Judaism
David Abrahams
Biblical Authority Ministries, August 4, 2025 (Donate)
A Brief Historical Introduction
Have you ever wondered why there is so much strife between
Jews and Muslims in the Middle East (and abroad)? The truth is, the Middle East
has rarely been stable since the events that occurred at the Tower of Babel in
Genesis 11.
There was the brotherly feud between Isaac (father of the
Israelites and Edomites) and Ishmael (father of many Arabs), the two eldest of
eight sons of Abraham whose progeny now dominates much of the Middle East (1
Chronicles 1:32). Abraham was also involved in a war where there were four kings
against five in the Middle East (Genesis 14:7–16). Further conflicts arose due
to strife between two more brothers, the sons of Isaac—Jacob (Israel) and Esau
(father of the Edomites). And so it continues.
Needless to say, there have been problems brewing in the
Middle East for ages. But why are the issues between Jews and Muslims so vicious
today? They are clearly not on friendly terms. I suggest there was a
culminating event that has triggered much of this aggression.
Image from Presentation Library
2000 years ago, the Jews, by and large, did not receive
Jesus Christ as Messiah predicted in Isaiah 53, the ultimate Passover Lamb, Savior,
and Deliverer who paid for sin once and for all. Because of this, they were
still anticipating a messiah well after the time of Christ. In the days of
Muhammad (late AD 500s and early AD 600s), some local Jews were familiar with
the supposed prophet in Arabia, and some thought that he might be the long-awaited
Messiah.
Muhammad, favoring this idea, raised his hopes of being the
Jewish Messiah and had many favorable things to say about the Jews (and
Christians) in his dictated Koran/Qur’an. In time, however, the Jews realized
that Muhammad did not fit the prophecies of the Messiah. When tested against
the many messianic prophecies in Scripture, Muhammad wasn’t even close (e.g.,
not born in Bethlehem [Micah 5:2], not a descendant of Judah [Genesis 28:14], etc.).
So, because of this (as well as for other reasons),
Muhammad’s attitude turned from one of kindness toward the Jews to hostility. From
that time forward, there has been aggression toward the Jews (and Christians) from
the Muslims because Muhammad labeled the Jews as “cursed” (Koran 4.46) and wanted
his followers to “not take the Jews and the Christians for friends” (Koran
5.51). (Note that the Koran is not written in chronological order but from
longest chapter to shortest chapter.)
Judaism In History
The words Jew and Judaism come from the name Judah, one of
the twelve sons of Israel. Judah was one of the larger tribes that became
dominant as its own country when the nation of Israel split into two kingdoms.
The northern kingdom retained the name Israel (with 10 tribes), and the
southern kingdom took the name Judah (with two tribes, the prominent one being
Judah, naturally).
Although Judaism shares the same foundational history in the
Old Testament with Christians—going back to God creating in six days and
resting on the seventh—there is a stark contrast between what Judaism has become in comparison to what the Old
Testament teaches. Judaism couldn’t properly be named “Judaism” anyway until
after Judah came into being!
Let me state this more succinctly: Judaism is an off-shoot, or deviation, from
the Old Testament.
In Old Testament days, when Israelites followed the clear
teachings of the Old Testament Scripture, they were following the true
religion. Obviously, if they were not following the Old Testament, they were
not being godly and thus were not following the true religion!
In the first century, however, there was a division among
those who followed the Old Testament: those of the Way (i.e., Christianity—e.g.,
Acts 19:23, 24:14) who followed Christ as the Jewish Messiah and all the
implications thereof, and those who did not follow Jesus and were finally organized
into the Jewish religion of Judaism, based on traditions as opposed to finding
true freedom in the Messiah.
What Are The Holy Books In Judaism?
Where Christians follow the Old and New Testament
Scriptures, those holding to Judaism follow the Old Testament and the Talmud (usually
meaning the Babylonian Talmud as opposed to the Jerusalem Talmud).
The Talmud is defined by the World Book Encyclopedia as the
following:
A collection of legal and ethical
writings, as well as Jewish history and folklore. It serves primarily as a
guide to the civil and religious laws of Judaism. Orthodox Jews believe the
laws in the Talmud were given to Moses by God and passed down orally from
Generation to Generation. About A.D. 200, scholars wrote down these oral laws
in a work called the Mishnah. Later
scholars explained and interpreted the Mishnah. Their comments were recorded in
the Gemara, which was written between
200 and 500. The Mishnah and Gemara together make up the Talmud.
