How can you believe the Bible is true, when it was just written by man?
The Bible has to be the most amazing book ever written. God worked through people, all of whom received divine inspiration from God’s Spirit, as God expressed Himself through the personalities of these different writers. Yet, in spite of the differing personalities and a time span of about 1500 years over which the Bible was written, there is an amazing consistency of theme and purpose pervasive in these writings. I believe the only way this could be the case is if God Himself had authored this book.
Furthermore, it establishes its own credibility by predicting events that could not have been anticipated at the time such predictions, or prophecies, were written. Predictions of the Hebrew prophets often were not fulfilled until centuries after the lifetime of that prophet, and yet these fulfillments always confirmed the accuracy of the original predictions. How could these prophets have known such details unless they had truly been inspired by God Himself? The Bible contains hundreds of such prophecies. It is simply too much to be coincidence.
As a young man I read prophecies such as: the Jews returning to Israel after having been scattered to the four corners of the earth; the cities of Israel being rebuilt and the dessert blossoming; the nations of the world turning with united voice against Israel and the Jewish people. These and many more were fulfilled with amazing accuracy. As I recognized this, I could not doubt that the Bible was truly the Word of God. The Bible even makes the unlikely prediction that as long as there is a sun, moon and stars, the Jewish people would always exist on the earth as a recognizable people. This, too, continues to be fulfilled. In fact, no people group in history has ever been removed from their homeland for several generations and still survived as a people. Yet, the Jewish people were separated from their land for almost 2000 years and still survived, in spite of numerous attempts throughout history to destroy them. God has fulfilled His Word very specifically, and though it does indeed require faith, we can be confident that the Bible is indeed worthy of our faith, inspired by God Himself.
How can you say you are Jewish and believe in Jesus?
This question makes an inappropriate assumption that if one believes in Jesus, he cannot be Jewish. However, this is a misconception. Historically since the first century, though clearly a minority, there have always been Jews who believed in Jesus. In fact, all of the early followers of Jesus were Jews, who called Him by His Hebrew name, Yeshua.
Rather than asking a question based on a false assumption, the more appropriate question would be this. If Jesus fulfilled the Messianic prophecies from the Hebrew Bible, is there really any inconsistency between being Jewish and believing in Jesus? If Jesus is the Messiah, prophesied by the Hebrew Scriptures, there is nothing more Jewish than to believe in Him.
If Jesus is the Messiah, why don’t the non messianic Rabbi’s believe it?
The truth is, there have been non-Messianic rabbis as well as Jewish scholars who have come to the conclusion that Jesus is the Messiah. However, because they are still such a small minority, their faith is either minimized or ignored by the larger Jewish community. But there is a larger issue that this question actually exposes. Going all the way back to biblical times, the leaders of the Jewish people often rejected God’s ways and chose to not follow Him. This is indeed part of the tragic history of our people, recounted in the Bible itself. Israel’s kings, prophets and priests were often motivated by self-serving principles, going their own way and leading the people in that way, instead of the ways of God. Israel has even suffered much over the centuries because our leaders turned away from God so many times. This explains why the ancient Hebrew prophets often gave such strong messages of warning and rebuke to Israel and her leaders. The disbelief of many rabbis cannot be the basis for determining whether or not Jesus is truly the Messiah.
I am Jewish, aren’t all my sins forgiven at Yom Kippur?
No one’s sins are automatically forgiven at Yom Kippur, even if one is Jewish, attends synagogue and asks for God’s forgiveness on Yom Kippur. According to the Bible forgiveness is based on one thing only. God in His mercy is willing to acknowledge the sacrifice of one innocent, who stands in place of the guilty as a substitute. God sees the innocent blood shed to be a basis for forgiveness. The Bible is quite clear that blood sacrifice is the only way our sins can be atoned for. We read in the Scriptures, “for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul” (Leviticus 17:11). At the same time, sacrifice cannot be made at just any location. The Temple in Jerusalem was the location for such sacrifices. Of course, the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE, thus doing away with the only authorized place for sacrifice. In the first century before the Temple was destroyed, God provided the perfect sacrifice as Yeshua gave His own life as a substitute for our sins. This alone is the way our sins are forgiven.
Aren't messianic synagogues just churches dressed up in Jewish window dressings?
