Paul's Passing Thoughts

What is the gospel? The “gospel” means “good news.” All of God’s word is “good news.” This became a term that was used interchangeably with, “truth,” “word,” “law,” etc. (Paul Dohse: The Gospel; Clarification in Confusing Times pp. 9-39 Online source: http://wp.me/Pmd7S-1Jn  lessons 1-4).

The gospel includes the gospel of first importance (1COR 15:3) which is the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, and the full counsel of God (Acts 20:20, 27, 32) which includes justification and sanctification.

When Paul stated that he wanted to come to Rome in order to preach the gospel to them (ROM 1:15), he was speaking of the whole counsel of God, not the gospel of first importance that they had already received. Paul was hindered from coming there to do so, and was afraid that would reflect a bias on his part because the church at that time was predominately Jewish (ROM1:13-14). We see the same mindset also that likens to the apostle John that prefers face to face teaching rather than letters (2JN 12). That is why 2John is so short, John hoped to teach them face to face. Paul couldn’t wait any longer to teach the Romans the full counsel of God, so he begins to do so in Romans 1:16, that’s why his letter is so long!

Romans is an in-depth treatise concerning God’s plan for reconciling mankind to Himself. The first eleven chapters concern justification, or how God justifies mankind which makes reconciliation possible. This is mostly informative and wisdom based as opposed to sanctification which is mostly instructive and imperative based. And knowing the will of God for the Christian is very easy:

1Thessalonians 4:3 – For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

9 Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, 10 for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more,

This is the clear definition of sanctification (a setting apart for holy purpose). We call it progressive sanctification. Definitive sanctification is the initial setting apart at justification. Context will determine which of these is being spoken of in any given Bible text. Progressive sanctification entails gaining wisdom on “how to” “control” our bodies in “holiness and honor.” Sanctification is a how to endeavor; get over it. It is about a bunch of do’s and don’ts—get over it. It is about living by lists—get over it. Sanctification is the science of controlling our bodies to God’s honor. Proverbs 18:4 and 20:5 state that the issues of life are deep waters—the gospel of first importance is simplistic, but the gospel of sanctification is far from it. Listen to how the book of Proverbs begins:

Proverbs 1:2 – To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, 3 to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; 4 to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth—5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, 6 to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Wisdom does not pertain to justification per se, Justification is the beginning of knowledge, but mark it, those who despise wisdom and understanding for sanctification are fools. Those who park on salvation are also fools—they despise wisdom and instruction. A prime example are those who request prayer “for patience.” Prayer is easy, “Lord, give me patience!” But what does Proverbs say about obtaining patience?

Proverbs 19:11 – A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense (NIV).

It takes wisdom to obtain patience. Prayer alone will not bring you patience. Justification is free by faith alone; sanctification is not free; if you get any, you will work for it. As I said yesterday in a conversation, “People want to be happy, but they don’t want to do anything to get happiness. The Bible promises that we can be happy, but unlike justification, happiness in sanctification is not unconditional—there are conditions. Paul made it clear, especially in Chapters 9-11 that justification is completely unconditional, but that is not what we see in the first verse of Chapter one:

Romans 12:1 – I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

The word for “mercies” is literally (oiktirmos) “compassion.” A call to obedience is not burdensome, it is the compassion of God. Paul is making his appeal on behalf of God according to His compassion. It is the antithesis of depraved indifference. God is not the parent that lets a child grow up without wisdom and in the way that he/she would naturally go. Knowing this wisdom is a good start for patience. Like God, we should compel people to obey because it is the way of life, and not because we are inconvenienced by their wayward ways. I am not saying that it is never about us, because what is simply right and just does matter, but it should mostly be about caring for others. Our appeal should be by God’s mercy. Therefore, remember this: silence can qualify as depraved indifference. Our appeals should be with compassion, but no appeal at all is far from such—it is often depraved indifference.

