Faith, Reason, and Israel

"The synagogue is worse than a brothel. The Jews are a bunch of criminals. I hate the synagogue and the Jews." -John Chrysostom

"...let the young and strong Jews and Jewesses be given the flail, the axe, the hoe, the spade, the distaff, and spindle, and let them earn their bread by the sweat of their noses as is enjoined upon Adam's children. We ought to drive the lazy bones out of our system." - Martin Luther (Concerning the Jews and Their Lives)

First, please forgive me for resurrecting these two quotes. Also, for any Jewish person who may read this blog, please forgive me and all Christians for any harm we have done to you throughout history. We have wronged you far too many times, and it was and has always been unreasonable. I posted these two quotes for a couple reasons. One, for Christians who may not know of them, and two that we may expose them as anti-Semitism.

What makes them so unreasonable? One could find numerous flaws and different angles as to why these statements lack reason. Among these flaws is that both men considered themselves Christians. Both men are still looked up to today in different camps of Christianity. In reality, their reasoning expresses the same hatred for Jesus Christ, who Himself is a Jew, and went to the synagogue. This is the core reason why Christian anti-Semitism is so unreasonable.

What I want to briefly explore in this post is what happens when a Christian departs from the scriptural, Jewish roots of his faith. At best, his faith will be unsound and without reason. At worst, it will be something that fuels anti-Semitism. Let me begin with my inspiration for this post.

Alan Dershowitz.


Who is Alan Dershowitz? He is considered America's most renowned criminal defense and civil liberties attorney. He is a Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. He is Jewish. He is one of my favorite authors.


His books have both influenced and challenged my thinking. Some of the books I have read include, but are not limited to: The Case For Israel, The Case For Peace, The Case Against Israel's Enemies, Why Terrorism Works, and Finding Jefferson: A Lost Letter, a Remarkable Discovery, and the First Amendment in an Age of Terrorism.


As a Christian, I would encourage everyone to read his books; especially his books that so eloquently exhort and explain why we should (and how we can) stand for Israel today. His stance is objective and truthful. Every book carefully documents his sources which can very easily be researched if you may question anything he has written. Personally, I know of few other authors that enable and teach me to effectively and soundly support Israel as Dershowitz does. For a more complete list click on the following link. http://www.alandershowitz.com/publications/books/

In Dershowitz's most recent book, The Case Against Israel's Enemies: Exposing Jimmy Carter And Others Who Stand In The Way Of Peace, Dershowitz seeks to do just as his book title suggests. Expose enemies of Israel. I might add, he does it with concise courtroom-like clarity. Chapter one, in particular, is what inspired this blog. As he goes down the list of Jimmy Carter's stance on Israel, he points out Carter's religious convictions as a factor to Carter's ideology. This caught my attention because I am a professing Christian. Dershowitz accuses Carter's "evangelical worldview" of leading him to believe "that Israel is deserving of punishment because Israeli Jews are not all strictly religious." (pg. 39) He quotes Carter as rebuking prime minister Golda Meir for Israel's largely secular society as follows: "Israel was punished whenever it's leaders turned away from devout worship of God." (pg. 39). Among other things, Dershowitz ends this particular paragraph with the following statement in regards to Carter, "His argument is grounded in faith, not reason." (pg. 39)


This quote challenged me. Dershowitz was right in the context of Carter. Of course, I have taken only a couple quotes from Carter that most Christians would agree with at first glance. However, if you put them in context of Carter's own book entitled Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid you will probably feel a whole different under tone. I encourage you to read the whole context in Dershowitz's book (which I have read), and Carter's book (which I have yet to read.)

What Dershowitz said sparked the following questions in my mind: Is it possible to have a reasonable Christian faith? Is it possible to be a Biblical Christian and anti-Semitic at the same time? How can someone who so passionately loves Holy Scripture become so unreasonable in their stance for Israel? More personally, is my faith unreasonable? Is my faith based only on emotion?

