If the New Covenant was made with Judah and Israel, how does it apply to Gentile Christians?

[BABerean2]

Judaism is a very "action-oriented" religious structure. To obey God, you have to do something. It's not just a matter of intellectual ascension of the existence of God.

Even studying Talmud is considered a form of worship, which is some comfort to me since I enjoy study and feel closer to God when I do.

Jews believe, and I agree with them, that one thing the Messiah will do is rebuild the Temple and reestablish the Levitical priesthood, and there is some support for this in Jeremiah 31 and subsequent chapters. That puts we Christians in a bit of a bind because what role will the Temple and the priests have in the Messianic Kingdom (and isn't Jesus supposed to be our High Priest replacing the old order?).

James,

Modern Judaism is a system of works-based salvation. It is like many other religions where people attempt to work their way to God. Nobody is that good.

The Babylonian Talmud makes derogatory statements about Christ. It claims He an illegitimate child and the son of a Roman soldier named Pantera.

Christ is the temple. He is the final and last High Priest and the last and final sacrifice.

Based on Hebrews 8:13 the Sinai covenant is now "obsolete", having been replaced by the New Covenant.

In Hebrews 13:20 we find the New Covenant to be "everlasting".

Judge the following for yourself based on scripture.

 

[mmksparbud]

My understanding of who Israel is today is the Jewish people. I don't think a non-Jew such as myself can claim to be an "Israelite" based on my faith in the God of Israel. Having been married to the Jewish wife for over 30 years has given my plenty of insight into covenant identity.

Col_3:11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
Rom_10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Rom_2:29 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.
Gal_3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

 

[Fred Manalo]

I can't Spiritually accept your conclusion that "there is no such covenant." However, thank you for a well-thought out and well-presented summation.

Shalom. Peace be with you.

Thinking about what I said, I should rather say "I see nothing in the scriptures mentioning any covenant between God and us Gentiles." I do believe that there are Christians whose belief in Jesus and their obedience to the requirements of their faith are far more ahead of me in spiritual growth. My only hope and assurance when I face God on the Judgment Day with you all is Jesus on the Cross saying, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do!" And with all who believe in Jesus Christ today, what he revealed to us all:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16 KJV

For even though I do not see any covenant between God and us Gentiles, I do receive the blessing God said we receive through Abraham's seed:
"And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice." Genesis 22:18 KJV

When Jesus referred to the children of Israel as sheep and Gentiles as dogs, the Canaanite woman did not resent it but rather accepted Jesus' stand and thus was blessed with her daughter being made whole.
"But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour." Matthew 25:26-28 KJV

I am convinced by this that we must humbly and gladly accept whatever blessing God gives us through Abraham's seed so that we may also be made whole.

 

[BABerean2]

Shalom. Peace be with you.

Thinking about what I said, I should rather say "I see nothing in the scriptures mentioning any covenant between God and us Gentiles." I do believe that there are Christians whose belief in Jesus and their obedience to the requirements of their faith are far more ahead of me in spiritual growth. My only hope and assurance when I face God on the Judgment Day with you all is Jesus on the Cross saying, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do!" And with all who believe in Jesus Christ today, what he revealed to us all:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16 KJV

For even though I do not see any covenant between God and us Gentiles, I do receive the blessing God said we receive through Abraham's seed:
"And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice." Genesis 22:18 KJV

When Jesus referred to the children of Israel as sheep and Gentiles as dogs, the Canaanite woman did not resent it but rather accepted Jesus' stand and thus was blessed with her daughter being made whole.
"But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour." Matthew 25:26-28 KJV

I am convinced by this that we must humbly and gladly accept whatever blessing God gives us through Abraham's seed so that we may also be made whole.

Here we have the New Covenant promised to Israel and Judah in Jeremiah, fulfilled through Christ. The capitalized text comes straight from Jeremiah 31:31-34.

