Reply to: We are not going to burn in hell - A Jewish response to Christianity

A Reply to: We are not going to burn in hell - A Jewish response to Christianity

This is part of the text of an email sent in response to the above site:

We should note that Jesus was a Jew and his disciples called him Rabbi (teacher). Paul was a Jew of the Pharisee sect.

Comment and links:

Some of you will be amazed at the anti-Christian attitude of the Jews, if you read the letters in the above site you will be amazed as I was, there is even a Counter Missionary homepage on the web.

Other links:

Outreach Judaism: - Helping Jews in the church come back to the truth and beauty of Judaism.

Menorah Ministries - A witness for God's salvation and the light of Jesus Christ

Jews for Jesus: - We exist to make the Messiahship of Jesus an unavoidable issue to our Jewish people world-wide

The conversion to Judaism homepage

International Federation of Messianic Jews

Olive Tree - a Messianic Link Site. It provides a starting point for you to explore all the Web has to offer for the Messianic believer

Christian Friends of IsraelStanding with Israel By expressing friendship, solidarity and unconditional love to the Jewish People

Restoration Foundation The Restoration of the Christian Church to Its Hebrew Heritage

Messianic Jewish Alliance of America

Teshuvah Gate - Association of Torah-observant Messianics

FAQ about Messianic Judaism

The International Messianic Jewish Alliance

Messianic Bureau International

The ultimate punishment: Hell - A sober article

Who is Jesus?

Finally you might like - Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance - who give details on about 67 religions/cults

Books:

The Gospel according to Jesus, by John MacArthur Jr.
Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus : General and Historical Objections by Michael L., Dr. Brown
Betrayed by Stan Telchin, Sam Telchin (biography)
The Feasts of the Lord by Kevin Howard, Marvin J. Rosenthal
Yeshua : A Guide to the Real Jesus and the Original Church by Ron Moseley
The Messiah in the Old Testament, by Walter C., Jr. Kaiser. The Old Testament both tells the story of Israel and points to the coming Messiah. It describes the nation of Israel's glorious future and scriptures that point to Christ and His kingdom. Also covers Israel's developing concept of Messiah through different time period

My reply to: 'We are not going to burn in Hell'

To do full justice to your web site would require another site of double the size, so I will make only a few comments mostly based on your first chapter.

Firstly let me apologize on behalf of any so-called Christians who have persecuted the Jews and you.

Now I agree with you that God's law is important. The question is what if I try to keep the Law but fail to keep the whole Law?

What is the purpose of the Law?

To show us God's requirements of us
To show us that we fail to live up to God's requirements and hence our need of a savior.

Jesus summarized the Law as follows:

(Mat 22:35-40 NIV) One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: {36} "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" {37} Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' {38} This is the first and greatest commandment. {39} And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' {40} All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Paul's main argument is that one cannot be justified before God by keeping the Law because we all fail to keep the Law. The thrust of Paul's argument is not that the Law is unimportant but that keeping the Law cannot save us, because we are not capable of keeping it. James shows us that to fail to keep one part of the Law means that we have failed to keep all of it (Jam 2:10). The problem not only with the Jews but also with many folk is that they think that keeping the Law can save them. The problem here is that we all fail to keep the Law perfectly, how much of the Law must we keep to be saved? 99%, 90%, 80% or 51% and if I sin will doing some good deeds balance my bad deeds. The story of Adam and Eve in the bible shows that just one sin was sufficient to ban them from the garden and from eternal life, for they died. In their case they only had one law and they failed even that simple test, how are going to be able to obey the wider Law as given in the Jewish bible and by Jesus who widened its application e.g. Do not murder includes do not hate, and do not commit adultery includes do not look at a woman lustfully. Do any of us pass these last two tests?

Now for the Jews there is an even greater problem because under the Jewish bible if a person sinned he had to offer an animal sacrifice to atone for his sin, but these are not even being offered now. So under the Jewish bible how are they to stand before God on the day of judgement?