There is also a less authoritative Talmud that was compiled
by about AD 400 called the Talmud of the Land of Israel (or the Jerusalem
Talmud). It also contains two parts, a Mishnah and Gemara, but is shorter overall
than the Babylonian Talmud.
Image by Bodie Hodge
The Talmud is made up of the traditions that were often
spoken of in the New Testament (e.g., Matthew 15:3; Colossians 2:8; etc.). Of
course, they were still in oral form at the time of Christ. There were times when
Jews elevated these traditions above the Scriptures of the Old Testament (e.g.,
Matthew 15:4–9; Mark 7:3–13), hence they came to the wrong conclusions on
certain issues such as, “Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath”(Mark
2:27). This is why interpretation of Scripture is best done by Scripture
itself, as God is the best interpreter of His own Word, instead of relying
strictly on the ideas of “scholars.”
The infiltration of man’s ideas has been a major issue in
the history of the Israelite nation. How often does the Old Testament record
deviations from the Word of God where Israelites began worshipping Baal or
setting up high places to false gods? How many times did the Lord send prophets
to call the Israelites back to His Word? Even the wise Solomon himself
succumbed to the worship of false gods (Nehemiah 13:26)!
These types of seeds finally flourished into a version where
man’s interpretations of the Old Testament (in the form of the Talmud’s Gemara)
began to supersede the very Word of God. It becomes a major problem when man’s
ideas are elevated to be greater than the Word of God. Consider the words of
Isaiah:
Stop regarding man, whose breath of
life is in his nostrils; For why should he be esteemed? (Isaiah 2:22-NASB)
What Are The Beliefs Within Judaism?
Of course, it would require extensive time to develop all
the beliefs within Judaism. So I will be concise in this section. But something
must be stated up front: many who are Jews do not hold to Judaism. There are many who are secular (that is, the primary
humanistic religion) and are of Jewish heritage.
So, just because someone says they are Jewish doesn’t
necessarily mean they hold to the tenets of Judaism. However, for the sake of
simplicity, when I say “Jew” in this chapter on Judaism, I mean those who hold
to the religion of Judaism, unless the context warrants otherwise.
Maimonides, Engraving in Thesaurus Antiquitatum Sacrarum, 1741
Judaism is a set of informal beliefs about the world and how
people should live their lives. Although Jewish beliefs vary, they can be
summed up by medieval Jewish scholar Moshi ben Maimon’s (Maimonides) thirteen
articles:
1.
God alone exists and is Creator
2.
God is one and unique
3.
God is incorporeal and incomparable
4.
God is eternal (both first and last)
5.
We are to pray to God alone and to no other
6.
The words of the prophets are true
7.
Moses was the chief prophet and Moses'
prophecies are true
8.
The Torah (first five books of the Bible) and oral
Torah (Talmud) were given to Moses and divinely preserved
9.
There will be no other Torah since it cannot be
changed
10. God
knows all things including the thoughts and deeds of men
11. God
will reward the righteous and punish the wicked
12. The
Messiah will come
13. The
dead will be resurrected
Take note that Christians easily agree with most of these
points. However, a Christian would disagree with the idea that the Talmud is of
divine origin. Replacing Talmud with the New Testament (along with the
remaining Old Testament books) in Point 8 would make this statement accurate.
And in Point 12, we would change “The Messiah will come” to “The Messiah has
come, and He is Jesus of Nazareth.”
In addition, although true, I would clarify Point 11. All
have sinned and fall short of God’s glory (Psalm 116:11; Romans 3:23, 5:12) thus
all would be classed as sinful, hence wicked in God’s eyes. The only way to be made righteous would be for God to
assign the righteousness of His Son, the Messiah, to us so that we are seen as
righteous and pure (clean) in the sight of God. More on this later.
Divisions In Judaism
There are several divisions within modern Judaism. The main
divisions in religious outlook are Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox Judaism. This
is not to be confused with cultures and traditions of various Jewish groups.
