God’s Plan for Jews and Gentiles

It seems to me that there are many who have a misunderstanding of how the Jews and the Gentiles fit together in God’s plan.  Since I don’t expect you to just take my word for it, we’ll be doing a little reading about this from Scripture.  I’ll be making points as we read the Scripture together, so let’s jump in and see what it says.

ROMANS 11

“I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew.”

1) The Israelites have not been cast away and forsaken by God.

“Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, ‘Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life’? But what does the divine response say to him? ‘I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.’ Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.”

2) Even after the majority of the Israelites and their leaders had rejected Christ, there were still a remnant of those who accepted Him.

“And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.”

3) Israelites are saved the same way that we are: by God’s grace, not by doing the works contained in their law.

“What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. Just as it is written:

‘God has given them a spirit of stupor,
Eyes that they should not see
And ears that they should not hear,
To this very day.’

And David says:

‘Let their table become a snare and a trap,
A stumbling block and a recompense to them.
Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see,
And bow down their back always.’

I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them. For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, ‘Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.’ Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?”

4) The Jews who rejected Christ were cut off from Christ and His salvation.

5) Gentiles who have accepted Christ have been grafted into Christ.

6) The Jews are able to be grafted back in again.

7) Gentiles are instructed not to be proud or arrogant because if we do not continue in the faith and in His goodness, we will also be cut off (to be cut off from Christ is to lose one’s salvation).

“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

‘The Deliverer will come out of Zion,
And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
For this is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.’

Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.”

I see the Jews being like part of our family who has walked from God and needs repentance.  We need to love them, pray for them, and show them Christ’s love in the hopes of seeing them come to salvation through Christ.

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” (Romans 10:1-4)

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My Musings on the Holidays

I’ve been thinking a bit about this topic for the past few weeks.  Many of us celebrate holidays sheerly because of tradition.  We get days off, we don’t want our families and more specifically our children to be left out, so we celebrate holidays the way our parents celebrated them with us when we were kids or we more or less mimic celebrating them the way everyone else does.  When I first reached adulthood, I decided that I didn’t want to believe something just because that’s what my church or family believed, but because it was true and was what the Bible said.  The more I’ve thought on the celebration of holidays, the more I see myself returning to the same thought.  I want what I do to have meaning, and doing things just for the sake of tradition is not a sufficient reason for me to do things.  Traditions in various times and various places have been flat out wrong (especially in places of widespread paganism), so I don’t think tradition alone is a good reason to do things.

The Bible being the ultimate source and guide for my life, I decided to turn to it to find answers to my questions concerning holidays and celebrations.  Here is what I found:

1. God Himself gave 3 times of celebration and festivity (holidays) to His people, the Israelites to celebrate.  These celebrations, therefore, are God ordained, God commanded and holy.  (The commands for these are listed in a few places in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy.)
2. The holidays that God gave the Israelites to celebrate were times to commemorate God and to remember the good things that He did for them.  
   a) The Feast of Unleavened Bread, coupled with the Passover, is the celebration of God’s liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery.
   b) The Feast of Weeks and of Ingathering are a time of thanksgiving to God for His blessings during the harvest.
   c) The Feast of Tabernacles is a celebration of God’s provision to the Israelites during the time of their travels in the wilderness after they left Egypt and before they settled in the land of Canaan.

So from these commands I believe that it can be concluded that it is good and God-honoring to have celebrations that commemorate the good things that God has done for us. 

Though we trace our spiritual roots to the Israelites, the Jews, as Gentiles we don’t have the same heritage as they do.  As a result, we Gentiles tend not to celebrate the same events that the Jews do; therefore, I think that having a few of our own celebrations is a good idea.  I like the idea of celebrating Christ’s birth for Christmas and Christ’s death and resurrection during Easter.  I also think that the holidays such as the American holiday of Thanksgiving in which we are to give thanks to God for His provision is also a great idea.  Having special days of remembrance is a good way for us to remember to thank God for the many good things that He has done for us and it is also a good time to teach our children to do the same.

“I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.” (Psalm 77:11)

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Article on Total Depravity by Arminian Today

A few days ago I read an article on Arminian Today that examined a book by Jack Cottrell on total depravity.  The article is the first part in a series, and began by defining the various beliefs surrounding total depravity and gave a brief history surrounding each of them.  If you’re interested knowing a little bit more about this subject, I found this article to be quite informative.  The article is titled Cottrell: Original Sin or Original Grace?

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Can the Scriptures be trusted?