The appeal to present our bodies as a living sacrifice harkens back to God’s acceptable sacrifices in the Old Testament. They had to be sacrifices without blemish. Our sacrifice is living, and the sacrifice is our service. Let’s reread Romans 12:1 without the added words that make it flow in the English translation:

Romans 12:1 – I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

“Worship” (latreia) carries the idea of service to God according to the Levitical law. It also has the idea of service for hire. We serve God by continually presenting ourselves to Him as blameless. This harkens back to the definition of sanctification in 1Thessalonians 4:4. We are to control our bodies in holiness and honor. We are to be vessels fit for the Master’s use:

2Timothy 2:20 – Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. 22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

One way this is to be performed is to change the way we think as opposed to the way the world thinks. Agreeing with the world makes you like the world. This would be regarding, “life and godliness” (2Peter 1:3). There is the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God. Hence, the “Christian” idea of “plundering the Egyptians” which came from Augustine is a really bad idea. What we believe makes us who we are:

Romans 12:2 – Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect

Sanctification is God’s will. By transforming our mind according to God’s wisdom we become more like Him. By His word we discern sanctification and how to apply it to our lives. This is what leads to change: transforming our ways of thinking from the worldly to the truth. Only truth sanctifies (John 17:17). Christians are to serve the law with their minds (ROM 7:25). The word “heart” in the Bible is more often than not an idiom for the mind (ZECH 8:17, MATT 9:4, MATT 13:15, MK 7:21). We are to guard our minds with all vigilance because it is the wellspring of life (Proverbs 4;23). Paul brings this issue into clarity in 2Corinthinas 10:5;

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

To say that Christians play fast and loose with ideas is an understatement. They simply don’t understand that ideas make us who we are (PROV 23:7). Every thought is to be taken captive and brought into conformity to the word of Christ. An exchange Susan and I had last week is indicative of where Christians go astray on this issue:

The Pauline approach to sanctification is an affront to contemporary Christianity.  That’s the dilemma we face. Protestantism, which includes Baptists et al, is dumbed down by ecclesiastical design. On  April 25, 1518, Martin Luther declared war on the priesthood of believers and sanctification via his declaration of Reformed theology in Heidelberg, Germany. The 95 Thesis was a moral treatise against Rome six months prior, but the Heidelberg Disputation was the very foundation of Reformed ideology. It called on theologians to interpret all of reality from a dual perspective: the glory story or the cross story.

True theology (the cross story) would look at man as worthless and empty with eyes of faith that can only see outward to the glory of God. This made all reality good as the sum equation of God’s goodness and man’s evil. So, tragedy only reflects man’s worthlessness and his deserved plight and the glorification of God following. The glory story was anything that recognized anything IN man at all. No goodness or grace is infused into man. True theology is a purely outward look, and only looks within to find reason for repentance that then glorifies God (“deep repentance”). Luther believed that man can experience the grace of God, but cannot participate in it. That would be works salvation. Man must empty himself to be saved and remain empty till the final judgment.

Hence, any notion that man could become good through salvation was deemed heretical, and a damning false gospel. In many ways, it was predicated on the Platonist idea that all matter is evil, and that would of course include man. The first sentence of the Calvin Institutes (CI 1.1.1) is based on Luther’s dual construct, and then the rest of the Institutes build a full metaphysical statement on the foundation of that first sentence. Pretty impressive. In that sentence, Calvin states that all wisdom is derived from a knowledge of us and knowledge of God. The two opposites define each other. Both Calvin and Luther were followers of Augustine who was the undisputed first and foremost integrationist in Western culture. Plato integrated Eastern mysticism with Western science, and Augustine integrated Platonism with the Bible. A cursory observation of world history makes this plain.

Therefore, the good Luther/Calvin cross theologian heartily agrees with, “study to show thyself approved, a workman that need not be ashamed.” But in the Protestant construct that redefines sanctification (and actually rejects it totally), what does “study” mean? What does “approved” mean? And what does “workman” mean? The Reformers did not believe anybody is approved. They believed work in sanctification (the Christian life) was equivalent to works salvation. Augustine, Luther, and Calvin believed baptism replaced circumcision, and sanctification replaced the Old Testament Sabbath Rest. Working on the Sabbath would bring death, and in the same way, working in sanctification also brings death (John King: The Complete Bible Commentary Collection of John Calvin; Genesis, Ch.2 sec.3, Ch.17 sec.13. Ibid: The Harmony of the Law, Due. 5:12-15, sec. 15). A good example how this demonstrates itself in the contemporary mindset follows. It was sent to me by a reader of the PPT blog:

Of course, as we have discussed many times, statements like this make no distinction between sanctification and justification.