Allow me to explain the history of Jewish groups so that we can
better understand the terms. Let’s go back about 2,000 years to see the
division that existed then. At the time of Christ, there were already divisions
in Jewish thought.
These groups included Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Scribes, and Zealots. Here
are some of their views and differences:
·
Pharisees—those who held to strict adherence of
the Law of Moses and the Old Testament, but
also held to oral tradition as the truth. Interestingly, they set aside the
divisions set up by God in the Law of Moses (i.e., Levites were required to do
certain things for worship and priestly service, but the Pharisees proclaimed
these things could be performed by any and all Jews). Positively, they held to the
resurrection of the dead. This movement traces its roots back to the Maccabean
revolt around 150 BC. The Pharisaical view became the basis for modern Rabbinic
Judaism after the Fall of Jerusalem in AD 70.
·
Sadducees—they trace their roots back to
Zadok/Tzadok the priest (1 Kings 1:8) in David and Solomon’s day. Their name
actually is a variation of Zadok (think “s”adok or Sadoksees) and means “the
righteous ones of Zadok.” They held the priestly and ruling responsibilities at
the Temple with prestigious positions. They did not believe in the resurrection
of the dead (i.e., no afterlife, Matthew 22:23) and welcomed Roman rule.
·
Essenes—they flourished for about 300 years
ending prior to AD 100, likely due to the Romans. The Essenes may have been a
division of the Sadducees and had become one of the three major divisions of
the Jews around the first century. They lived in communes and abstained from
worldly desires; they lived lives of poverty with very strict rules (think of
something like monks and nuns within the Roman Catholic worldview). They were
famous for the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were preserved in caves and not found
for nearly 2,000 years.
·
Scribes—these were highly trained scholars of
their day who were often devoted to copying the Scriptures but also had
responsibilities as bankers, judges, governing authorities, and those sought
for wisdom on some matters. There are still a few modern-day “Sofers,” as they
are called, who are scribes that still do work like those in the first century.
The Masoretes who meticulously copied the Hebrew Old Testament until the tenth century
were Scribes.
·
Zealots—these people were often fanatic for the
nation of Israel and wanted to try to do away with Roman rule. This group goes
back to the Maccabean revolt against Seleucids that failed in about 150 BC.
They likely influenced many Jews to wage war against Rome another authority
over them, which led to the utter destruction of Jerusalem, the Temple and
Sanctuary, and much of Judea (e.g., synagogues) by the Romans from AD 66–73.
Out of all these divisions, the Pharisaical system basically
took over after the destruction of the Temple in AD 70 when the Jews were
scattered or put into bondage—more on this in a moment. The added oral
traditions, which were seen as Scripture, began to be put into written format
about AD 200.
Image by Bodie Hodge
After the war with Rome that left millions dead in Judea,
those Jews who survived were basically in two groups: those who fled from the
grip of Rome and those who were taken captive by Rome. Of course, there were
some who were left, but most in the region would fit into these two categories.
Many of those taken captive by Rome became slaves that were sent to various
parts of the Empire.
Sephardic Jews
Groups of captive Jews were taken by Rome to Spain,
Portugal, North Africa, and the Middle East (while some fled “under the
radar”). In subsequent years when tensions were reduced, they became their own
people known as the Sephardic Jews. This group is divided into two groups. The
first is the Sephardim in Iberia, or Spain
and Portugal, and the Mazrachim,
which include those in North Africa and the Middle East. Many Sephardic Jews in
Spain were expelled in 1492 and made their way to communities among the Mazrachim.
Ashkenazi Jews
The Ashkenazi Jews
are those who fled to the land of Germany. Ashkenaz was one of Noah’s great-grandsons
(Genesis 10:3), and it was his progeny that populated Germany.
Hence, many Jews refer to this land as “Ashkenaz,” and the Ashkenazi Jews were those
who lived in Ashkenaz, or German/Germania.
It makes good sense for Jews fleeing the grip of Rome to go
to Germany since Germany, which is relatively close to Rome, was never fully
subdued by Rome. This was the ideal place to reach if you could make your way
across the mountainous terrain to get to safety. Germany was also safer for
Jews to stretch out to many other places in Europe as Rome’s power diminished.
