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[This is a ‘sequel’ to a ‘prequel’, please read a previous article originally posted circa 2015, reposted January 2017:
The background to this current series of exchanges is this: In December 2017, Sinaite “N” spent the Christmas holidays with family based in San Francisco, CA, USA; she made a side trip to her former city of residence in Santa Rosa which had been affected by neighborhood fires and wildfires. She checked on the safety of friends and former co-workers based there and included of course, is her Christian friend “J”. They were not able to meet but they picked up communication via email. All went well for weeks until Sinaite “N” concluded her Saturday email with the well-meaning concluding phrase: “Happy Sabbath or as we say, Shabbat Shalom!”. Now why would a simple concluding greeting like that cause a problem? We present all sides of any issue in this website for our readers to make decisions for themselves, so read on. —Admin1,]
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CHRISTIAN “J”
BTW, who’s “we” when you say “Shabbat Shalom?” I know practicing Jews use that term. I thought you were a Christian who accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, the Messiah that the Jews refused to believe in and still don’t. Am I missing something?
Christians are under a new covenant; we are no longer under the law. The Law was given for the Jews, and is there to point up sin, not cover it. So Sabbath-keeping is not consistent with biblical New Testament teaching. And true Sabbath-keeping is far more than setting aside sun-down on Fri. to sun-down on Sat. to gather together.
“Shabbot Shalom” is not used by Christians, so I can only assume you have traded your relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior, for Jewish practices. I don’t want you to think I accept this greeting or buy into it. If you were a practicing Jew, fine. But I thought you were a bible-believing Christian.
Your use of “or as we say…” kind of made me wonder. I just thought I’d try to clear this up once and for all.
SINAITE “N”
Good Sunday morning, . . . just woke up and read your email.
I am surprised that you have forgotten the reason you stopped communicating with me years ago, before we resumed this year. If you will recall, it was because I shared with you my journey of faith which made me investigate the roots of Christianity and as a result, made me go back further —- not to Judaism — but to the scriptures that Christianity claims as its foundation — the Hebrew Scriptures which it renamed “Old Testament”. I will no longer go further than this reminder, since we wrote each other back and forth until we simply parted ways, mostly because of your strong reaction to my leaving Christianity.
That is why sometimes during this resumed communication, I was surprised you would state and restate the Christian gospel which I know full well, having taught it for decades in my bible studies .
if this leads to a parting of ways again because truthfully, I doubt neither you nor I have the energy nor interest to have a discourse on email about our differing ‘religious’ beliefs, it’s entirely your call. I will understand why you wouldn’t want to continue this; no further communication from you will indicate so, unless you want to have the last word and I’ll give you that.
I see no reason why this should result in our parting ways.
However with that said, I certainly do remember what and why our email friendship ended. But as I recall you became very militant in your new belief system that is definitely in opposition to biblical New Testament Christianity. You even invited me to become an opposing view on your website or whatever it was. I found it pure and simple an attack on Christianity and wanted no part of it. You were virtually unrelenting. There was no purpose at that time in continuing to have “fellowship” with you.
I thought given the passing of time you would respect me and not cram your stuff down my throat, which you have subtely done by sending a rabbi’s writings and the constant “Shabbat Shalom” when you sign off on a certain day of the week. Just curious, do you do that with [another friend “S”] and others you communicate with on Saturdays? And furthermore, why are you even communicating on the “Day of Rest?”
But I digress: when you stated “as WE say” I needed to clarify that I do not buy into Judaism, the Hebraic Roots movement, or whatever it is that you believe.
That is why I brought this up now.
If you would prefer that I do not mention anything as pertains to my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ or His death on the Cross as the only means of salvation, I will honor that. But I honestly thought we were on the same page as regards Jesus. I am surprised to hear you say that you are surprised that I would on occasion state my faith when it was appropriate.
I have no intention of ending our friendship over this, but your continued use of “Shabbat Shalom” is an offense and I would appreciate that you would please not sign off that way. When you wonder why I would continue to share the Christian gospel, I wonder why you would continue to share your Hebraic roots when you know full well I do not ascribe to it.
Actually, the ball is in your court, not mine. I’m fine with whatever you decide you must do.
And do we really need to wish each other “Happy whatever day it is” as a religious gesture, unless we are wishing one another a happy holiday whether it be Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas or Happy New Year?
That’s why I said I wanted to clear this up once and for all, when you know full well I don’t ascribe to your belief system, yet you used the term “we.”
Again, I ask: do you barrage others that you email with, with your religious belief system. If not, why do you want to do it with me?
It is you that brought up ending our friendship, not me.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize that a simple greeting that I do send friends on a Saturday is taken by you as offensive; got it!”
[Note: The rest of this email went to discussion of other topics, not relevant to this discussion.]
To me Shabbat Shalom isn’t a “simple greeting.”
#1 it is evidence of your departure from bibilical NT Christianity that you and I once shared.
And #2: it is a sentiment that is indicative of Judaism, and spoken on Fri into Sat. to delineate Sabbath-keeping, which you were well aware of that I do not ascribe to as a Christian.
