This paper will critique the worldview of Judaism as it compares and contrasts with
orthodox Christianity and present evidence from various resources as justification that the
Christian worldview is the one true religion.
Judaism and Christianity have many common beliefs. They are both monotheistic
religions and share a part of their Bible. Because Jesus and his disciples were Jews, the Jewish
Bible was their Bible, and yet, as activists from within, they found fault in Jewish beliefs and
practices. It is almost impossible, however, to understand Jesus' life and teachings without a
basic knowledge of the Judaism worldview.
In Exodus 20:2, the first commandment God gave Moses reinforces their belief that God
is unique in his oneness. "You shall have no other Gods." In this one commandment, God
commands faith, hope, love, worship of God; reverence for holy things; and prayer. He forbids
idolatry; superstition; spiritism; tempting God; sacrilege; attendance at false worship. This one
commandment was the beginning of the first monotheistic perspective that distinguished Judaism
from the other ancient Near East polytheistic religions. 1
The opening words of the most common Jewish prayer are found in Deuteronomy 6:3-5,
forming the basis for the Jewish belief that there is only one God. "Hear, O Israel, The Lord our
God is one." They believe God has made a special agreement with them, using prophets to reveal
that agreement to Jewish followers. The God of Israel, the creator, is distinct from everything
else. Their God rewards good deeds and punishes evil.
Holiness lies at the very heart of the Torah's message to Israel. Before God singles out
Israel as his "treasured possession… a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:5–6)"
God instructs Moses: "Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them: You shall be
holy, for I the Lord your God, am holy (Lev. 19:1–2)." Judaism believes that simplicity is the key
to mastering life. Jews elevate the natural by subjecting it to divine regulation. They sanctify
themselves by abstaining from eating whatever they want, working whenever, having sex with
whomever, or keeping whatever they earn. A day of fasting, prayer, study, and introspection in
the synagogue on Yom Kippur leaves the Jewish follower with a renewed sense of purity and
wholeness.
Most Jews believe their Messiah has not yet come, but he will one day. In Judaism, Jesus
was just a human, not the son of God. He was not a prophet but rather an excellent teacher and
storyteller. Jews do not think of Jesus as a prophet. The Torah does not mention the word, Jesus.
Another Jewish belief is that only God can save souls, not Jesus. In the Jewish view, Jesus did
not rise from the dead. Judaism, in general, does not recognize Jesus as the Messiah. 2
1 Thomas A. Robinson and Hillary P. Rodrigues, World Religions, A Guide to the Essentials (Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker Academic, 2006) 51.
2 Martin S. Jaffee, “One God, One Revelation, One People: On the Symbolic Structure of Elective Monotheism,”
Journal of the American Academy of Religion no. 4, (2001) 753-775.
Some people believe that Judaism is a religion of deed, not creed. However, while brief,
the statement is a cosmic generalization. Part of the beauty of Judaism lies in its mixture of deed
and creed into mitzvot, sacred acts, or divine commandments. Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik put it
beautifully when he said that Judaism combines "rituals and ethics into one performance . . .
Judaism was the first to tell the world that God is interested in our ethics and that we, therefore,
serve Him by constantly imitating Him . . . God does not have one set of rules for rituals, and a
different set for acting toward our fellow man." 3
In Judaism, Torah is the heart of their faith. For nearly 4,000 years, including 2,000
without a homeland, any common geographical location, and any support from the outside,
Judaism survived because of the Torah. The word Torah means teaching, and it refers to the first
five books of the Hebrew Bible. Scribes have copied the text for more than 2,500 years. At first
glance, those first five books tell the story of the creation until Moses' death. A closer look
reveals the keywords that have guided the Way called Judaism.
Judaism and Christianity both believe in one God, the creator of the universe, who is mighty and
good and. He reveals his Word through prophets, and he answers prayers. "In Judaism, however,
their one God is unique, whereas in Christianity, God is one in his nature, but there are three
persons constituting the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." 4
In Judaism, some beliefs are acceptable for non-Jewish people but not for Jews. One such
belief concerns the triune God of Christianity and, according to Deuteronomy 6:4: "Hear O
Israel, The Lord our God, the Lord is One." This commandment to believe in God's absolute
oneness was explicitly given to the Jewish people of Israel. The concept expressed in this verse
(Deuteronomy 6:4) not only refutes the plurality of God but also asserts that God is the only true
existence. In the Hebrew Bible, God transcends above everything else. "I am the first and I am
the last and besides Me there is no other." (Isaiah 44:6)
Something transcending time and space cannot be described as consisting of three
different aspects. While Judaism believes that God manifests Himself to His creation (humanity)
in many ways (i.e., as a judge or a protector), God's essence itself is indivisible and, therefore,
without any possibility of distinction. When we attribute such distinctions to God's essence in
Christianity, we negate His absolute Oneness and unity.
