Posted on 03/19/2024 5:45:28 PM PDT by grumpa
Summary. The Israel of God is no longer fleshly, natural Israel, but rather all believers in Jesus―along with a remnant of Godly believers of old. Jesus fulfilled all of the promises to Old Covenant Israel (Luke 1:67-79; 2 Corinthians 1:20). “Not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel” (Romans 9:5-8). The church extends beyond natural Israel to include Gentiles (Luke 2:32; Acts 9:15; 11:1, 18; Romans 11:11-32; Galatians 3:6-9, 25-29). This is not “replacement theology, but rather “inclusion theology.” Here is a sampling of passages about this:
Galatians 6:14-16. In the context of the rest of Galatians, Paul refers to the “ISRAEL OF GOD” as those who walk according to the Spirit—by faith in Jesus Christ (and specifically not by works of the Jewish Old Covenant Law, including circumcision).
Galatians 4:21-31. Physical Jerusalem, that is, the old covenant, is cast out making way for the New Spiritual Jerusalem (“the Jerusalem above”)—the new children of the promise.
Hebrews 12:22-24. Christians of the first century had already arrived at the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem—through Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant.
Matthew 3:7-11. John the Baptist tells the Pharisees and Sadducees not to count on their physical descent. Indeed, they are about to be cut down in the wrath about to come (AD 70).
Matthew 21:18-19. Jesus curses the fig tree, an Old Testament symbol for Old Covenant Israel (Jeremiah 24; Hosea 9:10; Luke 13:6-9), and the fig tree withered away forever.
Matthew 21:33-45. Parable of the Tenants. Jesus tells the Jews that the kingdom is being taken away from them and given to another group, obviously the church.
Matthew 22:1-4. The Parable of the Wedding Feast. It was obviously the Jews who were invited to the wedding, but their refusal to accept Christ as Messiah would lead to their demise—“destroyed those murderers and burned their city.” (Matthew 23, the next chapter, details why the Jews were the object of Jesus’ wrath. Not only were they exceedingly sinful, but also refused to accept Him as Savior.)
John 1:12-13. The children of God are believers, and not by blood.
John 8:31-47. Jesus explains to the Jews of his day that they are not truly offspring of Abraham, but rather are offspring of the devil.
Romans 2:28-29. “For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not the letter.”
Romans 9:5-8. Paul taught that not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel (“FOR THEY ARE NOT ALL ISRAEL WHO ARE ISRAEL”), and not all are children of Abraham. It is not the children of the flesh (i.e. their ethnicity) who are children of God (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:16.)
Romans 11:5, 11-32. Branches (of Israel) were broken off and Gentiles grafted in by faith. Whoever accepted Christ, both Gentiles and a remnant of Jews are saved (11:5).
Galatians 3:6-9, 25-29. Heirs to the promise, i.e. the true sons of Abraham, comes from faith in Christ, not physical descent.
Ephesians 2:11-3:13. Gentiles are no longer aliens but are fellow citizens in a new dwelling place, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (cf. Revelation 21:14).
Ephesians 2:15-16. Jews and Gentiles became “one new man in place of two,” thus “one body.”
Philippians 3:3. The church is the real “circumcision.” Circumcision is the special sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and Israel (Genesis 17:10, 13), so the Christian church has become God’s covenantal people.
Colossians 2:6-3:17. Paul explains in this passage that physical circumcision had been replaced by spiritual circumcision, thus spiritual Israel—believers being made spiritually alive IN CHRIST. (See also Philippians 3:3).
Hebrews 8:5-13. The Old Covenant was being replaced by a New Covenant as predicted in the Old Testament (Jeremiah 31:31-34; etc.)
James 1:1; 2:1. The twelve tribes of Israel had become believers in Christ.
1 Peter 2:4-10. The new chosen race is the Christian church (building motif).
Revelation 2:9; 3:9. There are those who say they are Jews, but are really are a “synagogue of Satan.”
