I was wondering about something and was hoping you can shine some light on this situation for me.  Why don’t we as christians eat kosher food like the Jewish?  It does mention certain things we are not allowed to eat in Leviticus.  So if it says it in the Bible, why don’t most of us christians follow it?  Also, am I sinning when I eat certain things that are not kosher?

Sincerely,
Dietary Restrictions

Dear Dietary Restrictions,

There is a difference between Old Testament laws and New Testament laws.  Christians are not bound to follow the Old Testament law because we are no longer under that law (Gal 3:24-25).  Feel free to read “Out With The Old?” for further details on the purpose of the Old Testament.

The Old Testament laws concerning what could and could not be eaten can be found in Lev. 11, but there is only one type of food that christians cannot eat – blood (Acts 15:29).  When an animal is killed, some cultures will strangle the animal so as to keep the blood in the meat, as opposed to draining the blood out.  Things like blood sausage, blood soup, blood stew, etc. are popular dishes in some countries, but eating them is wrong.  All other food is clean for New Testament christians… Jesus said so Himself in Mk 7:19.

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From what I have read, he did not meet the criteria in the Old Testament (as you guys call it).  I have talked to deeply religious christians about this, and they can quote me Scripture all day long; however, since the Bible and Jesus are the most important things in their lives, you would think they would have done research on the historical origins of the Bible and the historic evidence of Jesus during the years of 1-60 AD, but I found in every single case without exception the same attitude of “I know nothing, and I do not want to know”.  One nurse I work with told me, “I do not need evidence; I just believe.”  Why do you think they call it blind faith?!

If you really think the New Testament is truly the word of God and not manmade, that means it all would make perfect sense, and there would not be any inconsistencies, and the more you learn, the more you will find out nothing is more obvious.

Plus, if we are right, then you guys are worshiping falsely and, therefore, are doomed under your own belief system.  The whole thing, in my opinion, comes down to our God-given gift of reason and common sense.

How would you respond if Muslims and Mormons told you they are the only way to God, and if you do not buy into it, you are doomed?

Can we not just respect each other?  If you know something I don’t and have historic proof and real evidence and not just blind faith, I would love to see it!

Sincerely,
Of A Friendly Faith

Dear Of A Friendly Faith,

It is an absolute travesty that no one has ever given you a better reason for believing in Jesus than blind faith.  We here at AYP believe that Jesus is the Christ because of the evidence – not in spite of it!  To save space, we are going to point you toward a couple of previous posts to read.  For information on the authenticity of the Bible and its divine origins, we recommend reading our posts “Who Wrote The Bible?” and perusing our evidences section of the AskYourPreacher archives.  God meant it when He told us to “come and reason together” with Him (Isa 1:18).  The more you dig into it, the more staggering the evidence is that the Bible was written by God.

The same goes for Jesus.  When the apostles first began preaching Jesus as the Christ, they did it to Jews who knew their Bibles.  The biggest stumbling block for every Jew was that Jesus died on a cross – something none of them believed would ever happen to the Messiah (Gal 5:11).  However, the apostles proved that the Bible did teach that the Messiah would have to suffer (Acts 26:22-23).  The apostles quoted verses like Ps 16:10 (used by Peter in Acts 2:25-31) and Isa 53:5-11 (used by Philip in Acts 8:32-35).  The Old Testament taught that the Messiah would suffer and die on a cross, and Jesus did that very thing.  We highly recommend reading The Case For Christ by Lee Strobel for further details on the evidence that Jesus fulfills the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah.  Hopefully this gives you some evidence to whet your appetite; please feel free to continue to correspond with us as further questions arise.

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I am a Jew and was invited to a friend’s church, and I went out of respect.  Wonderful people, but I was blown away with the preacher’s bottom line of “convert or burn in hell”.

Jews believe there are righteous gentiles (non-Jews), but it appears from going to this church that there is no such thing as righteous non-christians.

Do all churches teach this?  Is this love and mercy?  It is hard to understand when the priest who read Adolf Lekman his last rites was asked after he purified himself with Jesus for one minute if he was now in heaven, and he replied, “Yes, he is”, and when asked about the 1.5 million Jewish children who were murdered he said, “May God have mercy on their souls”, meaning they are doomed.