As a side note, this occurrence may be one reason for the
tensions we still see today. Consider that these new German hosts were likely
bitter about the massive numbers of new arrivals, and it might explain much of
the tension between Jews and the Germans that has existed since that time.
There were conflicts during the Crusades, and during the Reformation. And one
cannot forget the utter devastation at the hands of the evil Nazi’s. Sadly,
there are still tensions in Europe today between some Europeans and Jews.
Messianic Jews
Another group called the Messianic
Jews should really be mentioned at this point. Many Jews who have received Jesus Christ as Savior and
Messiah in modern times take this name. In many ways, they are merely
Christians with Jewish backgrounds or converted Gentiles, but in another
respect, they still retain certain aspects of Judaism (e.g., feasts,
celebrations, and so on). They hold to the Old and New Testament as Scripture
and Christ as the Son of God (one
Person of the one triune God).
Orthodox, Conservative, And Reform Judaism
As we have seen from our historical review, the modern
groups within Judaism are primarily born out of Pharisaical teaching that held
the Old Testament and the Talmud (traditions) as supreme authority. Even within
this modern Judaism, there are divisions with three being the main groups:
- Orthodox Judaism—a movement holding traditional beliefs and practices such as kosher diets, Sabbath rest, and distinctive dress codes.
- Reform Judaism[8]—a modern movement begun in the 1800s that takes many liberal viewpoints and does away with conservative values and practices that are inherent to Orthodox Judaism.
- Conservative Judaism—a group which tries to balance between Orthodox Judaism and Reform Judaism.
There is one more group that is very prominent today that should
be added to this section:
·
Secular Judaism—those who still identify as
Jews, most often by heritage, but are actually secular humanists (the popular
religion of today). They have taken one more step beyond the Reform Judaist
position to be purely secular in their religious outlook. They just retain the
name for the sake of their ancestry.
Discussion
Now that we are familiar with the names, divisions, and some
history of Judaism, let’s proceed with the discussion. But before I go any
further, let me speak my heart on this issue. I love the Jews, and I have a
fondness for them and have often defended them. But I still have the hope, as the
Apostle Paul did (Romans 11:13–14), that they would repent of their sin and
receive Jesus as Christ and Lord.
The Jews are loved on account of the patriarchs (Romans
11:28), and so I echo this same love. But like atheists, Muslims, and so many
others, the Jews are enemies of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the good
news that can set them free and guarantee eternal life (John 3:36, 10:28, 17:3;
1 Timothy 1:16; 1 John 5:11).
Now that Gentiles have been offered the gospel, this puts
Jews and Gentiles under the same need in equal fashion in the eyes of God
(Romans 10:12). And with that, there is only one name under heaven that men
must be saved (Acts 4:12) and only one way to peace with God for Jew or Gentile,
and that is through Jesus Christ (Isaiah 9:6; John 14:6).
Even with many similarities, the differences between Judaism
and Christianity are stark. And there is no reason we cannot be open about them.
Arbitrariness and Inconsistency
The Old Testament is the Word of God, and to say otherwise
would be arbitrary opinions of man compared to the absolute of God’s Word.
Christians applaud those in Judaism who hold to the Old Testament as the truth.
But at the same time, Judaists deny that the New Testament is the Word of God,
based on their own arbitrary opinions.
Furthermore, adding oral traditions to the Word of God is
also arbitrary. Naturally, these oral traditions are attributed to Moses by the
Jews. But after 1,500 years of oral transmission in the hands of fallible and
sinful men who were often in disobedience to the written Word, how can anyone
know for sure that they are accurate?
In the Old Testament there were times when most Israelites
knew precious little about the written
Word due to so much false worship, let alone the oral traditions. At one stage they had to find a copy of the Word of
God because knowledge of it and what was written in Scripture was lost (2 Kings
22:8-13)!
To prove this point, we could ask why is it that the
Jerusalem Talmud and the Babylonian Talmud do not contain the same teachings when
certain topics are discussed (e.g., agricultural laws or sacrificial rites and
laws at the Temple)? Why do they disagree with each other (one being rather
anti-Gentile [Babylonian] and one not so much [Jerusalem])? This shows they
were not preserved as the Word of God.
