Covenental Theology

[Finaldash]

Can a covenental believe that "all" ethnic Israel will be saved in the end, when Jesus comes?

[shorttribber]

Have you ever considered the difficulty of saving ALL ethnic Israel ?

For example, does the Lord determine that only a 100% Jewish person will be saved (When Israel as a nation repents) and a person who is only 75% Jewish will not?
Or will God save anyone who has say even 20% Jewish ethnicity?

Or will He save only Jews living in Israel proper and not those Jews living elsewhere?

I know nothing about "covenant theology", I'm just making any observation and revealing some complications in the "God will save ALL ethnic Israel" idea.

[Jericho]

I'm not sure what Convenental Theology is but not all Israel will be saved but only a remnant, I believe it was one-third.

[shorttribber]

I'm not sure what Convenental Theology is but not all Israel will be saved but only a remnant, I believe it was one-third.

I agree with you.....we can only speculate as to how many IMO

[Mrs. B]

Covenant Theology.....

God establishes Covenant......
Gen. 6:17....And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, To Destroy All Flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven:
and Everything that is in the earth shall die....

18....BUT with thee will I Establish MY Covenant:
and thou shall come into the Ark, thou and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee...
Noah and His Family and the clean aminals.
22...Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he....

Every thing God Covenanted with Man required Blood....

The Bible is God's Covenant with Man...
The New Testiment is The New Covenant...
Jesus said....This is the New Testiment or New Covenant that I Make with you...
Without the shedding of Blood there is no life.....
We have a Blood Covenant with Jesus the Christ....He is the Lamb of God....
We take communion the bread and the wine, which reprenents the body of christ and the Blood of Jesus the Christ.
We have a New Blood covenant.....with out the shedding of Blood there is no forgiveness...
We have a Covenant
This is the Covneant I will make with them.....Without the covenant there is NO Life.
Jesus went into Heaven and Presented His blood at the Throne of God in Heaven...
He said to Martha....don't touch me....I must accent to My Father
He had to present His blood at the Throne of Heaven so He could buy back Eternal life for you and I the Believers.
We have a Blood covenant
Then He said, go to Jeruselam and Wait for the Promise.....The Promise of the Holy Spirit, Eternal Life
Jesus said...You Must be Born Again.......
That which is flesh is flesh....that which is Spirit is Spirit
When Adam sin....he dies Spiritually
But Jesus the Second Adam bought us back.....
We have a New Covenant with Jesus the Christ....We are born again by His Holy Spirit.
Marvel not that I say unto you....YOU Must Be Born AGain.....
That is the gospel.....to all the world....The New Birth....A New Covenant


Mrs. B

[AndCanItBe]

Can a covenental believe that "all" ethnic Israel will be saved in the end, when Jesus comes?

Yes. It can be reconciled if there are only 144,000 ethnic Jews left on the face of the earth at the time and they all repent upon seeing Jesus return.

[shorttribber]

Can a covenental believe that "all" ethnic Israel will be saved in the end, when Jesus comes?

Yes. It can be reconciled if there are only 144,000 ethnic Jews left on the face of the earth at the time and they all repent upon seeing Jesus return.

Would he or she only be allowed to be in the 144,000 if they were 100% ethnic Jew or would someone less than 100% be in that number?

I'm not trying to be difficult, I'm just reiterating the difficulty in such a doctrine.

[Jericho]

Can a covenental believe that "all" ethnic Israel will be saved in the end, when Jesus comes?

Yes. It can be reconciled if there are only 144,000 ethnic Jews left on the face of the earth at the time and they all repent upon seeing Jesus return.

Would he or she only be allowed to be in the 144,000 if they were 100% ethnic Jew or would someone less than 100% be in that number?

I'm not trying to be difficult, I'm just reiterating the difficulty in such a doctrine.

Hello shorttribber. I guess the question is who qualifies as a Jew? Remember Abraham started out as a gentile and was chosen by God to be the first Jew. So I think it's a matter of descent rather than race or anything else. I would think anyone is a Jew if they are descended from one of the twelve tribes of Israel regardless of there race, it's the reason why there can be black Ethiopian Jews for example. And in a sense we gentile believers are also Jews since we have been grafted in. It's also interesting to note that the Levites have special genetic markers that distinguish them. Perhaps God will use these genetic markers when sealing the 144,000 too. Just a thought.

[shorttribber]

And in a sense we gentile believers are also Jews since we have been grafted in. It's also interesting to note that the Levites have special genetic markers that distinguish them. Perhaps God will use these genetic markers when sealing the 144,000 too. Just a thought.

I agree, but that's not common thinking among the many who believe that Israel is an Ethnic rather than Spiritual seed, of faith, Jew and Gentile, as you've already said, grafted into the household of God IN Christ.

it's not replacement theology that i speak of, it's a Joining to Christ in one body theology, and it is sound teaching and preaching.

[jgilberAZ]

.

I think you're better off investigating covenant theology at a covenant theology website instead of a heavily dispensationalism leaning forum.


Try this:

http://www.monergism.com/directory/link ... -Theology/

Or, you could browse the reformed theology forum I also frequent:

http://www.puritanboard.com


There are some aspects of Reformed/Covenant theology that I still struggle with. But, I find it to be a much better way to view the whole of scripture than dispensationalism.

[mark s]

"And so all Israel will be saved"

Doesn't God know who they are even if we don't?

[shorttribber]

"And so all Israel will be saved"

Doesn't God know who they are even if we don't?

Certainly does.

[jgilberAZ]

For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.
That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,
(Romans 4:13-16 ESV)

Only those who are in Christ are in Abraham, and therefore are partakers of the Old Testament promises.

The amazing thing to Paul, and probably all the other 1st century Jewish believers, was that Gentiles would be grafted into the people of God with equal standing as the Jews.

But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.
(Romans 9:6-8 ESV)

For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
(1 Peter 2:6-10 ESV)

Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
(Ephesians 2:11-16 ESV)

[mark s]

The amazing thing to Paul, and probably all the other 1st century Jewish believers, was that Gentiles would be grafted into the people of God with equal standing as the Jews.

Ephesians 2:14-16 ESV
(14) For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility
(15) by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,
(16) and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.


God makes a "new man" from the two. Not that gentiles become Jews, rather, both Jews and Gentiles become Something Else.

Love in Christ,
Mark

[mark s]

What is the significance of this passage:

Matthew 19:28 NKJV
So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

[shorttribber]

Not that gentiles become Jews, rather, both Jews and Gentiles become Something Else.

who ever said that Gentiles become Jews?

We have said Gentiles become joined to God and Israel IN and WITH believing Jews IN Christ.

