Randy Green's Blog - Posts Tagged "christians"
Of Covenants and Dispensations – Part 1
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! [1 Corinthians 10:11-12]
I incessantly teach that Christians are not under the Law. We are under grace. We are not required to obey the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses was the legal code for the Israelites while they inhabited the Lord’s land, the Promised Land.
There have been occasions where folks have taken exception to this teaching. Some of them are covenantalists, as contrasted with dispensationalists. We won’t spend words on defining these two positions, dear friends. It is not the subject for today’s study.
Suffice it to say that covenantalism holds to the tenet that God is always the same throughtout time and eternity, and so He always operates the same. This means that the way God interacted with Adam and Eve was the same way He interacted with Noah, with Abraham, and with the Church.
Dispensationalism, contrariwise, embraces the tenet that, yes, God is always the same. He never changes. However, mankind does, and God varies His approach at different times in order to effectively interact with man. For example, in Genesis 2 before man sinned, God came down to the Garden of Eden to spend time fellowshiping with man.
In Genesis 3 man sinned and God booted him out of the garden. It is obvious that God no longer related to man in the same way thereafter. Man was no longer in the garden! This fact precluded God from coming down to the garden to visit with man! Genesis 2 was one dispensation, one way in which God decided to interact with man. Genesis 3 was another dispensation entirely.
Some of the folks who’ve objected to me not teaching obedience to the Law were covenantalists. They believe God rejected Israel permanently and replaced Israel with the Church. God’s method of interacting with Israel, you see, now became God’s method of interacting with Christians. Christians, rather than Israel, are now obligated to keep the Law.
Belief in covenantalism does not in and of itself equate to not being a Christian. The two are not exclusive, the belief is just a wrong understanding of the Scriptures.
Some of the folks who took exception to me teaching that Christians are not obligated to obey the Law—well, they did so for other reasons. Some cults still insist on obedience to the Law.
A cult is a religious group which professes belief in the Bible and Jesus, but denies the Father and the Son (cf., 1 John). Or the group denies that Jesus has come in the flesh (cf., 1 John). They don’t accept that Jesus is literally God the Son, eternally and fully God. They don’t believe Jesus is the only way to be brought back to the Father. In one or more ways they reject the true, Biblical Jesus.
They are therefore not really Christians but wolves in sheep’s clothing, regardless of good intentions or anything else (cf., 1 John). Christianity is not a religious system or a set of doctrines. It is the Person and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. The churches are full of folks who hold to a set of doctrines and practically never leave the church building. Alas, but they know not Jesus personally and, because of this, they are not Christians.
We must take our leave at this time. The day is far spent. The night falls fast. Let’s spend time with Jesus before we hit the pillow. He has much to teach us from our study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
I incessantly teach that Christians are not under the Law. We are under grace. We are not required to obey the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses was the legal code for the Israelites while they inhabited the Lord’s land, the Promised Land.
There have been occasions where folks have taken exception to this teaching. Some of them are covenantalists, as contrasted with dispensationalists. We won’t spend words on defining these two positions, dear friends. It is not the subject for today’s study.
Suffice it to say that covenantalism holds to the tenet that God is always the same throughtout time and eternity, and so He always operates the same. This means that the way God interacted with Adam and Eve was the same way He interacted with Noah, with Abraham, and with the Church.
Dispensationalism, contrariwise, embraces the tenet that, yes, God is always the same. He never changes. However, mankind does, and God varies His approach at different times in order to effectively interact with man. For example, in Genesis 2 before man sinned, God came down to the Garden of Eden to spend time fellowshiping with man.
In Genesis 3 man sinned and God booted him out of the garden. It is obvious that God no longer related to man in the same way thereafter. Man was no longer in the garden! This fact precluded God from coming down to the garden to visit with man! Genesis 2 was one dispensation, one way in which God decided to interact with man. Genesis 3 was another dispensation entirely.
Some of the folks who’ve objected to me not teaching obedience to the Law were covenantalists. They believe God rejected Israel permanently and replaced Israel with the Church. God’s method of interacting with Israel, you see, now became God’s method of interacting with Christians. Christians, rather than Israel, are now obligated to keep the Law.
Belief in covenantalism does not in and of itself equate to not being a Christian. The two are not exclusive, the belief is just a wrong understanding of the Scriptures.
Some of the folks who took exception to me teaching that Christians are not obligated to obey the Law—well, they did so for other reasons. Some cults still insist on obedience to the Law.
A cult is a religious group which professes belief in the Bible and Jesus, but denies the Father and the Son (cf., 1 John). Or the group denies that Jesus has come in the flesh (cf., 1 John). They don’t accept that Jesus is literally God the Son, eternally and fully God. They don’t believe Jesus is the only way to be brought back to the Father. In one or more ways they reject the true, Biblical Jesus.
They are therefore not really Christians but wolves in sheep’s clothing, regardless of good intentions or anything else (cf., 1 John). Christianity is not a religious system or a set of doctrines. It is the Person and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. The churches are full of folks who hold to a set of doctrines and practically never leave the church building. Alas, but they know not Jesus personally and, because of this, they are not Christians.
We must take our leave at this time. The day is far spent. The night falls fast. Let’s spend time with Jesus before we hit the pillow. He has much to teach us from our study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Of Covenants and Dispensations – Part 2
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! [1 Corinthians 10:11-12]
Let’s continue with our study from yesterday. A dear woman and her husband in one of my churches fell under the spell of the Seventh Day Adventists, a cult. This group is entangled in obeying the Law in order to be a Christian. They go so far as to insist that Saturday is the only true day to hold church services and reject Sunday, the Lord’s Day. Hence their name.
Before leaving one of the churches I was pastored, this elderly lady commenced to quarreling with me during Bible study about Christians no longer being under the Law. She wanted to win converts to her brand of legalism, you see, and take them with her to the Adventist Church. She challenged, “Well, if we are no longer under the Law, why do we still bother to study it? Why not remove it from our Bibles and just study the New Testament?”
She felt pretty good about herself, and it showed all over her face. To her she was the man and I was confronted with irrefutable argumentation. In actuality her argument was mere sophistry. It had the appearance of logic and validity, but it was specious reasoning par excellence.
If she knew her Bible as well as she thought she did, she would have known that the Apostle Paul fought ferociously against the Judaizers. The Judaizers were Pharisees, Jewish legalists, who supposedly converted to Christ. However, they insisted on attaching the Law to belief in Jesus. It was necessary to believe in Jesus, yes, but it was also necessary to continue to obey the Law.
Paul rebuked them scathingly, declaring, “We are no longer under Law but under grace!” This same Paul, notwithstanding, still taught the Old Testament to his converts to Jesus. The tenth chapter of 1 Corinthians is one such example. The Bible text we quoted to commence this study is Paul’s conclusion to his Old Testament teaching.
