How are Messianic Jews different from Christians?

Question

(Other than the obvious fact that they're still Jews and observe Jewish traditions.)

Do they also follow the New Testament?
Circumcise boys?

Answer 1

First of all....they are a miracle, a blessing....in my 'christian' view, that is.
Yes, they do follow the New Covenant.
No, I do not believe that they are comparable in the matter of circumcision as they were before accepting Christ (Or as they call Him in Hebrew : YESHUA -or- Yehushua Ha'Moshiach).
The new testament makes it clear that circumcision is being bound by the Law, and if bound by the Law; then GRACE cannot take effect on them. But it varies greatly.
Many Messianic Jews hold on tight to the Torah and the Tanakh, many recognize that "The LAW" was only given as a way for GOD to PROVE to mankind that they could not EVER possibly satisfy the demands of our HOLY GOD; because
"WE ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALLEN SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD".

One thing I have noted for sure, is that Messianic Jews DO NOT just "throw out" their "JEWISHNESS; or Jewish Identity"....but Im a gentile believer...and probably do not yet know enough to say for sure. All I know is that I am heavily interested in soaking up as much knowledge as possible about Judaism, and Messianic Jews.
SHALOM!
~Seven

Answer 2

To put this simply:
Messianic "Jews" may observe Jewish traditions, but to the world community of Jews, by embracing Jesus as Messiah, they are converts to Christianity. They are not "still Jews", they are apostates. They are free of course, to call themselves what they wish, but it doesn't make it so.
I've noticed over the past few years that many fundamentalist Christians are adopting more and more of the trappings of Judiasm-- "prayer-shawl ministries", "house-blessings", etc, and they usually get it slightly wrong. Any Jew would tend to think it odd, to say the least, that some Christians think dancing the hora brings them closer to G-d!
At any rate, Messianic "Jews" and other fundamentalist Christian groups don't seem to have many differences. At least, not from a Jewish perspective....

Answer 3

They do circumcision, as most people in America do anyway. I believe that they might follow the New Testament, but do tend to be Torah oriented. Beyond all of that, they are "saved" just as Christians are. I can't think of very much that is better than a "Jew" that accepts Jesus as their savior.

Answer 4

They are a strange breed indeed. They want to believe in Jesus, but don't want to give up the title of the "chosen" people. I say pick one... but if you read the bible paul seemed to kind of have this same attitude as well. It took him awhile before he decided not to make a distinction between a non-Jewish christian and a Jewish Christian.

Answer 5

messianics tend to be torah observant and call all the apostles, prophets, etc by their hebrew names, but yes, they are part of the new covenant. as far as circumsizing male children goes, i'd say they probably do. most everyone does here in america, regardless of their religion or lack thereof.

Answer 6

They get 8 days worth of Christmas gifts! Just kidding...no, no differences.

Answer 7

"Messianic" Jews are no different than Xians.
http://www.whatjewsbelieve.org/

Answer 8

Let's be really clear: "Messianic Jews" are **not** Jewish.

Most Jewish scholars agree that you cannot convert away from Judaism (there are a minority who say you can convert away). However, this by no means implies that a Jew who joins another religion has the same standing as a Jew who has remained Jewish. A Jew who practices another religion, whether it be Christianity (in any of its forms, including Messianic "Judaism"), Islam or anything else, is known as an "apostate." An apostate is someone who has removed themselves from the Jewish people by joining another faith. The apostate cannot be buried in a Jewish cemetery. Nor can the apostate be counted for a minyan, the minimum of ten adult Jews (or adult Jewish men, depending on one's denomination) needed for saying certain prayers. For nearly all practical purposes, they have the same status in the Jewish community as non-Jews. The only differences is that they do not have to undergo a full conversion to rejoin the Jewish community, though there is a process known as "Teshuvah" that they must go through to come back to the Jewish community with full Jewish status.
So, once we delve into Jewish law we see that a Jew who joins another religion, though still Jewish, has ostensibly the status of a non-Jew and is no longer able to participate as a full member of the Jewish community. The apostate has the weakest of all grasps to their Jewish identity, they are Jewish by birth but otherwise have no position in the Jewish community.
This then brings us to a discussion on the difference between "doing Jewish" and "being Jewish." By "doing Jewish", I am referring to someone who is actually practicing Jewish beliefs and laws. By "being Jewish", I mean someone who has been born Jewish. Now, there are many people who are born Jewish but are not practicing Judaism. For instance, if a Jewish person murders a family, the Jewish person may be "born Jewish" but certainly was not "doing Jewish" as murder is a violation of the Ten Commandments.