In the two Talmuds, there are opinions of Rabbis that
disagree with each other concerning Bible passages—too many to cite! Such inconsistencies
show that it is not the Word of God nor should it be elevated to a position of
being greater than God’s Word in the Bible. To cap the debate, Jesus Christ,
who is God, affirmed that the traditions of men were not the Word of God and
should not to be equated as such (Matthew 15:3–6; Mark 7:8–13).
To summarize, the Word of God was entrusted to the Jews.
This is an honorable position—one that should not be taken lightly. All
traditions should be judged by the written Word of God rather than allowing the
written Word of God to be judged by oral traditions.
Borrowing From The Word Of Christ
Obviously, those in Judaism have regarded much of the Bible
as the truth, especially the Old Testament. Since Jesus, Immanuel, is God with
us (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23), the Old Testament is His Word. Therefore, Judaists
borrow from Jesus’ Word for their religion. This helps clarify a misconception.
Often, we hear that Christianity was born out of Judaism, but this is not the
case. Judaism was properly born as a response to Christianity.
The Old Testament is a Christian document that points to
Jesus Christ who is the ultimate author of Scripture (Luke 24:27; John 5:46). Professor
of Church History Dr. Phillip Schaff rightly states that the Old Testament
Jewish religion “was the true religion before Christ but not perfect, or
final.”
The New Testament, with Christ as the centerpiece, is like a
blossomed flower with the Old Testament patriarchs, such as Abraham and Moses
and the prophets as the stem, leaves, and roots. But where the New Testament
perfected or finalized the Old Testament in God’s perfect timing, the Pharisees
deviated and held man’s ideas in the oral traditions to be greater than God’s Word.
Judaism is just that: a deviation from the clear teachings of the Old Testament
caused by elevating the traditions of men and rejecting the New Testament of
God.
In other words, Judaism was born out of an improper
understanding of Christ’s religion (Old Testament) and a rejection of God’s
Word in the New Testament, particularly the rejection of the Messiah, Jesus. This
happened because they misunderstood the promise, which led to a misunderstanding
of its fulfillment.
But since Jews and Christians have the Old Testament in
common, there will be some beliefs on which they agree. In fact, Christians and
Jews share many similar doctrines because they draw many of them from the same
pages of Scripture.
As a side note, Christians break the Old Testament books
into 39 while the Jews have a listing that contains about 24. For example, where
we split Kings, Chronicles, and Samuel into two books each, the Jews have one book
for each of these. Ezra and Nehemiah are put together into a single book, while
all twelve of the Minor Prophets are combined as well. Nevertheless, it is the
same content.
As Christians we share the same foundation in Genesis as the
Jews do, as well as draw from the patriarchal roots on up to the final prophets
of the Old Testament. We both believe in one God (Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4;
Ephesians 4:6), hold to marriage as defined by God in the Garden of Eden
(Genesis 1:27, 2:24), and have a basis for logic, knowledge, and the truth since
we are made in the image of a logical, truthful God (Genesis 1:26–27). We both understand
that we live in a sin-cursed and broken world (Genesis 3) and have a need for a
Messiah (Deuteronomy 18:15; Daniel 9:25) and an everlasting covenant (Jeremiah
32:40).
There are many other doctrines in common, of course. But the
differences begin where we start to see the outworking of the Old Testament as
it flows into the New Testament (versus flowing into the Talmud). The Old
Testament does not flow in two directions, so one direction must be wrong. The
Old Testament naturally flows into the New Testament—its fulfillment. Because
of this, there are many differences in doctrines, too many to discuss in one
chapter, so we will focus on a few significant ones.
Obviously, diet is one well-known difference. In the New
Testament, Jesus Christ (who is God) declared all foods clean in Mark 7:19.
This initially shocked Peter, who was devout in his kosher diet (Acts 10:13–16)!
The Judaists still maintain strict dietary restrictions (Colossians 2:16; 1
Timothy 4:3).
Christians recognize Jesus as the Messiah, or Christ—God who
came in the flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1, 1:14). But the Judaists still
wait for a messiah and have a much lower view of who he will be. Their hope is
that he will be a military leader to help free the Jews from some earthly
crisis. Consider if the Jews had received Christ as Messiah the first time.
