If you don't believe in the Christian Savior, how can you be saved?

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[This was first posted April 12, 2012, reposted January 18, 2014. We are approaching “Easter” in the Christian liturgical calendar, when Christians commemorate the death and resurrection of their Man-God Savior. This was written by a Sinaite who was a dedicated Christian and Messianic all her life; in fact she is a holder of a masters degree in theology, from the Asian Theological Seminary. She goes by the acronym BAN@S6K. She has other posts, lots of discourses with a Christian missionary friend, check her out!—Admin 1.]

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Q: How can you be saved if you don’t believe in the “christian” Savior?

The Christian belief that atonement can only be through Yeshua/Jesus runs counter to the provisions for atonement prescribed by the Hebrew Scriptures.

First and foremost, God and no one else provides the means of reconciliation and fellowship as attested by —

2 Chronicles 7:14: And my people upon whom My Name is proclaimed, humble themselves and pray and seek My Presence and repent of their evil ways — I will hear from heaven and forgive their sins and heal the land.

This negates any claim of forgiveness through the death of anyone.

In contrast to the Christian concept that man is hopelessly entrapped in sin, the Hebrew Scriptures provide ample testimony that although man may have an inclination towards evil, as stated by—-

Genesis 8:21 Adonai smelled the pleasing aroma, and Adonai said in His heart, “I will not continue to curse again the ground because of man, since the imagery of man’s heart is evil from his youth, nor will I again continue to smite every living being as I have done.”

The means of personal reconciliation with God is always at hand as proclaimed by—

Psalm 51:16-19: Rescue me from blood guilt, O God, God of my salvation, let my tongue sing joyously of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise. For You do not desire a sacrifice, else I would give it; a burnt offering You do not want. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a heart broken and humbled, O God, You will not despise.

And Jeremiah 29:13 says—You will seek Me and find Me, if you search for Me with all your heart.

Hosea 6:6: For I desire kindness and not sacrifice and knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

The Christian’s proclamation “There is no salvation except in receiving Yeshua as Lord and Savior” has no basis in the Hebrew Scriptures. Its origin lies in the New Testament and has no bearing in the spiritual life of a true believer in the One True God.

Through repentance, prayer, fasting, and doing what is right, the Scriptures teach that everyone has the ability to return to God directly.

BAN@S6K

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Ezekiel 33:8-20

[AST/ArtScroll Tanach]

vs. 8 When I say to the wicked, O wicked man, you shall surely die; if you do not speak to warn the wicked man to turn from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at your hand.

vs. 9 But, if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you would have saved your soul.

vs 10 Therefore, O son of man, speak to the house of Israel; Speak thus, saying: if our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?

vs. 11 Say to them, As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked should turn from his way and live; turn, turn from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?

vs 12 Therefore, son of men, say to your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not save him in the day of his transgression; as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it when he turns from his wickedness; nor shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day when he sins.

vs 13 When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trusts in his own righteousness, and commits iniquity, all his righteousness shall not be remembered; for the iniquity that he has committed.

vs 14 And, when I say to the wicked, You shall surely die, if he turns away from his sin, and does that which is lawful and right;

vs 15 If the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has robbed, follow the statutes of life, without committing iniquity, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

vs 16 None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him; he has done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.

vs. 17 Yet your people say, The way of the lord is unfair; but it is their way that is unfair.

vs 18 When the righteous turns from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, he shall die by it.

vs 19 But if the wicked turns away from his wickedness, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall live by it.

vs 20 Yet you say, The way of the Lord is unfair. O you house of Israel, I will judge you, everyone according to his ways.

Source: Exodus/Shemoth 24 – "the sight of the Glory of YHVH (was) like a consuming fire" -- We gentiles living in this 21st century are able to experience that climactic moment [God appearing on Sinai] by reading and studying this portion of the TORAH. Indeed, we see YHWH not quite as dramatically as the mixed multitude did, but perhaps even better through these accounts recorded in Exodus. There is a saying that hindsight is 20/20 vision, i.e., we begin to see and understand the question marks in our past only later in our lives, as we mature and hopefully become wiser and more introspective about the meaning or seeming meaninglessness of happenings in history, whether personal, national, or universal. Søren Kierkegaard adds a twist to this: “Only 20:20 vision is hindsight. Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” As we endeavor to understand each portion in the TORAH of YHWH, much of it will seem irrelevant to our current situation but if we see beyond the time-bound cultural and religious situations and begin to understand what truly has not change—human nature and the Great Revelator who designed the perfect blueprint for living in peace, happily and contentedly with family, community, country and the nations, the unquestionable conclusion is: TORAH is relevant to ALL humankind, not just to Israel, to this very day.

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