The One New Man Study - The Theology Of Jew And Gentile - One In Messiah

Entire Study Recently  Updated January 2006

 

 

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Statement Of Faith

 

Lesson One:

The Roots Of Replacement Theology -The Separation Between the Church and The Jews

 

TEXT: Romans 11:20-28  - Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: [21] For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. [22] Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. [23] And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again. [24] For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?  [25] For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. [26] And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: [27] For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. [28] As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.
 

 

    When it comes to the relationship of Jew and Gentile, the major thrust of all traditional church theology is separation. (It is also the thrust of all traditional rabbinic theology). God's major thrust, on the other hand, is reconciliation - to take two and form there into one new creation. As in the marriage of a man and a woman, so in the biblical joining of Jew and Gentile, God's purpose is neither subjugation nor the annihilation of the individual groups, but rather mutual strengthening, service, and fruitfulness. Theology that sets "the Church in opposition to the "Jews" is "Anti-Judaic" theology. Anti-Judaic theology arose as a response to the "chosenness" of the Jewish people.

 

    This tendency of the institutionalized church's hatred toward the Jewish people began really early. Paul addressed this in Romans chapters 10-11.

 

Romans 11:20-28  - Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: [21] For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. [22] Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. [23] And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graff them in again. [24] For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?  [25] For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. [26] And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: [27] For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. [28] As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.
 

 

        The Council of Nicea, in 32 A.D., was a distinct turning point in the history of the church. Since that time, all church theology has been built upon an anti-Judaic foundation. The theological changes embraced a Nicea made it impossible for the church to be faithful to its God-given mission. These institutionalized changes were foundational and monumental. They were seven-fold:

  • The rejection of the literal meaning of Scripture in its content

  • The subjugation of Scripture to the authority of a Church hierarchy

  • The determination that Church doctrine and practice would be in opposition to the Jews

  • The establishment of compulsory conformity in practice

  • The acceptance of the State and the sword as the means of maintaining purity in the Church. (The cross was transformed from a means of victory over sin for the individual to a means of victory over sinners for society)

  • The acceptance of the sword of the State - instead of the Sword of the Spirit, the blood of the Lamb and the blood of the believers - as the means of triumph in the world

  • The acceptance of State support of the Church in exchange for the Church support of the State. (The church surrendered its own prophetic message toward the State)

        These are not insignificant alterations. They are major adulterations. The Church became the Church of Constantine. The theological shift that took place was basically this: The Church became identified as the "new Israel," replacing the Jews. Today, we call it Replacement Theology. As the "new Israel," the Church itself was equated with the kingdom of God, since it was the kingdom of Israel that God promised to restore. Because God had entrusted the sword to the kingdom/nation of Israel, the "new Israel" also picked up the sword. Early church documents are rare to support all of this BUT there is ample evidence in the documents that are to give a basic understanding of the issues which resulted in these changes.

 

  • The Question of Gentiles At The First; The Question Of Jews At The Last

 

    In the first century, the most heated, controversial, doctrinal issue of all that the Church faced was: "How do the Gentiles fit into all this?" It was a very important issue. Identity, purpose, and destiny depended upon it. Many Jewish believers, though well-meaning, wrongly thought that the Gentiles had to be saved by faith in Christ AND keeping the Law! NOT SO! A certain sect of the Pharisees sought to have the Gentile believers circumcised and wanted to place keeping the law of Moses as a requisite for Salvation. This serious error almost split the Early Church! (Read Acts 15)

 

Acts 15:1-30
And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. [2] When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question. [3] And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren. [4] And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them. [5] But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.  [6] And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. [7] And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. [8] And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; [9] And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. [10] Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? [11] But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.  [12] Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.  [13] And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: [14] Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. [15] And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, [16] After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: [17] That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. [18] Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. [19] Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: [20] But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. [21] For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day. [22] Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren: [23] And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia: [24] Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment: [25] It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, [26] Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. [27] We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth. [28] For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; [29] That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well. [30] So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle: [31] Which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation.

 

        We are nearly 2,000 years removed from that time, that culture, and the life of the early Church. So it is very difficult for us to fully appreciate the reasons for the controversy and its intensity, but it is very important that we do so for we are facing similar issues as we near the END of the Church Age.

