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VBVMI StaffCan a Jewish person go to Heaven if they don't believe in Jesus? Does being Jewish by itself automatically grant a Jew salvation?
Only by placing faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ may any human being receive God's forgiveness. This is true for Gentiles and Jews, so even a Jew must possess faith in Jesus to receive eternal life. As Paul says:
In the time before Christ's first coming, Jews were saved by faith in God's word that He would bring Israel a Messiah. Today a Jew is saved by faith in God's word that He did bring the Messiah, and the Messiah is Jesus. Apart from this faith, no Jew is saved (same as for Gentiles). Regrettably, many Jews do not have faith in Jesus as Messiah, which even Paul acknowledged in the first century:
Despite the general lack of faith among the Jewish people, the Lord has promised to preserve a remnant of Israel in keeping with His promise to Abraham that he would have many (believing) descendants:
God has always been at work preserving a remnant of believing Jews throughout the history of the nation. Paul explains that this was true even before Jesus came:
So while it is disheartening to realize how many Jews will not receive eternal life, nevertheless we are encouraged to see God's faithfulness in preserving His people despite their unfaithfulness to Him.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org