A Gentile does not become a Jew.

[mark s]

many have said that, but perhaps I misunderstood. When I looked back, Jeff had said that gentiles are grafted into "the people of God", with equal standing with Jews.

So he would need to clarify if that's what he meant or not.

[jgilberAZ]

Gentiles don't become Jews.

Jew is an ethnic distinction.


Gentiles become part of the people of God by faith in Christ, same way as Jews either before or after the cross.


The faithful remnant has always been a mix of Jews and Gentiles.

[AndCanItBe]

Can a covenental believe that "all" ethnic Israel will be saved in the end, when Jesus comes?

Yes. It can be reconciled if there are only 144,000 ethnic Jews left on the face of the earth at the time and they all repent upon seeing Jesus return.

Would he or she only be allowed to be in the 144,000 if they were 100% ethnic Jew or would someone less than 100% be in that number?

I'm not trying to be difficult, I'm just reiterating the difficulty in such a doctrine.

Hi, shortribber! Well, that would depend on your view of the 144,000 from the twelve tribes mentioned in Revelation. If you see them as literally from the twelve tribes in an ethnic way, then yes, they would have to be ethnic Jews descended from those tribes. If it's referring to spiritual Israel, then no they would not have to be.

Jews and Gentiles are joined together in Christ and all are saved by grace through faith regardless of ethnicity, but I also do not think Jew=spiritual Israel every single time in scripture. Sometimes it's a reference to ethnicity, IMO.

[shorttribber]

If it's referring to spiritual Israel, then no they would not have to be.

Jews and Gentiles are joined together in Christ and all are saved by grace through faith regardless of ethnicity, but I also do not think Jew=spiritual Israel every single time in scripture. Sometimes it's a reference to ethnicity, IMO.

I agree that all that are in Christ, Jew and Gentile, are Israel. And there is a people CALLED Israel wherein ALL of them are not TRULY Israel.....that's what i believe the Word of God is clear on.

I really have no idea exactly who the 144,000 will be....all ethnic Jews, or a mixture....just don't know.

[AndCanItBe]

If it's referring to spiritual Israel, then no they would not have to be.

Jews and Gentiles are joined together in Christ and all are saved by grace through faith regardless of ethnicity, but I also do not think Jew=spiritual Israel every single time in scripture. Sometimes it's a reference to ethnicity, IMO.

I agree that all that are in Christ, Jew and Gentile, are Israel. And there is a people CALLED Israel wherein ALL of them are not TRULY Israel.....that's what i believe the Word of God is clear on.

I really have no idea exactly who the 144,000 will be....all ethnic Jews, or a mixture....just don't know.

Me either. I have changed my opinion on that one more than once. Someday we'll know!

[shorttribber]

Someday we'll know!

soon i think

[watching]

Hello all,

If you don't mind, I would like to chime in on this, as well.

I don't know if you would call my view, dispensational, covenantal, or what.......Maybe it's a little bit of both.

But here's how I see it.

I believe that the Olive tree of Romans 11, is the tree of the promise (the Abrahamic covenant) that was made to, then, "national" Israel.

At the time, national Israel was determined by such things as circumsision.

But, as Galatians 6:15 and 16 explain, it is no longer circumsion that determines who is the "Israel of God" (Spiritual Israel / the Israel of the Abrahamic promise), but rather our belief in Christ.

But, does that mean that God's promise to "national," or maybe I should say, "natural" Israel has been done away with?

I think not!

Because the scripture tells us that the natural branches (national Israel, or maybe I should say, genealogical Israel) will be grafted back in.

So, what we have right now is a tree with some wild branches grafted into it. But the natural branches, at this point in time, still remain broken off.

I'm not sure when the natural branches will be grafted back in again. But when they are, that is when ALL Israel will be saved (Spiritual, as well as Natural). In other words, that is when the tree will be complete.

Whether that means every single Jew will be saved, or not, I'm not sure.

But I do believe that Israel, as a nation, will be redeemed, because that is what the scripture teaches us.

And once the tree is complete, God will always know which were the natural branches that were grafted back in, and which were the wild branches that were grafted in.

So, there will always be a distinction, because God will always know who's who.

But there will be no distinction as to the fact that both will be partakers of the root and the fatness of the olive tree.

[Mrs. B]

Covenental Theology....

Four Square......12 x 12 = 144.......144,000
Twelve Tribes and Twelve apostle
four square....a complet Temple
Under the Law those that by Faith looked forward to the savior the promise seed...
Jesus came and preach a New Birth....This good news is to all who believe Jew and Gentile
The Promise was to all who believe, those before the cross and those after the cross...
We all make up the temple
We have the old covenant and then Jesus give us a New Covenant
This is my Blood of the New Testiment or New Covenant....a Blood Covenant
The Promise Seed
everything comes from a seed...
Jesus is the Seed or Son of God
You and I are Born Again by the Seed of the Word.....we hear, we believe and we experience the New Birth, New Life
what Adam lost in the garden the spirit of eternal life.....Jesus has bought back by His death on the Cross, we have a New Covenant....and the Promise of the Father the Holy Spirit.....New Life....eternal life
those before the cross looked forward to the Promise and we now receive the Gift of God by Faith..The New Birth.
We have a New Blood Covenant....the promise of the Father...New Life....The Spirit of eternal life.
Jesus said, he that hears and beleives shall inherit eternal life.....
those before the cross believed, and received when Jesus went,into the heart of the earth and revealed Himself to those who were in Abraham's bosom...they died not receiving the Promise (the Promise of the Spirit) but walked under the Law by faith until Jesus came and fulfilled the Promise, He was the Promise Seed
Now we by Faith are born again and receive the seed, the Promise of Eternal Life.
everything God created produces a seed.....Jesus is the Second Adam and now the Word of God is the Living Word, the seed of God when we Hear and by Faith Believe and embrace the Living Word, we are born again....by the Promise Seed, Jesus the Christ.....

Born of God, by the Word, and the Seed...Jesus said, that which is flesh is flesh and tht which is Spirit is Spirit
Marvel Not that I say, You Must be Born Again.....New Birth, New Life.the Promise of the Father....

Mrs B

[jgilberAZ]

http://www.mountainretreatorg.net/artic ... first.html

The People of God

A second Calvinistic outlook which has significant implications for our topic is the doctrine of the people of God. This doctrine addresses the relationship between Old Testament Jews and the New Testament church. Unfortunately, many evangelicals hold one of two common positions on this issue: 1) separation theology; or 2) replacement theology. As we will see, however, the Reformed tradition actually holds a third position.

