Are the Jews Israel, or is the church Israel? Or does it depend on the context of the passage?

[Spiritual Jew]

What did Peter say to God in Acts 10:14?

Do you think that shows Peter understood that "the new covenant was established and the old covenant was made obsolete upon His shed blood on the cross"?

It doesn't matter if he understood it at that time or not! Is the truth based on what Peter understood at that particular time or on what scripture teaches? You waste so much time with these hypotheticals instead of dealing with what scripture actually teaches. Scripture clearly teaches that the new covenant was put into effect by the blood of Christ which also made the old covenant obsolete. That's our starting point. Why do you keep trying to get around this? Nothing changes this reality.

With the old covenant no longer being in effect because of being made obsolete, why would God expect people to continue following the old covenant law? He did not. But, it's not surprising that it took some time for some Jewish believers to realize that they were no longer under the old covenant, but were now under the new covenant. All they knew for a very long time was the old covenant law of Moses, so it naturally was not easy for them to get used to be under the new covenant law of Christ.

 

[sovereigngrace]

What did Peter say to God in Acts 10:14?

Do you think that shows Peter understood that "the new covenant was established and the old covenant was made obsolete upon His shed blood on the cross"?

Scripture describes the old covenant sacrificial system as “that which is done away” (2 Corinthians 3:11) and “that which is abolished” (2 Corinthians 3:13). It makes clear: “the old testament … vail is done away in Christ" (2 Corinthians 3:14). Hebrews 10:9 confirms: “He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.” Hebrews 10:2 confirms they “ceased to be offered?

 

[Guojing]

With the old covenant no longer being in effect because of being made obsolete, why would God expect people to continue following the old covenant law?

There is a simpler explanation, but it won't matter to you.

 

[Hentenza]

So tell me what is James literally saying at Acts 21:20-25.

James is literally telling Paul to show the Jews his Jewishness. The Jews in Jerusalem that had accepted the Messiah still believed that they were Jews including all elements of their culture. They followed the law including the sacrifices because that it what Jews did for centuries. This is the same argument that Paul addresses in his epistles. Their social and religious life revolved around the temple and its activities. Plus they thought that Paul had brought a gentile into the temple which would defile the temple. This was not going to change overnight. James was afraid that the Jews would revolt against the Christians including Paul because of what Paul was teaching and they did eventually. Teaching that the law and the prophets were no longer necessary was a capital offense which is why Paul had to cite his Roman citizenship to survive.

Jesus gives us an idea of when this was going to change when He spoke of the total destruction of the temple. The ending of Matt. 23 is Jesus lamentation and grieving for Jerusalem and in the beginning of Matt. 24 Jesus tells His disciples that the temple would be destroyed which would virtually end both social and religious practices in the temple for the Jews.

I don’t have time to expand this more now but will be happy to later today.