Chapter 7: God of Righteousness
What Does It Mean to Be Righteous?
A righteous person does what is right, to do what comports to the will of God for an individual. Holiness is a requirement for the Jews in the desert. THe NT has similar concepts, but the role of the Torah in living out holiness is contentious.
Righteousness and the Rabbis
"God himself provided a model for the righteous person. God clothed the naked, making skins for Adam and Eve. He visited the sick, appearing to Abraham when he was recovering from circumcision. He comforted mourners, blessing Isaac after the death of his father Abraham. He buried the dead, burying Moses in his unknown grave. As imitators of God his people should also clothe the naked, visit the sick, comfort mourners, and bury the dead.”
The Evil Inclination
Humans and communities have ab “evil inclination” that works against the pursuit of holiness.
Repentance
Repentance is the way to return to God after the evil inclination leads us to sin. Jews do not believe they are saved by obeying the law. They believe they are saved because God chose them.
The Day of Atonement
For Jews, there is a special day that focuses on repentance, the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur.
Christian Reflections
“… the very real differences should not obscure the fact that both Jews and Christians worship a God who longs for us to be righteous, individually and corporately; a God eager to respond to our repentance, eager to forgive, eager to love, and eager to save. Both believe, as the New Testament puts it, 'God is not willing that any should perish but all come to repentance’."
Quotes from Phelan, John E.. Separated Siblings: An Evangelical Understanding of Jews and Judaism (pp. 142-143). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.. Kindle Edition.