Torah and Messiah: How to Believe God in Judaism

In the quiet corners of the human heart, there is a persistent, God-given yearning to understand our Creator. For many, this search leads to the ancient paths of Hebrew heritage, prompting the vital question: how to believe God through the lens of Judaism and its biblical foundations? The scriptures of the Old Testament—the law, the prophets, and the writings—form the bedrock of divine revelation. Yet, as we trace the golden thread of God’s promises from Genesis to Malachi, we find that the ultimate expression of believing God is not found in the keeping of external rituals or legalistic traditions, but in a living, born-again relationship with the promised Messiah of Israel, Jesus Christ.

To truly believe God is to take Him at His Word. It is to recognize that the rich heritage of Israel was designed by God to point us directly to the Savior. When we look beyond the surface of tradition, we find that the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was always a forward-looking faith—one that anticipated a redeemer who would bear our iniquities and reconcile us to the Father. In this study, we will explore how ancient faith becomes a living reality through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Foundation of Faith: Abraham’s Justification

To understand how to believe God, we must return to the very father of the faithful: Abraham. Long before the giving of the Mosaic Law at Mount Sinai, and centuries before the establishment of the Levitical priesthood, Abraham demonstrated what true, saving faith looks like. He did not earn his standing before God through works of the law or ceremonial purity; rather, he simply believed the promise of the Almighty.

And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.— Genesis 15:6, KJV

This foundational truth is the cornerstone of biblical exegesis. Abraham’s faith was an active trust in the character and promises of God. When God promised him an heir and a lineage that would bless all the nations of the earth, Abraham did not look at his own physical limitations or the barrenness of Sarah's womb. Instead, he anchored his soul to the immutable Word of God. This is the essence of biblical faith: resting entirely upon the reliability of God’s promise.

For those seeking how to believe God within the context of Jewish heritage, Abraham stands as the ultimate pattern. True faith is not a system of self-justification. It is the humble reception of God's imputed righteousness. When we believe God, He credits righteousness to our account—not because we have earned it, but because He is faithful to keep His covenant. This covenant of grace finds its ultimate fulfillment in the seed of Abraham, which is Jesus Christ.

Zaccheus: The Seeking Soul and the Sovereign Savior

The Gospel of Luke provides a beautiful, historical narrative of what happens when a son of Abraham encounters the living Word of God. Zaccheus, a chief tax collector, was a man wealthy in worldly goods but utterly bankrupt in his soul. Despised by his fellow countrymen as a traitor and a sinner, he was excluded from the religious elite of his day. Yet, there was a deep hunger within him to see Jesus.

Like many who search for God today, Zaccheus faced obstacles. The press of the crowd and his own short stature prevented him from seeing the Savior. In his desperation, he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree. This act of climbing represents the human effort to reach God—our attempts to elevate ourselves through religion, philosophy, or tradition. But salvation does not come from man climbing up to God; it comes from God reaching down to man.

And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zaccheus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.— Luke 19:5, KJV

Notice the sovereign grace of our Lord. Jesus knew Zaccheus by name before a single word was spoken. He did not wait for Zaccheus to reform his life, make restitution, or undergo ceremonial cleansing before addressing him.

Jesus met him precisely where he was—in his state of spiritual isolation. The command to "make haste, and come down" is a call to abandon our own self-effort and religious climbing. To believe God, we must come down from our high towers of self-righteousness and receive the Savior into our hearts.

The Law as a Schoolmaster to Christ

A common misconception in understanding how to believe God is the idea that salvation can be achieved by keeping the commandments. While the Torah is holy, just, and good, its primary purpose was never to save humanity, but to reveal our desperate need for a Savior. The law acts as a mirror, exposing our spiritual blemishes and our inability to meet God’s perfect standard of holiness.

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.— Galatians 3:24, KJV

In ancient times, a schoolmaster (or *paidagogos*) was a guardian who guided a child, protecting them and directing them to their ultimate instructor. In the same way, the Mosaic Law, with its intricate sacrificial system, was designed to point Israel to the ultimate sacrifice—the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Every lamb slain on the altar of the temple was a prophetic shadow of Jesus Christ, who shed His precious blood on the cross of Calvary to make atonement once and for all.

To believe God is to recognize that the schoolmaster has completed its work by bringing us to the feet of the Messiah. We no longer rely on the blood of bulls and goats, which could never permanently take away sins, but we rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ. He is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth.

Salvation Comes to the House: A Born-Again Relationship

When Zaccheus received Jesus into his home, he did so joyfully. The presence of the Savior immediately transformed his heart. True faith is never passive; it produces a radical change in a person's life. Zaccheus stood and declared that he would give half of his goods to the poor and restore fourfold anything he had taken wrongfully. This was not an attempt to buy salvation, but the natural, overflowing fruit of a heart that had just been touched by divine grace.

And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.— Luke 19:9-10, KJV

By declaring Zaccheus a "son of Abraham," Jesus was not merely speaking of his physical genealogy. He was speaking of his spiritual lineage. Zaccheus became a true son of Abraham because he possessed the same faith that Abraham had—a faith that takes God at His Word and receives His salvation. Jesus made it clear that His mission was "to seek and to save that which was lost." He did not come to establish a new legalistic religion; He came to restore a broken relationship between God and man.

This is the heart of the Gospel. Salvation is not a matter of national identity, ritual performance, or dietary laws. It is a personal, born-again relationship with the Creator. As Jesus told Nicodemus, a master of Israel, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). This spiritual rebirth is available to all—both Jew and Gentile—who place their trust in the Messiah.

How to Believe God Today: The Step of Saving Faith

If you are searching for how to believe God, the scriptures make the path beautifully clear. It does not require climbing a symbolic tree of human achievement or wandering through endless labyrinthine traditions. The Word of God is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart.

He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:— John 1:11-12, KJV

To believe God is to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord. It begins with a heart of repentance—acknowledging that we have fallen short of God's glory and cannot save ourselves. It continues by believing in the bodily resurrection of Jesus, who died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, and rose again on the third day.

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.— Romans 10:17, KJV

Faith is nurtured and built upon the solid foundation of the Holy Scriptures. As you read the Word of God, let its truths wash over your soul. See how the prophecies of old find their perfect fulfillment in the person of Jesus.

Let go of the heavy burdens of religious performance and rest in the finished work of the cross. Jesus has already done everything necessary to secure your peace, your forgiveness, and your eternal destiny. Open your heart to Him today, and experience the true joy of believing God.