 

    Today, the most heated controversial doctrinal issue that the Church faces is: "How do the Jews fit into all this?" The Biblical answer is crucial to a proper understanding of the entire Bible. Why? BECAUSE ALL THE REST OF OUR THEOLOGY AND MANNER OF BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION FLOWS FROM OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CHURCH AND THE JEWS. I heard this several years ago: "a faulty view of God will always

lead to a faulty view of your fellow man. And a faulty view of your fellow man will always lead you to persecute your fellow man."

 

        Our  behavior shows our faith. So our view of Israel's relationship to the Church determines our view of the past, present, future, our relationship with God, our prayers, our evangelism, our worship, our view of modern Israel, the nations, and the Church itself. We cannot fulfill our destiny as the Church without a proper understanding of this relationship.

 

        The One New Man teaching is actually NOT a doctrine! It certainly is not a doctrine that teaches two different ways of salvation -one for the Jews and one for the Gentiles. I heard a well-known evangelical preacher say that over television the other day and I disagree with him in the STRONGEST of terms! JEW AND GENTILE must BOTH come the same way - through the blood of Jesus Christ and faith in Christ Crucified. There is no other name whereby men, be them Jew OR Gentile, must be saved except that of CHRIST.

 

Acts 4:12
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
 

 

         The one new man is CHRIST to whom both Jew and Gentile find reconciliation and unity through His blood. This message and section is ultimately a message of prayer and intercession and to bring awareness to the Gentile part of the New Covenant Church of Israel's role in Bible Prophecy and how the roots of our Christian faith have ties to the foundation of the Jewish people. Some may want to call our roots that of "Judaism" which I guess in some small way may be correct. I feel our connection is rooted more in COVENANT - the covenants God cut with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Judah's father, where we get the term 'Jew') and their descendants from Moses to David, Solomon, to JESUS, the CORNERSTONE of the Jewish people. He came unto HIS OWN and HIS OWN received HIM NOT!

 

       

        The Bible does not condemn tradition, nor does it teach us to reject the wisdom of the past ages. It does, however, make it clear that God is not pleased with the teachings and traditions of men that place others in contrary to His Word. The natural condition of man, even religious man, has not changed since the days of the Pharisees and Sadducees. And this problem rests in BOTH camps - the JEWISH and the NON-JEWISH or the GENTILE part of the church! The tenets of the Law of Moses were to point us to CHRIST, the one to whom ALL prophecy and Law fulfills.  Christ came to give us a better covenant than Judaism! HE IS THE COVENANT!

 

        Our faith must be in CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED!

 

1 Cor. 1:17-18
For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
[18] For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

1 Cor. 2:2
For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

Galatians 6:14
But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

Galatians 4:6
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
 

 

        We say this because there has been a lot of recent preaching/teaching that says the Jews have a different method of salvation than Gentiles. That is unscriptural and false. The One New Man teaching is to point us to reconciliation in CHRIST, not give a sense that Gentiles must become Jews and Jews must become Gentiles to find favor with God. GOD FORBID. The Body of Christ is made up of two parts - Jew and Gentile. The Jewish Root of salvation is CHRIST, the one whom the Gentiles were grafted in as a result of Israel's unbelief. We as Gentiles must never be high minded but FEAR lest we be cast off as well because of the same unbelief Israel had in Messiah so long ago. If we don't believe, our fate will be the same as them! That's the message of Romans 9-11 and really the foundation of the One New Man teaching.

        Most of what Messianic believers do in practice and worship is quite uplifting and scriptural. But having experienced fellowshipping with a Messianic congregation first hand I can tell you that MOST OF IT IS NOT!

         As Gentile believers, we're not called to live as Jews to receive blessing from God, neither are Jews called to live as Gentiles. We're ALL called to live worthy of the calling we have been placed in as a result of the blood of Christ. Jewish believers argue that their lifestyle is the "Biblical" way to live. NO it is not. The "BIBLICAL way to live is to live being led by the HOLY GHOST! That pertains to BOTH JEW AND GENTILE! If, as a Jewish believer, one wishes to live culturally as a Jew, then they do not need to be rejected by the Gentile church. And if a Gentile believer comes into fellowship with a Messianic congregation they should not be under condemnation for not living Jewish! There is NO condemnation in CHRIST!

