Judaism and Messiah
There could be no such thing as belief in Yeshua (Jesus) as Messiah without the context of a Jewish worldview. The very first verse of the New Testament presents "a record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham" (Matthew 1:1). From the moment Jesus is introduced, we meet a Jew whose Messianic task has meaning only when understood in light of Judaism.
God comes to us - only this time not as a disembodied voice in a garden or in a burning bush, but as an actual person. Yeshua (Jesus) arrives to fulfill the promise of restoration - not only for Israel, but for the whole world. How does Jesus the Messiah do this?
Atonement
Leviticus 16 shows us that on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies to make the sacrificial offering for himself, his family and the children of Israel. Our disobedience to God - which the Bible calls "sin" - created the need for this atonement. God has given the Jewish people the Torah, which reveals His righteousness and also helps us to see how badly we have failed to follow God's path for us.
But we are not doomed to separation from God; reconciliation is possible. In the Hebrew Scriptures, God ordained sacrifice as the way to restore our relationship with Him. In those days, the death of the sacrifice was a gruesome illustration of the pain caused by sin against the Holy One of Israel. The innocent animal died in the place of the disobedient sinner who offered it. As Moses wrote, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul" (Leviticus 17:11).
Forgiveness
The results of our sin affect our lives every day, poisoning our relationships with hatred and distrust. Despite our failures, God still loves us - so much so that He has provided a way to return to a right relationship with Him. But this restoration comes at a price!
In ancient Israel, the people became reconciled to God through the blood sacrifices offered first in the Tent of Meeting and later at the altar in the Temple at Jerusalem. The problem was that the sacrifice needed to be offered over and over again; the restoration it achieved was only temporary in nature. In place of the temporary sacrifice required by the Law of Moses, God sent His Son, Yeshua the Messiah, to be the ultimate sacrifice for sin - both for Jews and for Gentiles.
When we accept His sacrifice for us, we can have peace with God. He wants us to have it. It is not elusive; it is not complicated. Peace with God comes through accepting the forgiveness God has lovingly offered.
Resurrection
The point of sacrifice is not death, but life. The agonizing death that Yeshua suffered was not the end for Him - and nor must it be for us. Saul of Tarsus draws the connection between Messiah's resurrection and the same promise that God has extended to us as we place our faith in Messiah:
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Messiah from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you...The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Messiah, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together (Romans 8:11, 16, 17).
Afterlife
There are many stereotypical images of "heaven" and "hell" - but what do the Scriptures say? Saul's words, taken in part from Isaiah 64:4, bring us to the threshold of that mystery, - But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Corinthians 2:9).
