Parent Question – If Jesus was Jewish, are we considered Jewish, too?

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Parent Question

Tough Questions – Week 9

If Jesus was Jewish, are we considered Jewish, too?

This week youth will ask you, “If Jesus was Jewish, are we considered Jewish, too?”  Remember, if they don’t ask you, you should ask them.  The lesson that will be covered answers this question, “How are we ‘related’ to Jesus in the family of God?”  In that lesson we will discuss Galatians 3:26 – 4:7, which reveals that we have been adopted into the Family of God as His children, giving us as believers the legal spiritual standing in His family as God’s heirs.  The question asked of you is very much related, and the notes below should help you explain it.[1]

A quick answer to the question is that no, we are not Jewish just because we are Christians.  This topic, though, could be related to either religion (Jewish faith) or nationality (Jewish ethnicity), and that’s how it will be broken down.

Jewish faith

The early Christians did not see themselves as separate from the Jewish faith.  After all, Jesus came to fulfill the Old Testament Law.  They continued worshipping in the temple (Acts 2:46).  Eventually persecution from the Jewish religious leaders and further understanding of what Christ did for them allowed these believers to see that Old Testament sacrifices were not necessary.  They would have remained very much Jewish, however, because that was how they were raised.

When salvation was first documented among the Gentiles (non-Jewish people), the Jewish Christians had to figure out what that meant – could they be saved and where did Jewish faith tradition come into play (Acts 10:43; 11:18)?  The Apostle Paul’s letters and missionary journeys reveal that he was not concerned with the Gentiles adopting Jewish faith practices.  Actually, he tended to stress the opposite.  The reason was that it was easy for the Gentiles to get confused into a works-based mentality for salvation.  The book of Galatians is actually a warning from Paul for those Gentile believers to not get circumcised.  Some Jews were pressuring them to do this in order to be “real” Christians.  Paul told them that if they were to get circumcised to be like their Jewish counterparts, then Christ’s sacrifice would be of no value to them (See Galatians 5:1-6 for a summary).

Jewish Ethnicity

We also do not become Israelites in race through salvation.  We do receive their spiritual promises, however, and Romans 4:13-25 reveals that we become spiritually part of God’s chosen people, calling believers Abraham’s descendents through faith.  Again, this is spiritual participation children of faith, which means we do not physically become Jewish in our ethnicity.

Final thoughts

Is it wrong to celebrate Jewish customs?  Arguably, no.  Jesus Himself appeared to have celebrated Hanukkah (John 10:22-23).[2] He also celebrated in the Passover (John 13:1) during the Last Supper.  Some Christians celebrate Passover each year, and in it they find spiritual significance to the rituals of the meal that point to Jesus’ death and resurrection.

It would probably not be a good idea to observe Jewish sacrifices, especially because they could lead to faulty thinking of a works-based salvation, just as Paul warned many times.  However, it is important to understand the significance behind all of the Jewish faith, because it is the foundation for our Christian faith.  In a very real sense, the two cannot be separated.  That is why Christians have the Old Testament in their Bibles.  God has entwined the two parts of His Word together, Old and New, making them tied to each other.  A tremendous amount of truth and significance would be lost if Christians were to reject the Old Testament.

As believers we are not Jewish, but our spiritual heritage, our roots, go all the way back to Abraham as our spiritual father (see above “Jewish Ethnicity” section).

[2] While John records Jesus as being present at the Feast of Lights (Hanukkah), he does not clarify that Jesus was celebrating it.  He probably was observing the holiday, however.  It is also worth noting that this festival was not a Scripturally mandated celebration for Jews, but an additional national celebration.

Parent Question – Is it wrong to ask Jesus into your heart right before you die?

Parent Question

Tough Questions – Week 8

Is it wrong to ask Jesus into your heart right before you die?

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This question is a bit related to the tough question covered during the lesson time:  How can a person lose their salvation?  We will cover this topic, and share with youth that, while true followers of Christ cannot lose their salvation, some people are not true followers of Christ to begin with (though they may claim to be and even believe that they are).  The question they will ask you is this:  Is it wrong to ask Jesus into your heart right before you die?  Below are some notes on this question, first to answer it directly and second to take the question a step further.

Probably the best example in the Bible of someone coming to Christ is the thief that was crucified next to Jesus.  His story can be found in Luke 23:39-43.  When he put his trust in Christ, Jesus promised that the thief would be with Him in paradise.  He did not say, “You waited too long – you should have gotten saved ages ago!”  This illustrates the truth that we see in 2 Peter 3:9, where it says God does not want anyone to perish; He wants everyone to have eternal life.  A person at the end of his or her life is still someone that God wants to see saved.

A driving force that may have been behind this question is that of another question which asks, “Is it wrong for people to live their lives doing whatever they want and wait until they are near death to repent and be saved?”  Some people want to, in a sense, get the sin out of their systems so that they can “have their fun” before converting.  Here are some thoughts on this idea:

• It is possible – this can certainly happen.  A person can know the truth but fail to acknowledge it until life is almost over.
• It is dangerous – the idea that someone can wait to convert out of selfish, sinful ambitions has some serious complications.
  • People may die before they are ready to repent and be saved.
  • It reveals a flaw in thinking, because salvation seems to be reduced to a simple prayer rather than a lifestyle.
  • It implies that the Christian life is not fun, so a person might be better off living sinfully first.  This is extremely far from the truth – sin is the absence of God’s goodness, and it leaves people empty and unfulfilled.  Jesus offers true fulfillment!  See John 10:10.