In the first ten verses of 1 Corinthians 10, Paul reiterated multiple situations which occurred with the Israelites in the wilderness under Moses’ leadership. Then Paul penned the words quoted at the start of this lesson. Those words tell us why we still study the Old Testament, even though we are no longer under the Law.
God preserved His Word, including all of the Old Testament, to furnish us with examples. These examples serve as a good source of instruction. We are to learn from the past history of God’s people how NOT to serve the Lord, as well as HOW to serve the Lord. If we learn from Israel’s mistakes, we will be better able to avoid them ourselves.
Think about it, dear friends. I am not obligated to obey the legal code of the Roman Empire, but I still studied Roman history and in the process gleaned a good deal of learning which has relevance today.
We don’t study the Old Testament because we are under the Law. We study it because the Lord used visible physical realities to teach us invisible spiritual truths. I want to know all of these truths. I don’t want to miss any of them. That’s why I study the Old Testament.
Another reason is that I love the Lord and love to learn how He has related to man through the centuries and millennia. The Bible is the only source for learning this. And the Bible is the only book which contains no errors or lies.
So let’s not attempt to obey the Law in order to be saved or to stay saved. But let’s study the Law to know the Lord all the better. This is an excellent time for us to grab our Bibles and go be with Jesus. He loves to teach us His Word, if only we want to learn it and obey it.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Let’s continue with our study from yesterday. A dear woman and her husband in one of my churches fell under the spell of the Seventh Day Adventists, a cult. This group is entangled in obeying the Law in order to be a Christian. They go so far as to insist that Saturday is the only true day to hold church services and reject Sunday, the Lord’s Day. Hence their name.
Before leaving one of the churches I was pastored, this elderly lady commenced to quarreling with me during Bible study about Christians no longer being under the Law. She wanted to win converts to her brand of legalism, you see, and take them with her to the Adventist Church. She challenged, “Well, if we are no longer under the Law, why do we still bother to study it? Why not remove it from our Bibles and just study the New Testament?”
She felt pretty good about herself, and it showed all over her face. To her she was the man and I was confronted with irrefutable argumentation. In actuality her argument was mere sophistry. It had the appearance of logic and validity, but it was specious reasoning par excellence.
If she knew her Bible as well as she thought she did, she would have known that the Apostle Paul fought ferociously against the Judaizers. The Judaizers were Pharisees, Jewish legalists, who supposedly converted to Christ. However, they insisted on attaching the Law to belief in Jesus. It was necessary to believe in Jesus, yes, but it was also necessary to continue to obey the Law.
Paul rebuked them scathingly, declaring, “We are no longer under Law but under grace!” This same Paul, notwithstanding, still taught the Old Testament to his converts to Jesus. The tenth chapter of 1 Corinthians is one such example. The Bible text we quoted to commence this study is Paul’s conclusion to his Old Testament teaching.
In the first ten verses of 1 Corinthians 10, Paul reiterated multiple situations which occurred with the Israelites in the wilderness under Moses’ leadership. Then Paul penned the words quoted at the start of this lesson. Those words tell us why we still study the Old Testament, even though we are no longer under the Law.
God preserved His Word, including all of the Old Testament, to furnish us with examples. These examples serve as a good source of instruction. We are to learn from the past history of God’s people how NOT to serve the Lord, as well as HOW to serve the Lord. If we learn from Israel’s mistakes, we will be better able to avoid them ourselves.
Think about it, dear friends. I am not obligated to obey the legal code of the Roman Empire, but I still studied Roman history and in the process gleaned a good deal of learning which has relevance today.
We don’t study the Old Testament because we are under the Law. We study it because the Lord used visible physical realities to teach us invisible spiritual truths. I want to know all of these truths. I don’t want to miss any of them. That’s why I study the Old Testament.
Another reason is that I love the Lord and love to learn how He has related to man through the centuries and millennia. The Bible is the only source for learning this. And the Bible is the only book which contains no errors or lies.
So let’s not attempt to obey the Law in order to be saved or to stay saved. But let’s study the Law to know the Lord all the better. This is an excellent time for us to grab our Bibles and go be with Jesus. He loves to teach us His Word, if only we want to learn it and obey it.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Familial Ties – Part 1
For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation [Galatians 6:15].
At the beginning of time God created man and woman. We know them as Adam and Eve. They once upon a time lived in this garden somewhere in the east.
Anyway, they were the original two humans. Every other human being is descended from Mr. & Mrs. Adam. In this sense all humans are the same. We have the same flesh and blood because we are related.
In the idyllic garden all mankind—all two of them!—comprised one family, the family of God. The Lord came to the garden to visit with them. Their relationship was great. Ah, all mankind as the one family of God. Talk about sharing irenic relationships with everyone.
One not so sunny afternoon a sinister snake in the grass slithered into Mr. & Mrs. Adam’s garden, and everything changed. Suddenly there were two families of mankind. There was the seed of the serpent and there was the seed of the woman.
From that day until circa 30 A.D.—a few millennia of time—those two families comprised all mankind. The seed of the serpent consisted of everyone who listened to the serpent’s idea, while the seed of the woman was composed of those who thought rather to heed the words of the Lord.
In time the Lord chose this fellow named Abram and made a covenant with him. The Lord later renamed him to Abraham. Anyway, from the time of Abe’s call until circa 30 A.D., the seed of the woman passed through Abe’s lineage. As the sign of His covenant with Abe, the Lord required that every male in His family be circumcised at 8 days of age. This is known as the Abrahamic Covenant.
The distinction between the two families of mankind came to be expressed by the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant. In our text for today which is quoted at the start of this study, the Apostle Paul identifies three families of mankind. They are,
1. circumcision
2. uncircumcision
3. new creation
From the time of the garden of Eden until the Abrahamic Covenant, the two families of mankind were known as “seed of the woman” and “seed of the serpent”. From the time of the Abrahamic Covenant until circa 30 A.D. the two families of mankind were known as “circumcision” and “uncircumcision”. This explains points #1 and #2 in our numbered list.
But looky there at point #3. What is a “new creation”? What happened circa 30 A.D. to give birth to a new family of human beings? And lastly, if “circumcision” refers to the seed of the woman and “uncircumcision” refers to the seed of the serpent, to which seed does “new creation” belong?
Those are excellent questions. The answers are easy enough to come by, so we needn’t fret. We will tackle the questions in our next study. Meditate on today’s study while sitting at the feet of Jesus. You will be glad you did. See you tomorrow!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
At the beginning of time God created man and woman. We know them as Adam and Eve. They once upon a time lived in this garden somewhere in the east.
