Gentile, A Spiritual Jew
While God made great promises to Abraham’s literal seed, Israel being heir to that part of the Abrahamic Covenant, he also enlarged the Covenant to include people of all nations who meet His Covenant conditions. The Gentiles will have their place and part in the Abrahamic Covenant by becoming adopted children of God.
We have found that the Gentile Christians are not a separate Church, but are grafted in among the true Israelites, and with those Israelites they share in the promised Kingdom inheritance promised to Father Abraham. While the teaching of Jesus ultimately broke down “the middle wall of partition” between Jews and Gentiles, Jesus limited His ministry to Jews, with rare exceptions. He instructed His Twelve Disciples, “Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not” (Matt.10:5). Jesus mission was first to “His own,” the chosen people, the Jews, God’s true Church; but ultimately to “as many as received Him.” The division of all mankind is into two classes, Jews and Gentiles, emphasizes the importance of the Jews as the people through whom God made Salvation available to all people.
Gentiles don’t have to become Spiritual Israel, but they must become Spiritual Jews to share in the promises made to Abraham. Gentiles were included from the start of that Covenant, but never to take their place to fill in for Israelites. The promises to Abraham included both Israel and believing Gentiles.
Did God reject the Jews and Israel as a Nation when they rejected Jesus as their Messiah? This is a vital question and needs a Bible answer. Many believe and teach that Gentiles has replaced the Jews and is now the true Church taking their place as the New Testament Spiritual Israelites and heirs to the promises. Not so! Here is where the Gentiles come in, and in no way do they take Israel’s place in this New Covenant.
God made Salvation available to all people. This did not annul the promises to Israel the literal multitude of seed, seeing that God gave the Gentiles a place and part in the original Abrahamic Covenant. The Gentiles coming in was as planned and in no way pushed Israel out of the New Testament Covenant. Did God cast away Israel as a people, or nation? “No!” Then the converted Gentiles cannot take Israel’s place in the plan of God, or in God’s Church. When Gentiles accepts Christ, he is grafted in and become Partakers of the roots of the Olive Tree, or promises made to Abraham. This does not teach that these converted Gentiles become Israelites even though they are grafted in, but they partake in the Abraham promises as other texts given show that Israel was not cast off or replaced by the Gentile Church. Paul makes it plain that when a Gentile accepts Jesus as their Savior he becomes a child of God and then Abraham’s seed and becomes heirs to the same Covenant.
God did not cast away His ancient people Israel. He still had promises under the New Covenant to fulfill to them in His time (Hebrews 8:6-11). There was a remnant at that time that accepted Jesus as their Messiah, but most did not, and “Blindness in part happened to Israel, and this Blindness in part was to continue until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in” (Romans.11:25-26). There was to be an end to that blindness. God would then do His New Testament work with Israel and fulfill all His New Covenant promises to them, and all Israel will be saved (Hosea 3:4-5). The Jews will continue in a state of blindness till such time as a multitude of Gentiles shall be converted to the Christian faith. All Israel shall be brought into the way of salvation by acknowledging the Messiah (Zechariah 8:8).
The promises to Abraham included both Israel and the believing Gentiles. Jesus was that promised seed of Abraham, through which all nations are blessed (Genesis 12:1-3). Paul refers to the blessing of Abraham coming upon the Gentiles through Jesus (Galatians 3:14). All, both Jews and Gentiles become “Children of God by Faith in Jesus Christ,” (Galatians 3:26.) In the Messiah, who shall spring from thee, shall all families of the earth be blessed (Acts 3:25)? Your duty and your interest go hand in hand and there is not a blessing contained in the Covenant, which was made with your Father Abraham that does not belong to you. Now as this Covenant respected the blessing of the Gospel, you must believe in Jesus Christ, in order to be put in possession of all those blessings.
“But the word of God has to be declared to you first of all; but since you rejected it and thus convict yourselves as unworthy of everlasting life, we now turn to the Gentiles” (Acts 13:46). And when they opposed Paul and insulted Him: he would shake out his garments in protest and say to them: “Your blood be on your own heads. I am not to blame from now on; I will turn to the Gentiles” (Acts 18:6).
Have the Jews now for their disobedience and unbelief rejected, so sinned against God as to be forever put out of the reach of His mercy? By no means are they, as a nation, utterly irrecoverable! This is the sense of the place and here the prophecy of the restoration of the Jewish nation commences. But rather through their full salvation is come. The Church of God cannot fail, if the Jews have broken the everlasting covenant (Isaiah 24:5), the Gentiles shall be taken into it; and this very circumstance shall be ultimately the meaning of exciting them to seek and claim a share in the blessing of the New Covenant. Paul foretold this period of blindness that would come upon Israel. This long period of blindness “in part” for Israel had a place in God’s plans but it was also to have an end (Romans 11:25-29). For how long? “Until the fullness of the Gentiles is come in.” That means there are a limit and an end to that blindness. As that fullness of the Gentiles near completion, that blindness in part was to be removed and “All Israel shall be saved,” there shall come out of Sion the Deliverer for all Israel.
