Church Series-The Church's Relationship to Israel-Church is Composed of Regenerate Jews and Gentiles
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday December 15, 2016
The Church Series: The Church’s Relationship to Israel-Church is Composed of Regenerate Jews and Gentiles
Lesson # 28
Tonight, we will continue with our 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.
Thus far, we’ve seen that a true Jew is one who is a biological descendant of Jacob and has been declared justified by the Father through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.
Next, we noted that the Jews were given four unconditional covenants which are the Abrahamic, Palestinian, Davidic and New covenants.
The next point we need to establish in order to understand the relationship between Israel and the church is that the church is composed of both regenerate Jew and Gentiles.
The apostle to the Gentiles 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.
Colossians 3:11 a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. (NASB95)
Colossians 3:11 In the sphere of which, absolutely no distinctions are, as an eternal spiritual truth existing between Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free person. But rather, Christ as an eternal spiritual truth exists in the state of being everything as well as in each and every person. (My translation)
In Colossians 3:11, the apostle Paul makes an assertion about the new man by stating that in the sphere of this new man or new humanity, absolutely no distinctions are existing between Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free person.
This verse reminds the Colossians that there are absolutely no racial and cultural distinctions in the body of Christ, the church.
It also teaches that there are also absolutely no religious distinctions in the body of Christ.
Lastly, it is stating that there are absolutely no social distinctions.
The first distinction between “Greek and Jew” refers to the fact that there are absolutely no distinctions in the body of Christ based upon race or nationality or culture.
The reference to the “Greek” speaks of a Gentile and not necessarily an ethnic Greek.
It refers to a Gentile who speaks the Greek language fluently and is knowledgeable of and immersed in Greek culture.
Thus, it speaks of a person who participates in Greek culture.
The word pertains to those Gentiles under the influence of the Greek language and culture as distinguished from Israel’s culture.
The reference to the “Jew” speaks of those members of the human race who are descendants racially of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and thus members of the nation of Israel and thus, denotes nationality distinguishing the Jew from the Gentile under the influence of Greek language and culture.
The second distinction between “circumcision and uncircumcision” expresses the fact that there are absolutely no distinctions in the body of Christ based upon religion and specifically between Jew and Gentile.
This abolishment of the barrier between Jew and Gentile is mentioned in greater detail in Ephesians 2:11-22.
“Circumcision” is a designation for those members of the human race who are descendants racially of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who have received circumcision as a sign of the covenant relationship between themselves and the God of Israel.
It refers to those individuals who have received the surgical and ritual act of cutting the foreskin of the male’s penis under the Mosaic covenant.
So, the word is another designation for the biological descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob but with emphasis upon the religion of Israel or in other words with emphasis upon the fact that these individuals who circumcised themselves under the Mosaic covenant and thus practice the law of Moses.
“Uncircumcision” pertains to the physical condition of uncircumcision or in other words, the state of being uncircumcised and is thus a designation for the Gentiles but with emphasis upon the fact that these individuals do not participate in the religion of Israel.
In other words, they do not practice the Mosaic Law which governed the spiritual life of Israel.
So, this word “uncircumcision” refers to a Gentile who does not practice the Jewish religion as manifested by the fact that they do not practice the rite of circumcision which is prescribed in the Mosaic Law and was the sign of the covenant relationship between Abraham and God.
Paul’s statement in Colossians 3:11 echoes much of his statement in Galatians 3:28 but not all.
In the latter, he mentions there are no gender distinctions in the body of Christ with his reference to there being no distinctions between male and female while in the former, he does not mention this distinction.
Galatians 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (NASB95)
Taken together, Colossians 3:11 and Galatians 3:28 teach that there are no racial, cultural, religious, social, economic, political and gender distinctions in the body of Christ.
Therefore, here in Colossians 3:11, the apostle Paul is reminding the faithful believers in Colossae that all human distinctions in the body of Christ related to the old creation under Adam are obliterated.
This is the result of their union and identification with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.
This passage makes clear the Christian community is comprised of people who maintain their gender, familial and social identities.
In other words, Jews are still Jews in Christ and Gentiles are still Gentiles in Christ and slaves are still slaves in Christ.
However, these earthly identities are no longer relevant with regards to the relationships between the individual members of the body of Christ.
So the gospel of Jesus Christ breaks down all barriers and any obstacle or hindrance to doing God’s will and experiencing victory over sin and Satan.
Specifically, the good news is that those sinners who have been declared justified by the Father as a result of trusting in His Son Jesus Christ as Savior and as a result have been identified with His Son in His death and resurrection through the baptism of the Spirit breaks down all barriers.
It breaks down any obstacle or hindrance to doing God’s will and experiencing victory over sin and Satan.
In Ephesians 2:11-22, Paul teaches that God the Holy Spirit is building a spiritual temple, which is the church and it is composed of both Jew and Gentile races.
Both Jews and Gentiles were reconciled into the body of Christ through the baptism of the Spirit.
Ephesians 2:11 Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,”’ which is performed in the flesh by human hands 12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you (Gentiles) who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For 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 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. 17 “AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR” 18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. (NASB95)