In the first place, separation theology views Israel and the New Testament church as two relatively separate peoples of God. This viewpoint has become popular in recent decades through Scofieldian Dispensationalism, and continues to varying degrees in many contemporary expressions of Dispensationalism. In general, separation theology radically distinguishes the divine program for ethnic Israel from that of the New Testament church. Ethnic Israel often receives the designation of "the earthly people of God" because they are thought to be destined to receive the land of Canaan and to experience an earthly salvation in the millennium and beyond. The Gentiles of the New Testament church are frequently described as "the spiritual or heavenly people of God" because they are thought to be destined to receive the inheritance of an eternal heavenly existence. These Old Testament and New Testament promises continue alongside each other as largely independent programs.

In the second place, replacement theology holds that ethnic Israel has ceased to be special in the eyes of God. This outlook has dominated a number of denominations throughout the centuries. In this view, God has abrogated the special covenant status of ethnic Israel and replaced Israel with the Christian church. At times, this replacement is thought to be so categorical that Jews no longer have any special role whatsoever in the plan of God.

Sadly, it has been my experience that many Christians outside the Reformed tradition characterize the Calvinistic position as replacement theology. I suspect that this misperception stems largely from the strong rhetoric many Reformed theologians employ against the separation theology of Dispensationalism. It is important, however, to understand that the Reformed position differs from both separation and replacement theologies.

It is more accurate to describe the Reformed view on the people of God as "unity theology." In this outlook, the New Testament church is one with Israel of the Old Testament. The promises to Israel are not abrogated, but extended and fulfilled through the salvation of both Jews and Gentiles in the New Testament community.

Reformed theologians have displayed their unity theology in a number of ways. For instance, Calvin's interpretation of Paul's statement in Romans 11: 26 that "all Israel will be saved" points to this strong sense of unity. In Calvin's view, "all Israel" refers neither to believing Jews alone, nor to believers within the New Testament church alone. Instead, "all Israel" denotes the combined number of believing Jews and Gentiles from both the Old and New Testaments periods. As Calvin himself put it,

When the Gentiles shall come in, the Jews also shall return ... and thus shall be completed the salvation of the whole Israel of God, which must be gathered from both, and yet in such a way that the Jews shall obtain the first place, being as it were the first born in God's family. 14

Whether or not Calvin's interpretation of this verse was correct, it set the course for a continuing posture of the Reformed tradition. In line with Calvin's view, it is common for Reformed theologians to speak of Israel as the church and the church as Israel. 15 This interchangeability of terms points to the organic unity which Reformed theology understands to exist between Old Testament Israel and the New Testament church. From the Reformed perspective, believing Gentiles have always been adopted into the family of Abraham by faith in Abraham's great Son. Gentile believers are made a part of Israel, and thus they inherit the promises given to Abraham alongside Jewish believers from both Testaments. There is neither separation nor replacement. Instead, the two have become one.

We may further explain this unity theology by drawing attention to several beliefs that characterize the doctrine of the church in the Reformed tradition. In the first place, we should note that the Reformed outlook on the invisible church makes absolutely no distinction between ethnic Israel and the church. The Westminster Confession defines the invisible church in this manner:

The catholic or universal church, which is invisible, consists of the whole number of the elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one, under Christ the Head thereof. 16

The full number of the elect from all ages and nations comprise the one invisible church. In this respect, absolutely no distinction exists between the believing Jews of the Old Testament era and the Christian Jews and Gentiles of the New Testament era. All the elect have equal status and utter unity in the invisible church.

In the second place, Reformed theology also stresses the unity between the visible communities of God's people in the Old and New Testaments. The Westminster Assembly defined the visible church as that community which consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion; and of their children: and is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation. 17

In this regard, however, the Westminster Confession notes one important distinction in a parenthetical comment within 25.2. It remarks that the during the New Testament period the visible church is "not confined to one nation, as before under the law [but] … consists of all those throughout the world that profess true religion." The visible New Testament church simply extends the visible Old Testament church to all the nations of the earth. Even on the level of visible communities, Old Testament Israel and the New Testament church are not two separate peoples, existing alongside or in opposition to each other.

Third, the unity of the visible communities is also evident in the ways Reformed theology has taught that the New Testament visible church includes both believers and unbelievers, just as Old Testament Israel did. This outlook on the church differs from that of many groups who teach that the New Testament church consists only of true believers. In the Reformed tradition, Jeremiah's promise that "everyone will know the Lord" (Jer 31: 34) in the New Covenant is not completed until the return of Christ. For this reason, at the present time membership in the visible church consists of believers and unbelievers, just as citizenship in Old Testament Israel consisted of believers and unbelievers.

Fourth, the unity of the visible Old and New Testament communities appears in the Calvinistic belief that the children of believers are part of the visible New Testament church. 18 As the Westminster Assembly put it, the visible church consists of those who "profess the true religion … and … their children." 19 All Reformed paedo-baptists and a number of Reformed baptists believe that children within the New Testament church hold a status much like that of Israelite children in the Old Testament. They are the expected (though not guaranteed) heirs of the promises of grace. This biological dynamic rests on the conviction that the New Testament church is a continuation of Old Testament Israel.

Fifth, Reformed theology has emphasized the unity of Israel and the church by applying Old Testament remnant theology to the church. This connection appears in two ways. On the one hand, the threat of divine judgment stands over the New Testament church just as it stood over Old Testament Israel. Calvinism does not distinguish Old Testament Israel as under judgment and the New Testament church as under grace. The Westminster Assembly plainly stated, "Some [churches] have so degenerated, as to become no churches of Christ, but synagogues of Satan." 20 As Old Testament Israel experienced divine judgment for flagrant apostasy, New Testament apostates will suffer divine wrath individually and corporately, temporally and eternally.

On the other hand, just as the Old Testament promised that a righteous remnant would continue even through Israel's darkest hours, so the Reformed tradition has affirmed that "nevertheless, there shall be always a church on earth, to worship God according to his will." 21 This application of Old Testament remnant theology points again to the Calvinistic belief in the unity of the people of God in both Testaments.

To be sure, Reformed unity theology raises questions that need to be explored further. For example, Reformed theologians still have not reached much consensus on the status of physical descendants of believers after multiple generations have passed with little or no evidence of saving faith. In this regard, non-Christian Jews today may have a status among God's people similar to non-Christian Gentiles who have distant Christian ancestors. One thing is clear to all in the Reformed tradition. Physical descent does not determine salvation. Yet, Paul's remarkably paradoxical statement in Romans 11: 28 strongly suggests that a special status extends through multiple generations. Speaking of non-Christian Jews he says, "As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your [the Gentiles'] account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable." This passage asserts that a special status of some sort continues for Jews who are distant physical descendants of the Old Testament believers. Perhaps a similar status applies to Gentiles with Christian ancestry as well, but this issue remains to be explored more fully in the Reformed tradition. Despite a number of lingering uncertainties, Reformed theologians unquestionably affirm continuity between the visible people of God in both Testaments.

