Church Series-The Church's Relationship to Israel-Authentic Jewishness
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday December 8, 2016
The Church Series: The Church’s Relationship to Israel-Authentic Jewishness
Lesson # 25
One of the great discussions in theology is the church’s relationship to Israel.
Many contend that the church has replaced Israel altogether while others state that there will be a future regeneration and restoration of the nation of Israel at the Second Advent of Christ and His subsequent millennial reign.
Others say that there will be a future regeneration of Israel but not a future restoration of the nation to the land of Palestine.
Many contend that the church has no relationship to Israel whatsoever while other say they are connected.
I will attempt to demonstrate that there is continuity between the church and Israel or in other words, they are definitely connected in some way.
I will also show that there is discontinuity between the two.
There are several points I will develop which will demonstrate that there is not only discontinuity but continuity between the two.
First of all, Paul taught in Romans 2:28-29 and 3:21-31 that a true Jew is one who is not only a biological descendant of Jacob whose name was changed by God to “Israel,” but also they have trusted in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Paul teaches in Romans 9:1-5 that the nation of Israel was given the covenants which is a reference to the Abrahamic, Palestinian, Davidic and New covenants.
In Romans 11:17, Paul also teaches that Gentile believers, who he describes as a “wild olive tree,” are engrafted into regenerate Israel who he describes an “olive tree.”
Consequently, regenerate Gentiles benefit from the promises of the covenant.
The Abrahamic covenant is the “rich root” in Romans 11:17.
The apostle to the Gentiles also taught in Galatians 3:26-28, Ephesians 2:11-22 and Colossians 3:11 that the church is composed of both regenerate Jew and Gentiles.
Paul also teaches in Romans 11:5 that regenerate Jews living during the church age compose the remnant of Israel.
Thus, the church and Israel are connected by this remnant of regenerate Jews living during the church age and by the fact that regenerate Gentiles have been engrafted into regenerate Israel.
However, they are distinguished from each other because of race.
So let’s look at the first point in detail.
First, the apostle Paul taught in Romans 2:28-29 and 3:21-31 that a true Jew is one who is not only a biological descendant of Jacob whose name was changed by God to “Israel,” but also they have trusted in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Romans 2:28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. (NASB95)
“Jew” refers to those members of the human race who are descendants biologically of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and thus members of the nation of Israel and thus, denotes nationality distinguishing the Jew from the Gentile.
“Circumcision” refers to the ritual act of cutting of the foreskin of the male’s penis and was given as a sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and his biological descendants that they were set apart by God and yet was not given to justify or saved them and implied that one was obedient to God.
Romans 2:28 Therefore, as an eternal spiritual truth, he is absolutely never a Jew who is one by means of the external, nor, as an eternal spiritual truth, is circumcision, that which is by means of the external in the human body. (Author’s translation)
This second statement that appears in Romans 2:28 destroys the unsaved, self-righteous Jews’ security in his being circumcised, which he erroneously and presumptuously believed would gain him entrance into the kingdom of heaven and protect him from eternal condemnation.
An authentic Jew is one who has been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
The First Church Council in Jerusalem that is recorded in Acts 15 deemed that a person does not get saved through the practice of circumcision but through faith alone in Christ, thus the Gentiles were not required to be circumcised.
Authentic circumcision also takes place the moment a person trusts in Jesus Christ as their Savior, which results in their being regenerated by the Holy Spirit and thus receiving the nature of Christ called the new creation, or new spiritual species (cf. Gal. 6:15; 1 Cor. 7:19).
According to Colossians 2:11-12, authentic circumcision also involves the “baptism of the Spirit” where the believer in Jesus Christ is identified with Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session.
Romans 2:29 teaches that authentic Jewishness is by means of the internal and authentic circumcision which is by means of the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 2:29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God. (NASB95)
Israel was commanded to circumcise their hearts, which means to turn to the Lord in faith so that they might be able to obey His commands (cf. Deut. 10:16; Jer. 4:4).