So, “study” is really a focus on what ANY Bible text says about mankind’s wretched, sinful existence as opposed to God’s holiness. When the equation is seen, a steady flow of Christ’s obedience is imputed to our account and we remain justified. These manifestations may, or may not be experienced, but if they are, it is in the realm of the subjective where even the experience cannot be somehow attributed to us. This selfless, daily bearing of the cross and dying to self will lead to joy, but we do not know if this joy is directly linked to a Christ manifestation. The gospel is objective and remains outside of us, but is experienced subjectively. Any inward focus leads to inward subjectivity and as John Piper stated it, “imperils the soul.” It is merely an application of Eastern Mysticism to make sanctification by justification possible.

This is why Luther despised reason and called it a prostitute that should have “dung” rubbed in her face to “make her ugly.” Reason is the glory story. Our ability to reason has to do with an inner ability apart from God. Our “study” is limited to seeing the cross more by a greater and greater realization of our God unlikeness. Our “work” is this study and contentment in the ruin that God has sovereignly placed us in. But of course, “Contentment with godliness is great gain.” That is knowing our own place in the caste system which is sovereignly determined by birth. Supposedly, working hard at being content in our own wretched station of life is not work—it’s faith. Problem is, Luther et al considered that to be saving faith as long as it is practiced in sanctification. You do the math. There is a standard for what isn’t work in sanctification and what is work in sanctification for the purpose of remaining justified.

That is why we argue that justification must be a finished work separate from our Christian life. The conclusion of Paul’s treatise on justification in chapters 1-11 should lead to a free and aggressive sanctification. Though the Scripture has much to say about the colaboring of the Holy Spirit with us in sanctification and the reality that He makes it possible, I think the following quote by RC Sproul during a moment of sanity sums up the point well:

Sanctification is cooperative. There are two partners involved in the work. I must work and God will work. If ever the extra-biblical maxim, “God helps those who help themselves,” had any truth, it is at this point. We are not called to sit back and let God do all the work. We are called to work, and to work hard. To work something out with fear and trembling is to work with devout and conscientious rigor. It is to work with care, with a profound concern with the end result” (RC Sproul: Pleasing God p. 227).

If I am not mistaken, this is the only citation from Christian academia in this whole series on Romans, but again, I think it is worth getting in for the way it is stated. Though Paul was no less dependent on the power of the Spirit than anyone who has ever lived, he at times was brutally practical:

2Corinthians 9:1 – Now it is superfluous for me to write to you about the ministry for the saints, 2 for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year. And your zeal has stirred up most of them. 3 But I am sending the brothers so that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this matter, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be. 4 Otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated—to say nothing of you—for being so confident. 5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for the gift you have promised, so that it may be ready as a willing gift, not as an exaction.

Much can be learned from this passage about sanctification—not least of all in regard to the issue and application of accountability. Sanctification is a many-faceted, aggressive endeavor. It is full of practical and wise life application, and the Holy Spirit is ever willing to aid us accordingly.

“And this is by design. Confused people are easy to control.”

It’s nice to know who you are and what you believe. Like most Christians, until recently, I didn’t have a grip on what it really means to be a Christian. I will admit that I functioned on what I was told by others, and even though I was a diligent student of God’s word, I read it through the prism of what I was told.

The result? I really didn’t understand how justification and sanctification works in the Christian life. I didn’t understand covenants. I didn’t understand biblical prophecy. I didn’t understand law. It took a climatic event in my life to send me on a journey of freedom; my desire to know the Bible in a relevant way was destined to clash with the formal church.

And look, don’t give me a load on this issue. Part of our ministry is struggling to find ways to help Christians understand core foundational truths of the Bible. Confusion about covenants, Israel, prophecy, and soteriology abound. Discussions with Christians on basic doctrines are adorned with blank stares. They have no idea what you are even talking about. By design, Christians function on the Cliff Notes of orthodoxy. And this is by design. Confused people are easy to control.

Our Sunday night fellowship was primarily fellowship around fun activities. I was amazed at how much fun people were having as I compiled the booklets for this third lesson to be studied at home. It is the conclusion of our study on justification from the book of Romans, and concludes with the capstone of chapters 9-11: Israel.

