| Atonement. Forgiveness from sin. As all people will sin at one point or another, we all need a method of atonement for our sins. Messianic Judaism/Christianity claim that a blood sacrifice is necessary for atonement and that without a blood sacrifice, atonement is not possible. But, what does the Bible say about this? Does the Bible say that sacrifice is necessary for atonement? If you read carefully, the Bible states that sacrifice is not necessary; there are other paths to atonement. Alternative Ways to Atonement The Bible outlines numerous other ways to atonement, outside of sacrifice. For instance, ceasing bad behavior, acting justly and doing acts of lovingkindness can bring atonement. As we read in Isaiah 1:11-18:
Similarly, we see that mercy and truth can bring atonement, as in Proverbs 16:6:
Further, we can read in Micah 6: 7-8 that sin can be forgiven through justice, mercy and piety, as it states:
Interestingly, the quotes from Micah and Isaiah demonstrate that sacrifice is not even the best method to reach G-d. This idea is highlighted in Hoshea 6:6, which says:
Proverbs 21:3 echoes Hoshea, saying:
The prophet Hoshea even specifically directs the Jewish people to use prayer instead of sacrifice as a means for atonement, stating in Hoshea 14:2-3:
The Bible is clear that atonement can be gained without any sacrifice, without bloodshed. Messianic Judaism/Christianity is incorrect. Their stance is in contradiction to the Bible. Sacrifice is simply not necessary for atonement, if you believe in the Bible. There are alternative means to gain atonement for our sins. There are many reasons why Jews do not accept Jesus, and the links below are some of the better explanations on this topic. Of course, if you have questions that are not covered on the links, you can always e-mail me with your questions. An Answer from Rabbi Stuart Federow Click Here An Answer from Rabbi Shraga Simmons Click Here Ask the Rabbi from Ohr Somayach Click Here An Answer from Rabbi Tovia Singer Click Here
There are a number of groups that provide Countermissionary Counseling. Here are links to a few of them: Alternatively, you can call them at 1-800-4PROOF1 with general questions about missionary claims.
Here are a number of great sites that counter missionaries and explain the differences in belief between Judaism and Christianity, including addressing the Biblical verses that missionaries try to use against the Jews and explaining why the missionaries are incorrect. For the most in-depth analysis of verse by verse questions, go to Messiah Truth (sections on Counter-Missionary: Multi-media training [this can be read without being "multi-media"], Knowing Your Orchard and Judaism's Answer), Jews for Judaism (in their Reference Section (please note that the Isaiah topics tend to be under "Suffering Servant" part of the "Proof Text" section) and the Q & A section of Outreach Judaism. Escape From Counterfeit Judaism Talking to Kids About Missionaries
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