Heb 8:6　 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.　
Heb 8:7　 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.　
Heb 8:8　 Because finding fault with them, He says: "BEHOLD, THE DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD, WHEN I WILL MAKE A NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH—　
Heb 8:9　 NOT ACCORDING TO THE COVENANT THAT I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS IN THE DAY WHEN I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND TO LEAD THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT; BECAUSE THEY DID NOT CONTINUE IN MY COVENANT, AND I DISREGARDED THEM, SAYS THE LORD.　
Heb 8:10　 FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS IN THEIR MIND AND WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.　
Heb 8:11　 NONE OF THEM SHALL TEACH HIS NEIGHBOR, AND NONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, 'KNOW THE LORD,' FOR ALL SHALL KNOW ME, FROM THE LEAST OF THEM TO THE GREATEST OF THEM.　
Heb 8:12　 FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE."　
Heb 8:13　 In that He says, "A NEW COVENANT," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
　

The Gentiles were grafted into the Olive Tree, which is a symbol of the New Covenant Church made up of Israelite and Gentile branches grafted together.

Rom 11:16　 For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.　
Rom 11:17　 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree,　


This had been revealed to Hosea.

Rom 9:24　 even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?　
Rom 9:25　 As He says also in Hosea: "I WILL CALL THEM MY PEOPLE, WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, AND HER BELOVED, WHO WAS NOT BELOVED."　
Rom 9:26　 "AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, 'YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,' THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD."　
Rom 9:27　 Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel: "THOUGH THE NUMBER OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL BE AS THE SAND OF THE SEA, THE REMNANT WILL BE SAVED.　


This is confirmed by Peter.

1Pe 2:9　 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;　
1Pe 2:10　 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

The New Covenant is applied to the Church.　

Heb 12:18　 For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest,　
Heb 12:19　 and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore.　
Heb 12:20　 (For they could not endure what was commanded: "AND IF SO MUCH AS A BEAST TOUCHES THE MOUNTAIN, IT SHALL BE STONED OR SHOT WITH AN ARROW."　
Heb 12:21　 And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, "I AM EXCEEDINGLY AFRAID AND TREMBLING.")　

Heb 12:22　 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,　
Heb 12:23　 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,　
Heb 12:24　 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

We are not come to Mount Sinai.
We are come to the New Covenant of Mount Zion, instead.

.　

 

[Ken Rank]

I've been following and commenting in a couple of discussions including Did Jesus tell us to follow Moses 10 commandments? and GENTILES OR CHRISTIANS PRACTICING THE SABBATH ? and I struggle to make what I consider valid points of response without writing long essays.

I've blogged on topics such as Hebrew Roots and Messianic Judaism and how they interact with and sometimes oppose traditional Protestant theology and doctrine, so I've got a lot of material to draw from.

For your consideration, I'd like to ask the question that given the New Covenant language we find in Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36 where God specifically makes that covenant with the House of Judah and the House of Israel, how exactly does that covenant apply to the rest of the world?

The mechanism isn't specifically defined in the Bible. Even Jesus's comments in Matthew 26, Luke 22, and Mark 14 about "This cup is the new covenant in my blood" (usually rendered in the Greek as just "covenant") doesn't make the connection. In other words, there's no direct tie in between what we read in Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and Jesus's statement in the Gospels.

I believe there is an answer. It's a long one, longer than I care to post here, but you can read a summary of my thoughts here: Briefly Revisiting Gentiles and the New Covenant.

I'm partially creating this thread to read how others think about all this (no flame wars, please), but mainly to put the idea out there that how the Church has traditionally considered the New Covenant and interpreted the Bible to support their doctrine may be missing a few things.

Let me know what you think. Thanks.

I would first throw out for consideration the notion that the new covenant is the everlasting covenant renewed. In Psalms 105:8-10 we see a progression through the generations of the promise given to Abraham (it is later said he heard the gospel) that becomes an oath to Isaac, a law to Jacob, and an everlasting covenant to all of Israel. Everlasting means everlasting whether that jives with our current understanding or not.

Then we go to the wording around the new covenant. The word new in Jeremiah 31:31 is chadashah, which is the verb chadash (renew) in adjective form... it is describing "covenant." The grammar suggests the best translation of b'rit chadashah being "covenant renewed." Of course we would switch that order according to the manner of speech in English. When we get to Hebrews 8:8 we find the word "kainos" for new. Strong's suggests that kainos is new in terms of "freshness" whereas nehos is new in terms of age. A new car is nehos, a 68' Mustang that we make look new is kainos. The covenant is always, save for one time, called kainos. And that one time the context is dealing with the change in the law, namely, moving the Law from stone to the heart.

