Originally published in "The Lord's Coming Herald & Wesleyan Bible Prophecy Advocate," February Edition 2008
Paul's Attitude Toward The Jews
Dispensational sermons are typically based on Old Testament allegories of
one sort or another. These sermons seldom get into the “red meat” of the New
Testament. For that reason most modern church-goers are ignorant of what the New
Testament really teaches about the Jews, and about the prophetic future of the
nation of Israel.
In his epistles Paul sets forth his attitude toward the Jews. It consisted of
the following main points.
1. Unbelieving racial Jews are not God’s chosen people. “For he is not a Jew,
which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the
flesh; But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the
heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of
God” (Rom. 2:28-29; see also Rom. 9:7-8; Matt. 8:11-12; and Rev. 2:9; 3:9).
2. Christ Himself (not modern-day racial Jews) is the ultimately-intended “seed”
to whom God’s promises to Abraham were made. ”Now to Abraham and his seed were
the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to
thy seed, which is Christ” (Gal. 3:16; see also II Cor. 1:19-20).
3. Christ-rejecting racial Jews are described as being self-righteous, and under consignment to the wrath of God. “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” (Rom 10:3). “Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men; Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins away: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost” (I Thess. 2:15-16).
4. Paul’s concern was that the Jews should all get saved now, in this present
age. “I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish
that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to
the flesh. . . . Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is,
that they might be saved” (Rom. 9:2-3; 10:1).
5. Paul recognized the Jewish peoples’ free moral agency, asserting that it is
only the “true” Israel, which has accepted Jesus Christ as personal Saviour in
this present age, and who persevere in that faith, who are destined to be
eternally saved. “And so [meaning ”in this manner”--i.e., the manner of faith
described in chapter 10] all Israel [i.e., the true Israel described in chapter
9] shall be saved” (Rom. 11:26).
6. For Paul, unbelieving racial Jews are enemies of the gospel, beloved for the father’s sake, not for their own sake (Rom. 11:28). Nowhere did Paul put racial Jews, per se, up on a pedestal as God’s chosen people, as does modern justification-by-faith-denying dispensationalism.
"The Jews are God's chosen people" mentality spawned by the wide spread embrace of modern popular dispensational premillennial end-time Bible prophecy theory, friends, is pure and simple apostasy from historic biblical Christianity! Please beware!
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