Christianity and conversion from Judaism to faith in Christ

¶ … Christianity in a way that could help someone come from Judaism to a saving faith in Christ

Teaching the Salvation of Jesus Christ to Those of the Jewish Faith

Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't now. One thing I do know. I was blind, but now I see," (John 9:25). Jesus Christ represented a message of forgiveness and welcoming to all who wished to believe in the Christian philosophies he represented.

Jesus Christ preached about humility, forgiveness, and acceptance for all who placed their faith in the Lord. Christianity then serves as a way to give moral meaning to life on earth, "Humanity lives with the sense that we have values as persons, that life has a purpose, and that morality has meaning" (Halverson 7). Although similar in theology and origin, Christianity and Judaism incorporate differences which divide the two to the core. However, the Jewish people should recognize Jesus' message as the follow up from the one and only Lord. Christianity, as professed in the Gospels of the New Testament should be seen as the extension of the word of God, which originally appeared in the pages of the Old Testament.

The history of Judaism goes back thousands of generations, and the Old Testament goes as far back as the creation of the universe in Genesis. The Jewish people, as the ancestors of Abraham and Judah, have always believed in "one transcendent God," (Halverson 2). In return for their devotion, God has protected them through trials of persecution and pain. Exodus portrays how God led the Israelites out of the persecution of the Egyptians, "But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt," (Exodus 13:18). For God's repeated protection from harm, Judaism know posits the idea that God already holds the Jewish people in an esteemed position, unlike the view of Christianity where each individual must prove him or herself. The Jewish religion was been a major international force since its initial inception before the birth of Christ. There are now over thirteen million Jewish people living all over the world. Most within the religion do not hold the message of Jesus Christ in the New Testament as part of the word of God. Many resist believing in Jesus, for accepting him may be seen as abandonment of the Jewish heritage.

However, even Jewish tradition posits that the Bible is the true word of God. The entire Bible, both Old and New Testament included are, in fact, the word of God (Geisler 8). The New Testament proposes the idea that "ultimate reality is an eternal, infinitive, and personal God," (Halverson 6). Part of the essential core of Christianity is its honesty. The New Testament encourages skepticism, (Rood 4). It is the truth, and therefore welcomes questioning. Jesus' message stands up against all claims of falsehood, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life," (John 8:12).

And so, if the Bible is essentially the word of the true God, both Testaments should be held up as truths. One would not be the true word if the other was not. Therefore to believe the in the foundations of the Old Testament is to also place one's faith in the New Testament as well. All sacred texts should be honored for their connection with the Lord. Therefore, the message of Jesus Christ should be viewed as truth for what it is, the word of God through His one and only corporal son.

If both Testaments are the true word of God, why is there such a difference between the two? The New Testament is actually a continuance of the Old Testament. The Bible is "one, continuous, unfolding drama of redemption from Genesis to Revelation. When representing the Christian Gospels to the Jewish faith, this is the most essential point. Christ is the answer to prophecies first questioned in the Old testament, "In the Old testament, Christ is seen by way of anticipation; in the New testament by way of realization," (Geisler, 3). All of the predictions made in the Old Testament were realized through the coming of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament stated that from Judah would come a long line of kings, "Judah, thou whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee," (Genesis 49:8). Jesus was of the Jewish faith, and therefore a descendant of the tribe of Judah. Therefore he fulfilled earlier prophecies involving the continuation of the Judah lineage, "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet," (Genesis 49:10). Jesus did not want to make his followers believe he was leading them astray from the Jewish tradition. He professed the truth found in the Old Testament and how he was an extension of that truth, "I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them," (Matthew 10:16). He therefore stated in his own words that his message was the continuance of the Old Testament.

All of the predictions made through the fundamental texts of Judaism were officially realized through Jesus Christ. Christ is the solution to mankind's ultimate problem, sin. The message of sin is seen in Judaism, but is solved through the figure of Jesus Christ in Christian doctrine. Genesis portrayed the Messiah as being "from the seed of Abraham," and "of the tribe of Judah," (Geisler 5). Even the book of Isaiah predicted the Messiah as being "born of a virgin," (Geisler 6). Through Jesus' fulfillment of the prophecies and his teachings, God is made more personal to the everyday practitioner.

Therefore, even those of the Jewish faith should give credence to the message of Jesus Christ as observed in the New Testament. Christianity is unique in its foundation because "no other religion can confirm the hope of eternal life like Christianity, because Jesus Christ is the only founder of a religion who has bodily risen from the dead," (Giesler 7). Jesus Christ was a gift from god at a time where human kind needed him most, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life," (John 3:16).

The Old Testament presents the idea that humanity has "offended a Holy God," (Rood 1). It is only in the message of forgiveness through the words of Jesus Christ, that humanity can regain its sacred relationship with God. Christianity gives humanity the tools necessary to reconcile with God and therefore reach heaven. Believing that mankind is in perfect standing with God borders the ideas of blasphemy. It is placing mankind on a pedestal which is unwarranted in the eyes of Christian theology. Rather than falsely believing that one is already one with the divine, as many Jewish doctrines believe, one should humble oneself as Jesus did, and give the Lord the true admiration He deserves. Failing to do so can result in excessive pride, which is a carnal sin. Rather that forsake oneself, one should accept one's original sin and take the necessary steps to erasing that sin through devotion in the hope of eventual salvation, "The Gospel is based on the understanding that we are sinners in need of salvation from a savior," (Robinson 8).