2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Once God’s truth was revealed, there was no question from the OT to whom it was first directed. It was to the Jewish people. This very group of people was established through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, so that God could reveal the truth to them and they would become “a nation of priests” [EX 19:5-6] and “a light to the nations” [IS 49: 6]. The Jews were to receive God’s teachings, live by them, and take them to Gentiles. However, God was to be disappointed for the most part in this aspect of His covenant relationship with many of His chosen people from ancient times. In defense of Messianic Jews like myself, we do understand this balancing responsibility that comes with the privileges of being God’s chosen people. It warms my heart to see more and more Messianic congregations active as time goes on. These are “completed” Jews who know that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. But the question must be asked: To Whom is the Gospel given?
When a Canaanite woman approached Christ to plea for healing for her daughter, whom she described as having a demon and being in terrible condition, Christ responded in MT 15: 24, “‘I have been sent only to those lost sheep, the people of Israel.” Then, His disciples came to Him and encouraged Him to send this woman away. The woman repeated her pleas. Christ answered, “It is not right to take children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She answered in the affirmative and went on to say, “but even the dogs eat the leftovers that fall from their master’s table.” Christ responded, “You are a woman of great faith! What you want will be done for you.” At that very moment her daughter was healed. In looking at this situation, the signs were really present that the time was drawing near (from God’s perspective) for the Gospel to be made available to the Gentile as well as the Jewish person. Still, the pre-ordained sacrifice of God’s own Son had to happen first.
JN 1: 11, puts realistic perspective on the timing for the Gospel to be opened to more than only Jews. “He fame to His own country, but His own people did not receive Him.” The story of Christ’s rejection at Nazareth in LK 4: 16-30 certainly supports this. It is at this point that people who believe the lie of replacement theology try to push their idea that God is through with the Jewish people. Nothing could be farther than the truth if one is to believe the Scriptures. The proof in the pudding is RO 11: 25, “There is a secret truth, my brothers, which I want you to know, for it will keep you from thinking how wise you are. It is that the stubbornness of the people of Israel is not permanent, but will last only until the complete number of Gentiles comes to God.” The mechanism for bringing Gentiles into faith in the Lord is carefully discussed in the metaphor of the grafting of wild olive branches on to cultured ones after the olive tree had been pruned by God in RO 11: 16-24, which I hope you will read.
RO 1: 16-17 really show God’s will in this part of His covenant relationship with His people. “I [Paul] have complete confidence in the Gospel; it is God’s power to save all who believe, first the Jews and also the Gentiles. For the Gospel reveal how God puts people right with Himself, from the beginning to the end. As the Scriptures [HB 2: 4; GA 3: 11] say, ‘The person who is put right with God through faith shall live.’” Our understanding of this is increased by reading EPH 3: 3-6, “God revealed His secret plan and made it known to me. (I have written briefly about this, and if you will read what I have written, you can learn about my understanding of the secret of Christ.) In past times mankind was not told this secret, but God has revealed it now by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets. The secret is that by means of the Gospel the Gentiles have a part with the Jews in God’s blessings; they are members of the same body and share in the promise that God made through Christ Jesus.” EPH 2: 11-14 also illuminate this relationship for us. “You Gentiles by birth-called ‘the uncircumcised’ by the Jews, who call themselves the circumcised (which refers to what men do to their bodies)-remember what you were in the past. At that time you were apart from Christ. You were foreigners and did not belong to God’s chosen people. You had no part in the covenants, which were based on God’s promises to His people, and you lived in this world without hope and without God. But now, in union with Christ Jesus you, who used to be far away, have been brought near by the death of Christ. For Christ Himself has brought us peace by making Jews and Gentiles one people. With His own body He broke down the wall that separated them and kept them enemies.”
The Gospel is God’s great gift to all of us who believe or who might potentially come to faith before God establishes His Kingdom. That is a gift that impacts us every day of our lives and is a manifestation of God’s love for each of us and His faithfulness in keeping His covenant promises. Read 1 COR 15: 1-8 for the most concise statement of the Gospel in the Scriptures. We should think about how that impacts our lives.
PRAYER: O Lord, in our lack of wisdom we might ask You: Why didn’t you simply give everyone the Gospel at one time? But You knew that Your creation was mired in the sin, sin that they inherited from Adam and Eve and then added to by their own personal sinning. Our sinfulness presented You with a predicament that would only be solved by Your plan for us. It was Your plan to gradually reveal the truth as mankind is ready for it. Even so, many of Your chosen people have disappointed You in that they rejected the truth, practiced legalism and hypocrisy, and were unable to recognize their Messiah when He first came to them. That was followed by Christ’s rejection, something You knew must happen if people were to be saved eternally and the price for their slavery to sin was to be paid. His painful death for our sake on the cross was the greatest sacrifice ever made for mankind. It opened the way for salvation, and His resurrection which followed has given us hope that we too will one day follow Him in that. The Gospel was never meant only for Jews, but was also meant for all who would believe, Jews and Gentiles alike. That is why You inspired Paul to teach us that the unification and the edification of the Body of Christ, Your church, was to be a major goal for all believers. Barriers of prejudice are to be broken down, and we are to love one another as Christ loves us. This complex plan is the only one that accomplishes Your righteous and awesome purposes for us. We dedicate ourselves to understanding and having faith in it. We humbly offer You our adoration, worship, loyalty, diligence, trust, obedience, glory, honor, praise, and heartfelt thanksgiving for the wisdom You show us every day. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, I am led to share more on this vital subject and to see how Christ, our Covenant Partner, serves us in heaven. All of this is God’s love, real and alive. Peter and send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn