I had a roommate [in college] that I had known since I was nine years old. We went through our *Bar Mitzvah around the same time when we were thirteen. The Bar Mitzvah is a ceremony for Jewish people similar to a Catholic confirmation. During Bar Mitzvah, you read from the Torah (Written Law of God) in a Jewish synagogue when you're thirteen. This guy was a 4.0 GPA student in the college of engineering. I really looked up to him. One day he comes home and says, “After a careful examination of the Old Testament, I am a follower of Jesus.” Talk about something blowing your mind. I said, “Neil, you're not Jewish anymore. You have become a Gentile. You're a Christian.” He said, “Jeff, all that the word Christian means is a follower of Christ. Though I am a follower of Christ, I never stopped being Jewish.”
The problem I had with Christianity is that my friend said they believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. If you count, to me that's three gods, so I said, “I and the Jewish people believe in one God. Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” My friend said, “That's right. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one God.” I would say to my Christian friends, “What is it about three that you guys don't understand?” I had to get away from everybody and cry out to God, coming to grips with this in my own way. I picked up the Hebrew Bible, Hebrew on one side, and English on the other. I started on the very first pages of the Old Testament in the book of Genesis, and the first word said, “In the beginning, God created the heavens in the earth.” In the Hebrew language, it says, “Bereshit bara Elohim...” Any Hebrew word ending in “im” makes that word plural. Elohim means God, plural. I think, “Whoa, I never saw this before.” I got to verse 26, and it said, “Let us create man in our image.” Why would God refer to himself as “us” and “our?” One thing is for sure: Angels aren't in the image of God, only man. I got to Isaiah, chapter 52:13-15, and then 53:1-12. This talked about a servant who would be a sin offering, not only for the nation of Israel but for all mankind. When I saw this, I was blown away. I said, “The only one who could be that offering is God himself. He's the only one who's perfect. Oh my gosh. I'm having my burning bush experience. The only one who could've filled these prophecies at this time was Yeshua Hamashiach, or Jesus, the Messiah of the Jewish people and all human beings.”
I fell on my knees in front of my couch, and I said, “Dear God, I see after reading the Bible, and I see after reading the Old Testament that you had a son and that it is Jesus. I clearly understand that it was him, and I want to give my life to him. Will you come into my heart and forgive my sins?” That day, October 29, 1976, I gave my life to Jesus.
*Hebrew -"an [agent] who is subject to the law" www.wikepedia.org
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