Is Christianity Antisemitic?

Many people believe that Christianity is antisemitic. Despite this widespread belief, the truth is that Christianity isn’t anti-Jewish at all. The Bible encourages Christians to love Jewish people and tell them about Jesus.

It is true that at least one New Testament passage can seem to be antisemitic. In Matthew 27:25, the onlookers to whom Pilate wanted to release Jesus, say: “His blood be on us and on our children” (ESV). Some interpreters of this passage say that it makes all Jews eternally guilty of Jesus’ death. However, the Bible teaches that all people of all races are responsible for Jesus’ death. Because we all sin (see Romans 3:9-18, 23), all of us are responsible for Jesus’ death. Jesus died for not only the sins of Jewish people, but also for the sins of people of every race and nation and people living before, during, and after his life on earth (see Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 John 2:2).

The Bible also teaches that many Jewish people will be in heaven. It teaches that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah, Joseph, Moses, David and many other ancient Jews were heroes with strong faith and an eternal home in heaven (see Hebrews 11:1-40). The Bible also says that many Jews will believe in Jesus as their Messiah, be accepted by God, and live forever with Him in heaven (see Romans 1:16; 9:27; 10:12-13; 11:1-7, 11-17; see also Zechariah 12:7-10).

Besides misinterpreting the Bible, some people have mistakenly argued that Adolf Hitler was a Christian. The truth is that Hitler hated Christianity and wanted to destroy it. He wanted to replace it with his own anti-Christian religion and religious beliefs. Scholars such as Erwin Lutzer and authors such as Ray Comfort have correctly pointed out that Hitler was definitely not a Christian.

Jesus emphasized the importance of reaching Jewish people. His earthly ministry focused mainly on Jews, and he told his disciples to share the good news about his kingdom and the gospel not only with Gentiles (i.e., non-Jewish people), but also with Jews (see Matthew 10:5-7; 28:18-20; Acts 1:8).

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