Hello Retrobyter,
It is better if we can remain civil and polite to each other - I remind myself of this daily.
Please understand what you replying to - ask for clarification if need be.
I agree. I get excited about things that I count important and often come across as caustic, but I respect you and your opinions. If I didn't, I wouldn't bother to have these discussions. However, I will attempt to remain as civil and polite as I am able.
Do you really think that "to the Jew first and also to the Greek" no longer applies?!
Pardon me....the Gospel goes to all the world, whether they are Jewish people or Gentile people. there is no difference.
What do
you think that means - Pre-emminence (superiority) to the Jew
or - the Gospel was to go them FIRST:
Matthew 10
5These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: "
Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; 6but
rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
This was Christ`s Mission as well:
Matthew 15
23But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, "Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us." 24But He answered and said, "
I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." 25But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, "Lord, help me!"
Acts 13
Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: "
We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.
This does not mean Jews are rejected or exempt from the Gospel, it means that they are on equal footing with gentiles - lost and hellbound without the Gospel. They are not in Covenant with God.
This is why I thought it important that we first define our terms. Apparently, you are unaware of the way that the word "gospel" is used in ... well ... the Gospels. You are right about your assessments of Matthew 10 and 15 above, but I fear that you do NOT understand why. There is a history and a cultural context which I perceive you don't fully understand.
When Yeshua` (Jesus) was here the first time, He was presenting Himself to the Jews as YHWH'S Messiah, that is, YHWH'S Anointed One to be King, predicted to come in the prophecies. That was a very SPECIAL understanding to the Jews! He was their promised NATIONAL HERO to come! We have our stories - our myths - of Superman and other comic book heroes, such as the Green Arrow, and new such science fiction/fantasy stories, such as "The Tomorrow People" and "Intelligence." We have the legends of war heroes, such as Sergeant York, Kelly's Heroes, and lately the Monuments Men. We have our sport heroes; we have our favorite entertainment stars. But, all of these were wrapped up in the promises God made through the prophets for the Israeli people down through the millennia in this ONE PERSON, HaMASHIYACH ELOHIYM, the MESSIAH OF GOD!
The Messiah was not to be a fictional character in some myth, legend, or tall tale. These prophecies were written by the prophets on behalf of YHWH God Himself, and thus, they were not only true, but they were going to be fulfilled literally! One could count on their fulfillment, even if the timing of such fulfillment eluded him! They were TRUTH! But, it had been HUNDREDS of years since the prophecies were first penned, and God hadn't fulfilled them, yet! Many of the common people had grown lethargic and for all practical purposes, had GIVEN UP on them EVER being fulfilled! They were losing hope! They were starting to look at the prophecies as we adults would look at our kids' comic books; the comic books are nice stories, but they are ONLY stories - fiction that would never be truly realized.
So, when this wild man who dressed funny and ate off the land, Yochanan the Immerser (John the Baptist), began to tell them that the Messiah was soon to arrive, it didn't go over very well, especially with the politicians and the powerful who loved the positions of power.
Then, when the Messiah Yeshua` actually arrived and said, "The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom from the sky is within your grasp; repent and believe this good news," they were skeptical ... until they saw the miracles He performed that He could only perform with God's power, authenticating His claim! So, what IS this gospel - this good news - about the Kingdom?
Isaiah 52:7
7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
KJV
THAT'S the good news to which they were to respond! And, every Jew, every child of Isra'el, who followed the Torah and Haftarah readings throughout the year read this verse AT LEAST once a year!
This verse is quoted in Romans 10:15:
Romans 10:14-15
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
KJV
This is a beautiful word picture of what they used to do in times of battle to share with the king what was going on in the battle field. See 1 Samuel 18:1-33. There were runners with messages about good events, like Achima`ats (Ahimaaz), and there were runners with messages about tragedies, like the Kuwshiy or the Ethiopian. The messengers who usually brought messages about good events were known and were welcomed; runners who brought bad news were dreaded. This is to what Isaiah 52:7 and Romans 10:15 are referring.
"How welcome are the runners who herald good news about peace and who bring happy news about good events!" Therefore, the "gospel of the Kingdom" is the "good news about the Kingdom: Your God is reigning!"