3 David Holzer, The Rav: Thinking Aloud (Miami: Holzer Publishing, 2009). 286-287.
4 Andrew Wilson, Editor, International Religious Foundation, 1991.
Jewish people commonly think of sin in terms of criminal behavior and normally, they do
not believe they are sinners. Good and evil are always possibilities for man in the Jewish faith,
but his dignity and basic goodness require that he be free to tip the scales in either direction and
generally, he will choose the good.
According to the Bible, salvation in Judaism is given by God, bestowed upon the Israeli
nation in Deuteronomy 28:23. In the following verses, Moses continues to chastise God's chosen
people about what will happen if they disobey God's law. Moses tells them that they will be sent
out into a desolate land full of suffering and hunger. The next chapter advises that repentance
will restore their blessings. (Deut. 30:1-10).
While Judaism places the responsibility for sins on the individual. Much like Christianity,
the Messianic Jew puts their faith in the Messiah's atonement of sins and will receive salvation.
In traditional Judaism, following God's law affects the present, as does disobedience. Like
Christians, Messianic Jews know that salvation applies to the here and now and there and then.
In Judaism, one's relationship with God must be based on three components: repentance,
good deeds, and a life of devotion. The question is whether these three things, albeit meritorious,
can restore one's relationship with God. We may find an answer when considering what was
God's remedy for man's disobedience in biblical times. God provided a way to "cover'' man's sin
when he instituted Yom Kippur. Modern Judaism observes Yom Kippur on the Day of
Atonement, and fervent Jews' hope for forgiveness is based on the three essential principles:
repentance, prayer, and the merits of the Patriarchs.
The Bible teaches that God was preparing a people to be holy unto him. Being Holy
would separate them from the nations and set them apart for God. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
were risen up by God to father what would become Israel. These men were not chosen because
they were special, but God bestowed upon them his unmerited favor so God could use them to
see his plan to the end to redeem mankind.
Until the earthly incarnation of Jesus, God’s full plan of redemption was not known. They
relied on God’s promise to send a savior for them. In Genesis 3:15, God promised a Seed would
come. He made the same promise to Abraham and said the Seed would be from Abraham’s
genealogy. (Genesis 15)
“Salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9), so it was trusting faith—faith in the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob-that brought salvation to the people of Israel prior to the cross.
Having a Christian worldview is not just expressing a personal faith, nor is it just a
theory. The Christian worldview encompasses all aspects of life. According to James Orr,
There is a definite Christian view of things, which has a character, coherence, and unity of its
own, and stands in sharp contrast with counter theories and speculations...and that this world-
view has the stamp of reason and reality upon itself, and can amply justify itself at the bar both
of history and of experience. . .the Christian view of things forms a logical whole which cannot
be infringed on, or accepted or rejected piecemeal, but stands or falls in its integrity, and can only
suffer from attempts at amalgamation or compromise with theories which rest on totally distinct
bases.5
Jesus’ great commandment in Matthew 22:36-40 tells us that we are to love God with all
our hearts, mind, and soul. In other words, Jesus is referring to complete devotion to God with all
our being. Loving God this way will capture every thought and make it obedient to God. This
means thinking and living like Jesus. For Christianity, the sacred books of Judaism, referred to as
the Old Testament, are understood to prepare us for the final revelation that God would make
through Christ. That final revelation is included in the books of the New Testament. Judaism’s
Torah does not speak the name Jesus, but the Old Testament gives us a sneak preview of the
Messiah when Jacob provides the future blessings for his sons in Genesis 49. When Jacob comes
to Judah, he says: “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his
feet, until He comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is His” (Genesis
49:10).
Prophecies about the coming Messiah are many, and other passages in the Old Testament
paint a picture of this savior who is to come and to whom the scepter rightfully belongs. The
following verses are just a few of the Old Testament prophecies about the coming of the
Messiah:
Numbers 24:17,19: “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will
come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel . . . a ruler will come out of
Jacob . . .”
