Salvation of Israel
A friend asked a question regarding the salvation of Jews. This question is where I have a divergence with many Christians. I will be very frank with you. At times, I feel we have taken a Middle Eastern religion and we have turned it into a European religion. As controllers of the church, we dictate whom we will and will not let in. In addition, they have to fit our paradigm.
I know that this sounds heretical and some of you may want to burn me at the stake. I am not denying Jesus or his sacrifice at all. If you will continue reading, you will understand what I am saying.
What of Israel, has God abandoned his people?
I’ve struggled with the question about the Jews. The bible tells us that Jews are his people. He led them for thousands of years, fed them, and protected them. For what one must ask, to kick them out and into eternal damnation? This is a vital question.
We often draw analogies of God as our father and a father who loves people unconditionally. Yet, for 2ooo years we, that is, European Christians, have denied the Jew and in many instances, hated and killed the Jew. Some early leaders like Marcion, a Christian theologian in the second century, championed a separation of Jews from Christianity. He even canonized his own bible leaving out the Hebrew Bible altogether. We must ask ourselves, is this what a loving Father God would do and want?
First things first, we often like to strip out verses from their context. We cannot and must not do that until we fully understand the context in which the verse was written. We must start by examining the letter to the Romans first. What was Paul’s purpose in writing this letter, and to whom was he speaking.
Paul was speaking to both Jew and Gentile believers. He was appealing to the Church in Roman because of his upcoming trip to Spain. In addition, he was addressing a problem between both believing Jews and Gentiles, and finally he was introducing himself to them. We must also remember that Paul and people of his time didn’t write in chapters and verses but rather in one long continuous form. We have cut it up into chapters and verses for our own sake.
Some want to believe only a remnant of Israel will be saved. Paul states in Romans 2: 9-11 “There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.” What I know is that I must now and cannot put manmade limits on God.
Others will state, Jews try and live by the law and one cannot earn their way into heaven. I am not saying otherwise. Romans: 2:17-19 speaks of the law and the Jew. In summary, this passage states that if you are a Jew and you are following the law, you cannot break the law and still be righteous. Paul also calls attention to the fact that some Jews while they preach the law they are nonetheless, breaking it, to which Paul goes on and states that the uncircumcised who follow the law will condemn those who are circumcised and do not follow the law. The funny part of this passage and perhaps the most telling, verse 29 “No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit.” What does that make us? Do we not say that our circumcision is of the heart by the Holy Spirit?
Paul talks about faith, about the spirit, about the law, and about righteousness and sinfulness, progressing to Israel in Chapter nine. Here he begins to talk about Israel’s unbelief, and how a stumbling block has been laid for them. In Chapter 10, he talks about his hopes for them, and how the message must be delivered to them and that it has. If we stop there, it seems bad for the Jews. However, as I said, in the actual writing, the author immediately continued with the next sentence or what we call Chapter 11, verse one.
Paul has shown that the Jews were Gods people, and the God set them up to take a fall. Chapter 11: verse 8 God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see ears so that they could not hear. Paul then goes on to talk about in grafted branches. The Jews were the cultivated olive branch cut off, we are the wild olive branch grafted in. The root supports us; we do not support the root. Paul warns us clearly in verse 20, “Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. In 21, he tells us that if God can cut out the natural branches he can just as easily cut off the unnatural ones. Paul has painted a word picture that God fathered and guided the Israelites, put an obstacle in their path, closed their eyes and hears. He then cut them off the tree, and grafted Gentiles in. The question we need to ask is, way?
We can be so arrogant to think simply that we are better than the Jews are. We can become like Marcion and cut out the Jews from the Christian faith if we like. However, I would suggest finding the answer to my question first. The answer is in verse 25, for us, the Jews are what is called a sign people, pointing to God. Verse 25: “…so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of Gentiles has come in.” The very next verse states, “And so all Israel will be saved as it is written; ‘The deliver will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.’” Verse 28, “…Thy are loved on account of the patriarchs. For God’s gifts are irrevocable. Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. The Jews had to be hardened, have their eyes shut, their ears closed so that they would reject Jesus and all of God’s plans could happen. I like the way on commentator puts it referring to Israel’s salvation, “All questions like this must be left to God.”
As Christians, over the last 2000 years, we have been acculturated to have disdain for the Jew. My own mother told me as a little boy, that God hates the Jews because they killed Jesus. Many of her generation and her decedents were taught this. When the Crusaders went in to free Constantinople and Jerusalem from the Muslims, they slaughtered not only the Muslims, but also the Jews. By the closing of the 1st century, the Gentile began to outnumber the Jew and slowly began to create doctrine that forced Early Jewish converts out. This is simply a sad fact. I have attended Church services where I actually got up and left because the words coming out of the mouth of the Pastor were very anti Semitic and racist.
Paul warns us not to become arrogant or conceited. Just as God cut off the natural branch, so to can he cut off the in grafted wild olive branch. I do no profess to have the answers, but having taken many courses in theology, in which one class the professors presented the absolute eight models of God, my first response was to the 10 doctors/theologians, you know God so well that you can put him into not one, but eight boxes? I cannot dictate to God what he can and cannot do what he will or will not do, or even whom he will or will not save. Israel’s salvation and method of salvation or the number of those saved, as with any one single person, is entirely up to God. As followers of Jesus, we must emulate Jesus, who by physical birth and practice was a Jew.