So where are the gentiles? That is a fair question because doctrines aside, nobody reading this, nobody alive, will find a verse that includes the word gentiles in the covenant. Why? Because we have made an error in our approach to Scripture... we have applied the modern definition of words to the bible. The word gentile is really one of the best examples....

Today the word gentile is defined as "a believer who is not Jewish." But in the 1828 Webster's, where words were defined as they were understood in the bible back then... a gentile was defined this way, "In the scriptures, a pagan; a worshipper of false gods; any person not a Jew or a christian; a heathen."

This is why Paul, in Ephesians 2:11, says we WERE gentiles in the flesh... WERE aliens of the Commonwealth of Israel... WERE aliens of the covenants of promise... but now ARE fellow citizens.

So I submit that we become a PART OF (NOT A REPLACEMENT OF) Israel. The foreigners who came out of Egypt with Israel were grafted in... when they got to Sinai we find three things about them...

1. They were to be treated as if native born
2. They were to assimilate into the tribes they traveled with
3. The Law was given to them as well and they would be blessed when they kept it and cursed when they didn't.

No Jewish person alive today cannot prove that they are not a descendant of the mixed multitude. The alleged records that contained who was who (I say alleged because God said they were to be treated as native born and once they assimilated into the tribes who could tell?) were destroyed in 70AD with the Temple. But I digress.....

The gentiles are likely either included in the House of Israel or are the companions of the two sticks that we see in Ezekiel 37:16. I tend to lean toward being a part of the House of Israel and I would see the Messianic Jews being part of the House of Judah... they are Jewish after all.

 

[Ken Rank]

By the way, it is taught that a righteous tzaddik....according to chazal (sages) there is at least one righteous tzaddik for every generation. That tzaddik can die for the redemption of the generation. It is in Jewish writings... find it and then call me back. Shalom.

 

[jamespyles]

Based on Hebrews 8:13 the Sinai covenant is now "obsolete", having been replaced by the New Covenant.

Well, becoming obsolete might be the better interpretation according to this: Sermon Review of the Holy Epistle to the Hebrews: Glory to Glory

The major difference between the Sinai (Old) and New Covenants is that the former is written on tablets and scrolls and the latter is written on hearts. The conditions of said covenant(s) didn't change.

 

[jamespyles]

Col_3:11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
Rom_10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Rom_2:29 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.
Gal_3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

There is no difference between Jew and Greek in terms of the love of God, however if there is absolutely no difference between them at all, then accordingto Gal. 3:28, men and women in Christ have merged into an androgynous being, which we know is not true. A simple misinterpretation of the Biblical author's intent which has worked its way into Christian interpretive tradition so firmly that it is now considered "Gospel", so to speak.

 

[jamespyles]

This is why Paul, in Ephesians 2:11, says we WERE gentiles in the flesh... WERE aliens of the Commonwealth of Israel... WERE aliens of the covenants of promise... but now ARE fellow citizens.

The gentiles are likely either included in the House of Israel or are the companions of the two sticks that we see in Ezekiel 37:16. I tend to lean toward being a part of the House of Israel and I would see the Messianic Jews being part of the House of Judah... they are Jewish after all.

Eph. 2:13 says the non-Jews who became believers in Messiah were once far off but now brought near. "Near" does not mean "made a part of," just "closer to."

I'm not a fan of Two-House theology which is what all this kind of sounds like. I use the word "Gentile" simply to distinguish between non-Jew and Jew. My wife is a Jew. I'm not. My faith in Messiah certainly does not make me a Jew nor does it make me Israel. I'm a member of the nations who are called by His Name (Amos 9:5-15) and who has been brought near to the blessings of the covenant promises by God's great grace and mercy and through the merit of Rav Yeshua.

 

[Ken Rank]

Eph. 2:13 says the non-Jews who became believers in Messiah were once far off but now brought near. "Near" does not mean "made a part of," just "closer to."

