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In Seminary I remember taking courses in Systematic Theology. In other words, what do the Baptist's believe about God, man, sin, redemption, forgiveness, etc. The course was a theological analysis of the Baptist Faith and the rationale for its beliefs in these different areas.
I never will forget after graduation I sat down and asked myself some rather simple questions after having earned my Masters's Degree in Divinity: "How come I didn't learn much about a Jewish Rabbi named Yeshua while at the Seminary", "How come I know so much about Paul but the life of Yeshua was not stressed", "How come I know how to build a church but don't know much concerning a Jewish Jesus", "What was in that mind of Christ anyway and do I believe the same things he did"? That was just the beginning of it for me. From there my thoughts graduated even deeper as I asked myself such heart-stirring questions like these:
Well I had my Masters degree and I began my Pastorate. All was well until I began my study in earnest of Biblical Judaism. My readings into such areas brought me into contact with many scholars, many of which were Jewish. In trying to understand Jesus the Jew I found that by reading Jewish authors who were writing and "reclaiming" Jesus as a valuable part of Jewish history that I would benefit most since they were balanced and fair in their analysis and presentation of this Jesus in a "positive" light. My thoughts were quickly rewarded by what I uncovered which often provoked me to think thoughts I had never thought before.
After reading hundreds and hundreds of books over the next six years, I was totally shocked to find that the Jewish Jesus/Yeshua was completely different than what was represented by the Gentile Christian Church as the "Protestant Jesus" or the "Catholic Jesus". My blind-spot had been removed as I encountered two entirely different "Jesus". In fact there were 3; a Catholic Jesus, a Protestant Jesus, and a "Jewish Jesus".
Answer for yourself: Which one is the true Jesus and which of the 3 different religious belief systems is the closest to Divine Truth? Which should I follow?
What was most shocking in analyzing the copious amounts of data over the years was that in the vast majority of areas my Protestant "religious beliefs" were shown to be contrary and opposite of what the first century Jew, like this Jesus, had been taught and believed and followed as his faith. My serious examination into Judaism showed me the purposeful forgery of the Greek and later English translations of the Hebrew Scripures and texts. The result of this forgery of the sacred Hebrew texts of course is quite often a complete alteration of a religious doctrine where the later "translated" and "purposefully altered" text achieves the desired end of the forger; that being a complete and different meaning of the original text than what the original writer had intended for his readers. That explained to me the more I studied why there is such a huge gap between what Biblical Judaism teaches about God and His message and what later Gentile Chistianity teaches about God and His message. No wonder the Jewish people and their Hebrew Scriptures teach a completely different way to obtain Eternal Life, a completely different Salvation Message, a completely different way to achieve atonement for sins, a completly way to achieve forgiveness of sins, a completely different understanding of the nature of God, a completely different Messiah, a completely different group of Messianic prophecies, a completely different Sabbath, a completely different group of "Appointed Times" and "Holy Days", a comletely different way to tithe, a comletely different understanding of evil, and I could go on and on. These faiths, Judaism and Christianity, are as completely different as is day and night. Yet Christianity is taught to be the "fullfillment" of the Old Testament. Something I reasoned had to be desperately wrong with such a premise since there is hardly any "common theological ground" between the two.
This kind of study was very hard for me to take at that time in my life as the stark realization of this awakening rested heavy upon me and I realized the implications for my pastorate. I had invested years and untold resources only to find out that in the final analysis my "religious beliefs" given me by Gentile Christianity about Jesus and God were contrary and conflicting with what this Jewish Jesus would have believed about God and His message to mankind as it existed in the first century. Not only that my Christian "message" conflicted with what Moses and the prophets had taught since day one about God.
I present this information to you not to anger anyone but to warn good Christian people that they have not been told the truth about this man from Galilee which is depicted in our New Testaments. What we need if for the "real Jesus" to please stand up! In hopes of helping your decipher the truth from error concerning the real "Jesus" and what a typical Jew like this Jesus would have believed in the first century which is reflectove of normative Biblical Judaism that you can see for yourself that you need to undertake a serious study of your Christian faith if you ever hope to come to the truth about this "Jesus" and "the faith once given the saints". I have categorized in summary fashion points of Systematic Theology for your examination which reflect both the Jewish and the Christian points of view.
