Israel and the Church – [Romans 9:1-8]
All Scriptures are quoted from the 1901 American Standard Version unless otherwise noted. (Romans 9:1-8) — 1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience bearing witness with me in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were anathema from […]
Israel and the Church [1 Peter 2:3-10]
All Scripture quotations are from the 1901 American Standard Version unless otherwise noted. (1 Peter 2:3-10) — 3 if ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious: 4 unto whom coming, a living stone, rejected indeed of men, but with God elect, precious, 5 ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 Because […]
Israel and the Church [Ephesians 2:11-22]
All Scriptures quotes are from the 1901 American Standard Version unless otherwise noted. Ephesians 2:11-22 is a highly significant passage regarding the true nature of Israel of the New Covenant, which is the Israel in Christ. This is one of the most extensive passages about this in the New Testament: (Ephesians 2:11-22) — 11 Wherefore remember, […]
Israel and the Church – [Galatians 3:16; 28-29]
All Scripture quotations are from the 1901 American Standard Version unless noted otherwise. (Galatians 3:16) — Now to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. (Galatians 3:28-29) — 28 There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there […]
Strongest Argument for Unconditional Sovereign Election
There are two primary ways to understand the doctrine of election: Unconditional Sovereign Election — This is God’s choosing of certain people, chosen “before the foundation of the world, according to His own good pleasure” (Eph 1:4-6). God’s choosing of certain people guarantees that the one chosen will respond to the gospel of Christ […]
Earthly Kingdom or Heavenly Kingdom? [Philippians 3]
All Scripture quotations are from the 1901 American Standard Version unless otherwise noted. Introduction I think it’s safe to say that most Christians are taught that we all have an earthly kingdom to look forward to, where upon His return, Christ will reign over this present earth as its Ruler, sitting upon the […]
False Prophets & False Believers Among Us
Introduction In the passage below, Jesus warns us about “false prophets” (false teachers). They’re either deceivers or are totally deceived themselves. This also applies to false believers, those who believe and practice what false prophets teach (Lu 6:43-45). He tells us to “watch out.” Jesus gives us this warning and instruction because it’s important that we’re not deceived by those […]
Election of True Israel in Christ — [Commentary on Romans 11]
All Scripture quotations are from the 1901 American Standard Version (updated) unless otherwise noted. Introduction Like Romans 9, Romans 11 is one of the most important chapters in the New Testament regarding the doctrine of election, Israel and the Church. This discussion – that actually began in Romans 8 (especially verses 28-39) – ends […]
The Kingdom of Christ According to Paul
There are two positions regarding the Kingdom of Christ. One that is based on a Jewish, Old Testament understanding, and the other that is based on a Christian, New Testament understanding. The first view interprets Israel and the Kingdom of Christ from an OT perspective, which is then used to interpret the NT teaching on this subject. The second view interprets Israel and the Kingdom […]
Beware of Bias and Contentment in Your Doctrinal Positions
The longer I live, the more I study the Word of God, the more I observe what goes on in the Christian community, the more convinced I become that one of the primary reasons for misinterpretation of Scripture is positional bias or positional contentment. We believe what we want to believe. We want what we want. We’re happy […]