The Messiah and the Covenants of Israel

The Church and the Abrahamic Covenant

A Comparison of Israel and the Church (Continued)

(ix)                   Under the dispensation of the Law, the Spirit of God came upon an individual Israelite on rare occasions. The bulk of the population knew nothing of the anointing of the Spirit. Those selected for special service received special equipping but all others were strangers to a personal anointing. Moreover, the Spirit would withdraw as soon as the service was completed. In contrast the Christian is not only begotten of the Spirit[1] but indwelt by the Spirit; in truth, it is the main evidence of his/her salvation.[2]

 (x)   For one and a half millennia the Law of Moses was Israel’s rule of daily life. It is written: “But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children, To such as keep His covenant, And to those who remember His commandments to do them.” (Ps 103:17-18)

 Unlike this, the members of Christ’s Body, are “not under law but under grace”. (Rom.6.14) This does not mean there is nothing expected of the Christian – but it is phrased more like a request than a command. For example, Romans 12.1: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service”.

 (xi) The weakness of the dispensation of Law was that it provided no assistance to the child of Abraham to fulfill its commands. Consequently, its failure was inevitable because of weakness of the flesh.[3] The children of God, in contrast, receive additional resources to meet every expectation placed on them. The indwelling Spirit of God has access to the riches of grace, and makes them available to the believer who wishes to draw on them.[4]

 (xii)                 After His final visit to the Temple, Jesus spoke of the future that Israel would suffer in light of His rejection. It would be one of exile and persecution, culminating in a period of tribulation which would only end when the nation’s leaders would recognize His Messianic claim and call for Him to rescue them.[5]

 On the other hand, in a totally different vein, the night before His execution, He spoke to the disciples of the future for his followers. In their life they might face difficulties, but they would have the aid of the ‘Comforter’ who would strengthen them, guide them, and teach them. Furthermore, for every one who died they would be received into the immediate presence of the Messiah. The future for them was the same whether they lived or died, they would know the immediate presence of God.

When these two discourses are put side by side they demonstrate the wide differences that exist between Israel and the Church.

(xiii)               As seen in His words specifically addressed to Israel, Christ returns to her as her King in power and great glory,[6] at which time she will be gathered from every part of the earth by angelic ministration and into her own land.[7]

Over against these great events promised to Israel is the return of Christ for His own Bride, when He takes her with Him into heaven’s glory ,[8] where the marriage will take place.[9]

(xiv)               Isaiah declared, “But thou, Israel, art my servant” (Isa. 41:8). Though individuals in Israel attained to great usefulness, as did the prophets, priests, and kings, yet they never reached a higher distinction than that they were the servants of Jehovah.

Contrariwise, the individuals who compose the Church, while they do serve, are not classed as servants, but are members of the family of God, are ‘in Christ’ and betrothed to Him.

(xv)                 When Jesus returns and sets up His throne in Jerusalem He will reign over Israel as absolute sovereign and the Jewish people will be His subjects. In this task he will be assisted (not that He needs assistance!) by David[10] and the apostles that accompanied Him at the time of His first coming.[11] Those of the elect nation are appointed to be subjects in His earthly kingdom.

The reign of the Messiah from His throne in Jerusalem will also extend to all nations and it will be the Church (the Bride of Christ) who will co-reign with Him over the Gentile nations.[12]

(xvi)               The arrangements in Israel included the separation of the descendents of Aaron to form the Aaronic priesthood. They were responsible for intercession for both the nation and individual Israelites. No-one else was allowed to usurp the sacerdotal duties that rightfully belonged to the priesthood.

The Church on the other hand is totally populated by those who are priests, that is, they do not need an intermediary but are able to enter the presence of God directly.[13]  

(xvii)             The Aaronic High Priest of Israel could only have access into the immediate presence of God once a year and that with limitations.[14] The Melchizedekian High Priest of the Church, Jesus, is in the presence of the Father continually as her advocate, intercessor and representative.