Would they still have considered Muhammad to possibly be the Messiah? There
would have been no reason to. Would there still be the conflicts with those of
the Islamic faith? Only the Lord knows.
Of course, God’s Messiah did so much more than the Judaists
are looking for. He set us free for all eternity from sin and the cares of this
world. The Messiah was put to death—the punishment that we all deserve for sin—to
set us free forever. And those in the Messiah (Christ) have nothing to fear
when the Resurrection comes. Here are just 20 of the many Messianic prophecies
in the Old Testament and where they were fulfilled in Jesus:
|
|
Messianic Prophecy
|
OT Reference
|
NT Reference
|
|
1
|
Seed of the Woman
|
Genesis 3:15
|
Matthew 1:20; Galatians 4:4
|
|
2
|
Line of Abraham
|
Genesis 12:3, 22:18
|
Matthew 1:1–16; Luke 3:23–34
|
|
3
|
Line of Isaac
|
Genesis 17:19, 21:12
|
Matthew 1:1–16; Luke 3:23–34
|
|
4
|
Line of Israel
|
Numbers 24:17
|
Matthew 1:1–16; Luke 3:23–34
|
|
5
|
Line of Judah
|
Genesis 28:14
|
Matthew 1:1–16; Luke 3:23–34
|
|
6
|
Heir of David
|
2 Samuel 7:12–13; Isaiah 9:7
|
Matthew 1:1–16; Luke 3:23–34
|
|
7
|
Eternal Throne and Everlasting Kingdom
|
2 Samuel 8:13–16; Psalm 45:6–7; Daniel 2:44, 7:13–14
|
Luke 1:33; Hebrews 1:8–12; 1 Peter 5:11; Jude 1:25; Revelation
1:6
|
|
8
|
He will be a Prophet
|
Deuteronomy 18:18
|
John 8:28–29;
|
|
9
|
Savior of both Israel and Gentiles
|
Isaiah 49:6
|
Luke 2:29–32; John 8:12; Acts 13:46
|
|
10
|
Called the Son of God
|
2 Samuel 7:14; Psalm 2:7
|
Matthew 3:16–17
|
|
11
|
He will be King
|
Psalm 2:6; Zechariah 9:9
|
Matthew 27:37; Revelation 7:14, 19:16
|
|
12
|
He will resurrect
|
Psalm 16:10, 49:15
|
Matthew 28:2–7; Acts 2:22–32
|
|
13
|
Sits on the Throne of God
|
Psalm 68:18, 110:1
|
Matthew 22:44; Mark 16:19
|
|
14
|
He would be a sacrifice for sin
|
Isaiah 53:5–12
|
Romans 5:6–8
|
|
15
|
He would be pierced in His side
|
Zechariah 12:10
|
John 19:34
|
|
16
|
As in a proper Passover sacrifice, His bones would not be
broken
|
Exodus 12:46; Psalm 34:20
|
John 19:33–36
|
|
17
|
His hands and feet would be pierced
|
Psalm 22:16
|
John 20:25–27
|
|
18
|
Born in Bethlehem
|
Micah 5:2
|
Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:4–6
|
|
19
|
Born of a virgin
|
Isaiah 7:14
|
Matthew 1:22–23
|
|
20
|
Called Immanuel (God with us)
|
Isaiah 7:14
|
Matthew 1:22–23
|
Where Jews have looked to sacrifice and their good works for
the possibility of salvation, Christians have looked to the ultimate sacrifice of
Jesus in whom they believe and have faith and the assurance of salvation. Faith,
or belief in God and what He has done, has always been the means of salvation.
Those prior to Jesus looked forward to Him for their salvation in the same way Christians
now look back to Christ for our salvation.
But salvation has always been of God alone. This is a major
point of disagreement between Judaism and Christianity. The Judaist holds works
to be essential, but the Christian holds faith in Christ through grace as the
means of salvation. Christians do good works to please God, not to gain
salvation. Leading modern Jews Dennis Prager and Joseph Telushkin write,
Judaism stresses action more than
faith.
The major difference between
Judaism and Christianity lies in the importance each religion attaches to faith
and actions. In Judaism, God considers people’s action to be more important
than their faith; acting in accordance with biblical and rabbinic law is the
Jews’ central obligation.
