Imperishable Inheritance

It amazes me how Dispensationalism continues to be such a widespread evangelical force despite the fact that the same error that is made by Dispensationalists today were made and repudiated by the Apostles! In fact I dare say that we see in Acts and into the epistles the Apostles changing from Dispensationalists to Covenant Theologians! I understand that is an ostentatious claim so provide me the opportunity to substantiate.

Dispensationalists traditionally believe that God's main plan in history revolves around Israel as descendants of Jacob in contrast to the redeemed post revelation of the Messiah (the "Church"). Covenant Theologians typically see God's main working in history to revolve around His elect of all ages at whatever stage of redemption. God's main provision of redemption is spiritual and not earthly in Covenant Theology. That is why the physical Exodus is a typification of the one who would free us from the ultimate, spiritual Exodus (Mat 2:15). I believe that some flavor of Covenant Theology, with its emphasis on God's priority of redeeming His elect, has many advantages over any flavor of Dispensationalism.

The Lost Sheep of the House of Israel

It is important to note that Jesus did come to first serve the ethnic Jews as they were the recipients of the covenants, promises, etc. (Rom 9:1-5, 15:8). In the first commissioning of the disciples He sends them to the 'lost sheep of the house of Israel' (Mat 10:5-6). He also talks to the Syrophoenician woman equating the Gentiles to 'dogs' (Mat 15:21-28), but all of this was to confer promises made to Old Testament Israel. Paul and Barnabas boldly proclaim that, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles" (Acts 13:46).

I agree that the Jews did reject the kingdom Christ offered and He then went to Gentiles, but I disagree (as Dispensationalism teaches) that Christ offered an earthly kingdom and as a result of their disobedience He went to Gentiles as a "punishment" in a parenthetical fashion. I also disagree, as taught in Dispensationalism, that this time of "parenthetical salvation" will be lifted in the millennium were Jesus will actually set up the earthly kingdom they rejected. Christ offered a spiritual kingdom, rejected by most Jews, but was accepted by some Jews and many Gentiles (Abraham's spiritual seed/the elect). There will be no re-establishment of an earthly kingdom in the millennium, because the kingdom offered and delivered was spiritual and not physical which is elaborated on extensively in the book of Hebrews. Jesus even proclaims that the temple will be destroyed as a result of their failure to recognize Him as the Messiah (Mark 13:12) destroying the thought that the Messiah would ever restore the temple; Jesus Himself was the true Temple (John 1:14), and in His absence the Spirit of God makes us the housing place of God's presence (1 Cor 3:16; Eph 2:22). In parables such as the wedding feast (Mat 22:2-14) and the parable of the vineyard (Mat 21:33-44) Jesus teaches about how a disobedient people who reject the Messiah will forfeit promised blessings which are then given to New Covenant believers.

It should be noted that the teaching that God will remain faithful to ethnic Israel could be deduced from Romans 11 by seeing a mass-scale conversion near the end of the age, but I think it is more accurate to look at Romans 11 through the lens of remembering that God will continue to save any remnant left throughout history (Rom 11:26). I certainly can't read Romans 11:25-26 into the millennium (I don't believe it will be a literal millennium anyway).

From Dispensationalists to Covenant Theologians

The view of God's special favor towards ethnic Israel is what pervaded the Jews of Jesus times, and His own disciples were victims of this ideology. It's not something we can blame them for though. If we as well had only the Old Testament writings then there is surely a substantiative reason to believe that the role of the Messiah would be a conquering one that would free of Roman oppression and restore Israel to full possession of the land of Canaan. Although, we can look back at the Old Testament Scriptures through the New Testament lens and this allows us to avoid some of the same theological mistakes the Apostles made early on (and we also employ the redemptive-historical hermeneutic in this practice). This is why the people of Jesus time wanted to make Jesus a literal king (Joh 6:15), but Jesus tells Pilate (who heard of this prevailing theology) that His kingdom was not of this world or else His followers wouldn't have handed Him over to be crucified (Joh 18:36). The kingdom of God inaugurated but not completed was not an idea easily understood by the Apostles early on dubbed a "mystery" (Rom 11:25; Eph 1:9; Col 1:26-27). We can literally see the development of their understanding in the New Testament. Even through all the teachings and object lessons His Apostles still ask Him before His ascension: 'Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?' (Acts 1:6); Jesus gives a stern answer that it is not something that they are to be worried about but that their role was to be missiological to the remotest parts of the earth (Acts 1:7-8).

Acts provides us a lens to see how the understanding of the Apostles begins to change. At Pentecost, Peter declares that Jesus was the promised Davidic King currently reigning over His Kingdom (Acts 2:25-31). Peter then encounters Cornelius, a Gentile, and Peter and the rest of the Jews in Jerusalem were amazed that a Gentile had received the promised Holy Spirit (Acts 11:17-18). Paul, the Jew of Jew, Torah Defender, and Christian persecutor was converted for the sole purpose of going to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15). Paul in effect becomes a link in the teachings of the Old Testament to the teaching of the New which he himself gives.