Ultimately we want to see youth understand that the only way to live a life of meaning is by trusting in Jesus for salvation and living for Him.

Parent Question – If God wants everyone in heaven, why doesn’t His plan involve everyone going there?

Tough Questions – Week 6

If God wants everyone in heaven, why doesn’t His plan involve everyone going there?

The parent question this week is, “If God wants everyone in heaven, why doesn’t His plan involve everyone going there?”  Before students ask you this question, they will have covered in their lesson the concept of God’s sovereignty compared to man’s free will.  They will understand that, in some inexplicable way, God remains completely in control of everything even though people make daily decisions for which they are responsible.  This certainly relates to the question they will be asking you.  Here are some notes on the subject.

God certainly does want everyone to be in heaven.  2 Peter 3:9b says God is “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”  John 3:16 also reveals the extent of God’s love for a condemned world – He sent His Son to die for sinners.  But not everyone will go to heaven.  The verse goes on to say that “whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” [emphasis added].  “Whoever” means that it is available to all.  2 Corinthians 5:15 says that Jesus “died for all that those who live…” [Emphasis added].  There is a distinction between “all” and “those”; not all will have eternal life.

Getting back to the question, why doesn’t God just give everyone eternal life?  If He truly loves the world and everyone in it, why couldn’t He just pardon everyone of their sin?  The reason why God does not do this is related to His justice and His holiness.

God is completely just.  We learn that we are sinners deserving death and separation from God by reading Romans 3:23 and 6:23.  God in His holiness cannot tolerate sin.  In Leviticus 19:2 we read God commanding the Israelite assembly to “Be holy, because I, the Lord your God, am holy.”  Our sin is something that God in His holiness cannot tolerate.  Here is what Colossians 1:21-22 says:

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.  But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.

The question sent home with students is actually backward.  Knowing that God is holy and just, not able to tolerate sin, and knowing that those who have put their trust in Christ have been redeemed, the question should be rephrased.  It should be, “If all of us deserve judgment because of our sin, why did God allow some of us to go to heaven?”  Those who are sent to hell are only receiving what they deserve.  That does not mean we shouldn’t be filled with a passion to reach as many as we can with God’s love, but it does mean we should realize that none of us deserves heaven.  God is merciful.  God is loving.  He sent Jesus to take our place and pay for our sin so that some of us would spend eternity with Him in heaven.  Perhaps there is yet another question that we should ask:  “If we think God should allow more people into heaven, why don’t we care enough to share His message with others?”  We are God’s chosen instruments to spread His message.

Make these truths stick

Below are some optional things that you can do to really make some of the concepts in these notes come alive.  There is an illustration, an object lesson, and a family challenge.

Illustration

To illustrate why God won’t allow people into heaven who haven’t placed their trust in Him, here is an example you can use.  Let’s say you had a house that was nice and clean, with brand new, gleaming white, wall to wall carpet.  Youth and their friends are playing outside…in the mud.  You have just prepared a nice meal for them, and you want them to come inside.  The problem is that they are filthy.  You go outside on the doorstep and announce that they may come into the house for a meal, but they have to be clean.  Since they really don’t have any way to clean up, you stand out there to have them take off their shoes, and you hold towels for them to wipe the mud and grime away.  You cannot tolerate mud in your home.  It would not be a clean home if you did.  Suppose some of the friends refuse to clean off?  Will you allow them into your home?  No.  You have provided them with the opportunity, but they are the ones who refused.  God also has provided a way to heaven through Jesus.  Some have accepted, and others have refused; this is not God’s fault.  Heaven would not be heaven if sin were tolerated in it.

Object lesson

Experts say that bed sheets should be changed every two weeks.  When was the last time you changed yours?  Before the lesson, have your children wash their sheets (or you could change them yourself, but why rob them of the joy of housework?).  When they arrive home from the lesson, keep their bed stripped of fresh sheets.  As you talk about God’s holiness and the sin-free environment of heaven, relate this concept to fresh sheets.  There really is nothing quite like the feeling of climbing into a bed with fresh sheets.  Students who put fresh sheets on after this conversation (and perhaps shower as well) can climb into a clean bed with clean sheets to thank God for His holiness and the sin-free environment of heaven.

Family Challenge

The question was related to asking God why He wouldn’t have everyone to go to heaven.  The reality is that He asks us to share His message with others.  As a family, pick out people in your lives whom you will pray for and share the message of salvation with this week.  Pray daily for those people and encourage each other in telling them about Christ.

Salvation

We’re looking at Salvation this Sunday in our Core Beliefs series.

So, what is salvation all about – what does it mean to be saved?  Send Kevin your response to have it read this Sunday at the beginning of Sunday School…you may even be rewarded for your answer…