Appendix A
Repentance of Sin the Heart of
the Issue
In answer to the question: Why do
so many people accept Christianity? Levine responds:
Christianity may be utter
nonsense from a theological and historical point of view, but, psychologically,
it is tremendous. It offers man a world to come, eternal happiness, with very
little effort. A good Christian goes to church once a week, doesn't steal or
commit adultery or murder (unless it is in the name of the Church, such as
during the Crusades), puts a little money in the collection plate on Sunday, and
presto! he gets eternal happiness. That is a rather cheap price to pay for such
bliss...The Jew must study every spare moment he has, he must try to always do
acts of charity, he must eat only certain foods, and cannot work on the Sabbath,
etc...To be a Jew requires a lot of commitment; to be a Christian requires only
faith and when eternal bliss is waved before one's eyes, it is easy to believe
in anything...(Levine, pp. 63-64).
This serves as Exhibit A in
proving the woeful misconceptions many Jews have regarding Christians. We hope
it comes as a great surprise to Mr. Levine that true Christians serve God with
all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. In fact, while I found Levine's
stereotype accurate of apostate Christianity, I have not found it to be
representative of true followers of Jesus. Frankly, I found true followers of
Jesus, as a rule, to be more committed and able to distinguish good from evil
than their Orthodox Jewish counterparts. (The Ultra-Orthodox sect within Judaism
being a notable exception.)
This first became evident to me
years ago while corresponding with Larry Levy of Jews for Judaism. Our
congregation was handing out tracts outside a Pink Floyd rock concert. Within
days, I received a letter from Larry requesting the tape exposing the Satanic
nature of rock music which was offered in the leaflet. (Some of his Orthodox
colleagues had attended the concert.) Appalled by this, I wrote Larry a letter
asking him what justification there could be for someone claiming to be a
follower of God attending a secular rock concert. To this Larry replied:
Thanks so much for the tape and
brochures concerning satanic influence in rock music. You questioned the
validity of an Orthodox Jew attending rock concerts for entertainment, and
therein lies a basic difference between Judaism and Christianity. In Judaism, we
do not have the clearly defined and irreconcilable duality between G-d and
Satan; rather, nothing (not even Satan) exists apart from the will of G-d, and
every situation, every type of activity contains the opportunity for creating
holiness and magnifying G-d's glory...So, too, with rock music; while it may
indeed be a vehicle for evil, it is also a medium in which G-d may be praised
and glorified. The key lies in our approach and our intent...So Satan is as much
a part of G-d's loving plan for mankind as anything else which G-d has created,
certainly not the Christian demigod who is engaged in an age-old battle in
opposition to G-d's plan (1/14/88 letter to the author).
The lyrical content of secular
rock music is no secret, with illicit sex, drugs, and rebellious anti-God
anti-Messiah epithets being the rule with ever decreasing exceptions. What would
the prophets say about those who partake in the worldly rock concerts of today?
Would the outcome have been much different had Moses, upon returning from his
mount Sinai experience, found the Israelites lifting up their hands and hearts
in praise and adoration to a rock idol instead of a golden calf in the name of
"glorifying God?" Indeed ancient Israel, like modern Judaism, had
forgotten the distinction between that which is of God and that which is of
Satan.
I am thankful that before I was
immersed into Christ, I was confronted with the message of repentance. I was
instructed from the Word of God that if I wanted to follow and be like Jesus, I
could no longer indulge in worldly music or participate in anything that was
antagonistic to godly living.
For the love of [the Messiah]
compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and
He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but
for Him who died for them and rose again"(2 Cor. 5:14-15).
Subsequently, I was delivered, by
the power of Jesus, from the treacherous grip of pride, lust, revelry and
numerous other sins that characterized my pre-Christian life.
Repent!
The first words that thundered
from the lips of John the Baptist and Jesus, respectively, were "Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:2; 4:17). Clearly, this
message of repentance is just as needed today as it was when John and Jesus
first preached it. In fact, according to Peter, Messiah's return is predicated
on Israel's repentance:
Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Messiah would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus the Messiah, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began (Acts 3:17-21).