If you are reading these pages most likely you are a follower of Yeshua or you think you are. If that be true then it is impossible to follow someone "correctly" unless you know what the person really believed and are aware that you agree theologically in these same areas of religious inquiry. The following is a summary of religious positions taken from Second Temple Judaism and the religion of this Jewish Jesus; for after all Jesus, "the Christ", is depicted in the New Testament as a Jew and not as a Christian. Contrasted with these "Jewish beliefs" are current mainline Christian positions in these same areas. I leave the analysis up to you as well as the conclusions to which you arrive based on your comprehension. I would only ask yourself when reading the following to ask yourself at every junction:
"Which would a Jewish Jew like Jesus believe"?
The following is a comparison of theological interpretations of the Bible by both Judaism and Christianity. One is in error of many of the points of Scripture. With your current understanding and knowledge of the Word of God I invite you to read and compare the respective stances of both camps against the revealed word and will of God in the Bible. Remember our standard is the Word of God and not Catholic and Protestant pronouncements upon the Bible. Next I invite you to investigate it out for yourself in more detail and verify to yourself which views are more in line with Biblical teaching. I thank God I did.
Judaism- Monotheism, oneness of God, the Supreme Unity, as opposed to Trinity. One of the primary expressions of Jewish faith, recited twice daily in prayer, is the Shema, which begins "Hear, Israel: The Lord is our God, The Lord is one." This simple statement encompasses several different ideas: There is only one God. No other being participated in the work of creation. God is a unity. He is a single, whole, complete indivisible entity. He cannot be divided into parts or described by attributes. Any attempt to ascribe attributes to God is merely man's imperfect attempt to understand the infinite. God is the only being to whom we should offer praise. The Shema can also be translated as "The L-rd is our God, The L-rd alone," meaning that no other is our God, and we should not pray to any other. Although many places in scripture and Talmud speak of various parts of God's body (the Hand of God, G-d's wings, etc.) or speak of God in anthropomorphic terms (God walking in the garden of Eden, God laying tefillin, etc.), Judaism firmly maintains that God has no body. Any reference to G-d's body is simply a figure of speech, a means of making G-d's actions more comprehensible to beings living in a material world. Everything in the universe was created by God and only by God. This followed directly from the fact that G-d has no physical form. God is omnipresent, omniscent, omnipotent, and eternal.
Christianity-Dualism or Trinitarianism, the doctrine of the Trinity had not yet been accepted by the Church in the 3rd Century (cf. Encyc. Jud., Vol 10, p. 16.). The one God is a single "trinity" consisting of three distinct "persons": Father, then Jesus, often referred to as the Son or "the Word of God", and the Holy Spirit. The Trinity would be a religious creation borrowed from non-Jewish paganism stemming from Babylon.
Judaism-Man is born good. Until the age of accountability (13 male, 12 female) one's sins are the responsibility of one's parents. At that age one became responsible before God for the commandments and the Law. It is at that time Paul would remind us..."when the Law came I died". For you see, there is not that sinneth not. With such responsibility come the penalty for violation of the Law...death. From the age of accountability one is considered a responsible adult who can choose not to sin.
Christianity-Man is born evil, a "victim" of original sin; man therefore has no choice but to sin. There is no concept of "Original Sin" in the religion of Yeshua.
Judaism-There is no provision for willful sin except repentance and restitution. Sacrifical atonement only atones for sins of the First Tablet of Law, sins between man and God. Man is cut off from God. The Jewish view challenges the doctrine of "eternal security" or "once saved always saved" and the resultant imbalance of "grace and not law". Man can only make himself "acceptable" to God by his repentance of sin, a broken and contrite heart, confession of sin, and renew obedience to the Laws and Commandments of God.