Now, when Yeshua` said He was sent, this was His understanding of His mission:
Matthew 15:21-28
21 Yeshua left that place and went off to the region of Tzor (Tyre) and Tziydon (Sidon). 22 A woman from Kena‘an (Canaan) who was living there came to him, pleading, “Sir, have pity on me. Son of David! My daughter is cruelly held under the power of demons!” 23 But Yeshua did not say a word to her. Then his talmidim came to him and urged him, “Send her away, because she is following us and keeps pestering us with her crying.” 24 He said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Isra’el.” 25 But she came, fell at his feet and said, “Sir, help me!” 26 He answered, “It is not right to take the children’s food and toss it to their pet dogs.” 27 She said, “That is true, sir, but even the dogs eat the leftovers that fall from their master’s table.” 28 Then Yeshua answered her, “Lady, you are a person of great trust. Let your desire be granted.” And her daughter was healed at that very moment.
CJB
His mission was to the "house of Isra'el," not to everybody! He was in the business of offering the Kingdom to the "house of Isra'el" - the SAME KINGDOM as that over which David and S
moh (Solomon) ruled! So, when He had sent out His talmidiym (His students or disciples), they were also given the same mission:
Matthew 10:1-42
10:1 Yeshua called his twelve talmidim and gave them authority to drive out unclean spirits and to heal every kind of disease and weakness. 2 These are the names of the twelve emissaries:
First, Shim‘on, called Kefa, and Andrew his brother,
Ya‘akov Ben-Zavdai and Yochanan his brother,
3 Philip and Bar-Talmai,
T’oma and Mattityahu the tax-collector,
Ya‘akov Bar-Halfai and Taddai,
4 Shim‘on the Zealot, and Y’hudah from K’riot, who betrayed him.
5 These twelve Yeshua sent out with the following instructions: “Don’t go into the territory of the Goyim (Gentiles), and don’t enter any town in Shomron (Samaria), 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Isra’el. 7 As you go, proclaim, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is near,’ 8 heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those afflicted with tzara’at, expel demons. You have received without paying, so give without asking payment. 9 Don’t take money in your belts, no gold, no silver, no copper; 10 and for the trip don’t take a pack, an extra shirt, shoes or a walking stick — a worker should be given what he needs.
11 “When you come to a town or village, look for someone trustworthy and stay with him until you leave. 12 When you enter someone’s household, say, ‘Shalom aleikhem!’ 13 If the home deserves it, let your shalom rest on it; if not, let your shalom return to you. 14 But if the people of a house or town will not welcome you or listen to you, leave it and shake its dust from your feet! 15 Yes, I tell you, it will be more tolerable on the Day of Judgment for the people of S’dom (Sodom) and ‘Amora (Gamorah) than for that town!
16 “Pay attention! I am sending you out like sheep among wolves, so be as prudent as snakes and as harmless as doves. 17 Be on guard, for there will be people who will hand you over to the local Sanhedrins and flog you in their synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as a testimony to them and to the Goyim. 19 But when they bring you to trial, do not worry about what to say or how to say it; when the time comes, you will be given what you should say. 20 For it will not be just you speaking, but the Spirit of your heavenly Father speaking through you.
21 “A brother will betray his brother to death, and a father his child; children will turn against their parents and have them put to death. 22 Everyone will hate you because of me, but whoever holds out till the end will be preserved from harm. 23 When you are persecuted in one town, run away to another. Yes indeed; I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Isra’el before the Son of Man comes.
24 “A talmid is not greater than his rabbi, a slave is not greater than his master. 25 It is enough for a talmid that he become like his rabbi, and a slave like his master. Now if people have called the head of the house Ba‘al-Zibbul, how much more will they malign the members of his household! 26 So do not fear them; for there is nothing covered that will not be uncovered, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim on the housetops.
28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are powerless to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who can destroy both soul and body in Gei-Hinnom. 29 Aren’t sparrows sold for next to nothing, two for an assarion? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s consent. 30 As for you, every hair on your head has been counted. 31 So do not be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows.
32 “Whoever acknowledges me in the presence of others I will also acknowledge in the presence of my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others I will disown before my Father in heaven.
