ALIGNING WITH CHRIST: FOR GOODNESS SAKE, NOT WITH ISRAEL

Much has been said about aligning ourselves with the commonwealth of Israel and with Israel as God's people, but from my studies, there is clearly a major flaw in such a teaching that is creeping into our churches either directly through invited speakers who are proponents of such a teaching or indirectly through members who are now exposed to all sorts of teachings. 

 

           In an earlier post, I have written that we have to guard ourselves against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. These are teachings from the rabbinic traditions that are hidden and fed into our minds in small bytes, and it only becomes visible when it is full blown. 

           Allow me to elaborate on the statement that teaches that we must be in 'alignment with Israel'. 

           1 We see in John 15 that Jesus is speaking of Himself as the True Vine. It is not wrong to say that this passage is also meant for us believers from nations other than Israel (referred to as ετηνε 'ethne' in Greek/ גוֹיִם 'goyim' meaning 'nations' or 'people' or just Gentiles). For centuries, we have always believed that we need to abide in Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. 

            Jesus never taught His disciples that when the time comes, even the Gentiles would be aligned with Israel. He knows the Jews too well that He even called the Pharisees and Sadducees, "You brood of vipers!" (read entire chapter of Matthew 23).

            2  Paul in Romans 11 elaborated more about Israel and our position before God as Gentiles. He spoke strongly against the unbelieving Jews as a fellow Jew himself: "I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin" (11:1). 

            In an epistle dealing with the theology of how we are saved -- by Law or by Grace through faith -- Paul brought in the subject of Israel for one good reason: in his time, he was battling with the influence of the Judaizers who wanted Gentile believers to be circumcised and live like the Jews. 

             Paul pointed out that even Elijah pleaded with God against Israel. For those who speak up like Elijah, we would be immediately branded 'anti-Jews' these days, yet Elijah prayed for God's punishment against Israel! Through the Old Testament, many of the other prophets also spoke against the nation of Israel because their hearts were hardened. 

             "God gave them a spirit of stupor,

               Eyes to see not and ears to hear not,

               Down to this very day." (Romans 11:8)

              What did Paul say about God's response? Romans 11:4-5 tells us:

"I HAVE KEPT for Myself SEVEN THOUSAND MEN WHO HAVE NOT BOWED TO BAAL."  In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God's gracious choice." 

              Those Jews who are saved solely by grace through faith, rather than the observance of the Torah, are therefore the ones whom God spared for the sake of His covenant with Abraham. 

"But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace." (Romans 11:6). 

                As the epistle of Romans was written to the Gentiles (11:13), Paul said that he wished he might "move to jealousy (his) fellow countrymen and save some of them." Save some of them! However, not everyone who is a descendant of Abraham by birth would be saved. 

                Because these branches are broken off, we who are Gentiles are now grafted into the olive tree. We, therefore, become "partakers with them of the rich root of the olive tree." (11:17). With who? With only the remnants of Israel because they, like us, believe in Christ and are saved 'by grace through faith'! 

               Most proponents of 'alignment with Israel' will quote Paul, "...you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them" to support their teaching. However, they fail to emphasise that in this illustration, we are also "partakers with them of the rich root of the olive tree" (Romans 11:17). The rich root of the olive tree here is ultimately the alignment for both the remnants of Israel who are saved by grace and us Gentile believers with Christ! 

               I am speaking up against those who try to thwart the teaching of the gospel by saying that 'alignment with Israel' means we have to be Jewish in our thinking, live like a Jew and do what the Jews do. 

              If this kind of 'alignment with Israel' rather than with Christ was what God had intended for the rest of the nations, then the mandate made by the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 would have been nullified. And, Paul would not have written these strong words to the Corinthians:

But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:14)

            Likewise, in Galatians 3:10:

For as many as are of the works of the Law (the Torah) are under a curse; for it is writen, "Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the Law, to perform them." 

           Again in Galatians 3:10: "You observe (in this context, the Jewish) days and months and seasons and years. I fear for you, that perhaps I have laboured over you in vain." 

            Why then are we still so gung ho about eating kosher food when God even tried to detoxify Peter of his own Jewishness by telling him to eat the non-kosher food (Acts 10), didn't he? 

             If I eat with a group of Jewish (or even Muslim) friends, I would not take non-kosher food out of respect for them, but I would not make kosher diet as a basic religious observance. In fact, to these kosher food proponents who try to impose on Gentiles, I would say being a vegetarian is even better because Daniel ate only the greens and he was reckoned to be one of the wisest advisors to the pagan king! 

           3 Paul is very consistent regarding the position of the Gentiles. In Ephesians 1:9-23 stated clearly:

(a) This is the 'mystery' of God's will which has been made plain to us at the right that both the remnants of Israel and us who are Gentiles will be aligned together in Christ (Ephesians 1: 9-10).

(b) In Christ and through Christ, we now share the same inheritance that the remnants of Israel has always enjoyed. The criteria to this inheritance is our 'hope in Christ.' (Ephesians 1:11, 14).

It never said we have to be aligned with Israel or take on the Hebraic roots in order to enjoy the same inheritance. Paul's theology has always centred on Jesus, and not on Israel.

In fact, the 'inheritance' which he later explains is for the saints (Ephesians 1:18), is "in accordance with (or aligned to) the working of the strength of His might, which He brought about in Christ" (Ephesians 1:19). The supremacy of Christ is emphasised throughout the rest of the chapter as Paul had to deal with the teaching of the Judaizers who wanted the Gentiles to follow the teaching of the Torah and the rabbinic traditions during his time. 

         4  In Ephesians 2: 1-22, Paul further elaborates that: 

(a) Whether Jews or Gentiles, we are saved by grace, not the works or observance of the Laws of Moses (Ephesians 2: 5). We all now share the same inheritance once confined to Israel, not because of our alignment with Israel but our faith in Christ! 

(b) Gentiles can continue with their identity as Gentiles instead of trying to be Jews. In this same passage, Paul merely warned us against the old lifestyles that we have lived (Ephesians 2: 2-3). Nowhere did Paul suggest that we must be aligned to Israel, or worse, to try to become more Jewish in our thinking or in our lifestyles. 

(c) Paul wrote: "for through Him we both (meaning Jews and Gentiles) have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you (the Gentiles) are no longer strangers and aliens, but you (the Gentiles) are fellow citizens with the saints, and (we, the Gentiles) are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus being the cornerstone, being fitted together into a holy temple in the Lord" (Ephesians 2:10-11). 

Paul never for once told the Gentiles to be 'aligned with Israel'. In fact, for those who want to quote 'foundation of the apostles and prophets' to justify our so-called Hebraic roots, let me state it categorically that to Israel, many of the prophets were sent, and killed by them!  

(d) God's ultimate plan is not to oblige us Gentiles to live or take on the identity as Jews, but that (note Paul uses the words 'the two' or in Greek τοὺς δύο to show that Gentiles still retain their identity as Gentiles): 

"by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments (read, Torah) contained in ordinances, so that in Himself (not Israel) He might make the two (Jews and Gentiles) into one new man," (Ephesians 2:15)

Together with the remnant of Israel who believe in Christ and are saved by grace through faith, we who are Gentiles are now one new man in Christ! 

         I will end with this reference to Colossians 2 where Paul said exactly the same thing not to allow the Judaizers to influence or impose their practices on the Gentile believers. 

         It has never been an alignment with Israel, but with Christ, for such is the gospel of our salvation by grace through faith that Paul has preserved for us after the Council of Jerusalem.