More about Messianic Jewish apologetics

Was Paul an apostate to Judaism and a traitor to the Jewish people? Reason Sixteen in the book Twenty-Six Reasons Jews Don't Believe in Jesus states that "Paul was the Source of Christian Opposition to the Jewish Law," but the allegations against Paul go much further, accusing him of being a Gentile, of being a closet Sadduccee and of collusion with Rome. This teaching challenges the pseudo-scholarship of popular anti-Paul writers.

How Can One Atone for Another's Sins?

Is vicarious atonement a biblical concept? Was Jesus really a sacrifice? After all, he was not a lamb, nor a goat, nor a bull. How can he be considered to be a sacrifice for sin?

Reasons fourteen and fifteen of Twenty-Six Reasons Jewish Don't Believe in Jesus state that the Messiah is not supposed to die before fulfilling his mission and that Jesus' blood cannot atone for the sins of another.

Mediator of the New Covenant

Anyone can pray, and God knows the thoughts of every creature. The difference between this world and the world of the divine is artificial, and God pervades all things, and all things are in him, so why would anyone need a mediator?
In the New Covenant, Yeshua acts as priest, sacrifice, and mediator.
Installment 36 in the Beth Immanuel Hebrews series finishes Hebrews chapter 9 with a discussion on Hebrews 9:15-28 and the Messiah's role as a mediator between Israel and God.

Does the New Testament Cheat?

In Deuteronomy 13, the Torah warns against miracle workers who might entice Jews to worship other gods or to forsake the laws of the Torah. Reason 12 of the anti-missionary book Twenty-Six Reasons Jews Don’t Believe in Jesus claims that Jesus fits the description of just such an enticer.

Reason 13 argues that the New Testament misquotes, misuses, and even fabricates proof texts from the Old Testament. This lesson takes a look at one example: Matthew 1:23’s quotation of Isaiah 7:14: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel."

Is Jesus God?

Is Jesus God? Is God in three persons? Did a church council elect Jesus as God?

In his book, Twenty-Six Reasons Why Jews Don't Believe in Jesus, Asher Norman objects that Yeshua-faith violates Jewish monotheism. Is God One or is He three? How can we believe in a divine Messiah?

This class digs into the controversial world of Christology to reveal a Messianic Jewish perspective on the question of the deity of Yeshua and to illustrate how traditional dogma can alienate Jewish people from the Gospels. The sad story of Michael Servetus enters the conversation.

Does Jesus Qualify as Messiah?

To qualify as the Messiah Israel, a person needs to be a descendant of David and Solomon, be anointed king of Israel, return the Jewish people to theland of Israel, rebuild the Temple, bring universal peace to the world, and fill the world with the knowledge of God. Has Yeshua fulfilled all of these criteria? Is he really the Messiah?

Was Jesus a Son of David?

Reason number eight of the book Twenty Six Reasons Jews Don't Believe in Jesus raises solid objections to our claims that Yeshua is the Messiah. Especially troubling is the criteria that the Messiah must be a Son of David. If Yeshua is conceived of the Holy Spirit, how can he be considered a Son of David? And how do we reconcile the conflicting genealogies of Matthew 1 and Luke 3?

Was Jesus Fallible?

Was Jesus fallible? Reason number seven of the anti-missionary book Twenty-Six Reasons Why Jews Don't Believe in Jesus alleges that Jesus "was not a perfect being who never sinned, and his teachings and behavior were morally problematic." This class examines seeming mistakes of the Master and sayings and actions which might be misconstrued as beneath the dignity of a tzadik (righteous person).

Was Jesus a False Prophet?

Was Jesus a false prophet? Reason number six of the anti-missionary book Twenty-Six Reasons Why Jews Don't Believe in Jesus alleges that Jesus was a false prophet because not all of his predictions came to pass. This class considers the sign of Jonah passage about the Son of Man spending three days and three nights in the earth, the troubling curse of Jeconiah, predictions that "this generation will not pass away untill all is accomplished" and "some of those standing here will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming.

Did Jesus Change the Torah?

Did Jesus change the Torah by declaring all foods clean and by forbidding divorce? This class discusses reason number five of Asher Norman's book Twenty-Six Reasons Jews Don't Believe in Jesus.