Jewish Religious Thought and Worldview

As I was reading this week, I could not help but think about the similarities of Jewish religious thought and worldview to that of my own; however, there is a huge difference relative to receiving salvation.

First let’s take a look at Jewish religious thought during the Intertestamental time period. Jews had a very high view of God. It starts with His name. They held the name of God in such reverence that they “put a fence around” His name by refusing to say YHWH for fear that they might mispronounce His name, and therefore, misuse His name breaking the third commandment.¹

The Jews had an elitist attitude toward the rest of the world. The considered themselves to be the elect of God through the covenant relationship they had with Him. The law played a special part in this relationship. Scott says, “Through the requirements of the law Israel was constantly reminded of her inclusion in the covenant.”² This provides the backdrop to the huge difference relative to receiving salvation. Though some have claimed that the Jews saw the keeping of the law as a “condition for remaining in the covenant community,”³ the evidence certainly points in a different direction. There is little doubt that the Jews viewed the law as a means of becoming right with God. Jesus points this out several times, particularly when addressing the teachers of the law. In Luke 18:9, Jesus implies that the Pharisees were trusting in themselves to be righteous. Paul talks about this attitude relative to the law all throughout his epistles, perhaps none more strong than Gal. 2:21, where Paul says, “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing.”⁴

They considered God to be the ruler of the heavens and the rightful ruler of the inhabited world; however, they did make a distinction between the kingdom of God (God’s influence) and the kingdom of Satan.⁵ They considered the other nations of the earth to be influenced or ruled by Satan. Ultimately God is sovereign and His sovereignty will be realized one day throughout the whole inhabited world.

It is important to point out that the Jews felt no need to prove the existence of God to others. They were the partakers of the covenant relationship, and God was going to one day come as the judge of the world and again restore Israel as a nation. It is also helpful to understand that the Jews were more interested in knowing how to practice their religion than actually having correct doctrine about God.

The Jewish worldview had a common framework though details within that framework seemed to vary quite a bit. This framework starts with God as the Creator, recognizes the fall of man, believes in the restoration of the inhabited world, and hopes in consummation.⁶ They believe that during the restoration phase, God will intervene creating two ages (former age and later age). Apart from the creativity in naming these ages, I believe that they were right. I too believe in this framework. I believe that God is the Creator of this world, and that Adam was given the ability to make a moral choice and, consequently, disobeyed God bring about the fall of man. I believe in restoration and even the division of two ages. The difference is that I recognize that Jesus was “God’s intervention” and that an age of grace began. I would categorize the previous age as “Man’s inability to save himself”. Romans tells us that the law was put into effect so that we would know what sin is (7:7), that trespasses might increase (5:20), and we might recognize how far short we fall in keeping the law (Chapter 7). Listen to Paul’s words on the heals of this argument, “For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by our sinful nature, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so He condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:3-4). I believe in the consummation of all things. God will restore all things when His redemptive plan is finished.

Though I have similar theological leanings and the same worldview framework, there is a huge difference in how that framework is carried out relative to salvation.

¹ J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 268-269.

² J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 273.

³ J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 274.

⁴ The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible: New International Version, 1293.

⁵ J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 301.

⁶ J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 269-272.