Are messianic Jews Christian?

[Bohémien]

The title says it all, really. My understanding is that messianic Judaism is observant of the teaching of Jesus as a saviour - please correct me if I'm wrong. As such, are messianic Jews classified as Christians, both within the messianic Jew community and the other Abrahamic faiths, including Judaism where Yeshua isn't recognised as such?

 

[Key]

The title says it all, really. My understanding is that messianic Judaism is observant of the teaching of Jesus as a saviour - please correct me if I'm wrong. As such, are messianic Jews classified as Christians, both within the messianic Jew community and the other Abrahamic faiths, including Judaism where Yeshua isn't recognised as such?

Messianic Jews are "the Jews" that Gentile Christians are to look to for guidance regarding the Bible which is why they are called Messianic Jews, and not Christians, so that Christians can give them the proper respect that they deserve as Gods chosen people.

God Bless

 

[Bohémien]

Thank you for your answer - but I'm not sure that I understand. I have a very lousy understanding of ... religious politics? I wasn't aware that Christians needed to seek guidance from the Jewish community about the Bible at all. Can you, perhaps, elaborate?

 

[Key]

Thank you for your answer - but I'm not sure that I understand. I have a very lousy understanding of ... religious politics? I wasn't aware that Christians needed to seek guidance from the Jewish community about the Bible at all. Can you, perhaps, elaborate?

The Jews were Gods first people, led by Moses, the OT is their promise between them and God, for them to be his people and he to be their God.

The NT is God offering to the world the same promise of salvation that he offered the Jews, but, those that take up the promise of Jesus are to understand that the first keeper of the promise was the Jews, but since not all Jews accepted Jesus, you have Jews that have rejected Jesus but are still Jewish people, and following the OT (Judaism), but have nothing to offer us regarding understanding of the NT, so, their is not reason to seek their counsel or guidance in religious affairs, if we want to better understand the OT, we should seek Messianic Jews that can not only explain the OT to us, but also show us the relationship between the OT and NT.

To put it another way, the Apostles were Messianic Jews, and they built the Christan religion, first to the Jew then to the Gentile, so we are to look to the Messianic Jew for insight and understanding as they are keepers of the Old Covenant.

It's confusing, I know, but hope this helped.

 

[salida]

I thought messanic jews were christians who had an ethic background of being jewish as I have known some in my life and they claim this.

 

[zaksmummy]

The title says it all, really. My understanding is that messianic Judaism is observant of the teaching of Jesus as a saviour - please correct me if I'm wrong. As such, are messianic Jews classified as Christians, both within the messianic Jew community and the other Abrahamic faiths, including Judaism where Yeshua isn't recognised as such?

It depends who you are talking to.

Many Jews will not accept that other Jews can believe in Yeshua and call them Christians scornfully (they feel they have turned their backs on Judaism, and have issues with the historic ways they have been treated by Christians through the centuries).

Some Jews accept Messianics as Jews. Messianic Jews would say that they are Jewish, and many of them remain Torah observant.

Christians dont have an issue with them really.

Im Messianic in that I practice my faith in a Jewish way, but by birth am Gentile. Many Christians (that I know) struggle with this concept as well, that a Christian would want to live their faith out following the Torah as the Jews do.

I guess in a nutshell both faiths have issues with what its own member are doing but arent worried about what people of the other faith does.

 

[Key]

I thought messanic jews were christians who had an ethic background of being jewish as I have known some in my life and they claim this.

They are Jews that accept the Messiah, (Christ/Jesus) they do not cease to be Jewish because the coming of the Messiah completed OT, thus they are "Complete Jews" or Messianic Jews.

Since Gentiles can't be Jews (or we would all technically be Messianic Jews), gentiles were required to call themselves something else, so we were called, "Followers of the Christ" IE: Christians.

Now to get technical, a Christian only needs to follow the NT as that was the only covenant that God made with the Gentiles, where a Messianic Jew would follow the NT and OT.

In today's age, Gentiles study the OT to understand the history of the Christian religion and this is where Messianic Jews would guide us, as it is their living and study of the OT that they can share with Christians to help us build our faith and show us the relationship between the old and the new, so we can appreciate the deep rich history of the relationship between God and Man.

It is the Messianic Jew that is supposed to convey this understanding, because they are the only ones that can (and have) accepted both the new and old covenant with God. Christians, as devout as we might be can't accept the Old Covenant, as it was never offered to us.

