Judaism

Judaism and Christianity are often spoken of in the same breath. After all, the Christian’s Old Testament is identical to the Jewish scriptures. There are critical differences between the two religions, however, primarily in the area of salvation.

Orthodox Judaism teaches that salvation is obtained by praying, repenting, and doing good things. Keeping the Law of Moses and adhering closely to the Jewish religion also are important. Reform Judaism teaches that salvation is earned by improving one’s self and society. Personal salvation like that found in the Christian Bible is very different from their belief system. Conservative Judaism falls somewhere in between the Orthodox and Reform branches of Judaism.

Meanwhile, Christians acknowledge their helplessness as sinners before a holy and just God, and receive His forgiveness by accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. They understand that salvation cannot be earned or achieved by human effort, but that a right relationship with God only comes through recognizing Jesus as the Messiah. The Hebrew Old Testament has numerous messianic prophecies, all of which were fulfilled by Jesus.

While the Jews were—and still are—God’s special people, the Bible is clear that everyone, including Jews, must make peace with God through faith in His one and only son, Jesus Christ.