Does this not cause division and pit one group of good people against another?

Sincerely,
Of A Friendly Faith

Dear Of A Friendly Faith,

As a Jew, you must appreciate the importance of the Messiah as much as we do.  Every Hebrew has anxiously searched for and waited for the coming of the Savior of Israel for thousands of years.  If that Savior came, and you rejected Him… you would be rejecting your own religion.  The coming of the Messiah is the single most important element of Judaism… even your own rabbis state this.  The only difference between you and us is that we believe that Messiah has already come.

Jesus is the Christ (Jhn 20:31).  Jesus professes that He is the only way to God (Jhn 14:6).  God’s definition of being a ‘good person’ is when we follow and obey His Son (Jhn 12:26).  Jesus is a stumbling block to many Jewish people (1 Cor 1:23), but that has always been the case.  Jesus even said that His coming would bring division (Matt 10:34-36).  If Jesus is a liar, we should desert Him, but if He is the Word of God (Jhn 1:1), any other religion cannot stand beside His (Eph 4:4-6).

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I was born in a Jewish home as an only child, and since I became a christian (baptism), my life has had such supernatural turmoil since I received Christ some twenty years ago – I am 45… I lived a life of lust and other various sin – soon, a “born-again christian” by the name of ‘Stormy’ witnessed Christ to me; I had an out-of-body experience and have since heard a few directives from angels, or God, seemingly directly.  “You are a priest” is one that sticks in my mind.  I currently do not live the life of a “priest”; I work and struggle to make sense of supporting myself.  I am really having a hard time making sense of who I should be in Christ.  I can’t escape what I have been shown; there is no doubt about a creator, but I just don’t know how to properly serve Him.  I read the Bible in short glossy sessions, but I still don’t see a clear direction.  I don’t know how to be a priest; I do know how to be scared and worried.  I am currently working after spending some fifteen years on the streets.  I kind of wish Jesus would have taken me away somewhere.  I just don’t know what I should be doing.  My life just seems to be a “wanting-to-die-get-it-over-with” kind of existence.  I feel lost again, but now knowing about hell.  A few opinions would help… prayers, too.

Sincerely,
Looking For Hope

Dear Looking For Hope,

It sounds like you have had a very tumultuous life and a very confusing religious journey.  Thankfully, the Bible has answers that will give you stability and peace.  Paul specifically says to ignore visions and the words of angels (Gal 1:8).  The Bible is all you need to find life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3).  The truth can be found in the sum of God’s Word (Ps 119:160).  Put all your previous religious experiences aside and start reading the Bible in meaningful, studious sessions.  When we take the Bible as our guide and place all our trust in it – confusion goes away (1 Cor 14:33).  Faith comes by hearing God’s Word (Rom 10:17).  We recommend that you read the posts “What Must I Do To Be Saved” and “Down With Denominationalism” to help clarify what God would have you do.  Both of those posts are full of verses and should give you an idea of where to start.

Furthermore, we would be happy to get you in touch with a faithful congregation in your area that could have Bible studies with you.  Having someone to teach you the gospel step-by-step can be immensely useful (Rom 10:14).  If you would like that, e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org.

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I have a question about Jewish people.  I have heard of people saying that they are Jewish, but what is the difference between them and other churches?  I know this is a big question, but it has been on my mind for a few days, and I know that your answers are from the Bible, and I can trust you.  Thanks and keep up the good work.

Oh, I forgot to add one last thing, I have heard somewhere before (I think) that maybe Jesus was Jewish; is this true?  Thanks for the help, guys!

Sincerely,
Who’s A Jew?

Dear Who’s A Jew,

Jesus was a Jew because He lived under the Old Testament Law.  The Old Testament Law was given by Moses (Jhn 1:17).  The Old Testament was God’s contract with the nation of Israel (also known as the Jewish nation).  Jesus was born an Israelite.  Jesus came and fulfilled the Old Testament law by living a perfect and sinless life (Matt 5:17).  Through Christ, we have a new law… the New Testament (Rom 7:4).  Modern Jews follow parts of the Old Testament (the Jewish religion of today has veered away quite a bit from the law given by Moses), but they never follow the New Testament because they don’t believe Jesus was the Savior.  Today’s Jews are still waiting for the Messiah to come and bring them peace and prosperity.  Jesus was rejected by the Jewish leadership (Lk 9:22).  If you look at a Jew’s Bible, it will only contain the Old Testament because they are still waiting for a Savior that has already come.

