Contrast Judaism with Christianity

Wanting to contrast Judaism with Christianity, Rabbi David Rosen claims that the Hebrew Scriptures did not instruct Israel to believe in God. Therefore, a failure to believe didn’t carry any moral guilt or consequences, as did a failure to obey. In his correspondence with R.T. Kendall, he writes:

“As far as unbelief is concerned, it is questionable as to whether this can be described as a ‘transgression.’ I would call it a ‘mental block’—perhaps the result of secular conditioning. I might and do regret the fact, but I cannot imagine that God would want someone to be punished for an incapacity!” (The Christian and the Pharisee, p.43)

Although secularism might put a new spin on unbelief, biblical unbelief has nothing to do with an “incapacity.” Instead, it is culpable to-the-max. While Israel was sojourning at Kadish Barnea, Moses sent 12 spies into the Promised Land. Upon their return, ten reported back that they couldn’t conquer the land and tried to influence Israel to return to Egypt. This was in opposition to the very thing that God had promised them. He was understandably livid:

"How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them? I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them..." (Numbers 14:11-12).

Clearly, Israel’s unbelief had nothing to do with an “incapacity!” Rather than taking blind leap of faith, believing God is simply a matter of opening our eyes and looking at the overwhelming evidence—God’s “miraculous signs!” In light of this, unbelief was a matter of rebellion, a “refusal to believe” and a rejection of God!

Although today we might not see God’s miraculous signs in the same way, we still have evidence which we continue to reject. A friend told me that she was unable to “just believe,” even though she knew it would be comforting to do so. I responded that there were many compelling reasons to believe.

“Well, there’s no way that you can know for sure,” she replied.

“How is it that you know that I can’t know? Isn’t it a contradiction to claim for yourself knowledge in this area while denying this same thing to me?” I responded.

“OK, I see your point, but I don’t think I need to know about God. My life is fine without this belief.”

I tried to explain that her unwillingness to look at the evidence made her guilty. “What if you sent me a priceless gift, but I threw away your card and return address, saying to myself, ‘I don’t need to know who sent this to me.’ Wouldn’t you be upset with me? And is there any reason why God shouldn’t be upset with us, when we put our heads in the sand to avoid seeing His return address?”

We have the knowledge but are unwilling to regard it. This makes us guilty before God. Although we might not see the Nile turn red and the sea split in two, we do see the sky above, the miracles of science (Psalm 19:1-3) and have a conscience that tells us to stop being a hypocrite.

Unbelief and rebellion against the Light eventually become a way of life, so deeply embedded that we no longer see it and convince ourselves that we are really good people searching for the truth. Thirty eight years later, Moses referred to Israel’s refusal to believe in order to warn his people:

“And when the Lord sent you out from Kadesh Barnea, he said, ‘Go up and take possession of the land I have given you.’ But you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. You did not trust him or obey him. You have been rebellious against the Lord ever since I have known you” (Deut. 9:23-24).

Forget “incapacity!” We are far guiltier than we can imagine
Daniel Mann