Israel of God Today
By Raymond Elliott
In
Genesis 32:28,
we read that Jacob’s name was changed to Israel.
The fleshly descendants of
this great man became known as the twelve tribes of Israel,
the Israelites, the children of Israel
and the nation of Israel.
We can read in the book of Joshua when these offspring of Abraham,
Isaac and
Jacob entered the land of Canaan,
which was
promised to Abraham by Jehovah God (Genesis 12:1-3, 7). This people
constituted
Gods’ chosen race through which eventually the promised Messiah
would come. However, Israel
fell out of God’s favor, except a remnant, and never again
stood before the
Lord with acceptance as a nation.
The
question might be raised for our consideration, is
Israel God’s people today? The answer is to be in the
positive, but with some
clarification. The Israel
that is acceptable to God today is not fleshly, but spiritual. We learn
in Galatians 3:29,
“And if you are Christ’s, then you are
Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to
the promise.” Those who are in Jesus Christ are the seed of
Abraham. They
become such by being immersed into Christ as taught in Galatians 3:26-27:
“For you are all sons of God through faith in
Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put
on
Christ.” Even Nicodemus, a fleshly descendant of Abraham, was
instructed to be
born of water and the Spirit in order to be a citizen of the kingdom
of God
(John 3:3, 5). Both Jew and Gentile have to obey Christ in order to be
a part
of spiritual Israel
today.
Please observe the
following passages that clearly
teach that the Israel
today that is pleasing to God is spiritual and not fleshly in nature.
“For he
is not a Jew who is one outwardly; nor is circumcision that which is
outward in
the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is
that of the
heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men
but from
God” (Romans2:28-29). “But it is not that the word
of God has taken no effect. For
they are not all Israel
who
are of Israel,
nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but,
“In Isaac
your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the
children of God, but the
children of the promise are counted as the seed (Romans 9:1-8).
“For in Christ
Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a
new
creation. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy
be upon
them, and upon the Israel of God” (Galatians 6:15-16).
“For we are the
circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus,
and have
no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3). “You
also, as living stones, are
being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up
spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter
2:5). “But you are
a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special
people,
that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness
into
His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people
of God,
who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy” (1
Peter 1:9-10).
Fleshly Israel,
as a whole, rejected the deity of Jesus. In John 1:11-12, we find
this to be the case: “He came to His own,
and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them
He gave
the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His
name.” In
Romans chapters nine through eleven, we read of the rejection of Israel
because of unbelief and the acceptance of the Gentiles because of their
belief
in Jesus as being the Son of God. In short, everyone who is in Jesus
Christ
constitutes spiritual Israel
today. It is the church of Christ,
the family of
God, the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ and Culture
By Robert Johnson
Most
of you have probably heard about two surveys taken
among public school teachers. One was taken 50 years or so ago, another
just a
few years ago. Many of the questions asked were the same. One question
in
particular was interesting, a reflection of the times in which we live.
When
asked, “What are your greatest concerns in the
classroom,” the response 50
years ago was “students chewing gum, having their homework
prepared,” and
similar responses. The more recent response to that question brought
“guns and
violence, drugs, lack of discipline” and so on. What a change
our culture has
made in that span of time.
It
reminds me of a book I read some time ago, dealing
with some “major problems” in the church, according
to the author’s
perspective, during the late 1940’s and early
‘50’s. Not going into any detail,
and not minimizing how important he thought they were to people at that
time,
like classroom teachers today, I would take those problems over some
the church
faces today. Culture again has made its presence known.
The
culture of the world is always changing. What is
acceptable today may not be tomorrow. Similarly, what may be pushing
the limits
of society ethically and morally today may seem bland by
tomorrow’s standards.
How do we cope with such rapid changes? How can we know right from
wrong in the
midst of an evolving culture?
We
must anchor ourselves to Him who never changes, Who
is the same “yesterday, today, and forever”
(Hebrews 13:8). The Lord’s church
will prevail (Matthew 16:18), and God’s eternal Word is
forever the pattern and
source of life for the church (1 Pet. 1:23). God’s Word
reveals to us what must
never change (the plan of salvation, the pattern of work, worship and
leadership in the church, avoiding the works of the flesh, growing in
the fruit
of the spirit, among others). It also provides the foundation and
principles to
guide us through change, to make wise decisions, no matter the culture.
The
Bible is as fresh and relevant today as when the
inspired writers penned it. It applies to life and offers stability in
any
cultural circumstance or change we may face. Let us trust it, know it
and live
it. May we rejoice that, no matter how mild or wild the world around us
is, we
are “more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37).