With permission, we have recopied John J. Parsons’ excellent work on Remnant Theology and incorporated it into our position here at the Potter’s House. It coincides with what we have seen for ourselves in the book of Romans. It is an excellent summation to our final series on justification.

I just find myself full of joy that we have made our own determination on this apart from the traditions of men. Truth is freeing. Don’t live a life based on some man’s interpretation of the Bible. Live the calling you have from God. You have to determine that calling yourself, only you will stand before the Lord, no one will stand there in your place if you are a Christian.

Not even Christ. He has ALREADY taken our place for justification. He has ALREADY stood in our place before God. “It is finished.” As Christians, we will stand before Him to give an account for the sum and substance of what we have done with the gifts He has given us. And listening to “important” men will be no excuse. You are a workman that need not be ashamed. Don’t stand ashamed before the Savior that died for you. You will be saved, “yet so, by fire.” Make the fire that will burn up the wood, hay, and stubble a small one.

As a pastor, it’s not my job to tell people what to do. I have NO authority over anybody who comes to the Potter’s House. We have been given the authority to tell people what God’s word states. We have been given authority to teach the full council of God. The authority is in God’s word, not the man. We have also been given the authority to baptize. Granted, to the extent that the full counsel of God is properly taught, congregants are more accountable to God. I sometimes wonder if that’s why people want to put themselves under the authority of the traditions of men. In many ways, it is sooooo much easier:

“Hey, we are just a bunch of wicked sinners. Stuff happens. Don’t worry, be happy. Que sera, sera.”

This is a journey, and we have so much more to learn. And as a pastor, being freed from my own opinion is a feeling I can’t even explain. To have the word of God as authority is such an awesome privilege that should be exercised to the fullest. And what a joy to work through these issues with those who only want their convictions to be those of the Lord, and not their own ideas.

The Potter’s House Statement on Theology and Doctrine

John J. Parsons Treatise Separate File

A Protestant tradition among its so-called elders is the incessant wrangling over philosophical knowledge. Past the Protestant golden rule of orthodoxy canned for the totally depraved unenlightened masses, the “humbleness” of not knowing anything for certain rules the day. This is a Protestant family tradition.

This abrogation of truth is rife in regard to the subject of Bible prophecy. The logical conclusion is that 25% of the Bible which comprises prophecy is composed by a capricious god who enjoys confusing his children by writing things they can’t understand.

But I suspect the real concern is that the saints, by and large, will obtain a solid understanding of justification through Bible prophecy. Wisdom and understanding does not lend itself to control. True wisdom and understanding places confidence in God and not the traditions of men. Justification, the covenants, and prophecy fit together in one unified explanation of truth. The truth sets people free.

Justification is the goal, the covenants are the application and building of the plan, and prophecy explains the final outcome. God’s people are to know the goal, the plan, and the outcome, and are to be sure of it. That surety comes from seeing how the goal of justification, covenants, and prophecy fit together perfectly. The messenger told Daniel that the prophecy was “sure”; blessings are promised for those who study the prophecy of Revelation; those who have the hope of prophesy’s consummation purify themselves; but yet, the expected outcome is mystery? Doesn’t make sense.

In a general sense, this is what the apostle Paul is looking to do in the 9^th, 10^th and 11^th chapters of Romans. Getting Israel right is getting justification right: “Salvation is of the Jews.” The framework of justification, covenants, and prophecy can be found in these three chapters. Let us begin in Romans 9:

Romans 9:1 – I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

This is stated in the present tense. To national Israel belongs the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. We are going to focus on the covenants and the promises. Notice that both are in the plural and present tense. National Israel is still relevant and part of an overall redemptive plan. “Kinsmen” is the following word:

g4773. συγγενής syggenēs; from 4862 and 1085; a relative (by blood); by extension, a fellow countryman:— cousin, kin (- sfolk,- sman). AV (12)- kinsman 7, cousin 2, kinsfolk 2, kin 1; of the same kin, akin to, related by blood in a wider sense, of the same nation, a fellow countryman

“Israel” refers to the nation of Israel. Let’s establish that they were elected by God as a nation:

Because He loved your forefathers and chose their descendants after them, He brought you out of Egypt by His Presence and His great strength. — Deut. 4:37.