Christianity-Man may sin and still be pardoned by God in the next life no matter how he lives if he only "believes" in the Christian creeds and theology concerning Jesus and believe in the "works" of Jesus in his behalf. This results in the unbiblical doctrines concerning "once saved always saved" & "eternal security of the believer". Purgatory is the "fire-escape". Forgivness comes in believing "in Jesus" and his shed blood for you and your sins Col 1:14 14. Where as Judaism teaches repentance and reneweded obediene to the Law and Commandments of God for forgivness of sin and Eternal Life we find that in opposition Christianity teaches forgivness comes in believing "in Jesus" and believing in his death and his shed blood for you and your sins (Col 1:14 14).
Judaism-The adversary is a created angelic being who is in complete subjection to the sovereignty and will of God. Satan is neither fighting God nor man, but is God faithful servant to bring man to a point of decision where he must choose for or against God. Based on such a decision man is rewarded or punished. Also in Biblical Judaism "Satan" is used for the personification of the flesh of mankind which leads man to sin. Such willful decisions to sin is truly adversarial to mankind.
Christianity-Dualism; there are two equal forces of good and evil in the universe and they are constantly fighting it out (derivation of Persian captivity). This is the legacy of Persian religion and Zoroastrianism which infected parts of Israel following the Babylon Captivity.
Judaism-Sex is good, mandated by God as the first positive commandment in the Bible. (The marriage bed is undefiled.)
Christianity-Sex is inherently sinful (in sin was I conceived...which refers not to original sin but sexual conception prior to the mikvah following a woman's menstruation). The sex act is always sin unless for the purposes of procreation. In marriage sex is no longer a "mortal" sin but only a "venial" sin. Christianity maintains that absence from sex is meritorious.
Judaism-The synagogue is the core of the religious and secular life of the community following the loss of the Temple. It is not an ecclesiastical structure, and the leaders are paid no salary. It is not hierarchical but rather emphasizes the priesthood of all members of the community.
Christianity-The church is a building or something one does on Sunday, a religious service instead of a community. It does not have the same organizational structure and leadership levels as ancient Judaism & the early Church (Nasi, Chazan, etc.) It is ecclesiastical and hierarchical.
Judaism-Met once a week on the Sabbath except for Festivals (emphasis is building families).
Christianity-Usually twice-three times a week unless special events then can meet nightly (emphasis is building a congregation).
Judaism-The strongest emphasis is placed on teaching and study of Torah (discipleship) to build spiritual maturity in the person. Such fruit is seen in making this world better by helping others imitate God.
Christianity-Preaching has replaced teaching; focus on evangelizing the already saved Sunday after Sunday instead of instructing & teaching them for growth & spiritual maturity through the release of their gifts and service.
Judaism-The sanctification of all of life to God; down to earth where rubber meets the road where the focus is on living in the kingdom of God now; not just other-worldly (after death).
Christianity-Departmentalizes life in sections: secular and spiritual. Main focus is other-worldly with preparation mostly centered on the world to come.
Judaism-1/3 of your gifts go to the 1) Teachers, choir, maintenance, 2) 1/3 to the benevolence (poor/almsgiving), 3) 1/3 goes to yourself to build yourself up in God (festivals)
Christianity- Give to churches and ministries; no accountability over the direction and handling of the funds. Does not follow the Biblical tithe.
Judaism-Saturday the Sabbath as commanded in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20).
Christianity-Sunday; as based on later traditions-early Church councils of the 4th century and their compromise with sun-worship (loss of Jewish roots). See Constantine's Easter Letter.
Judaism-The world is divided into 2 camps: Jews & Gentiles, chosen and not chosen. One is either born a member of the chosen people or become a member either as a proselyte or by becoming a God-fearer.
Christianity-Not a part of Israel, but is a Gentile replacement of the chosen of God. The Jews have been rejected and replaced as God's chosen people by the Gentile church (replacement theology). The church is the "new Israel". Israel is spiritualized and when you read "Israel" in Scripture you are to think of the church, not of physical Israel (at least when blessings are concerned and not the curses; the curses are left for "physical Israel"). The world is divided into 3 camps: Jews, Gentile Christians, and Gentile pagans. Christians have lost their Jewish roots and identity.