34 “Don’t suppose that I have come to bring peace to the Land. It is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword! 35 For I have come to set
36 a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law,
so that a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household. (Micah 7:6)
37 Whoever loves his father or mother more than he loves me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than he loves me is not worthy of me. 38 And anyone who does not take up his execution-stake and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his own life will lose it, but the person who loses his life for my sake will find it.
40 “Whoever receives you is receiving me, and whoever receives me is receiving the One who sent me. 41 Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive the reward a prophet gets, and anyone who receives a tzaddik because he is a tzaddik will receive the reward a tzaddik gets. 42 Indeed, if someone gives just a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my talmid — yes! — I tell you, he will certainly not lose his reward!”
CJB
They were instructed to stay on the Isra'eliy roads and not to veer off into Gentile territories or even into the towns of the Shomroniym (the Samaritans, the half breeds from the Northern Kingdom, half Isra'eliy, half Gentile, and denigrated by the Jews).
Their mission was to go to the Lost Sheep of the house of Isra'el, just like His mission! Later, He sends out seventy along with them with the same mission:
Luke 10:1-16
10:1 After this, the Lord appointed seventy other talmidim and sent them on ahead in pairs to every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 He said to them, “To be sure, there is a large harvest. But there are few workers. Therefore, plead with the Lord of the Harvest that he speed workers out to gather in his harvest. 3 Get going now, but pay attention! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Don’t carry a money-belt or a pack, and don’t stop to shmoose with people on the road.
5 “Whenever you enter a house, first say, ‘Shalom!’ to the household. 6 If a seeker of shalom is there, your ‘Shalom!’ will find its rest with him; and if there isn’t, it will return to you. 7 Stay in that same house, eating and drinking what they offer, for a worker deserves his wages — don’t move about from house to house.
8 “Whenever you come into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is put in front of you. 9 Heal the sick there, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you.’ 10 But whenever you enter a town and they don’t make you welcome, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off as a sign against you! But understand this: the Kingdom of God is near!’ 12 I tell you, it will be more tolerable on the Day of Judgment for S’dom than for that town.
13 “Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Beit-Tzaidah! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tzor and Tzidon, they would long ago have put on sackcloth and ashes as evidence that they had changed their ways. 14 But at the Judgment it will be more bearable for Tzor and Tzidon than for you!
15 “And you, K’far-Nachum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Sh’ol!
16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me, also whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the One who sent me.”
CJB
Please understand that their mission was NOT like the mission of so many today! Their message was NOT like the message of so many today, and their power was NOT like the power (or lack thereof) of so many today!
Yeshua` said to Pilate,
John 18:37
37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
KJV
And we read the confession of the Magi in Matthew 2:2:
Matthew 2:1-2
2:1 After Yeshua was born in Beit-Lechem (Bethlehem; "House-of-Bread") in the land of Y’hudah (Judah) during the time when Herod was king, Magi from the east came to Yerushalayim 2 and asked, “Where is the newborn King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east and have come to worship (bow the knee to) him.”
CJB
And we read in Luke's Gospel that Gavri'el (Gabriel) said,
Luke 1:30-33
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
KJV
THIS is the message of the Gospels. So, in a very literal sense, there IS a "supremacy of the Jewish people," indeed of ALL the Isra'elites! GOD put it in place! HE selected them above all the other nations, not because of anything good THEY have done, but because of the Fathers - the Ancestors, like Avraham (Abraham), Yitschaq (Isaac), and Ya`aqov (Jacob or Isra'el)! God made promises to THESE men and will not go back on His promises!
Romans 11:11-30
11 “In that case, I say, isn’t it that they have stumbled with the result that they have permanently fallen away?” Heaven forbid! Quite the contrary, it is by means of their stumbling that the deliverance has come to the Gentiles, in order to provoke them to jealousy (Deuteronomy 32:21). 12 Moreover, if their stumbling is bringing riches to the world — that is, if Isra’el’s being placed temporarily in a condition less favored than that of the Gentiles is bringing riches to the latter — how much greater riches will Isra’el in its fullness bring them!