The Lord did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath He swore to your forefathers that He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. — Deut. 7:7, 8.

After the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, “The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is going to drive them out before you. It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people. — Deut. 9:4-6.

Yet the Lord set His affection on your forefathers and loved them, and He chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. — Deut. 10:15.

“But you, O Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham My friend. — Isa. 41:8.

But now, this is what the Lord says—He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine.”

— Isa. 43:1.

“But now listen, O Jacob, My servant, Israel, whom I have chosen. This is what the Lord says—He who made you, who formed you in the womb,

and who will help you: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, My servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.”—Isa. 44:1, 2.

“For the sake of Jacob My servant, of Israel My chosen, I call you by name and bestow on you a title of honor though you do not acknowledge Me.”— Isa. 45:4.

These are but a few, and it is also important to note that the promises to Abraham, our spiritual father, are part and parcel with the idea of his descendants being a nation:

The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”— Gen. 12:1-3.

Understanding justification and biblical prophecy is impossible if Israel ceases to be a nation. Israel is the factor that makes both add up to the only equation that makes sense. God’s salvific plan focuses on the saving of nations/races through his chosen nation, Israel. His elect King, Jesus Christ, will bring salvation to the nations through Israel:

“Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My chosen One in whom I delight;

I will put My Spirit on Him and He will bring justice to the nations.” —Isa. 42:1.

He says: “It is too small a thing for You to be My Servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make You a light for the Gentiles, that You may bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”

— Isa. 49:6

The whole idea of Christ being the elect (chosen) of God always puzzled me until I looked at it from the perspective of Christ being the elect King of Israel. He is the king of a nation that will bring salvation and justice to the nations. And God is particularly pleased with justice being displayed. This explains the “kingdom” language of the Bible. We should also remember that justice is important to God. Frankly, lack of emphasis in the church on justice is troubling to me. A zeal for what is simply right. One of God’s purposes of ruling the nations through Christ will be to put justice on display.

Israel as a chosen nation ruled by Christ to bring salvation to the nations is absolutely paramount to understanding justification and the Bible in general. Many leaders throughout church history have sought to separate Christians from this construct because when it gets right down to it, if you approach the Bible with this in mind, you don’t need them. Removing future Israel with Christ as its King throws understanding of the Scriptures into turmoil.

Even in the present age, being alienated from Christ is synonymous with being alienated from the “commonwealth” of Israel:

Ephesians 2:11 – Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

“Commonwealth” means the same thing in English….

g4174. πολιτεία politeia; from 4177 (“polity”); citizenship; concretely, a community:— commonwealth, freedom. AV (2)- freedom 1, commonwealth 1; the administration of civil affairs a state or commonwealth citizenship, the rights of a citizen.

….it is an independently sovereign state/community in the midst. Ephesians 2:11ff. is our first clue that the covenants and promises build on each other because they, for the most part, are always stated in the present tense; they all still serve a purpose in the restoral of national Israel. Paul states that the Gentiles in this present age were formally “alienated” from those things. You can’t be alienated from something that is no longer in existence or no longer valid or no longer serves a purpose. Now, let’s move on to Paul’s next point: The word of God has not failed because Israel rebelled;

Romans 9:6 – But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring….11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—

Elect Israel has an elect within it, or the “remnant” that are the spiritual descendants of Abraham so that the election of Israel is by grace alone and not works (verse 11). But we want to also balance this out with Paul’s statement concerning the whole nation. A Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) is not part of Paul’s outlook on election. Paul desired salvation for every Jew and evangelized like it depended on him. I can only assume that in some way it does depend on us. Election, though critical to assurance and aggressive sanctification, does not equal fatalistic determinism. What we do in the here and now matter immensely and makes a difference. How God weaves that together with his election is an understanding that I have not yet arrived at.

No one is to misinterpret the fall of Israel because of the non-elect within Israel that rejected Christ the King—the stumbling block of Zion. They rejected the chief corner stone that was the end of the law and attempted to establish a righteousness of their own. I think the remnant are those who are the beginning of the so-called church age which is better called the “last days.” They will all go up in the rapture at the end of the “church age” which is interesting because apparently, in an astounding display of God’s grace, the stiff-necked variety of Jews will be saved during the tribulation period, or the “time of Jacob’s trouble” (JER 30:7):

Zechariah 12:1 – The oracle of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus declares the Lord, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him: 2 “Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. 3 On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it. 4 On that day, declares the Lord, I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider with madness. But for the sake of the house of Judah I will keep my eyes open, when I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5 Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the Lord of hosts, their God.’