Anyway, they were the original two humans. Every other human being is descended from Mr. & Mrs. Adam. In this sense all humans are the same. We have the same flesh and blood because we are related.
In the idyllic garden all mankind—all two of them!—comprised one family, the family of God. The Lord came to the garden to visit with them. Their relationship was great. Ah, all mankind as the one family of God. Talk about sharing irenic relationships with everyone.
One not so sunny afternoon a sinister snake in the grass slithered into Mr. & Mrs. Adam’s garden, and everything changed. Suddenly there were two families of mankind. There was the seed of the serpent and there was the seed of the woman.
From that day until circa 30 A.D.—a few millennia of time—those two families comprised all mankind. The seed of the serpent consisted of everyone who listened to the serpent’s idea, while the seed of the woman was composed of those who thought rather to heed the words of the Lord.
In time the Lord chose this fellow named Abram and made a covenant with him. The Lord later renamed him to Abraham. Anyway, from the time of Abe’s call until circa 30 A.D., the seed of the woman passed through Abe’s lineage. As the sign of His covenant with Abe, the Lord required that every male in His family be circumcised at 8 days of age. This is known as the Abrahamic Covenant.
The distinction between the two families of mankind came to be expressed by the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant. In our text for today which is quoted at the start of this study, the Apostle Paul identifies three families of mankind. They are,
1. circumcision
2. uncircumcision
3. new creation
From the time of the garden of Eden until the Abrahamic Covenant, the two families of mankind were known as “seed of the woman” and “seed of the serpent”. From the time of the Abrahamic Covenant until circa 30 A.D. the two families of mankind were known as “circumcision” and “uncircumcision”. This explains points #1 and #2 in our numbered list.
But looky there at point #3. What is a “new creation”? What happened circa 30 A.D. to give birth to a new family of human beings? And lastly, if “circumcision” refers to the seed of the woman and “uncircumcision” refers to the seed of the serpent, to which seed does “new creation” belong?
Those are excellent questions. The answers are easy enough to come by, so we needn’t fret. We will tackle the questions in our next study. Meditate on today’s study while sitting at the feet of Jesus. You will be glad you did. See you tomorrow!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Familial Ties – Part 2
For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation [Galatians 6:15].
We paused our last study with three questions:
1. What is a “new creation”?
2. What happened circa 30 A.D. to give birth to a “new creation”?
3. Does a “new creation” belong to God’s family or Satan’s?
Let’s tackle those questions now, shall we? In doing so we will begin with the third question, “Does a new creation belong to God’s family or Satan’s?”
In answer to the question, the new creation belongs to God’s family. There. I said it. The suspense is over! Now you can relax. The new creation belongs to God’s family, not Satan’s by any stretch of the imagination.
“Whoa, Nellie!” I just heard a flustered fellow fret. “I thought the ‘seed of the woman’ and then the ‘circumcision’ was God’s family. How then is the ‘new creation’ God’s family? I don’t get it.”
Chill, brother. You’ll have a stroke if you keep up the agitation. Take it down a notch and I’ll explain it to you. The answer to your question is to be found in the answers to the first and second questions about the “new creation”. So let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work answering those two questions. Bet you’ll have the answer to your question then.
The devil’s family was known as the ‘seed of the serpent’, and then as the ‘uncircumcision’ after the Abrahamic Covenant came into play. God’s family, in distinction, was known as the ‘seed of the woman’, and then as the ‘circumcision’.
Trouble was, the circumcision (i.e., the Israelites) didn’t do their job—or more correctly, they didn’t do the Lord’s job. The job (aka ministry) which the Lord called the Israelites (aka the circumcision) to do was to be His witness to the rest of the world (aka the Gentiles). To do the job effectively, the Israelites needed to learn and obey the Law of Moses. In that way they would reflect the truth of the one true God to the Gentiles, who were seduced by idolatry.
Alas, but the Israelites lost interest in the Lord and His Word, and they went to shacking up with the false gods of the Gentiles. This was anything but being the Lord’s witness to the Gentiles. Rather, they were being the Gentiles’ witness to the Lord!
What to do? The Lord wanted to call mankind back into relationship with Himself, but they were steeped in idolatry and living for the devil. And even His own people, the Israelites, His supposed witness to the Gentiles, were reflecting lies about God instead of the truth.
Circa 30 A.D. God decided it was time to temporarily set aside His chosen people, the Israelites, as His witness to the world. Instead of one solitary nation, one ethnic people with their own laws and their own country, to serve as His witness—instead of this approach, the Lord decided to create a new people comprised of individuals from every tribe and nation and people and tongue throughout the world.
We will finish our analysis of the “new creation” on the morrow. For today let’s relish the opportunity to spend time alone with the Lord Jesus, and allow Him to minister to our hearts and minds.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
We paused our last study with three questions:
1. What is a “new creation”?
2. What happened circa 30 A.D. to give birth to a “new creation”?
3. Does a “new creation” belong to God’s family or Satan’s?
Let’s tackle those questions now, shall we? In doing so we will begin with the third question, “Does a new creation belong to God’s family or Satan’s?”
In answer to the question, the new creation belongs to God’s family. There. I said it. The suspense is over! Now you can relax. The new creation belongs to God’s family, not Satan’s by any stretch of the imagination.
“Whoa, Nellie!” I just heard a flustered fellow fret. “I thought the ‘seed of the woman’ and then the ‘circumcision’ was God’s family. How then is the ‘new creation’ God’s family? I don’t get it.”
Chill, brother. You’ll have a stroke if you keep up the agitation. Take it down a notch and I’ll explain it to you. The answer to your question is to be found in the answers to the first and second questions about the “new creation”. So let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work answering those two questions. Bet you’ll have the answer to your question then.
The devil’s family was known as the ‘seed of the serpent’, and then as the ‘uncircumcision’ after the Abrahamic Covenant came into play. God’s family, in distinction, was known as the ‘seed of the woman’, and then as the ‘circumcision’.
Trouble was, the circumcision (i.e., the Israelites) didn’t do their job—or more correctly, they didn’t do the Lord’s job. The job (aka ministry) which the Lord called the Israelites (aka the circumcision) to do was to be His witness to the rest of the world (aka the Gentiles). To do the job effectively, the Israelites needed to learn and obey the Law of Moses. In that way they would reflect the truth of the one true God to the Gentiles, who were seduced by idolatry.
Alas, but the Israelites lost interest in the Lord and His Word, and they went to shacking up with the false gods of the Gentiles. This was anything but being the Lord’s witness to the Gentiles. Rather, they were being the Gentiles’ witness to the Lord!
What to do? The Lord wanted to call mankind back into relationship with Himself, but they were steeped in idolatry and living for the devil. And even His own people, the Israelites, His supposed witness to the Gentiles, were reflecting lies about God instead of the truth.
