the Word of God is
Jenna the Jew
Remember
- Jenna does not like to be stereotyped with others from her religion, so ask a ton of questions to learn where she is coming from like:
- Does she attend synagogue? What happens at Passover? Why doesn't she offer sacrifices today? How does she find forgiveness since the destruction of the temple? What does she believe about the coming of Messiah? How will she recognize him when he comes?
- Jenna has been raised with little knowledge about Jesus Christ, so when you feel it could be appropriate, talk about how Jesus literally and perfectly fulfilled over 300 prophecies made about the coming Messiah. Ask Jenna to read Isaiah 53 and ask her who she believes that Bible passage is describing. Here is a link that goes through all the prophecies:
- Your main goal is not to persuade Jenna that Jesus is the Messiah - it is a means to an end, and that end is that she needs to see that she fails to keep God's Law. It is not good enough for her to do her best; God requires perfection, so you need to get Jenna to the point where she knows that God will not overlook her failures or forgive her on the basis of their mitzvot (good deeds). Show her that God requires the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sin (Leviticus 17:11; cf. 16:15-17, 27, 30), which was why the Messiah (Jesus) came to earth 2000 years ago.
Basics
As a Jew, Jenna's worldview is a religion called Judaism. Judaism is over 3500 years old and has approximately 15 million followers worldwide. It is one of the oldest religions on earth, and was started by the Biblical character Moses when he gave them the law God revealed to him. Jenna believes that the God who created the world established a covenant (a binding agreement - sort of like a contract) with the Jewish people. She believes God revealed his laws and commandments to the Jews in what they call the Torah - which is the same as the first five books of the Bible (Genesis-Deuteronomy). Jenna is devoted to studying and obeying the laws and commandments written in the these books.
Beliefs
Jenna believes that Judaism is the one true religion because God personally spoke to Moses and gave him the law and commandments that people in Judaism follow. Although there are differences of opinions about the exact way Judaism should be followed, a leader in Judaism known as "Rambam" (who lived over 1000 years ago) summed up Judaism in 13 beliefs:
- God exists.
- God is one and unique.
- God doesn't have a body.
- God is eternal.
- Prayer is to be directed to God alone.
- The words of the prophets are true.
- Moses was the greatest prophet, and his prophecies are true.
- The Torah was given to Moses.
- There will be no other Torah.
- God knows the thoughts and deeds of men.
- God will reward the good and punish the wicked.
- The Messiah will come.
- The dead will be resurrected.
About God
Jenna believes in the same God of the universe that Christians do - the One revealed in the Bible as Yahweh.
About Jesus
Jenna believes Jesus was a teacher, but no more than that.
About trinity
Jenna does not believe in the Trinity revealed in the Bible.
About afterlife
Jenna believes that there is an afterlife where God rewards the good people and punishes the evil people, but beyond that she is not sure how it all plays out. There is definitely a heaven, but she does not view hell as a place of eternal torment.
About salvation
Jenna believes salvation is achieved by keeping the Law of the Torah.
About Scripture
Jenna believes only the Old Testament is the inspired word of God, so she rejects the New Testament as God's word.