6 “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a blazing pot in the midst of wood, like a flaming torch among sheaves. And they shall devour to the right and to the left all the surrounding peoples, while Jerusalem shall again be inhabited in its place, in Jerusalem.

7 “And the Lord will give salvation to the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not surpass that of Judah. 8 On that day the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the Lord, going before them. 9 And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

Him Whom They Have Pierced

10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. 11 On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 The land shall mourn, each family[a] by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14 and all the families that are left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves.

Notice what Paul states in Romans 11:5;

So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.

“At this present time” refers to the present age, and they all go up in the rapture. The tribulation Jews are therefore another category, or so it would seem. Since God’s kingdom will not be reestablished on earth till the end of the tribulation period, I would assume that explains the term, “kingdom of heaven.” While God is grafting the Gentiles into Israel, the kingdom is in heaven until Christ returns and establishes the millennial kingdom on earth. At any rate, this is not “kingdom” in a spiritual since per se, this is a literal kingdom and spiritualizing the kingdom will not lend to understanding.

In Romans 11:1-10 Paul reiterates the remnant and those that are hardened, and then states the following starting in verse 11:

So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!

This couldn’t be clearer. A full inclusion of Israel is yet future. What God wanted at Mt. Sinai will come to pass and will be established forever.

Romans 11:13 – Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 15 For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? 16 If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

This is where Paul begins his tree illustration. What is this tree? I would say that it is the Abrahamic covenant or The Promise. God’s holiness is the root. The covenant is based on God’s holiness. But as an aside, is there a ministry to the Jews in our day? Yes, and the ministry is made clear in the above cited text. This should be the premise or foundation of any ministry for the Jews.

Romans 11:17 – But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. 23 And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

The covenant never changes because it is steadfast according to God’s election. The unbelief of some Jews results in God grafted in unnatural branches. The root is God’s holiness, the tree is the covenant, the natural branches are national Israel, the broken branches are those who were hardened, and the unnatural branches are the Gentiles. Paul warns the Gentiles at Rome to not posit the idea that the unnatural branches have replaced the natural branches. Of course, the Western church has broken that commandment with malice and all tenacity. Moreover, this approach will turn understanding of the Bible completely upside down. A proper understanding of the Jewish covenants is the paramount threat to Western clergy because if you have a proper understanding of God’s relationship to the Jews, you don’t need them to interpret the Bible for you.

Romans 9-11, especially chapter 11, is perhaps the most difficult in the Bible to preach on because there is nothing to study—it is what it is. However, it supplies a basic interpretive framework from which the rest of the Bible is interpreted. Salvation begins with the Jews and their King, and ends with the Jews and their King. The Reformed rejection of Israel’s election by the sultans of election displays the kind of confusion that transpires when you rebel against God’s revealed choices. The Reformers criticize the Jews for rejecting the Messiah while downplaying the remnant of Israel. Meanwhile, they arrogantly inform Christ that they accept Him, but not His chosen people. In chapter 11, Paul makes the eternal standing of those who posit such—ambiguous at best.

Furthermore, let us not depart this point without acknowledging the redeemed heart of the apostle Paul that is on display here. A redeemed heart loves the Jews, period. A redeemed heart, like Paul’s, wishes for the salvation of Israel. This stands in stark contrast to Reformed writings that go forth like vomit spewing from gluttonous stomachs.

Romans 11:25 – Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; 27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” 28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. 32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

Clearly, we are in what the Bible calls the time of the Gentiles. Paul barely stops short of saying we owe our salvation to the Jews. We have benefited from them being enemies of the gospel, but they are still God’s elect, and that is irrevocable. They are “beloved for the sake of their forefathers” till “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob.” All Gentiles are saved by being grafted into the covenant that starts with the Jewish forefathers and ends with the banishment of ungodliness from Jacob.

I will conclude with the illustration below. This sums it up in the least common denominator. The following should be kept in mind when you read your Bible.