When reading the Bible people often ask “What does that mean?” Some things are very clear, such as God’s plan of salvation. Some points of connection in God’s overarching theme throughout the Bible are clear such as God’s command to put the blood of a slain lamb on the entrance to the home, saving the Israelites from death in the tenth plague of Egypt was a foreshadowing and a physical confession in the salvation of God . . .Yeshua. Why All the Differences of Opinion in the Christian Church? However, we often enter murky waters beyond that when it comes to making a connection between the Old Testament and the New. Some of the most spirited, and often vicious, debates in the church over the past two millennia have related to the doctrine of the church. How are we saved? It is for all (John 3:16, John 3:9) or only for a select few? Can we choose to come to God or are we compelled irresistibly by God? Is salvation complete at the moment of confession or is it a progressive process? Each of these questions have caused massive rifts within the body of Christ. What we individually believe about each of these issues is very often dictated by our denominational background. We believe a certain way because that is what we have been taught. Each of these positions have been vigorously defended over time and each side has a fair number adherents. However, just because a number of people believe a certain thing does not make it true. So, how do we determine what a particular passage of Scripture really means? How are we to understand it? How do we interpret it? Rediscovering the Original Context of Scripture All of the words Jesus spoke were to Jews within the land of Israel who followed the Levitical laws and the sacrificial system established at the time of the Exodus. Every letter of the New Testament was written by a Jew (except for perhaps Hebrews) that was raised in that environment since birth. Every word spoken and written was either by or to people who saw the observance of the Day of Atonement as a mandatory act, one that was required to be observed each year in order to have their name written in the Book of Life. We can’t have any sort of meaningful conversation about the big questions in Christianity until we look at how each of the concepts underlying our doctrines were originally understood by observant Jews. By observant Jews, I mean those of the Second Temple period. Jesus and his apostles would not recognize very much in the practices of modern Judaism. A Christian researching this era must also understand that even the Talmud and the Mishnah, Jewish commentary on Scriptures and practices, postdate Christianity by at least two centuries and only reflect the beliefs of one particular sect of Second Temple Judaism . . . The Pharisees. The Influence of Culture If someone said to you, “May the force be with you,” you understand the reference. Anyone who was raised in Western culture understands that you are referring to the fictional force in Star Wars and they are wishing you success in your efforts. However, let’s imagine for a minute that there is a major cataclysm, 95 percent of humanity is wiped out, and 1,000 years from now archaeologists are trying to figure out what this phrase that they found written in graffiti on a fragment of a wall means. (It would have to be graffiti as most of our communication is now digital and our books aren’t made to last as they were in the days of Jesus.) Without knowing about the Star Wars series and its huge popularity, they would have no idea what it means. What would they come up with? Would they think the person was talking about a military force? Would they think it was a reference to a natural force like gravity? Without knowing the culture, they could come up with some pretty wild ideas. They would need to know other facts in order to place the reference properly: perhaps a collectors tin with a summary still legible,