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The Spiritual Life Lesson 14 - Israel, the Church, Divine Institutions
- 2024/12/08
- 再生時間： 1 時間 1 分
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あらすじ・解説
Israel and the Church Israel and the church are distinct. Israel is a special nation that was created by God Himself. The Lord said of Israel, “I am the LORD, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King” (Isa 43:15). This makes Israel unique among all the nations of the world. He even calls Israel, “My glory” (Isa 46:13). God loves Israel, declaring, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have drawn you with lovingkindness” (Jer 31:3). God is eternal and His love is eternal, which means it never fades for His people, Israel. To possess the love of God is to love that which He loves. One cannot claim to have God’s love, and simultaneously hate Israel, His chosen people.[1] Today, we observe demonically inspired hatred and attacks against Israelites. But there is no place for anti-Semitism in the heart of anyone, especially the Christian! According to Lewis S. Chafer, “When the Christian loves with a divine compassion he will acknowledge what God loves. Therefore, he too must love Israel.”[2] Satan hates God and His chosen people, Israel. Satan and his demonic forces are behind all forms of antisemitism, and if he had his way, all Jews would be destroyed. God, who loves Israel with an everlasting love, continues to keep His Word to them. Israel has a future hope because of the promises and covenants God made through the patriarchs and prophets (Gen 12:1-3; 15:18; 17:8; Deut 30:1-10; 2 Sam 7:16; Psa 89:33-37; Jer 31:31-33). Though unbelieving Israel is currently under divine discipline (Matt 23:37-39), God’s covenants and promises are still in effect (Rom 9:1-5), and will remain in force until Jesus returns and is accepted as their Messiah. Furthermore, it is wrong to think the church has replaced Israel, for “God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew” (Rom 11:2), even though there is a “partial hardening” among them until Messiah returns (Rom 11:25). Until then, unbelieving Israel is under spiritual darkness and divine judgment. The apostle Paul—a biological Jew himself—revealed that God’s promises and covenants are still valid for Israel, and wished all would come to faith in Christ. Paul spoke of Israel as “my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen” (Rom 9:3-5). Though Israel is currently under divine discipline (Matt 23:37-38), God has a future for His people and national Israel will be restored. Paul tells us, “A partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so, all Israel will be saved” (Rom 11:25b-26a). Our duty is to view Israel as God does: as His chosen people (Gen 12:1–3; Deut 10:15) and as “beloved for the sake of the fathers” (Rom 11:28b). This does not mean we endorse all of Israel’s actions, but we recognize them as a special people chosen by God, with a divinely ordained future, and we “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psa 122:6a). The Christian church is distinct from Israel and Gentiles, and was a mystery not revealed in the OT (Eph 3:4-6; 5:32; Col 1:24-27). The church, which is the body of Christ (Eph 1:22-23), is a company of believers, from Jews and Gentiles (1 Cor 10:32), who have been spiritually united with Christ by means of the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation (1 Cor 12:13; Gal 3:26-28). The church began on the day of Pentecost, in Acts 2. The primary purpose of the church is to glorify God (Eph 1:12; 3:21; cf. Rom 11:36; 16:27). Other purposes of the church include evangelizing the lost (Matt 28:18-20), edifying believers through biblical teaching so they might advance to spiritual maturity (Eph 4:11-16; 1 Pet 2:2), praying for one another (Jam 5:16), and showing love (John 13:34). Once the church is caught up to heaven at the rapture (John 14:1-3; 1 Th 4:13-18), God will resume His plan with national Israel and fulfill all the promises made to them through the covenants (Rom 9:1-5; 11:1-2; 25-27).[3] Divine Institutions for Humanity The concept of divine institutions refers to foundational structures established by God to ensure order and stability within human society. Biblically, these institutions include: 1) individual responsibility, 2) marriage, 3) family, 4) human government, and 5) nationalism. Each of these divine institutions serve a unique purpose in promoting a stable and flourishing society. Robert B. Thieme Jr. states, “These institutions apply to believers and unbelievers—regardless of race, gender, or any other factor—and are ordained by God to restrain the sin nature and protect human freedom.”[4] Understanding and promoting these institutions allow us to align with God’s plan for the human race and to ...