re: “However, standard Christian doctrine is that salvation is by faith alone, and that good works only offer evidence of the genuineness of the faith. Whether someone like Gandhi would go to purgatory or hell is I suppose a matter of theological debate; but he clearly wouldn’t be allowed in heaven due to lack of faith in Jesus. And neither would a pious Jew full of charity, love, and good works.”
Without the preservation of the Law, the Psalms, the Wisdom Literature, and the Prophets by the Jewish people, Christianity would not exist.
Knowledge of G-d and who He is was revealed by Him to the Jewish people. It is through them that the rest of the world received this knowledge of Him as well.
Jesus, the Apostles, and the early church were all Jewish. Most, if not all, of the Christian scriptures were written by Jewish Christians.
The message of the early church was that none of us can make ourselves righteous, by G-d’s standards, by our own merit. None of us can remove the guilt of our sin by good deeds -not Jew, not Greek, not Roman, not American - no one. Good deeds were commendable, but not sufficient to make us perfectly holy and righteous before a perfectly Holy and Righteous G-d.
Even the Jewish Prophets wrote how the blood of animal sacrifices were not what G-d really desired - rather, He responded to a “broken and contrite heart”. Animal sacrifices could temporaily “cover over” sin, but it could not remove the guilt of our sin forever. They could not make a person righteous inside and out.
Only G-d Himself could remove the guilt of our sin. This is what the early Christians believed and taught.
Furthermore, the Christian doctrine of faith alone in Christ for salvation all hinges on who Jesus of Nazareth is. If he truely was “G-d” in the flesh who came to redeem mankind, then he cannot be ignored. We have to make a decision about him - is he or is he not Messiah, the Son of G-d, G-d in the flesh? If he isn’t, then all Christianity falls. If he is, then He is our only hope of salvation before G-d. That’s pretty exclusive, but is based on who the person of Jesus is.
The early Christians prayed that all might come to a knowledge of salvation through Jesus the Messiah - not that they were better than anyone else. If what they believed is true, then it is the Truth for all people - not just for them. This may seem narrow, but again, if Jesus is really who He claimed to be - then it isn’t narrow - it is simply the Truth.
It’s not arrogant or narrow when a doctor reveals to us that we have a certain disease and the cure to make us better. It’s simply a message of truth being imparted. We can accept or reject the doctor’s diagnosis, how we respond to the doctor’s message will determine the consequences of that decision on our lives.
If Christians are wrong about who Jesus is, then I guess the world doesn’t have much to worry about. However, if He really is G-d, then . . .
As Jew who came to know the Lord and loves him, very well said my friend. I have a hard time with my family, they stayed Jewish, they regard it more a cultural anchor than a belief system. I came to Jesus not based on some esoteric experience, I came to it through logic and earnest study, by discovering the historicity and accuracy of the New Testament. Its not a blind faith but a faith based in the bedrock of facts. Kabaalism and Orthodox Judaism ruminate on the Torah and ponder it’s hidden messages and secret meanings in a futile attempt to complete the circle. G*d cannot be understood if you ignore the other 1/2 of his revelation to man. It’s just not possible. The Jew is not wrong, he is simply waiting the accept the complete message of the Lord. I think to be fair to the Catholics, that is what they pray for, not the damnation of the Jews, the finger wagging, “Your wrong” recriminations, but the earnest hope their eyes are opened and fully embrace their wonderful COMPLETE heritage.