DOCTRINAL / THEOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
RABBINIC JUDAISM & MESSIANIC JEWISH THEOLOGY
(Based on Chapter VII of Jakob Jocz’s published dissertation, The Jewish People and Jesus Christ, Baker, 1949, rev. ed. 1979; reorganized and summarized in table by Jon Lieberman, Messianic Jewish Life Ministries, 8/99)
* When the word "man" is used it represents in this theological context
"mankind" and means both men and women.
THEOLOGICAL CATEGORY |
RABBINIC JUDAISM (Based mostly on oral tradition) |
MESSIANIC JEWISH THEOLOGY (Based on O.T. as interpreted by N.T. docs.) |
| UNITY OF GOD | One God (Yachid) / Supreme Being– absolute one person; (Messiah not divine) | One God / Supreme Being– (Echad) tri-unity; (Father, Son & Holy Spirit are all co-equal as God) |
| TEACHING ABOUT MAN’S
NATURE: The emphasis is on:
|
The Image of man No guilt for Adam’s sin Lofty idealism, optimistic No original sin, man essentially good Man can save/improve himself Man no different in nature than Jesus No man is/can be perfectly good Man is not helpless Man is free and independent Man sins but is not sinful |
The Fall of man Adam’s sin directly affects all humans from birth Depravity of mankind, pessimistic Original sin: Total depravity Man is totally impotent to save himself Jesus is a unique man among all humans born Jesus, the man, was without sin Man needed incarnation, is lost/helpless Man is a slave and needs to be set free by God Man sins and is sinful (Rom. 5:1) |
| God’s transcendence | Overcome by man’s actions / mitzvot Man reaches upward towards God Man can reach God by his efforts |
God must perform a specific action God reaches downward to man Man can not reach God by his own efforts |
| Relationship to God (at birth) | God is father; all Jews chosen No guilt, no sin, no broken relationship |
God is Creator; only remnant of
Jews are chosen Guilty, a sinner, God’s wrath upon all |
| When an individual becomes God’s child | At birth. It may be affirmed at one's Bar / Bat Mitzvah when the young 13-year-old boy or girl becomes responsible to follow the Torah, the Law of God. A Jew is considered to "already" be a member of the covenant people and there is no need to be "born again." The Talmud says all Jews have a part in the world to become because they are "born" Jews. [Special privilege for Jews] | By adoption, at salvation, (It may be as a child at some age of accountability, or as an adult; either way it involves a person's will, an informed conscience, a conviction of sin and a decision to trust in God and His Messiah.) Being born a Jew does not guanatee entrance into the kingdom of God or one's place with God in eternity. [It also is available equally to Jews and gentiles on the same basis.] |
| FREE WILL (PRIOR TO SALVATION)What man’s choice does: | Is God omniscient, knowing all? Yes How free is man: Absolute freedom God will not override human choice Man attains to salvation, no free gift Redemption depends on Israel’s repentance Repentance is an act whereby you are forgiven and made right with God. Man does not wait for God to come to him. Man determines his own fate. Man is less dependent upon God's initiative. |
Yes Not free – yet still responsible for one’s actions God is sovereign—even over man’s choices Man undergoes salvation by - God’s gift While we were yet sinners, Messiah died for Israel Repentance does not change the person; It only leads a person to the Savior who then forgives and cleanses the sinner. Man can do nothing except respond to God’s choice. Totally dependent upon God's action. |
| Redemption
Approach to God |
National Personal: from individual acts of sin Through forgiveness No salvation to accept. Must continue to work for repair of broken world God doesn’t act prior to repentance Man takes first steps to God Repentance atones for sins |
Individual Personal: from sin nature Through the new birth, a radically changed nature Must accept a salvation, by faith, already procured by the act of God in Christ for us. God’s action precedes repentance God takes first step to remove barrier bet God & man God makes atonement for sin |
| SIN / PROBLEM OF EVIL Human ethics:
|
Life is a series of choices Man alone responsible to stop sinning OT commands presuppose human freedom to obey the Law (Torah) Sins (plural), no sin nature At birth: all born with a pure and holy soul (thus sins habits are acquired) Nature has an evil "inclination" No need to be saved from sin, you have to overcome it Evil: need not exist in life Devil: None or little emphasis
Overcome: by man’s action Man gets the victory (daily/Yom Kippur) Man helps God to triumph Sin can be overcome by change Sin is an act (you can stop) Talk of moral change Self-salvation |
Power to live right -available after you're saved Man in bondage, can’t stop sinning Law not meant to be a strict guide for all time – but point to one’s inadequacy to keep Law. Man is born with a Sin nature and thus sins. At birth: inherited sinful nature Nature of man: not inclined but "driven" to sin Everyone (Jew & gentile) need salvation from sin
Evil: will always exists in the world because of indwelling sin and the existence of a devil who controls those under sin’s dominion and is the god of this age who blinds all mankind - holds people captive Overcome: by God ‘s action God gets the victory (At Calvary- the place where Jesus died and atoned for our sins) God needs no help. He did it all. Change effected by action of the Holy Spirit Sin is your whole life that must die Sin is an indwelling power, can’t stop it A Savior-Redeemer brings salvation / regeneration |
| MEDIATION (HUMAN
APPROACH TO GOD)
Suffering: Its purpose Concept of Sacrifice: Substitution: Vicarious: Can you discover God by Reason and logic alone? |
Human effort (ethical behavior) adequate to
