The Vatican Is Wrong, Jews Need Jesus for Salvation, Says Messianic Group

Christian Post ^ | 12/14/2015 | Stoyan Zaimov

[SeekAndFind]

A leading Jewish Messianic group in America has responded to the Vatican's recent claim that Jews do not need to be believers in Jesus Christ to be saved, by saying that the Apostle Paul would have been "horrified" at the suggestion.

David Brickner, executive director of Jews for Jesus, said in a statement late last week that the suggestions of the Vatican's Commission for Religious Relations with Jews are : ... egregious, especially coming from an institution which seeks to represent a significant number of Christians in the world."

He further pointed out that the document's title, "The Gifts and Calling of God are irrevocable," is taken from Paul's words in Romans 11:29, but said that the New Testament figure would greatly disagree with how they have been applied here.

Brickner said:

"We believe that the Apostle Paul, whose name is invoked frequently in the Vatican document, would be horrified at this repudiation of the words with which he started his letter in Romans: 'For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.'"

The Commission released its document last Thursday, which stated that although all people need Christ to be saved, there is a "divine mystery" surrounding how Jewish believers fit in the plan.

"That the Jews are participants in God's salvation is theologically unquestionable, but how that can be possible without confessing Christ explicitly, is and remains an unfathomable divine mystery," the document argues.

"Since God has never revoked his covenant with his people Israel, there cannot be different paths or approaches to God's salvation," it added, however.

"The theory that there may be two different paths to salvation, the Jewish path without Christ and the path with the Christ, whom Christians believe is Jesus of Nazareth, would in fact endanger the foundations of Christian faith."

The theologians behind the document, including Cardinal Kurt Koch and Fr. Norbert Hofmann of the Vatican Commission, also spoke out against Christian missionary efforts to convert Jews, but at the same time said that Christians are called to share their faith with others.

In his response, Brickner suggested that the document is an attempt to "pander" to Jewish community leaders.

"How can the Vatican ignore the fact that the Great Commission of Jesus Christ mandates that his followers are to bring the gospel to all people? Are they merely pandering to some leaders in the Jewish community who applaud being off the radar for evangelization by Catholics?" he asked.

"If so, they need to be reminded that they first received that gospel message from the lips of Jews who were for Jesus."

Jews for Jesus, which has branches in 13 countries and 25 cities, describes itself on its website as "the largest Jewish mission agency in the world and has, at its core, the goal of proclaiming the message that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah and Savior of the world."

The National Catholic Register clarified in an article that the Committee's document does not carry magisterial authority, but offers an insight into the Roman Catholic Church's current thinking.

The document was released as part of commemorations for the fiftieth anniversary of Vatican II's decree Nostra Aetate, which dealt with Catholicism's relation with Judaism and other religions.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Speaking TRUTH to [earthly] power.

[JSDude1]

So I guess the Messianic Jewish man (a Christian Jew-to define terms) who was killed in San Bernadino wasn’t really saved? He believed in Jesus, The Messiah so...

[Read Write Repeat]

There's a error in the first line:

A leading Jewish Messianic Christian group in America

Fixed.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Obviously, you've spent considerable time and effort developing your well-defined position on Jesus not being the promised Messiah. I am neither at leisure to engage you on it, nor does the Holy Spirit prompt me to do so, counseling me instead that your position is so deeply entrenched that it would be futile for me to try.

However, He does counsel me to tell you, in a friendly and hopeful way, that He Himself is perfectly capable of overcoming your powerful (but mistaken) arguments with even better ones in a manner uniquely suited to your needs, as He has done and is doing innumerable times; I'll simply suggest Paul's Damascus-road conversion, with which I imagine you're familiar, as a ready example.

I and I suspect others, both on this thread and in your life among family/friends/neighbors/coworkers/acquaintances, are actively interceding with Him on your behalf. Yes, it's a conspiracy among us for your ultimate benefit. Others did it for us, and now in turn we are charged--despite the Vatican's foolishness--to carry the Gospel to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the ends of the earth--and you.

[avenir]

Thanks for that Scripture, I was blessed by it. I love to hear Him speak.

[FourPeas]

Why would Jesus have been born and spent his entire life living with Jews if His salvation was not for them? Sure he bumped into a few Romans and Samaritans, but the vast majority of those who saw, heard or followed him were Jews. Jesus specifically called Jews to be his disciples.