Romans 8:1-3
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. [2] For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. [3] For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

        Many well-meaning Messianic believers want to take the cultural question and make it a spiritual requisite to receive blessing from God. Some go even as far as saying salvation is based on Jewish customs, etc. Just as the Judaizers of the first church, who opposed the message of Grace given to the Apostle Paul, sought to bring the church back into Law by preaching that one could not be saved by faith in Christ alone, many today are advocating the same damnable doctrine that we must be saved by faith in Christ AND keeping the Law. Neighbor, NO MAN CAN KEEP THE LAW outside the power of the HOLY GHOST. And the GRACE OF GOD is sufficient to make up for our insufficiency. Any effort to live by the law will end up in frustration, failure and if not brought into submission to Christ, will lead to SPIRITUAL DEATH! The STRENGTH OF SIN IS THE LAW! Sin gets it's power from the very thing most Messianic and yes even GENTILE believers seek to do - keeping the law in our own strength and flesh.

        The spirit and doctrinal stance of the Judaizers (Read the Paul's Letter To The Galatians') almost destroyed the early church and sadly, it's coming close to destroying the present day church as well. The body of Christ is comprised of both JEW and GENTILE. As Gentiles, we are grafted into the Jewish vine.  BOTH ARE SAVED BY FAITH IN CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED!

        Our experience with Messianic fellowships has been that more emphasis is placed on the cultural issues of being Jewish to be in good standing with God instead of the SPIRITUAL ones which deal with faith, humility and love. I'm not saying that as a criticism but as an observation. Believe me, we Gentiles have no room to judge the Jewish believer who wishes to keep the Sabbath, observe the Feasts and follow the laws of Kosher to merit favor with God. We have just as many traditions and ceremonies to choke a mule that we consider part of "Christianity."

        Whatever one does, be it Jew or Gentile, it must be anchored by FAITH IN THE CROSS OF CHRIST! God's favor on us as believers is not because of our "works" or the efforts of our flesh to please Him. God is pleased with one thing and that is HIS SON - CHRIST JESUS. When we embrace THE SON OF GOD, and anchor our faith in what He has done for us at Calvary, then and only then are we pleasing to God. We are not pleasing to God because we keep the feasts, reading and keeping the Torah, or following a certain type of worship - be in Davidic, Messianic or singing just plain regular old-time worship choruses on Sunday. God is not wrapped up in a DAY. If we want to worship on Saturday (the Sabbath) go for it. If we wish to worship on Sunday have at it. But if we are worshiping on one of those days thinking that God is pleased with us more if we worship on Saturday instead of Sunday and vice versa - we have fallen from GRACE! NONE OF THAT CAN BRING RIGHTEOUSNESS WITH GOD.

        NEIGHBOR GOD IS WRAPPED UP IN A PERSON - HIS SON JESUS CHRIST!!!!!! I've seen worship services in Messianic congregations that put a great deal of emphasis on the TORAH and a little emphasis on the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Certain elements of the service include holding a box up that contains a "Torah" with people "kissing" it in a symbol of worship. NEIGHBOR, THAT IS RANK IDOLATRY and is what brought the anger of God upon the traditions of men in the days of the Pharisees and Sadducees. We don't worship a BOX!   We MUST worship the SON! The Psalmist tells us to "KISS THE SON, lest He be angry." When we kiss the "Torah," we are in essence saying that we have faith in the LAW instead of the SON!

        To this writer, that is no different that what the children of Israel did in the wilderness (as recorded in Numbers 22-24) when Moses lifted up the serpent on the pole in the wilderness for salvation from poisonous snake bites, only to have the children of Israel a short time later worship the pole and the symbolic snake in idolatry. Moses had to take the very symbol down that God used to bring healing. The serpent on the pole was only a sign to the coming CHRIST who would be lifted up as the serpent was to bring HEALING to the world - THROUGH THE CROSS! The symbol was just that - a symbol but Israel wound up worshiping it instead of embracing what it stood for. And neighbor - ANY OBJECT, I don't care what it is - that we hold up as an object of worship instead of worshipping the LORD JESUS in Spirit and in Truth - is an object of idolatry. And Religious man, both Jew and Gentile - is very guilty of that in modern church circles!

