There are Christians whose increasing love for the Jews as a people and for the nation of Israel is developing in them a jaundiced view of Paul the Apostle. They tend to believe that Paul’s approach to the Gentiles and influence at the Council in Jerusalem (Acts 15) resulted in a watering down of the Law of Moses. In this, they are wrong. Yet, sadly, some are more Jewish in culture than Christian in doctrine.
The disgusting Hitler attributed the rise of Christianity from a Middle-Eastern sect to a world religion to the influence of the Apostle Paul, and for that despised him. What would Paul think, were he alive today? Not much, since he had learned to live daily with hatred and criticism — witness that demonic “thorn” that manifested itself in the evil actions toward him by demonized people.
There are forces today that are trying to restrict and even eliminate the practice of the Christian Faith. They do so at every opportunity but will not succeed. None of the enemies of the Lord and of his people ever have in history, because the fiercer the persecution, the bolder Christians become.
Now is not a time for us to pull back in fear but rather to press on with increased zeal in our endeavours to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ at home and abroad! Jesus Christ is our Lord, and nothing and no one will ever change that! So, dress like a Jew if you wish, dance and enjoy the Hava Nagila, visit Israel, soak up the history — all good! The God of the Jews is the God of Christians, whose faith is that of Abraham, who is the father of both faiths.
But while relating to Jewish faith and culture, bear in mind that “They are not all Israel, which are of Israel” (Romans 9:7-8). Many are Jews in name only. The same is true of those who call themselves Christians but whose actions are anything but Christian.
A heartfelt belief in Jesus is the thing that makes the difference. As Paul puts it: “Therefore if anyone be in Christ, he/she is a new creation: old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) I repeat: It is not a change of culture that matters but a change of heart. And the greatest of all heart surgeons is Jesus Christ, who by the Holy Spirit can change it in an instant.
The immediate effect is peace with God, and then with those around you, including those whom you’ve hated. The year that followed my conversion to Christ was dreamlike, in that the change in me changed people around me. It was not that I spoke to everyone of my love for the Lord Jesus, but rather that he revealed himself through my attitude and behaviour to those around me. It was an immediate heart change –the head change came as my mind was renewed as I studied the Bible. That mattered too, but my heart change mattered most in the short-term. Submit your heart to Jesus, and it will change overnight; your attitudes may take a bit longer, but it all begins with a few heartfelt words of repentance and acceptance.