Circa 30 A.D. God decided it was time to temporarily set aside His chosen people, the Israelites, as His witness to the world. Instead of one solitary nation, one ethnic people with their own laws and their own country, to serve as His witness—instead of this approach, the Lord decided to create a new people comprised of individuals from every tribe and nation and people and tongue throughout the world.
We will finish our analysis of the “new creation” on the morrow. For today let’s relish the opportunity to spend time alone with the Lord Jesus, and allow Him to minister to our hearts and minds.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Familial Ties – Part 3
For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation [Galatians 6:15].
The circumcision had the job of representing the one true God to the uncircumcision. Alas, but the circumcision wound up mimicking the uncircumcision, leaving the one true God without His witness in the world . The devil was the only god anyone recognized!
So circa 30 A.D. the Lord decided to temporarily set aside His chosen people, the Israelites (aka the circumcision), and create a whole new people of His own to fulfill the ministry the Israelites failed to accomplish. The Messiah Jesus died on the cross for mankind’s sins and rose out of death for mankind’s justification. This was circa 30 A.D. He ascended into heaven forty days later.
Ten days after ascending into heaven—which was fifty days after He rose out of death—Messiah Jesus (aka Christ Jesus) sent the Holy Spirit to fill His disciples and indwell them eternally. This took place in Jerusalem during the Jewish holiday Shavuot (aka Pentecost). The event marked the birth of the Church.
The Church is the Body of Christ Jesus on earth. The Church is the “new creation” we have referenced several times already. Jesus no longer walks the earth in His physical body as God in a human body. Jesus created a new people, the Church, to indwell on the earth. The Church has the ministry to represent the Lord Jesus to all of mankind, including both Jews and Gentiles (aka circumcision and uncircumcision).
The time from the birth of the Church on Pentecost circa 30 A.D., until the Lord Jesus returns to the earth (aka the Second Coming), is known as the Church Age. During this time the circumcision is temporarily set aside as a nation, not serving the Lord as His witness to the Gentiles.
But this is only a temporary situation. At a time of the Lord choosing, the Church Age will come to a close. The Lord Jesus will descend from heaven in the clouds, sound the trumpet call to His new creation (aka the Church), and the Christians (both Jews and Gentiles) will rise to meet Him in the clouds. We will return to heaven with our blessed Lord to celebrate the marriage supper of the Lamb.
The next seven years on earth will be the time of Jacob’s trouble (aka the Tribulation Period). The Lord will allow the antichrist to persecute His chosen people Israel, sifting them and purifying them in preparation for His return to earth. At the end of the seven-year Tribulation Period, the Lord will descend from heaven.
When Messiah Jesus returns in the clouds, the Jews will look upon Him and recognize their Messiah whom they rejected circa 30 A.D. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son. The nation of Israel (aka the circumcision) as a nation will then receive their Messiah. The Lord will take the nation up again as His chosen people to be His witness to the Gentiles on the earth. This ministry will last for a thousand years (aka the Millennium).
Thus during the Church Age the circumcision is not God’s family. The new creation (aka Christians/the Church) is. The circumcision was, and the circumcision will be once again be, God’s family. But for now the Church represents God on the earth. The Church includes both Jewish individuals and Gentile individuals—but neither the nation of Israel nor any other nation or ethnic group comprises God’s family during the Church Age.
I trust this dissipates the fog and brings in the bright morning sunlight, as it relates to Paul’s three classifications of human beings during the Church Age. Allow me to list them one more time in closing:
1. circumcision
2. uncircumcision
3. new creation
Oh, I am sorry for being so careless. I almost forgot to ask, “To which classification do you belong?”
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The circumcision had the job of representing the one true God to the uncircumcision. Alas, but the circumcision wound up mimicking the uncircumcision, leaving the one true God without His witness in the world . The devil was the only god anyone recognized!
So circa 30 A.D. the Lord decided to temporarily set aside His chosen people, the Israelites (aka the circumcision), and create a whole new people of His own to fulfill the ministry the Israelites failed to accomplish. The Messiah Jesus died on the cross for mankind’s sins and rose out of death for mankind’s justification. This was circa 30 A.D. He ascended into heaven forty days later.
Ten days after ascending into heaven—which was fifty days after He rose out of death—Messiah Jesus (aka Christ Jesus) sent the Holy Spirit to fill His disciples and indwell them eternally. This took place in Jerusalem during the Jewish holiday Shavuot (aka Pentecost). The event marked the birth of the Church.
The Church is the Body of Christ Jesus on earth. The Church is the “new creation” we have referenced several times already. Jesus no longer walks the earth in His physical body as God in a human body. Jesus created a new people, the Church, to indwell on the earth. The Church has the ministry to represent the Lord Jesus to all of mankind, including both Jews and Gentiles (aka circumcision and uncircumcision).
The time from the birth of the Church on Pentecost circa 30 A.D., until the Lord Jesus returns to the earth (aka the Second Coming), is known as the Church Age. During this time the circumcision is temporarily set aside as a nation, not serving the Lord as His witness to the Gentiles.
But this is only a temporary situation. At a time of the Lord choosing, the Church Age will come to a close. The Lord Jesus will descend from heaven in the clouds, sound the trumpet call to His new creation (aka the Church), and the Christians (both Jews and Gentiles) will rise to meet Him in the clouds. We will return to heaven with our blessed Lord to celebrate the marriage supper of the Lamb.
The next seven years on earth will be the time of Jacob’s trouble (aka the Tribulation Period). The Lord will allow the antichrist to persecute His chosen people Israel, sifting them and purifying them in preparation for His return to earth. At the end of the seven-year Tribulation Period, the Lord will descend from heaven.
When Messiah Jesus returns in the clouds, the Jews will look upon Him and recognize their Messiah whom they rejected circa 30 A.D. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son. The nation of Israel (aka the circumcision) as a nation will then receive their Messiah. The Lord will take the nation up again as His chosen people to be His witness to the Gentiles on the earth. This ministry will last for a thousand years (aka the Millennium).
Thus during the Church Age the circumcision is not God’s family. The new creation (aka Christians/the Church) is. The circumcision was, and the circumcision will be once again be, God’s family. But for now the Church represents God on the earth. The Church includes both Jewish individuals and Gentile individuals—but neither the nation of Israel nor any other nation or ethnic group comprises God’s family during the Church Age.
I trust this dissipates the fog and brings in the bright morning sunlight, as it relates to Paul’s three classifications of human beings during the Church Age. Allow me to list them one more time in closing:
1. circumcision
2. uncircumcision
3. new creation
Oh, I am sorry for being so careless. I almost forgot to ask, “To which classification do you belong?”