The Reformed perspective on the unity of God's people has at least two important implications for gospel ministry to Jewish communities. First, Gentiles must carry out evangelism of non-Christian Jews with a strong sense of indebtedness. Throughout the history of Christianity, Gentile Christians have evangelized Jewish communities with apparently little awareness of the gratitude they owe to ethnic Israel. Even when anti-Semitism has not dominated Gentile Christian attitudes, outreach to the lost in ethnic Israel has not differed noticeably from outreach to lost pagans. Yet, if the Reformed perspective is right, then Gentile Christians owe a tremendous debt to ethnic Israel because Gentile Christians practice a faith which they inherited from Jews. In this regard, we should be mindful of Paul's words to the Gentiles in Rome: "Do not boast over those branches [non-Christian Jews]. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you" (Romans 11: 18). Calvinistic unity theology stresses the gratitude that every Gentile believer owes to ethnic Israel. Although we must not diminish the teachings of the New Testament that may offend non-Christian Jews, the practices of Gentile Christian evangelists should demonstrate the utmost appreciation for the ethnic Israel to whom they owe so much.

Second, the Reformed tradition also reminds us that the visible Christian church has no claim to moral superiority over ethnic Israel. Throughout its history, Gentile Christians have frequently disdained Jews as "covenant breakers," "God haters" and "Christ killers." Most of the time, this treatment of ethnic Israel has been coupled with the belief that the Christian church is of a higher moral character. According to the Reformed doctrine of the visible church, however, the New Testament church also contains much impurity. Such terms as "covenant breakers," "Christ killers" and "God haters" may be applied as readily (if not more readily) to the visible Church as to ethnic Israel. In Romans 11: 18-21 the apostle Paul warned Gentile Christians of his day not to "act arrogantly" toward unbelieving Jews under divine judgment because apostasy and divine judgment were possibilities for the Gentile visible church as well. Judgment can come upon them as "unnatural branches" as it came upon the "natural branches" of Old Testament Israel. As history has demonstrated repeatedly, Paul's warning has become reality. It is a matter of record that the predominantly Gentile church has repeatedly turned from covenant fidelity and has suffered the judgment of God for these apostasies. For this reason, evangelism of non-Christian Jews must be carried out with a high degree of humility. We must always be ready to admit the enormous failures of the Christian church.

I would note, however, that I am credo-baptist, not paedo-baptist.

[shorttribber]

http://www.mountainretreatorg.net/articles/jewsfirst.html

The People of God

A second Calvinistic outlook which has significant implications for our topic is the doctrine of the people of God. This doctrine addresses the relationship between Old Testament Jews and the New Testament church. Unfortunately, many evangelicals hold one of two common positions on this issue: 1) separation theology; or 2) replacement theology. As we will see, however, the Reformed tradition actually holds a third position.

In the first place, separation theology views Israel and the New Testament church as two relatively separate peoples of God. This viewpoint has become popular in recent decades through Scofieldian Dispensationalism, and continues to varying degrees in many contemporary expressions of Dispensationalism. In general, separation theology radically distinguishes the divine program for ethnic Israel from that of the New Testament church. Ethnic Israel often receives the designation of "the earthly people of God" because they are thought to be destined to receive the land of Canaan and to experience an earthly salvation in the millennium and beyond. The Gentiles of the New Testament church are frequently described as "the spiritual or heavenly people of God" because they are thought to be destined to receive the inheritance of an eternal heavenly existence. These Old Testament and New Testament promises continue alongside each other as largely independent programs.

In the second place, replacement theology holds that ethnic Israel has ceased to be special in the eyes of God. This outlook has dominated a number of denominations throughout the centuries. In this view, God has abrogated the special covenant status of ethnic Israel and replaced Israel with the Christian church. At times, this replacement is thought to be so categorical that Jews no longer have any special role whatsoever in the plan of God.

Sadly, it has been my experience that many Christians outside the Reformed tradition characterize the Calvinistic position as replacement theology. I suspect that this misperception stems largely from the strong rhetoric many Reformed theologians employ against the separation theology of Dispensationalism. It is important, however, to understand that the Reformed position differs from both separation and replacement theologies.

It is more accurate to describe the Reformed view on the people of God as "unity theology." In this outlook, the New Testament church is one with Israel of the Old Testament. The promises to Israel are not abrogated, but extended and fulfilled through the salvation of both Jews and Gentiles in the New Testament community.

Reformed theologians have displayed their unity theology in a number of ways. For instance, Calvin's interpretation of Paul's statement in Romans 11: 26 that "all Israel will be saved" points to this strong sense of unity. In Calvin's view, "all Israel" refers neither to believing Jews alone, nor to believers within the New Testament church alone. Instead, "all Israel" denotes the combined number of believing Jews and Gentiles from both the Old and New Testaments periods. As Calvin himself put it,

When the Gentiles shall come in, the Jews also shall return ... and thus shall be completed the salvation of the whole Israel of God, which must be gathered from both, and yet in such a way that the Jews shall obtain the first place, being as it were the first born in God's family. 14

Whether or not Calvin's interpretation of this verse was correct, it set the course for a continuing posture of the Reformed tradition. In line with Calvin's view, it is common for Reformed theologians to speak of Israel as the church and the church as Israel. 15 This interchangeability of terms points to the organic unity which Reformed theology understands to exist between Old Testament Israel and the New Testament church. From the Reformed perspective, believing Gentiles have always been adopted into the family of Abraham by faith in Abraham's great Son. Gentile believers are made a part of Israel, and thus they inherit the promises given to Abraham alongside Jewish believers from both Testaments. There is neither separation nor replacement. Instead, the two have become one.

We may further explain this unity theology by drawing attention to several beliefs that characterize the doctrine of the church in the Reformed tradition. In the first place, we should note that the Reformed outlook on the invisible church makes absolutely no distinction between ethnic Israel and the church. The Westminster Confession defines the invisible church in this manner:

The catholic or universal church, which is invisible, consists of the whole number of the elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one, under Christ the Head thereof. 16

The full number of the elect from all ages and nations comprise the one invisible church. In this respect, absolutely no distinction exists between the believing Jews of the Old Testament era and the Christian Jews and Gentiles of the New Testament era. All the elect have equal status and utter unity in the invisible church.

