. We strongly condemn anti-Semitism and all derogatory statements or actions against any ethnic, racial, or religious groups.
3. We will abstain from the use of trickery or deception in presenting the message of salvation through Messiah Yeshua. Also. it is not our intent to forcibly present this message during our attendance at traditional Jewish places of worship. Religious gatherings, or at public or private events which are organized by the traditional Jewish community.
4. Since it is commonly accepted in the Jewish community at large that “it is not what you believe that makes you a Jew. but who you are.” those of us who are Jewish and believe that Yeshua (Jesus) is the true Messiah of Israel will continue to identify ourselves as Jews.
5. Those of us who are Jewish believers in Messiah Yeshua and follow the cultural ways of our ancestors will not claim to represent Traditional Judaism.

The Beliefs of the MJAA

THE MJAA Believes: That the BIBLE, consisting of the Tenach (Old Covenant/Testament) and the later writings commonly known as the B’rit Hadasha (New Testament/Covenant), is the only infallible and authoritative word of God. We recognize its divine inspiration, and accept its teachings as our final authority in all matters of faith and practice (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Proverbs 3:1-6; Psalm 119:89, 105; Isaiah 48:12-16; Romans 8:14-17; II Timothy 2:15, 3:16-17).

What we believe…

We believe that the Shema, “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4), teaches that God is Echad, as so declared: a united one, a composite unity, eternally existent in plural oneness [Genesis 1:1 (Elohim: God); Genesis 1:26 "Let Us make man in Our image"; Genesis 2:24 Adam & Eve were created to be as one flesh (basar echad)], that He is a personal God who created us (Genesis 1 & 2), and that He exists forever in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as mentioned in Romans 8:14-17 (Father, Spirit, and Messiah – Son) and Matthew 28:18-20 (immersing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).

He is Our Heavenly Father as shown in: John 6:27b; I Corinthians 1:3; Galatians 1:1; Revelations 3:5, 21; Jeremiah 3:4, 19; 31:9; Malachi 1:6; Matthew 6:9, 32; Luke 10:21-22; John 1:14; 4:23; 5:17-26; 6:28-46; Romans 8:14-15.

God does have a Son who was and is and will return (Psalm 2; Proverbs 30:4-6 (cf. Hebrews 1); Luke 12:35-37; John 1:29-34, 49; 3:14-18). The Son, called Yeshua (Jesus), meaning salvation, came to this world born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14 (cf. Luke 1:30-35)). The Son is God (Deity), and is worshipped as God, having existed eternally (Psalm 110:1 (cf. Hebrews 1:13); Isaiah 9:6-7; Matthew 28:18-20; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:15-19; Revelations 3:21 (Hebrews 1 – worshipped by angels); Revelations 4:8, 5:5-14). This One is the promised Mashiach (Messiah) of Israel (Isaiah 9:6-7; 11:1; Daniel 9 (especially verses 20-26); Isaiah 53; John 1:17, 40-41, 45, 49; Mark 8:29). He is the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning star (Numbers 24:17; Revelations 22:16). He is our Passover, the Lamb of God (I Corinthians 5:7; Revelations. 5; John 1:29).

Introduced in Genesis 1:2b: “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” In the Tenach, the Spirit of God came upon individuals during the times of our forefathers, like Moses, David (see II Samuel 23:1-3), and the Prophets, for the specific purposes.

In the New Covenant, the Messiah Yeshua, promised His disciples that “the Comforter” would come to them after He was gone, described as the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17, 26), who was with them and would be in them. Yeshua further declared that the Spirit of Truth, would guide us into all truth and would glorify Him – the Messiah – not Himself (John 16:13-15). He empowers us (Acts 1:8). The Spirit of God seals us (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30 (see NIV and Jewish New Testament versions)). If we have not the Spirit, we are not His (Romans 8:9). He leads us and teaches us (Romans 8:14-17). His indwelling enables us to live a godly life. Acts 2:38 says, “Repent, be immersed, and receive the Holy Spirit.”

Men and women are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27), however because of disobedience, mankind fell from the first state and became separated from God (Genesis 2:17; 3:22-24). Therefore, according to the Scriptures, all humans are born with a sinful nature (Psalm 14:1-3; 49:7; 53:13; Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:9-12, 23; 5:12).

Our only hope for redemption (salvation) is through the atonement made by the Messiah (Leviticus 17:11; Isaiah 53; Daniel 9:24-26; I Corinthians 15:22; Hebrews 9:11-14, 28; John 1:12, 3:36), resulting in regeneration by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5), which is the new birth (John 3:3-8). For by grace we are saved through faith, it is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9).

We believe in the resurrection of both the redeemed and the lost: the former to everlasting life and the latter to eternal separation from God, a state of everlasting punishment (Job 14:14; 19:25-27; Daniel 12:2-3; John 3:36; 11:25-26; Revelations 20:5-6, 10-15; 21:7-8).

The Scriptures promised two “comings” of the Messiah.

First coming:

Promised in Daniel 9:24-26. The initial coming’s purpose was to make atonement (covering) for sin (Daniel 9:24-26; Isaiah 53; Romans 3:21-31; Hebrews 9-10; John 3:16-17)—as the Suffering Messiah. The Redeemer shall come to Zion (Isaiah 59:20-21; Zechariah 14:4).

Second coming:

The Messiah Yeshua will return to the earth as King (Revelations 19:11-16). Upon His return, a many wonderful thing will happen: He will bring with Him an army of the Heavenly hosts, and those who went on before us (Revelations 19:14) and those who are still on earth will meet in the air to receive the believers to Himself (I Thessalonians 4:13-18; John 14:1-6; I Corinthians 15:51-57).

If we look at the beliefs of a clearly Messianic Jewish group (lead by Messianic Jews), and that of a made up (Southern Baptist Messianic Group) group lead predominately by Gentiles, we note that our beliefs are pretty close to the same—the question is though why have we moved from our Jewish roots of faith to embrace a false tradition set up by man? Everything we need to know about true Christianity is found or should be found in the Bible and not in man’s traditions.

I urge you to look at your faith; Are you following God faithfully or are you following man and man’s traditions?

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[1] Young, Dr. Brad H. Jesus The Jewish Theologian. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1995.

[2] Flannery, Edward H. The Anguish of the Jews. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1985 (1999).

 [3] Southern Baptist Messianic Fellowship. 2008. http://sbmessianic.net/about.shtml (accessed October 29, 2013).

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