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Of Covenants and Dispensations – Part 1
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! [1 Corinthians 10:11-12]
I incessantly teach that Christians are not under the Law. We are under grace. We are not required to obey the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses was the legal code for the Israelites while they inhabited the Lord’s land, the Promised Land.
There have been occasions where folks have taken exception to this teaching. Some of them are covenantalists, as contrasted with dispensationalists. We won’t spend words on defining these two positions, dear friends. It is not the subject for today’s study.
Suffice it to say that covenantalism holds to the tenet that God is always the same throughout time and eternity, and so He always operates the same. This means that the way God interacted with Adam and Eve was the same way He interacted with Noah, with Abraham, and with the Church.
Dispensationalism, contrariwise, embraces the tenet that, yes, God is always the same. He never changes. However, mankind does, and God varies His approach at different times in order to effectively interact with man. For example, in Genesis 2 before man sinned, God came down to the Garden of Eden to spend time fellowshiping with man.
In Genesis 3 man sinned and God booted him out of the garden. It is obvious that God no longer related to man in the same way thereafter. Man was no longer in the garden! This fact precluded God from coming down to the garden to visit with man! Genesis 2 was one dispensation, one way in which God decided to interact with man. Genesis 3 was another dispensation entirely.
Some of the folks who’ve objected to me not teaching obedience to the Law were covenantalists. They believe God rejected Israel permanently and replaced Israel with the Church. God’s method of interacting with Israel, you see, now became God’s method of interacting with Christians. Christians, rather than Israel, are now obligated to keep the Law.
Belief in covenantalism does not in and of itself equate to not being a Christian. The two are not exclusive, the belief is just a wrong understanding of the Scriptures.
Some of the folks who took exception to me teaching that Christians are not obligated to obey the Law—well, they did so for other reasons. Some cults still insist on obedience to the Law.
A cult is a religious group which professes belief in the Bible and Jesus, but denies the Father and the Son (cf., 1 John). Or the group denies that Jesus has come in the flesh (cf., 1 John). They don’t accept that Jesus is literally God the Son, eternally and fully God. They don’t believe Jesus is the only way to be brought back to the Father. In one or more ways they reject the true, Biblical Jesus.
They are therefore not really Christians but wolves in sheep’s clothing, regardless of good intentions or anything else (cf., 1 John). Christianity is not a religious system or a set of doctrines. It is the Person and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. The churches are full of folks who hold to a set of doctrines and practically never leave the church building. Alas, but they know not Jesus personally and, because of this, they are not Christians.
We must take our leave at this time. The day is far spent. The night falls fast. Let’s spend time with Jesus before we hit the pillow. He has much to teach us from our study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
I incessantly teach that Christians are not under the Law. We are under grace. We are not required to obey the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses was the legal code for the Israelites while they inhabited the Lord’s land, the Promised Land.
There have been occasions where folks have taken exception to this teaching. Some of them are covenantalists, as contrasted with dispensationalists. We won’t spend words on defining these two positions, dear friends. It is not the subject for today’s study.
Suffice it to say that covenantalism holds to the tenet that God is always the same throughout time and eternity, and so He always operates the same. This means that the way God interacted with Adam and Eve was the same way He interacted with Noah, with Abraham, and with the Church.
Dispensationalism, contrariwise, embraces the tenet that, yes, God is always the same. He never changes. However, mankind does, and God varies His approach at different times in order to effectively interact with man. For example, in Genesis 2 before man sinned, God came down to the Garden of Eden to spend time fellowshiping with man.
In Genesis 3 man sinned and God booted him out of the garden. It is obvious that God no longer related to man in the same way thereafter. Man was no longer in the garden! This fact precluded God from coming down to the garden to visit with man! Genesis 2 was one dispensation, one way in which God decided to interact with man. Genesis 3 was another dispensation entirely.
Some of the folks who’ve objected to me not teaching obedience to the Law were covenantalists. They believe God rejected Israel permanently and replaced Israel with the Church. God’s method of interacting with Israel, you see, now became God’s method of interacting with Christians. Christians, rather than Israel, are now obligated to keep the Law.
Belief in covenantalism does not in and of itself equate to not being a Christian. The two are not exclusive, the belief is just a wrong understanding of the Scriptures.
Some of the folks who took exception to me teaching that Christians are not obligated to obey the Law—well, they did so for other reasons. Some cults still insist on obedience to the Law.
A cult is a religious group which professes belief in the Bible and Jesus, but denies the Father and the Son (cf., 1 John). Or the group denies that Jesus has come in the flesh (cf., 1 John). They don’t accept that Jesus is literally God the Son, eternally and fully God. They don’t believe Jesus is the only way to be brought back to the Father. In one or more ways they reject the true, Biblical Jesus.
They are therefore not really Christians but wolves in sheep’s clothing, regardless of good intentions or anything else (cf., 1 John). Christianity is not a religious system or a set of doctrines. It is the Person and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. The churches are full of folks who hold to a set of doctrines and practically never leave the church building. Alas, but they know not Jesus personally and, because of this, they are not Christians.
We must take our leave at this time. The day is far spent. The night falls fast. Let’s spend time with Jesus before we hit the pillow. He has much to teach us from our study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Of Covenants and Dispensations – Part 2
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! [1 Corinthians 10:11-12]
Let’s continue with our study from yesterday. A dear woman and her husband in one of my churches fell under the spell of the Seventh Day Adventists, a cult. This group is entangled in obeying the Law in order to be a Christian. They go so far as to insist that Saturday is the only true day to hold church services and reject Sunday, the Lord’s Day. Hence their name.
Before leaving one of the churches I was pastored, this elderly lady commenced to quarreling with me during Bible study about Christians no longer being under the Law. She wanted to win converts to her brand of legalism, you see, and take them with her to the Adventist Church. She challenged, “Well, if we are no longer under the Law, why do we still bother to study it? Why not remove it from our Bibles and just study the New Testament?”
She felt pretty good about herself, and it showed all over her face. To her she was the man and I was confronted with irrefutable argumentation. In actuality her argument was mere sophistry. It had the appearance of logic and validity, but it was specious reasoning par excellence.
If she knew her Bible as well as she thought she did, she would have known that the Apostle Paul fought ferociously against the Judaizers. The Judaizers were Pharisees, Jewish legalists, who supposedly converted to Christ. However, they insisted on attaching the Law to belief in Jesus. It was necessary to believe in Jesus, yes, but it was also necessary to continue to obey the Law.
Paul rebuked them scathingly, declaring, “We are no longer under Law but under grace!” This same Paul, notwithstanding, still taught the Old Testament to his converts to Jesus. The tenth chapter of 1 Corinthians is one such example. The Bible text we quoted to commence this study is Paul’s conclusion to his Old Testament teaching.
