Only the seed of Abraham are in covenant with God. And they are the inheritors of the Abrahamic Promises/Covenant and only they are recipients of those Promises. And because God scattered His covenant people twice before Jesus' birth through the Assyrian and Babylonian Conquests (722 and 586 BC, respectively.)
Abraham asked God for an heir and God gave him one in the birth and life of Isaac. Ishmael had already been born and in time Abraham's seed through Ishmael would grow into a large family through Ishmael's twelve sons. It wasn't addition, but multiplication that Ishmael's sons would populate Palestine and in lands outside Palestine where these families of the earth would settle. Do I have to bring up Ishmael's descendants or can you look at these on your own?
Faith is a gift that comes out of the Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenants, and only one seed are the recipients of the gift of faith: The Hebrew people. God does not make Promises to the children of Israel and then turn again to cast them into hell. Israel is the recipient of the salvation that is of the LORD. And although Ishmael's seed will be blessed of God because of His Promises to Abraham, God made sure that Issac is the son of Promise, not Esau. Jesus was born out of the tribe of Judah, not Massa, not Tema. The Holy Spirit that Joel prophesied was Promised to Israel. He is that schoolmaster Saul wrote about in Galatians 3. And one needs the Holy Spirit that God Promised Israel to be born-again and saved. There is no Scripture in the Old Testament that says God promised His Spirit to Ishmael's descendants nor to non-Hebrew Gentiles. You add to the Bible and through your erroneous theology you make God a liar by putting words in God's mouth that says Gentiles are also given the Holy Spirit or that non-Hebrew Gentiles can and will be saved.
But Israel is better than all the families of the earth. They have God. It was and is the intent of God to make Israel better than everyone else.
4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. Hebrews 1:4.
9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
Hebrews 6:9.
7 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better. Hebrews 7:6–7.
There's a song we are taught in the Biblical Church:
"It gets better and better as the days go by; sweeter and sweeter just the Lord and I."
6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. Hebrews 8:6.
The whole relationship between God and the children of Israel is all about "better." A better covenant, a better sacrifice, to the betterment of the children of Israel.
23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. Hebrews 9:23.
A better city and better country.
16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. Hebrews 11:16.
40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. Hebrews 11:40.
The repetition of this word serves to prove that the New Testament is not just a change in rules, but a monumental upgrade in every spiritual sense. God takes all the dry bones in the valley and gives it flesh, and organs, and all the things necessary to make this people better. God gave the Israelites His Law to make them a better people than all the rest of the families of the earth.
The Abrahamic Covenant is described in Genesis 12, 15, and 17, and there are no Gentiles named or mentioned or included in this covenant. You are definitely adding to the Bible and make God to be a liar by preaching your additions that have no Scriptural basis.
All that doesn't matter (righteous, circumcision, etc.). Abraham was chosen of God before God created man. You cannot provide Scripture to back you up. There were no promises made by God to Gentiles except death. And this is where we part ways. You add to the Bible things it doesn't say and in doing so make claims of Gentile inclusion with the Jews in the Hebrew covenants and literally make God a liar. But that doesn't mean anything to you. You loveth the lie.
15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. Revelation 22:15.
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thessalonians 2:9–12.
There is no expiration in God's Word. You want to bring God's Law to an end go ahead. You're not the only one doing it. But God's Word and His Law is forever. Eternal.
14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. Revelation 22:14–15.
Cornelius was mixed-race Hebrew. He was most likely uncircumcised. And by being Abraham's seed he was heir to the Spirit and the gifts the Spirit did bring. Besides this Peter was apostle to the Jews, was he not? Well, there you go. Peter preaching to a Jew.
The problem is yours. You take an ancient language and re-interpret it using 21st century definitions and concepts and ideas. Saul was apostle (commissioned) to the Gentiles, which in other words, he was sent to the Gentiles because that where the majority of all Jews and mixed-race Jews lived. There's a reason why Saul when entering a city in Asia Minor or what is known today as Turkey and enter the synagogues FIRST. He was a rabbi and a Pharisee and he went to the synagogues first to ascertain several things. One is where he might find the Jews and mixed-race Jews who were Christ followers of the Way. Saul's travels took place after the great persecution of Jews upon Christians, and Saul was one of those Jews that persecuted Christ-followers. He even killed one. A Christ follower named Stephen. And so these followers of the Way would not be attending synagogue. They gathered in their own homes. And Jews of then synagogues would be able to point Saul to a house fellowship. The risen Christ told him:
21 And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. Acts 22:21.
If all Jews lived in Babylon Jesus would have said, "Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Babylonians." Or to the Assyrians if all the Jews lived in Assyria. Nowhere does Christ say to preach Jesus to Gentiles.