Revelation 19:7, 21:2, 9-27. The New Jerusalem is the bride of Christ, the church—which is built on the foundation of the apostles (ref. Ephesians 2:20).
Conclusions. This is about the changing of the covenants. Israel’s covenant with God was contingent on obedience (Deuteronomy 28-32)! Throughout the Bible, Israel’s relationship with God is portrayed as a marriage (Isaiah 54:5; 62:4; Jeremiah 2:2; 3:14, 20; 31:31-34; Ezekiel 16:8, 32, 38; Hosea 2:2, 7, 16; Malachi 2:14). Whenever Israel was unfaithful, she is characterized as a harlot or adulterer (Deuteronomy 31:16-18; Isaiah 1:21; Jeremiah 2:20; 3:6-9; Ezekiel 6:8-9; 16:15, 26, 28; Hosea 1:2; 6:10; 9:1). The central theme of Revelation is a story of two women—the harlot Babylon who is judged/divorced (Revelation 17:1, 5, 15; 18:9, 21; 19:2) and God’s new bride the New Jerusalem (Revelation 19:7; 21:2, 9). The faithless harlot is apostate Old Covenant Israel. The new bride is the Christian church, the wife of the Lamb, the New Jerusalem (Revelation 3:12; 19:7; 21:2, 9-27). Compare to the Parable of the Wedding Feast in Matthew 22:1-14, as well as such passages as John 3:29; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25-27.
The notion that Israel is separate from the church, and that Israel will re-emerge as pre-eminent among nations is not supported by the texts.
——>I thought you were a law keeper? How can this be if you sin?
Maybe you didn’t read this part of post 217?
“Elsie, we are ALL sinners...you, me, boatbums, imardmd1, etc... I repent and ask the Holy Spirit to give me strength to live a Holy life according to Christ and His commandments, for what He did for me on the cross.”
Was the earth perfect at Creation?
Revelation 21:1 SDA Bible Commentary
1. New. Gr. kainos, “new” in quality as opposed to that which is worn or marred. Both occurrences of “new” in this verse are translations of kainos. Neos, also translated “new” in the NT (Matt. 9:17; 1 Cor. 5:7; Col. 3:10; etc.), refers to newness in point of time. By using the word kainos, John is probably emphasizing the fact that the new heavens and earth will be created from the purified elements of the old, and thus be new in quality, different. The new heavens and the new earth are, then, a re-creation, a forming anew of existing elements, and not a creation ex nihilo. Compare 2 Peter 3:13 (below)
New. Gr. kainos, “new” in the sense of being different, new in kind, rather than neos, which generally means “recent,” new in point of time. Here Peter is anticipating the renovated heavens and earth that have been cleansed from all defilement (cf. on Rev. 21:1).
Just maybe you might truly understand what judgment means. But, I’m not holding my breath.
So, you DON’t keep the law.
Darned translators mess up EVERYTHING!!!
As best I can.
Well, I try...
(It's all short quips and funny memes, until you find that you've come up short in the judgment. )
You can do whatever you want. That’s what OSAS license is for, right?
We continue to plant the seeds and water them and trust the Holy Spirit to give the increase and enlighten the heart.
Happy Resurrection Day!
And that is the prayer of all who are found in Christ, not having our own righteousness - which is of the law - but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. (see Philippians 3:9) The difference is we don't depend on that living a holy life to be the reason we are saved. It was ALL Christ - and to Him goes ALL the glory!
Like I said before, YOU JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND JUDGMENT.
You’ll have to explain/define it, as the only time it appears is from your fingertips to the screen.
OSYCLI will revoke that license; right?
NIWYTA
And like many of us have told YOU before: YOU don't understand GRACE.
So - let's ALL of us quit wasting our time and get out there and hide them eggs!
However, I will contemplate deeply on whether I am on His.
Words to live by. Wonderful distillation of scripture, not least of Jesus' words.
Not sure what you are getting at there. 57 posted on 03/20/2024 1:59:08 PM PDT by fso301
Maybe look at post 35, the one he’s referencing, that you posted?
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