Judaism-Life is seen as a preparation for the world to come. Trials & temptations are from God's hand and are blessings in disguise because they refine our character (James 1:2).
Christianity-Prosperity; One can write your own ticket by speaking to God, Satan, or the situation using scriptural promises as a formula. Trials & tribulations are a curse, not from God but from Satan, and there is no reason we should experience them if we are uttering positive confessions.
Judaism-One cannot know the time of the coming of the LORD nor should one speculate about the future; one should keep his garments white by continual repentance because His coming will be sudden and unexpected.
Christianity-The LORD's coming is imminent; not to be unexpected for the believer since he will be able to interpret the "signs" of the LORD'S coming. Many offer exact predictions.
Judaism-Expressed as a response to a religious belief system through obedience and good deeds (Jas. 2:14-26) which is faith in action; a living faith.
Christianity-Faith in God, elevating belief above tangible action and obedience. Agreement to an accepted set of doctrine at each particular assembly brings guaranteed acceptance within that same assembly. Any religious doctrinal divergence from the norm jeopardizes one's standing in the assembly.
Judaism-Permitted self-defense, legitimacy of defending oneself.
Christianity-Passive resistance, pacifism.
Judaism-Hebraic background of the whole Bible (even the New Testament). Proper understanding only possible when viewing the Bible in its original history, culture, and original language.
Christianity-Hellenization of Scripture (viewing the Bible through the eyes of Greek culture and language instead of Hebrew).
Judaism-All men and under the laws of God; to the Jew he was given the Noahide Laws & Mosaic Law as a foundation; to the Gentile he was given the Laws of Noah only. It is the obedience to the laws of God that brings blessing, social order, and blessings from God.
Christianity-The Law is evil and we are delivered from the commandments of God by faith in Jesus and the religious creeds formulated about him. The Law has passed away and we are under grace and if anyone tries to live according to the Commandments he is under a curse.
Judaism-There is no merit in poverty.
Christianity-There is merit in poverty.
Judaism-Practiced continued immersions throughout life to enter into a heightened Presence of God (every Sabbath, before each Festival, after repentance from sin, after a woman's menses each month to remove uncleanness due to contact with blood, etc.). This constant and continued immersion accomplishes a "Spiritual benefit" for both man and God an is called in Judaism "being Born Again"; a term later stolen by Gentile Christianity and reinterpreted.
Christianity-Baptized only once into Messiah.
Judaism-Every week the Sabbath entailed 3 meals: Friday evening to begin Sabbath, followed by two Sabbath meals. This is called the Lord's Supper and is connected with the Sabbath.
Christianity-Name given to Christian Communion consisting of a cracker and a cup of grape juice which can be traced to pagan mystery religions as representing the body and blood of their gods.
Judaism-Celebrates the Festivals of the Lord according to Leviticus 23.
Christianity-Celebrates the Gregorian Holidays which are all derived from Paganism and have Yeshua's named now connected to give them pseudo-legitimacy.
Judaism-Adheres to the "Pattern of Worship" given to King David and which is passed down through history even until this day.
Christianity-Substitutes another "pattern" of man's creation instead of adherence to the Biblical "Pattern of Worship" given to Israel which is intended to be followed by all mankind.
Answer for yourself: Now upon examination of this list, let me ask you "What does the Bible Yeshua used have to say on these issues (The Old Testament)?"
Answer for yourself: Which do you think is more correct?
Answer for yourself: Which are you following?
Answer for yourself: Which beliefs did Jesus hold and believe in?
Answer for yourself: Do we want the mind of Christ and does this mean accepting the Jewish understanding over the anti-Semitic Roman doctrines we have inherited?
Answer for yourself: Do you contemplate a change?
Answer for yourself: What would Jesus want you to believe?
Answer for yourself: What did he believe and what will you now believe when your study convinces you otherwise than the way you have been taught in the Gentile Church?
Answer for yourself: What is God's Religious Belief System and should you not want to make it yours?