Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: dvnspc1!tom@tredysvr.tredydev.unisys.com (Tom Albrecht) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Passover for Christians Message-ID: Date: 10 Apr 91 08:12:03 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Unisys Corporation, Devon Engineering Offices Lines: 63 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article credmond@watmath.waterloo.edu (Chris Redmond) writes: > >And I think you ought to think carefully about whether you have >insulted both Jews and some other Christians (I won't say, also >insulted God!) by suggesting that the God who is addressed by Jews >is not the true God in whom we live and move and have our being. I don't mean to insult Jews or any Christians, but let's be honest: the God who is addressed by Jews is not the true God in whom we Christians live and move and have our being. This is the very message of Christianity. The best we can say is that Jews worship an incomplete God, because they fail to acknowledge Jesus Christ as the final, complete revelation of God's Being. (Hebrews 1:2,3) "They have a zeal for God, but they lack knowledge." (Romans 10:2) And I would argue that zeal in worshiping an incomplete God, when the truth in manifest, is the same as worshiping an idol. I realize this is uncomfortable for some; it's an uncomfortable subject. And I realize also that some of my remarks are not "socially correct." It's not polite to tell folks they need to believe such and such a thing for their eternal welfare. Jesus and His apostles made it quite clear to their fellow Jews that those who did not follow after the Christ were following after the Father of lies. "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I proceed from the God." (John 8:42; cf. John 8:19,44) It is sad, but true: those who do not love Christ do not worship the Father. This is precisely the point which gave impetus to the missionary activity of the early Church, especially among the natural children of Abraham. The disciples KNEW that without Christ their fellow Jews were facing an eternity of condemnation. And it's no doubt a contributing factor in understanding why Jewish Christian were excommunicated from the Jewish synagogues very early in the life of the Church. They refused to stop reminding their fellow Jews that without Messiah they were in trouble. Unfortunately, many denominations today lack that early zeal for Jewish evangelism. I am reminded that Scottish Presbyterians used to have specific prayers for conversion of the Jews in their Directory of Worship. They looked forward to a day of glory when a great number of Jews would be converted to Christ and spread the blessing of God to the world, in keeping with the promise of Romans 11:26. But today the oldline denominations, some of which are descended from the Church of Scotland, are more prone to call a conference to discuss "Christian/Jewish dialog," (and I don't mean Justin Martyr's version) than call for renewed evangelism among the Jewish people. We just don't want to offend. We want to live and let live. Meanwhile, Jews are following the broad path that leads to destruction. Are we content with knowing that "Jews worship the Father?" Is that an eternally useful concept? And on the matter of the Passover lead by a Jew, the fact is all these modern day Passover celebration have been developed SINCE the coming of Messiah. The Jew who wrote the service that Elizabeth attended consciously understood the difference between Jew and Christian. This is therefore not simply a collection of innocent prayers. It is a calculated method for highlighting the distinction between Jew and Christian, and probably aimed at reminding the original Jewish audience why they are not Christians. "We have Abraham as our father." (John 8:39). Christians should be uncomfortable in this environment, especially if the atmosphere stiffles the opportunity for telling the rabbi of his need for Messiah Jesus. -- Tom Albrecht