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The short answer is that under Judaism the focus is on works meant to please God; under Christianity the focus is on faith and love of God.
One might say that there is faith, love and works in both religions. The thing is, that each of these are approached differently, depending on the religion. Under Judaism, the achieving of faith and love of God is similar to color by numbers in that it is planned out. The numbers are the Commandments, Laws, Statutes and Ordinances in the Old Testament. Under Judaism, you’re not considered as having love and faith in God unless you abide by all of these. In another sense, it’s similar to building a house.
Under Christianity, if you have faith and love in God, the works come later; such works are not spelled out as they are in the Old Testament, it is expected they will come to you through your love and faith in God. It’s similar to envisioning a house you haven’t built yet, that you want to live in. Will the house be built? It will be if you want it enough. Will you achieve having faith and love in God, and God loving you in return? You will achieve it if you want God’s Love enough. It’s achieved through works that aren’t spelled out as extensively as in the Old Testament. Works in the New Testament are sprinkled around among the Books, and they are for people who need the idea of works spelled out if people can’t envision what those works would be. In Christianity, works are needed in whatever form, and according to how the person envisions them. Jesus in Matthew 7:21-23 says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who DOES the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”
Might make you wonder what “lawlessness” Jesus is talking about if under Christianity you are not expected to abide by all the Laws under Judaism. What are those laws? Some might say those are the ceremonial laws, that encompass laws such as “washings” and “laying on of hands” referred to in Hebrews 6:1-8. It’s true that in this passage, the Jews are being addressed, but the rationalization leads to the basis for non-Jews to worship God under Christianity, and to non-Jews who may have some familiarity with how Jews worship. But this “elementary doctrine” of Jesus leads to a general free-form worship of God through Christianity rather a color by numbers form through Judaism.
The free-form worship of God through Christianity focuses on the House you want to live in; the color-by-numbers form of worshiping God through Judaism focuses on getting to that House. On a given day, there are a number of Jews who pour over the Law in synagogues, discussing every word and passage in documents like the Torah and the Talmud, with the Rabbis often leading the way. And they’ve been doing it as far back as when the New Testament was being formed, noted in Acts 17:11 but with the same desire to question what the Law says. Can anyone envision many of the Christian clergy doing the same thing in their churches, pouring over the Bible and the Cataclysms to see for themselves? Or do they wait for instructions from the Pope?
Whereas the Jewish approach to considering anything new is to consult the Scriptures, from a philosophical standpoint the Christian approach would be to first consider the faith and love in God, then see how anything new may fit in.
One might say that there is faith, love and works in both religions. The thing is, that each of these are approached differently, depending on the religion. Under Judaism, the achieving of faith and love of God is similar to color by numbers in that it is planned out. The numbers are the Commandments, Laws, Statutes and Ordinances in the Old Testament. Under Judaism, you’re not considered as having love and faith in God unless you abide by all of these. In another sense, it’s similar to building a house.
Under Christianity, if you have faith and love in God, the works come later; such works are not spelled out as they are in the Old Testament, it is expected they will come to you through your love and faith in God. It’s similar to envisioning a house you haven’t built yet, that you want to live in. Will the house be built? It will be if you want it enough. Will you achieve having faith and love in God, and God loving you in return? You will achieve it if you want God’s Love enough. It’s achieved through works that aren’t spelled out as extensively as in the Old Testament. Works in the New Testament are sprinkled around among the Books, and they are for people who need the idea of works spelled out if people can’t envision what those works would be. In Christianity, works are needed in whatever form, and according to how the person envisions them. Jesus in Matthew 7:21-23 says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who DOES the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”
Might make you wonder what “lawlessness” Jesus is talking about if under Christianity you are not expected to abide by all the Laws under Judaism. What are those laws? Some might say those are the ceremonial laws, that encompass laws such as “washings” and “laying on of hands” referred to in Hebrews 6:1-8. It’s true that in this passage, the Jews are being addressed, but the rationalization leads to the basis for non-Jews to worship God under Christianity, and to non-Jews who may have some familiarity with how Jews worship. But this “elementary doctrine” of Jesus leads to a general free-form worship of God through Christianity rather a color by numbers form through Judaism.
The free-form worship of God through Christianity focuses on the House you want to live in; the color-by-numbers form of worshiping God through Judaism focuses on getting to that House. On a given day, there are a number of Jews who pour over the Law in synagogues, discussing every word and passage in documents like the Torah and the Talmud, with the Rabbis often leading the way. And they’ve been doing it as far back as when the New Testament was being formed, noted in Acts 17:11 but with the same desire to question what the Law says. Can anyone envision many of the Christian clergy doing the same thing in their churches, pouring over the Bible and the Cataclysms to see for themselves? Or do they wait for instructions from the Pope?
Whereas the Jewish approach to considering anything new is to consult the Scriptures, from a philosophical standpoint the Christian approach would be to first consider the faith and love in God, then see how anything new may fit in.