13 However, to those of you who are Gentiles I say this: since I myself am an emissary sent to the Gentiles, I make known the importance of my work 14 in the hope that somehow I may provoke some of my own people to jealousy and save some of them! 15 For if their casting Yeshua aside means reconciliation for the world, what will their accepting him mean? It will be life from the dead!
16 Now if the hallah (portion of bread) offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole loaf. And if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you — a wild olive (oleander branch)— were grafted in among them and have become equal sharers in the rich root of the olive tree, 18 then don’t boast as if you were better than the branches! However, if you do boast, remember that you are not supporting the root, the root is supporting you. 19 So you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 True, but so what? They were broken off because of their lack of trust. However, you keep your place only because of your trust. So don’t be arrogant; on the contrary, be terrified! 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he certainly won’t spare you! 22 So take a good look at God’s kindness and his severity: on the one hand, severity toward those who fell off; but, on the other hand, God’s kindness toward you — provided you maintain yourself in that kindness! Otherwise, you too will be cut off! 23 Moreover, the others, if they do not persist in their lack of trust, will be grafted in; because God is able to graft them back in. 24 For if you were cut out of what is by nature a wild olive (oleander) tree and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree!
25 For, brothers, I want you to understand this truth which God formerly concealed but has now revealed, so that you won’t imagine you know more than you actually do. It is that stoniness, to a degree, has come upon Isra’el, until the Gentile world enters in its fullness; 26 and that it is in this way that all Isra’el will be saved (rescued). As the Tanakh says,
“Out of Tziyon (Zion) will come the Redeemer;
he will turn away ungodliness from Ya‘akov (Jacob)
27 and this will be my covenant with them, . . .
when I take away their sins.” (Isaiah 59:20-21; 27:9)
28 With respect to the Good News they are hated for your sake. But with respect to being chosen they are loved for the Patriarchs’ sake, 29 for God’s free gifts and his calling are irrevocable.
CJB
The Greek phrase in verse 28 is this:
28 kata men to euaggelion echthroi di’ humas, kata de teen eklogeen agapeetoi dia tous pateras.
28 kata = 28 according-to
men = this
to = the
euaggelion = good-news
echthroi = hated-ones
di’ (dia) = through
humas, = you,
kata = according-to
de = but
teen = the
eklogeen = election
agapeetoi = loved-ones
dia = through
tous = the
pateras. = Fathers/Ancestors/Patriarchs.
28 according-to this the good-news, hated-ones through you, but according-to the election, loved-ones through the Fathers/Ancestors/Patriarchs.
Thus, you, a Gentile, an "oleander branch," were grafted into the "root stock" of Isra'el AMONG the "natural olive branches," the children of Isra'el! And, like them, through nothing good that you have done! "Even our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6)! "ALL we, like sheep, have gone astray, and YHWH has laid on Him (the Messiah) the iniquity of us ALL" (Isaiah 53:6)!
So, although it may not be clear to Gentiles today, the Israeli people ARE in Covenant with God! It's a covenant you may not recognize, accept, or even understand, but it's a covenant that's been in existence MUCH longer than the New Covenant! It's the DAVIDIC COVENANT that's a refinement of the Abrahamic Covenant!
Do you really think that Paul said, "Well, I've been to the Jews, now it's time to move on to the Gentiles"?
Paul
did say that`(to the haters); but he was called to minister to kings and jews and gentiles, which he continued to do
all his days:
Acts 9
But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name
to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.
Yes, but WHY?! His gospel was not different than Yeshua`s gospel! Almost every Gentile believer today thinks that 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 has the definition of the "gospel," namely, the "death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ." However, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 does NOT have the definition of the "gospel"; rather, it has an ADDENDUM TO the "gospel!" Keep in mind that, in the KJV, the words "you" and "ye" are PLURAL WORDS as opposed to "thee" and "thou," which are singular. Furthermore, "ye" and "thou" are subjective while "you" and "thee" are objective:
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel (good news) which I preached (announced) unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved (rescued; delivered), if ye keep in memory what I preached (announced) unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ (the Messiah) died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
5 And that he was seen of Cephas (Kefa in Hebrew, Petros in Greek, Peter in English), then of the twelve:
6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
11 Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach (herald), and so ye believed.