I know that this sounds heretical and some of you may want to burn me at the stake. I am not denying Jesus or his sacrifice at all. If you will continue reading, you will understand what I am saying.
What of Israel, has God abandoned his people?
I’ve struggled with the question about the Jews. The bible tells us that Jews are his people. He led them for thousands of years, fed them, and protected them. For what one must ask, to kick them out and into eternal damnation? This is a vital question.
We often draw analogies of God as our father and a father who loves people unconditionally. Yet, for 2ooo years we, that is, European Christians, have denied the Jew and in many instances, hated and killed the Jew. Some early leaders like Marcion, a Christian theologian in the second century, championed a separation of Jews from Christianity. He even canonized his own bible leaving out the Hebrew Bible altogether. We must ask ourselves, is this what a loving Father God would do and want?
First things first, we often like to strip out verses from their context. We cannot and must not do that until we fully understand the context in which the verse was written. We must start by examining the letter to the Romans first. What was Paul’s purpose in writing this letter, and to whom was he speaking.
Paul was speaking to both Jew and Gentile believers. He was appealing to the Church in Roman because of his upcoming trip to Spain. In addition, he was addressing a problem between both believing Jews and Gentiles, and finally he was introducing himself to them. We must also remember that Paul and people of his time didn’t write in chapters and verses but rather in one long continuous form. We have cut it up into chapters and verses for our own sake.
Some want to believe only a remnant of Israel will be saved. Paul states in Romans 2: 9-11 “There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.” What I know is that I must now and cannot put manmade limits on God.
Others will state, Jews try and live by the law and one cannot earn their way into heaven. I am not saying otherwise. Romans: 2:17-19 speaks of the law and the Jew. In summary, this passage states that if you are a Jew and you are following the law, you cannot break the law and still be righteous. Paul also calls attention to the fact that some Jews while they preach the law they are nonetheless, breaking it, to which Paul goes on and states that the uncircumcised who follow the law will condemn those who are circumcised and do not follow the law. The funny part of this passage and perhaps the most telling, verse 29 “No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit.” What does that make us? Do we not say that our circumcision is of the heart by the Holy Spirit?
Paul talks about faith, about the spirit, about the law, and about righteousness and sinfulness, progressing to Israel in Chapter nine. Here he begins to talk about Israel’s unbelief, and how a stumbling block has been laid for them. In Chapter 10, he talks about his hopes for them, and how the message must be delivered to them and that it has. If we stop there, it seems bad for the Jews. However, as I said, in the actual writing, the author immediately continued with the next sentence or what we call Chapter 11, verse one.
Paul has shown that the Jews were Gods people, and the God set them up to take a fall. Chapter 11: verse 8 God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see ears so that they could not hear. Paul then goes on to talk about in grafted branches. The Jews were the cultivated olive branch cut off, we are the wild olive branch grafted in. The root supports us; we do not support the root. Paul warns us clearly in verse 20, “Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. In 21, he tells us that if God can cut out the natural branches he can just as easily cut off the unnatural ones. Paul has painted a word picture that God fathered and guided the Israelites, put an obstacle in their path, closed their eyes and hears. He then cut them off the tree, and grafted Gentiles in. The question we need to ask is, way?
We can be so arrogant to think simply that we are better than the Jews are. We can become like Marcion and cut out the Jews from the Christian faith if we like. However, I would suggest finding the answer to my question first. The answer is in verse 25, for us, the Jews are what is called a sign people, pointing to God. Verse 25: “…so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of Gentiles has come in.” The very next verse states, “And so all Israel will be saved as it is written; ‘The deliver will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.’” Verse 28, “…Thy are loved on account of the patriarchs. For God’s gifts are irrevocable. Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. The Jews had to be hardened, have their eyes shut, their ears closed so that they would reject Jesus and all of God’s plans could happen. I like the way on commentator puts it referring to Israel’s salvation, “All questions like this must be left to God.”
As Christians, over the last 2000 years, we have been acculturated to have disdain for the Jew. My own mother told me as a little boy, that God hates the Jews because they killed Jesus. Many of her generation and her decedents were taught this. When the Crusaders went in to free Constantinople and Jerusalem from the Muslims, they slaughtered not only the Muslims, but also the Jews. By the closing of the 1st century, the Gentile began to outnumber the Jew and slowly began to create doctrine that forced Early Jewish converts out. This is simply a sad fact. I have attended Church services where I actually got up and left because the words coming out of the mouth of the Pastor were very anti Semitic and racist.
Paul warns us not to become arrogant or conceited. Just as God cut off the natural branch, so to can he cut off the in grafted wild olive branch. I do no profess to have the answers, but having taken many courses in theology, in which one class the professors presented the absolute eight models of God, my first response was to the 10 doctors/theologians, you know God so well that you can put him into not one, but eight boxes? I cannot dictate to God what he can and cannot do what he will or will not do, or even whom he will or will not save. Israel’s salvation and method of salvation or the number of those saved, as with any one single person, is entirely up to God. As followers of Jesus, we must emulate Jesus, who by physical birth and practice was a Jew.
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