Hello
@jeremiah1five,
Please help me to understand you. For I do not want to do you an injustice. You give me the impression that you believe that only those in covenant relationship with God can be saved, and as only Israelites were ever covenanted with, then only they can receive salvation. That means that those of us who profess to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ from among the nations, Gentiles by birth, though we believe ourselves to be saved by God's grace, are mistaken.
Surely this is not what you believe??
In Christ Jesus
Chris
Gentile theology is 'mistaken' on many doctrines.
I receive the Hebrew Scriptures (OT) as the Word of God that not only record 'beginnings' such as Genesis, but the beginnings of God's involvement with men on a more personal nature. When we get into the Abrahamic Covenant which is clearly stated this covenant is with Abram the Hebrew and later with his seed through his miracle son, Isaac, and also declared with Isaac's son, Jacob, whom God changed his name to Israel. Abraham's first birth was by a bondwoman, Hagar, whose name is Ishmael. You know this. Although Ishmael was seed of Abraham he was not in covenant with God as the promise went to Isaac born from Sarai, a freewoman and to whom the promise was made to her for a son way past her childbearing years. Isaac had two sons named Esau and Jacob. God declared covenant with Jacob. Jacobh had twelve sons by four women. In Genesis God told Abraham his seed will come into bondage/slavery for four hundred years.
From Exodus the Scripture records the history of Abraham's seed, a people that grew to over three million people when God delivered them from bondage. The rest of the Scripture records God's dealings with the children of Jacob/Israel from then onward. I won't itemize all the history, but the focus is upon the children of Israel and God's dealings with this people blessing and curses. The Mosaic Covenant comes into being in Exodus and the Abrahamic Covenant continues with the children of Jacob/Israel. Now, God is dealing with Abraham's seed. The Old Testament is a history of the children of Jacob/Israel as it weaves through the decades and centuries. Then we come to the Jeremiah prophecy of a New Covenant. Bear in mind that the New Covenant was built upon the Mosaic Covenant which was built upon the Abrahamic Covenant. And strictly with the Hebrews. I find no covenant in the OT between God and Gentiles (non-Hebrews.)
A Deliverer-Redeemer was promised to Israel in accordance with covenant and prophecies. This Deliverer-Redeemer came to save "His people" as stated by prophecies and Gabriel who instructed the Name to give this Savior of the Hebrew people (Matt. 1:21.) He was born, grew up,
was a Rabbi and taught the children of Israel which had divided into two kingdoms in its past and the whole salvation is locked up in the children of Israel in accordance with the Mosaic Covenant and all the sacrifices and representations of this covenant along with Tabernacle symbolism and shadows. This Jesus lived, died, and resurrected to save His people, the children of Israel who was the children of Abraham.
Now, we have the four gospels which record the life of Israel's Deliverer-Redeemer Jesus the Christ and His effect upon the children of Israel.
In Acts is recorded the first thirty years of this New Covenant era between the children/House of Israel and the acts and presence of their Promised Holy Spirit and His involvement with this people.
I receive the epistles as discussion and 'hammering out' of the OT for understanding of this New Covenant Israel found themselves in which is basically meant as writings among Jewish Christians (Christ-followers) as they attempt to understand from the Hebrew Scripture of Law, Psalms, and Prophets this new era they found themselves in. Then, we come to Revelation which is prophecy to and for Israel of a future that will come to them and an end of mostly all things. These epistles are discussion and interpretation understanding of the New Covenant derived from the OT.
While Jesus was alive in Israel He dealt with and blessed Samaritan who were at the most half-Jew and half-Gentiles due to intermarriage, rapes, concubinage, and even slavery of the northern ten tribes by Assyria, and later the same happening to the two southern tribes by Babylon. Now, some major things occurred in the Babylonian captivity among the southern kingdom tribes and a minority of scattered ten northern tribes without a Temple but still practicing their Mosaic traditions except this religion centered around their Feasts as best they could. From this captivity the term "Jews" came into existence, and this revealed the eleven tribes in Babylon merging into the one tribe: Judah and the general term of "Jews" that identified this loose union among the twelve since Judah's descendants were in majority. This era also produced two schools of theology: Pharisees and Sadducees. (I was hoping this wouldn't become a long response but there are major events and people and cultural changes that took place in their Babylonian captivity, important things.) Although the "Jews" in remnant returned to Israel, the majority remained in Gentile lands. And the remarriages continued between Jews and Gentiles that resulted in Samaritans (which Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom.) From the words, acts, and blessings by Jesus upon Samaritans it didn't matter to Jesus. If you were seed of Abraham, you were still seed of Abraham and still in covenant with God. I see the Samaritans as important in the salvation that is of the Jews and possibly a shadow of future Jew-Gentile couplings and offspring that continued to exist in Jesus' day and all the way to today. It seems to me that if one had Abraham's DNA/seed in their mix-marriages then they were still in covenant and at the appointed time these halves, quarter, etc., Jews received salvation and blessings from Christ and God. But for the next forty years after Pentecost everything that happened concerning this New Covenant Era occurred to the Jews until the destruction of their Temple and further scattering of the Hebrew/Jewish people. So, all this leads me to one unmistakable fact: If a person had Abraham's DNA (seed) in their bloodlines then they were all still in covenant with God no matter the dilution of Abe's seed through Jew-Gentile offspring. Because God is a Promise-Keeper and Christ died to save "His people" and that in the NT God blessed what I call 'hard-core, uncircumcised, Roman, Scythian, and Barbarian Gentiles,' I can only conclude that because of the covenants God made with Abraham and his seed everyone who is his seed will become born-again and saved as time passes. Christ died to save "His people" even if there is non-Hebrew blood in their family histories. Because of the three exiles and scatterings of this people anyone in the NT and beyond, even after the destruction of the Temple in AD 70, anyone who is born-again must have Jewish/Abraham DNA in their family history and when "Gentiles" began their ascendency after AD 70 they all those "Christian" conversions speaks to me that these are not all pure Gentile people but must have Abraham's DNA in their family histories because God is a Promise-Keeper of promises made to Abraham (and his seed.)
The problem I have is that this cannot be proved, nor can it be disproved. But it all sounds reasonable and possible, if not, probable.
I grew up believing I am Gentile and I am. But I am also born-again and given the Holy Spirit of Promise in my life, a promise given to Israel, which knowing the covenant is with Abraham and his seed I might have, as well as all presumed Gentiles who became born-again might have Abe's DNA in my and their family histories. And we also need to make distinction in the NT of proselytes and God-Fearers.
Having said ALL THAT the Scripture (OT) states God has covenant with Abraham and his seed and no covenant with Gentiles (non-Hebrew.)And I say again, if a presumed Gentile is born-again it might be the result of having Abraham's DNA in their family lines. Even to this day.
The problem I have with Gentiles who took over the salvation that was of the Jews UNMOORED true, biblical Christianity from its Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Hebrew roots and come up in many Gentile theologies a new religion since AD 70 just as Judaism was the result of a detached Mosaic tradition that came about while in the Babylonian captivity.
If alive or not, when the two witnesses show up (Rev. 11) I expect them to clear up a lot of Gentile theology and restore the covenant back to Israel and may also prove the Abrahamic DNA-Gentile connection.
Whew!
