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Answer: The Christian belief that atonement can only
be effected through Jesus runs counter to the provisions
for atonement prescribed in the Jewish Scriptures. First
and foremost, God, and no one else, provides the means
of reconciliation and fellowship (2 Chronicles 7:14),
which precludes any claim for atonement through the
death of Jesus. In contrast to the Christian concept
that man is hopelessly entrapped in sin, the Jewish
Scriptures provide ample testimony that although man
may have an inclination towards evil (Genesis 8:21)
the means of personal reconciliation with God are always
at hand (e.g. Psalms 51:16-19, Jeremiah 29:13).
The Christian missionary's question, "Are you saved?"
is a question having no basis in the Jewish Scriptures.
Its origin lies in the New Testament and has no bearing
on the spiritual life of the Jew.
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