        There is a great need today for the two parts of the Body - Jew and Gentile - to come together, yes! There is a great need for the divide between Jewish and Gentile believing people to come into unity and fellowship as "ONE NEW MAN" in Christ. That is the entire purpose of this study! But neighbor, through many dangers, toils and tears, I have learned a hard lesson in life and it's this. Whenever we seek to walk in anything other than true Biblical faith and the truth of the Word of God, led by the SPIRIT OF GOD (Who only ordains and anoints the parameters of what Christ did at the Cross), we fall from GRACE and wind up in LAW. When we do that we bring spiritual death to our lives! The law came by Moses, but GRACE and TRUTH comes through THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. A Works-oriented and based walk with God after we get saved, can never bring maturity and development of the believer - be that believer JEWISH or GENTILE! Most know that we're not saved by works - but neighbor, do we understand we're not KEPT by works either! We're kept by the HOLY GHOST who is SEAL of our redemption!

        Only the HOLY SPIRIT can do that. So in studying these lessons and reading the Messianic statement of faith, please understand that we recognize the Messianic Communities' right to observe the Jewishness of their faith. But when they or any movement for that matter start thinking that by expressing themselves in a Jewish way or observing works brings greater favor upon them by God - WE STRONGLY DISAGREE! The Gentiles are just as important to the ONE NEW MAN as the Jewish people are. We don't lessen either's role in this ONE NEW MAN experience in CHRIST.  We can't do this individually or without the other. The Gentile Branches need the Root of the VINE of Romans 11, but the Root also needs the Branches to grow as well. THE VINE GROWS UP INTO CHRIST AS ONE NEW MAN IN HIM! It does not grow as ONE NEW MAN of the Jewish faith or the Gentile faith. THERE IS NOT TWO SEPARATE FAITHS NOR IS THERE TWO WAYS OF SALVATION. WE ALL MUST COME THE SAME WAY. Israel rejected this way and was cast aside because of their unbelief as a nation. We need to fear, lest we being lifted up in that same pride, are cast off as well! 

  • The Question of the Two Testaments

    Certain accepted terms that have been passed down throughout church history concern the canon of scriptures. They communicate something that is not true, and lead to incorrect doctrine. The Biblical usage must be adopted instead.

 

    The terms "Old Testament" and "New Testament" are traditionally used to refer to the two major parts of the Bible which was written before the life of Jesus on the earth. The "New Testament" is taken to be what was written afterwards. From the historical evidence available it seems that "Irenaeus was the first to apply the term N.T. (New Testament) to sacred scriptures and that after his times the description of them as the "New Testament" 'came into vogue.'" It seems that Melito or Sardis is to be credited "for the first use of the term Old Covenant or Old Testament to refer to the Bible..." Irenaeus and Melito wrote between 160-190 A.D. 1800 years ago, but more than a century removed from the gospel events.

 

    Though the traditional use of these terms is very old, it is incorrect. "Old Testament" and "New Testament" actually refer to the two major covenants which the Lord made with Israel - the "old" covenant of the Law and the "new" covenant in the blood of Jesus. The proper Biblical terms are "Old Covenant" and "New Covenant." These covenants are particular agreements, not designations for the two major parts of the Bible. When Paul speaks of the Old Covenant fading away, he is speaking of the Covenant of the Law, not of the scriptures themselves. The scriptures, and the Law of God, which they contain, are eternal. It is only the covenant that has faded away.

 

    Traditional teaching has always held that the Old Testament was for the Jews and the New Testament was for the Church. The labeling has led many to interpret the Old Testament differently than the New Testament. It leads to an erroneous belief that the God of the Old Testament is a God of wrath, and the God of the New Testament is a God of mercy. This error compounded by ignoring both God's love for Israel and God's promises of judgment in the Church, and His wrath and judgment in the world. These are fundamental errors. God is One. He and His purpose are unchanging. He presents the gospel as the fulfillment of what He planned and promised from the beginning. The plan, the promise and the fulfillment are inseparable. This has just increased the gap between the church and the Jews.

