Openai/6966b810-cdcc-8001-aa1c-dbb09b0ae6f6

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User: Which view is closer to the original apostles between Christianity and Messianic

Which view is closer to the original apostles between Christianity and Messianic

Assistant: Short answer: Messianic Judaism is closer to the lived practice of the original apostles, while historic Christianity p…

Short answer: Messianic Judaism is closer to the lived practice of the original apostles, while historic Christianity preserved and systematized the theological message that later spread to the nations. The apostles themselves fit neatly into neither modern category, but overlap more with Messianic Judaism.

Here’s a clear breakdown.

1. Who were the original apostles?

All of them were:

• Ethnic Jews
• Torah-observant
• Temple-attending (until 70 AD)
• Sabbath-keeping
• Celebrating the biblical feasts
• Believers that Yeshua (Jesus) is the Messiah

📖 Acts 21:20 — “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Torah.”

So the apostles were not converts to a new religion called Christianity. They believed they were practicing fulfilled Judaism.

2. Where Messianic Judaism aligns closely

Messianic Judaism preserves many things the apostles actually practiced:

• Torah as God’s instruction (not abolished)
• Sabbath and feast days (Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot)
• Jewish identity of Yeshua
• Hebrew context of Scripture
• Faith expressed through obedience (James 2)
• Expectation of the Kingdom on earth

📖 Matthew 5:17 — “Do not think that I came to abolish the Torah or the Prophets…”

This looks very much like Acts-era faith.

3. Where Christianity diverged historically

Christianity as a distinct religion did not exist during the apostles’ lifetime.

Major shifts happened later:

• Post-70 AD (Temple destruction)
• Gentile majority church
• Roman cultural influence
• Council decisions (Nicea, etc.)
• Sabbath → Sunday
• Feasts → replaced
• Torah → often labeled “bondage”

📖 Acts 24:14 — Paul says he worships “according to the Way, which they call a sect.”

“The Way” was still seen as within Judaism, not separate from it.

4. Where Christianity preserved something vital

Christianity did preserve and defend:

• The divinity of Messiah
• Salvation by grace
• The global mission to the nations
• Canonization and protection of Scripture
• Trinitarian theology (though debated in form)

Without Christianity, the gospel likely would not have reached the world.

📖 Romans 11 — Gentiles are grafted in, not replacing Israel.

5. The key truth most miss

The original faith was:

Jewish in form, universal in mission

The apostles would likely say:

• To Jews: Remain Jews who follow Messiah
• To Gentiles: You don’t become Jews, but you join Israel’s God

📖 Acts 15 — Gentiles were not required to convert to Judaism, but were expected to grow in holiness.

Final answer (plainly)

Messianic Judaism is closer to the apostles’ daily practice and worldview*

• Christianity is closer to how the faith was later structured for the nations
• Neither perfectly represents the original apostolic faith
• The original faith was Torah-rooted, Messiah-centered, Spirit-led

If you want, I can also:

• Compare Paul vs modern Christianity
• Break down Acts 15 properly
• Show where replacement theology entered
• Or trace how Rome reshaped doctrine

Just tell me where you want to go next.