This naturally has implication for theology. Consider what
Prager and Telushkin continue to say:
According to Judaism, one can be a
good Jew while doubting God’s existence, so long as one acts in accordance with
Jewish law.
It is not, of course, our intention
to deny the centrality of God in Judaism, but merely to emphasize that Judaism
can be appreciated and practiced independently of one’s present level of belief
in God.
Where Jews look to works for the possibility of salvation, the Bible teaches that works can’t save a
person. Sin still needs to be punished by an infinite and perfectly holy and
just God. Josh McDowell pointed out the crux of the difference when he wrote:
Judaism, while admitting the
existence of sin, its abhorrence by God, and the necessity for atonement, has
not developed a system of salvation teaching as found in Christianity.
Atonement is accomplished by sacrifices, penitence, good deeds, and a little of
God’s grace. No concept of substitutionary atonement (as in Christianity in the
person of Jesus Christ) exists.
Yes, sin still needs to be dealt with properly—going back to
the first sin in Genesis 3. Just as the coats of skins in Genesis 3:21, Abel’s
fat portions in Genesis 4:4, and Noah’s sacrifices of clean animals after the
Flood in Genesis 8:20 each pointed forward to the sacrificial laws given by
Moses, so these sacrifices, as well as the Levitical sacrifices, ultimately
pointed to Christ’s final and eternal sacrifice once and for all (Hebrews 7:27,
9:12, 10:10). The sacrifices before the Law, and as a result of the Law, were
still not sufficient to satisfy God’s full wrath upon sin. They were mere
shadows of what was to come in the blood of the ultimate Lamb of God, the Lord
Jesus Christ.
The Bible makes it clear that the blood of bulls and goats
are not sufficient to satisfy the wrath of God upon sin (Hebrews 10:4). An even
better sacrifice, a sufficient sacrifice, is what was needed. And Christ, who
is God, was that all-sufficient sacrifice (2 Corinthians 5:21). The Old Testament
sacrifices pointed to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross.
We (and the animals used in sacrifice) are only created
beings—far less than the eternal God. No created being could take the
punishment we deserve from an uncreated, infinite God. God Himself was the only
one in a position to remedy His punishment upon sin. God, the infinite Son,
Jesus, became a man fulfilling the promised seed of the Woman (Genesis 3:15)
and was the fulfilled seed of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and Heir of David.
The infinite Son, Jesus, took the infinite punishment from God, the infinite
Father, when He was offered up as our ultimate Passover Lamb by the High Priest
of Israel nearly 2,000 years ago (Matthew 26:62–66; 1 Corinthians 5:7).
This is what makes salvation possible—not by our works, but
by the necessary work of God so that He alone receives the glory. So, salvation
comes as a person repents of sin and receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
And then Christ’s righteousness is imputed to the sinner—whether Jew or Gentile.
This is why sacrificial and ceremonial laws have been done away with—they are no
longer necessary because they’ve been fulfilled in Christ. This is also why the
Temple is no longer necessary. The body of the believer is now the new Temple
of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19).
Where Judaists still hope for a new covenant (Jeremiah
31:31), Christians have recognized the coming of the new covenant (an eternal
covenant) already in Christ’s blood (Luke 22:20). He is our ultimate Passover
Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7). And we want those raised in Judaism to realize that
they, too, need to receive Jesus the Messiah to be saved (Acts 4:12).
Conclusion
Few realize that Christians have been among those who have supported
the Jews for many years in their plight, not only because of their love for the
ethnic Israelites, but for the sake of the biblical Patriarchs. Even though many
Israelites have been saved over the last 2,000 years, it seems that many Jews
have been blind to the gospel for so long, yet the door seems so open for Gentiles.
Why is that?
To answer this question, we first need to remember that God
is the God of both the Jew and the Gentile
(Romans 3:29)! What has happened is that Gentile believers have been grafted
into the root of Israel in the same way that Ruth (a Moabite) and Rahab (a Canaanite)
were grafted into Israel.