Messianic congregations are legitimate synagogues. Our style of worship reflects both ancient and more contemporary Jewish traditions, but our Jewish-ness goes beyond the synagogue service. Just as important is our commitment to living Jewish lives rooted in the Torah. We celebrate all the Jewish holidays, not only in the congregation but in our homes. To us the synagogue is the most natural venue for expressing faith in the Jewish Messiah, as we seek to practice a biblical Judaism. We see our Judaism, not as merely a surface issue, but as a deep issue of identity, rooted in the covenant God made with Abraham thousands of years ago.
If I don’t believe the way you believe, am I going to hell?
God is the righteous and holy judge of the universe. He alone decides the eternal fate of every human being, based on our personal response to the revelation He has given us. The issue here is not whether one believes the way I, or anyone else, believes. The issue is one of our hearts. God has revealed the way by which we can be certain of our sins being forgiven. What is our heart response to God’s revelation? As Messianic Jews we do not presume to say that one person is going to heaven and another to hell. That is for God alone to determine. What we can say with absolute confidence is that we know Yeshua to be the only way by which one can be certain of being forgiven of our sins.
Judaism believes in one God, what is this 3 gods business all about?
Messianic Jews also believe in one God, and not three. We affirm the words of the Torah from Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear oh Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” However, we must note the meaning of the Hebrew translated in this verse as “one.” The Hebrew word is echad, which speaks of a composite unity. It is the same word used in Genesis 2:24, when describing a man and woman coming together to become “one flesh.” They are two distinct people, and yet they are spoken of as becoming one. A different Hebrew word would have been used to indicate an absolute unity. This is a difficult concept to grasp, but we accept the Scriptural presentation of God as being one, and yet somehow plural in nature. There are dozens of references throughout the Hebrew Scriptures to God as manifesting in different forms. Among these, there are specific references to God’s son. So then, God is indeed one, but He has manifested Himself in three different ways.
Since you say the Messiah came - where is the peace?
There are indeed Messianic prophecies that speak of peace coming to earth when Messiah comes. However, this is not a complete picture of the work of Messiah. Peace on earth is to be the final accomplishment of Messiah when He comes to establish His kingdom on earth. However, the Hebrew Scriptures also have much to say about the priestly role of Messiah, who would come to suffer and lay down His life for the sin of humanity (Isaiah 53:4-6; Daniel 9:24-26 & others). Yeshua did indeed accomplish this when He came to this world 2000 years ago. He laid down His own life to remove the barrier of sin that separated man from God. With that barrier removed, it is now possible for real peace to reign in the hearts of people. Of what value would peace on earth be, if man himself is not at peace with God? Yeshua brings the peace that every human heart longs for. It is only when man himself has experienced this change of heart, that peace on earth can have real meaning. World peace can only be lasting if man himself is changed, and this is what Yeshua came to accomplish. He will come again and when He returns, He will establish peace on earth.
How could God have allowed the Holocaust?
This is a question over which Jews and Christians alike have agonized. There is no simple answer. However, we must see that the Holocaust speaks more of man’s sin against man, than it does of God’s passivity or indifference. God’s heart breaks over the sin of man, but He has also given man free will. The Holocaust may be one of the most blatant examples we can find, for showing the reality of sin in the human heart, and showing us why man needs a savior to deliver us from sin’s power. The amazing thing about God is that He brings forth good and blessing from situations of evil and destruction. From the ashes of the Holocaust, God brought forth the nation of Israel. We might recall, as well, that God allowed His own son, the Messiah, to die in our place, and from Yeshua’s death came the blessing of eternal life for those who would believe.
I am looking for a Rabbi that will perform a wedding for my spouse and I. One of us is Jewish and one of us is not. Do you do this?
We are happy to discuss the possibility of participating in your wedding plans. This is something we discuss with each couple on an individual basis. Please call our office at (386) 672-8443 and ask for Rabbi Jerry.
We are an interfaith Jewish/Gentile couple with children and have many issues because we are interfaith. Would you be willing to meet with us and/or do you have any good resource material suggestions?
In our own congregation we have other couples like yourselves. We believe that a Messianic synagogue is an ideal place for interfaith couples to worship, as we combine the beauty of Jewish life and worship, with a focus on Yeshua as Messiah. We are happy to meet with interfaith couples and help in dealing with the issues and challenges that arise. To make an appointment call our office at (386) 672-8443 and ask for Rabbi Jerry.
|