(xviii)           At no time could the High Priest invite another Israelite to enter the Holy of Holies in Temple or Tabernacle, but Jesus because His sacrifice was accepted ‘once and for all’, through the inspired writer, offers that invitation. “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession (and) let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  (Heb 4:14-16)

(xix)               As a nation, Israel is likened by Jehovah to His wife—a wife untrue and yet to be restored.[15] In marked distinction to this situation respecting Israel, is the revelation that the Church is to Christ as an espoused virgin to be married in heaven.[16]

From the foregoing, it is evident that there are significant differences between the natural ‘seed’ of Abraham, the ethnic group that is Israel; and the ‘seed’ of Abraham, the Church, constituted so by faith.

Next Time - Similarities

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[1] John 3.1-8

[2] Rom. 8:9

[3] Rom.8.3

[4] Phil.4.19

[5] The Olivet discourse – Matt.23.37-25.46

[6] Matt.24.30; Mark 13.26; Luke 21.27

[7] Deut. 30:1–8; Jer. 23:7–8; Matt. 24:31

[8] 2 Cor.11.2; John 14.1-3

[9] Rev.19.6-8

[10] Ezek.37.21-28

[11] Matt.19.28

[12] Rev.20.4-6

[13] John 16.23

[14] See chapter 15 and 16 in ‘The Messiah and the Feasts of Israel’ by the same author.

[15] Jer. 3:1, 14, 20; 31.31-34; Ezek. 16:1–59; Hos. 2:1–23; Isa. 54:1–17; cf. Gal. 4:27

[16] 2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 19:7–9

The Messiah & the Covenants of Israel (Continued)

The Church and the Abrahamic Covenant

Let us compare and contrast Israel and the Church

This comparison is needed because Abraham is the father of the Hebrew race, and also considered to be Father of the faithful.[1] First the differences:

(i)                       Israel’s future blessings are situated on earth, whereas the Church’s future blessings are situated in heaven. In His wisdom God provides a place for Israel on earth. Designated under the Abrahamic Covenant, they will fully occupy the Promised Land during the millennial reign of the Messiah, and even when there is a new heaven and a new earth; Israel’s distant future will still be on earth, that is, the new earth that John saw.

In contrast, God provides a heavenly future for the Church. It is true that there will be duties on earth for the Church during the millennial reign of Christ but her citizenship is in heaven, and that will be her home when the heavens are recreated. The first difference then is this: Israel’s future is tied to earth, whereas the Church’s future is tied to heaven.

(ii)                     While Abraham is set forward in Scripture as Father to Israel and also Father of the faithful, it is significant that his seed is described under two figures.  The dust of the earth (Gen.13.16), and the stars of heaven (Gen.15.5) surely reflecting that every provision for the nation of Israel is terrestrial, even to the degree of inheriting a homeland on the renewed earth; whereas the provisions for the Church are mainly celestial.

The two posterities of the Abrahamic covenant are given by Paul, “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.” (Rom. 4:16)

(iii)          Israelites become what they are by physical birth. They are members of the Hebrew race if their parents were Hebrews, or at least one parent. It is automatic. Paul suggested he could have boasted of his lineage for he was a ‘Hebrew of Hebrews’, that is, both his mother and father were Hebrews. There is even a suggestion that all four grandparents were also Hebrews. The point is that it is natural generation; they are each one begotten of human parents.

Christians become what they are by spiritual birth. They are ‘born of God’ and are therefore His legitimate offspring. A Jew is a child of Abraham, but a Christian (whether Jew or Gentile) is a child of God.

(i)                      This means that Abraham is the head of the Jewish race. They are Abraham’s children whereas Christ is the head of the Church. They are God’s children.

(ii)                    God has made several covenants with the nation of Israel, and He will yet make another covenant, the New Covenant with them,[2] which will replace the Mosaic Covenant. However, the benefits of the New Covenant are currently enjoyed by the Church. The blessings of the New Covenant are future for Israel, but present for the Church.