You men of Gentile stock--called “uncircumcised” by those who in virtue of a hand-executed rite on their flesh, call themselves “circumcised” must remember that in former times you had no part with Christ and were excluded from the community of Israel. You were strangers to the covenant and its promise; you were without hope and without Christ in this world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near through the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:12).
Paul gives a lesson about converted Gentiles being Wild Olive branches grafted into a tame Olive Tree (Romans 11:16-24). And if the roots were Holy, so are the Branches. If you have good roots and stock your branches must be the same. Since he is dealing with Spiritual matter, the branches must be Holy as the roots are Holy. “And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a Wild Olive Tree” (Gentiles being the Wild Olive branches, Israel the tame branches), were grafted in among them, and with them partaker of the roots and fatness of the Olive Tree (Romans 11:21). Those, natural branches that were broken, or cut off, were those unbelieving Israelites. Israelites were the natural heirs, or branches. It was the original Abrahamic stock, or Covenant. The Gentiles, when they accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, they then become adopted children of Abraham and fellow heirs with Israel. This does not make them Israelites, but it does make them Spiritual Jews. If you have all received justification through His blood, and the mind was in Him, then are ye Abraham’s seed (Galatians 3:29); you are that real, Spiritual son of Abraham, the other seeds, to whom the promises were made; and then heirs according to the promise (Ephesians 3:6), being fitted for the rest that remains for the people of God, that heavenly inheritance.
This was not a new Olive Tree that the Gentile Christians were grafted into. It was the original Abrahamic stock, or covenant. God enlarged Abraham’s family to be the father of many nations (Genesis 17:1-8). That family included the adopted children, the Gentiles, for God made them “Heirs” of the promise (Romans 8:17). This is where the Gentiles come into the one and same overall kingdom plans (Galatians 4:7) of God for Abraham and all his children. The Israelites are the natural branches and God has plans for Israel His people in these last days.
A true member of the Church of God who has his heart purified according to what God has uniformly prescribed by His prophets will be a Spiritual Jew (Romans 2:29). We have to be circumcised in the heart when we accept Christ. By this true circumcision, both Jews and Gentiles become both Children of God and the children of Abraham, and heirs according to the promises. It takes more than the flesh to be an heir with Abraham. They must be Israelites “indeed in whom is no guile” (John 1:47). Circumcision was an outward sign of that which was in the heart of father Abraham, and the same is true of his children. That outward sign is not needful, but it must be of the heart (1 Peter 3:4).
And so, who is a Jew? I said before that a Jew is first of all a “Son of Promise,” or “Son of God election,” a person, who is not merely of Jewish descent--this is only his national framework, but one who has personally, in response to God’s call joined himself to the Stream of Messianic, Redemptive Destiny. This is a true Jew. A Jew has to choose to be a Jew; he cannot be one through the sheer incidence of birth. A Jew is not merely a unit in a certain national grouping, but a man who has personally and out of conviction come into living in touch with God. Only then is he a true Jew.
Such contact with God does not come by means of the law (Levitical Priesthood law Galatians 4:9), and certainly not through the instrumental of tradition--“the commandments” (the Commandments of men Matthew 15:9), which have accumulated through the centuries. Jesus is the way to God, “No man cometh unto the Father, but by me,” (John 14:6) for Jesus has solved the problem of sin, which has always been--and is today a wall separating us from God.
To begin with Christ did not come into the world to establish an organization. He came to give us fundamental beliefs of life that is good for us if we obey His teaching. And by accepting Him as our Savior, He opens the door that leads into eternal life with Him, His Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit. Before He ascended into Heaven He gave His disciples direction that is known as “The Great Commission” founded in Matthew 28:18-20.
“There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that come by faith. The sinner, Jew or Gentile needs to come before the Lord and repent of his sins, we are all sinners, only one was perfect that walked this earth, that one was Jesus Christ, the true Messiah, our Savior, our King.
You must become a Spiritual Jew by choice and keep the Ten Commandments including the Sabbath Day which is the day that Christ set aside for worship and then you will become Abraham’s seed and heir to the promise. If you believe in your heart that you must become a spiritual Jew by accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior and keep the Ten Commandments, including the Sabbath Day then you have been adopted into family of Abraham and heir to the promise. If you have not accepted the truth and wish to become Abraham’s seed then pray and seek His Truth.