Sadly, by the rejection of God’s Redeemer, Jesus the Christ,
many Jews have been pruned from the tree of Israel. An Israelite Pharisee, Saul
(Paul), who became a Christian nearly 2,000 years ago, writes about this
mystery of why many Jews have been blinded to the truth (and only a remnant
saved) and why the miracle of Gentiles being saved is so significant. He writes
in the book of Romans:
So then faith comes by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God. But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed:
"Their sound has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of
the world." But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says: "I will
provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation, I will move you to anger
by a foolish nation." But Isaiah is very bold and says: "I was found
by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for
Me." But to Israel he says: "All day long I have stretched out My
hands to a disobedient and contrary people."
I say then, has God cast away His
people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of
the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do
you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against
Israel, saying, "Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your
altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life"? But what does the
divine response say to him? "I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men
who have not bowed the knee to Baal." Even so then, at this present time
there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
And if by grace, then it is no
longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it
is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. What then? Israel has not
obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were
blinded. Just as it is written: "God has given them a spirit of stupor, eyes
that they should not see and ears that they should not hear, to this very
day." And David says: "Let their table become a snare and a trap, a
stumbling block and a recompense to them. Let their eyes be darkened, so that
they do not see, and bow down their back always."
I say then, have they stumbled that
they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to
jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for
the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their
fullness! For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the
Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if by any means I may provoke to jealousy
those who are my flesh and save some of them. For if their being cast away is
the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the
dead?
For if the firstfruit is holy, the
lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. And if some of
the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in
among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the
olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember
that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then,
"Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in." Well said.
Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be
haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not
spare you either.
Therefore consider the goodness and
severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you
continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if
they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft
them in again. For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by
nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how
much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive
tree? For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this
mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part
has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so
all Israel will be
saved (Romans 10:17–11:26).
As Christians, we need to remember that we, too, were
enemies of God until the Holy Spirit saved us (1 Corinthians 12:3; Colossians
1:21). This is why our prayer is for those caught in Judaism to be set free by
the promised Messiah, Christ Jesus our Lord. Our hope is for those in Judaism to
receive the final Passover Lamb, Jesus, to have peace with God once and for
all.
Just as God often left a remnant in the Old Testament, so a
remnant of Israelites joined the firstfruits of the fulfillment of the Old
Testament, such as Peter, Paul, John, Matthew, and many others. But the door is
still open, as both Jews and Gentiles are called upon to receive Christ to be
saved by the same measure (Acts 15:3–9; Romans 10:12). Gentiles, who were seen
as unclean sinners by the Jews, are now made clean by the work of the Lord.
Is anything too hard for God (Jeremiah 32:27)? Is it too
hard for God to take a pruned, natural branch and re-graft it in? Not at all!
By receiving the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the natural branch will be made
fruitful again.
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Summary of Jewish
Beliefs
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Doctrine
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Judaism’s Teaching
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God
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Deny the Trinity;
there is only one God; Jesus is not the Son of God or the Messiah; The Holy
Spirit is not a Person
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Authority/Revelation
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39 books of the Old
Testament; Talmud; various rabbis and traditions
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Man
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Man is created in
the image of God; Mankind is fallen as a result of Adam’s sin; Man is able to
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Sin
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Disobeying the laws
prescribed in the Old Testament
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Salvation
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Salvation is
possible through the obedience of the individual to biblical and rabbinical
laws; atonement is accomplished through personal acts of sacrifice and
penitence; some see the future Messiah or the future restoration of the
Temple sacrifices as a means of atonement
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Creation
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The universe and
all that is in it was created out of nothing in six, 24-hour days about 6,000
years ago; all living things were created according to their kinds in
supernatural acts of God; mankind was specially created by God in
supernatural acts; many modern groups would accept certain forms of evolution
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Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist
since 1998 helping out in various churches and running an apologetics website.
He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker,
writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers
News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.
Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in
2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a
501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in
churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.
Originally at Answers in Genesis, Edited; Republished by permission.
One prior division before the first century that is worthy of note is the
Samaritans. They, though not properly Jews, were a group of Israelites that had
intermarried with pagans and had a form of primeval Judaism mixed with
idolatry. They held to the Books of Moses and no other. They rejected the
Prophets and the oral traditions but often held to false gods.
Josh McDowell, A Ready Defense, Compiled by Bill Wilson, Thomas Nelson
Publishers, Nashville, TN, 1993, p. 301.