 

   In addition to this,  English translations of the Bible and of the early Church tend to use the word "heathen" or "nations" for the Gentiles. This is unfortunate because it makes it very difficult for readers to understand the nature and intensity of the conflict in the early Church (cf. Acts 15) over the manner in which the Gentiles could be saved. It makes it difficult to appreciate what a radically new thing God was doing. It makes it difficult to appreciate both the nature of the Great Commission and the full measure of God's grace. Some who deal with the Church in different cultures use "people-groups" to more accurately convey the Bible meaning and the differences between the Gentile and Jew. Though God promises to make Israel a holy nation, He makes it clear Israel is a unique people, not to be "reckoned among the goyim, or Gentiles." (Numbers 23:9). 

 

    The starting point for examining the Biblical relationship of the Church and the Jews needs to be God Himself. Traditional Church theology begins with the Church. That is why most of the Church, throughout most of its history, has improperly understood the Biblical relationship between the Church and the Jews. God did not begin with the Church, He began with National Israel through Abraham. When Israel rejected Christ in unbelief, God turned to the Gentiles for a season known as "The Time of The Gentiles," while yet holding out an outstretched arm to those of the seed of Abraham who would believe! He will one day soon turn His attention once more fully on Israel and bring them home to Him through the events of the Great Tribulation and the Battle of Armageddon.

 

  • Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History

    The Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius Pamphilus is the acknowledged history of the Church from the end of the Book of Acts to the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. In many circles it is the most important work and source for the history of the Church in those centuries. It is a source that is recognized to contain some serious untruths. It planted the seeds in the mind of Church fathers that later gave Hitler his plank to murder 6 million Jews.

 

    The pamphlet was written during the reign of the Roman Emperor CONSTANTINE. Constantine is known as the First Christian emperor. The church had endured centuries of persecution. Constantine decreed an end to it, although it briefly reappeared later, and began to exalt the Church. It was he who convened the Council of Nicea.

 

    Along with the political shift, came a tremendous theological shift too. Eusebius' outlook was conditioned by the new political settlement between the Empire and the Church as well as his theological upbringing and allegiance to certain views which he inherited from a man named Origen.  In his philosophy, the Emperor was the image of God and the representative of the Almighty. The Emperor also acted as the interpreter of the Logos. He imitated the philanthropy of the Son of God. In the gathering of the bishops with Constantine on the day of this 30th anniversary of his reign, Eusebius supposedly saw the image of the Messianic banquet.

 

    The church and the empire merged together in his mind. The structure of the Empire's earthly government was according to the pattern of the divine original. The divine original the empire was to reflect and pivotal issue theologically was the nature of the fulfilled kingdom of God. If the kingdom of God was to be fulfilled through a personal earthly reign of Jesus the Messiah from Jerusalem, then the Jews were inescapably part of that Kingdom, which would follow the repentance of Israel as a nation. In that case, God's faithfulness to the Jews had not expired. The kingdom was still future.

 

    On the other hand, if Constantine, the emerging Holy Roman Empire, and the State-exalted Church were the kingdom, then there was no need for the Jews. The fullness of the kingdom was in the present. Moreover, if the Jews had no special significance for the fulfilled kingdom of God, then God had no need or plan for them. In that case, the rejection and replacement of the Jews was the means of fulfilling the kingdom. Instead of being natural citizens of the kingdom, whether loyal or disloyal, the Jews became the enemies of the kingdom. If that were the case, then the Church needed to recognize and proclaim it. Eusebius firmly believed this. He and Constantine believed in the fourth century that the Church was the "New Israel," replacing the Jews. He firmly believed that there was no distinct future for the Jews in the plan of God. The belief in the restoration of Israel and the Jewish people in the millennial kingdom was established doctrine by the early church. Eusebius totally refuted these claims.

