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Jewish ritual, TC. Buggman has also married a Jewish wife and is raising Jewish children. Disciples of Yeshua the Messiah, yes, but Jewish nevertheless. If you want to consider me to be no more Jewish than Timothy, that's your problem, not mine.

I realize it been awhile since we discussed you experience, but let me try to recall my understanding. Please feel free to correct my understanding here.

You are a follower of Jesus Christ (aka Yeshua Ha'Mashiach) and are associated with a messianic congregation. In fact, I think you like to be called “rabbi.” You claim to follow the Mosaic law given to ancient Israel in some fashion.

You were born a gentile with no identifiable Jewish roots. Unlike Timothy, you were not even leaning Jewish. A few years ago you underwent what could be called ritual conversion in this messianic congregation, including, as I recall physical circumcision. Another way of putting it, you did not convert to a recognized branch of Judaism and then convert to messianism/Christianity.

I believe your wife is of Jewish ancestry, but, like yourself, now self-identified with this messianic congregation.

Messianism is not considered one of the official branches of Judaism. In spite of your messianic “conversion,” you would probably not be considered Jewish by any of these branches. E.g., it’s doubtful that you could claim Israeli citizenship under their law of return.

Since there first century and the end of the old covenant age, there is only one operative covenant, that is, the new covenant.

Under the terms of the new covenant, they is no procedure or ritual for a bona fide gentile to “become Jewish” in a Christian context.

Pardon the crudity, but in my opinion what you underwent is akin to a spiritual sex change operation. It’s a denial of what you were born, and how that works itself out within the body of Christ, where “there is neither Jew nor Greek.” I’m sure you’ll admit that you are now no more a child of Abraham than your uncircumcised fellow gentiles.

Unlike the rather unique experience of Timothy we find in the Bible (2 Timothy 1:5), who finalized his Jewish upbringing by undergoing circumcision in order to not be an offense to other Jews in the temple, it’s hard for me to image that real Jews take very kindly to your experience.

It’s clear from the Bible that Jesus calls no one to be circumcised. Faith is not based on nor proven by adherence to (ersatz) old covenant rituals. All that matters to Christ is circumcision of the foreskin of the heart. The external testimony of the heart circumcision in the new covenant is water baptism, a sign universally applied (Eph. 4:5).

I’ve been hard on messianics in the past because I think their cultish religion is dangerous to the body of Christ. This notion of Christian “conversion” to ersatz Judaism smacks of spiritual superiority. Your experience has not changed that opinion, merely strengthened it.

>>Since there first century and the end of the old covenant age, there is only one operative covenant, that is, the new covenant.<<

These covenants established the following promises for Israel :

A nation forever
A land forever
A King forever
A throne forever
A kingdom forever
Blessings forever

The Scriptures are clear that these covenants were given to Israel alone (cf. Rom. 9.1-5; Eph. 2.11-12) and that the nation of Israel will exist forever and that God will never forsake Israel ( Is. 14.1; 59.20-21; 61.8-9; Jer. 31-35-37; Ezek. 16.59-63; Hos. 2.16-23). Gentiles were blessed through being united to Israel (e.g. proselytes) or through honoring the Abrahamic Covenant (i.e. Gen. 12.3). The Church, the body of Christ, is a new creation, which was a mystery God revealed to the apostle Paul. The Church is blessed through grace by being identified with Christ in his death and resurrection.

The foundational covenant for Israel's relationship to God is the Abrahamic Covenant. Once established, it formed the groundwork and established the basis for the promises contained in the other covenants.

TC, to be really blunt, I have far better things to do with my time these days than to rehash old, old debates with someone who thinks that "Gospel" is spelled C-A-L-V-I-N-I-S-M or who thinks that praising God for the miracles and fulfillments of prophecy taking place before our very eyes is the greatest threat to (his sect of) Christianity today.

I get plenty of questions from those who honestly want to know how Yeshua's undeniable Jewishness affects our understanding of the Gospel and plenty of opportunities for debate with those whose minds are not set in stone. I simply no longer have time for this:

As for my title, I don't really care whether anyone uses it or not. I know that there are many Christians who through a misapplication of Mat. 23 are uncomfortable with it, and many traditional Jews who don't think I deserve it, so I don't make it an issue. You're the only one who seems to be pitching a fit about it.

As for our position in the Jewish community, you'd be surprised. The general consensus in Israel is that Messianic Jews who are living Jewish lifestyles should be counted as Jews rather than Christians. There have been news stories in Israel that have portrayed Messianics in a very positive light. A Messianic baker in Israel was recognized as fully Jewish by the national court of Israel when it dictated that the rabbis could not revolk her kosher status simply because of her belief in Yeshua. We've actually been asked by the Sanhedrin to get our act together and appoint our own sanhedrin which would be authorized to speak for us so that they can have someone to talk to as they consider the possibility of allowing not only Messianics who are born Jewish to make aliyah, but also proselytes like myself.

On a personal level, I have two non-Messianic in-laws who enjoy coming to our synagogue--and recognize it as a synagogue, not a church. I have been asked to lead the blessings for meals and the prayers in honor of the dead. I have spent time with rabbis and anti-missionaries, including one in Jerusalem itself who by the time we left his store considered us to be brother Jews.

I won't pretend it's all a rosy picture. There are still persecutions--extraordinarily mild ones compared to what Chrstians and Jews suffer elsewhere, but it does happen. And if they didn't, I'd be worried, since that would mean that the Adversary didn't consider us a threat. But the fact remains that you are behind the times on this subject.

I do hope someday that you'll repent of your legalism and your reverse-Galatianism. Until then, shalom.