I'm not a fan of Two-House theology which is what all this kind of sounds like. I use the word "Gentile" simply to distinguish between non-Jew and Jew. My wife is a Jew. I'm not. My faith in Messiah certainly does not make me a Jew nor does it make me Israel. I'm a member of the nations who are called by His Name (Amos 9:5-15) and who has been brought near to the blessings of the covenant promises by God's great grace and mercy and through the merit of Rav Yeshua.

Two house theology is irrelevant... when the word gentile was first used as an English word for goy or ethnos it meant, "pagan, heathen, one who is neither Jew nor Christian." (Webster's 1828) Now it means, "any believer who is not Jewish." That affects the context and the Jews are not all of Israel... whether you accept the idea that there is a House of Judah AND a House of Israel or not... Judah isn't all of Israel.

Paul said we were gentiles in the flesh and aliens of the Commonwealth of Israel but we are now fellow citizens. To me, this means that at the very least we are like the foreigners who came out of Egypt with Israel who at Sinai were said to be "treated as if native born" and they were to "assimilate into the tribes they traveled with." That meant they were grafted into Israel, as am I. As for your wife, respectfully... neither she nor any Jewish person can know with even a good guess that they are not descendants of those foreigners. The records are long gone and no Jewish person alive can prove they are not from that stock. It doesn't matter of course... God seeks a heart condition not a blood type.

Shalom.
Ken

 

[BABerean2]

Well, becoming obsolete might be the better interpretation according to this: Sermon Review of the Holy Epistle to the Hebrews: Glory to Glory

The major difference between the Sinai (Old) and New Covenants is that the former is written on tablets and scrolls and the latter is written on hearts. The conditions of said covenant(s) didn't change.

Christ and Paul do not agree with you.

The New Covenant is not the Old Covenant that has been written in a different place.
It is a completely New Covenant.

Jesus gives two different sets of commandments in the verse below.

Joh 15:10　 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
　
He did not say... "...keep my Father's commandments...".


2Co 3:6　 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.　
2Co 3:7　 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away,　(Here Paul describes the Sinai Covenant as a "ministry of death".)


2Co 3:8　 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?　
Gal 4:24　 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.　
(Here Paul compares the Sinai Covenant to bondage.)

Gal 4:25　 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.　
Gal 4:26　 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.　
Gal 4:27　 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.　
Gal 4:28　 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.　
Gal 4:29　 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.　
Gal 4:30　 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.　
(Here Paul compels the Galatian believers to "cast out" the Sinai covenant, instead of telling them to write it on their hearts.)

Gal 4:31　 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.
　
Below we find a clear contrast between the Sinai Covenant and the New Covenant of Christ.


Heb 12:18　 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,　
Heb 12:19　 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:　
Heb 12:20　 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:　
Heb 12:21　 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake　


Heb 12:22　 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,　
Heb 12:23　 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,　
Heb 12:24　 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.　

They cannot be one and the same covenant, based on the text above.

Paul never commanded any Gentile church to keep a Sabbath day.
As a matter of fact he gives clear instruction that no one is to judge us in keeping a Sabbath day.

Col 2:16　 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths,　

Col 2:17　 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.　

The New Covenant Sabbath is Christ, as clearly stated above.

He is our Sabbath rest. The Sabbath day was merely a shadow of Him.

.

 

[FreeinChrist]

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[jamespyles]

Paul said we were gentiles in the flesh and aliens of the Commonwealth of Israel but we are now fellow citizens. To me, this means that at the very least we are like the foreigners who came out of Egypt with Israel who at Sinai were said to be "treated as if native born" and they were to "assimilate into the tribes they traveled with."

Based on Acts 15, I think of us more like "resident aliens". We live among Israel without becoming Israel. We don't assimilate and become part of the tribes or Jewish.

 

[jamespyles]

Christ and Paul do not agree with you.

The New Covenant is not the Old Covenant that has been written in a different place.
It is a completely New Covenant.

Jesus gives two different sets of commandments in the verse below.

Joh 15:10　 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
　
He did not say... "...keep my Father's commandments...".

It's early in the morning here, everyone else is asleep, and I don't want to keyboard a lot so I'm not going to address your argument point by point. If you haven't done so, please click the link I previously posted, read the review, and ideally, listen to the sermon. That'll tell you how I think about all this.

