holy nation

Christ, not sent for me?

/ grace country pastor / Leave a comment

The first advent of Jesus Christ was prophesied since the very beginning of time… since before Israel was on the scene.  In Genesis 3:15 God speaking to satan says… “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

The Bible, thereafter, states clearly that the prophesied Christ was sent specifically to the nation Israel that the nation Israel would be Gods Holy Light to the rest of the world.  The entire “old testament” (and much of the new) is of and about the nation Israel.

Speaking to the Jewish leaders in John 5:39 Christ proclaims… “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”  Moses prophesies to the twelve tribes in Deuteronomy 18:15… “The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall harken;”  The Jewish leaders did not recognize their prophesied Messiah who was the end (or fulfillment) of the Law that they were trying to pridefully keep by their own abilities, but could not.

Romans 10:4… “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believe.”  Paul here is recounting that all Israel had to do was to believe that Christ was the prophesied Messiah come to the nation, and the righteousness of God would be imputed judicially unto them.  Read verses 1-5 for full context.  Who exactly does Paul say that Christ was?

Romans 15:8… “Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:”  The circumcision are the Jews.  Who does Jesus Christ Himself say that He came for?

Speaking to the twelve regarding the woman of Canaan He says, in Mat 15:24… “But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Who does Jesus lay down His life for?  John 15:13-14… “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.”

These verses make abundantly clear that Jesus Christ came specifically for the nation Israel; and not only that, but only to those in the nation who would do whatsoever He commanded!  That is a mighty big IF in that verse!  Not many did what He commanded.  During His time on earth He was still commanding that the Law be followed; moreover, He magnified the Law greatly in the sermon on the mount by saying that not only must men physically conform to the Law, but our very thoughts as well must conform to the ideal of the Law.  Is this even honestly remotely possible for a man today?  The answer is no, it is not at all possible.  By setting the bar so impossibly high, God was saying to His people simply that they required Himself if they wanted to be righteous.  They, like most men throughout history, choose themselves over God.

Clearly then, Jesus Christ, during His earthly ministry to Israel, did not have we Gentiles in mind, except that we would be blessed by His chosen nation Israel.  That is their stated purpose.  Speaking to the same woman of Canaan Jesus exclaims in Mat 15:26… “But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.”  Sweet, kind and mild Jesus just called you a dog!  Ah, but you say: “Christ in the next verse blesses the woman He just called a dog, so He did come for her!”  The only reason He blessed her is because she recognizes her place in the grand scheme of things; as a subordinate to those above her, the nation Israel.  She (a lowly Gentile) recognizes the Lord that Israel failed to recognize, and answers in verse 27… “And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters table.”  She realizes that Israel is to be something very special and accepts her place under them.  The faith she was required to demonstrate to receive a blessing from God (Gen 12:3… “I will bless them that bless thee…”) was sure.

Christ came and died (initially – at least what we know by way of prophesy) for the nation Israel and Israel alone; and only those in the nation who would faithfully keep His commandments.  It is only later when Saul is saved on the road to Damascus in Acts 9 that we learn fully what the death of the Savior of all mankind actually accomplished.  The implications of this are stunningly profound and will be examined in the next post.

Next Post – If not Christ (John 3:16), then who?

Why Israel?

/ grace country pastor / 7 Comments

In the last post I identified something mostly unknown to professing Christians… a “mystery” or secret God withheld from His creation until He chose to reveal that information to the Apostle Paul.  In attempting to determine what that information is, let us first examine Gods intent for the nation Israel.

In Genesis 12:1-3 God calls Abram out of Ur (Babylon) unto a new location that remained undisclosed to Abram.  Abram believed what God was saying to him and, following the Lords instruction, left his fathers house.  God made a promise to Abram (because of that belief) that He would make of Abram a great nation which would in turn be a blessing to those who would bless Abram.  I think we can fairly identify a nation as a large group of people.  Key words to my point are located in Gen 12:3(b)… “and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”  This is the very beginning of the nation Israel and defines their very purpose; that they should somehow be a blessing to others (all families).  Many years later, the covenant of circumcision comes into play.  It is the wall of partition which separates out those whom God has a covenant agreement with (a covenant is an agreement between parties) from those He does not.  God has a covenant agreement with Israel and no other nation.  See Genesis 17:11-14 (KJV…Only).

Still later (I am passing over much history here) as Moses is leading captive Israel (they were bad and God was punishing them) from Egypt, God establishes the Law with the nation.  Exodus 19:5-6… “Now therefore, IF ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, THEN ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.  These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.”  Notice carefully the “If/Then” nature of this covenant agreement.

A nation of priests… what then is a priest?  A priest is a mediator between God and man; one who was to perform the sacred rights on behalf of the people to make things “right” between the nation and God.  Therefore the nation Israel, as a nation of priests, was to be the channel of blessing from God to the rest of the peoples (nations) of the world.

The nation responds to that covenant in Deut. 6:25… “And it shall be our righteousness, IF we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as He hath commanded us.”  The following of Gods Law then, will be the righteousness of Israel.  Clearly, Israel is under the impression they will be able to follow Gods Holy Law.  Could they; did they?  Clearly they did not as the only man who could ever perfectly follow Gods Perfect Law was “God As Man” Jesus Christ.  It was subsequently revealed (by Paul) that Jesus Christ was the “end” of the Law (Romans 10:4) to them that believed.  Israel did not believe (and still does not yet see).

Jesus Christ Himself commanded the nation in what has become known collectively as the great commission (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-20, Luke 24:45-50 and Acts 1:1-8) to go into all the world and preach the Kingdom of God!  They (the nation as a whole) did not, because they did not believe Christ was who He said He was.  They did not believe Christ was God.

Since Israel failed to live up to their end of the covenant agreement, did God establish the nation as that nation of priests to the world (1 Peter 2:9)?  Clearly, He did not.  The world is not looking to Israel as Gods channel of blessing; nor should the world seek such in Israel today, as they failed to keep that which God commanded and failed to recognize their Messiah.  (At least thus far.)  Now the question must be asked: what are the Gentile nations (all nations “below” Israel) to do, now that Gods channel of blessing is (temporarily) “cut off” as they currently are?  How was a lowly Gentile supposed to come to know God?  As Paul writes to the Jewish leaders in Acts 28:28… “Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.”

Herein lies the essence of the mystery made known to Paul… that Gentile believers might receive some portion of Gods blessing apart from the nation Israel.  But is Paul’s message therefore different then that which the twelve were proclaiming?  Did Paul not simply continue the twelves Kingdom message?  Israel, Gods channel of blessing to Gentiles, is “cut off” at this moment.  If we read Gods Word rightly divided as the Holy Spirit through Paul instructs, we observe clearly that Paul’s message (gospel – good news) is vastly different from the message (gospel – good news) given to the twelve.  Paul’s good news is “apart” from the nation Israel’s good news.  It is here we begin to understand how and why Paul claims such ownership over what he teaches.

Next Post – “Paul, not one of the twelve!“