Judaism and the Bible

2017-11-21

Judaism is a religion that stems from beliefs of the ethnically Jewish people as revealed in the Bible. The foundation of the religion comes from the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament), but also from rabbinic literature called the Talmud. Depending on which branch of Judaism, the Talmud could be considered either manmade, or inspired by God. In my findings when studying religion, if you ever believe the Bible in addition to another holy book(s), the Bible will always take a backseat to the other book(s).

Tradition of the Elders

In Judaism, this tendency to prefer other holy books over the Bible is revealed to us in the New Testament. Matthew 15:1-9 and Mark 7:1-13 explain more as Jesus interacts with the Pharisees regarding the “tradition of the elders.” Here are some observations:

  1. The tradition superseded the command of God. The command to honor parents is deprecated by tradition. Also, if they cursed their parents, the tradition made them free from the requisite death penalty (Exodus 20:12; 21:17; Matthew 15:4-5; Mark 7:10-11).
  2. The tradition gives the appearance of service to God. These men were not interested in knowing God from the heart (Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:8; Mark 7:6).
  3. The traditions are not true worship. “In vain” do they worship God (Matthew 15:9; Mark 7:7).
  4. The traditions are the commandments of men. Men have now usurped the authority of God (Matthew 15:9; Mark 7:7)
  5. The Word of God is made of none effect. When you add to God’s Word, it is no longer His Word and is powerless (Mark 7:13).

If adherents of Judaism truly believed the Old Testament, they would have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself said, “For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” (John 5:46-47).

The Rejection of Jesus Christ

To believe in the religion of Judaism is to reject Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that the Jewish people largely rejected Jesus Christ while on the earth. In John 12:36-43, we see that most people rejected Jesus despite many miracles that He did, and the ones who did believe were very quiet about their following of Him. The Apostle Paul laments how most of Israel according to the flesh rejected Christ (Romans 9:1-5). While the Jews and Romans had killed Jesus Christ, it was the Jews who even were so bold to say, “His blood be on us, and on our children” (Matthew 27:25). You can see how Paul could be heartbroken over things like this.

According to the Talmud, in Gittin 56b-57a, Jesus is in hell, boiling in hot excrement. The rejection of Jesus in this religion is very fierce. Somehow, in American Christian culture, we somehow say that Judaism is not as far gone as other religions. However, we see that this religion is a fierce opponent to Christianity.

The Bible tells us, “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also” (1 John 2:22-23). These are harsh words. Without Jesus Christ, there is no hope of eternal life. It does not matter who your ancestors are, you must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, confessing His death for our sins, His burial, and His resurrection.

Side Issues That Do Not Matter

There could be endless arguments about things such as whether the Jews of today are God’s chosen people, whether they should have rights to the Holy Land, and all such things pertaining to this life. The bottom line is that every person, whether Jewish or not, needs to be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. The only Jerusalem that matters is the New Jerusalem, on the new earth in eternity (Revelation 21-22), and nobody is going there without the Lord Jesus Christ.

Whoever may be reading this now, please consider that Jesus is not who you think He is. He fulfilled many prophecies from the Tanakh, and there will be a time when He will return to earth to judge its wickedness. Jesus died for your sins and my sins. Please considered these things.

Consider the following reasoning from the Hebrew Bible:

Israel Under the Nations and the Messianic Hope