While God made great promises to Abraham’s literal seed, Israel being heir to that part of the Abrahamic Covenant, he also enlarged the Covenant to include people of all nations who meet His Covenant conditions. The Gentiles will have their place and part in the Abrahamic Covenant by becoming adopted children of God.
We have found that the Gentile Christians are not a separate Church, but are grafted in among the true Israelites, and with those Israelites they share in the promised Kingdom inheritance promised to Father Abraham. While the teaching of Jesus ultimately broke down “the middle wall of partition” between Jews and Gentiles, Jesus limited His ministry to Jews, with rare exceptions. He instructed His Twelve Disciples, “Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not” (Matt.10:5). Jesus mission was first to “His own,” the chosen people, the Jews, God’s true Church; but ultimately to “as many as received Him.” The division of all mankind is into two classes, Jews and Gentiles, emphasizes the importance of the Jews as the people through whom God made Salvation available to all people.
Gentiles don’t have to become Spiritual Israel, but they must become Spiritual Jews to share in the promises made to Abraham. Gentiles were included from the start of that Covenant, but never to take their place to fill in for Israelites. The promises to Abraham included both Israel and believing Gentiles.
Did God reject the Jews and Israel as a Nation when they rejected Jesus as their Messiah? This is a vital question and needs a Bible answer. Many believe and teach that Gentiles has replaced the Jews and is now the true Church taking their place as the New Testament Spiritual Israelites and heirs to the promises. Not so! Here is where the Gentiles come in, and in no way do they take Israel’s place in this New Covenant.
God made Salvation available to all people. This did not annul the promises to Israel the literal multitude of seed, seeing that God gave the Gentiles a place and part in the original Abrahamic Covenant. The Gentiles coming in was as planned and in no way pushed Israel out of the New Testament Covenant. Did God cast away Israel as a people, or nation? “No!” Then the converted Gentiles cannot take Israel’s place in the plan of God, or in God’s Church. When Gentiles accepts Christ, he is grafted in and become Partakers of the roots of the Olive Tree, or promises made to Abraham. This does not teach that these converted Gentiles become Israelites even though they are grafted in, but they partake in the Abraham promises as other texts given show that Israel was not cast off or replaced by the Gentile Church. Paul makes it plain that when a Gentile accepts Jesus as their Savior he becomes a child of God and then Abraham’s seed and becomes heirs to the same Covenant.
God did not cast away His ancient people Israel. He still had promises under the New Covenant to fulfill to them in His time (Hebrews 8:6-11). There was a remnant at that time that accepted Jesus as their Messiah, but most did not, and “Blindness in part happened to Israel, and this Blindness in part was to continue until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in” (Romans.11:25-26). There was to be an end to that blindness. God would then do His New Testament work with Israel and fulfill all His New Covenant promises to them, and all Israel will be saved (Hosea 3:4-5). The Jews will continue in a state of blindness till such time as a multitude of Gentiles shall be converted to the Christian faith. All Israel shall be brought into the way of salvation by acknowledging the Messiah (Zechariah 8:8).
The promises to Abraham included both Israel and the believing Gentiles. Jesus was that promised seed of Abraham, through which all nations are blessed (Genesis 12:1-3). Paul refers to the blessing of Abraham coming upon the Gentiles through Jesus (Galatians 3:14). All, both Jews and Gentiles become “Children of God by Faith in Jesus Christ,” (Galatians 3:26.) In the Messiah, who shall spring from thee, shall all families of the earth be blessed (Acts 3:25)? Your duty and your interest go hand in hand and there is not a blessing contained in the Covenant, which was made with your Father Abraham that does not belong to you. Now as this Covenant respected the blessing of the Gospel, you must believe in Jesus Christ, in order to be put in possession of all those blessings.
“But the word of God has to be declared to you first of all; but since you rejected it and thus convict yourselves as unworthy of everlasting life, we now turn to the Gentiles” (Acts 13:46). And when they opposed Paul and insulted Him: he would shake out his garments in protest and say to them: “Your blood be on your own heads. I am not to blame from now on; I will turn to the Gentiles” (Acts 18:6).
Have the Jews now for their disobedience and unbelief rejected, so sinned against God as to be forever put out of the reach of His mercy? By no means are they, as a nation, utterly irrecoverable! This is the sense of the place and here the prophecy of the restoration of the Jewish nation commences. But rather through their full salvation is come. The Church of God cannot fail, if the Jews have broken the everlasting covenant (Isaiah 24:5), the Gentiles shall be taken into it; and this very circumstance shall be ultimately the meaning of exciting them to seek and claim a share in the blessing of the New Covenant. Paul foretold this period of blindness that would come upon Israel. This long period of blindness “in part” for Israel had a place in God’s plans but it was also to have an end (Romans 11:25-29). For how long? “Until the fullness of the Gentiles is come in.” That means there are a limit and an end to that blindness. As that fullness of the Gentiles near completion, that blindness in part was to be removed and “All Israel shall be saved,” there shall come out of Sion the Deliverer for all Israel.