In the second place, Reformed theology also stresses the unity between the visible communities of God's people in the Old and New Testaments. The Westminster Assembly defined the visible church as that community which consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion; and of their children: and is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation. 17

In this regard, however, the Westminster Confession notes one important distinction in a parenthetical comment within 25.2. It remarks that the during the New Testament period the visible church is "not confined to one nation, as before under the law [but] … consists of all those throughout the world that profess true religion." The visible New Testament church simply extends the visible Old Testament church to all the nations of the earth. Even on the level of visible communities, Old Testament Israel and the New Testament church are not two separate peoples, existing alongside or in opposition to each other.

Third, the unity of the visible communities is also evident in the ways Reformed theology has taught that the New Testament visible church includes both believers and unbelievers, just as Old Testament Israel did. This outlook on the church differs from that of many groups who teach that the New Testament church consists only of true believers. In the Reformed tradition, Jeremiah's promise that "everyone will know the Lord" (Jer 31: 34) in the New Covenant is not completed until the return of Christ. For this reason, at the present time membership in the visible church consists of believers and unbelievers, just as citizenship in Old Testament Israel consisted of believers and unbelievers.

Fourth, the unity of the visible Old and New Testament communities appears in the Calvinistic belief that the children of believers are part of the visible New Testament church. 18 As the Westminster Assembly put it, the visible church consists of those who "profess the true religion … and … their children." 19 All Reformed paedo-baptists and a number of Reformed baptists believe that children within the New Testament church hold a status much like that of Israelite children in the Old Testament. They are the expected (though not guaranteed) heirs of the promises of grace. This biological dynamic rests on the conviction that the New Testament church is a continuation of Old Testament Israel.

Fifth, Reformed theology has emphasized the unity of Israel and the church by applying Old Testament remnant theology to the church. This connection appears in two ways. On the one hand, the threat of divine judgment stands over the New Testament church just as it stood over Old Testament Israel. Calvinism does not distinguish Old Testament Israel as under judgment and the New Testament church as under grace. The Westminster Assembly plainly stated, "Some [churches] have so degenerated, as to become no churches of Christ, but synagogues of Satan." 20 As Old Testament Israel experienced divine judgment for flagrant apostasy, New Testament apostates will suffer divine wrath individually and corporately, temporally and eternally.

On the other hand, just as the Old Testament promised that a righteous remnant would continue even through Israel's darkest hours, so the Reformed tradition has affirmed that "nevertheless, there shall be always a church on earth, to worship God according to his will." 21 This application of Old Testament remnant theology points again to the Calvinistic belief in the unity of the people of God in both Testaments.

To be sure, Reformed unity theology raises questions that need to be explored further. For example, Reformed theologians still have not reached much consensus on the status of physical descendants of believers after multiple generations have passed with little or no evidence of saving faith. In this regard, non-Christian Jews today may have a status among God's people similar to non-Christian Gentiles who have distant Christian ancestors. One thing is clear to all in the Reformed tradition. Physical descent does not determine salvation. Yet, Paul's remarkably paradoxical statement in Romans 11: 28 strongly suggests that a special status extends through multiple generations. Speaking of non-Christian Jews he says, "As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your [the Gentiles'] account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable." This passage asserts that a special status of some sort continues for Jews who are distant physical descendants of the Old Testament believers. Perhaps a similar status applies to Gentiles with Christian ancestry as well, but this issue remains to be explored more fully in the Reformed tradition. Despite a number of lingering uncertainties, Reformed theologians unquestionably affirm continuity between the visible people of God in both Testaments.

The Reformed perspective on the unity of God's people has at least two important implications for gospel ministry to Jewish communities. First, Gentiles must carry out evangelism of non-Christian Jews with a strong sense of indebtedness. Throughout the history of Christianity, Gentile Christians have evangelized Jewish communities with apparently little awareness of the gratitude they owe to ethnic Israel. Even when anti-Semitism has not dominated Gentile Christian attitudes, outreach to the lost in ethnic Israel has not differed noticeably from outreach to lost pagans. Yet, if the Reformed perspective is right, then Gentile Christians owe a tremendous debt to ethnic Israel because Gentile Christians practice a faith which they inherited from Jews. In this regard, we should be mindful of Paul's words to the Gentiles in Rome: "Do not boast over those branches [non-Christian Jews]. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you" (Romans 11: 18). Calvinistic unity theology stresses the gratitude that every Gentile believer owes to ethnic Israel. Although we must not diminish the teachings of the New Testament that may offend non-Christian Jews, the practices of Gentile Christian evangelists should demonstrate the utmost appreciation for the ethnic Israel to whom they owe so much.

Second, the Reformed tradition also reminds us that the visible Christian church has no claim to moral superiority over ethnic Israel. Throughout its history, Gentile Christians have frequently disdained Jews as "covenant breakers," "God haters" and "Christ killers." Most of the time, this treatment of ethnic Israel has been coupled with the belief that the Christian church is of a higher moral character. According to the Reformed doctrine of the visible church, however, the New Testament church also contains much impurity. Such terms as "covenant breakers," "Christ killers" and "God haters" may be applied as readily (if not more readily) to the visible Church as to ethnic Israel. In Romans 11: 18-21 the apostle Paul warned Gentile Christians of his day not to "act arrogantly" toward unbelieving Jews under divine judgment because apostasy and divine judgment were possibilities for the Gentile visible church as well. Judgment can come upon them as "unnatural branches" as it came upon the "natural branches" of Old Testament Israel. As history has demonstrated repeatedly, Paul's warning has become reality. It is a matter of record that the predominantly Gentile church has repeatedly turned from covenant fidelity and has suffered the judgment of God for these apostasies. For this reason, evangelism of non-Christian Jews must be carried out with a high degree of humility. We must always be ready to admit the enormous failures of the Christian church.

This is the best post I've ever seen on this subject.....I'm very greatful to God to be of the "Unity/Reformed Theology" group or system of interpretation. I can't understand how those who believe "Separation theology" is in any sense Biblicaly correct.

[Mr Baldy]

This is the best post I've ever seen on this subject.....I'm very greatful to God to be of the "Unity/Reformed Theology" group or system of interpretation. I can't understand how those who believe "Separation theology" as in any sense Biblicaly correct.

All of these so-called "Theologies" have holes in them.

Let me begin first by mentioning the Reformist, who believe in Election alone - and although Scripture speaks of Election it also speaks of Free Will. I really can't see how people don't see both. Then we have the Dispensationalist who have their problems with Israel and the Church, and this nonsense about a Pre Tribulation Rapture. The Covenant Theology - aka: "Unity" folks have it a bit skewed as well; in that they have this whole spiritual eschatological view of no literal Millennial Reign of Christ - when Scripture clearly seats Christ on the Throne in Jerusalem, folks die during His literal Rein, and are required to worship Him once a year, or they get no rain.