In the first ten verses of 1 Corinthians 10, Paul reiterated multiple situations which occurred with the Israelites in the wilderness under Moses’ leadership. Then Paul penned the words quoted at the start of this lesson. Those words tell us why we still study the Old Testament, even though we are no longer under the Law.
God preserved His Word, including all of the Old Testament, to furnish us with examples. These examples serve as a good source of instruction. We are to learn from the past history of God’s people how NOT to serve the Lord, as well as HOW to serve the Lord. If we learn from Israel’s mistakes, we will be better able to avoid them ourselves.
Think about it, dear friends. I am not obligated to obey the legal code of the Roman Empire, but I still studied Roman history and in the process gleaned a good deal of learning which has relevance today.
We don’t study the Old Testament because we are under the Law. We study it because the Lord used visible physical realities to teach us invisible spiritual truths. I want to know all of these truths. I don’t want to miss any of them. That’s why I study the Old Testament.
Another reason is that I love the Lord and love to learn how He has related to man through the centuries and millennia. The Bible is the only source for learning this. And the Bible is the only book which contains no errors or lies.
So let’s not attempt to obey the Law in order to be saved or to stay saved. But let’s study the Law to know the Lord all the better. This is an excellent time for us to grab our Bibles and go be with Jesus. He loves to teach us His Word, if only we want to learn it and obey it.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Let’s continue with our study from yesterday. A dear woman and her husband in one of my churches fell under the spell of the Seventh Day Adventists, a cult. This group is entangled in obeying the Law in order to be a Christian. They go so far as to insist that Saturday is the only true day to hold church services and reject Sunday, the Lord’s Day. Hence their name.
Before leaving one of the churches I was pastored, this elderly lady commenced to quarreling with me during Bible study about Christians no longer being under the Law. She wanted to win converts to her brand of legalism, you see, and take them with her to the Adventist Church. She challenged, “Well, if we are no longer under the Law, why do we still bother to study it? Why not remove it from our Bibles and just study the New Testament?”
She felt pretty good about herself, and it showed all over her face. To her she was the man and I was confronted with irrefutable argumentation. In actuality her argument was mere sophistry. It had the appearance of logic and validity, but it was specious reasoning par excellence.
If she knew her Bible as well as she thought she did, she would have known that the Apostle Paul fought ferociously against the Judaizers. The Judaizers were Pharisees, Jewish legalists, who supposedly converted to Christ. However, they insisted on attaching the Law to belief in Jesus. It was necessary to believe in Jesus, yes, but it was also necessary to continue to obey the Law.
Paul rebuked them scathingly, declaring, “We are no longer under Law but under grace!” This same Paul, notwithstanding, still taught the Old Testament to his converts to Jesus. The tenth chapter of 1 Corinthians is one such example. The Bible text we quoted to commence this study is Paul’s conclusion to his Old Testament teaching.
In the first ten verses of 1 Corinthians 10, Paul reiterated multiple situations which occurred with the Israelites in the wilderness under Moses’ leadership. Then Paul penned the words quoted at the start of this lesson. Those words tell us why we still study the Old Testament, even though we are no longer under the Law.
God preserved His Word, including all of the Old Testament, to furnish us with examples. These examples serve as a good source of instruction. We are to learn from the past history of God’s people how NOT to serve the Lord, as well as HOW to serve the Lord. If we learn from Israel’s mistakes, we will be better able to avoid them ourselves.
Think about it, dear friends. I am not obligated to obey the legal code of the Roman Empire, but I still studied Roman history and in the process gleaned a good deal of learning which has relevance today.
We don’t study the Old Testament because we are under the Law. We study it because the Lord used visible physical realities to teach us invisible spiritual truths. I want to know all of these truths. I don’t want to miss any of them. That’s why I study the Old Testament.
Another reason is that I love the Lord and love to learn how He has related to man through the centuries and millennia. The Bible is the only source for learning this. And the Bible is the only book which contains no errors or lies.
So let’s not attempt to obey the Law in order to be saved or to stay saved. But let’s study the Law to know the Lord all the better. This is an excellent time for us to grab our Bibles and go be with Jesus. He loves to teach us His Word, if only we want to learn it and obey it.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Familial Ties – Part 1
For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation [Galatians 6:15].
At the beginning of time God created man and woman. We know them as Adam and Eve. They once upon a time lived in this garden somewhere in the east.
Anyway, they were the original two humans. Every other human being is descended from Mr. & Mrs. Adam. In this sense all humans are the same. We have the same flesh and blood because we are related.
In the idyllic garden all mankind—all two of them!—comprised one family, the family of God. The Lord came to the garden to visit with them. Their relationship was great. Ah, all mankind as the one family of God. Talk about sharing irenic relationships with everyone.
One not so sunny afternoon a sinister snake in the grass slithered into Mr. & Mrs. Adam’s garden, and everything changed. Suddenly there were two families of mankind. There was the seed of the serpent and there was the seed of the woman.
From that day until circa 30 A.D.—a few millennia of time—those two families comprised all mankind. The seed of the serpent consisted of everyone who listened to the serpent’s idea, while the seed of the woman was composed of those who thought rather to heed the words of the Lord.
In time the Lord chose this fellow named Abram and made a covenant with him. The Lord later renamed him to Abraham. Anyway, from the time of Abe’s call until circa 30 A.D., the seed of the woman passed through Abe’s lineage. As the sign of His covenant with Abe, the Lord required that every male in His family be circumcised at 8 days of age. This is known as the Abrahamic Covenant.
The distinction between the two families of mankind came to be expressed by the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant. In our text for today which is quoted at the start of this study, the Apostle Paul identifies three families of mankind. They are,
1. circumcision
2. uncircumcision
3. new creation
From the time of the garden of Eden until the Abrahamic Covenant, the two families of mankind were known as “seed of the woman” and “seed of the serpent”. From the time of the Abrahamic Covenant until circa 30 A.D. the two families of mankind were known as “circumcision” and “uncircumcision”. This explains points #1 and #2 in our numbered list.
But looky there at point #3. What is a “new creation”? What happened circa 30 A.D. to give birth to a new family of human beings? And lastly, if “circumcision” refers to the seed of the woman and “uncircumcision” refers to the seed of the serpent, to which seed does “new creation” belong?
Those are excellent questions. The answers are easy enough to come by, so we needn’t fret. We will tackle the questions in our next study. Meditate on today’s study while sitting at the feet of Jesus. You will be glad you did. See you tomorrow!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
At the beginning of time God created man and woman. We know them as Adam and Eve. They once upon a time lived in this garden somewhere in the east.
Anyway, they were the original two humans. Every other human being is descended from Mr. & Mrs. Adam. In this sense all humans are the same. We have the same flesh and blood because we are related.
