Topical Bible: The Jews: Gentiles Made One With, Under the Gospel

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Topical Encyclopedia

The relationship between Jews and Gentiles is a significant theme in the New Testament, particularly in the context of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel heralds a new covenant, one that transcends ethnic and cultural boundaries, uniting Jews and Gentiles into one body through faith in Christ.

Biblical Foundation

The Apostle Paul, in his epistles, articulates the theological basis for the inclusion of Gentiles into the covenant community. In Ephesians 2:11-22, Paul addresses the Gentile believers, reminding them of their previous status as "excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise" (Ephesians 2:12). However, through the sacrificial death of Christ, those who were once "far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ" (Ephesians 2:13).

Paul further explains that Christ Himself is "our peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility" (Ephesians 2:14). This passage highlights the reconciliation between Jews and Gentiles, achieved through the cross, creating "one new man out of the two" (Ephesians 2:15). The unity of Jews and Gentiles is not merely a social or political arrangement but a profound spiritual reality established by Christ.

Theological Implications

The inclusion of Gentiles into the people of God is a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies and promises. The prophet Isaiah foresaw a time when the nations would come to the light of Israel (Isaiah 60:3). The Gospel, therefore, is the realization of God's plan to bless all nations through the seed of Abraham (Genesis 12:3).

In Romans 11, Paul uses the metaphor of an olive tree to describe the relationship between Jews and Gentiles. The Gentiles, likened to wild olive shoots, have been grafted into the cultivated olive tree, sharing in the nourishing sap of the olive root (Romans 11:17). This imagery underscores the continuity of God's redemptive plan and the unity of His people.

Practical Outworking

The early church grappled with the practical implications of this theological truth. The Jerusalem Council, as recorded in Acts 15, addressed the question of whether Gentile converts should be required to observe the Mosaic Law. The council, guided by the Holy Spirit, concluded that salvation is through the grace of the Lord Jesus, for both Jews and Gentiles (Acts 15:11).

Paul's epistle to the Galatians further emphasizes that in Christ, "there is neither Jew nor Greek" (Galatians 3:28), affirming the equal standing of all believers before God. This unity is not a negation of cultural or ethnic identities but a call to transcend them in the body of Christ.

Conclusion

The Gospel's unifying power is a testament to the transformative work of Christ, breaking down barriers and creating a new community of faith. This unity is a foretaste of the eschatological vision where people from every tribe, tongue, and nation worship together before the throne of God (Revelation 7:9). The church, as the body of Christ, is called to live out this reality, demonstrating the reconciling power of the Gospel to a divided world.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Acts 10:15,28
And the voice spoke to him again the second time, What God has cleansed, that call not you common.
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Acts 15:8,9
And God, which knows the hearts, bore them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did to us;
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Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
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Ephesians 2:14-16
For he is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
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Library

The Gospel was Preached to Jews and Gentiles in Hades.
... For God is not only Lord of the Jews, but of all ... Thou hast made known to me the paths
of life, Thou ... people; he also who is converted from the Gentiles, who was ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter vi the gospel was preached.htm

On the Church of the New Testament, or under the Gospel
... both antecedently that a place may be made for this ... wall of partition which formerly
separated the gentiles from the ... of the greater part of the Jews, as they ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 2/disputation lii on the church.htm

Jew and Gentile
... among ignorant and superstitious people who made frequent sacrifices ... Again, the Gentiles
were accustomed to eat the ... has been strangled, while the Jews had been ...
/.../white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 19 jew and gentile.htm

Jews and Gentiles in "The Land"
... There was only one feeling common to all ... know what separation Pharisaical Jews made
between themselves and ... festival all transactions with Gentiles were forbidden ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/chapter 2 jews and gentiles.htm

Faustus Argues that if the Apostles Born under the Old Covenant ...
... not broken off, like the carnal unbelieving Jews, remain still ... less in the wild olive
of the Gentiles, because you ... himself as set free, when he made the happy ...
/.../faustus argues that if the.htm

Heralds of the Gospel
... tidings," the apostle continued, "how that the promise which was made unto the ... "When
the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that ...
/.../white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 17 heralds of the.htm

On the Words of the Gospel, Matt. viii. 8, "I am not Worthy that ...
... of teeth." And so we see the Jews reprobate, and ... say, that I should worship the gods
of the Gentiles. ... Consider for how great a price was the purchase made. ...
/.../sermons on selected lessons of the new testament/sermon xii on the words.htm

On the Words of the Gospel, Matt. xxi. 19, Where Jesus Dried up ...
... Because she has called the Jews from one side, and the Gentiles from another, and
these two walls as ... For, "He is our peace, who hath made both one." [2974]. ...
/.../sermons on selected lessons of the new testament/sermon xxxix on the words.htm

The Angel of the Everlasting Gospel.
... the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to ... When the Jews contradicted
and blasphemed, "Paul and Barnabas ... life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles," Acts 13 ...
/.../bliss/a brief commentary on the apocalypse/the angel of the everlasting.htm

How Christ is the Way in General, "I am the Way. "
... are restored again to friendship with God, and made one with him; for Christ the
Mediator hath "made both one, reconciling Jews and Gentiles both unto ...
/.../brown/christ the way the truth and the life/chapter iii how christ is.htm