A few brief observations of a Jewish Christian…

By: Kiel W. Spelts

I was talking with some friends the other day and we got on the topic of the Church and Christianity. They asked me what is it like to be Jew and a Christian?  This brought on a rush of thoughts like, Is faith in Christ any different for me than anyone else in the body of Christ? Is there solidarity between Christians and Jews?  If so what does that look like?  There is a lot Jews and Christians share – one thing we share is ancestry.  In Genesis 12:3, God tells Abraham (Abram at the time) in the end of that verse “… and in you all the nations of the world shall be blessed.” So what we see here is the first allusion to God setting up his covenant people, but also we see a foreshadowing of not just future Israel being blessed, but all nations being blessed by the salvation to come in Yeshua (Jesus). And again, in the next chapter (13:16) God compares Abraham’s descendants to the dust of the earth, not only does this come to pass as the nation of Israel grew, but now also includes those who are in Christ. And these themes are also repeated in other parts of the story of Abraham.

Another thing both Gentiles and Jews share is a need for Christ. I’d like to emphasize this much more than I would ancestry.  Paul states in Romans 1:16 that the Gospel “is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also the Greek.”  He also goes on to say in Romans 10:12, “for there is NO distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.” Even more than we share in ancestory – we share in our common need for Christ.

In this day and age there is a divine call as well as an earthly call for these 3 things to be seen, but then that touched. We live in a culture that denies absolutes, except the absolutes we can see. We need to seek God, and find ways to make these words..well more then just words, more then theological ideas. It’s time to stop treating scripture as something just to be observed and studied, it was ment to be lived.

so In conclusion if someone asked me to sum up these few words with just one I would have to say Movement would be that word, but not just movement in our own strength and wisdom, but as I said earlier movement  grounded in Christ. A faith with feet. A theology of movement.

here is what some of my friends have say check ‘em out!

Jeff Goins — Faith, Hope, and Love in the 21st Century: a Manifesto?

Matt Snyder — Faith, Hope, and Love: Expressed in Simplicity

Taylor Phillips – These Three Remain

John Sylvest – I’ve Already Got Truth, Beauty, & Goodness! Why Bother with Faith, Hope & Love?

  In these next few sentences I’m going to talk about the function and role  of sufferings in A believers life and the Church universal. One of the products of Biblical suffering is-Unity- in the body. The apostle Paul says  something about this in  1st Corinthians 12:26 when wrting about “the body of Christ”. ( starting in verse 25) “that there maybe no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.(v26) If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored then all rejoice together.” Paul also says in 2nd Corinthians 1:6-8 “if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted  it is for  your comfort, which you  experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken for we know as you share in our sufferings you will also share in our comfort.”-What can be summed up from these verses is that suffering, in a Biblical context, will produce unity and a sense of sharing. Paul uses the illustration of a body in the previous verses to illustrate unity in suffering, allow me  to use the analogy of smashing your finger with A hammer. The finger isn’t in anguish by itself by itself, it can’t actually scream in pain, it can’t become light headed, but even something like a smashed finger is exerpianced by the whole body. Just like no one in the body of Christ should have to suffer alone, but like the human bodies we have, the whole Body of Christ should experience it and pull through it.

The 2nd thing that comes of suffering or 2 things rather, (the 2 go hand and hand) are joy and hope. In Romans 5:3-5 the apostle  paul writes “more then that we rejoicein our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character and character produces hope and hope does not put to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts  through  the Holy spirit who has been given to us.”  what is very intresting here is that the apostle says “rejoice” which as defined means according to Merriam-webster dictionary means ” to feel joy or great delight” , so essentialy what he is saying be happy when the bank account is in the red, be glad when the doctor finds a mass in your brain, rejoice in your suffering! We as believers have a hope in our trial, not necessarily that God may divinely fix your bank account , or heal your loved one’s Cancer or yoursfor that matter, But that your suffering is producing Joy & Hope! Hope in Christ, who is Oh so familiar with suffering. Isaiah said concerning his suffering the 53rd chapter verse 11 “Out of the anguish of  his soul  he shall see and be satisified. By his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant , make many to be accounted righteous and he shall bear their iniquities.

In the presence of suffering  we have A unshakeable Joy & Hope in Christ.

But I am going to start off this series with my view on eternal security,  A term that leaves a bad taste in about  %99 of evangelical churches in America…CALVINISM!!!! dun…dun…dunnnnn.  I’d like to start off by familiarizing you with something called the doctrines of grace A.K.A the TULIP acrostic

T-total depravity- (also called total inability and total corruption)

is a theological doctrine that derives from the Augustinian concept of original sin. It is the teaching that, as a consequence of the Fall of Man, every person born into the world is enslaved to the service of sin and, apart from the efficacious or prevenient grace of God, is utterly unable to choose to follow God or choose to accept salvation as it is freely offered. – (Wikapedia)

mankind is utterly tainted by sin that we have no hope of picking God on our own power because even our “free Will” is tainted by the evil of original sin. How Could a corrupt and filthy in finite being such as ourselves ever Chose A infinite and Holy God? We can’t unless God in his grace draws us to him by the power of the Holy Spirit With the preaching of the Gospel, through the miracle of Regeneration .