 

  •  Origen's System of Interpretation - The Birthplace of The Error of Replacement Theology

    One of Eusebius's main teachers was Origen. His work is dated around the beginning of the third century. He is credited with being the father of the allegorical method of interpretation. In his mind the only way to truly understand scripture was through allegories. He often denied the ordinary sense of the text, and replaced it with allegories which he made up. These allegories then became the real meaning of the text. There was no way the challenge the allegories on the basis of the text, since what the text actually said was no longer what it meant.

 

    In this allegorical system, when the text said, "Israel," it meant "the Church" and not the Jews, so long as the promise or comment was good. If the promise or comment was not good, then "Israel" still meant the "Jews," and not "the Church." Even though Origen was a brilliant man and a scholar his reasoning about the Jews was deluded. To many he was a heretic. Despite this, many of the original church fathers embraced what he was writing as divinely inspired concerning the Jews. It was this system and spirit that produced the original anti-Judaic "New Israel" theology where the Church replaces the Jews in the plans and purposes of God.

 

    The attitude of the churches in the Roman province of "Palestine" accepted Origen's teachings. Almost all the Jews in Judea and Samaria had either died in the Bar Kokhba Rebellion of 132-135 A.D. or, had been carried off into slavery by the victorious Romans. Before the gospel was preached to the Gentiles, there were Jewish churches "throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria." (Acts 9:31) From the end of the Bar Kokhba Rebellion on, all Jews were forbidden to even enter the precincts of Jerusalem. The city itself had been destroyed and renamed Aelia, in honor of the divine nature of Aelia Hadrianus, i.e. the Emperor Hadrian (who destroyed Jerusalem) as the Roman god Jupiter. Up until that time, the bishops in Jerusalem had all been Jewish. If there were any bishops in Caesarea before that time, they would have almost certainly been Jewish too.

 

    The Roman Empire had destroyed or removed the Jewish bishops and churches. They were replaced with Gentiles ones. The Gentile bishops and churches naturally began to think of themselves as having replaced the Jews. Another church "father" Justin wrote in his Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, he expressed the belief that the destruction of Jerusalem and all the suffering that attended the unsuccessful Bar Kokhba Rebellion was a judgment of God for the failure of the Jews to believe in Jesus. A large theological step was then taken from the view to the teaching that God had cast off the Jews, and had replaced them with the Gentile Church. There are obvious natural reasons why such a teaching would appeal to the Gentile bishops and churches in "Palestine."

 

    Origen chose to ignore or alter reality to make it fit with his beliefs. In his theological battle against those in the Church who held to the plain meaning of the text, Origen decided to portray them as disgraceful "Jews" who were rejecting the Lord. Though Origen knew God had given the New Covenant Scriptures to the world through JEWISH men, he wrote that it is the "people of the Gentiles, that will elevate what Moses wrote and establish its understanding on a high level." Since he didn't think the Jews fit into the plan of God, he just dismissed this reality to fit his theology and system. The church at large still embraces that system today.

 

    Anyone who did not accept this system was labeled as nothing "more than a Jew" and really did not belong to the Church, Origen maintained. "If anyone wishes to hear and understand these words literally he ought to gather with the Jews rather than with the Christians. But if he wants to be a Christian and a disciple of Paul, let him hear Paul saying that the 'Law is spiritual' and declaring these words are 'allegorical' when the Law speaks of Abraham and his wife and sons."

 

    Allegorists such as Origen reject the literal interpretation of scripture. Even the Jewish genealogies in Matthew and Luke which establish the legal right of Jesus to the throne of David and His descent from David was essential to God's plan of redemption for the world. Origen's teachings arise from, and demand, an anti-Judaic outlook. He disinherited the Jews and set the Church in their place. Those scriptures that promised judgment on Israel (or the Jews, or Jacob, etc.) were still to be understood in their literal sense. But those scriptures that promised blessing on Israel were henceforth only to be understood as referring to the Church. This was the birthplace and mindset of modern Replacement Theology teaching.

 

    That made the churches in "Palestine" the sole geographical heirs of the gospel, worthy of special reverence. Sadly, instead of being the source of light, the churches embraced Origen's delusion and this anti-Semitic theme spread from there. Eusebius and Constantine gave Origen's teachings their greatest triumph in 325 A.D. at the Council at Nicea.

 

 

 

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