Posted on 02/17/2023 8:00:02 AM PST by metmom
The church and the synagogue are two separate and opposed things. There is a barrier between the church, the synagogue, the Gospel and Jewish people. The first of what we call “church” was in Jerusalem. The leader was James. He wrote one of the earliest epistles. James 2:2 says, “If a man comes into your meeting, into your assembly, …” The word here for into your assembly or church is synagogue. That’s where we get the word synagogue from. The first churches were in synagogues. The first church in Jerusalem was in a synagogue and that is the mother of all churches, the synagogue. We have to remember the Gospel is to the Jew first; we have to pray for the Jewish people; love the Jewish people. Salvation came to you from the Jewish people; you are part of something Jewish. If you are born again, you’re a child of Abraham. You are of the commonwealth, a citizen of Israel. So be blessed…the first church was in a synagogue.
The Return ping
Indeed it is: "sunagōgē." Which is more testimony that James being addressed so much to Jews that aside from two references to the Lord Jesus Christ and allusion to the controversy over faith vs. works in cp. 2, (but no reference to the Lord's life, death or resurrection) it could almost pass as inspired OT rabbinical teaching. But James is dealing with the practical nature of "the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory," (James 2:1) and is a complementary addition to the NT, thank God.
Very fine article, Metmom. Thanks for posting it. We tend to forget the Jewish founders of the Christian Church, then as we read the Hebrew epistles, a bit of confusion can set in.
Great post, Daniel.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.