(vii)         Israel is a nation, and fits in among the nations of the world. The Church is not a nation, indeed is made up of people from all nations,[3] including Israel, and has no citizenship here, “for our citizenship is in heaven”. (Phil. 3:20) The members of the Church are considered pilgrims and strangers on the earth.

(viii)        In the purposes of God, Israel was appointed to be a witness to the one and only true God. They were to demonstrate that “righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people”, (Prov. 14:34) and by it exercise an influence over the nations of the earth. They should have been a light to the Gentiles, long before the Messiah was born.

The Psalmist captured this aspect exactly. (Ps.67.1-7)“God be merciful to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us, Selah That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously, And govern the nations on earth. Selah Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us, And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.” (Psalm 67:1-7)

This will be accomplished in a coming age; nevertheless historically there was very little missionary undertaking. The rules of separation were so enforced that generally Gentiles were disparaged as the ‘uncircumcised’. Mostly Israel faced inward toward the tabernacle or temple and nearly all her prayers were of the ‘bless me and mine’ category.

In contra-distinction to this, immediately upon her formation, the Church was constituted a foreign missionary society. It is true that it took some divine intervention to give it momentum; nevertheless, we are indebted to the early Church for the Biblical pattern of missionary evangelism, a pattern that has been taken up many times. The Church recognizes her obligation to evangelize the people of the earth in each generation.

(ix)                   To Israel God is known by His primary titles, but not as the Father of the individual Israelite. In distinction to this, the Christian is actually begotten of God and has every right to address Him as Father.

(x)                     To Israel, Christ is Messiah, Immanuel, and King with all that those titles imply. To the Church, Christ is Savior, Lord, Bridegroom, and Head. Jesus is King of Israel but Lord of the Church. He is not King of the Church.

More comparisons next time:

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[1] These comparisons are based on those included in Lewis Sperry Chafer’s Systematic Theology  (1993). Originally published: Dallas, Tex. : Dallas Seminary Press, 1947-1948. (4:47). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.

[2] The timing of the Covenant is suggested by Rom.11.26,27

[3] Rev.5.9

The Messiah and the Covenants of Israel (Continued)

The Church and the Abrahamic Covenant

The Church and the ‘Seed’ Aspect of the Abrahamic Covenant

It is clear from Scripture that part of the covenant purpose for the ‘seed’ or posterity of Abraham was:

a.                         to produce a nation that could be segregated, educated and trained to worship and serve the one and only God. They were to be the trail-blazers of monotheism.

b.                        to understand the principles of righteousness.

c.                         to be a ‘sign’ nation for all other nations in respect of monotheism and righteousness.

d.                        to receive and protect the future Savior of the human race.

How successful were they? Answer: very successful:

(i)                      they embraced segregation wholeheartedly, and committed themselves to following the principles and precepts laid down for them by the God they worshiped and served.

(ii)                    their offerings and festivals demonstrated what was required to be accepted before a righteous God. Moreover, their writings gave such principles a voice, which could be heard by those who would take time to listen.

(iii)                  that they became a ‘sign’ nation has also been evident. They have survived against all odds, and those that have cursed them have themselves been cursed.

(iv)                  and whatever else you say about the generations that were contemporary with the Messiah, Israel did provide an environment where He, a sinless law abiding individual, could grow up and follow the code of righteousness without being the object of foolish curiosity and scrutiny. Apart from the opposition of Herod the Great at His birth, He spent the first thirty years in relative anonymity, just as was intended.

 

Furthermore, it was intended that after the nation had received their Messiah and the Messianic kingdom was a reality, they would continue with the essentials expressed above. The New Covenant would be in place, and they would be the evidence to the world that the Lord was a covenant keeping God, and that under His reign, government would be righteous and equitable; all people would be treated equally, and none would be disadvantaged. Unfortunately, for the people of Israel, the decision taken by their national leaders has delayed for them the implementation of the Messianic kingdom and the New Covenant. Nevertheless, God’s purposes continue to be fulfilled. The Abrahamic Covenant being an eternal covenant is still in place, which means that the nation of Israel still holds the privileged position of being the ‘seed’ to which the foundational covenant applies.

