Posted on 06/02/2004 1:02:14 PM PDT by sheltonmac
By Keith Mathison, author of Dispensationalism: Rightly Dividing the People of God?, Postmillennialism: An Eschatology of Hope, and The Shape of Sola Scriptura.
Many people believe that the defining doctrinal characteristic of dispensationalism is its unique eschatology. It is certainly the eschatology that gains the most attention. In reality, however, the doctrine that defines dispensationalism, its sine qua non, is its doctrine of the church. The fundamental tenet of dispensationalism is that the Church is not Israel. Several things are meant by this statement, but the most important is the dispensationalist teaching that the church, or body of Christ, consists only of those believers saved between Pentecost and the Rapture. The saints of the Old Testament are not part of the Church, the body of Christ.
Part of the difficulty in evaluating the dispensational distinction between Israel and the Church is the lack of precise definitions in dispensationalist literature. Both "Israel" and "Church" are used in a variety of senses throughout the New Testament, and to simply say that the Church is not Israel is a gross oversimplification. Obviously, if we mean by "Israel" the political state of Israel or unbelieving Jews, then the Church is not Israel. But since within the unbelieving nation of Israel there has always been a remnant, a "true Israel" it is not accurate to make a sweeping general statement divorcing Israel from the Church in every sense of the words.
In the Old Testament, the unbelieving nation had a remnant of believers within it. This true Israel, which included such men as David and Daniel, were those who were circumcised not only in the flesh but also in the spirit. When Christ came, we see the same distinction between national, unbelieving Israel and the true Israel. The Scribes and Pharisees were generally part of the unbelieving national Israel. The apostles were part of true Israel. At Pentecost, when virtually all agree a new stage in redemptive history began, the true Israel, the remnant of national Israel, was the church. In the following decades and centuries, Gentiles began to be added to this true Israel - the church, but that did not change the fact that there was and is a continuity between the Old Testament Israel and the New Testament church. The Church is not national or unbelieving Israel. But the Church is the true Israel, the remnant of national Israel. There are several places in Scripture where this truth is clearly taught. Here we shall focus briefly on three:
Romans 11:11-24 clearly teaches the unity of believers of all ages. The illustration of the olive tree in this passage is one of the better known sections of the book of Romans, but its meaning has not always been clear, especially to those who would separate Old and New Testament believers into distinct bodies. There are four main points in this text of Scripture that are relevant to our topic:
1. The cultivated olive tree is natural Israel.
2. The natural branches that are broken off are unbelieving Jews.
3. The good branches that remain are believing Jews.
4. The wild branches that are grafted into the good olive tree are believing Gentiles.
The most important thing to notice here is that there is only one good olive tree. In the Old Testament it had contained both unbelieving and believing Jews. But when Christ came, the unbelieving Jews were broken off leaving only the believing Jews. Believing Gentiles were then, and are now, grafted into this good olive tree - the believing remnant - the true Israel. Were dispensationalism true, the illustration would make no sense. Paul does not say that God plants a brand new olive tree into which He now grafts believing Jews and believing Gentiles. No, the believing Jews stayed right where they were in their covenant relationship with God. God brought Gentile believers into this already existing covenant relationship. The believing remnant of Israel, the true Israel, and the New Testament Church are one and the same body of believers. These believing Jews and Gentiles are the one good olive tree.
Ephesians 2:11-19 is a passage of Scripture that also has special importance for our study. In this text, Paul compares the former state of the Gentiles in Christ to their previous state apart from Christ. In verse 12, Paul lists five things that were true of them before they became Christians. The Gentile believers were formerly:
1. Separate from Christ
2. Excluded from the commonwealth of Israel
3. Strangers to the covenants of promise
4. Without hope
5. Without God in the world
All five of these things are spoken of in the past tense. In other words, all five were true of the Gentiles prior to their faith in Christ, and all five are no longer true now that the Gentiles have faith in Christ. What this means is that Gentile believers are now:
1. In Christ
2. Included in the commonwealth of Israel
3. Heirs of the covenants of promise
4. With Hope
5. With God in the world
According to Paul, all of these things are now true for Gentile believers in Christ.
Galatians 3:16, 29 emphasizes Gentiles' inheritance in the Abrahamic promises. We learn in
these verses that:
1. The Abrahamic promises were made to Abraham and to his seed (v. 16).
2. His Seed is Christ (v. 16).
3. His seed is also all who belong to Christ (v.29).
4. Therefore, the Abrahamic promises belong to Christ and to all who are His (v.29).
According to Paul, the Abrahamic promises belong to all who are in Christ and only to those in Christ. Since He is the true heir, the true Seed, no one may inherit the promises apart from Christ. Apart from union with Christ, no Jew or Gentile has any claim to the Abrahamic promises.
The dispensationalist distinction between two peoples of God is biblically indefensible. All who are saved are in Christ, and only those who are in Christ are saved. There is no other way of salvation apart from union with Christ in the one body of Christ, the church - the true Israel of God.