You men of Gentile stock--called “uncircumcised” by those who in virtue of a hand-executed rite on their flesh, call themselves “circumcised” must remember that in former times you had no part with Christ and were excluded from the community of Israel. You were strangers to the covenant and its promise; you were without hope and without Christ in this world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near through the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:12).
Paul gives a lesson about converted Gentiles being Wild Olive branches grafted into a tame Olive Tree (Romans 11:16-24). And if the roots were Holy, so are the Branches. If you have good roots and stock your branches must be the same. Since he is dealing with Spiritual matter, the branches must be Holy as the roots are Holy. “And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a Wild Olive Tree” (Gentiles being the Wild Olive branches, Israel the tame branches), were grafted in among them, and with them partaker of the roots and fatness of the Olive Tree (Romans 11:21). Those, natural branches that were broken, or cut off, were those unbelieving Israelites. Israelites were the natural heirs, or branches. It was the original Abrahamic stock, or Covenant. The Gentiles, when they accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, they then become adopted children of Abraham and fellow heirs with Israel. This does not make them Israelites, but it does make them Spiritual Jews. If you have all received justification through His blood, and the mind was in Him, then are ye Abraham’s seed (Galatians 3:29); you are that real, Spiritual son of Abraham, the other seeds, to whom the promises were made; and then heirs according to the promise (Ephesians 3:6), being fitted for the rest that remains for the people of God, that heavenly inheritance.
This was not a new Olive Tree that the Gentile Christians were grafted into. It was the original Abrahamic stock, or covenant. God enlarged Abraham’s family to be the father of many nations (Genesis 17:1-8). That family included the adopted children, the Gentiles, for God made them “Heirs” of the promise (Romans 8:17). This is where the Gentiles come into the one and same overall kingdom plans (Galatians 4:7) of God for Abraham and all his children. The Israelites are the natural branches and God has plans for Israel His people in these last days.
A true member of the Church of God who has his heart purified according to what God has uniformly prescribed by His prophets will be a Spiritual Jew (Romans 2:29). We have to be circumcised in the heart when we accept Christ. By this true circumcision, both Jews and Gentiles become both Children of God and the children of Abraham, and heirs according to the promises. It takes more than the flesh to be an heir with Abraham. They must be Israelites “indeed in whom is no guile” (John 1:47). Circumcision was an outward sign of that which was in the heart of father Abraham, and the same is true of his children. That outward sign is not needful, but it must be of the heart (1 Peter 3:4).
And so, who is a Jew? I said before that a Jew is first of all a “Son of Promise,” or “Son of God election,” a person, who is not merely of Jewish descent--this is only his national framework, but one who has personally, in response to God’s call joined himself to the Stream of Messianic, Redemptive Destiny. This is a true Jew. A Jew has to choose to be a Jew; he cannot be one through the sheer incidence of birth. A Jew is not merely a unit in a certain national grouping, but a man who has personally and out of conviction come into living in touch with God. Only then is he a true Jew.
Such contact with God does not come by means of the law (Levitical Priesthood law Galatians 4:9), and certainly not through the instrumental of tradition--“the commandments” (the Commandments of men Matthew 15:9), which have accumulated through the centuries. Jesus is the way to God, “No man cometh unto the Father, but by me,” (John 14:6) for Jesus has solved the problem of sin, which has always been--and is today a wall separating us from God.
To begin with Christ did not come into the world to establish an organization. He came to give us fundamental beliefs of life that is good for us if we obey His teaching. And by accepting Him as our Savior, He opens the door that leads into eternal life with Him, His Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit. Before He ascended into Heaven He gave His disciples direction that is known as “The Great Commission” founded in Matthew 28:18-20.
“There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that come by faith. The sinner, Jew or Gentile needs to come before the Lord and repent of his sins, we are all sinners, only one was perfect that walked this earth, that one was Jesus Christ, the true Messiah, our Savior, our King.
You must become a Spiritual Jew by choice and keep the Ten Commandments including the Sabbath Day which is the day that Christ set aside for worship and then you will become Abraham’s seed and heir to the promise. If you believe in your heart that you must become a spiritual Jew by accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior and keep the Ten Commandments, including the Sabbath Day then you have been adopted into family of Abraham and heir to the promise. If you have not accepted the truth and wish to become Abraham’s seed then pray and seek His Truth.