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Schaeffer, wife of the late Francis Schaeffer, wrote
a book with the title, Christianity is Jewish, Her point
is that Christianity, no matter how un-Jewish some of
its current forms of expression may be, has its roots
in Judaism and in the Jewish people.
The facts are simply
not a matter of debate. For years all of the disciples
of Yeshua were Jewish. The New Testament was entirely
written by Jews (Luke being, in all likelihood, a Jewish
proselyte). The very concept of a Messiah is Jewish.
Finally, Yeshua Himself was Jewish – was then
and apparently is still, since nowhere does Scripture
say or suggest that he has ceased to be a Jew. It was
Jews who brought the Gospel to the Gentiles. Paul the
chief apostle to the Gentiles was an observant Jew all
of his life. Indeed the main issue in the early church
was whether without undergoing complete conversion to
Judaism a Gentile could be a Christian at all. The Messiah’s
various atonements are rooted in the Jewish sacrificial
system; the Lord’s Supper is rooted in the Jewish
Passover traditions; baptism is a Jewish practice; and
indeed the entire New Testament is built on the Hebrew
Bible.
Furthermore, methods
of biblical interpretation, the form and order of worship,
the church alter, the use of a pulpit, the titles of
church offices (e.g. elder, teacher, shepherd), and
the vocabulary of prayer (e.g. amen, hallelujah) all
have been taken over and adopted from Judaism.
The Jewishness of
Christian faith is clear throughout the New Testament,
but Paul makes it explicit in the book of Romans. He
writes, “The Jews were entrusted with the very
works of God”, (meaning the Bible), and then he
expands on the theme, adding that the people of Israel
were made God’s children, the Sh’Khinah
(God’s glory manifested) has been with them, the
covenants are theirs, likewise the giving of the Torah,
the temple service and the promises; the Patriarch are
theirs; and from them, as far as His physical descent
is concerned, came the Messiah…
The Church was born in Jerusalem, King David’s
royal abode. A city with a history of prophets, priests,
and kings, Jerusalem, with its sanctuary, had been the
focus of Jewish religious life for over a millennium.
After Jesus departed into heaven, His followers remained
continually at the temple, praising God (Luke 24:53).
Jesus had instructed them to stay in Jerusalem to await
the coming of the Spirit (Acts 1:4-5). A group of about
one hundred and twenty Jewish believers come together
in an upper room for prayer (1:14 – 15). Among
them were the Twelve from Galilee (1:11, 13).
Down through the centuries the Bible has enriched our
language, ennobled our literature, and inspired our
souls, Spurgeon noted, “A Bible which is falling
apart usually belongs to someone who is not”.
And this Bible is a Jewish book.
A profound and abiding Christian appreciation for Jewish
roots and the Jewish people comes from sensing inwardly
that one’s deepest spiritual identity is with
a Jewish Lord, and that “salvation” is from
the Jews (John 4:22). It is being cognizant that one
has received a kosher heart transplant, or being changed
from the inside out. It is the existential realization
that spiritually one is “grafted into Israel”,
a Jewish people. A new family and a child of Abraham.
John Denson is
currently serving as Director of Shalom Ministry. John
welcomes your questions and con be reached at:
P.O. Box 19695
Detroit, MI 48219
ShalomMinistry77@aol.com
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