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Are the Church and Israel Unhinged from Each Other? Part 3 Making Sense of Scripture.

Anyone whose ever gone canoeing knows how difficult it is to paddle up stream? Sometimes no matter how hard you work you get no where. Many of our evangelical institutions are organized and committed to the view that Israel and the church are unhinged from each other Pastor John Mc Arthur recently said that the most important issue for biblical interpretation is the relationship between Israel and the  church. Pastor Andy Stanley an advocate of this view recently said Christians need to "unhinge themselves from the Old Testament."For people like Mc Arthur and Stanley the church, God's work among the Gentiles after Pentecost is a special and unique aspect of God's program separate and distinct from his work with Israel. Those parts of the Old Testament that speak of God's covenant with Israel  are directed to the Jews alone have a secondary application to the church. God works among us in the same way he worked with Israel, but their are differing programs and promises related to the time in which they are fulfilled. The church they insist was never prefigured or anticipated in the Old Testament. It is the mystery Paul was uniquely called to reveal.

In this post, which is a third, and final conclusion of three I am going to canoe upstream. I am going to argue that their is one people and one program of God working in fulfillment of the covenants of promise. While there are distinctions between Israel and the church there is one kingdom of God fulfilled in his work among both. The question of the relationship the church has to Israel goes back to the book of Acts itself. It is an important debate because it relates to the issue of grace and whether Jews an Gentile are both saved by grace alone through faith alone and the relationship the law has to them. The apologetics website Got Answers reflects three ways evangelicals answer these questions:
 the different views of the relationship between the church and Israel are the church has replaced Israel (replacement theology) [suppressioninsm], the church is an expansion of Israel (covenant theology), or the church is completely different and distinct from Israel (dispensationalism).
The dispensational view is so pervasive in the United States that many consider it orthodox even though the dispensational system of theology was developed very late in church history. We will begin to answer the question by examining what the New Testament teaches about the Old. The climax of the book of Acts occurs in Chapter 15. Paul and his mentor Barnabas have returned from their first missionary journey where many Gentiles have come to Christ,which resulted in a plentiful harvest among Gentile's. They report this to the leaders of the church in Jerusalem. Meanwhile Peter has received a vision from God recognizing the legitimacy of Gentile conversion apart from obedience to the law. This follows the conversion of many Gentile who receive the same confirming sign of tongues given at Pentecost. Peter also reports this to the church. 

The Jewish leaders of the church had not expected a mass Gentile conversion without first a conversion to Judaism. Jesus had defined his mission as being focused on the Jews. "I was sent only to the lost seep of the house of Israel... (Math 24:15)."  Yet as Christ-followers many of their expectations had been vacated. After some discussion with the leadership James, the brother of Jesus, not an Apostle, the leader of the church in Jerusalem reported on their decision:


[12] And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. [13] After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. [14] Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. [15] And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,
[16] “‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, [17] that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things [18] known from of old.’ [19] Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, [20] but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. [21] For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.” (Acts 15:12–21ESV)  

It was clear to James that the Post Pentecost Gentiles-- the church-- who had come to Christ through the ministries of Peter, Paul, Barnabas and others had received the same Spirit and were part of the same work of God as the Jews at Pentecost, and secondly James declared that the establishment of the church was in fulfillment of the the Old Testament promise of Amos 9: 11 & 12. 

The prophet Amos predicts how God will deal with each nation that related to Israel in the Old Testament period. Then he predicts the restoration of Israel. He makes two predictions about the restoration of Israel:

  • The fallen tent of David's will be rebuilt
  • That the Gentiles and "all who call on the name of the Lord would be part of that restoration.
James argues that the Post-Pentecost salvation of the Gentiles the church had been predicted in the Old Testament. Later Paul in his Epistle to the Romans cites several Old Testament fulfillment's by the church:
[8] For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, [9] and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.”
[10] And again it is said,
“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” [11] And again,
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.” [12] And again Isaiah says,
“The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.” [13] May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:8–13 ESV)
The clear view of the Apostles was that the church was one of promises God made as part of his covenants of promise. 

