The Roots of WARSKYL, 4

Continued from "The Roots of WARSKYL, 3"

In my previous post, I said that the Kingdom of God is itself a civilization which transforms and draws into itself any and all cultures as they submit to Christ. If you look in the New Testament, you can see this principle in operation.

A major issue in Acts and the Epistles centers on whether or on what basis Hebrew believers in Christ would accept Gentile believers. The problem arose because some Christians of Jewish origin saw the Messiah as an ethnic and racial Savior.

The Apostle Paul addressed those inclined to racial exclusivism as follows:

Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee. . . . (Php 3:4-5)

He then discounts his elitist credentials by saying, "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ." (Php 3:7) He further taught that, on the basis of their union with Christ, all believers from every ethnicity are the seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:29).

Paul's letter to Ephesus also makes the point that all believers share the common heritage of Israel under the New Covenant:

Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. . . . Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God. (Eph 2:11-13)

This concept did not fly well with all the people in all the churches. I hope to cover that in another post.