The Chosen People

I believe scripture is clear that, though the Hebrew people were chosen by God to recieve His oracles, not all were chosen to be saved... they were not all "children of the promise".

The "children of the promise" are made up of both Jew and Gentile and are now both reconciled to God by the blood and Christ and both have access by Holy Spirit.

The Jews have a temporary blindness, generally speaking, concerning Jesus as Messiah. At some point, that blindness will be lifted. Many (all?) Jews at that time will accept Jesus as their promised Messiah.

God's chosen people, therefore, will comprise both Jew and Gentile.. which comprise the Christian Church.

IMHO

peace to youraying:

 

If we have been purchased with his blood as in :
Act 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

And we believe that we are the purchased possession:
Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

And that we are a peculiar people
Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Then we have to believe we are a chosen generation:
1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

So yes the Church of the True and Living God is his chosen people

Peace and Prayers

Jeff

 

I think many of the Christians that have this view of Israel tend to believe a separate future for Israel as a nation than the future of the church (specifically) or Gentiles (generally). Broadly speaking, they follow dispensational theology, IMHO.

I tend to view today's Israel as a secular nation, a friend of the United States (generally) that deserves the support of the USA for that reason, not for any specific biblical concerns.

peace to youraying:

 

I don't know, folks, I have trouble trying to explain away Genesis 12:3

God, speaking to Abraham:

 

I understand what you are saying but if you read the genealogy in Matthew 1:1-16 were not all the families of the earth blessed by the birth of Christ.

and then in Galatians I think that we find further evidence of the chosen:

Peace and prayers

Jeff

 

I believe the Jews are still God's chosen people, nationally. Although blindness has allowed the Gentiles to be grafted in, the Jews will be restored in the future, during the Tribulation. For now, God is working through the church. Converted Jews will now be part of the church. After the Rapture, when the Church is removed, Israel will again be in the forefront of God's plan.

 

I disagree. God's chosen people are those whom God has elected to salvation on the basis of His perfect foreknowledge. I don't believe the Jews, as a nation, have any special standing at this time. Also, premillennial dispensationalism is a made up dream not supported by Scripture.

 

Originally Posted by Tom Butler
I don't know, folks, I have trouble trying to explain away Genesis 12:3

God, speaking to Abraham:
Quote:
and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Oh, absolutely, I agree. I think the term is "grafted in."

I think the case can be made that the "grafting in" makes believers in Christ the heirs to the same promises as are Isaac and his children.

Let me put it this way. We may see Genesis 12:3 differently. But I ain't takin' any chances.

 

I disagree it is a dream. This view is shared by millions of Christians across the world.

You are free to believe what you want, but I don't think it will cause God to postpone the Rapture, or the Tribulation.

 

For God to reinstate the Jews as His chosen people & continue the priestly line, then He would have to once again abide in the temple as the physical representation of the person & power of God on earth. This is impossible. Christ fulfilled the Old Covenant once & for all.
Jesus fulfilled the Law. Once reinstated, will He have to fulfill it again after the millennium?
Believers are now the royal priesthood. Will their be two priesthoods for a time?
Will Jesus step aside as the true High Priest so that a human high priest may once again be elected from among the people to serve in a man-made temple?
What Scripture could possibly by used to prove that the Old Covenant will be resurrected & will occur simultaneously with the New Covenant for a time?
This false doctrine leaves many unanswered questions which which rarely occurs to its followers.

The Jews lost out on the promises as a nation. All of the promises have been clearly given to the church as the bride of Christ. Once the spiritual branch has been grafted in, how can you rip the two back apart in order to accomplish some other physical goal; the reestablishment of an earthly Jewish kingdom. The premillenialists sound like the disciples when they asked when He would establish His (earthly) kingdom. That mindset revealed a lack of understanding in the First Century, and it still does today.

 

I certainly can live with that. :thumbsup: I also believe we are the wild olive branch that was "grafted in" as mentioned in Romans 11.

I don't believe that this is an issue that will hinder someone in repenting. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

Peace and Prayers

Jeff

 

Who is the Lord talking about here? I will bless those who bless "YOU" and curse those who curse "YOU"......dose not say "THEM". Kind of like how Jesus said "THIS" generation shall not pass away......can have a duel application BUT the immediate is spoken here.

 

Uhh, NO! This generation is used several times in Scripture, but is only given "dual application" status in order to make it fit pretrib theology. Scripture must be interpreted according to every aspect of context; including grammar.

Luke 17:25 But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.

Which generation? The one to whom He was speaking or some far off future generation? Jesus is not grammatically challenged, but many of us evidently are.

 

The greek word "generation" is "genea" and can also refer to a nation.

 

The Jews.


.........

 

Agreed...
John 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not

Mark 12:10 And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:

 

Short answer:

In the Old Testament we find types and shadows of future spiritual realities. Physical Israel is one of those foreshadowing. In the New Covenant she is transformed into the antitype,the Church.

http://www.sovereigngracebible.org/true_israel_of_god1.htm

It is a sad commentary on the state of the church these days that so few professing Christians are knowledgeable of the high and lofty calling that the church occupies in the eternal purpose of God. One cannot read the letters of the apostles and but be struck by the eminency that they attached to it and the esteem in which they held it. The glowing terms they employed to describe it were calculated to instill in the minds of their readers its exalted position as the spouse of Christ and the very temple in which He will display the majesty of His glory throughout all ages.

Yet tragically, there are untold thousands of Christians who are blind to this wondrous truth about themselves and instead are obsessively preoccupied with national Israel and the Jewish race. They speak in ravishing terms of this Israel and incessantly search the headlines coming out of that part of the world feverishly anticipating the fulfillment of Biblical "end-times" prophecies. Indeed to listen to them speak, one gets the distinct impression that many of them would gladly trade their physical birth-parents if they could so that they might be born of the stock of Abraham and become Jews themselves! Such is the obsequious attitude that is fostered among many of this persuasion that they display an almost god-like reverence for those Jews whom they deem as "completed", i.e., Jews who have become converts to Christianity and now own Jesus of Nazareth as their true Messiah. In their minds, these completed Jews can do no wrong, can never err in their understanding of the Scriptures nor be misguided in any way. Somehow, they are more "spiritual" than those poor Gentiles such as themselves who were not so highly favored as to be born of the "chosen race".