You seem to have some empathy to John because he wrote about keeping the commandments but the same John also wrote:

(1 John 3:23 NIV) And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.

I have no doubt that your antipathy towards Paul is because he gets to the heart of the issue because he knows that a man cannot be justified before God by obeying the Law.

(Gal 2:16 NIV) know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.

If we could be justified by obeying the Law then Christ's death was futile.

(Gal 2:21 NIV) I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

Paul gets to the heart of the Jewish problem too.

(Rom 10:3-4 NIV) Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. {4} Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

Actually this is not just a Jewish problem, we all try to establish our own righteousness before God without knowing the perfect righteousness and holiness of God. We try to measure up to God's standards but fail and we hope that maybe he will forgive our failures. However our comprehension of God's righteousness in inadequate since just one sin is sufficient to bar everyone from heaven. God's righteousness is seen and fulfilled in Christ who as a man lived a life fully pleasing to God. Our righteousness, holiness and redemption are to be found in Christ.

(1 Cor 1:30 NIV) It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

Does Paul imply that because we are justified by faith in Christ and not by obeying the Law, does this lead to lawlessness?

(Eph 2:8-10 NIV) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- {9} not by works, so that no one can boast. {10} For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

(Rom 6:1-2 NIV) What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? {2} By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

(Rom 6:15-18 NIV) What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! {16} Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? {17} But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. {18} You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

Does Paul actually lower the standard, no! Actually the standard is so high that none of us can attain it, and therefore forgiveness and righteousness is a free gift from God. Jesus Christ attained that standard on behalf of mankind by living a perfect life and paid the price for our sins by unjustly dying on the cross in our place.

What is Paul's standard?

(2 Cor 13:11 NIV) Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

Read Rom Ch 12-15

2 Cor 7:1 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

(Eph 4:25-32 NIV) Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. {26} "In your anger do not sin" : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, {27} and do not give the devil a foothold. {28} He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. {29} Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. {30} And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. {31} Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. {32} Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

(Eph 5:1-5 NIV) Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children {2} and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. {3} But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. {4} Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. {5} For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person--such a man is an idolater--has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Etc etc.

You appear to suggest that Paul said that the Law no longer mattered, I suggest you read Romans and Galatians where Paul addresses these issues.

(Rom 2:13 NIV) For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.

The point he goes on to make is that no one can observe the Law completely, a fact that anyone who has tried knows full well.

(Rom 3:19-31 NIV) Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. {20} Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. {21} But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. {22} This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, {23} for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, {24} and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. {25} God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- {26} he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. {27} Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. {28} For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. {29} Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, {30} since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. {31} Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

One of the unique things about Christianity is that forgiveness is a free gift of God, we cannot earn God's forgiveness by being good (obeying the law). A man can be declared 'not guilty' of former sins and credited with righteousness before he has done any good works, but good works follow after being justified. This is true concerning Abraham who was credited with righteousness simply because he believed God's promise concerning his descendents.

Gen 15:6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

He was righteous before God even before his great act of obedience when he was willing to sacrifice Isaac in Gen 22. Incidently this chapter is figuratively describing the death of Christ on the cross.

Now it is also clear that repentance and faith in Jesus is required to be saved. Paul's gospel preaching can be summarized thus:

(Acts 26:20 NIV) First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.

(Acts 20:21 NIV) I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

Regarding the divinity of Christ - the only reason the high priest had Jesus handed over to the Gentiles was because of the charge of blasphemy - Jesus claimed he was the Son of God. Now he was either mad, bad or God.

(Mat 26:63-66 NIV) But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God." {64} "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." {65} Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. {66} What do you think?" "He is worthy of death," they answered.

By the way, both the Jews and Gentiles are implicated in the crucifixion, the high priest representing the Jews and Pilate representing the Roman Empire (Gentiles). God ensured that the whole world was guilty of crucifying His Son and not just the Jews. Another interesting fact is that Jesus underwent both the Jewish and Christian initiation rites of circumcision and baptism.

, Revelation Commentary, Creation-Evolution, Homosexuality, Bible School, Indian Paintings