Similarly, we can see examples of this in the Jewish Bible. The prime example of this would be the Jews who worshipped the Golden Calf at Mount Sinai. These individuals were unquestionably Jewish by their birth, thus we can argue that they were "being Jewish." However, were they "doing Jewish?" The Bible is quite clear that these individuals, though born Jewish, were not practicing Judaism. The worship of the Golden Calf, though it was a monotheistic form of worship, was clearly a violation of the Biblical law regarding the making of idols. Thus, they were not "doing Jewish." Similarly, in the Prophets we see countless reprimands of people who were undeniably Jewish by birth, but had entered into apostasy by worshipping gods such as Baal and Ashtoret. They were not "doing Jewish" but "doing pagan" and had violated the very underpinning of Judaism. That they were "being Jewish" by their birth was clearly not sufficient. One must also "do Jewish" in their actions.
Along the same lines, many of Jesus' original followers were unquestionably born Jewish. However, by adopting non-Jewish beliefs, such as thinking that Jesus was a god (a violation of several places in the Jewish Bible, Numbers 23:19 and Hoshea 11:9 provide a few examples of this), were no longer "doing Jewish." The same is true for individuals in the Messianic movement today. The Messianic movement was created by Christianity, and its beliefs and values reflect Christianity. By practicing Messianic "Judaism", the individual who was "born Jewish" is no longer "doing Jewish." They have removed themselves from the Jewish community by their practice and beliefs. Unfortunately, too few of these individuals have an understanding of the difference between "being Jewish" and "doing Jewish", mistakenly believing that they can both believe in Jesus and still have the same status in Jewish community as before. They not only have lost status, but also have lost the practice of Judaism. As has been pointed out in the Talmud, the emphasis for us is on the action, the "doing Jewish.

This is taken from the reference section of this article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/jews_for_je...

1. “"We believe that Jewishness is a birthright. It is inherited from our parents. Our people are not of one culture; we have diverse cultural expressions (Ashkenazi/Sephardi, Georgian/Russian, Ethiopian, Persian, etc.). Our people are not of one religion. While Judaism might be the traditional religion for many Jewish people, Jews are still considered Jewish even though they might be atheists or even if they embrace other beliefs. Those who say that Jews who believe in Jesus are errant Jews or misguided Jews are entitled to their opinions. But they are not entitled to negate our Jewishness. We are Jews by birth and that cannot change."
2. "There is virtual unanimity across all denominations [of Judaism] that Jews for Jesus are not Jewish." (Kaplan, Dana Evan. The Cambridge Companion to American Judaism, Cambridge University Press, Aug 15, 2005, pp. 139-140).
3. "For most American Jews, it is acceptable to blend some degree of foreign spiritual elements with Judaism. The one exception is Christianity, which is perceived to be incompatible with any form of Jewishness. Jews for Jesus and other Messianic Jewish groups are thus seen as antithetical to Judaism and are completely rejected by the majority of Jews". (Kaplan, Dana Evan. The Cambridge Companion to American Judaism, Cambridge University Press, Aug 15, 2005, p. 9).
4. Jewish groups:
o "To make the record clear, Jews for Jesus is a Christian missionary organization – period." Jews for Jesus: Jewish or Christian? You Decide, Jews for Judaism website, retrieved September 11, 2006.
o "Messianic Jewish organizations, such as Jews for Jesus, often refer to their faith as fulfilled Judaism, in that they believe Jesus fulfilled the Messianic prophecies. Although Messianic Judaism claims to be Jewish, and many adherents observe Jewish holidays, most Jews regard Messianic Judaism as deceptive at best, fraudulent at worst. They charge that Messianic Judaism is actually Christianity presenting itself as Judaism." (Balmer, Randall. Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism, Baylor University Press, Nov 2004, p. 448).

Answer 9

Both covenants taken together.