A growing awareness that the roots of our Christian faith are
deeply embedded in the Soil of the Jewish faith is creating
a virtual renaissance in Christian thinking and understanding.
Academics, Pastors, Church leaders, Bible expositors, teachers,
and concerned Christians universally are beginning to rethink
the validity of many time-honored traditions and doctrinal concepts
of conventional Christianity. There is a growing suspicion that,
in many cases, we have been far too removed from our Hebraic
origins. This remarkable awakening is igniting a burning desire
in the hearts of many believers to see a comprehensive restoration
of these abandoned treasures of this Hebraic heritage. Conceptually,
the trend could be identified as a Judeo-Christian Awakening.
It is not institutional, it is a sovereign work of the Holy
Spirit on the cutting edge of renewal moving across denominational
lines. Indeed, it is proving to be a crucial component of the
final phase of renewal in the Church as she prepares herself
to declare the definitive Gospel of the coming Kingdom throughout
every nation that Jesus predicted (Mt 24:14).
One Faith
Most people are familiar with the term "Judeo-Christian."
It is an expression frequently used by scholars, Bible students,
and commentators. Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary defines
it as "a religious faith which has its roots in both Judaism
and Christianity."
Since the scriptures teach that there is only one Biblical
faith (Eph 4:5), we shall discover that a divine integration
of the Hebrew faith and the Christian faith creates a completed,
singular Biblical faith. In this context, we are confronted
with the one doctrinal faith of scripture [the faith of God]
that is to be taught among all nations (Ro 16:25-27).
The terms Judaism and Christianity are publicly coined words,
that is, they are not of divine origin. The word "Christian"
was created by the public as a nickname for the followers of
Christ in about A.D. 42 at the city of Antioch (Acts 11:26).
Eventually, it was employed for the purpose of differentiating
between the Jews who believed in Jesus as Messiah and those
who did not. Ultimately, it was adopted as a sweeping identity
for the universal Church of Jesus Christ. The word "Judaism,"
birthed during the intertestamental period, was popularized
through similar circumstances (*Council of Jamnia) but has been
exploited to make Jewishness the antithesis of Christianity.
The truth is that the proper principles of teaching, worship,
and practice for the people of God are neither "Jewish"
in an ethnic sense nor even "Christian" in a religious
sense, but simply "Biblical" in a divine sense and,
therefore, eternal and universal (for all nations). Nevertheless,
the terms "Judaism" and "Christianity" are
acceptable identities when understood in a compatible, indeed
complementary fashion. Consequently, we will use them conjunctively
for the purposes of identification and orientation, i.e., Judeo-Christian
faith.
Jesus was a reformer not an innovator (Heb 9:10)! By that we
mean Jesus did not replace something old with something new.
He did not replace law with grace. Romans 10:4 informs us that
the revealed Christ was the very intent of the law producing
the Judeo-Christian faith. The writer of the book of Hebrews
informs us that Jesus was both the author and perfector of our
faith (Heb 12:2 NIV). Faith in this context must be understood
as a doctrinal faith rather than just confidence faith. An author
is one who originates and a perfector is one who completes or
updates. Therefore, the term "Judeo Christianity"
is quite appropriate in describing the faith of Yahweh God which
was introduced at Sinai and completed (perfected) by Yeshua
(Jesus) at Calvary (Heb 12:2). Like the horse and carriage,
you can't have one without the other and be complete.
How did Jesus bring about this perfection or completion? Through
His messianic ministry, He eliminated many of the superfluous
elements of excessive ritualism in the Hebrew faith but retained
the useful components enriched by the dynamic of the Holy Spirit
i.e. *Passover/Communion. This constituted an "update"
to Judaism not an elimination of it. It should be obvious to
even the most casual observer that we have drifted a long way
from that completed Judeo Christian faith of the first century
Church. Christianity is simply incomplete when absent from its
Hebraic contours. Our present-day, Hellenized (Greek influence),
Latinized (Roman influence) gospel needs another "updating"
for renewal and it is already in progress.
There is an increasing Jewish emphasis surfacing within the
Church relating particularly to the nature of worship, teaching,
and religious practice. For example: the more frequent singing
of the Psalms, the use of banners, sounding the shofar, the
Christ centered celebration of Biblical feast days (primarily
Passover Pentecost, and Tabernacles), sacred dancing, home schooling,
chanting (Hebraic supplication), and high praise. Others include:
Sabbath celebrations, tithing, learning the Hebrew language,
a more frequent use of the name Yahweh (the Divine name) and
other Hebraic titles of God, and observing the Hours of Prayer
(Acts 3:1). Even the displaying of Jewish symbols (Menorah,
Star of David, etc.) is seen more frequently than in times past.
