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1 week ago Gospel
Christians are called to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but in our day there is confusion about the content of the Gospel. The biblical Gospel is challenged not only by Roman Catholics and liberals, but by those who claim to be evangelical. In this lecture, Dr. R.C. Sproul will clarify exactly what the Gospel is and what it is not.
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This message is from our 2008 West Coast Conference, Tough Questions Christians Face: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL30acyfm60fUh-75cdv5S8NoSpN2zDfOP
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<br>From the Jewish understanding of the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), humanity does not need Jesus' atonement through death. This is not an alternative interpretation of history, but rather based on a belief system fundamentally different from Christian theology. The core disagreement lies in the different definitions of the three concepts: sin, atonement, and the Messiah.
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<br>📜 Core Disagreement 1: The Nature of Sin—Without "Original Sin," Why the Need for "Atonement"?
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<br>The foundation of the Christian theory of "atonement" is the concept of "original sin"—that Adam's sin is inherited by all, making humanity unable to save itself and requiring a sinless "divine being" to take its place.
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<br>· Judaism: Sin is an action, not nature
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<br>Judaism does not believe in "original sin." While Adam and Eve's disobedience did bring death to the world, it did not completely corrupt human nature. In Hebrew thought, "sin" (Ḥet) is more accurately translated as "missing the bullseye" or "mistake"—it is a correctable act, not an inescapable inherited trait.
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<br>• Consequences: One must be responsible for oneself
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<br>Therefore, everyone is directly responsible to God for their actions. As Ezekiel declares, "The son will not bear the iniquity of the father, nor the father the iniquity of the son…but the one who sins will die." This means that within the Jewish framework, it is completely unjust and lacks biblical basis for one person to die in place of another.
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<br>🙏 Core Disagreement Two: The Path to Atonement—No Blood Required, Only a "Heart"
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<br>Since sin is a transgression of conduct, the key to atonement lies not in finding an innocent "scapegoat," but in sincerely repairing the relationships between people and God, and between people themselves.
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<br>• Temple sacrifices are not the only way: Before the destruction of the Temple, animal sacrifices were one of the ritual methods of atonement, but they themselves did not possess the "magic" of forgiveness. The ritual only has meaning when the sacrificer is truly repentant.
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<br>* The Atonement System After the Destruction of the Temple: After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD, Judaism developed an atonement system centered on repentance (Teshuva), prayer, and good deeds (Tzedakah). This means that long before the time of Jesus, Judaism had already established that atonement could be achieved without bloodshed. The Bible itself confirms this; for example, Leviticus 5:11-13 allows the poor to offer fine flour as a sin offering. The prophet Hosea further exclaimed, "Return to the Lord and pray with your words, saying, 'Purify my iniquity'...and offer the sacrifice of your lips instead of the calf" (Hosea 14:2).
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<br>👑 Core Disagreement Three: Who is the Messiah? — A political king, not a redeemer
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<br>Judaism does not recognize Jesus as the Messiah, fundamentally because the Messiah prophesied in the Hebrew Bible is completely different from the image of Jesus.
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<br>• The Messiah is mortal, not divine: In Judaism, "Mashiach" means "anointed one," a mortal king of flesh and blood, anointed by a prophet like King David, not a god.
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<br>• The Messiah's mission is to "establish peace," not "atone for sins": Jewish tradition holds that the true Messiah, upon his coming, must accomplish the following concrete and visible tasks:
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<br>1. Rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem;
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<br>2. Gather all Jews from all over the world back to Israel;
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<br>3. Bring a Messianic era of lasting peace to the world.
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<br>Since Jesus did not accomplish these tasks, from a Judaist perspective, he is clearly not the Messiah awaiting us.
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<br>📖 Core Disagreement Four: Interpretation of Key Scripture—Who is "Suffering"?
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<br>Scripture often used in Christianity to prove Jesus' atonement is interpreted completely differently in Jewish exegetical tradition.
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<br>• Isaiah Chapter 53—Who is the "suffering servant"?
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<br>This passage is the focal point of the disagreement between the two interpretations. Christianity interprets it as a prophecy of Jesus' Passion; while the vast majority of Jewish tradition holds that this "suffering servant" refers to the Israelites themselves. Throughout history, the Israelites have borne the mission of witnessing to the one true God, serving as "the light to the Gentiles," and have therefore endured countless sufferings—precisely the image of the servant described in the passage.
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<br>Deuteronomy 6:25—"For to us righteousness is to keep the commandments"
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<br>This verse clearly shows that "righteousness" is identity in the covenant relationship between God and humanity, which is responded to by "loving the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" (Deuteronomy 6:5) and by obeying the law. This "righteousness" is a correctness in the relationship, which can be directly obtained through the law and does not require a mediator to fulfill it on their behalf.
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<br>💎 Summary
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<br>To understand the Jewish perspective, the key is to remember: it is not merely "Christianity without Jesus," but a self-sufficient and complete belief system.
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<br>This system centers on the one true God, emphasizes personal responsibility, reconciliation with God through sincere repentance, and waiting for a Davidic political king to bring world peace. In its core logic, Jesus' atonement violates both the principle of personal responsibility for one's sins and the description of the Messianic mission in the Hebrew Bible. Therefore, from a Judaist perspective, Jesus' substitutionary death was indeed unnecessary.
<br>OK that would take all of five minutes and apparently you’ll be automatically forgiven, so now you can commence sinning again until tomorrow when you can do it all again.
<br>An easy way to pray would be to record your little prayer on a tape machine and program it to play at a certain time every day, you wouldn’t even need to be there.
<br>The same for saying Grace, just leave your recorder on the dining table.
<br>How easy is that?
<br>ALL the conversions in the book of Acts follow the same pattern:
<br>They heard the Gospel message, they believed it, they repented of their sins, confessed Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God,
<br>AND were immersed in water for the forgiveness of their sins.
<br>They were NOT saved at the point of believing. Even the demons believe. James 2:19
<br>They were NOT saved at the point of repentance or confession.
<br>They WERE saved as they were raised up from the watery grave.
<br>I Peter 3: 21b God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it [the ark] only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God.
<br>Baptism is NOT just a symbol; it is the moment we are saved.
<br>You do not "join the church of your choice;" God adds you to the church which Christ established. Acts 2:47
<br>Romans 16:16 All the churches of Christ send greetings.