Hebrews is the most misunderstood book in the NT and Christians use it all the time to beat up the Jews, the Torah, and the Temple. You might want to start listening to the whole sermon series (if you have the time, it's a year long). It's quite illuminating.

Audio Series: Holy Epistle to the Hebrews

 

[Ken Rank]

Based on Acts 15, I think of us more like "resident aliens". We live among Israel without becoming Israel. We don't assimilate and become part of the tribes or Jewish.

Well, there are two ways to look at that letter brother. We can look at it and say, "that is all that expected of gentiles." Or we can look at it and recognize what the letter does NOT say... like don't steal, or love God only or homosexuality is against God's will. See, I personally view the Acts 15 letter as a starting point not the finish line. It gave the new non-Jewish believer enough to distinguish himself from his pagan ex-brethren and then expected him to learn and grow like anyone else. This is why the verse after the letter mentions that Moses (the Torah) is taught in the synagogues every Shabbat. Why mention that at all if it isn't pertinent? Why mention that on the heels of list that leaves much out if it wasn't expected that they go and learn more?

There is a larger picture unique to that time about Acts 15 that I am not mentioning right now. I can share it if you want to consider it. Blessings.

 

[Steve Petersen]

Based on Acts 15, I think of us more like "resident aliens". We live among Israel without becoming Israel. We don't assimilate and become part of the tribes or Jewish.

Possibly, but if the Council's decision was directed at Gentiles outside the Land, would the resident alien element even matter? The only way I could see around this would be if the Jewish community in Diaspora considered their community an extension of the Land of Israel.

Come to think of it, didn't the sages consider parts of other foreign nations part of the Land?

Terumot - Chapter 1

 

[BABerean2]

It's early in the morning here, everyone else is asleep, and I don't want to keyboard a lot so I'm not going to address your argument point by point. If you haven't done so, please click the link I previously posted, read the review, and ideally, listen to the sermon. That'll tell you how I think about all this.

Hebrews is the most misunderstood book in the NT and Christians use it all the time to beat up the Jews, the Torah, and the Temple. You might want to start listening to the whole sermon series (if you have the time, it's a year long). It's quite illuminating.

Audio Series: Holy Epistle to the Hebrews

The following statement is found at the beginning of your link above.

"Jesus did not cancel the Law, nor did he replace the Temple, the priesthood, or the sacrifices.

It is correct in that Christ did not cancel the law. He fulfilled it.
That is what He said and that is what He did.
This is confirmed by Paul in Galatians chapter 3.
The law was "added" 430 years "after" the promise made to Abraham "until" the seed could come to whom the promise was made.



Time would be better served if you will listen to this series.
It only took one weekend.
It clears up all of the confusion.

The following is the first sermon of the weekend.

 

[jamespyles]

Well, there are two ways to look at that letter brother. We can look at it and say, "that is all that expected of gentiles." Or we can look at it and recognize what the letter does NOT say... like don't steal, or love God only or homosexuality is against God's will. See, I personally view the Acts 15 letter as a starting point not the finish line. It gave the new non-Jewish believer enough to distinguish himself from his pagan ex-brethren and then expected him to learn and grow like anyone else. This is why the verse after the letter mentions that Moses (the Torah) is taught in the synagogues every Shabbat. Why mention that at all if it isn't pertinent? Why mention that on the heels of list that leaves much out if it wasn't expected that they go and learn more?

There is a larger picture unique to that time about Acts 15 that I am not mentioning right now. I can share it if you want to consider it. Blessings.

There is something I read stating that it's thought that there was a verbal commentary that went along with the letter, but of course, that's lost to history. All I can say is that given the Biblical narrative as a whole, my understanding makes the most sense to me, but of course, you and others disagree. In the end, I'm responsible before God for how I understand things and how I conduct my life.

 

[jamespyles]

Time would be better served if you will listen to this series.
It only took one weekend.
It clears up all of the confusion.

The following is the first sermon of the weekend.

I'm hip deep in grandbabies and at this point in my life, my time is well served being their Grandpa. I wish I had the time to study I once had.