For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” Rom 1:16-17
Did you read that?
It’s for the “Jew first”!
Then it tacks on “and also for the Greek”.I don’t like to believe things just because of tradition!
Many of our beliefs stem from simply what we have been taught over and over through Sunday school, VBS, and preaching.
Don’t get me wrong, many of those teachings are solidly based in God’s word.
But many are proven by the words, “that’s just what I’ve always heard!”
I believe that the present Christian church’s main problem is not being Jewish.
If we were then we would have a tie to many of the basic tenets of Christianity.
We tend to think that the Gospel, the Holy Spirit, and the Church is all about us [Gentiles], but it was given to the Jew first.
The first ones to have the Holy Spirit and those first converts were all Jewish.
Christianity was considered a Jewish religion until the household of Cornelius was saved.
We cannot be satisfied with the idea that “I’m saved and satisfied!”
We must study to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 2:15) and that includes the Old Testament, not just for historical significance or cutesy Bible stories for children, but as a genuine, diligent examination of God’s word.
Have you read what the book of Romans says about our relationship into Christianity?
For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.
You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. Rom 11:16-25
This is why I believe the remaining 3 Jewish feasts are so important!
But it seems that a vast majority of the Christian church has not taken the time to look at what the scripture has said.
I know, I was once one of them!