The whole concept of Jesus’ salvation not being for the Jews is...silly.

Apparently Acts 4:12, Romans 1:16 and many other verses need to be removed from the scriptures?

[Ancesthntr]

I very much appreciate your kind words and the thoughts that clearly underlie them. You are among the few here on FR who understand that we all have to make our own choices, rather than shove our own choices on others. I appreciate that, even as our P.O.V. on this issue differs.

Thankfully, we are not Shiite and Sunni, because then we’d be as likely as not to try to kill each other for heresy. :>)

[Rashputin]

“Who is a liar, but he who denieth that Jesus is the Christ? This is Antichrist, who denieth the Father, and the Son.”
- 1 John 2,22

[Ancesthntr]

“Scripture would have us conclude that Jews are not saved....”

“However, let me bring in another wrinkle- it is not only that Jews reject Jesus, but they clearly reject the resurrection of the body. “
_________________________________

Jews do not reject the concept of resurrection - in fact, Christianity adopted the idea from Judaism.

What Judaism and believing Jews reject is the idea that Jesus was the Messiah according to the criteria set forth in the Bible: http://jewsforjudaism.org/knowledge/articles/answers/jewish-polemics/the-jewish-messiah/messiah-the-criteria/

As for the “Jew are not saved” part, that is according to the Christian Bible, which is not something that Jews believe in (for reasons stated in the article cited above). According to the 5 Books of Moses and the Oral Law given by G-d to Moses on Mt. Sinai, each individual (Jewish or not, just so you know, because Judaism is NOT the exclusive means of attaining a place in the World to Come, i.e. Heaven) succeeds or fails in their quest to improve their soul via their acts here on Earth. You are not “saved” merely by belief - it requires acts that confirm that belief. For non-Jews, the path to such improvement is via abiding by the 7 Noahide laws. http://www.aish.com/w/nj/For_Non-Jews.html

[af_vet_1981]

When I was in an elite, all-girl, catholic High School, we were told Jews couldn't get to heaven and a lot of other anti-Jewish propoganda.

I protested, saying that's ridiculous and what did I get?? Two weeks of detention.

Sounds like a cut scene from The Trouble With Angels

[af_vet_1981]

This is a deeply moving document. I recommend reading all of it.

1. "Nostra aetate" (No.4) is rightly counted among those documents of the Second Vatican Council which have been able to effect, in a particularly striking manner, a new direction of the Catholic Church since then. This shift in the relations of the Church with the Jewish people and Judaism becomes apparent only when we recall that there were previously great reservations on both sides, in part because the history of Christianity has been seen to be discriminatory against Jews, even including attempts at forced conversion (cf. "Evangelii gaudium", 248). The background of this complex connection consists inter alia in an asymmetrical relationship: as a minority the Jews were often confronted by and dependent upon a Christian majority. The dark and terrible shadow of the Shoah over Europe during the Nazi period led the Church to reflect anew on her bond with the Jewish people.

...

[SeekAndFind]

I see no reason why one should consider it being hostile to Jews to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to them.

Preach the gospel to them, try to convince them that Jesus is not only their messiah but the messiah of the world.

It is up to them to accept or reject the message. Nobody should be coerced into believing ( because to do so would be meaningless ).

Above all, continue to show them love and respect even if they disagree with you.l

AND LEAVE THE RESULTS TO GOD.

[piusv]

The document was released as part of commemorations for the fiftieth anniversary of Vatican II's decree Nostra Aetate, which dealt with Catholicism's relation with Judaism and other religions.

Vatican II's Nostra Aetate: the true beginning of the "Catholic" Church's current, non-Catholic thinking".

[piusv]

Suggesting that preaching Christ is anti-Semitic is a bold-faced lie.

[Ancesthntr]

“Who is a liar, but he who denieth that Jesus is the Christ? This is Antichrist, who denieth the Father, and the Son.”