The New Testament explains that prior to Pentecost the gentiles were separated from the covenants of promise, "[12] remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. (Ephesians 2:12 ESV)" There are many covenants in scripture many of those are given to Israel specifically, but "the covenants of promise are eternal for all people (I Chronicles 16:16; 2 Chronicles 21:7; Nehemiah 9:8; Psalm 105:9; Luke 1:72; Romans 9:4; Galatians 3:17; Hebrews 8:6;9:15) Through what we often refer to as the Old Covenant made with Abraham and David God. 

Throughout scripture God promised to establish a relationship will all people. "I will be your God, you will be my people and I will dwell in the midst of you."(Gen 17:8; Ex 6:7; 20:2, 5, 7; 25:8; 29:45, 46; 43:9; 29:46; Deut 16: 11;  Leviticus 11:45; 22:33; 25:38; 26:12, 45; Nu 15:41; Ps 50:7; 81:10; Is 41: 10,13; 43:3; 63:8; 68:18; Jo 9:16, 22:  Jer 7:23: 11:4, 20; 24;7; 30:22; 31:1, 33; 32:38; Ezk 11:20;14:11; 20:19 & 20; 34:24, 31; 36:28; 37-23, 27, 38; 43:9; Hosea 12:9; 13: 4; Joel 2:27; 3:17; Zec 2:11; 8:8; 10:6; Cor 6:16; Hebrews 8:10; Rev 21:,7) God revealed the covenant through which the promise would be fulfilled to Abraham and David:

[1] Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. [2] And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. [3] I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1–3/ESV)
[8] Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. [9] And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. [10] And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, [11] from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. [12] When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. [13] He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. [14] I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, (2 Samuel 7:8–14 ESV).
There are many covenants in scripture but through these two covenants -- commonly called the Old Covenant -- and the New Covenant the promise is fulfilled two all people. The promise "I will be your God; you will be my people and I will dwell in the midst of you is established for all mankind through each of these covenants.

  1.  Both are a statement of relationship God established with the subject of the covenants (Abraham and David) by grace. Neither had earned or deserved the covenant. Neither had done anything to deserve it. (Gen 12:1; 2 Samuel 7: 8
  2. The promise would establish a great nation through both Abraham and David through which the world would be blessed (Gen 12:2: 2 Samuel 7: 8)
  3. The promise would establish a nation on a physical place (Gen 12:2; 2 Samuel 7: 9- 11)
  4. God would bless or curse people based on their response to this covenant alone (Gen 12:3; 2 Samuel 7: 10-13
  5.  Through this covenant all people would be reached (Gen12:3; 2 Samuel 7:11)
 Both covenants required its subject to accept it as an act of faith in which they restated the covenant and their allegiance to it -- Abraham in Gen 17: 3- 8; David in 2 Samuel 7: 18-28). David's response to the covenant is to pray that this covenant is "the instruction of mankind," that through this covenant all mankind will be revealed the promise. Amos 9 makes a reference to this when it speaks of David's tent, his household, "possessing Edom." The original word translated "Edom" can also be translated "Adam" or man. Through "Adam" all nations are called by his name. This appears to be the  interpretation James, the brother of Jesus gives this verse in Acts 15, quoting Amos 9 from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament James refers to this passage as the Old Covenant promise on which Gentile conversion is based. James appears to be approving Paul and Barnabas's conversion of the Gentiles as the fulfillment of Amos Chapter 9, which is referred to as David's house. Amos predicted that at a future date the Davidic covenant would be the tent under which all mankind is instructed in the promise. James appears to be arguing that Old covenant looked forward to the existence of the church. James asserted exactly what Paul would later say, "the mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel (Eph 3: 6)."   

The good news, the new revelation Paul and Barnabass established was that the promise was fulfilled for all people Jew and Gentile through the same gospel of Jesus Christ. Yes there will always be an ethnic Israel that fulfills the covenant, but Israel and the church are forever connected through the covenants of promise. Are the church and Israel unhinged from each other? The promise forever unites them through the covenants. (Hebrews 12: 18- 24

  




This post first appeared on Samson's Jawbone, please read the originial post: here

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Are the Church and Israel Unhinged from Each Other? Part 3 Making Sense of Scripture.

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