These are but a few of the components of Biblical worship drawn
from our Judaic heritage that are now becoming commonplace in
the worship, practice, and teaching of many traditional and
contemporary Christian congregations.
These progressive believers are not to be confused with fringe
groups who tend toward radicalism and sensationalism. Instead,
these believers are, for the most part, orthodox and faithful
to the fundamentals of traditional Christian teaching, but they
sense a leading of the Holy Spirit to add a richness to their
faith and worship by employing many of these foundational principles
rooted in Old Testament. Granted, the restoration of these activities
is not yet the accepted norm in all Christian circles, but it
is a rapidly developing trend that can hardly be ignored. Unquestionably,
this is a work of the Holy Spirit to restore to the Church first-century
Judeo Christianity through a renewed emphasis on "Judeo."
Understandably, some church leaders express apprehension born
out of a fear of Judaism and/or legalism. May God hasten the
day when something is judged, not by whether it is Jewish or
traditionally Christian, but whether or not it is Biblical and
Christ centered.
How can two religions
that claim to have sprung from the same God fail to have many,
indeed most, things in common?
Biblical Correctness
God said, "For I am the LORD, I change not" (Mal
3:6). If so, why is there such a startling difference between
Christianity and Judaism? How can two religions that claim to
have sprung from the same God fail to have many, indeed most,
things in common? The fact is that they should and did have
much commonality in the first century. The existing dissimilarity
in them is entirely of human origin. Jesus did not come to start
an entirely new religion and He is not responsible for the contrast
in appearance and principles of teaching that exists between
the two. In fact, Christianity could well be perceived as a
Jesus kind of Judaism. The restoration of genuine Judeo-Christianity
will undoubtedly go far in improving the communication between
Jews and Christians. Communication will improve as the result
of a more common frame of reference.
The return to Hebraic foundations can also provide a more biblical
base for achieving improved doctrinal unity among denominations.
Obviously, there is a much needed unity of thought and definition
to be brought to the myriad of present-day, conflicting Christian
theological positions. Many have given up hope that we will
ever agree on the scriptures. These conflicts of doctrine, in
many cases, can be directly attributed to the removal of the
Divine principles brought to us through the Hebrews. Rather
than Hebraic, much of our reference is Greko-Roman. Invariably,
an inconsistent frame of reference leads to conflicting conclusions.
When we begin to use the same tools for research and biblical
excavation, we will more likely arrive at a consensus as to
"what is truth"
So What?
One may question: "What difference does it make how I
worship God or if I do not have a good understanding of the
scriptures, so long as I have accepted Jesus Christ as my personal
Savior?" As startling as it may sound, the bulk of Biblical
text is not devoted to the message of redemption, but rather
to how one pleases, serves, honors, and comes to understand
the eternal God after having become a believer. Being a child
of God is not in question here. The question is: Are we being
conformed to Biblical standards of worship and are we maturing
in the principles of God's divine nature or do we insist on
perpetuating our own traditions? This is not to say that all
Christian traditions are bad, but if and when they negate Biblical
principles they are unacceptable and expendable.
Question: Is the refocusing of our attention on the church's
Judaic heritage fostering legalism and a potential return to
religious bondage? It is possible but not inevitable. These
fears are often expressed by many when one does something that
smacks of Jewishness. When Jesus said, "Think not that
I am come to destroy the law (Mt 5:17), He was not advocating
the continuation of the old legalistic system for achieving
righteousness, but neither was He attempting to terminate the
law that serves as a guideline or pattern for moral discipline,
worship, and Biblical teaching. He was, in fact, defending himself
against the continual accusation from the Jewish leadership
of abandoning the historic institutions of God. The writer of
the book of Hebrews cautioned the Jewish believers that Jesus
had only reformed Judaism (Heb 9:10); He had not utterly replaced
it. At bottom, true Christianity is a Jesus kind of Judaism.
Unfortunately, there is a tendency for the Church to view Judaism
as being synonymous with legalism. It is worth suggesting at
this point that much of the inordinate fear of legalism that
has historically permeated the church might well be balanced
with some rational fear of the persistent "illegalism"
in the church which has precipitated far greater damage. The
idea of a "lawless grace" borders on the bizarre.