In the idyllic garden all mankind—all two of them!—comprised one family, the family of God. The Lord came to the garden to visit with them. Their relationship was great. Ah, all mankind as the one family of God. Talk about sharing irenic relationships with everyone.
One not so sunny afternoon a sinister snake in the grass slithered into Mr. & Mrs. Adam’s garden, and everything changed. Suddenly there were two families of mankind. There was the seed of the serpent and there was the seed of the woman.
From that day until circa 30 A.D.—a few millennia of time—those two families comprised all mankind. The seed of the serpent consisted of everyone who listened to the serpent’s idea, while the seed of the woman was composed of those who thought rather to heed the words of the Lord.
In time the Lord chose this fellow named Abram and made a covenant with him. The Lord later renamed him to Abraham. Anyway, from the time of Abe’s call until circa 30 A.D., the seed of the woman passed through Abe’s lineage. As the sign of His covenant with Abe, the Lord required that every male in His family be circumcised at 8 days of age. This is known as the Abrahamic Covenant.
The distinction between the two families of mankind came to be expressed by the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant. In our text for today which is quoted at the start of this study, the Apostle Paul identifies three families of mankind. They are,
1. circumcision
2. uncircumcision
3. new creation
From the time of the garden of Eden until the Abrahamic Covenant, the two families of mankind were known as “seed of the woman” and “seed of the serpent”. From the time of the Abrahamic Covenant until circa 30 A.D. the two families of mankind were known as “circumcision” and “uncircumcision”. This explains points #1 and #2 in our numbered list.
But looky there at point #3. What is a “new creation”? What happened circa 30 A.D. to give birth to a new family of human beings? And lastly, if “circumcision” refers to the seed of the woman and “uncircumcision” refers to the seed of the serpent, to which seed does “new creation” belong?
Those are excellent questions. The answers are easy enough to come by, so we needn’t fret. We will tackle the questions in our next study. Meditate on today’s study while sitting at the feet of Jesus. You will be glad you did. See you tomorrow!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Familial Ties – Part 2
For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation [Galatians 6:15].
We paused our last study with three questions:
1. What is a “new creation”?
2. What happened circa 30 A.D. to give birth to a “new creation”?
3. Does a “new creation” belong to God’s family or Satan’s?
Let’s tackle those questions now, shall we? In doing so we will begin with the third question, “Does a new creation belong to God’s family or Satan’s?”
In answer to the question, the new creation belongs to God’s family. There. I said it. The suspense is over! Now you can relax. The new creation belongs to God’s family, not Satan’s by any stretch of the imagination.
“Whoa, Nellie!” I just heard a flustered fellow fret. “I thought the ‘seed of the woman’ and then the ‘circumcision’ was God’s family. How then is the ‘new creation’ God’s family? I don’t get it.”
Chill, brother. You’ll have a stroke if you keep up the agitation. Take it down a notch and I’ll explain it to you. The answer to your question is to be found in the answers to the first and second questions about the “new creation”. So let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work answering those two questions. Bet you’ll have the answer to your question then.
The devil’s family was known as the ‘seed of the serpent’, and then as the ‘uncircumcision’ after the Abrahamic Covenant came into play. God’s family, in distinction, was known as the ‘seed of the woman’, and then as the ‘circumcision’.
Trouble was, the circumcision (i.e., the Israelites) didn’t do their job—or more correctly, they didn’t do the Lord’s job. The job (aka ministry) which the Lord called the Israelites (aka the circumcision) to do was to be His witness to the rest of the world (aka the Gentiles). To do the job effectively, the Israelites needed to learn and obey the Law of Moses. In that way they would reflect the truth of the one true God to the Gentiles, who were seduced by idolatry.
Alas, but the Israelites lost interest in the Lord and His Word, and they went to shacking up with the false gods of the Gentiles. This was anything but being the Lord’s witness to the Gentiles. Rather, they were being the Gentiles’ witness to the Lord!
What to do? The Lord wanted to call mankind back into relationship with Himself, but they were steeped in idolatry and living for the devil. And even His own people, the Israelites, His supposed witness to the Gentiles, were reflecting lies about God instead of the truth.
Circa 30 A.D. God decided it was time to temporarily set aside His chosen people, the Israelites, as His witness to the world. Instead of one solitary nation, one ethnic people with their own laws and their own country, to serve as His witness—instead of this approach, the Lord decided to create a new people comprised of individuals from every tribe and nation and people and tongue throughout the world.
We will finish our analysis of the “new creation” on the morrow. For today let’s relish the opportunity to spend time alone with the Lord Jesus, and allow Him to minister to our hearts and minds.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
We paused our last study with three questions:
1. What is a “new creation”?
2. What happened circa 30 A.D. to give birth to a “new creation”?
3. Does a “new creation” belong to God’s family or Satan’s?
Let’s tackle those questions now, shall we? In doing so we will begin with the third question, “Does a new creation belong to God’s family or Satan’s?”
In answer to the question, the new creation belongs to God’s family. There. I said it. The suspense is over! Now you can relax. The new creation belongs to God’s family, not Satan’s by any stretch of the imagination.
“Whoa, Nellie!” I just heard a flustered fellow fret. “I thought the ‘seed of the woman’ and then the ‘circumcision’ was God’s family. How then is the ‘new creation’ God’s family? I don’t get it.”
Chill, brother. You’ll have a stroke if you keep up the agitation. Take it down a notch and I’ll explain it to you. The answer to your question is to be found in the answers to the first and second questions about the “new creation”. So let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work answering those two questions. Bet you’ll have the answer to your question then.
The devil’s family was known as the ‘seed of the serpent’, and then as the ‘uncircumcision’ after the Abrahamic Covenant came into play. God’s family, in distinction, was known as the ‘seed of the woman’, and then as the ‘circumcision’.
Trouble was, the circumcision (i.e., the Israelites) didn’t do their job—or more correctly, they didn’t do the Lord’s job. The job (aka ministry) which the Lord called the Israelites (aka the circumcision) to do was to be His witness to the rest of the world (aka the Gentiles). To do the job effectively, the Israelites needed to learn and obey the Law of Moses. In that way they would reflect the truth of the one true God to the Gentiles, who were seduced by idolatry.
Alas, but the Israelites lost interest in the Lord and His Word, and they went to shacking up with the false gods of the Gentiles. This was anything but being the Lord’s witness to the Gentiles. Rather, they were being the Gentiles’ witness to the Lord!
What to do? The Lord wanted to call mankind back into relationship with Himself, but they were steeped in idolatry and living for the devil. And even His own people, the Israelites, His supposed witness to the Gentiles, were reflecting lies about God instead of the truth.