Is it reasonable when Christians, such as the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, decide to boycott Israeli academics? If reason is based on an emotional faith then I guess the answer would be yes. If reason was based on what the Scriptures say about Israel and the Jewish people then it would not be reasonable for a Christian to boycott Jewish people.

Is it reasonable when Christians of any background separate themselves from their Jewish roots? When someone like Jimmy Carter who has professed to being a "born-again" Christian, proceeds to compare Israel to apartheid South Africa, something has become unreasonable about his faith.


Anytime a Christian subtracts the obvious roots of their faith (Israel and the Jews), they will eventually lose the rich fruit of the whole tree that they have been graciously grafted into. Jews can explain their faith and calling without Christianity. Christians, however, cannot explain their faith without looking to Israel. Jesus (a Jew) actually states in the gospel of John, chapter four, that "salvation comes from the Jews." Everything we Christians hold dear came to us from the Jewish people.

Biblical faith is reasonable in its relationship to Israel. An emotionally driven faith, not rooted in the sound doctrine of the Scriptures will always lead to an unreasonable faith. An unreasonable faith translates into a misunderstanding of God's plan for Israel and our relationship with them. It will also result in action against Israel that lacks reason. A faith that is not rooted in Biblical truth will easily be swayed by tear jerking pictures of small Palestinian boys in front of tanks. Thus leading to cries of apartheid, occupation, or human rights violation. Not only by the secular media, but by the Church and so called Christians.

If a Christian were reasonable they would....


Know how to recognize age old anti-Semitism.


There was once a man named Haman. He was a leader under King Ahasuerus of the ancient Persian Empire. He didn't like the Jews because of a man named Mordecai. To accuse the Jews before the King he used the following verbage:


"There is a certain people..." (Esther 3:8) It would be reasonable for a Christian to realize that singling out the Jewish people for unjust criticism is the beginning of anti-Semitism and they should not take part in it. Nor should they support one who speaks such language. Rather, they should expose it lovingly and truthfully.


"Their laws are different from those of all other people..."(v.8). When the Jews are accused of being "different" in a negative slant, with no basis in truth, it would be reasonable to recognize the subtle reality of anti-Semitism.


"they do not observe the king's laws..."(v.8) Any time the Jews are the only one being accused of not abiding by laws (international law, human rights laws, etc...) it would be reasonable to believe that anti-Semitism is at the root of the motives.

"...let it be decreed that they be destroyed..."(Esther 3:9). When this language of annihilation is used of the Jewish people it is reasonable to believe that those who use it are anti-Semitic, and international criminals. It is also reasonable for them to be justly and swiftly judged by law. It would be unreasonable for a Christian to support in any way or fashion, a leadership that uses this language.

If a Christian were reasonable they would...

Know how to support Israel in a sound way.

Some Jews believe that Christians sometimes support Israel too much. I would agree that we have sometimes taken a goofy, super-spiritual approach to supporting Israel, and I would agree that there have been times that we have caused more harm than good. Without going into that, let me focus on a few reasonable, supportive attitudes we should have toward Israel and Jews.

There was once a Gentile girl by the name of Ruth. She made a few choices regarding the Jewish people. She was a Moabite, and her mother-in-law Naomi was Jewish. After Ruth's husband (Naomi's son) died she verbalized a commitment to Naomi and her people. The same decisions would be reasonable for us to make today. Our heart attitude should be the same. The following attitudes will lead to sound action.

"Entreat me not to leave you...wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge." (Ruth 1:16-18) Ruth realized where Naomi was going. She was moving back to Israel. It would be reasonable to believe that Ruth understood Naomi ought to live in her own land...Israel. It is unreasonable for a Christian, or anyone else for that matter, to believe that Israel is not the homeland of the Jews. Those who believe that they should be pushed out of their land, and into the sea, are evil and anti-Semitic. Israel belongs to the Jews and we should support them in their desire to live there in safety and peace. When Jews are resisted from immigrating back to their homeland the motives of those resisting should be questioned. This would be a reasonable response. Listen to some of Ruth's language toward Naomi and her people.

