Judaism
Beliefs: As God’s chosen people, Jews believe in one eternal, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent God who revealed Himself in the Scriptures revealed to His prophets, of whom Moses is preeminent. They believe God is a rewarder of good and a punisher of evil, and that He will send His Messiah to deliver His chosen people. Jews, like Christians, believe in the resurrection of the wicked and the righteous.
Their Holy Book: Known among Jews as the TANAKH, a Hebrew acronym for the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament), the Nevi’im (the prophets), and the Ketuvim (writings). It contains 39 books.
Who Jesus Is to Them: Jews reject Jesus as the Messiah because they expected Him to fulfill all the messianic prophecies in His first coming instead of fulfilling the remainder with His second coming.
Followers: 13.7 million, with 43 percent living in Israel
Teachings on Salvation: Unlike Christianity, Judaism does not teach the existence of original sin. Instead, they believe they are saved first by being a member of God’s chosen people, and second by obeying the Torah. Salvation is a matter, then, of works and free will.
The Jewish Path to Accept Jesus Christ as Savior
Waiting for Messiah
God’s chosen people are precious in God’s sight. For 6,000 years, you’ve been waiting on Him. Waiting on a Deliverer. Waiting for your Messiah.
The Old Testament points to His coming. It also points to our sinfulness.
Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. (Isaiah 59:1,2)
A Child Is Born
Messiah would come to us as a child, God in flesh, might in the form of a helpless babe.
For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
A Final Sacrifice
The Scriptures tell us Messiah must suffer to bridge our great chasm of sin that separates us from God.
But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. . . . Therefore, I will give Him a portion among the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He poured out His life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:5,6; 12)
Messiah would die as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. No longer would a priest need to make atonement. No longer would blood need to be shed for the remittance of our sins. Messiah would become the spotless, perfect Lamb.
That perfect Lamb – that precious Babe, that suffering Servant – is Jesus.
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)
For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit. (1 Peter 3:18)
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” (Revelation 5:12)
A New Covenant
Through Messiah, God offers you a new covenant, a perfect covenant of grace through which you may know perfect peace.
Look, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah – not like the covenant that I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by their hands to lead them out of the land of Egypt. I disregarded them, says the Lord, because they did not continue in My covenant. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. And each person will not teach his fellow citizen, and each his brother, saying “Know the Lord,” because they will all know Me, from the least to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their wrongdoing, and I will never again remember their sins. (Hebrews 8:8-12; Jeremiah 31:31-34)
Your Messiah has come. And when He comes again, He will come as a conquering KIng, He will establish His throne in Jerusalem, and His saints will reign along with Him.
And just as it is appointed for people to die once – and after this, judgment – so also the Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him. (Hebrews 9:27-28)
At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky; and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory (Matthew 24:30)
Will you reign along with Him? Will you receive your Messiah?