Tag: Israelology

Israel, the Church, and the Plan of God: Why Distinctions Matter

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1.) “True Jews” are those who have been circumcised not only the flesh but also in the heart (Deut. 10:16, 30:6; Rom. 2:28-29).

2.) The “True Israel” or the “Israel of God” is made up of only believing Jews (i.e., the remnant) (Gal. 6:16).

3.) The “True Israelite” is Jesus, one of Abraham’s seeds (Gen. 22:18; Gal. 3:16).

4.) Abraham’s spiritual offspring/seed are those who have like-faith and do his deeds (John 8:37-39; Gal. 3:7-9, 29).

5.) There are 4 seeds of Abraham and 2/4 are non-soteriological, but still have to be harmonized with our theology. For more information see: https://tms.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/tmsj25d.pdf

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‘Israel’ According to Paul

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Featured Blog: Selwin Christian

It is often said that if you want to understand a clear distinction in Israel and Church terminology Pauline letters are a wonderful insight, particularly Romans. When I first came across the Covenantal idea of Church and Israel, I was bewildered by the fact that this idea would affect not just new testament reading, but Old testament reading. And I came about reading Romans 11, and that was the final knell to my struggle in understanding this issue. I do not know how any scholar would come to the conclusion that the Church is equal to Israel after reading this chapter. Let me go through short and small interpretive insights that help us to understand this ever-debated issue. Grammatical structure is so clear in this chapter that there is no other way to understand this chapter differently. I will not be going into big commentary since this topic is huge to deal with in the blog. I am considering few linch-pin clauses to latch onto,

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Common Misconceptions About Dispensationalism

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If you’re a Dispensationalist, like me, then I am sure you’re beginning to become all too familiar with common misconceptions/myths leveled against our theology. It seems nowadays that all I do on social media is correct misconceptions about our position.

In this blog article I will attempt to once and for all correct several misconceptions that the opposition makes about our theology.

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Is the Church Israel?

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Featured Blog – Jim McClarty

My dear brother and fellow Dispensationalist Jim McClarty is being featured today in his article “Is the Church Israel.”

Jim and I connected through a Facebook group called: “Calvinist Dispensationalists, Unite.” Jim and I began crossing paths more and more as we began tackling some of the more modern criticisms of Dispensationalism coming from the likes of Apologia.

Jim is an excellent source and I pray that this article that he has shared with me for your benefit will help you understand what makes Dispensationalism stand alone from other positions. Is the Church Israel? The answer is no!

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Israel’s Future – An Exegetical Analysis of Romans 11:1-36

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Here is my exegetical analysis of Romans 11:1-36. It is my hope to demonstrate the future plan of God regarding ethnic Israel, and that God has not and will not forget about them. Ethnic Israel still has a future in God’s decree, and this passage breaks down that plan.

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The Millennial Temple – An Exegetical Analysis of Ezekiel 40-48

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As a Dispensationalist I believe that Ezekiel 40-48 forms an incredibly important foundation for solidifying the future for Israel. Ezekiel paints a clear picture that the people of Israel will once again be restored to their former state in the future (Ezekiel 36-39) and with that the restoration of the Davidic Dynasty led by Christ himself. Also, the reestablishment of the temple (Ezekiel 40-48) and the return of the Lord and his Shekinah Glory (Ezekiel 43).

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If You Bear The Name Jew – An Exegetical Analysis of Romans 2:17-29

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Check out my newly formatted exegetical analysis of Romans 2:17-29. I have attempted to defend the categorical distinction here between Jew and Gentile as Covenant theologians often appeal to this text in defence of the blurring of Jews and Gentiles. This belief comes from isolating vs. 28-29 and ignoring the context of Paul’s message to the Jews. Hence the title “If You Bear The Name Jew”.

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The Israel of God – An Exegetical Analysis of Galatians 6:15-16

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Here is my exegetical analysis examining another common proof text used by Covenant Theologians. This text is often “assumed” to mean that Gentiles and Jews are both referred to as the “Israel of God”. There is no good reason to include Gentiles in the term “Israel of God” as that merely makes the words “Israel” and “Gentiles” mean something other than there normal usage. In my exegesis I hope to show and explain the proper rendering of the text.

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Israel is not the Church!

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One thing that you may hear often from Covenant Theologians is “the True Israel of God is the Church” and while an assertion may sound initially convincing, an evaluation of the textual evidence leads one to a different conclusion. Because the Covenant Theologian engages in “oversimplification” they end up blurring together two completely separate categories. Let me demonstrate the proper understanding of Israel and the Church below in a diagram.

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