Circa 30 A.D. God decided it was time to temporarily set aside His chosen people, the Israelites, as His witness to the world. Instead of one solitary nation, one ethnic people with their own laws and their own country, to serve as His witness—instead of this approach, the Lord decided to create a new people comprised of individuals from every tribe and nation and people and tongue throughout the world.
We will finish our analysis of the “new creation” on the morrow. For today let’s relish the opportunity to spend time alone with the Lord Jesus, and allow Him to minister to our hearts and minds.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Familial Ties – Part 3
For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation [Galatians 6:15].
The circumcision had the job of representing the one true God to the uncircumcision. Alas, but the circumcision wound up mimicking the uncircumcision, leaving the one true God without His witness in the world . The devil was the only god anyone recognized!
So circa 30 A.D. the Lord decided to temporarily set aside His chosen people, the Israelites (aka the circumcision), and create a whole new people of His own to fulfill the ministry the Israelites failed to accomplish. The Messiah Jesus died on the cross for mankind’s sins and rose out of death for mankind’s justification. This was circa 30 A.D. He ascended into heaven forty days later.
Ten days after ascending into heaven—which was fifty days after He rose out of death—Messiah Jesus (aka Christ Jesus) sent the Holy Spirit to fill His disciples and indwell them eternally. This took place in Jerusalem during the Jewish holiday Shavuot (aka Pentecost). The event marked the birth of the Church.
The Church is the Body of Christ Jesus on earth. The Church is the “new creation” we have referenced several times already. Jesus no longer walks the earth in His physical body as God in a human body. Jesus created a new people, the Church, to indwell on the earth. The Church has the ministry to represent the Lord Jesus to all of mankind, including both Jews and Gentiles (aka circumcision and uncircumcision).
The time from the birth of the Church on Pentecost circa 30 A.D., until the Lord Jesus sounds the trumpet to call the Christians to meet Him in the clouds (aka the Rapture), is known as the Church Age. During this time the circumcision is temporarily set aside as a nation, not serving the Lord as His witness to the Gentiles.
But this is only a temporary situation. At a time of the Lord's choosing, the Church Age will come to a close. The Lord Jesus will descend from heaven in the clouds, sound the trumpet call to His new creation (aka the Church), and the Christians (both Jews and Gentiles) will rise to meet Him in the clouds. We will return to heaven with our blessed Lord to celebrate the marriage supper of the Lamb.
The next seven years on earth will be the time of Jacob’s trouble (aka the Tribulation Period). The Lord will allow the antichrist to persecute His chosen people Israel, sifting them and purifying them in preparation for His return to earth. At the end of the seven-year Tribulation Period, the Lord will descend from heaven.
When Messiah Jesus returns in the clouds, the Jews will look upon Him and recognize their Messiah whom they rejected circa 30 A.D. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son. The nation of Israel (aka the circumcision) as a nation will then receive their Messiah. The Lord will take the nation up again as His chosen people to be His witness to the Gentiles on the earth. This ministry will last for a thousand years (aka the Millennium).
Thus during the Church Age the circumcision is not God’s family. The new creation (aka Christians/the Church) is. The circumcision was, and the circumcision will once again be, God’s family. But for now the Church represents God on the earth. The Church includes both Jewish individuals and Gentile individuals—but neither the nation of Israel nor any other nation or ethnic group comprises God’s family during the Church Age.
I trust this dissipates the fog and brings in the bright morning sunlight, as it relates to Paul’s three classifications of human beings during the Church Age. Allow me to list them one more time in closing:
1. circumcision
2. uncircumcision
3. new creation
Oh, I am sorry for being so careless. I almost forgot to ask, “To which classification do you belong?”
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The circumcision had the job of representing the one true God to the uncircumcision. Alas, but the circumcision wound up mimicking the uncircumcision, leaving the one true God without His witness in the world . The devil was the only god anyone recognized!
So circa 30 A.D. the Lord decided to temporarily set aside His chosen people, the Israelites (aka the circumcision), and create a whole new people of His own to fulfill the ministry the Israelites failed to accomplish. The Messiah Jesus died on the cross for mankind’s sins and rose out of death for mankind’s justification. This was circa 30 A.D. He ascended into heaven forty days later.
Ten days after ascending into heaven—which was fifty days after He rose out of death—Messiah Jesus (aka Christ Jesus) sent the Holy Spirit to fill His disciples and indwell them eternally. This took place in Jerusalem during the Jewish holiday Shavuot (aka Pentecost). The event marked the birth of the Church.
The Church is the Body of Christ Jesus on earth. The Church is the “new creation” we have referenced several times already. Jesus no longer walks the earth in His physical body as God in a human body. Jesus created a new people, the Church, to indwell on the earth. The Church has the ministry to represent the Lord Jesus to all of mankind, including both Jews and Gentiles (aka circumcision and uncircumcision).
The time from the birth of the Church on Pentecost circa 30 A.D., until the Lord Jesus sounds the trumpet to call the Christians to meet Him in the clouds (aka the Rapture), is known as the Church Age. During this time the circumcision is temporarily set aside as a nation, not serving the Lord as His witness to the Gentiles.
But this is only a temporary situation. At a time of the Lord's choosing, the Church Age will come to a close. The Lord Jesus will descend from heaven in the clouds, sound the trumpet call to His new creation (aka the Church), and the Christians (both Jews and Gentiles) will rise to meet Him in the clouds. We will return to heaven with our blessed Lord to celebrate the marriage supper of the Lamb.
The next seven years on earth will be the time of Jacob’s trouble (aka the Tribulation Period). The Lord will allow the antichrist to persecute His chosen people Israel, sifting them and purifying them in preparation for His return to earth. At the end of the seven-year Tribulation Period, the Lord will descend from heaven.
When Messiah Jesus returns in the clouds, the Jews will look upon Him and recognize their Messiah whom they rejected circa 30 A.D. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son. The nation of Israel (aka the circumcision) as a nation will then receive their Messiah. The Lord will take the nation up again as His chosen people to be His witness to the Gentiles on the earth. This ministry will last for a thousand years (aka the Millennium).
Thus during the Church Age the circumcision is not God’s family. The new creation (aka Christians/the Church) is. The circumcision was, and the circumcision will once again be, God’s family. But for now the Church represents God on the earth. The Church includes both Jewish individuals and Gentile individuals—but neither the nation of Israel nor any other nation or ethnic group comprises God’s family during the Church Age.
I trust this dissipates the fog and brings in the bright morning sunlight, as it relates to Paul’s three classifications of human beings during the Church Age. Allow me to list them one more time in closing:
1. circumcision
2. uncircumcision
3. new creation
Oh, I am sorry for being so careless. I almost forgot to ask, “To which classification do you belong?”
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
