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Several Theologies Start From the Chosen People Belief
Posted : 24 Dec, 2010 07:00 AM
Several Theologies Start From the Chosen People Belief Revised - 9:31 AM, 12/24/2010
"Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?"
Dispensationalism is not the only false doctrine which relies upon the belief that the Hebrews - ethnic Israel or the Jews - are the chosen people. Dispensationalists and Sacred Namers do not usually claim to have sacred blood, but they very much honor those who do have it, or claim to be physical descendants of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. Whether those who are of ethnic Israel have rejected Christ, or not, and whether they are saved or not, they remain the chosen race, according to several theologies.
Dispensationalism has sometimes been called Scofieldism, Christian Zionism, the Rapture Cult and Separation Theology.
God began what he calls "Israel mine inheritance" in Isaiah 19:25 in the physical. Admission to Israel was by genetics, by the physical seed of Abraham. Circumcision was done to the flesh of males. The temple was a physical building. But after God turned things upside down (Isaiah 29: 16), and initiated the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31: 31-32) at the Cross and on the Day of Pentecost, entry into Israel was by faith, and by being in Christ we are the spiritual seed of Abraham (Galatians 3: 29), physical circumcision was done away with and circumcision of the heart replaced it (Romans 2: 29), and the physical temple building was replaced by the believers as the temple of God (I Corinthians 3: 16). In the New Covenant there is no difference between former Jews and former Gentiles (Galatians 3: 28). People of all races who are born again in Christ are The Israel of God (Galatians 6: 16). Physical or ethnic Israel was replaced by Israel reborn in Christ, to become the Body of Christ, and Israel born again is led by the Spirit, not by the flesh. To go back to ethnic Israel is to go back to the limitations of the physical. Returning to the doctrine of the Pharisees, that "We have Abraham to our father" (Matthew 3: 9, John 8: 39) is to become part of the spirit of Anti-Christ (I John 2: 18-19, 4: 3).
Followers of Christian identity claim that the Germanic and Celtic peoples are descended from the Lost Tribes of Israel, and therefore the Christian Identity people belong to the chosen race. They may, however, oppose the Jews.
Many groups in Messianic Judaism lay claim to being of the chosen race. Some say many in Messianic Judaism cannot prove their Hebrew blood and are really Caucasians or Gentiles. See http://www.bible-researcher.com/gal6-16.html
and go to Footnote (5).
The Mormons also claim to have Hebrew blood and for that reason are members of God's chosen race.
On http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetics_and_the_Book_of_Mormon
"The understanding of Joseph Smith, and, traditionally, of Mormons in general, is that the Book of Mormon indicates that the Lamanites, descended from Lehi, are a "remnant of the House of Israel"
Apparently the Mormons have claimed to be descendants of the Lamanites.
All of these false doctrines are based on the belief that the physical descendants of Abraham are God's chosen people, and that God will save the chosen people in the end times. And many of those who say they are Christians and follow one or more of these false doctrines want to mingle the Old and New Covenants.
In engaging these people its important to answer some of their questions - should they even ask questions. But it is also important not to let them drag a Remnant Christian into the dialectic.
John 3: 1-7, John 8: 32-34, John 8: 39-40, John 8: 44, Romans 2: 28-29, Romans 9: 6-8, Romans 11: 20 , Galatians 3: 28, Galatians 4: 22-26 are Scriptures that we can use to answer them.
Matthew 8: 11-12 says "And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
12. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
The "children of the kingdom" are those of ethnic Israel, most of whom rejected Christ.
Luke 3: 7-9 "Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8. Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
9. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire."
John the Baptist is speaking here and apparently there are Pharisees in the crowd he is talking to. The trees which are to be cut down is ethnic Israel, which does not bear fruit, that is, ethnic Israel as a group did not accept Christ and be transformed into born again Israel in Christ and in the Holy Spirit.
The church Christian followers of one or more of these false doctrines that honor the chosen people claim there is no authority in Scripture saying they cannot make use of parts of the Old Covenant and still be in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 2: 16-17 says "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17. Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. " The institutions of the Old Covenant were shadows of things to come, and are the weak and beggaly elements Paul mentions in Galatians 4: 9, "But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?"
"Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" Galatians 3: 3
What Paul is saying goes beyond the issue he was focused on in Galations, which was circumcision. Being made perfect in the flesh can refer to following many other aspects of the Old Covenant
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