At the end of the day, what does it really matter? All these man-made so-called "Theologies" do is cause Division. I guarantee you that when we make it to Heaven, it's not gonna matter what denomination you are, what day you attend church on, whether or not you pray kneeling or standing, or what the color of your skin is. All that will matter is that you "know" Jesus.

[shorttribber]

At the end of the day, what does it really matter? All these man-made so-called "Theologies" do is cause Division. I guarantee you that when we make it to Heaven, it's not gonna matter what denomination you are, what day you attend church on, whether or not you pray kneeling or standing, or what the color of your skin is. All that will matter is that you "know" Jesus.

Agreed, but election does not negate free will IMO

[Mr Baldy]

Agreed, but election does not negate free will IMO

If you have ever talked to a "true" Calvinist - they will tell you that you don't have a choice, based on the Sovereign choice of God to choose whom He may. So therefore in the Calvinistic teachings, being "Elect" does negate free will.

[shorttribber]

Agreed, but election does not negate free will IMO

If you have ever talked to a "true" Calvinist - they will tell you that you don't have a choice, based on the Sovereign choice of God to choose whom He may. So therefore in the Calvinistic teachings, being "Elect" does negate free will.

Of course, but not all reformers were of the same opinion....they can't be all lumped together any more than you can lump all protestants together today.

[Mr Baldy]

Of course, but not all reformers were of the same opinion....they can't be all lumped together any more than you can lump all protestants together today.

This is my point. What difference does it make at the end of the day?

[shorttribber]

Of course, but not all reformers were of the same opinion....they can't be all lumped together any more than you can lump all protestants together today.

This is my point. What difference does it make at the end of the day?

A lot really, what matters is how we understand what occurs with national Israel in the last hours. There is no doubt in my mind that The NWO will use Dark Zionists to undermine the good, proper and Biblical Zionism and create unimaginable chaos and confusion worldwide, especially here in the US.

That's why IMO it is imperative that we understand that God's blessings and promises to National Israel has been and is without change: and it's just that national Israel has not understood HOW those promises would/will eventually be made certain/CONFIRMED.

[jgilberAZ]

.

http://www.eternallifeministries.org/wc_myth.htm

Myth of Free Will

by Walter Chantry

Most people say that they believe in "free will." Do you have any idea what that means? I believe that you will find a great deal of superstition on this subject. The will is saluted as the grand power of the human soul which is completely free to direct our lives. But from what is it free? And what is its power?

THE MYTH OF CIRCUMSTANTIAL FREEDOM

No one denies that man has a will—that is, a faculty of choosing what he wishes to say, do, and think. But have you ever reflected on the pitiful weakness of your will? Though you have the ability to make a decision, you do not have the power to carry out your purpose. Will may devise a course of action, but will has no power to execute its intention.

Joseph's brothers hated him. They sold him to be a slave. But God used their actions to make him a ruler over themselves. They chose their course of action to harm Joseph. But God in his power directed events for Joseph's good. He said, "You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good" (Gen. 50:20).

And how many of your decisions are miserably thwarted? You may choose to be a millionaire, but God's providence is likely to prevent it. You may decide to be a scholar, but bad health, an unstable home, or lack of finances may frustrate your will. You choose to go on a vacation, but an automobile accident may send you to the hospital instead.

By saying that your will is free, we certainly do not mean that it determines the course of your life. You did not choose the sickness, sorrow, war, and poverty that have spoiled your happiness. You did not choose to have enemies. If man's will is so potent, why not choose to live on and on? But you must die. The major factors which shape your life cannot thank your will. You did not select your social status, color, intelligence, etc.

Any sober reflection on your experience will produce the conclusion, "A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps" (Prov. 16:9). Rather than extolling the human will, we ought to humbly praise the Lord whose purposes shape our lives. As Jeremiah confessed, "I know, 0 Lord, that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man to direct his steps" (Jer. 10:23).

Yes, you may choose what you want, and you may plan what you will do. But your will is not free to accomplish anything contrary to the purposes of God. Neither have you any power to reach your goals but that which God allows you. The next time you are so enamored with your own will, remember Jesus' parable about the rich man. The wealthy man said, "I will do this; I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods... But God said to him, Fool! This night your soul is required of you" (Luke 12:18-21). He was free to plan but not free to accomplish; so it is with you.

THE MYTH OF ETHICAL FREEDOM

But freedom of the will is cited as an important factor in making moral decisions. Man's will is said to be free to choose between good and evil. But again we must ask, from what is it free? And what is man's will free to choose?

The will of man is his power to choose between alternatives. Your will does decide your actions from a number of options. You have the faculty to direct your own thoughts, words, and deeds. Your decisions are not formed by an outside force but from within yourself. No man is compelled to act contrary to his will, nor forced to say what he does not wish. Your will guides your actions.

Yet this does not mean that the power to decide is free from all influence. You make choices based on your understanding, your feelings, your likes and dislikes, and your appetites. In other words, your will is not free from yourself! Your choices are determined by your own basic character. The will is not independent of your nature but the slave of it. Your choices do not shape your character, but your character guides your choices. The will is quite partial to what you know, feel, love, and desire. You always choose on the basis of your disposition, according to the condition of your heart.

It is just for this reason that your will is not free to do good. Your will is the servant of your heart, and your heart is evil. "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5). "No one does good, not even one" (Rom. 3:12). No power forces man to sin contrary to his will, but the descendants of Adam are so evil that they always choose the evil.

Your decisions are molded by your understanding, and the Bible says of all men, "Their senseless minds are darkened" (Rom. 1:21). Man can only be righteous when he desires to have fellowship with God, but, "No one seeks for God" (Rom. 3:11). Your appetites crave sin, and thus you cannot choose Good. To choose good is contrary human nature. If you chose to obey God, it would be the result of external compulsion. But you are free to choose, and hence your choice is enslaved to your own evil nature.

If fresh meat and tossed salad were placed before a hungry lion, he would choose the flesh. This is because his nature dictates the selection. It is just so with man. The will of man is free from outside force but not from the bias of human nature. That bias is against God. Man's powers of decision are free to choose whatever the human heart dictates; therefore there is no possibility of a man choosing to please God without a prior work of divine grace.

What most people mean by free will is the idea that man is by nature neutral and therefore able to choose either good or evil. This simply is not true. The human will and the whole of human nature is bent to only evil continually. Jeremiah asked, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil" (Jer. 13:23). It is impossible. It is contrary to nature. Thus do men desperately need the supernatural transformation of their natures, else their wills are enslaved to choosing evil.