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I’m admittedly not as familiar with the Old Testament as the New Testament, but my question is this: are the traditions and/or laws that govern the Jewish faith today all found in the Old Testament?  Does it discuss wearing yarmulkes, other dress and hairstyles considered “orthodox”, or the other symbols such as the mezuzah, etc.?  Are all the “kosher” laws about not mixing meat and dairy found there, or have there been modifications made as we’ve seen with denominations that claim to be New Testament Christians but have made up some of their own rules?

Sincerely,
Mazeltov

Dear Mazeltov,

Modern Judaism is a mixture of oral tradition and Old Testament law.  The Old Testament law that is found in your Bible is partially observed in modern Judaism, but not entirely (for example: animal sacrifices are no longer performed, the priesthood doesn’t exist, and there is no temple-worship practiced).  However, the larger part of modern Judaism comes from oral tradition handed down by rabbis (‘rabbi’ means ‘teacher’ in Hebrew).  Most of this tradition is found in a book called the ‘Talmud’.  The Talmud is a compilation of rabbinical traditions that was put together about 200 AD.  Most of the teachings you mentioned (the yarmulke, kosher laws, mezuzah tubes, etc.) are from the Talmud… not the Bible.  Modern Judaism does not come close to resembling the religion of Moses’ day.

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Why are the Jews so stiff-necked about the New Testament?

Sincerely,
Gentile

Dear Gentile,

The Jews of the first-century and the Jewish community of today don’t want to accept the New Testament because Jesus wasn’t the kind of Messiah they were (and are) expecting.  Jesus came to set up a spiritual kingdom (Jhn 18:36), and instead of creating a powerful, physical Israel… He died a gruesome death.  The Jews were anticipating a physical restoration of their nation (Acts 1:6), but Jesus created a spiritual kingdom that dwells within the hearts of faithful men and women (Lk 17:21).  When the Jews tried to make Jesus an earthly king, He refused (Jhn 6:15).  Jesus’ death is a stumbling block and offense to any Jew expecting a powerful and mighty Messiah (1 Cor 1:23).  Jesus just wasn’t the kind of king they wanted.

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I have pondered about the idea of a messiah.  It seemed to me that all cultures and religions have a savior.  It seems to me quite possible that God sent His son, or Himself, or the third iteration of Himself (however one interprets the messiah) to all different peoples to lead them around the same time, essentially.  And presently, Satan exploits this to make humans fight each other because we all worship the same god.  So any theism works… that is what I’m trying to say and what I think.

Is Jesus Christ special, or was Isus the Egyptian messiah, or Allah, or Krishnu, or Jehovah just as good?

Sincerely,
Open Minded

Dear Open Minded,

Jesus is special, and He left no room for other gods.  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Me” (Jhn 14:6).  Jesus was either the one and only Messiah – or He was a crazy lunatic.  Jesus teaches that we can only have one Master (Matt 23:10) and that serving anyone else is a sin.  Jesus taught that we either confess Him as the Christ, or we will be denied before God (Lk 12:8-9).  Jesus cannot coexist with other gods.  The Bible is clear – there can be only one (Eph 4:4-6).  Isus, Allah, Krishnu, etc. are all false gods.

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Christians believe that Jesus did almost everything in fulfilling the prophecy here on Earth, and what He didn’t do, He will do in His second coming.  Jews believe there is nowhere in the Bible that says their Messiah will come back a second time, so they just believe Jesus was some crazy guy.

Please, show me Scriptures on this subject.  Where in the Bible does it say Jesus will come back for a SECOND time… and do I have the general idea right?

Thank you so much for your time.  I don’t know the Bible like I SHOULD.  But I’m going to fix that.  Thank you, again.

Sincerely,
Repeat Visit?

