The Abrahamic Covenant, by Dr. George B. Fletcher, Ch. 16

    

Chapter XVI

    
THE NEW HUMANITY - ONE NEW MAN

    
     Under the Old Covenant there was a "middle wall of partition" between the Jew and the Gentile; under the New Covenant this partition has been "broken down" and completely done away forever! Now there is no difference as to guilt (Rom. 3:9, 23), or as to salvation (Rom. 10:12, 13), between these two great segments of humanity. Galatians 3:22 -- "The Scripture hath concluded ALL (both Jew and Gentile} under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them (Jew or Gentile} that believe." And again, Romans 11:32 -- "God hath concluded them ALL (Jew and Gentile) in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon ALL (Jew and Gentile)." These two great divisions of humanity now stand on a basis of equal privilege before God in Christ: Ephesians 3:5,6 -- "which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, AS IT IS NOW REVEALED unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; THAT THE GENTILES SHOULD BE FELLOW HEIRS, AND OF THE SAME BODY, AND PARTAKERS OF HIS PROMISE IN OIRIST BY THE GOSPEL."
    
     Yea, more -- God's purpose in breaking down the middle wall of partition is to make both (Jew and Gentile) ONE (in Christ), for "to make in Himself' (Christ) of TWAIN (Jew and Gentile) ONE NEW MAN". This ONENESS and UNITY is fully expressed in Ephesians 2:11-?2. There is one PEACE, one PEOPLE, one NEW MAN, one BODY, one SPIRIT, one FATHER, one COMMONWEALTH, one HOUSEHOLD, one FOUNDATION, one HOLY TEMPLE, one VINE, one ELECTION OF GRACE, and one GOOD OLIVE TREE. God is creating by the miracle of free mercy and sovereign grace a NEW HUMANITY, or NEW CREATION. Ephesians 1:10 -- "That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him." It was necessary that the law of command­ments" should be abolished, cancelled, utterly done away and the "middle wall of partition" be broken down before peace could be made and a NEW HUMANITY created. The first humanity or old creation was physical (Gen. 2:18); the new humanity or new creation is spiritual (2 Cor. 5:17).
In the old creation, God created the house first, and then the tenant to occupy the house; but in the new creation, He is creating the ONE NEW MAN first, and then the NEW HEAVENS AND NEW EARTH, -- their eternal home. The ONE NEW MAN (Eph. 2:15) as God's NEW CREATION (2 Cor. 5:17) is His workmanship (Eph. 2:10), and is the true Israel of God. Galatians 6:15, 16 -- "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision (point to the Jew) availeth anything, nor uncircumcision (pointing to the Gentile), but a NEW CREATURE. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the ISRAEL OF GOD." That this phrase "the Israel of God" refers to the
Church is evident in the light of Romans 9: 6-8: -- "For they are not all Israel which are of Israel; neither, be­cause they are the seed of Abraham, are· they all children: but, in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these ARE NOT the children of God: but the CHILDREN OF THE PROMISE are counted for the seed." Or again, in Romans 2 :28,29: -­"For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh; But he is a Jew, which is one INWARDLY; and circumcision is that OF THE HEART, IN THE SPIRIT, AND NOT IN THE LETTER; whose praise is not of men, but of God."
    
     God's purpose in creating this NEW HUMANITY is to exhibit to the world even now a holy people zealous of good works (Titus 2:14) and to fulfill to them the "ex­ceeding great and precious promises" under the Old Cov­enant which have never yet been fulfilled; and to give to this NEW HUMANITY a NEW HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH wherein dwelleth righteousness (2 Peter 3:13; Rev. 21:1, 4). The original gospel promise preached to Abraham (Gal. 3:8) has been made good to all that are of faith down through the centuries , yea millenniums (Gal. 3:7, 9). Galatians 3:29 -- "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." The promise to make of Abraham's offspring "a great nation" (Gen. 12:2) fulfilled in the natural to his seed after the flesh was a type of the real thing intended; namely, Abraham's spiritual seed of ALL nations (whether Jew or Gentile), which latter seed only and alone are constituted a "holy nation" (1 Peter 2:9), which is the Church (compare Matt. 21:43). The promise to make his name great and a blessing (Gen. 12:2) has likewise found its fulfillment in the natural to his seed after the flesh, a type of the real thing intended fulfilled in the realm of the spiritual in his spiritual seed of faith from among ALL nations, both Jew and Gentile (Rom. 4:11,12). The promise of blessing to those that bless thee (Gen. 12:3) is made good only to those that have "inherited the promises" ( Heb. 6:12); namely, all that are of faith , that is, the church (2 Pet. 1:4). Our Lord Jesus Christ defends the Church against her enemies, and fulfills to all such his promise of judgment, namely, "I will curse him that curseth thee." The Scriptures do not teach that the Church will escape suffering and persecution, but they do teach that the Mystical Body of Christ is absolutely non-destructible; that God will defend it and that He will curse all of its enemies. Matthew 16:18 is the promise of Christ; "The gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Let it not be forgotten that the only ones that are scripturally called the "chosen people of God" are those who have been born again (John 1:12,13; 3:3, 5; Eph. 1:4,5). Thus, ALL the promises made to those that were of faith within the nation of Israel have found, are finding, and will find their perfect fulfillment in the Church, the new and spiritual Israel of God (Eph. 3:20, 21). 2 Corinthians 1:20 -- "For ALL THE PROMISES OF GOD in Him (Christ) are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God BY US." Therefore, instead of having our minds confused by all the cunningly devised Jewish fables concerning Palestine, Israeli, and the disobedient, carnal, and unbelieving Jew, let us feast in faith and hope on the gracious promises of God to His true people o:f both the Old and the New Testament, and pray· for their wonderful fulfillment in our hearts individually and in our churches with all the accompanying signs and wonders which have marked the Church of Jesus Christ (Dan. 11:32; 12:10), down through the centuries.
    
