- May 3, 2022
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Those of you who have read any of my other studies are aware that I talk about, The N.T. is Jewish; there is nothing new in the N.T., how we have to find out the meaning of things by looking in the O.T., "that the English translations are incorrect, things have been added, etc. These are all legitimate statements that I have proven time and time again. But, despite the number of different things people believe, whether things are true or not is one question that applies to everything and anything that people believe. The question is, why do they believe what they believe?
In this instance, I am not concerned with individual beliefs but rather what groups of people believe in the arena of Scripture. There is not one individual who holds to certain beliefs that others do not hold. In order to understand why people believe what they believe in any era, we have to look at the history of what preceded the beliefs held today. What was taught before compared to what is taught today, where and when things changed, and why they changed.
Many things today that are believed about what the N.T. teach are not what was originally believed or taught. Before I continue, I want to let the reader know that this study will require a lot of reading and it will take me three or more posts before I even get around to baptism.
Many things taught from the N.T. today are not based on O.T. teaching. There are things taught that come straight from paganism. There are things taught that come from the secular world. The meaning of things in the N.T. has been changed. Made-up words and verses have been added to the N.T. Verses have been taken away. English words that are not the proper equivalent of the original Hebrew and Greek are used. Unbiblical words have been forced into translation.
There are two major problems that, if understood properly, and kept in place, would have prevented all of the above.
The biggest problem is the denial of the Jewishness, Jewish teaching, and Jewish theology of the New Testament. As if the teaching and theology of the O.T. stopped, and "new teaching" and "new theology" was introduced. We see this separation in every bible, a separation of the Old Testament and New Testament. (Which should properly be called the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.) as if they are two separate books. The reason for the separation? To create the illusion that the O.T. was only concerned with the Jewish people and the N.T. is only concerned with the Gentiles, "And never the twain shall meet." You might not be aware, but subconsciously, when you read the O.T., you think Jewish and only Jewish. When you read in the N.T., you think "Gentile." Today, most think "Christian" when in the N.T.
The other big problem, which works in conjunction with and bolsters the first, is the concept of "The Church." This is the false idea that Jesus came to do away with the Law and Judaism and any connection to the O.T. and start from scratch, a new faith created for Gentiles, ignoring Judaism, except for the Ten Commandments and prophecy, and christening this "new creation" as "The Church." In that Jesus turned the table and made the Gentiles the "true faith," and instead of the Gentiles "being on the outside looking in," any Jew that wanted to "get saved" now had to enter in through the Gentile "faith."
The word "church" is not a biblical word. There is not a Hebrew or Greek word that means "church!" The word and concept of "church" come straight out of paganism!
God set up everything through the Jewish people,
Deut 4:10,32-38
2Kings 17:34-39
Neh 9:13-15
Eze 20:11-12
John 4:22
Acts 3:18-25
Rom 2:17-20, 3:1-2, 9:4
Heb 11;1, 8:8-12.
Everything was set up through the Jews to bring the Jewish Messiah to earth. Do you mean to tell me that none of that meant anything after Jesus was born? Despite Jesus growing up as a Jew in Jewish culture, lived as a Jew, lived under the Torah, obeyed the Torah, and taught from the Torah? That of all of the prophecies that pointed to him, that the festivals all shadowed his coming, all of that was done away with? That his birth resulted in the death of Judaism, the Torah, and did away with the O.T.? This is what many believe! This is what many would have you believe!
The reality is that God chose Israel to be His inheritance, the keeper of His truth and Law, to the Jews alone!
As long as the Apostles were alive, and Paul, there was no question or doubt that what Jesus had taught and what they also taught was strictly Jewish, strictly from the O.T., and 100% Judaism! There was not a hint of any Gentile influence, thought, or philosophy included in the teaching. In the book of Acts, we see thousands of Jews coming to faith. What were they taught? What was the source of their teaching? The Old Testament! They were taught from true Judaism!
We don't see any Gentile converts until 14 years after the Ascension! What we call the N.T. wasn't completed until the late fourth century! What was the source of teaching for the Gentile believers until then? The Old Testament! In the beginning, and for many hundreds of years, the majority of Gentile believers were taught by Jewish believers, using only the Old Testament! For hundreds of years, many Gentile believers went to synagogues. There is a misconception that after Jesus ascended, the "Gentile Church" soon sprang into action, grew by leaps and bounds, and soon dominated the teaching of Scripture. Not So! The concept of "Christians" attending "church buildings" didn't even begin until the 3rd century! And that was only because the Gentile group that was forming up and would later become the Catholic Church had started confiscating or buying pagan temples and using them for "church service." The believers, Jewish and Gentile, would either meet at a synagogue or in each other's homes.
Before the Gentile believers became imprisoned (concerning the teaching of Scripture) by ruthless Gentile leaders, an article by George Florovsky titled, The Unity of the Bible, describes the attitude of the majority of Gentile believers.
To Gentiles, the message of Salvation was always presented in the context of the Old Testament. The Old Covenant was not destroyed by Christ, but was renewed and accomplished. In this sense, Christianity was not a new religion but rather the oldest. The "new" Christian Scriptures were simply incorporated into the inherited Hebrew Bible as its organic completion. And only the whole Bible, both Testaments, was regarded as adequate and a complete record of Christian revelation. There was no break between the Two Testaments, but unity.
He goes on to say, The first task of Christian theology is to show and explain in what way the Old Testament was the preparation and anticipation of the final revelation of God in Jesus Christ. The message of Scripture was not merely a proclamation of some doctrines, but first of all, a record of God's mighty acts and deeds through the ages. It is a history of Divine Sovereignty, and purpose resulting in the person of Christ Jesus sent to redeem His people.
