UNDERSTANDING JEWISH ROOTS

The Scriptures

The Scriptures have come through the Jewish people.
The Bible describes their history and their religion.
Jewish people wrote the entire Old Testament or Old Covenant.
Jewish people wrote the New Testament or New Covenant with the possible exception of the apostle Luke.
The Preservation of the Scriptures
The Jewish people protected the Bible against destruction by its enemies.
They “guaranteed” the accuracy of our existing text by their painstaking copying methods.

 

The Savior

Yeshua came from the Jewish people.
He lived as a Jew and followed Jewish religious practices.
Yeshua refused to abolish Biblical Judaism

Matthew 5:17
17“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

 

The Way of Salvation

Salvation as well came through the Jewish people – Roman 11:11-24
Natural branches – The Jewish believers in Messiah Yeshua
Ingrafted – The Gentile believers in Messiah Yeshua
The promises of salvation are Jewish.

Gen 22:18
17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”
The way of salvation is Jewish

John 4:22
21 Yeshua declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.

 

The Structure

The Church
The origin and existence of the church for the first several years were due to the efforts of the 12 Jewish Apostles.
The church’s first outreach was conducted by Jewish people, following accepted Jewish practices and growth resulted.

 

The Spiritual Benefits

Rom 15:25-27
25 Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the saints there. 26 For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. 27 They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings.

Eph 2:11-13, 3:4-6
11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men)–12 remember that at that time you were separate from Messiah, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.13 But now in Messiah Yeshua you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Messiah.

Eph 3:4-6
4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Messiah, 5 which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Messiah Yeshua.

Rom 11:11-18
11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring! 13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, Gal 3:29
29 If you belong to Messiah, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

 

Jewish Roots Conclusion

Christians owe much to the Jewish people for:
The Scriptures
For more information see The Jewishness of the New Testament by Al Brickner.
The Savior
The Way of Salvation
For more information see Was Paul the Founder of Christianity? by Avi Synder. 
The Structure of the Church
Spiritual Benefits
For more information concerning this topic generally see Our Debt to Israel by Derek Prince. PDF FILE HERE
It is therefore incumbent upon Gentile Christians to:
Share their faith responsibly with Jewish people -Rom 11:11-18
11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious.
For more information on sharing go to: Pointers on Witnessing.
Share their material wealth for the cause of reaching Jewish people with the Good News of Messiah Yeshua

Rom 15:27b
27b For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings.

~used by permission of HearNow! http://www.hearnow.org/jr.html

Reading suggestions:

• “Is Christianity Jewish” by Dr. Michael Brown

• “Your People Shall be My People” by Don Finto