KJV
The word "preached" in verses 1 and 2 are simply the verb form of the same Greek word for "gospel." It means "telling good news" or "announcing good news." (As such, though, it would be a little redundant in English that way.) However, the word for "preach" in verse 11 is "keerussamen," the first person plural of "keerussoo" meaning "to herald (as a town crier)." Thus, the word means "we herald (as town criers)." EACH AND EVERY TIME that Paul went to a new town or city, he went to the local synagogue FIRST! He sought out the Jews in that town or city and worked with as many of them as he could BEFORE he talked to the Goyim (Gentiles). The Israeli population in a town or city who could be convinced from the Scriptures were not only new brothers and sisters and valuable allies, but they KNEW the people within that town or city! They could make wonderful contributions to both (1) convince other Isra'elis and (2) make introductions with the local Goyim! His effect on the Israeli population within that town or city was to POLARIZE them! They ended up TAKING SIDES! Some accepted Yeshua` was the Messiah; some were violently against Him!
However, Paul did NOT go to the Jews wherever he went FIRST and then broke off all ties with the Jews and turned wholly to the Gentiles! That was NOT his style! That's what I meant by my statement.
Don't populations continue to grow? What a load of malarky! You've been fed a HUGE lie, and apparently you've bought into it!
I don`t know what you mean. There are Jews who believe they are in Covenant with God without Christ, but they are not. They need the Gospel. The Old Covenant is
abolished. You are not suggesting it can be adhered to without a Temple or sacrifices or a priesthood, are you...I dont know - perhaps you are..in which case you are mistaken.
Hebrews 8:13
By calling this covenant "new,"
he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and
outdated will soon disappear.
And it did. 70AD ended the Old Covenant system forever. There are not 2 Covenants underway - there is ONE - the New in Christ`s Blood.
Well, what I meant by that statement was that we are NOT off the hook for going to the Jewish population first! That was what Paul instructed others to do and that is what he did himself. We, too, should be going to the Israeli population first, and THEN go to the Gentiles as well! We've almost made our churches exclusive, Gentile-only congregations like "good-ol' boy" clubs! Maybe it's not quite the same these days, but it hasn't been that long ago that you had to be a W.A.S.P. (a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) in order to become a member of some churches!
Second, that is a POOR interpretation of Hebrews 8:13. The Old Covenant was NOT discarded; it was superseded! Don't you understand that the Old Covenant is EMBEDDED WITHIN the New Covenant? It didn't "go away"; it was ENHANCED, STREAMLINED, and IMPROVED in the New! 70 A.D. did NOTHING to the Old Covenant! God has NEVER broken faith with Isra'el! He may have shelved them TEMPORARILY as He works with the Goyim, but Romans 11 makes it VERY clear that He is NOT DONE WITH THEM!!! God doesn't change His mind about His promises or His covenants! He is TRUE TO THEM REGARDLESS! That's important to understand because it is crucial to understanding the character of God!
For instance, just because the Law is now, "Love thy neighbor as thyself," don't you think that "Thou shalt not kill" is a part of that? Do you think a murderer should not be prosecuted by our law that is based upon the Ten Commandments? The New Covenant says,
Jeremiah 31:33-34
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
KJV
There is no "AFTER the Gospel message had been proclaimed to the Jews first"!
I dont know what you are talking about. The Jews are saved the same way as anyone else - by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, there remains no distinction as far as God is concerned. Jews are jews according to their traditions and their false religion - they are in Covenant with God outside Christ. So there is no difference between any unbelievers.
You don`t appear to believe that this means what it says:
Ephesians 2
13But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and
broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15
by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace,
It does not mean that the Old Covenant is in place for Jews until they enter the New. The old is long gone. They have NO Covenant standing with God. Just like lost gentiles.
As far as evangelism is concerned, we have the same challenges Paul had when evangelizing the Jews - unbelief, and their love of a false and dead religion, and their deluded state which has them convinced they are God`s chosen people while reviling Jesus Christ. Not so.
I will attempt to address your other concerns following. Let us remember to be civil.
God Bless you,
Poppin.
