Modern Day Rejection of Heritage

by Randy Maugans

This article is excerpted from the Threshing Floor document, “The Church and Israel In Prophecy”, a 15 page doctrinal position paper I wrote in 2008. It is available as a free PDF document here.

“As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.” Romans 9:13

“Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.”- Hebrews 12:16

The modern Evangelical Christian church embraces, consciously or subconsciously, the heretical notion of “dispensationalism”—the doctrine which states God is not finished with physical Israel, by the misreading of certain texts which seem to imply a separate work at the end of the age.

“And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob…” -Romans 11:26

This text, used continuously by many Evangelical teachers, would appear to infer some future work of deliverance by God toward physical Israel (a dispensation), especially when grafted to other verses in both testaments that foretell the redemption of Israel. Many prophetic expectations of the end of the age tribulation describe a work God will do through a final testing, holocaust, persecution…etc. that will lead to a receiving of the Gospel by the Jewish people.

This inference is based upon numerous doctrines superimposed on the scriptures by the work of Cyrus.I.Scofield in the Oxford University-funded Scofield Reference Bible. That text, funneled through seminaries and Bible schools in the early 20th century, created the means by which scripture could be interpreted in a manner as to present this expectation of salvation to physical Israel and the Jewish people.

Even Christians who seem to understand their heritage in Christ unwittingly buy into the mechanics of dispensational thought by using the terms implied by the doctrine. When one returns back to the core teachings of Christ and Paul it will become apparent that what Paul articulates throughout Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews is NOT part of some “invisible dispensation”, but fulfilled prophecy that was to be received under the banner of the finished work of Christ on the Cross:

“I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.”- John 17:4

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”- Romans 1:16

We cannot ignore the principle of precedence inherent in Paul’s text here. To understand this conclusion of this thought we move down in the text to the next verses:

Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written,  The just shall live by faith. 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. {in them: or, to them}

20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that  they are without excuse:  21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

While Paul would labor endlessly to preach the Gospel to the Jews, he was convicted that they were “without excuse”. Why? The precedence of order by which God revealed Himself through His Son is clearly articulated by Christ:

“But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of  Israel.”- Matthew 15:24

As a race and as the, until then chosen of God, Israel had now seen their God in the flesh as the Lord Jesus Christ—the Messiah. Jerusalem and her priests rejected Christ and uttered the very curse which removed their racial claim forever:

“Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.”- Matthew 27:25

They traded Messiah for Barabbas—their birthright for a bowl of cold soup. This is the “Esau Effect” which moved the ministry of the Gospel from a racial/religious construct called Israel into a broader movement that would include all “peoples, nations, tongues, and tribes”. This was prophesied by the ancient writers:

“But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for  all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted.”-Ezekiel 3:7

“And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.”- Isaiah 11:10

The rejection of Christ before Pilate completed the course which physical Israel had taken. The blood curse would break the physical covenant and release the Gospel to the Gentiles. Salvation, which was of the Jews (John 4:22) would now pass to a broader spiritual covenant which did NOT “replace” Israel, but transferred the birthright to all who accepted the “terms and conditions” of the new covenant.