A replacement what ?
I came to faith in a CU context in the late 1970s. That meant a happy union of:
charismatics / pentecostals / cessationists / acessationists
calvinists / arminians
paedo and credobaptists
pre and amillenialists
independents / presbyterians / anglicans / pyramid covering restorationists.
You can imagine our happy discussions. Out of this melting pot I emerged as a calvinist, cessationist, optimistic amillenialist small-b baptist with presbyterian leanings. It's no wonder I have trouble sleeping...
Then a few years ago a new charismatic church started up in North Wales and announced that we were all devoted to "replacement theology".
Uh ? Now I often don't mind being described as a devotee of something if I have heard of it. At least that way I can decide whether I really am or not. But this ? C'est quoi, ça ?
It turned out that these folk are particularly extreme dispensationalists and regard the amillenialist and postmillenialist positions as replacement theology - because "the church replaces Israel in God's plan for the world".
Oh ! But that isn't what I think at all. And I have NEVER heard anyone say anything like that ever. And that isn't what the Bible teaches at all.
According to the Bible, Israel is the church and the church is Israel. All that happened at Pentecost (all !) is that finally God's promise to Abraham began to come into the fullness of its fulfilment and all the nations began to be blessed in him and in his seed. So now there's no barrier between Jew and gentile. Everyone who becomes a Christian is a child of Abraham, member of the church, fellow-citizen of Israel and heir of the promises.
That's why Stephen talks of the church / the assembly in the desert (Acts 7:38) and why Peter applies those lovely Old Testament descriptions to his Christian readers.
1 Peter 2 : 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Anyway, Sam Waldron is considering John Macarthur's recent challenge in a series of articles you can read, starting here http://www.mctsowensboro.org/blog/?p=127
I almost didn't post this because it's a bit serious and confrontational for this blog, but after reflection I decided to go with it. For a real discussion about it I refer you to Sam, author of the wonderfully titled The end times made simple.
charismatics / pentecostals / cessationists / acessationists
calvinists / arminians
paedo and credobaptists
pre and amillenialists
independents / presbyterians / anglicans / pyramid covering restorationists.
You can imagine our happy discussions. Out of this melting pot I emerged as a calvinist, cessationist, optimistic amillenialist small-b baptist with presbyterian leanings. It's no wonder I have trouble sleeping...
Then a few years ago a new charismatic church started up in North Wales and announced that we were all devoted to "replacement theology".
Uh ? Now I often don't mind being described as a devotee of something if I have heard of it. At least that way I can decide whether I really am or not. But this ? C'est quoi, ça ?
It turned out that these folk are particularly extreme dispensationalists and regard the amillenialist and postmillenialist positions as replacement theology - because "the church replaces Israel in God's plan for the world".
Oh ! But that isn't what I think at all. And I have NEVER heard anyone say anything like that ever. And that isn't what the Bible teaches at all.
According to the Bible, Israel is the church and the church is Israel. All that happened at Pentecost (all !) is that finally God's promise to Abraham began to come into the fullness of its fulfilment and all the nations began to be blessed in him and in his seed. So now there's no barrier between Jew and gentile. Everyone who becomes a Christian is a child of Abraham, member of the church, fellow-citizen of Israel and heir of the promises.
That's why Stephen talks of the church / the assembly in the desert (Acts 7:38) and why Peter applies those lovely Old Testament descriptions to his Christian readers.
1 Peter 2 : 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Anyway, Sam Waldron is considering John Macarthur's recent challenge in a series of articles you can read, starting here http://www.mctsowensboro.org/blog/?p=127
I almost didn't post this because it's a bit serious and confrontational for this blog, but after reflection I decided to go with it. For a real discussion about it I refer you to Sam, author of the wonderfully titled The end times made simple.
Comments
Your blog is a lovely mixture of aspects of real life - keep it coming.
That is really scary, as I would describe myself identically.
Next thing you know, I will be growing a beard.
*jumps at reflection in pc*
Hang on ! What's that growing out of the side of my head, attached to my ear ?
aargh - it's a mobile phone !
(see Danny's blog...)