AMEN AND AMEN!
End of part 1
In this instance, I am not concerned with individual beliefs but rather what groups of people believe in the arena of Scripture. There is not one individual who holds to certain beliefs that others do not hold. In order to understand why people believe what they believe in any era, we have to look at the history of what preceded the beliefs held today. What was taught before compared to what is taught today, where and when things changed, and why they changed.
Many things today that are believed about what the N.T. teach are not what was originally believed or taught. Before I continue, I want to let the reader know that this study will require a lot of reading and it will take me three or more posts before I even get around to baptism.
Many things taught from the N.T. today are not based on O.T. teaching. There are things taught that come straight from paganism. There are things taught that come from the secular world. The meaning of things in the N.T. has been changed. Made-up words and verses have been added to the N.T. Verses have been taken away. English words that are not the proper equivalent of the original Hebrew and Greek are used. Unbiblical words have been forced into translation.
There are two major problems that, if understood properly, and kept in place, would have prevented all of the above.
The biggest problem is the denial of the Jewishness, Jewish teaching, and Jewish theology of the New Testament. As if the teaching and theology of the O.T. stopped, and "new teaching" and "new theology" was introduced. We see this separation in every bible, a separation of the Old Testament and New Testament. (Which should properly be called the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.) as if they are two separate books. The reason for the separation? To create the illusion that the O.T. was only concerned with the Jewish people and the N.T. is only concerned with the Gentiles, "And never the twain shall meet." You might not be aware, but subconsciously, when you read the O.T., you think Jewish and only Jewish. When you read in the N.T., you think "Gentile." Today, most think "Christian" when in the N.T.
The other big problem, which works in conjunction with and bolsters the first, is the concept of "The Church." This is the false idea that Jesus came to do away with the Law and Judaism and any connection to the O.T. and start from scratch, a new faith created for Gentiles, ignoring Judaism, except for the Ten Commandments and prophecy, and christening this "new creation" as "The Church." In that Jesus turned the table and made the Gentiles the "true faith," and instead of the Gentiles "being on the outside looking in," any Jew that wanted to "get saved" now had to enter in through the Gentile "faith."
The word "church" is not a biblical word. There is not a Hebrew or Greek word that means "church!" The word and concept of "church" come straight out of paganism!
God set up everything through the Jewish people,
Deut 4:10,32-38
2Kings 17:34-39
Neh 9:13-15
Eze 20:11-12
John 4:22
Acts 3:18-25
Rom 2:17-20, 3:1-2, 9:4
Heb 11;1, 8:8-12.
Everything was set up through the Jews to bring the Jewish Messiah to earth. Do you mean to tell me that none of that meant anything after Jesus was born? Despite Jesus growing up as a Jew in Jewish culture, lived as a Jew, lived under the Torah, obeyed the Torah, and taught from the Torah? That of all of the prophecies that pointed to him, that the festivals all shadowed his coming, all of that was done away with? That his birth resulted in the death of Judaism, the Torah, and did away with the O.T.? This is what many believe! This is what many would have you believe!
The reality is that God chose Israel to be His inheritance, the keeper of His truth and Law, to the Jews alone!
As long as the Apostles were alive, and Paul, there was no question or doubt that what Jesus had taught and what they also taught was strictly Jewish, strictly from the O.T., and 100% Judaism! There was not a hint of any Gentile influence, thought, or philosophy included in the teaching. In the book of Acts, we see thousands of Jews coming to faith. What were they taught? What was the source of their teaching? The Old Testament! They were taught from true Judaism!
We don't see any Gentile converts until 14 years after the Ascension! What we call the N.T. wasn't completed until the late fourth century! What was the source of teaching for the Gentile believers until then? The Old Testament! In the beginning, and for many hundreds of years, the majority of Gentile believers were taught by Jewish believers, using only the Old Testament! For hundreds of years, many Gentile believers went to synagogues. There is a misconception that after Jesus ascended, the "Gentile Church" soon sprang into action, grew by leaps and bounds, and soon dominated the teaching of Scripture. Not So! The concept of "Christians" attending "church buildings" didn't even begin until the 3rd century! And that was only because the Gentile group that was forming up and would later become the Catholic Church had started confiscating or buying pagan temples and using them for "church service." The believers, Jewish and Gentile, would either meet at a synagogue or in each other's homes.
Before the Gentile believers became imprisoned (concerning the teaching of Scripture) by ruthless Gentile leaders, an article by George Florovsky titled, The Unity of the Bible, describes the attitude of the majority of Gentile believers.
To Gentiles, the message of Salvation was always presented in the context of the Old Testament. The Old Covenant was not destroyed by Christ, but was renewed and accomplished. In this sense, Christianity was not a new religion but rather the oldest. The "new" Christian Scriptures were simply incorporated into the inherited Hebrew Bible as its organic completion. And only the whole Bible, both Testaments, was regarded as adequate and a complete record of Christian revelation. There was no break between the Two Testaments, but unity.
He goes on to say, The first task of Christian theology is to show and explain in what way the Old Testament was the preparation and anticipation of the final revelation of God in Jesus Christ. The message of Scripture was not merely a proclamation of some doctrines, but first of all, a record of God's mighty acts and deeds through the ages. It is a history of Divine Sovereignty, and purpose resulting in the person of Christ Jesus sent to redeem His people.
AMEN AND AMEN!
End of part 1