Circumcision of the heart involves accepting Jesus Christ as Savior, which enables the Holy Spirit to regenerate the believer, giving them a new nature that will always be obedient to the commands of God.
Circumcision of the heart is connected to regeneration since it is through regeneration that one receives a new nature enabling one to obey the commands of God.
In Ezekiel 36:25-27, Israel was promised by God that He would remove their heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh and give them the Holy Spirit so that they might obey His commands.
An “uncircumcised heart” means a will that is rebellious and negative to God’s commands and is another way of saying the person is stubborn and refers to possessing an old Adamic sin nature that needs to be crucified with Christ through faith in Christ.
In Acts 7:51, addressing unsaved Jews, Stephen called them “uncircumcised in heart” meaning they were arrogant and had not accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior so as to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit and identified with Christ in His crucifixion, death and burial, which would deal with the problem of their old sin nature.
The nation of Israel will have circumcised hearts at the Second Advent of Christ and subsequent millennial reign meaning they will accept Jesus Christ as Savior and as a result will be regenerated by the Holy Spirit so that they will have a nature that will obey the commands of God (Deuteronomy 30:1-6).
In Romans 2:29, Paul’s point to the unsaved Jew is that it is God who ultimately determines what an authentic Jew is rather than men.
Romans 2:29 But rather, as an eternal spiritual truth, he is a Jew who is one by means of the internal and circumcision originates in the heart by means of the omnipotence of the Spirit, never by means of the letter whose praise is as an eternal spiritual truth never from men but from God. (Author’s translation)
The external ritual of circumcision did not constitute an authentic Jew in the eyes of God but rather an authentic Jew is made one by God through faith in Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit in baptism, sanctification and regeneration.
In Romans 3:21-26, Paul teaches that whether a person is a Jew or a Gentile, they can only be declared justified by God as a gift of His grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:21 But now, independently of seeking to be justified by obedience to the Law, the righteousness originating from God is being manifested at the present time while simultaneously being attested to by the Law and the Prophets. 22 Namely, the righteousness originating from God through faith in Jesus who is the Christ for the benefit of each and every person who does believe for there is, as an eternal spiritual truth, absolutely no distinction. 23 For each and every person has sinned consequently, they are always failing to measure up to the glory originating from God 24 with the result that they might, as an eternal spiritual truth, be undeservedly justified based upon His grace by means of the redemption, which is by means of the spiritual death of Christ who is Jesus. 25 Whom God the Father offered publicly as a propitiatory gift through faith by means of His blood in order to demonstrate His righteousness because of the deliberate and temporary suspension of judgment of the sins, which have taken place in the past on the basis of the tolerance originating from the character and nature of God the Father. 26 Correspondingly, in relation to the demonstration of His righteousness during this present distinct period of history, that He Himself is, as an eternal spiritual truth, inherently righteous, even while justifying anyone by means of faith in Jesus. 27 Under what conditions then, is there at any time pride and boasting? It has, as an eternal spiritual truth, been excluded! By what kind of principle? By means of actions produced by obedience to the Law? Absolutely not! But rather by means of the principle, which is faith. 28 Because we are always of the firm conviction that a person is, as an eternal spiritual truth, justified by means of faith independently of actions produced by obedience to the Law. 29 Or, is God, as an eternal spiritual truth, in authority over the Jews only? Is He, as an eternal spiritual truth, unequivocally not in authority over the Gentiles also? Absolutely! Also, over the Gentiles. 30 If, in fact-and let us assume that it’s true for the sake of argument, there is, as an eternal spiritual truth, one and the same God, who will certainly, as an eternal spiritual truth, justify the circumcision by means of faith as a source and the uncircumcision by means of faith. 31 Are we then attempting to render useless at the present time the Law by means of faith? Absolutely not! On the contrary, we do uphold the Law. (My translation)