Messianic Judaism & Gentile Christianity

This week we will conclude the discussion on the differences between Messianic Judaism and Gentile Christianity. There is a confusion about these issues and these articles are mean't to help you clarify these things and to help you in your search and walk with the L-rd. To keep things simple, these will be listed in several "points" and not in a question format. Let's continue from last week:

*A Jewish person who converts to Protestantism is called a Hebrew Christian, not a Messianic Jew.

*Messianic Judaism and Protestantism teach that salvation is a free gift of G-d, by faith in Yeshua. Catholicism teaches that Catholics earn their way into heaven by good works and that Moslems will also be saved, even if though Islam denies the deity, death and resurrection of Yeshua.

*Messianic Jews do not need to be "evangelized" into Christianity-they already believe in Yeshua.

*Messianic Jews use the same scriptures as Protestants, including the common translations.

*The Brit Chadasha (New Testament) was written by Messianic Jews, not the Roman Catholic Church. Despite its claims to the contrary, Catholicism did not even come into existence until 325-400 A.D.

*Contrary to common belief, there is no historical evidence that Luke was a non-Jewish Gentile. Either he was of Jewish ancestry or he was a Proselyte Jew, a gentile who converted to Judaism. Gentiles didn't hang around traveling Jewish preachers, Jews do.

*Most adult Messianic Jews converted from traditional Orhtodox or Conservative Judaism into Protestantism and then went back to Judaism, while retaining their belief in Yeshua as G-d's promised Messiah.

*Like about half the Protestant denominations, Messianic Jews only immerse(baptize) believers. Messianic Jews do not immerse infants or baptize by pouring or sprinkling.

*Messianic Jews at least observe the biblical kosher laws as set forth in the Torah. Some may observe the more stringent Rabbinical standards.

*There is only one, true "religion" given by G-d and that is found in the Torah as given by G-d on Mt. Sinai. The Prophets(nevi'im), the Writings(Ketuvim), including the Gospels and Epistles all reinforce that which was already given. The Torah is the foundation for all truth.

As you can see in the last two weeks, there is a vast difference between the true, biblical walk of faith as given in the Scriptures and Protestantism and Catholicism. Protestants are really watered-down Catholics, and history describes how the Catholic church perverted the scriptures to form a "replacement theology" that was derived to "do away with the last vestiges of Judaism"-Constantine. In our congregation, we talk to many people who think that a Messianic congregation is like a church, or that we have affiliations with mainline Protestant organizations, and we do not. We reject replacement theology taught out there, and want nothing to do with paganism and a false "gospel".

Our guide is the Torah and if anyone teaches that the Commandments are not for today is rejected as a false prophet. We are not interested in "building a ministry" or big buildings and fancy choirs.We could have a bigger folowing if we taught what people want to hear, but we are not interested in that. We teach G-d wants you to hear and what you need to hear. We are interested in the truth as given by G-d and we check the scriptures to see if what is being said or done is correct.We don't have all the answers, nobody does, but we try to learn and study about the faith of our fathers and what is pleasing to the L-rd. All the first-century believers you read about in the gospels and epistles observed the Torah commandments, offered sacrifices in the Temple after Yeshua, ate kosher and kept the biblical and traditional festivals. Something is wrong with the theology of people who try to tell you all that has been done away, and we have found that it is all untrue.

A lie is a lie, whether it is on purpose or not. Special thanks to "G-d on the .net" and Rick Reinckens, whose article greatly contributed to the basic checklist used here and to all my teachers who have taught me the way and how to defend it against the unbelief I encounter daily, and thanks to you ,the reader, who I do this for. I hope that these articles over the years have at least stimulated your thoughts and have helped you in your walk with the L-rd in some way. Now, go and study!