Gentiles are referred to throughout the pages of the Bible, especially in the New Testament. Sometimes when Jesus mentioned them to his Jewish audience, it is assumed by the modern-day reader that he was just referring to unbelieving heathens. The meaning of the word gets more specific in the original language ... a Gentile is defined as a non-Jewish person—which would be over 99% of the world. The reason they were considered heathens and unclean from a Jewish perspective wasn't just because they were viewed as sinners, but were "covenant outsiders." At one point before the cross, Jesus sent out his disciples and told them to avoid going to Gentiles (and Samaritans). Certainly Jesus wouldn't tell them to avoid unbelieving people—that isn't why they were sent. But the gospel was to be ministered to the lost sheep of the house of Israel first.
After the resurrection, Jesus encouraged the disciples/apostles to go to the Gentiles. But that didn't really happen until years later when God came to Peter with a vision ... and Paul would eventually take the gospel to all people—with a big emphasis on Gentiles. Non-Jews were unfamiliar with the law and the promise of a Messiah, they had been without God and without hope in the world. Much to the dismay of many Jews who were clinging to the obsolete Mosaic law at that time, Gentiles would be saved in the same way as Jews—through faith in Jesus Christ, and not by a law of works.
There are thousands of works-based religions which will put an emphasis on people making promises to God and trying hard to keep them. This turns the gospel inside-out, because the good news is not based upon our good actions or our sorrows for sins. The New Covenant is based upon God’s promise to us. A promise that will never be broken by God … and a covenant that can never be broken by us.
Many beliefs found in the world of the organized Christian church are based upon certain assumptions, which in some instances, have led people down the wrong path or the wrong mindset. This is why so many traditionalists will sound the alarm and issue “grace warnings” whenever they hear about faith-based righteousness that comes apart from the law of works. It will be beneficial for us to shift to an entirely different paradigm in order to rethink many foundational teachings we’ve been bombarded with over the years. As we do this, and begin growing in our understanding of the gospel of grace, we start to see things from a fresh and new perspective. We’ll even begin to realize some of the inconsistencies and contradictions found within our (previous) belief system.
One example from this week’s program: The New Testament page, found between the books of Malachi and Matthew. The New Covenant/Testament did not begin with the birth of Jesus, but after He died. Begin to transition into realizing that much of what Jesus taught was not a new Christian teaching for believers living in a New Covenant, but was ministry aimed at the Jewish people who were still under the law. They were without life, and in a hopeless situation living under the command. They needed something new. They needed Jesus to do the will of God and fulfill the law on their behalf.
During this week's program we mentioned the twenty-part Growing in Grace podcast series that we'd recorded a couple of years ago entitled "Why Jesus Taught Two Covenants." In that series we (obviously) went into much more detail on Jesus' ministry to the Jews who were under the Old Covenant. Here's a link to Part 1 of that series in case you're interested in listening to it. (Then click on "Newer Post" to hear each subsequent part of the series).
When God gave Israel the law through Moses, and the Jews agreed to keep those many commands established in the Old Covenant, it was meant only for that race and nation who would be called God’s people at that time. The law had never been given to us Gentiles, who were considered unclean, far off and separated from God without a covenant. After the New Covenant was established by Jesus Christ, Gentiles were coming to God by faith in Jesus, and the leadership from the church in Jerusalem agreed that Gentiles would not need to be troubled or burdened with what their fathers had been unable to bear under that heavy and impossible law. Plus, the Jews who had been under the law were made free from it, and became dead to it as they married another and became the bride of Christ. You can’t live by something that doesn’t give life. That’s why the old way had to be removed completely and replaced with a better covenant.
It is a dangerous doctrine to assume Jesus was usually ministering a message directed at future believers who would be under the New Covenant. Jesus came to proclaim a message for Israelites first, not to those of us who were born as (non-Jewish) Gentiles. He was born under the law to redeem those who were under the law. Righteousness was never meant to be attained by the commandments, but to be received freely as an heir. On this week's podcast, we look at a few more instances of Jesus ministering to these people who were under the first covenant.
In part 10 of our series, we take a look at something Jesus stated about forgiveness. He said people should pray they will be forgiven as they forgive others. After the prayer, Jesus said they would be forgiven for sins based upon the condition that they forgive others for their sins. This was not good news to the Jews who were listening because it was based upon their ability instead of the gift of righteousness that would come through Christ. Jesus went on to tell them about something they were ignorant about — God's righteousness. They should begin to seek this instead of trying to establish their own righteousness through the works of the law. As believers, we no longer seek this gift because we have already become His righteousness.
Jesus showed His disciples what the bottom line required when it came to trying to acquire righteousness through their works: It would demand that they be perfect. With this standard being taught, we can begin to see why many stopped following Jesus. They weren't rejecting a Christian message, but they came to realize their inability to meet the standard of perfection the law required in those commandments. Jesus did not always minister the good news gospel to His Jewish audience, but there was a purpose as to why He did this.
As Jesus continues ministering the law to His Jewish disciples during the Sermon on the Mount, we find some peculiar statements that seemed to make keeping the law something that was impossible. People often wonder just exactly what Jesus meant by cutting off body parts in order to avoid sin. It's not rocket science. Jesus meant what he said as He ministered the Old Covenant law in order to help them realize the hopeless position they were under at that time.
During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus had a purpose of revealing to His disciples what the law truly required in order to attain righteousness. He was ultimately teaching that it would be futile for them to maintain the standard it demanded in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. Religion will try to make this out to be a new Christian teaching that Jesus was laying before His Jewish audience, but what He was actually laying down was the law. Jesus would begin to show they needed to find a different way other than through the works of that law.
During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus was having an Old Covenant conversation with Israelites. They had been considered the salt of the earth. Those under that first covenant understood the connection between salt and the covenant, also known as the covenant of salt. In that former covenant, God found fault with the salt (the people) and salt with no flavor is good for nothing except to be thrown out. If this doesn't sound like good news, it's because it is not the gospel. By God's grace, it would be the covenant that would be tossed out instead of the people. Jesus went on to talk about the law needing to be fulfilled. He would accomplish this in us through His finished work, but first He is getting ready to show his Jewish audience how hopeless their situation was in their current state under that law.
When ministers teach a combination of the law that came through Moses and blend it with the gospel of Jesus Christ as a Christian application, it will leave people confused and often condemned. Teaching those old commandments as a way of life does not reduce sin but leads to an increase in sin. Israel was trapped in a system that could not bring life or righteousness. They needed to be shown their inability to abide by the law and be redirected to something better. Jesus is about to teach the law in a way they had never heard it before during the Sermon on the Mount. He begins with something known as the Beatitudes. These were not given to get people to try harder. These are blessings that would eventually be fulfilled by Jesus.
Part 4 in the series lays more foundation about the law and the Old Covenant and the many differences between the New Covenant which began after the death of Jesus. Most Christian teachings have assumed the commandments were meant to decrease sin, but we find just the opposite is true. It was designed to bring hopelessness and despair. Since fault was found with the people for not fulfilling their end of the agreement, God's grace and mercy would allow for the covenant to end, instead of punishing them for their sins.