But since ‘seed’ singular is also taken by Paul to refer to the Messiah, and He has already come, then for the nation of Israel as well as the Church, the main element of the ‘seed’ aspect has been fulfilled. And even though the Church comes into blessing under the Abrahamic Covenant, at no time do its Gentile members become Jews and the ‘seed’ of Abraham in the natural sense.

More Next Time :

The Messiah and the Covenants of Israel (Cont)

It is the Death of the Messiah that makes the blessings of the New Covenant available to the Gentiles

From the foregoing it can be suggested that the inclusion of the Gentiles in the New Covenant was not something initiated by the followers of Jesus, but rather the work of the Spirit of God fulfilling the will of God. But on what grounds could a righteous God include a group of people into a Covenant which did not initially name them? Let us return to the first and foundational covenant, the Abrahamic Covenant.  The Abrahamic Covenant had three main facets–dealing with the ‘Seed’; the ‘Land’ and the ‘Blessing’. The ‘Seed’ aspect dealt with the posterity of Abraham, and in particular included a particular member of his descendents who would be Messiah and King. The Davidic Covenant was the offspring of the ‘seed’ aspect in the Abrahamic Covenant which designated that the future ruler and Savior of the nation would come from the line of David. The ‘land’ aspect dealt with the homeland prepared for the ‘seed’ of Abraham, it would be the place where the ‘seed’ would be planted. The Land Covenant was the offspring of the ‘land’ feature in the Abrahamic Covenant and was used among other things to motivate the people to remain faithful to the God of Abraham. But the main feature, indeed the predominant feature was the ‘Blessing’ aspect, which declared that Abraham was to be blessed, the posterity of Abraham was to be blessed, and those that blessed Abraham or his posterity were to be blessed, indeed all families of the earth could be blessed in Abraham. The clauses that speak of blessing are inclusive not exclusive, and include Gentiles in the blessing of Abraham. Now the New Covenant is the offspring of the ‘blessing’ aspect of the Abrahamic Covenant, and if it is to be true to the intention of the Abrahamic Covenant, must likewise be inclusive and not exclusive, that is, must include all nations and families. Therefore, to understand the New Covenant as being available to all people is not to insert something foreign into its structure, but rather is interpreting the covenant in the light of its parent Covenant that was declared in the first book of the T’nach.

 It can be assumed that Peter and the other apostles that travelled with Jesus received instructions to make the New Covenant immediately available when they were taught by the risen Messiah during the period between the resurrection morning and the ascension. However, the inclusion of the Gentiles, while imposed on Peter as the keeper of the keys, seemed to wait for Saul to develop the doctrine. Saul, a man also taught directly by the Messiah, understood very early that the inclusion of the Gentiles in the New Covenant could be traced back to the Abrahamic Covenant.

 We have already considered how he described the Mosaic Covenant as a wall of separation between Jew and Gentile. That during the period of the Law it precluded the Gentiles from any access to the covenant blessings of Israel. He wrote: “at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world”. (Eph. 2:12) The Gentiles were first excluded by the Law of Moses, a wall of partition. But the death of the Messiah was the ‘end’ of the Law,[1] that is, the purpose and goal of the Law had been accomplished. ‘End’ (Gk. telos) here is usually considered to mean “termination, the limit at which a thing ceases to be (always of the end of some act or state, but not of the end of a period of time)”; or “the end to which all things relate, the aim, purpose.”[2] Here, it is suggested, it carries both meanings. It was terminated because it had achieved its goal. It was no longer needed. So the middle wall of partition became unnecessary. Paul speaks of it being broken down. “For He … has broken down the middle wall of separation” (Eph. 2:14) which means Gentiles now have access to the covenant blessings of Israel. “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God”. (Eph. 2:19)