---

FYI, Jews don’t deny what you call “the Father.” There is but one G-d, who created everything, who knows all of our thoughts, who controls history and who has no rivals (i.e. the idea of Satan or an “antichrist” as a somehow equal Divine Being opposing G-d is completely absurd in Judaism). Just FYI, in Judaism there is an angel called “Ha Satan” (the Satan), whose job is to tempt people - at G-d’s direction. This angel, like all others, SERVES G-d, he/it doesn’t and CANNOT oppose Him, since he/it is one of G-d’s creations.

What Jews deny is that a particular Jew who lived in Judea about 2,000 years ago was the Messiah who would rebuild the Temple (which existed during his entire lifetime, so how could he restore it?), bring ALL of the Jews in the Diaspora back to Israel and re-establish a Jewish Kingdom (haven’t seen either of those lately), end war (no, again - the very idea of that would be laughable, if it wasn’t so incredibly tragic), bring knowledge of G-d to ALL people (no, again, since there are still many, many millions of polytheists, atheists, etc.) and, most importantly, NOT die during the process of accomplishing all of these things (no again - no death of Jesus = no resurrection). Jews simply don’t believe that Jesus, or any other Jew, or even all of the Jews who ever lived put together, accomplished ALL of those things yet, let alone someone from the much narrower class of a Jew descended from Solomon on his paternal line (and not also descended from Jeconiah, who was cursed by Jeremiah to NEVER have one of his descendants sit on the throne of Israel), so that’s why they still wait, faithfully expecting that he will come. Oh, btw, he will be a man, and NOT a divine being, so while he will be a highly respected (perhaps THE most respected) person, he will NOT be worshipped - instead, he will foster worship of G-d, and G-d alone.

I guess that you a right, believing Jews ARE each an anti-”Christ” - if you define “Christ” as a term meaning an already-existed Messiah. That person simply hasn’t shown up yet, so how can we “believe” in him?

[Ancesthntr]

You got that right.

[sasportas]

The New Testament book of Romans, written by Paul, very systematically deals with Jews and their system of law, and Gentiles, in relation to salvation.

Gentiles are dealt with first in chapter 1. Their paganism is utterly condemned. Jews are dealt with next, they “make their boast of God...being instructed out of the law are confident they are a guide to the blind, a light to them which are in darkness. An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes,” 2:17,19,20.

But, even though Jews have the law, they have not kept it. The situation of both Gentiles and Jews being summed up by saying: “We have proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin. There is none righteous, no, not one” 3:9,10 Jews are as much sinners as the pagan Gentiles.

Whats the answer to this sad situation? “The righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: FOR THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE. FOR ALL HAVE SINNED, AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD.” 3:22,23.

So, yes, according to Romans, “the Vatican is wrong, Jews do need Jesus for salvation.” Likewise, yourself, and all Jews.

Christ said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, NO MAN - which means all men, including Jews - cometh unto the Father, but by me,” John 14:6. Whether Jews or Gentiles, faith in Jesus Christ is the one and only way to God.

[af_vet_1981]

I see no reason why one should consider it being hostile to Jews to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to them.

Are you a Catholic or a Protestant ?

[Hebrews 11:6]

I had my own "Damascus-road" experience, as does basically everyone who pledges his life to Jesus and is thereby born again. So I understand keenly the issue of personal choice, which, combined with His command to love one another as myself, compels me to respect others' choice on this most fundamental and personal of issues. Do not regard it as untoward when other Christians exhibit less respect; some aren't true Christians after all, and others are still immature in their practice of the faith. In their zeal they are either ignorant of, or are ignoring, Scripture's command,

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks
you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
But do this with gentleness and respect,
keeping a clear conscience..." (1 Peter 3:15-16)

As I indicated previously, ultimately it is God Himself Who takes the responsibility for revealing Himself to those who seek Him--sometimes through His representatives, and at other times directly, as He did with Paul. Indeed, my screen name indicates that very notion. Hebrews 11:6 reads:

"And without faith it is impossible to please God,
because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists
and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

Please pardon my presumption here, but I feel constrained to tell you that I think you yourself are, or are becoming, one of those earnest seekers and that ultimately He will lead you into the full truth of His love and provision for you, in a way that you cannot now anticipate, even as I could not thirty-eight years ago, nor could Paul.

[SeekAndFind]

RE: Are you a Catholic or a Protestant ?

Not a Catholic, Not a Protestant because I’m not protesting against Catholics.

I consider myself a scripture believing Christian.