Q: In our Friday morning Bible class (ladies), we are reading Hebrews. and we read in Hebrews 8:8-12, which quotes Jeremiah 31:31-34, in comparing the new covenant with the old. The old covenant law was given by God to Israel. Now God has provided a new and better covenant, one of grace in which Christ offers to forgive our sins and bring us to God through his sacrificial death. This new covenant reaches beyond Israel and Judah to include all people because it is written on our hearts and in our minds. It offers a new way to receive forgiveness — not through animal sacrifices, but through faith. Many of our members read you every Friday (me included), and we remember Father Tom and your wonderful camaraderie. I believe Father Tom is in Heaven, with Jesus.
In Galatians 3, it says, “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed.” Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. You are familiar with scripture and know what is there. Our fervent hope is that you will re-direct your attention to the faith that Christ brought into the world and join Father Tom in Heaven where you can be together for eternity. Thank you for reading this email, and thank you for the many kind columns you have shared. — From M
A: Thank you, dear M, for your kind words and your gracious invitation for me to turn my back on a 4,000-year-old faith called Judaism, which has outlasted every mighty world empire and millennia of brutal persecution. A faith that has endured the genocidal murder of one-third of the Jewish people on planet Earth over a four-year period in the Holocaust. I know you are offering me the new covenant out of love and compassion, but please understand that in this particularly dangerous world that is experiencing a terrible rise in antisemitism, the offer to self-destruct the faith of my ancestors and my family cannot be accepted without more than a little bit of spiritual disappointment.
The faith “that Christ brought into the world” has a name, and that name is Judaism. Christianity, which eventually split off from Judaism, is the product of the followers of Jesus at least a generation after his death. The central teaching of Christianity from its first moments was that God does not end the covenant with the Jewish people. It was bestowed by God and it was affirmed by God, and it endures because of God. Jews are saved directly by God through the terms of our covenant with God beginning with Abraham and lasting until our own day.
Just one bit of advice after you read Romans chapters 7-11. If your best argument for non-Christians to accept the Gospel is that it is written in our hearts, let me agree with you and ask you to read again Matthew 22:37 (and Luke 10:27) where Jesus teaches, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” and then read where Jesus is taking this verse, which is Deuteronomy 6:5. The truth we share is that both covenants are written on our hearts.
So whether you take this wisdom from the Hebrew Bible or from the Christian Testament, they both bring salvation and joy to our sinful world. Tommy and I faced this and concluded with our God Squad Mission statement, “We know enough about how we are different, but we do not yet know enough about how we are all the same.”
As far as improving my chances to meet Tommy in Heaven, let me say this: There are probably several good reasons in my file to keep me out besides not accepting Christ as my savior. As it stands, I will be happy if wherever I go, I get a chance to send him my love.
Q: My father was a craftsman in leather. One day, a blind man, Mr. T, and his dog came to the saddle shop needing a repair to the dog’s harness. Mr. T and dad got to talking about the harness, including the fit and the needs of both man and dog, and the end result being an improved harness. Mr. T became a family friend. I have been a fan of yours, following you in the Palm Beach Post for many years. May God bless you and keep you in His loving care always. — From I in West Palm Beach, Florida
A: God bless everyone who helps blind people to find their sight and four paws and unconditional love.