The extent of the inclusion is spelt out for us. “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father”. (Eph. 2:14-18) This means there is now no difference between the Jew and the Gentile in respect of the blessing of salvation that the New Covenant provides. Peter, the keeper of the keys, said it first, “So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith”. (Acts 15:8-9) And Paul confirmed it when he dealt with the place of Israel in the purposes of God (Romans chapters nine through eleven). He said, “there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him”. (Rom. 10:12)  In other words, the Church comes into blessing under the Abrahamic Covenant, because Christ, in His death, did away with the Law of Moses, the wall that separated Jew and Gentile. Paul, a Hebrew of Hebrews, wrote: “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith”. (Gal. 3:13-14) This indicates that we can share in the blessing of Abraham. His argument, of course, is that this can only be so if the Gentile has similar faith to Abraham, and the evidence of that faith, in the context of the current dispensation, is faith in the Messiah of Israel, Jesus. “‘Just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham”. (Gal. 3:6-7) This maintains then that we are children of Abraham by faith, and therefore have access to the New Covenant. This, of course, raises further questions which should be considered. First, if the middle wall of partition has been broken down and the Gentiles have access by faith to the Abrahamic Covenant, what does this mean for Gentile participation in the ‘seed’ aspect and the ‘land’ aspect? These questions, while important, are almost supplementary to the main question that has troubled the Church for centuries. Does this doctrine mean that the Church has replaced Israel in the purposes of God? It is to these questions we must now turn. (But next time!)

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[1] Rom.10.4

[2] Strongs Greek Dictionary #5056

The Messiah and the Covenants of Israel

The New Covenant as it applies to Gentiles

The Roman Centurion. The third conversion is that of Cornelius, a soldier in the employ of Rome, who was a ‘God-fearer’.  He already had some knowledge of the Jewish religion, and demonstrated his generous disposition by acts of kindness and gifts of money to the local synagogue. Peter was instructed to visit him and preach the gospel. To overcome Peter’s reluctance to visit a non-Jew, the Messiah sent instructions from heaven. Peter had a vision of a sheet let down from heaven with many different animals in it. He was instructed to “kill and eat”. But he was an observant Jew and, as he thought, under Mosaic Law. He had been taught to discern between clean and unclean, and some of these animals were designated unclean. Peter objected to the divine command. He said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” (Acts 10:14) Three times he received the command before the vision ended. So when Peter was asked to go to the home of Cornelius, Peter, who would normally have refused, accepted the invitation. When he arrived there, he first explained how the Lord had overcome his reluctance. Then he spoke of the person and work of Jesus, the Messiah. But before Peter came to the end of his message the Spirit of God had fallen on the assembled company, a clear witness that they had been accepted for salvation. This Gentile household was the first among the non-Jewish population to embrace Christianity. To seal their conversions they were baptized. 

 

In summarizing these three important personal experiences, there are some things to remark on. Placed as they are in Luke’s history, it suggests that they are representative of certain groups of people. These three conversions contain valuable indicators that show how the New Covenant gravitated from a national, fully Jewish environment to an international Jewish/Gentile environment.

This group is made up of representatives from the three main people groups recognized by the Hebrew nation; a Jewish proselyte (the Ethiopian statesman), a Hebrew of Hebrews (Rabbi Shaul), and a Gentile (the Roman Centurion).

They also represent the three main population streams that rose from the sons of Noah, that is, Ham, Shem and Japheth.  The Ethiopian is from Africa (Ham); the Centurion is from Europe (Japheth) and Saul is a Jew (Shem). They are evidence of the truth expressed by Paul, the gospel of the Messiah “is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek (Gentile)”. (Rom. 1:16) So that in Jesus “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female” (Gal.3.28) for all are one in Him.