     The prophets teach us that the Messiah was ordained to destroy national Israel because of her sins (Dan. 9:24- 27; Isa. 5:1-7; compare Matt. 21:33-46), and to give the spiritual REMNANT a NEW NAME: The Lord God shall slay thee and call His servants by another name" (Isa. 65:15). In the New Testament we find the :fulfillment of this prophecy: "The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch" (Acts 11:26). We quote Saint Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem in the fourth century, who wrote the following on Isaiah 65:15:­­
    
     "Jesus Christ being the Son of God gave us the dignity of
     being called Christians. But some will say, the name of
     'Christian' is new, and v1as not in use a:foretime; the new-
     fashioned phrases are often objected to on the score of
     strangeness. The prophet made this point safe beforehand
     saying, 'But upon my servants shall a NEW NAME be
     called, which shall be blessed upon the earth. ' Let us
     question the Jews: Are ye servants of the Lord, or not?
     Shew then your new name. For ye were called Jews and
     Israelites in the time of Moses, and 'the other prophets,
     and after the return from Babylon, and up to the present
     time: where then is your· new name? But we, since we
     are the servants of the Lord have that NEW NAME, which
     shall be blessed upon the earth -- it is the Name of the
     Only-Begotten Son of God that is proclaimed."
     (Post Nicene Fathers, Vol. 7, pp. 61, 62).
    
     The nation Israeli, and all other Jews scattered among the nations have no prophetic destiny, except a continuance of their sad and bitter state, so long as they continue disobedient and unbelieving (Rom. 10: 19-21). Instead of Israel becoming the head of the nations in some supposed future millennial period, our Lord taught the exact opposite and declared that their LAST STATE would be worse than the first (Matt. 12:38-45). In the closing verses of the same chanter our Lord declares that the only ones who have a Spiritual, eternal, and saving relationship to Him are they that "do the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 12: 46-50). These only and alone are "his brethren" (compare Matt. 25:40); namely, Christians (Heb. 2:12-16). "Cut off" nationally, Jews individually may be grafted again into the "good olive tree" through faith in Jesus of Nazareth, as the promised Messiah, only Saviour of sinners, and the Second Person of the glorious Trinity, co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Meanwhile, Gentiles who are "wild olive branches" by nature may likewise be individually grafted into the "good olive tree" in the same way of personal faith in Christ Jesus our Lord. All that truly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ from among the Jewish people shall partake of the 11 root and fatness of the olive tree" in glorious salvation (Rom. 11:23; 2 Timothy 2:10). That, however, will give them no prophetic future as a separate group, or as a nation. They will then lose their distinct existence by absorption into the Christian Church (Gal. 3 :28; Eph. 3: 5, 6). The closed book of Israel's history as a chosen nation after the flesh in covenant relationship with God will never be reopened -- NEVER!
    
     We conclude with the words of William Brown in his article entitled "The Church and the Mystery", in the Conquering and to Conquer magazine for Nov. - Dec.1962:
    
     "I pray God that we shall be delivered from these 'Jewish
     Fables," and that, by His Spirit, He will lead us into the
     "doctrine of Christ;" which things is found, not in the
     murky mazes of Judaism, or in the carnal ideology of
     Zionism, nor indeed in Dispensationalism, or Anglo-
     Israelism, their modern bedfellows, but in the pure un-
     mingled Word of God wherein are to be found the
     precious treasures of Apostolic Christianity. Oh for the
     holy boldness to taice upon our lips the great truths of
     Romans and Galatians, and as with a trumpet herald them
     far and wide to a bewildered and well nigh bewitched
     Christendom! God have mercy on us who profess to glory
     in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ should we continue
     to hold a place for that which it so violently condemns; or
     build again those things it so utterly and eternally
     destroyed! Amen.