I thank Dr. John for submitting this question.  The question goes to the very foundation of Scriptural studies.  I mean a person who would study the Scriptures would first want to know that they were reliable. 

WHAT THE SCRIPTURE SAYS ABOUT ITSELF

The first thing we should know about Scripture is by its own admission, “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God”.  (2 Timothy 3:16)

Second, Scripture also tells us that God does not lie. 

“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19)

Third, God’s Word will always continue to stand. 

“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” (Isaiah 40:8)

So therefore, what we are told in Scripture is that Scripture is inspired by God, the God Who does not lie, and will always endure.  I, therefore, only see one of two alternatives when it comes to the Scripture: either it is truthful and must all be accepted or it is false and must all be rejected.

Now it is of important note here that the majority of Scripture deals with spiritual matters which means that there are some matters which can only be accepted by faith.  As such, it takes God Himself to reveal these matters to the heart. 

“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14)

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:

‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.’ (Isaiah 29:14)

Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks (or Gentiles) foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1:18-25)

APOLOGETICS

However, the Scripture also is factual in all matters that it addresses, which means that there are also things about the Scriptures in the natural world that can be investigated.  The study of questions regarding the Christian faith is the very basis of a field all its own to which many good men and women dedicate their lives: apologetics.  At first glance, the name, apologetics, might sounds like someone giving an apology for something.  However, this couldn’t be further from the truth; in actuality, this word comes from the Greek word, apologia, which means defense.  So apologetics is the study of the defense of the Christian faith, which makes the field quite expansive and diverse in its subject matter.  Since volumes have been written on the subject, for the reader who is interested, I can recommend a few resources of study. 

For those interested in science, Answers in Genesis
Answers in Genesis covers a vast array of scientific questions regarding the Bible and Creation; for the historical evidence for the Bible, I’ve read Josh McDowell’s book, More Than a Carpenter, was good.  I’ve also heard that Lee Strobel is a good writer on the historical evidence of the Bible. 

IN CONCLUSION

It is very important that we have answers for those who have questions, but I would close by reminding the reader what the Bible was written for.  Though it does contain historical books and trace amounts of science, the Bible was not written as a science or history book; it was written so that we might know God and might come to Him.

“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31)

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The Primary Role of the Parent

Simply defined, that role is teaching our children.  The main purpose of childhood is to learn the things necessary for adulthood.  The most important lessons we teach our children are about God and how to serve Him.  I look to the Old Testament as a model:

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

It would seem to me that what God was telling the Israelites was to teach their children at every opportunity they could about God and His commands.  Have regular Bible study with your children and teach them God’s Word.  Look for opportunities and everyday object lessons with which to teach our children about God and His Word.  One example might be that if you’re out admiring nature, talk about God’s hand in creation. 

Of course all the teaching in the world won’t be enough if we don’t exhibit Godly behavior ourselves for our children.  We must also show them by the example of our lives how they should live, just as we have been given the examples of Godly men and women before us as well as Christ Himself.

“Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.” (Hebrews 13:7)

“Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.” (James 5:10)

“For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.” (John 13:15, Jesus speaking on serving others)

I consider teaching my child about God and Godly behavior the most important task to which I’ve been charged.  I take it very seriously and seek God diligently for His help and grace.  May God bless you as you seek Him in all that you do, especially in raising your children to live for Him.

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The Necessity of Modesty

Jesus said that the man who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed fornication with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:27,28)  Most of us I’d say do face sexual temptation, but the temptation in this arena seems to be the worst for men.  Carelessly and thoughtlessly, a great many women put on things hoping to catch a man’s eye.  There’s nothing wrong with dressing sharp and attractively, but it goes over the line when you dress enticingly.  This isn’t an area to play games in.  It is better to err on the side of caution.  As a Christian woman, do you actually want to be the cause of sin?  God forbid.  In the immediate verses following “looking to lust” being a sin, Jesus suggests drastic measures to keep oneself from sin like plucking eyes out and cutting hands off that would cause a person to sin.  (Matthew 5:29,30)  Does God really want us to blind and dismember ourselves?  The point is, do what it takes to stay away from sin; take drastic measures if you have to because whatever it takes is worth the price to stay out of Hell.

“But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren.” (James 1:14-16)

“Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 2:22)

“Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)

BOTTOM LINE

Stay out of sin.  Do your best to avoid being the cause of anyone else’s sin.  “Glorify God in your body and spirit which are God’s.”

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