The bottom line is this:
You can make any claim you want but when asked to provide Scripture where God makes covenant with Gentiles you don't produce Scripture. Or to provide Scripture that Christ tells Saul to teach and preach Jesus to Gentiles. Instead, you add to the Bible things it doesn't say and make God a liar. You can't provide the Scripture.
You can't produce PROOF!
Okay, I'm going to take a different tact on this, due to a discussion I would have never known I would have.
1. Jesus is the archetype of Adam.
a. Adam sinned and thus all mankind (not just Jews) died.
b. Jesus died on the cross, and thus all mankind CAN live again. Caveat, only those who believe in faith.
Jesus sacrifice, being the archetype of Adam who sinned, affects all mankind, with the caveat, all mankind who believe in faith.
1. Who are the elect in the Old Testament? Israel, made up of Hebrews/Jews. (I want to say Gentile proselytes, but that is outside of this point.) Gentiles of the New Testament are the archetype of the Jews in the Old Testament.
a. God called/chose the Jews and made them His people, but they rejected His Son the Messiah.
b. God called out to the non-Jewish Gentiles with the gospel in the New Testament, and they accepted, and entered the church.
NOTE: the church and christendom are NOT the archetype of the Old Testament elect. The term elect in relation to the nation of Israel does not mean Israel is saved, just chosen by God to be the nation over while He placed HIs name. There is an elect remnant in Israel which are those who are saved/born again/believers. In the same way, not all non-Hebrew Gentiles are saved, only those God elected to salvation through Christ in the Old Testament.
The elect is not the church, because there are quite a number of people who would probably agree with the Catholic Church not being elect...
For those who want to say Israel is the church, they like to say that baptism took the place of circumcision.
3. Circumcision is the archetype of circumcision. (I know, circular right. Explained below.)
a. Physical circumcision showed the ethnicity of the Hebrews/Jews before God, and was also used for Gentile PROSELYTES (key word for the Old Testament)
b. Spiritual circumcision is not for ethnicity, but is for believers as a group ,as Jews are an ethnic group. All believers, to include non-Jewish Gentiles.
Adam bringing death into the world was universal. Christ, as the archetype of Adam, HIs call to salvation in Him is universal. (Many are called, but few are chosen.) His death and gospel message are universal, but it is God who saves.
You keep adding Judaism as a requirement for salvation, something that Paul blatantly denied. Salvation is SOLELY by faith. It is not ethnic, and there are no boundaries to the gospel message. God chose to extend the gospel message to the non-Jewish Gentiles, which is why God determined that the Jews would reject it. By that rejection, the gospel went to the non-Jewish Gentiles who accepted. When God is done dealing with the Gentiles, God will turn back to Israel, and will save His elect remnant from out of the nation of Israel. He will save the "true Israel of God". He will then fulfill His promises made to the Jews for the Jews, though Gentile believers will experience those blessings by simply being present. It isn't for them, but like rain is for plants, you will still experience rain if you step out in it. You won't sprout plants all over your body, but you will be wet.
Also, again, the word ethnos/ethne in the New Testament, translated as Gentile, is, historically understood (HISTORICALLY) to mean race, peoples, nation. As such, it is speaking of non-Jewish Gentiles. Mixed race Jews ARE NOT A RACE. They ARE NOT A NATION. They aren't even a people. They are Jews, and Jews are a people. The only plausible argument you can make, using original interpretations of words is that Gentiles means full-blooded Jews, not mixed race. The word has been used to mean Jew/Israelite. (ethnos, not the word Gentle.) Mixed race Jew isn't even an ethnicity. Jew is. non-Jewish Gentile is. Mixed race Jew... not so much. You were either a Jew like Timothy, or a non-Jewish Gentile like Titus. Paul had Timothy get circumcised because he was Jewish and well... ABRAHAMIC COVENANT. He had Titus NOT get circumcised because... Titus was not Jewish, he was a full blooded Gentile. If Paul had Titus get circumcised it would completely destroy Paul's ministry. Paul, who preached that salvation is by faith, not by covenant or the Law.
Just as Abraham consigned all humanity to sin, Jesus, as Adam's archetype, brought salvation to all mankind, with the caveat being, those who believe in Him by faith.
The church is not Israel. The church is NOT "the true Israel of God". The church are those who believe. The verse pepole use says that it is for those who listen/trust/obey,(so non-Jewish Gentiles) AND the true Israel of God. The true Israel of God is God's chosen elect in Christ from out of the nation of Israel. Elijah's remnant, the remnant Paul said existed in his day, and the remnant that exists today. They will be saved, either as individuals, or when Jesus Himself comes down (second coming) and reconciles with all of Israel who are still alive. (Which will be the elect remnant of Israel, Zechariah's 1/3rd of Israel).
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