Dear Repeat Visit,

When Jesus ascended into heaven, the angels promised the apostles that someday Jesus would return in exactly the same way as He left (Acts 1:10-11).  The Scriptures are very clear that Jesus will someday return to claim His people (1 Thess 4:13-18).  You are right on the money with that part.

Jesus’ second coming isn’t the reason the Jews don’t believe He is the Messiah.  The reason they don’t believe He is the Messiah is because He died on the cross and never saved them from Rome.  The Jews expected a Messiah that would save them from their physical enemies and set up a powerful kingdom on earth.  However, Jesus’ kingdom is a spiritual kingdom, not a physical one (Jhn 18:36).  The Jews mocked Jesus while He was on the cross because they believed His crucifixion clearly proved He wasn’t the Savior (Lk 23:35).  In short, the Jews expected a physical king, and Jesus came as a spiritual king.  They never accepted Him because of it.

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I keep getting conflicting info on this, and I ache for clarification and truth.

God commanded His people to observe the Sabbath and Feast days (even Jesus and His disciples did), and whoever believes on Jesus’ name are His people.  Jesus didn’t come to destroy the law but to fulfill it and make it better (with His gift of the Holy Spirit and circumcision of our hearts), and so the law still stands.  Why do so many christians think it is okay not to observe them?

Because I am not a Jew, is it crazy/worthless for me to observe these days?  I’m only trying to follow Jesus’ examples.  What is so wrong with that?

Sincerely,
Eaten Up By This

Dear Eaten Up By This,

Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament law when He died upon the cross (Lk 24:44-47).  The Old Testament law was a tutor to lead us to Christ, but now that Christ is here, we are no longer under that law (Gal 3:24-25). We are told to not worry about feasts and festivals in the New Testament (Col 2:16).  Jews kept the feast days; christians keep the New Testament, the law of Christ (Gal 6:2).

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The Bible says that Jesus said, “No one gets to the Father except through me”, which I have been taught means if you don’t believe God is the Father and Jesus is His Son, you don’t/won’t go to heaven.

My question is: does this mean that three quarters of the world’s population (non-christians, Jews, Mormons, the Dalai Lama, etc.) who don’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God aren’t going to heaven?  It doesn’t seem to me that the God I believe in would let this happen.

Sincerely,
Sympathy For The Masses

Dear Sympathy For The Masses,

The verse you are referring to is Jhn 14:6.  Here is a great example of a fork in the road for christians.  Will we take the Bible at face value and accept what God says, or will we ignore certain verses in order to mold God into an image that is more suitable for us?  You are absolutely right; there is no mistaking the implications of Jhn 14:6.  All that do not follow Christ will not be saved.  In fact, there are other verses that re-emphasize this message.  Jesus said that the way to salvation was narrow, and the way to destruction was wide (Matt 7:13).  He also says that many people will erroneously claim to have served God and will be turned away on the Judgment Day (Matt 7:22-23).

These verses do exclude large swaths of mankind from heaven.  However, if we believe the Bible to be God’s infallible Word (and we here at AYP do – read “Who Wrote The Bible” to see why we are so convinced), then we must accept that the same loving God who would send His own Son to die for our sins has a very good reason for being so picky about who goes to heaven.  Remember, God doesn’t condemn people to hell; it is our sinful choices that does that (Rom 6:23).  Jehovah offers us salvation through His Son, even though we deserve death (Jhn 3:16).

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Jewish people claim that Jesus can’t be the Messiah because in the book of Deuteronomy, they say that God says that every man is responsible for his own sin, and therefore there is no requirement for one man to die for the sin of many, as Jesus did.  Can you shed some light on this for me?  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Unkosher

Dear Unkosher,

It is true that Deu 24:16 says that everyone is accountable for his own sin.  In fact, your sin earns you a wage – death (Rom 6:23).  Our sins have made us accountable to pay a debt that is too big for us to repay.  Therefore, God sent His only begotten Son to pay the debt for us.  His sacrifice was a gift freely offered (Eph 2:8-9); it wasn’t a requirement; it was a blessing from God.  There is no contradiction between Deuteronomy’s statement that we are accountable for our own sins and the gift of salvation found in Jesus.

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