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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | spirtual seed? | Gal 3:28 | hobbs | 170258 | ||
by Rev. Fred Klett Much fuss has been made in our Jewish evangelism circles regarding "replacement" theology, the idea that the church has "replaced" the Jewish people in the plan of God. Some have even accused all who think New Covenant believers are "Spiritual Israel" as being guilty of this "replacement theology", that is, of replacing the Jewish people with the church. Charges have been made that this idea of "Spiritual Israel" leads to anti-semitism. Ironically my first exposure to the idea of all believers being spiritually Israel came about through involvement in "Messianic Judaism"! Way back in 1975 I attended a seminar by Manny Brotman, president of the "Messianic Jewish Movement International" on "How to Share the Messiah". In the seminar notes I read: "When a Gentile asks the Messiah into his heart and life, he is accepting the Jewish Messiah, the Jewish Bible, and the Jewish blood of atonement and could be considered a proselyte to biblical Judaism and a child of Abraham by faith!" Isn't this essentially a statement of the "Spiritual Israel" idea? |
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2 | spirtual seed? | Gal 3:28 | kalos | 170260 | ||
The church never called spiritual Israel (Source: The Israel Of God, written by: Dr. Thomas Ice, www.pre-trib.org/ article-view.php?id[equals sign]34) Galatians 6:16 (English Standard Version) And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. '[Preterist and covenant theologian, Kenneth] Gentry believes that Galatians 6:16 teaches that the church has replaced or superseded Israel. 'If Abraham can have Gentiles as his "spiritual seed," why cannot there be a spiritual Israel? In fact, Christians are called by the name "Israel": "And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy by upon them, and upon the Israel of God" (Gal. 6:16).[4] 'There is such a thing as "spiritual Israel." Spiritual Israel would refer to Jewish people who have trusted Jesus as their Messiah; but the church is never called "spiritual Israel," as Gentry claims. Let's look at Galatians 6:16 and see what it actually says. 'The passage is simple and clear. The first part of verse 16, which says, "those who walk by this rule;" refers to the rule Paul had just stated in verse 15. "For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation." This is a spiritual category referring to all believers, to which Paul pronounces a blessing: "peace and mercy be upon them." This is followed by his copulative comment "and upon the Israel of God." (...) 'Johnson is saying that there is no textual or exegetical basis for Gentry's belief that Galatians 6:16 teaches that the "Israel of God" includes the church or Gentiles. Gentry's replacement theology or supersessionism-as he likes to call it-has no basis in the biblical text. It must be that he is so blinded by the demands of his false theology that he continues to insist upon such an interpretation of the Bible and his resulting errant theology. I wonder, along with Lewis Johnson, why "In spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, there remains persistent support for the contention that the term Israel may refer properly to Gentile believers in the present age."[7] 'Hebrew Christian scholar, Arnold Fruchtenbaum summaries the passage as follows: 'Galatians is concerned with Gentiles who were attempting to attain salvation through the Law. The ones deceiving them were the Judaizers, who were Jews demanding adherence to the Law of Moses. To them, a Gentile first had to convert to Judaism before he was qualified for salvation through Christ. In verse fifteen Paul states that the important thing for salvation is faith, resulting in the new man. He then pronounces a blessing on two groups who would follow this rule of salvation by faith alone. The first group is the them, the Gentile Christians to and of whom he had devoted most of the epistle. The second group is the Israel of God. These are Hebrew Christians who, in contrast with the Judaizers, followed the rule of salvation by faith alone. Again a distinction between the two groups is seen, for the Hebrew Christians alone are the Israel of God. It is a matter of position which here acts out a definite function.[9]' To read more go to: www.pre-trib.org/ article-view.php?id[equals sign]34 |
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