I hope this helps you out, confusing, but it quite simple really.

God Bless.

 

[razeontherock]

I think there's some confusion in this thread. It is possible for an ethnically Jewish person to accept Christ, but this does not necessarily make them a 'Messianic Jew' as the phrase has come to mean. That is a particular belief system which is one of many that seems to be so sick of phoniness and distortion of Scripture within (at least some aspects of formal) Christianity that they don't even like to associate with that name. More and more groups enter that broad category, but MJ is a specific group that I'm pretty sure doesn't like to be thought of as a Christian denomination.

They like to look at what Christianity was in the beginning, and try to practice it that way w/o any of the impurities that were added later. Just like everybody else!

(Seriously, I don't know of any group that doesn't have that as a goal)

And an ethnically non-Jew can become a MJ.

We have a mod, hamaschiagape, that has studied this and many other Faiths at length.

 

[Bohémien]

Thank you for the answers! Confusing, but ... I think I get it. :o This has led to another question, though - does that mean that somebody who isn't ethnically Jewish, if they want to convert to Judaism, can only become a messianic Jew? If so, is the reason cultural or religious?

 

[singpeace]

The title says it all, really. My understanding is that messianic Judaism is observant of the teaching of Jesus as a saviour - please correct me if I'm wrong. As such, are messianic Jews classified as Christians, both within the messianic Jew community and the other Abrahamic faiths, including Judaism where Yeshua isn't recognised as such?

I have met, dined with, and worshiped with Messianic Jews.

They are Jews from birth and Religion who have come to acknowledge and accept that Jesus truly is the Messiah prophesied of in the OT. They profess Jesus is the Christ and serve him as Christians do.

They already know the OT exceptionally well but never accepted the NT before their conversion to Christianity. Now they follow the NT and the OT to whatever degree is comfortable to each person. Some come away from Kosher altogether while others hold to their Kosher diet as a personal preference. Some continue to uphold other Jewish traditions.

The fundamental difference between a Jewish person and a Messianic Jew is a belief in Jesus and the NT.

The title Messianic Jew is used to make a bold statement to the rest of the Jewish community and the world. They are Christians just as Gentiles and all who follow after Christ are.... Christ - ians.

 

[razeontherock]

does that mean that somebody who isn't ethnically Jewish, if they want to convert to Judaism, can only become a messianic Jew? If so, is the reason cultural or religious?

Nope, not at all. And again, a Jew could accept Christ and become any denomination at all, which might bear no semblance to Messianic Judaism. (2 completely different uses of the term there) But if someone becomes a Jew, they would NOT be Messianic in any way. By definition, Judaism rejects Jesus as the Messiah.

Make sense?

 

[Key]

Nope, not at all. And again, a Jew could accept Christ and become any denomination at all, which might bear no semblance to Messianic Judaism. (2 completely different uses of the term there) But if someone becomes a Jew, they would NOT be Messianic in any way. By definition, Judaism rejects Jesus as the Messiah.

Make sense?

As far as I know, a non-Jew can not be a Messianic Jew, otherwise they would be a Christian.

 

[Bohémien]

It makes sense ... but a non-Jew not being able to become a Messianic Jew ... doesn't quite. :o

 

[razeontherock]

Yeah, Key's using it in a way it is not often used. A (former) Jew could accept Messiah and became say, a Baptist. The way Key's using the term MJ, he'd be one. Except most people wouldn't call that individual a MJ.

And then a RC could look over history and decide to practice their Faith in a more historically pure way, and convert to MJ, even though they have no Jewish blood whatsoever. They still wouldn't be a MJ the way Key's using the term. (Kinda confusing, isn't it?)

Christianity does the same thing in music ... grrr

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

Messianic Jews are "the Jews" that Gentile Christians are to look to for guidance regarding the Bible which is why they are called Messianic Jews, and not Christians, so that Christians can give them the proper respect that they deserve as Gods chosen people.

God Bless

First I have ever heard of that. Interesting

 

[Radagast]

They are Jews from birth and Religion who have come to acknowledge and accept that Jesus truly is the Messiah prophesied of in the OT. They profess Jesus is the Christ and serve him as Christians do.

However, many Messianic Jews do not accept Jesus as God, which puts them outside of orthodox Christianity.