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I read here that most of the modern Christians believe in a Triune God and Consider Jesus to be the God in trinity. I was wondering What Christianity thinks about the God of present day Judaism , as they believe in a strictly monotheistic non trinitarian version of God as believed by the people at the time of Jesus and people before Jesus.
Is there a scope for accommodating the monotheistic belief of Jews in God along with the trinitarian belief of Christians?
Fundamentally, Christians and Jews worship God the Father in similar fashion, but Christians (meaning Mainstream or Nicene aka Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Protestant Christianity) believe God to be larger than just that. Nicene Christianity confesses that God the Father is "just" one person amongst three within the Godhead. Muslims and Jews reject this.
While the Trinity is an offense to Muslims and Jews alike, it is nonetheless fundamental to the full understanding of the Godhead. Christians believe that God is three distinct persons who are one. This is a paradox. This is nonetheless true, for our limited understanding really precludes an obvious metaphor.
If we would focus on the distinct personalities of God as three individuals (which while technically the heresy of 'Tritheism' is nonetheless useful ) for the discussion here), then we could say:
The Christian understanding of God the Father is primarily (if not entirely) based on the same Scriptures as that of the Jews. As such, when a Christian prays to God the Father, he could name him "Yahweh" and be perfectly consistent with the Jewish understanding. (Indeed, it would also be very similiar to that of a Muslim).
Christians pray to God in the name of Jesus, the Son. Christians fundamentally believe that the Son is God but that he is also Man. He is not a separate God, but rather we perceive him in different ways. When Jesus was incarnated, for example, he showed a certain distinction from God the Father (cf. Patripassianism), and yet there is no error in his saying, "I and the Father are one." He taught nothing that was not of accord with his Father. Ironically, given your current name, He said "Nevertheless, Not my Will but Yours Be Done." In contrast, Jews reject any notion of the divinity of the Son, ergo, they do not agree with Christians in this aspect of God's true nature.
Christians believe that Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father through the Son, and with the Son, He is worshipped and glorified." I'd argue that in practice, most Christians really don't know what to do with the Holy Spirit - but they acknowledge that like the Son, he is God - though again, Jews (and Muslims) would disagree.
As such, the best answer is to say that Jews and Christians do worship the same God (specifically God the Father), but that Christians have a "fuller" (or "more complex" take your pick) understanding of his nature and how He relates to himself.
I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon) I would say that Christians, Jews, and Muslims all worship the same God, but that they have different views on the nature of prophets, the identity of the Son, and the identity of the Holy Ghost.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints:
To be continued as I have time at work....
Short answer: Possibly, but it's complicated.
My view: It's hard to answer that Jews, Christians and Muslims worship the same God or not because everyone claim that they have the Truth. Even I myself will firmly say that what I believe is the Truth(Christianity). The deeper we go inside any of these religion, the bigger their differences are.
Our source is the same: We all sprang from one root and there are many branches, more will come as time passes. First, there was only the Jewish religion. Secondly, Christianity sprang up from Judaism and the Third is Islam. Now, Mormons, Bahai and so on.... More branches will keep on coming.
It is up to the individuals to decide what is the true religion. As for myself, after studying all major religions, I found satisfaction in Christianity with strong believe in the Trinity.
My personal belief: Judaism is the parent religion for any Abrahamic religions and it deserves respect from all. Where would we all be if Judaism was not there? I do not like it when the Qura'n makes insults about Judaism. Christianity is the completion or final stage of Abrahamic religion. Islam is a heresy created by borrowing the concepts from Judaism and Christianity. (This is only my personal belief and please don't take it seriously or personally. Thanks)
My answer: Christian God is exactly the same as the Jewish God. Christians simply see Him as a God with three personalities and that He sent His Son as the Messiah to die for our sins. What ever the Jews believed before the birth of Jesus Christ is also the same belief for the Christians. The Scripture of the Jews contains prophecies about the Messiah to come. The New Testament confirms with many evidence that Jesus Christ is the Messiah promised by the Jewish Scripture. The Jews are still waiting for the Messiah to come.
The New Testament gives a more detail picture of who the Messiah is.
Matthew 22:41-46 (NIV) While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” “The son of David,” they replied. He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ (Psalm 110)
If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Jesus Christ is the Word of God, the promised Messiah who was with God from the beginning and born as man without sin to die for our sins.
John 1:14 (NIV) The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
learned in a Synagogue?John 7:15-16 (NIV) The Jews there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having been taught?” Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me.