In addition, there are elements of the gospel highlighted which indicate the means by which the gospel is effected. With the African the Word of God is central, he was reading from Isaiah, giving Philip the opportunity to explain that Jesus was the Messiah predicted in the T’nach. Clearly, this feature is central to all conversions because “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. (Rom. 10:17) However, in Luke’s history, Saul’s experience revolved around the Lord – it was a personal encounter with the risen Messiah. Here is emphasized the centrality of the person of Jesus in salvation. Paul himself will give the only answer possible when asked “what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16.30) “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31). With Cornelius the descent of the Spirit of God upon the household is the dominant feature. Again, without the work of the Spirit of God there can be no salvation: “no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit”. (1 Cor. 12:3)

And could we not say that the whole salvific act of Jesus, the death, resurrection and ascension, is incorporated here. His death is evident in the Isaiah passage that the Ethiopian read, and no doubt, central in the witness of Philip. The resurrection is key in the experience that Paul had on the Damascus road. That Jesus had been resurrected and was alive was the truth that Paul had to grapple with. And while not specifically identified in the narrative, it was the ascended Christ that poured out the Spirit upon the Centurion’s household in a similar fashion to that which took place on the day of Pentecost.[1]

A last comment on these significant personal encounters – the personnel involved were Peter, the individual who had authority from the Messiah to open the door of salvation to Jew and Gentile, and who later became the apostle to the Jews; Philip the evangelist, a man gifted of the Holy Spirit, who was himself a gift to the Church;[2] and of course the one person who will dominate the second half of the book of Acts and begin to take the gospel to the ends of the earth – Saul, later known as Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. This particular conversion was of such importance that the Savior took personal control of the event, and Saul’s meeting with the resurrected Christ became a cornerstone of his defense of his apostolic commission.[3] Let us tabulate these truths and see them all side by side.

Acts 8.26 ff              Acts 9.1 ff                 Acts 10.1 ff

Personal Details                     Personal Details                        Personal Details

Ethiopian Statesman               Jewish Rabbi                              Roman Centurion

Jewish Proselyte                      Jew (Hebrew of Hebrews)         Gentile

Descendent of Ham                Descendent of Shem                  Descendent of Japheth

Emphasis:                              Emphasis:                                 Emphasis:

Word of God &                      Person of Jesus &                       Spirit of God &

Christ Crucified                      Christ Resurrected                     Christ Ascended

Result:                                    Result:                                       Result:

Saved and Baptized                Saved and Baptized                   Saved and Baptized

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[1] Acts 2.33

[2] Eph.4.11

[3] 1 Cor.9.1

The Messiah and the Covenants of Israel

The New Covenant as it applies to Gentiles (Continued)

The Jewish Rabbi. Saul of Tarsus, Rabbi and special envoy of the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, was given letters of authority to extradite and imprison any followers of Jesus who had fled to Damascus. He himself was to execute the extradition warrant. He was on this mission, and had almost reached Damascus when he had a traumatic experience. He was blinded by the glory of God, and heard a voice speaking to him out of heaven. It was Jesus Himself, asking “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9.4) He fell to the ground and acknowledged that Jesus was alive and the true Messiah of Israel.  “So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:6) What did the ascended and glorified Messiah commission Paul to do? Ananias, a disciple of Jesus, living in Damascus, was given the first intimation of the high profile mission that Paul was to undertake. “He is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.” (Acts 9:15) Note here that it is the risen Messiah that authorizes the widening of the New Covenant to embrace not only the children of Israel, but also Gentiles. The offer of the gospel to non-Jewish nations was not an initiative thought up by the early Church leaders – it was an initiative imposed from the throne of God.