In spite of the great praise that is given to "free will," we have seen that man's will is not free to choose a course contrary to God's purposes nor free to act contrary to his own moral nature. Your will does not determine the events of your life nor the circumstances of it. Ethical choices are not formed by a neutral mind but always dictated by your personality.

THE MYTH OF SPIRITUAL FREEDOM

Nevertheless many assert that the human will makes the ultimate choice of spiritual life or spiritual death. Here the will is altogether free to choose eternal life offered in Jesus Christ or to reject it. It is said that God will give a new heart to all who choose by the power of their own free will to receive Jesus Christ.

There can be no question that receiving Jesus Christ is an act of the human will. It is often called "faith." But how do men come to willingly receive the Lord? It is usually answered, "Out of the power of their own free will." But how can that be? Jesus is a prophet. To receive him means to believe all that he says. In John 8:41-45 Jesus made it clear that you were born of Satan. This evil father hates the truth and imparted the same bias into your heart by nature. Hence said Jesus, "Because I tell you the truth, you do not believe me." How does the human will jump out of man to choose to believe what the human mind hates and denies?

To receive Jesus further means to embrace him as a priest—that is, to employ,and depend on him to sue out peace with God by sacrific and intercession. Paul tells us that the mind with which we were born is hostile to God (Rom. 8:7). How can the will escape the influence of human nature which was born with a violent enmity to God? It would be insane for the will to choose peace when every bone and drop of blood cries out for rebellion.

Then too, receiving Jesus means to welcome him as a king. It means choosing to obey his every command, to confess his right of rule, and to worship before his throne. But the human mind, emotions, and desires all cry out, "We will not have this man to reign over us" (Luke 19:14). If my whole being hates his truth, hates his rule, and hates peace with God, how can my will be responsible for receiving Jesus? How can such a sinner have faith?

It is not man's will but God's grace that must be thanked for giving a sinner a new heart. Unless God changes the heart, creates a new spirit of peace, truthfulness, and submission, man will not choose to receive Jesus Christ and eternal life in Him. A new heart must be given before a man will believe, or else the human will is hopelessly enslaved to evil human nature—even in the matter of conversion. Jesus said, "Marvel not that I said to you, you must be born again" (John 3:7). Unless you are, you will never see his kingdom.

Read John 1:12 & 13. It says that those who believe on Jesus have been "born, not of the will of man, but of God." As your will is not responsible for your coming into this world, it is not responsible for the new birth. It is your Creator who must be thanked for your life, and if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation (II Cor. 5:17). Who ever chose to be created? When Lazarus rose from the dead, he chose to answer the call of Christ, but he did not choose to come to life. So Paul said in Ephesians 2:4 & 5, "When we were dead in sins God has quickened us with Christ (by grace you are saved)." Faith is the first act of a will made new by the Holy Spirit. Receiving Christ is an act of man just as breathing is, but God must first give life.

No wonder Martin Luther wrote a book entitled The Bondage of The Will which he considered one of his most important treatises. The will is in the chains of an evil human nature. You who extol the free will as a great force are clinging to a root of pride. Man, as fallen in sin, is utterly helpless and hopeless. The will of man offers no hope. It was the will choosing the forbidden fruit that brought us into misery. The powerful grace of God alone offers deliverance. Cast yourself upon God's mercy for salvation. Ask for the Spirit of Grace that he may create a new spirit within you.

[shorttribber]

.

http://www.eternallifeministries.org/wc_myth.htm

Myth of Free Will

by Walter Chantry

Most people say that they believe in "free will." Do you have any idea what that means? I believe that you will find a great deal of superstition on this subject. The will is saluted as the grand power of the human soul which is completely free to direct our lives. But from what is it free? And what is its power?

THE MYTH OF CIRCUMSTANTIAL FREEDOM

No one denies that man has a will—that is, a faculty of choosing what he wishes to say, do, and think. But have you ever reflected on the pitiful weakness of your will? Though you have the ability to make a decision, you do not have the power to carry out your purpose. Will may devise a course of action, but will has no power to execute its intention.

Joseph's brothers hated him. They sold him to be a slave. But God used their actions to make him a ruler over themselves. They chose their course of action to harm Joseph. But God in his power directed events for Joseph's good. He said, "You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good" (Gen. 50:20).

And how many of your decisions are miserably thwarted? You may choose to be a millionaire, but God's providence is likely to prevent it. You may decide to be a scholar, but bad health, an unstable home, or lack of finances may frustrate your will. You choose to go on a vacation, but an automobile accident may send you to the hospital instead.

By saying that your will is free, we certainly do not mean that it determines the course of your life. You did not choose the sickness, sorrow, war, and poverty that have spoiled your happiness. You did not choose to have enemies. If man's will is so potent, why not choose to live on and on? But you must die. The major factors which shape your life cannot thank your will. You did not select your social status, color, intelligence, etc.

Any sober reflection on your experience will produce the conclusion, "A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps" (Prov. 16:9). Rather than extolling the human will, we ought to humbly praise the Lord whose purposes shape our lives. As Jeremiah confessed, "I know, 0 Lord, that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man to direct his steps" (Jer. 10:23).

Yes, you may choose what you want, and you may plan what you will do. But your will is not free to accomplish anything contrary to the purposes of God. Neither have you any power to reach your goals but that which God allows you. The next time you are so enamored with your own will, remember Jesus' parable about the rich man. The wealthy man said, "I will do this; I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods... But God said to him, Fool! This night your soul is required of you" (Luke 12:18-21). He was free to plan but not free to accomplish; so it is with you.

THE MYTH OF ETHICAL FREEDOM

But freedom of the will is cited as an important factor in making moral decisions. Man's will is said to be free to choose between good and evil. But again we must ask, from what is it free? And what is man's will free to choose?

The will of man is his power to choose between alternatives. Your will does decide your actions from a number of options. You have the faculty to direct your own thoughts, words, and deeds. Your decisions are not formed by an outside force but from within yourself. No man is compelled to act contrary to his will, nor forced to say what he does not wish. Your will guides your actions.

Yet this does not mean that the power to decide is free from all influence. You make choices based on your understanding, your feelings, your likes and dislikes, and your appetites. In other words, your will is not free from yourself! Your choices are determined by your own basic character. The will is not independent of your nature but the slave of it. Your choices do not shape your character, but your character guides your choices. The will is quite partial to what you know, feel, love, and desire. You always choose on the basis of your disposition, according to the condition of your heart.