Yes, I see that you don't know what I'm talking about. Hopefully now, you have a little better understanding.
First of all, recognize that Ephesians 2 is Paul talking to the Gentiles about being accepted into the Family. They once WERE "separate from Christ (Messiah), excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in this world!" (2:12) But now, they WERE "no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus (Messiah Yeshua`) himself as the chief cornerstone (the head capstone)!" (2:19-20)
Second, you're using the WRONG WORD!!! The correct terminology according to the Scriptures for what YOU are addressing is "justification by God," NOT "salvation!" This is NOT just a matter of semantics! The word "salvation" has a SPECIFIC use in the Scriptures, ESPECIALLY in the prophecies! It is talking about the RESCUE or the DELIVERANCE of the Hebrew people from the enemies around them, particularly when the Messiah returns!
Sure, I'm going to be civil in this, but you have absolutely GOT to understand that the hopeless nature of unjustified Gentiles is not even CLOSE to how God treats the Hebrews! Regardless how they have broken the Old Covenant, they are STILL FAMILY and ALWAYS WILL BE!!! USE THE RIGHT WORD! When is one "JUSTIFIED BY GOD?" It's when GOD decides they are justified! LISTEN CAREFULLY TO THE FOLLOWING:
Deuteronomy 4:26-40
26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.
27 And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you.
28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;
31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.
32 For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it?
33 Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live?
34 Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
35 Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him.
36 Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire.
37 And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt;
38 To drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou art, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day.
39 Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.
40 Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth (the Land), which the LORD thy God giveth thee, for ever.
KJV
NOW HEAR THIS: THERE ARE MORE THAN JUST ONE OR TWO COVENANTS!
Jeremiah 31:2-4
2 Thus saith the LORD, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.
3 The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness (Hebrew: "checed" = "covenant-keeping") have I drawn thee.
4 Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.
KJV
Jeremiah 31 was fulfilled in the First Century, when God did indeed make a New Covenant with the House of Israel and Judah.
His Name is Jesus and He died on the Cross as the final sacrifice for their sins.
If Jeremiah is not fulfilled, you yourself remain in your sins and are not saved.
It is good to understand the Historical sequence of the books.
Jeremiah 31 is fulfilled. It`s not waiting somehow for Israelis to decide to accept it...It`s in place and is THE ONLY ground on which men may be made right with God and be in (New) Covenant with Him.
If you have the popular (Judaized) idea
that the New Covenant is simply a Renewed Old Covenant, you have some reckoning to do with the basics of the Christian faith. The New is entirely NEW.
Hebrews 8
But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.
Hebrews 12
23to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24and to
Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.
neos
http://biblehub.com/thayers/3501.htm
-------
Dual-covenant theology is a Christian view of the Old Covenant which holds that Jews may simply keep the "Law of Moses", because of the "everlasting covenant" (Genesis 17:13) between Abraham and God expressed in the Hebrew Bible, whereas Gentiles (those not Jews or Jewish proselytes) must convert to Christianity or alternatively accept the Seven Laws of Noah to be assured of a place in the World to Come.
Many forms of Christianity, especially Conservative Protestants, consider this view to be heresy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual-covenant_theology
Acts 2
29“Brothers,
I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30
Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31
he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33Being therefore
exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit at my right hand,
35 until I make your enemies your footstool.’
36Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that
God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Fulfilled.
Romans 3
The Righteousness of God Through Faith
21But now the righteousness of God has been manifested
apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets
bear witness to it— 22the
righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood,
to be received by faith.
This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26
It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
27Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded.
By what kind of law? By a law of works? No,
but by the law of faith. 28For we hold that
one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through
faith. 31Do we then overthrow the law by this faith?
By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
histémi
http://biblehub.com/thayers/2476.htm
The Law of Faith does not overthrow the Law of God, rather it upholds, or establishes it in it`s rightful place - As a witness against us all that we have fallen short: It tells us of the Righteousness of God according what is SIN. It shows us the The Law of sin and death - transgressions = damnation.
Romans 9:30
What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of
faith.
Romans 10:4
For Christ is the
end of the law
for righteousness to every one that believeth.
telos
http://biblehub.com/thayers/5056.htm
