Poll: Do Christians and Jews Worship the Same God?

First of all, many scholars believe that this statement of Paul's about the unknown God was sarcastic (and Paul could be pretty sarcastic) pr at the very least, ambiguous. See these articles -- they make for interesting reading:
http://www.rctr.org/ap9.htm
and
http://www.cmfnow.com/articles/pa045.htm

These writers contend that Paul was not praising the Athenians at all, but remarking on their inability to recognize the true God. He also, later in the speech, openly condemns their worship of idols. Also, the word translated as "religious" can also be translated as "superstitious."

 

I see your point, and I agree we should not approach people by saying, "Hey, you are worshipping the wrong God!"

But this thread is not about what we should say when approaching such people, but rather it is about whether the God of Judaism is the God of the Bible. It's a good question, and that is the issue.

 

In that passage where Jesus told certain Pharisees that their father was the Devil, Jesus said 'of whom ye say that He is your God.' So it is clear that they were calling the right Being 'God' (or 'theos' or 'Elohim.') So, yes, they were worshipping the right God.

But God was not their Father, and they did not know Him.

The Jews of Jesus' day were bowing down ('worshipping') toward the same place David and Solomon bowed down to. The Samaritans bowed down toward the wrong temple. Jesus said to the Samaritan woman that she worshipped (or 'prostrated toward') she knew not what, but we know what we worship (or 'prostrate toward') for salvation is of the Jews.

Realizing that 'proskuneo' is mistranslated as 'worship' and refers to prostration really clears up a lot of passages.

 

Jesus Christ tells us in Matthew 10:33: But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

The Apostle Paul tells us in 1Timothy 2:5: For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

The Apostle Paul also tells us in Hebrews 7:25: Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Therefore those who deny Jesus Christ cannot worship God since He is out mediator, our intercessor. That includes the Jews and anyone else who rejects Jesus Christ.

 

Any Jew who does not repent and embrace Christ will join anyone else who does not repent and embrace Christ. They will all be in hell.

Remember that Christ said the Father sought TRUE worshipers. That distinction used to apply to Israel, as they were the channel of blessing to the world. Well, um, they aren't anymore, Christ is.

 

I disagree with NetPub that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the same as Allah.

I worship the God of Israel and I guess the Jews do too. But I believe that God is triune and Jews do not. Jews do not believe that Jesus is Christ, and they do not recognize the Holy Ghost.

 

Jesus says that Isaiah votes "yes":

"Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men."

 

No, Jesus is God.

Jews do not worship Christ and hence they do not worship the same God as Christians.

That is why the Holy of Holies was torn open, Jesus rose again and conquered Sin and Death and we worship Him.

 

If a person is not saved, whatever they worship is an idol. Jews are guilty of idolatry.

 

Let us suppose that we take the idea that the God of the Jews is the same God of Christianity, then it is a logical progression that the God of Islam is the same also because in Islam they use the same holy book as the Jews and trace there liniage from the Old Testament.

 

Is God of the OT Books the same as God in the NT Books? Yes.

 

Did Cain and Abel worship (or at least approach) the same God? Yes. Were both offerings acceptable? No.

 

Can a person stand rocking at the wailing wall in Jerusalem and worship Jesus?

 

It is without a doubt the same God. The question should be along the lines of whether or not their worship is obedient or disobedient, acceptable or unacceptable in God's sight.

 

The Jews (the ones who worship at all) worship the incomplete revelation of God. The Son is the "express image of His person". When they rejected the Son, they also rejected the Father who sent the Son. Jesus is clear in this.

In rejecting the Son, they Jews turned from worship of the Father and now they are worshipping a god of their own tradition rather than the God of the Bible, OT or NT.

 

He is the same God as He has always been. Do you believe in the eternal Sonship of Jesus Christ? Were not the prophets and faithful of old worshiping the eternal God of yesterday, today, and forever?

In rejecting the Son, they have and continue to walk in disobedience to God the Father, and in light of that stand accused until they repent. But He is the same God. No question.

 

But just because they trace their lineage from Abraham doesn't mean anything. The Islamic Allah is not the God of the OT because the OT is not their main text -- the Koran is. And the Koran's description of and account of Allah is not at all like the Biblical God.