Good article. I like Mathison. Thanks.
Ping!!
And you know... I'm not certain that I consider myself part of Abraham's promise? Maybe I am, but I think that literally Abraham's promise would be that his descendents would multiply and be as countless as the stars in the heavens. That they would be God's chosen people. Personally I think that means chosen to be the lineage of the Messiah. The one who would come to reconcile mankind to God.
I'm part of the Messiah's covenant as insituted during the last supper. My covenant is with and through Jesus Christ, and I think that's a new covenant.
>> no one may inherit the promises apart from Christ <<
This refutes a straw man. The alternate position, that Jews are the Israel for whom the prophecies will be fulfilled, is not that they will be fulfilled in spite of the Jews' disbelief; rather, the grace of faith which heretofore has been poured out apon the gentiles will be poured out in abundance apon the Jews. IOW, the Jews will believe in Christ, and therefore will be saved.
Is the church the true Israel of God? No
Simple answer: NO!
Unfortunately I don't think the majority in the Christian Church living today will see this view until way after we our all dead and gone. About a hundred years or more after the formation of the nation Israel that exists now which would take us to around 2048. Dispensationalism will fade out some before that, but I think it will hang tough for many decades to come.
Interestingly a friend of mine at Westminster Seminary did his Master's Thesis defending the separation and distinction between Israel and the Church. He got an A on the thesis despite WTS views to the contrary.
It was a well written defense. It is unpublished, but I have a copy.
This is precisely the reason why I am uncomfortable with classical dispensationalism. Progressive Dispensationalism, on the other hand, abandons the concept of an "earthly" program with Israel and a "heavenly" program with the church, believing rather that they are two elements of the same group, those saved by grace through faith.
I think I may well be a progressive dispensationalist.
The author breaks the book up into two sections,
The first section is where he shows the titles and attributes of Israel in the Old Testament which are also referred to the Christian Church.
I don't have time to get into this thread and spend time on the Internet right now, but I'll thought I'll list all the titles and attributes that he lists for you all to pick apart and do your own study and discussion. I'll list the references except I don't have that much time on my hand.
Titles and Attributes
The Beloved of God
The Children of God
The Field of God
The Flock of God and of the Messiah
The House of God
The Kingdom of God
The People of God
The Priests of God
The Vineyard of God
The Wife (or bride)of God
The Children of Abraham
The Chosen People
The Circumsied
Israel
Jerusalem
The Jews
The New Covenant
An Olive tree
I like to stay on line and get into this thread but I've got to go to work, maybe some one can work with this list and work it with some more html, which I only know a few commands. One final thing, in most of these listing he shows
A. Israel is.....
B. Disobedient Israel isn't.......
C. The Christians are......
If the Church replaced Israel then how could the current state of Israel be considered a fulfillment of prophecy seeing that the promises were given to the Israeli kingdoms and the Jewish kingdoms? This is hard to understand seeing that both sides make good points, and my views are not yet set in stone (concerning this question).
Personally it seems that the Church is spiritual Israel spiritually fulfilling the things physically foreshadowed by the physical Israel. I.e at the moment it appears that there is 2 distinct Israels, the spiritual (Church) and physical (Hebrews). If this is so then the promises and prophecies would apply to both. Probably when Christ returns at the last trumpet the physical one would disappear (seeing as there no longer remains a physical being but only spiritual ones 1 Corinthians 15:52-53), after that prophecy concerning Israel would only apply to the Church. I could see both fitting in with the prophecies and promises. I will work and pray on understanding this more though.
Maybe some one can pop that list over into the other thread too if it is still going.
*** Romans 11:11-24 clearly teaches the unity of believers of all ages. ***
We have two children, the older one natural born, the younger one adopted. They are both Johnsons yet they are completely distinct. They are both heir to the Johnson inheritance. One is heir by birth, the other was grafted in so to speak.
There is one people of God, yet Israel and the Church are distinct.
Analogy isn't proof; but it does show how I see the oneness of the people of God.
Short answer; it's not. You could say a ham sandwich is the fullfilment of prophecy but that doesn't make it so.
But only because the promises are ultimately made to the "Seed", Jesus Christ and believing Jews are found to be in Him.
***It is unpublished, but I have a copy.***
Any chance he would let you post the summary?
But only because the promises are ultimately made to the "Seed", Jesus Christ and believing Jews are found to be in Him.
What I don't understand is the refusal to view OT prophecy in light of the NT. All who believe in Christ (Jew and Gentile alike) are heirs to the Kingdom of God. Given that fact, why do so many people insist on laying claim to some mediocre piece of real estate?
***Given that fact, why do so many people insist on laying claim to some mediocre piece of real estate?****
"Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God!
His holy mountain,
beautiful in elevation,
is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
the city of the great King."
It is, after all, where he was born, where he died and the first place his foot will touch when he comes again.
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