Psalm 60:7: “Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah
my scepter.”
Psalm 2:7-9: “You are my Son, today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I
will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You
will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
5 James Orr. The Christian View of God and the World as Centering in the Incarnation Being the First Series of Kerr
Lectures. 10th ed. Edinburgh: Andrew Elliot, 1908.
Isaiah 42:1,4: “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I
delight; I will put my Spirit, on him and he will bring justice to the nations . . . He
will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth…”
But it doesn’t stop there. In the New Testament, we see the fulfillment of the
whispered Messiah in the Old Testament.
Revelation 21:23-24: “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it,
for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its light. The nations will walk
by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it . . . “
Revelation 22:2: “On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing 12 crops
of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the
healing of the nations.”
“We believe in God the Father, maker of heaven and earth.” The Apostle’s Creed6 is the
place to begin building a Christian worldview:
1. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:
2. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord:
3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary:
4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell:
5. The third day he rose again from the dead:
6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty:
7. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead:
8. I believe in the Holy Ghost:
9. I believe in the holy catholic church: the communion of saints:
10. The forgiveness of sins:
1l. The resurrection of the body:
12. And the life everlasting. Amen.
This starting point for a Christian worldview immediately places us in the presence of
God. The affirmation recognizes that there is a God who is Lord and King over all creation.
Making everything for his Glory and displaying his perfections in all that he does so that
mankind and angels can worship and adore him. This is the triune God of Christianity, the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
6
"The Apostles' Creed" Cardinal Newman Catechist Consultants. 2008. Archived from the original on October 9,
2022. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
It is idolatry to think wrongly of God. (Ps. 50:21-22). Eternal life comes from thinking
about God in the right way. (John 17:3) and this right thinking should be the believer’s purpose.
(Jer. 9:23-24.) Because he is knowable, we are able to think about him rightly. (1 Cor.2:11). At
the same time, however, he is impossible to comprehend (Rom. 11:33-36). Deuteronomy 29:29
lets us know that while we can know God, we cannot know him completely.
Judaism’s Messiah has not come yet, so they still wait for him. The future for Judaism is
simply a viewing of a world of peace and justice. Christians trust that Jesus, called Christ, the
Messiah, is the incarnation of the Son, the second person of the Trinity. They believe he became
man, walked among mankind, suffered and was crucified, and became alive again. In
Christianity, salvation is a gift from God through the sacrifice of the human Jesus to death on the
cross. Christians believe in the teachings and examples given by Jesus, and when they die, they
will have life eternal with him, sharing his magnificent resurrection in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Any formulation of a Christian worldview must struggle with the problem of sin. The
result of sin refers to the fact that all aspects of our being, including our thinking and emotions,
are negatively influenced. “People still do right and good things as viewed by society, but these
thoughts and actions, no matter how noble or compassionate, fall short of God’s glory (Rom.
3:23). We can affirm that people choose to do good, but a Christian worldview helps us
differentiate the good and the ultimate good, which is the goal of pleasing God.” 7
The Christian worldview knows that every kind of bad behavior, whether it is lying,
killing, adultery, pride, or our failure to love one another as Jesus commanded, is tied to our
isolation from God. We are all alienated from God. This being said, we know that we have
already been judged at the cross of Jesus. Restoration for believers has come from the grace of
God so we can have the right sort of relationship with him. The fundamental truth is that the life
and death of Jesus Christ exemplified divine love as well as welded influence for good and
sacrifice. Through his death, all sinners have received a sinless sacrifice, satisfying divine justice.
He delivered us for our estrangement to full communion and birthright in the family of God.
Having a Christian worldview will motivate us in life, revealing God’s plan and purpose.
This worldview shapes us, and we no longer see ourselves as estranged sinners. This Christian
worldview specifies an agenda for thinking ethically. We acknowledge that humans are made in
God’s image and are essentially moral beings. We also appreciate that the most complete
personification of good, love, holiness, grace, and truth is in Jesus Christ, our Lord, and Savior,
the Messiah. (John 1:14-18).
(Word Count: 1393).
7 David S. Dockery, “Shaping a Christian Worldview: An Introduction (Part I) | Article | Teaching | Center
for Faculty Development | Union University, a Christian College in Tennessee.” Accessed February 3, 2023.
https://www.uu.edu/centers/faculty/teaching /article.cfm?ID=364.
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