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The Coming Increase of Christ in His House
Is the increase of God’s glory among the nations really the primary focus of Heaven during the Church age? If so, what are the implications for His Church? And what about Israel?
It seems that Paul made conflicting statements about his Jewish nation. First he said that even if Israel were numbered as the sand of the sea, only a remnant would be saved (Romans 9:27). Then he stated that when the fullness of the Gentiles comes in, all Israel would be saved (Romans 11:26). So which is it?
Since God would not contradict himself, both statements are obviously true. When Christ came two thousand years ago, Israel did not receive Him. Though they had indeed become as numerous as the stars and the sand (Hebrews 11:12) there was only a remnant that believed and was saved (Romans 11:5). By and large, His own did not receive Him, but as many as did so, to them He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:11-12).
But as Church history continues to progress, God is indeed bringing to fullness His work in His redeemed people among the nations.[3] And when He has fully produced that for which He has sent His Holy Spirit in order to get Israel’s attention, then her eyes will be opened, she will become jealous, and she will turn back to her God.
What a sign to the nations when God reveals himself to Israel! What rejoicing in Heaven! What grief in hell!
One main reason that Satan has inspired anti-Semitism in so many places, for so many years, is because he knows that the Jews are key in God’s plan for world redemption. Do you remember Jesus’ words to the woman at the well? He told her that while her people did not really know what they were worshiping, the Jews did. Then He uttered a most startling statement. He said, “…Salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22).
Just think about it. Today we have the Bible because of God’s interaction with the Jews. When He sent His Son to die for the sins of the world, He sent Him to Israel. Sin and hell were defeated at Calvary outside the city gates of the Jews’ capital city. Then after Jesus rose from the dead, He ascended to Heaven from Mount Olivet, a mere Sabbath day’s journey from that same city (Acts 1:12).
All the saving work of God among men can be traced back to events occurring in the Jewish nation two thousand years ago. Even their rejection of their Messiah could not prevent the greater work of God to bring His salvation to the nations of the Earth. In fact, He turned to the nations to make Israel jealous!
Paul stated that Israel’s fall brought riches for the world. What wealth! ─The forgiveness of sins, God’s holy presence dwelling in the hearts of His people, His wisdom made known within them, the hope of eternal life, etc.
But the apostle also holds out for us an amazing expectation. Even though riches were realized through Israel’s fall, much more will be apprehended through her coming into her fullness (Romans 11:12). The overflow of God’s salvation that has come to the nations through Israel’s failure two thousand years ago has been an amazing blessing to the world. Think of all the individuals who have been born of the Holy Spirit, or of those who have been healed supernaturally in their bodies, or of the hospitals and orphanages started by believing men and women. Think of the schools and universities built by Christians to help educate many. The list could go on and on.[4]
But Paul says that much more will be realized when Israel comes back to her God. In fact, he informs us that the nations will experience life from the dead (Romans 11:15). His use of the words, “life from the dead” echoes back to earlier in this letter where he tells us that as believers we are now alive from the dead (Romans 6:13). In other words, Paul seems to be referring to the rebirth experience.
Can we really expect that God will release among the nations through Israel’s salvation a much greater expression of His saving and redeeming power than has been experienced over the last two thousand years? I believe we must. Remember Jesus’ statement that salvation is of the Jews.
Such thinking has major implications as the Church looks toward the years ahead. Many Christians seem to think only in terms of escape from coming darkness and tribulation. But God has a plan to make His glory known in ways greater than He has in the past.
Earlier in his letter to the Romans, Paul stated that much more than to whatever degree death came through Adam, God’s grace and His gift of righteousness flourished to many people. In fact, much more than however much death reigned or called the shots among men because of Adam, those who received the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness would reign in life through Christ (Romans 5:15-17).
What a promise. He would have a people who rule more in life because of Christ than death ruled because of Adam. This begs a question. How much has death reigned among men? First there was the spiritual death brought about from Adam’s sin. Then from that, we see physical death quickly manifest in Cain’s murder of his brother. From there we go on to read of mankind’s history filled with wars, greed, political intrigue, etc. We see people because of their personal decisions, reaping relational death, financial death, emotional death, as well as physical death, etc.
But God has decreed that those who learn to receive the abundance of God’s grace and of the gift of His righteousness will live lives of victorious ruling more than death has! Do we yet see the Christian Church living at such a level of spiritual victory? Death continues to harass the nations of the Earth and even the people of God with seeming invincibility.
Today we see death calling the shots in the lives of many among America’s youth. We look at our political establishment and see the pervading sense of spiritual death in the priorities of many leaders. We also see death invading the relational commitments among many married couples when they fall to the temptation to commit adultery.
Not only that, we see death and its influences in God’s house as well. When His children choose to harbor bitterness rather than to forgive those who have hurt them, they choose death over life. Christian couples do so as well when they tear from each other and dissolve their marital covenants. Church splits, men promoting their ministries more than Christ, leaders seeking money rather than souls—these all testify to the presence of death in the one place on Earth where life is supposed to be the distinguishing factor.
But all the psychological counseling and psychotropic drugs in the world are useless when combating the insidious creeping influence of this seemingly universal enemy of God released on Earth through Adam thousands of years ago.
What is the answer to this? Is there good news to be found in the midst of all the bad?
Very simply, we must learn to receive both the abundance of God’s grace and the gift of His righteousness in order to reign. Grace to forgive others; grace to serve those to whom He sends us, grace to home school our children, grace to prophesy, etc. The list goes on and on.
Whatever tasks He puts in our hands to do, we must humble ourselves to receive His grace to accomplish. And when we fail, we must learn to quickly repent and receive His wonderful gift of righteousness. Don’t wallow in guilt at your failures; quickly turn and embrace God’s offer.
How long does it take for you to receive His forgiveness when you fail? Do you feel it necessary to do some sort of penance before you are again in full fellowship with Him? To whatever degree we hesitate to receive what is freely offered, to that degree we fail to reign.
Lord, help us to believe your good news to us, for it is your power unto salvation. Help us to receive the abundance of your grace and the abundance of your gift of righteousness that we might live in intimacy with you. Forgive us when we live more in harmony with spiritual death than we do with your life, present in us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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