"...your people shall be my people..."(v.16) Ruth was willing to unite with Naomi and her people, the Jews. It is reasonable for a Christian to unite with and stand with Israel even if that means undergoing heavy amounts of criticism. Ruth's commitment was unwavering because it was based in love and truth. There was only one thing that would separate her from Naomi and her people. Death. Of course this could be very easily misinterpreted. However, it is reasonable for a Christian to risk his life to stand for the truth, and to stand for Israel (as well as other people). It is also reasonable to believe that when one does stand with and for Israel, they also will become the target of anti-Semitism and may suffer from the fall out of suicide bombings, rockets, and death threats. Ruth's declaration was one of peace and protection for both Jews and Gentiles.

"...your God, my God..."(v.16) It is reasonable for Christians to believe that their God, through Jesus Christ, is the God of Israel. Therefore it is also reasonable to believe that the Bible is a Jewish book and the beautiful message of the Bible is that God has graciously grafted Gentiles into the commonwealth of Israel and the Jewish people by faith. Biblically speaking, it is also reasonable to believe that the spiritual blessings of Abraham have come upon the Gentiles through belief in the Messiah of Israel and the Jews.

There are many other things that I could mention, but I will reserve that for another time. The bottom line is that it is unreasonable for a Christian, if he or she adheres to the Scriptures, to practice any type of thinking that would single out the Jewish people unjustly. It is unreasonable for a follower of Christ, if he or she believes the Scriptures, to be anti-Semitic, or support anti-Semites.

It is reasonable for a Christian to support Israel in a just and ethical way. Christian anti-Semitism has given the enemies of Israel far too much ammunition. What we believe must be able to withstand reasonable criticism. The Bible is reasonable. God's plan for Israel is reasonable. God's plan for Gentiles is reasonable. Miracles are reasonable. We must all take a look at ourselves in the mirror of truth and be honest about what we see. So many times we take a quick look and walk away, forgetting what we just saw. We must go back to the mirror of truth, take a thoughtful look, and make changes in our hearts where necessary. If we don't, in regards to Israel, the Jewish people may experience what Elie Wiesel did when he looked in the mirror after being rescued from Buchenwald. Read this portion of his story carefully, picture it, and may Christians in the times to come be part of the reason the Jewish people can look proudly and confidently at themselves in the mirror. May they also look at people like me and be able to honestly say, "There goes a true friend of Israel."

"Three days after the liberation of Buchenwald, I became very ill: some form of poisoning. I was transferred to a hospital and spent two weeks between life and death. One day when I was able to get up, I decided to look at myself in the mirror on the opposite wall. I had not seen myself since the ghetto. From the depths of the mirror, a corpse was contemplating me. The look in his eyes as he gazed at me has never left me." (Night. by Elie Wiesel pg.115)

When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Are you being unreasonable, or are you becoming a modern day righteous among the Nations?

To Israel:

"May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels. For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, "Peace be within you." (Psalm 122:7-8)

The Doctrine Of Predestination

"Even if Hitler was elect, he will be in heaven. It doesn't matter what you do, just that you are elect."