The Importance of Pauline Theology

While Paul gives the greatest systematic treatment of the relation of Jews and Gentiles under the New Covenant, other Apostles contribute as well. Most profoundly is Peter's claim that the New Covenant age, in replacement fashion, have become God's "chosen race," "holy priesthood," "holy nation," and "possession" (1 Pet 2:9) which was promised to the Israelites if they kept the Mosaic Covenant (Exo 19:6). John also proclaims that the Messiah came to save the whole world and not just the sins of the Jews (1 Joh 2:2). But the most important contributions are provided by Paul.

Paul was the first to "get it" in terms of the fact that God's covenant of promise to Abraham was now being extended to Gentiles; most likely, a lot of his training and understanding came from his time at Antioch which was the first real place that Jews and Gentiles convened together (Acts 11:26). This Paul would be the one would rebuke several apostles for separating themselves from Gentiles and falling into hypocrisy (Gal 2). Clearly Paul's part in God's plan of revelation is of much importance for us to understand the unity and relation of the Bible. One of the greatest questions on Paul's mind was answering: "Can a Gentile be in covenant with God and not be a Jew guided by the Mosaic Law?"

Paul boldly proclaims that there is "neither Jew nor Greek...for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:28) thereby forcing his readers to recognize that in the Messiah we no longer have an ethnic allegiance but only an allegiance to Christ. Christ came and tore down the dividing wall, which was the Mosaic Covenant, between Jew and Gentile (Eph 2:11-22). Jew and Gentile alike, in Christ, are heirs to the Abrahamic Promise (Gal 3:29) and in Christ we are a member of the new Israel (Eph 2:13; Gal 6:16).

Paul deals with those who were boasting in their circumcision by stating in several places that circumcision avails to nothing, because righteousness has always come only through faith (Rom 4:1-13) and never through the Law (Rom 10:3-5; Gal 3:21). He equates being a "true Jew" with a circumcision of the heart or regeneration (Rom 2:23-29; Deut 30:6), and those in Christ are the "true circumcision" (Phi 3:3).

The Dichotomy of Old/New Covenant

In 2 Cor 3, Heb 8, and Gal 4 there are two covenants contrasted. Understanding the use of these two covenants and how the writers of the New Testament viewed the Mosaic economy. Paul said that the Mosaic economy was a "ministry of death" (2 Cor 3:7), and that ministry has been replaced by a better ministry/covenant (2 Cor 3:14). As mentioned, Paul in Galatians 3 talks about how the Mosaic economy was only meant to lead us to Christ, but now that He is revealed the "tutor" has passed (3:24-26). Paul gives an allegorical meaning to the covenants as applied to Abraham's wives Sarah and Hagar. Hagar stood for the Mosaic Covenant which was not the source of the promise but only bondage (Gal 4:24). To revert back to the Mosaic economy is ludicrous in the teachings and writings of Paul!

The message of the New over the Old Covenant is riddled throughout Hebrews. The author applies the promised New Covenant of Jer 31:31-34 to the current age (Heb 8:6-12), and he finishes the exposition with: "When He said, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear" (Heb 8:13). Jesus is the mediator for this newer, better covenant (Heb 9:15, 12:24).

The Promises to Abraham Fulfilled and the Heavenly Zion

It becomes apparent that God views His covenant faithfulness tied to the Abrahamic Covenant and not the Mosaic, because the Abrahamic was unconditional while the Mosaic did not have the same status. This is true, because Israel broke the Mosaic Covenant (Jer 31:32). The promise to Abraham, which is defined by Abraham's spiritual seed and a seed in which all the nations will be blessed (Gen 22:18; Gal 3:16) becomes the focus of God's work in redemptive history and not a distinction based on ethnic identity. The inclusion of Gentiles into covenant with God was never a "plan b" or parenthetical working in God's redemptive plan, because He knew He would justify Gentiles when He ratified the Abrahamic Covenant (Gal 3:8-9). One of the reasons Christ came is so that Gentiles can be included in the Abrahamic Covenant (Gal 3:13-14).

In Romans 9-11, he is dealing with the fact that those who the promises were made to are rejecting their very promised Messiah. Paul proclaims boldly that descending from Jacob has no guarantee when he says that "not all Israel descended from Israel" (Rom 9:6). He cites Isaac as being the source of promise and spiritual blessing even though he had a brother whose father was also Abraham (9:7). Descendance according to flesh is of no value because "the children of the promise are regarded as descendants" (9:8). He also talks about how God shows His mercy on both Jew and Gentile thereby justifying His work in election as unconditional (Rom 9:22-24). But God does show His covenant faithfulness to the remnant proving that God did indeed save some that descended from Jacob (Rom 9:27, 11:1, 26).

This great nation promised to Abraham finds its fulfillment in the eschaton which is the heavenly Jerusalem (Rev 21:2), and the heavenly Jerusalem is the one that the great prophets of old were looking forward to (Heb 11:13-16). At this time every tribe, tongue, and language is around the throne of the lamb (Rev 5:9, 7:9) which is the Church Universal. This is why we as Christians must take seriously God's desire to have someone from every people group worshipping the lamb and send ourselves to those who have no access of the good news (Hab 2:14; Mal 1:11; Mat 24:14, 28:19; Rom 15:20).

Conclusion

We, as Christians today, need to be swift to avoid the same theological errors that took so long to repudiate in the early history of the New Covenant age. We must take strong stances against Dispensationalism and its sister theology and political ideology Christian Zionism. We must "desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one" (Heb 11:16) where the worthy Lamb makes all things new (Rev 21:5).