reach God Man's future judgment- based on his deeds Image of God in man allows him to always return to God - make teshuvah Israel’s suffering Isa. 53 = Israel suffers for world Departure from the OT
No "gap" bet. God and man Reason prevails Guidebook: Torah (613 precepts/Laws) Unity bet. God & man is never broken All Jews inherit the world to come |
All human effort inadequate Man judged by deeds for future rewards only (not personal salvation) Man is blinded and doesn’t know the way- needs light for his path Suffering (by itself) doesn’t effect any salvation Isa. 53: a person suffers for Israel Similar to and true to OT biblical faith (prophets, priest, angels) A gap between God and man Man’s reason darkened- must hear about Messiah – called special revelation; Guidebook: Torah only leads us to Messiah God and man separated - great gulf - can’t be bridged except by God’s act of justification Only "born-again" believers enter God’s Kingdom |
| RIGTHEOUS STANDING WITH GOD | Attained Good deeds (mitzvot) make you acceptable Man not condemned until he sins Direct access to God - no need for a mediator. Not even through the Rabbi |
Received as an eternal gift No good deed can give sonship Man already condemned: inherited Adam’s guilt No direct approach to God - only through Jesus based on his sacrifice for mankind on the Cross |
| MESSIAH
Main Characteristics (Schechter) - Orthodox View
Rabbinic suffering servant passages
Message of Bible/Torah/Tanach
Liberal Jewish view: (specifically Reform Judaism) |
RABBINIC JUDAISM No emphasis on faith in a personal Messiah Messiah effects "national" redemption, if believed in at all Not greater than Moses Will not abrogate Torah No systematic theology re: Messiah’s person, coming, and rule/reign
Chief mission: political redeemer
Torah as Law is central
Speaks of Messianic Time (Period or age) and not a Person (days of Messiah) Progress of humanity upward – (the old liberalism view) Achieved by man Kingdom of God in our hands (Orth. & liberal basically agree here; Cf. Lubavitch movement’s goal to get Jews throughout world to return to Torah observance. Then Messiah will come) Israel could be the Messiah! (See Rashi’s "Israel interpretation" of Isa. 53) |
MESSIANIC JEWISH THEOLOGY Faith in a "person" that accomplishes something for us Messiah transcends ethnicity: We are all one in the Messiah (Jew and gentile) The prophet/Messiah greater than Moses: Dt. 18:15 Fulfills Torah Matt. 5:17 Numerous prophecies about person/mission of Messiah (Isa. 53, Micha 5:2, Pslam 110:1, Dan 9:24ff)
Basically agrees with this one role of the Messiah. But the Orthodox view is incomplete because Messiah must suffer first before entering into his glory (resurrection and kingdom ruling role)
1. Messiah dies "for" sins and "in place of " sinners as a substitute 2. Messiah suffers for Jews and gentiles 3. Sins of the world atoned for by the invasion by the King into this world
Person of a Redeemer/Messiah is central Messiah commands obedience Makes claims of loyalty upon man himself Forgives sin Mediates between man and God Redeems and restoresman Renews his spirit Reveals God alone
|
| THE TORAH &
REVELATION: No. of ages / dispensations
What is the "Jewish" Bible?
THE TORAH & REVELATION Is there a valid Oral Law? |
Only one dispensation. It is Law.
[Jewish history, the prophets and wisdom books do not abrogate Moses. They are of minor
importance for daily living.] Do not acknowledge an "Old" Testament.
There is one Jewish Bible called the "Tanach" with the Pentateuch being the special part of the Canon. The NT = the gentile/Christian Bible);
Orthodox believe in 2nd Law: Oral Law
Canon: (See above)
Even though there are obvious doctrinal beliefs that the rabbis adhere to, the emphasis is always on Orthopraxy or (Practice); Jews are to "practice" or obey Rabbi’s interpretations of Torah Obedience first Moses is central
Law’s purpose: (See atonement above and discussion on ethics) Gift from God; Final word from God Ratify covenant by keeping Torah |
2 Ages/Phases: God’s plan of
salvation is progressive: Law preparatory for and leads to Messiah who keeps and fulfills
O.T. Law perfectly: N.T. records the final act of salvation The Word "Old" acknowledged since believers are no longer under the commands of Torah for salvation. The "New" covenant of salvation without works/Torah takes precedence. There is one Jewish Bible but it includes more than just the Pentateuch and includes the rest of the OT canon and the NT. The NT is a Jewish document which was also written by Jews (except Luke) and reveals the Jewish Messianic salvation. Discuss "To the Jew first" passage in Rom. 1:16
Reject any validity to the idea/myth of a 2nd Torah given at Mt. Sinai (which purpose of this Oral Law, according to tradition, was to interpret and apply written Law for every area of one’s daily life.) All OT books canonical plus NT (= one Bible); The prophets give further revelation re: Messiah, eschatology / end of the Age theology, though they do call Israel back to obeying Torah/The Law. All Scripture given by inspiration (not just 5 Books): Emphasis: Orthodoxy (right belief); Right practice follows a changed life and the changed life comes from believing what God has revealed about salvation in both the Old and New Testaments. The knowledge of God first leads to faith (Rom. 10:17). Works follow faith. Jesus has the Final Word which is mediated through Paul’s understanding of gospel (Paul’s teaching is central in NT) Law’s purpose: preparation and guide to Christ/Messiah Torah: God’s gift but not the Last Word from God. Faith before works; No more "keeping of Torah"; no need to ratify Torah because Messiah Jesus (Yeshua) fulfilled Torah. (See Matt. 5:17) |
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