U- Unconditional election- “ before God created the world, he chose to save some people according to his own purposes and apart from any conditions related to those persons . (Calvin)

Look at this as a follow up to the “T” in TULIP. this is how the filthy, corrupt, finite beings come to know a infinite and Holy God. We have no hope of picking him in our own power, but as is stated by Calvin himself he chose to save some. I herd a good analogy “we are all a bunch of dirty rocks, God just reached down and picked a few of us up”. we don’t know why….like the apostle Paul says in Romans 9:15-16 “For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.”  and again in Romans 9:22-24-”What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory – even us whom he has called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?”  -just to name a few. I spent a little more time on this  because some people tend to have a problem with this letter in particular. lost of folks want to call this “once saved always saved” and think we use this as an excuse to keep on sinning and live like wild-no-that is not what that means, yes the believe is still prone to sin but we will not DESIRE to do so, the regenerate heart longs for the things of God and will seek those out.

L- or definite atonement or particular redemption – The doctrine states that Jesus Christ’s substitutionary atonement on the cross is limited in scope to those who are predestined unto salvation and its primary benefits are not given to all of humanity but rather just believers.

here’s another letter of contention for people. as Christ himself states in numerous passages, one in particular -  John 10:14-15  “¹⁴I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.”  and he goes on to say in verse 28 of the same chapter ” I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. “  just to quote some of them.

I-  Irresistible Grace or  efficacious grace – the saving grace of God is effectually applied to those whom He has determined to save (the elect) and, in God’s timing, overcomes their resistance to obeying the call of the gospel, bringing them to a saving faith in Christ.

Romans 8:28,30- ” (v28) “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for⁾those who are called according to his purpose. ” later on in the chapter Paul says in verse 30  ” And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. ” these are just two verses that support this letter , and if you want more, just e-mail me and I will get you more if you have any questions.    those whom Jesus died for (the elect) will come to saving faith in Christ! plain and simple. at God’s appointed time.

P- Perseverance of the saints-  is the doctrine that teaches that none who are of the elect can fall away from the faith and will persevere to the end.

John 6:35-37 “  ³⁵Jesus said to them,  “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. ³⁶But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. ³⁷ All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. Jesus says right here that whoever comes to him “will never be cast out.” meaning that those who have are destined to saving faith will never be “cast out”, but will through the power of the Holy spirit will endure to the end! again you could tac the old phrase “once saved always saved” to this but that is a shoty & crude definition at best, it’s not a license to keep on sinning but all of this is contingent upon a believers regenerated nature, and leaning towards the things of God, also like I said before while the believer may still have his struggles with sin, he will persevere through them into salvation.

I hope this helps to dis-spell some nasty misconceptions people would have towards Calvinism and that i have properly clarified the scriptural basis for this belief as always with all my posts if you have any questions or just want to talk about this post of any of the others feel free to drop me a line! thanks for reading!-KWVS

Or how about the fact that we have this stereotype that all good Christians vote republican and have an elephant sticker right next to the Jesus fish on the back of there car, and anyone who goes to church and voted for Barack Obama should be excommunicated or burnt at the stake or both.

Well allow me to say that I know alot of brothers and sisters in the body who aren’t republicans. Like me, for one, I am signed up as a democrat but think like a independent. I once heard a conservative friend of mine say ” I don’t see how it’s possible for a person to be a Christian and a democrat.” or shall i talk about the countless Facebook updates and groups, bumper stickers, derogatory protest signs and “tea parties”- all of which take perfectly sensible people and make them sound like children in a name calling match out on some play ground or sore losers.

Don’t get me wrong I hate being classified. I do my best to take an Irenic approach to all things, but I can’t stand by and watch the Lord’s church be taken down and turned into a political faction. With groups like Christian Coalition, Key Life Network and not to mention church after church that becomes a “beacon for political truth and clarity”, it’s no wonder the church  in America is A joke.

I think it’s pretty sad that when a person says that they are believer people will think of there political affiliation before there identity with Christ and his gospel. like I said earlier I usually try to maintain a Irenic stand point, I hate pointing fingers but in this case blame needs to be placed. I blame politicians for this, they have taken there agendas and imposed it on the mission of the church.

Now my problem is not with political activism and people being believers, my problem is with people separating the two. we are suppost to reflect Christ in all things. like the apostle Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians “so weather you eat or drink..do it unto the glory of God.” We as believers need to stay above all the pointless fluff of politics, while not all of it is pointless a vast majority of it is. We need to practice our activism with our theology in mind, we need to keep in mind it doesn’t matter who is in office Christ is still king, he rose from the dead and he’s coming back, it doesn’t matter if Barack is in office or not.

The book of Daniel says that God gives the kingdom of the world to whom HE picks, so im pretty sure He wasn’t in heaven sweating and stressing on the night of November 8th 2008. So in closing involvement in politics isn’t wrong when your a believer, just don’t separate the 2. Be political with your theology in mind, vote your convictions, not your party.