This should not have been a surprise to those who were students of the T’nach. Isaiah had already indicated that the suffering servant of Jehovah should not only be the Savior of Israel but also a light to the Gentiles. “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.” (Isa. 49:6) This was a great support and strength to the Savior, especially in the garden of Gethsemane when He faced His final rejection with its associated death sentence. To limit the benefit of the sacrifice of the Son of God to just the Hebrew race is, in the words of Scripture, “too small a thing”. His sacrifice and the salvation it purchased must be available to all peoples, that is, “to the ends of the earth”. Matthew, when he wrote his gospel, understood that the Gentiles were included and wrote of another prophetic utterance from Isaiah. The curious quote was inserted in the narrative of the twelfth chapter of his biography when the official rejection of the Messianic claim of Jesus was about to be confirmed. The Isaiah prophecy was, “Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel nor cry out, Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory; And in His name Gentiles will trust.” (Matt. 12:17-21) Matthew, writing for a Jewish readership, is indicating that if Israel would not receive Jesus as Messiah, many of the Gentiles would. Luke’s writing also made the point. When he gave the history of the birth of Jesus, he recorded the event that took place in the Temple when the infant Messiah was presented to the Lord. An elderly Israelite Simeon took up the baby into his arms and said to the Lord, “my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.” (Luke 2:30-32)

The Messiah and the Covenants of Israel

The Messiah and the New Covenant

The New Covenant as it applies to the Gentiles

 

There is no ambiguity about the declaration of Jeremiah in respect of the New Covenant. It is for the Hebrew people, those of the houses of Judah and Israel. Yet the same offer of salvation under that Covenant was made to both Jew and Gentile by those commissioned to be the spokesmen of the Messiah. Did they take too much upon themselves? Did they widen the offer without authorization? Many thought so. There were large numbers in the early Church that supported those who taught that a Gentile should become a Jewish proselyte before being allowed the benefits of a Covenant relationship with God. They were mainly converted Pharisees. They believed the only door that was open was labeled ‘Jews only’. Therefore circumcision and obedience to the Law of Moses were pre-requisites for entrance into the new community. Even Peter, true Jew that he was, had difficulty in considering even the possibility of the Gentiles being admitted without first converting to Judaism. It took the personal intervention of the risen Messiah to change his mind-set.

 

Luke, in his history of the events of that period lays out three conversions that indicate the movement of the gospel from being only Jewish or Jewish/Gentile to being available to non-Jews. The first seven chapters deal with events in Jerusalem after the ascension of Jesus. It details the birth of the Christian Church, with thousands converted, all of them Jewish, and Peter at the heart of it all.  Then the history turns to those conversions that demonstrate the widening of the offer of the gospel.  In chapters 8, 9, and 10 of the Acts of the Apostles, Luke, the consummate historian, records how the gospel changed the lives of three individuals, an African statesman, a Jewish Rabbi and a Roman centurion.

 

Philip's fountain where he baptised the African statesman

The African Statesman.  Here is a man, evidently a person who had embraced the religion of the Jews, returning to Ethiopia where he held high office in government. He was in his chariot reading from the scroll of Isaiah the prophet—that is, a portion of the sacred writings of the Jews.  He had been up to Jerusalem to attend a festival, and bought the scroll while he was there.  Philip, himself a new Christian, met with him and asked if he understood what he was reading. He was reading that part of the Isaiah prophecy that said, ‘In His humiliation   He   was   deprived   of justice.   Who can speak of His descendants? For His life was taken from the earth.” (Acts 8:33,34) The Ethiopian asked Philip, “… of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” (Acts 8:34) Philip explained Isaiah was speaking of the Messiah who was to come and die for the sins of the Jews. The Ethiopian, already educated regarding the Jewish Messiah - it had been the main subject of conversation and speculation while he had been in Jerusalem - was able to understand the principle of the substitutionary nature of the death of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God and Redeemer of Israel. He asked if he could become a Christian, and be baptized. Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” (Acts 8.37)  The African responded, not only in the affirmative, but with the formula that was declared to be the foundational doctrine of the new community, the Church of the Messiah. He said, “I believe that Jesus Christ (Messiah) is the Son of God.” (Acts 8:37) He was baptized there and then.