It is just for this reason that your will is not free to do good. Your will is the servant of your heart, and your heart is evil. "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5). "No one does good, not even one" (Rom. 3:12). No power forces man to sin contrary to his will, but the descendants of Adam are so evil that they always choose the evil.

Your decisions are molded by your understanding, and the Bible says of all men, "Their senseless minds are darkened" (Rom. 1:21). Man can only be righteous when he desires to have fellowship with God, but, "No one seeks for God" (Rom. 3:11). Your appetites crave sin, and thus you cannot choose Good. To choose good is contrary human nature. If you chose to obey God, it would be the result of external compulsion. But you are free to choose, and hence your choice is enslaved to your own evil nature.

If fresh meat and tossed salad were placed before a hungry lion, he would choose the flesh. This is because his nature dictates the selection. It is just so with man. The will of man is free from outside force but not from the bias of human nature. That bias is against God. Man's powers of decision are free to choose whatever the human heart dictates; therefore there is no possibility of a man choosing to please God without a prior work of divine grace.

What most people mean by free will is the idea that man is by nature neutral and therefore able to choose either good or evil. This simply is not true. The human will and the whole of human nature is bent to only evil continually. Jeremiah asked, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil" (Jer. 13:23). It is impossible. It is contrary to nature. Thus do men desperately need the supernatural transformation of their natures, else their wills are enslaved to choosing evil.

In spite of the great praise that is given to "free will," we have seen that man's will is not free to choose a course contrary to God's purposes nor free to act contrary to his own moral nature. Your will does not determine the events of your life nor the circumstances of it. Ethical choices are not formed by a neutral mind but always dictated by your personality.

THE MYTH OF SPIRITUAL FREEDOM

Nevertheless many assert that the human will makes the ultimate choice of spiritual life or spiritual death. Here the will is altogether free to choose eternal life offered in Jesus Christ or to reject it. It is said that God will give a new heart to all who choose by the power of their own free will to receive Jesus Christ.

There can be no question that receiving Jesus Christ is an act of the human will. It is often called "faith." But how do men come to willingly receive the Lord? It is usually answered, "Out of the power of their own free will." But how can that be? Jesus is a prophet. To receive him means to believe all that he says. In John 8:41-45 Jesus made it clear that you were born of Satan. This evil father hates the truth and imparted the same bias into your heart by nature. Hence said Jesus, "Because I tell you the truth, you do not believe me." How does the human will jump out of man to choose to believe what the human mind hates and denies?

To receive Jesus further means to embrace him as a priest—that is, to employ,and depend on him to sue out peace with God by sacrific and intercession. Paul tells us that the mind with which we were born is hostile to God (Rom. 8:7). How can the will escape the influence of human nature which was born with a violent enmity to God? It would be insane for the will to choose peace when every bone and drop of blood cries out for rebellion.

Then too, receiving Jesus means to welcome him as a king. It means choosing to obey his every command, to confess his right of rule, and to worship before his throne. But the human mind, emotions, and desires all cry out, "We will not have this man to reign over us" (Luke 19:14). If my whole being hates his truth, hates his rule, and hates peace with God, how can my will be responsible for receiving Jesus? How can such a sinner have faith?

It is not man's will but God's grace that must be thanked for giving a sinner a new heart. Unless God changes the heart, creates a new spirit of peace, truthfulness, and submission, man will not choose to receive Jesus Christ and eternal life in Him. A new heart must be given before a man will believe, or else the human will is hopelessly enslaved to evil human nature—even in the matter of conversion. Jesus said, "Marvel not that I said to you, you must be born again" (John 3:7). Unless you are, you will never see his kingdom.

Read John 1:12 & 13. It says that those who believe on Jesus have been "born, not of the will of man, but of God." As your will is not responsible for your coming into this world, it is not responsible for the new birth. It is your Creator who must be thanked for your life, and if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation (II Cor. 5:17). Who ever chose to be created? When Lazarus rose from the dead, he chose to answer the call of Christ, but he did not choose to come to life. So Paul said in Ephesians 2:4 & 5, "When we were dead in sins God has quickened us with Christ (by grace you are saved)." Faith is the first act of a will made new by the Holy Spirit. Receiving Christ is an act of man just as breathing is, but God must first give life.

No wonder Martin Luther wrote a book entitled The Bondage of The Will which he considered one of his most important treatises. The will is in the chains of an evil human nature. You who extol the free will as a great force are clinging to a root of pride. Man, as fallen in sin, is utterly helpless and hopeless. The will of man offers no hope. It was the will choosing the forbidden fruit that brought us into misery. The powerful grace of God alone offers deliverance. Cast yourself upon God's mercy for salvation. Ask for the Spirit of Grace that he may create a new spirit within you.

I will read this over carefully later and respond....these are issues God has been teaching me about lately.

[Shelby]

Hello

God showed me in a dream that the 144,000 is the bride of Christ. The bride is taken from the body of Christ. 144,000 stand on mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem. Israel of the spirit.

[Mrs. B]

Covenental Theology.....

I like what Jesus taught....

John 3:3.....Verily, verily, I say unto thee......EXCEPT a man be born AGAIN, he cannot SEE the Kingdom of God....

5....Jesus answered, VERILY, verily, I say unto thee....EXCEPT A MAN BE BORN OF wATER AND OF THE sPIRIT, HE CANNOT enter into the Kingdom of God....

Jesus came Preaching the Kingdom of God is at Hand.........The Kingdom of God

6....That which is born of the Flesh (Jew or Gentile) is flesh: and that whichis born of the Spirit is Spirit.

7...MARVEL not that I said unto thee...Ye Must Be Born Again....

8...The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof...but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: SO is every one that is born of the Spirit...

It is a New Birth.....Adam sin and death entered into the world........the penitility for sin is death.....So Jesus the second Adam came....and never sin...paid our sin debt....went into heaven and presented His Blood before the Altar in Heaven and came back and sent the Holy Spirit....the Spirit of Life to all who come to him and repent and are baptised
and are Born Again.....Born again by the Holy Spirit......the Holy spirit of eternal life......
It is not by flesh it is by the Spirit....a New Birth....Born Again of God by the Holy spirit....what Adam lost in the Garden
Jesus the second Adam brought Life....New Life....eterinal life......Jesus restored us to God the Father by His Blood on the Cross...Jesus is the Lamb of God....we now have a New Covenant with God the Father through Jesus the Christ the Son of God who died and shedded His Blood on the Cross for us...All who believe .....born again by the Spirit that He poured out on the day of Penticost....
church does not save us....we are the church...it is Jesus who saves us...Faith in Him....In Him Jesus....
No other Name but His Name.....Jesus
We now have a New Blood Covenant.....with Him


Mrs. B