Contemporary Judaism, as with contemporary Christian theology,
is indeed fraught with some distortion and excess. However,
we have nothing to fear from the New Testament, Messianic form
of Judaism that was instituted and defended by Jesus (Yeshua).
In his book Traitor, Dr. Jacob Gartenhaus makes this profound
observation "false Christianity--as is nominal Christianity--and
false Judaism--as is nominal Judaism--are not and cannot be
reconciled, can never be blended together. But true Christianity
and true Judaism are one and the same thing." When this
is fully understood and the "fear factor" toward Jews
and things Jewish is eliminated, the Church is going to see
an accelerated restoration of Judeo-Christian values manifested
in the lives of its people. The occasional indictments of being
Judaized will diminish because it will be clearly understood
that the blood of Christ is the only answer to the sin question.
However, authentic Judeo-Christianity is the answer to Biblically
enriched praise, worship, and teaching.
May God hasten the
day when something is judged, not by whether it is Jewish or
Christian, but whether it is Biblical and Christ centered.
"An over-Hellenized, over-Latinized Christianity needs
a re-Judaizing process to bring it back to its founding Jewish
roots and RENEW it more in keeping with its own inherent ideals."
(Edward Flannery)
Discerning Christian scholars are beginning to recognize the
record of Holy Scriptures and the truth of history. In a very
real sense, Gentile Christians have been historically discriminated
against by their own leadership. They have been denied their
right of equal access to the Judaic heritage guaranteed them
by the New Testament (Eph 2:11-13). Presbyterian scholar Harry
E. Gaylord described it this way; "The Christians, as they
were eventually called, did not have a uniform approach to Jewish
law, but they were not trying to break away from Judaism. They
were a group within Judaism trying to make their views normative.
First-generation Christianity was a part of Biblical Judaism,
but the next generation read us out of it."
The New Covenant of grace not only brought redemption but guaranteed
all men, Jew and Gentile, the right of equal access to the promises
of God through Abraham:
That the blessings of Abraham might come on the Gentile through
Jesus Christ..." (Gal 3:14)
That at that time ye (Gentiles) were without Christ, being
aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the
covenants of promise... But now in Christ Jesus ye who were
sometimes far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ."
(Eph 2:12-13)
Since the inherent Jewishness of the gospel of Jesus Christ
was so apparent in the first century, the question arises: "What
brought the massive divorcement of Christianity from Biblical
Judaism? For the answer, one need only trace the course of history.
After the death of the apostle Paul and the destruction of Jerusalem
in AD 70, subsequent Christian generations, which included more
and more Gentiles, made concerted efforts to remove all traces
of Jewishness from the gospel of Jesus Christ. As the Church
became increasingly Hellenized (Greek) and Latinized (Roman),
many of the concepts of polytheism (other gods) began to appear,
gained prominence, and became entrenched in Church doctrine.
Today, the Church remains a victim of many of these unscriptural
elements. However, restoration and doctrinal renewal of the
Church to it's Hebraic foundations are on God's prophetic agenda
(Dt 32:2). Many are beginning to "...ask for the old paths,
where is the good way (Jer 6:16). They desire to be the kind
of people of whom it is said "And they that shall be of
thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the
foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The
repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in"
(Isa 58:12). Conceivably, Judeo-Christian restoration (in general)
and a reaffirmation of Judaic principles (in particular) could
very well constitute the FINAL RENEWAL of the universal Church
in preparation for the coming King and the Kingdom age.
Of Jesus, it was proclaimed:
"He shall be great, and shall be called the son of the
Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of
his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob
forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end." (Lk
1:32-33)
Today Jesus (Yeshua) serves as our High Priest, tomorrow the
King. If, indeed, as the foregoing scripture declares, Christ's
Kingdom is a "Davidic Kingdom," we can reasonably
conclude that the system and pattern of things that He will
employ in that age will be those that came from God through
the Jews to the Church. When the Church awakens to these Biblical
principles and they become well integrated into the spiritual
value system of the Church, only then will the Church be equipped
to inherit the Kingdom, reign with Christ over all the earth
and continue to fulfill the great commission to "disciple
the nations" (Rev. 5:10; Mt 28:19). This is the final renewal!
Eternal truth came
from God,
through the Jews, to the Church,
for the world, by Jesus Christ.
JUDA-ISM
Judah (Hebrew, Yehudah) is a word meaning "praise,"
and "ism" is a suffix meaning system. Hence, Judaism
suggests the idea of God's "Praise System." Therefore,
as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Jesus authored the divine
principles that bring praise to God through the reflections
of the Jewish Faith.