It would not be offensive if you, or anyone else, said “God bless you” to me. It is something I can relate to. Enough said.
CHRISTIAN “J”
This is what I read. It is all I need to know about the “movement” you believe in, and in which you are involved. Pretty much what I thought it was about.
This is my take on God’s plan for mankind: God didn’t call us Gentiles to become Jews; He came to the Jews as their Messiah and they were to convert the Gentiles. They failed and are still failing in recognizing Jesus as Savior and Lord. God came to His own and His own knew him not, so he grafted in a new branch. He had to do for the Gentile what the Jew failed to do. He died for all, both Jew and Gentile.
I don’t promote one church, one denomination or one belief system. I have always reduced my faith to this: I am a sinner and Christ is my Savior. That is what I live by and that is what I have to share with those who do not know Jesus Christ.
Very serious error, “N” to embrace this false teaching which is rooted in the failure of the Jews to recognize their Messiah, and instead embrace the Mosaic Law, which came after Abraham. We are to be of Abraham’s seed through the death of Jesus Christ.
You may have studied the New Testament and taught what you call the “Christian gospel” but you have rejected the truth for a lie. The gospel is THE GOOD NEWS! Why do you think the news is so good? So that we can go back under the law? And “we” weren’t even under the law; the Jews were!
I am sticking my neck out here, “N”. But I am not going to let this go. This is very serious. Your jumping from one religion to another has shown your boys that having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is not important and unnecessary. You will be held accountable for what you believe and the influence it has had on your sons for not making Jesus their Savior and Lord. They are as lost as you are in this error.
And by the way, I have noticed how liberal most Jews are. Especially the American Jews. There is a gal on the QVC forums that I used to participate in who posts a Shabbat Shalom thread every Friday. Of course, there is a welcome mat for ALL to participate on the thread “regardless of who they believe in or who they pray to.” In that thread are many obvious practicing Jews. They are the most liberal woman on that board! They are always slyly pushing their liberalism in subtle way. One example is: praying that the children with be reunited with their families (referring to the illegals being separated at the border.) They are lost! They are not God-fearing! They have their own brand of religious ideology. And it is not consistent with the Bible, and neither is this Hebraic Roots movement!
I could not go to sleep without getting this off my chest. I cannot overlook this and pretend it’s O.K. It’s O.K. if you chose to continue in it, but it’s not O.K. to say you have went back to the roots of Christianity and the keeping of the Torah is the way to live, unless you want to try to become a Jew, which in no way is the plan of God for the Gentile.
It’s error, plain and simple. It’s false teaching, plain and simple. It’s ungodly and anti-Christ, plain and simple. It’s a tool of Satan, our adversary, plain and simple. It’s against the Great Commission, plain and simple. It’s against God’s plan for mankind, plain and simple.
It’s spiritual blindness you are in, “N”. There is no leading of the Holy Spirit in this. The Holy Spirit was sent after Christ was resurrected to lead us into all TRUTH. This “movement” is devoid of the Holy Spirit!!!
This is serious! This could mean your soul and the souls of your boys and anyone else you have influenced by turning your back on Christ and Him Crucified.
May God have mercy on your soul,
I am not into Hebraic roots movement; I am not into Judaism. I am an independent believer in God. I investigate belief systems based on the scriptures they claim.
I love God just as much as anybody does, and live the life prescribed by the God on Sinai. I respect the beliefs of others and do not judge nor condemn them for differing from mine.
Thank you for asking God to have mercy on my soul, I am in right relationship with Him.
CHRISTIAN “J”
Romans 8:2: For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Galatians 5:4″ . Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you who are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh. He is Lord! The Law given on Mt. Sinai will not save. It only points up sin; it does not cover it.
Your response only shows how lost you are. We are not to judge, condemn or be intolerant to others for what they chose to believe. However, the whole Bible points up the truth of salvation in Jesus Christ. If you chose to reject that, fine. I will not condemn you, but you are already judged by the Law and condemned if you chose to reject Christ and His Great Salvation.
This battle is not ours, but the Lord’s. We will both have to give an account one day before the Lord. I will stand for the God of the Bible and His Son any day, before I’ll defend someone’s errant belief system. Christ came not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. Your investigation of belief systems should end with Christ and His death on the Cross. Period. End of story. Actually that’s where our story begins; when we accepted Jesus Christ and became born again.
If you chose to end our friendship over this, so be it. It is clear to me that has been your desire all along. But like the true passive-aggressive that you are, you had to make me out the bad guy in your diatribe about how good you are in being tolerant of people’s beliefs other than yours. And how you are in right relationship with God by living under the Law given at Mt. Sinai.
It’s either Law or Grace. You’ve chosen the Law. You better be sure to keep it all and to the letter!
I will not say “good-bye” but rather, may God bless you and keep you in His care. You will be in my prayers, dear Nell. God’s mercy and grace be upon you.
P.S. And don’t look at this as me having the last word; the Lord God Almighty will have the last word. And let’s hope and pray it’s “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ.