04. The Ethnic Division Principle

CHAPTER FOUR The Ethnic Division Principle (Pertaining to Races of People). a. Definition. This is the principle by which the Word of Truth is rightly divided in relation to the three classes of which it treats, e.g., the Jew, the Gentile and the Church.

1. Learn 1 Corinthians 10:32 – "Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the Church of God."

(a) God, while not a respecter of persons, is a respecter of classes.

(b) Three is the number of completeness.

(1) There are 3 in the Godhead – Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

(2) There are 3 places – Heaven, Earth and Hell.

(3) There are 3 classes – Jews, Gentiles and Church of God.

2. Explanation.

(a) The greater part of the O.T. has to do with the Jews, separated from the rest of mankind and entered into a covenant with God.

(b) The Church is the "called out assembly," and has a distinct relation to God, having received definite promises.

(c) Gentiles not so often mentioned, but are found in both Old Testament and New Testament. Sometimes called the heathen, or the nations.

(d) In the beginning, from Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 11:9 we have the united race, one people, one language. From Genesis 11:10 through the Gospels we have the Jews primarily, with the Gentiles mentioned. In the New Testament we find the book of Acts, the book of transition, with both Jews and Church in view. In the Epistles, the Church is in view, and the Jews temporarily set aside. In Revelation the Jew is in view, with the Gentiles mentioned." b. Questions which one must ask in dividing truth:

1. Who said this?

(a) An apparent lie in the Bible.

Genesis 3:4 "Thou shalt not surely die." God is here recording the lie of Satan. Satan said this.

(b) The book of Job – It is made up of the words of Job and his friends, and at the end of the book God said, "These men spoke without knowledge." Bildad was having a kind of spiritual nightmare. Be careful in taking a text from Job.

2. To whom was it said? In many old editions of the Bible, you will find headings on the pages in which are the blessings "Spoken to or about the church;" all the unpleasant or bad things – "Spoken to or about the Jews." Isaiah addressed his book to the Jew, and did not write concerning the Church, yet many of the blessings are attributed to the Church.

3. Under what circumstances was it said?

4. This concerns whom?

(a) The Psalms were written for the comfort and blessing of all people, but there is a difference between interpretation and application.

(b) There are some things in the Old Testament which you cannot apply to yourself because they are opposite to the truth given to the Church. For example, we do not sacrifice the lamb as the Jews were commanded.

(c) Every part of the Bible was written concerning – one or the other of these three divisions. Sometimes one book will concern one group, sometimes all three, e.g., book of Romans.

Romans 8 – believers in Christ, the Church.

Romans 11:21-22 – Gentiles.

Romans 9 – Jews.

Romans 8 – To his brethren in the Spirit.

Romans 9 – To his brethren in the flesh.

Romans 11:11 – Position of the Gentiles.

Romans 11:13-25 – Warning concerning separation for Gentiles.

(d) A tree in the Bible is a type of Israel.

(1) Fig tree – Israel’s national privileges in the world.

(2) Olive tree – Israel’s religious privileges.

(3) The vine-Israel’s spiritual privileges and blessing. c. Origin of the three classes.

1. The Jew traces his ancestry to Abraham through Shem. This nation was called out and set apart by God.

2. All other nations are Gentiles. The Gentiles are descended from Japheth.

3. The third class (the Church) is the result of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. From the beginning of man, all were a united race – including both Jew and Gentile. The Jewish race was separated from the Gentiles at the time of Abraham.

4. The Church is neither Jew nor Gentile, but a new creation formed out of both – through belief in Christ and Calvary’s Cross.

5. Ancestry of each division.

(a) Jews traced to Abraham.

(b) Gentiles traced to Adam.

(c) Church traced to Christ, the last Adam.

6. The Jews are the chosen race through which all nations are blessed. d. Comparative position of Jews, Gentiles, and Church.

1. The Jews – Romans 9:4-5. The book of Romans considers first the whole race – the Jews, the Gentiles, and the Church, giving information about each.

(a) To the Israelites pertains the adoption. This means Israel in the O. T. adopted as God’s people from among all the other nations. They became God’s peculiar people, and sometimes are called "His Son," meaning the whole nation.

(b) To them belongs the Glory.

(1) The Shekinah cloud of glory led them out of Egypt. No other nation can claim such direction of God.

(2) The glory was found only in the tabernacle of Israel.

(c) Also the Covenants.

(1) The greatest covenants were made with Israel and they still have these covenants – Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic.

(2) Ephesians 2:3 – the Gentiles are "Strangers to the covenant. God gave the law to Israel, not to the Gentiles – Romans 2:14.

(d) The Law. The law which God gave to Israel set them apart from all other peoples and became a partition, a wall of separation. The Sabbath was the sign to Israel that God was their deliverer.

(e) The Service. No other nation had a tabernacle, and no other nation had a Day of Atonement.

(f) The Promises.

(1) The promise of a Saviour was to the Jews.

Christ came to the circumcision. He was a Jew, and appeared as a Jew.

(2) Isaiah said, "Unto us a child is horn, unto us a Son is given."

Child – meaning His humanity, was horn.

Son – meaning His divinity, was given.

(3) Jonah said, "Salvation is of the Jews."

(4) The promises were given to Abraham, the father of the race – Hebrews 7:6. He was promised a seed, meaning one.

(g) The Fathers.

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob belong to the Jews. No other nation has such divinely appointed leaders.

(h) The Son, the seed of David – Romans 1:4.

He was the seed of David, but He was also the Son of God.

(i) Salvation – John 4:22. Salvation is of the Jews.

(j) The Oracles of God – Romans 3:1-2.

(k) Reasons for God’s choice of the Jews.

(1) At the time of the confusion of tongues God dispersed a company of idolators. He called Abraham and his descendants, that they might witness to the other nations of the living God. In establishing the boundaries of the nations, He placed Israel in the center of the world so that they might witness.

(2) That they might be writers of the Scriptures. The Word of God came through the Jews. In Genesis 9:27 God said Japheth should dwell in the tents of Shem (other races). We have today the book of Japheth printed in the language of Shem, in the midst of Shem.

2. The Gentiles.

(a) God in prophecy always deals with the Jews, and includes the Gentiles only as they come in contact with the Jews.

(b) The result of this contact has been a cursing or a blessing, depending upon treatment of the Jews.

(c) Daniel is the only exception. This is a book of Gentile politics.

(d) Condition of the Gentiles – Ephesians 2:11-13.

"Without Christ, aliens from Israel, strangers to the covenants, having no hope, and without God."

Afar off from God – Ephesians 4:17-18. Romans 1.

3. The Church.

(a) The body of Christ, Who is the Head – Ephesians 1:22-23.

(1) The body is not known in the O.T.

(2) The Jews are called a nation, not a body.

(3) Began on the day of Pentecost, and will conclude with the Rapture.

(4) The church has been given a great honor, the greatest bestowed by Him. He will use the church to demonstrate His mighty grace and the magnificence of His grace – Ephesians 3.

(b) Formed of the two classes, Jew and Gentile – Ephesians 2:14-15. The wall, barrier, or partition of the law has been broken down between these two.

(c) Position of the church – Ephesians 5:29-33.

(1) Members of the Body of Christ by the baptism of the Holy Spirit, Baptism has to do with the To Body of Christ; Spirit-filling has to do with the individual members.

[a] There is no baptism of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, or in the Gospels.

[b] John the Baptist said, "When he cometh he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

[c] Baptism means introduction into a new sphere.

(d) The church is promised a spiritual blessing – Ephesians 1:3.

(1) All of God’s blessings in the Old Testament were to the nation of the Jews, and related to the earth.

(2) God’s promise to the church is that all who live godly shall suffer persecution.

4. Contrasts between the church and Israel.