That statement came from a fellow college freshman. We were in Jewelry making class. Working with fire and precious metals. It was the first time I had heard a person say such a thing. The doctrine of predestination was taboo where I came from. This was my first encounter with someone who believed it. To play with such a thought in the circle of Christians that I was in almost meant deception was setting in. What was I to do? At first I thought I should confront him as I would a Mormon or Jehovah's Witness. On the other hand, I knew enough to know that those who really believe in predestination get their belief from the same scriptures I read. Quickly, the fire of confrontation was quenched by my own mental faculties. That was when I entered the "danger zone" with the following thought: Maybe I should study the scriptures and let them speak for themselves before I confront this "heretic."
Depending on which conviction controls your conscience...at 16 I either decided to follow Christ by an act of my will, or by an act of God's will He decided it was time that I follow Him. Either I chose God, or He chose me. Ever wonder why some people are saved, and others not? Is it because they have willfully rejected God, or is it because God before time began...did not choose them?
Mark Driscoll says in his book, Religion Saves +Nine Other Misconceptions, in regards to the topic of predestination: "By predestination we are asking, is a person's eternal destiny chosen by God before their birth? Does God predestine people to heaven? Does God predestine people to hell?"(Chapter 7, pg 69). If I understand correctly, those who believe the doctrine of predestination believe that God chose some individuals for eternal life and He has chosen others for eternal death, and He did this long before time began.
Instead of delving into deep debate I would rather just examine the versus that a Calvinist would consider most important for the subject. From what I have studied, that would be Romans 9-11 and Ephesians 1. For a more thorough study I encourage you to read the book mentioned above. Driscoll dedicates a whole chapter to the subject as well as an appendix that lists many scriptures that we can study for ourselves. My thoughts that follow proceed verse by verse from Romans 9:1-11:36, and then verse by verse from Ephesians 1-2. Of course verses trigger other verses to memory, so there is some cross reference mixed in, as well as short summaries of many verses. To get the full context...read your Bible.

Romans 9

Paul begins by expressing great grief and sorrow. Such sorrow that he actually wishes that he "were accursed from Christ". What was causing such grief, or rather...who? The answer? His brethren. More specifically...Israelites. In order to understand the complete context of Romans 9-11 we can not just ask what the text is about, but also who it is about. God's plan for the Jewish people is what makes these chapters in Romans so rich with revelation of God's predestined plan for humanity. Subtracting Israel from our doctrinal beliefs will cause problems. An honest reading of the scriptures will reveal that God specifically chose (elected) the Jewish people to carry the Seed of the woman that would bring salvation to the whole world. In John 4 Jesus states that, "salvation comes from the Jews." Paul states that the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the law, the service of God, the promises, the fathers, and most importantly, the Christ came through the Jewish people. Why? Because God chose them. He did not choose anyone else for this task. Not all of the physical children of Abraham were chosen for the task of protecting and carrying the Seed of the women. Only those who would come through Isaac, the son of promise. Why did God choose them? When did it all start?
Abram. Did Abram come to God by an act of his will, or did God come to him first? Genesis 12 would reveal that the Lord initiated the first contact, and Abram did as God asked. However, we read in Genesis 15 that the promise was not activated until Abraham, "believed in the Lord." At that time, in the chapters that follow God established the covenant with Abraham's seed...Isaac. What was it that sealed God's decision to choose the seed of Abraham? Was it God's choice alone or did Abraham's will play a part also? Read Genesis 22. We see again that God initiated the first instructions to offer Isaac, but Abraham had to obey the instructions. It wasn't until Abraham was willing to kill his own son, that God was sure that Abraham and his seed were the right ones to carry out His predestined plan for all of humanity. It would seem that God's will was dependant on mans will.
Now we can understand why God elected Isaac as the primary carrier of the Seed of the women. Genesis 22 is arguably the clearest picture of the predestined Jewish Messiah in the old covenant. Now we can answer why Jacob was chosen, and not Esau. Jacob was in the line of Isaac, the seed of promise, Esau was not. Was God unrighteous then to "love Jacob, but hate Esau?" Nope. God was just. He was also just to harden Pharaoh (a Gentile) in order to continue His now predestined plan with chosen Israel. Why? Because now the Seed was in route to being manifested in the Messiah. It is indeed an interesting thought to think: God had to harden Gentiles in order to one day call Gentiles "My people." (Romans 9:24-26)
In verses 25-29 Paul refers to Old Testament versus about both Jews and Gentiles. He explains that the Gentiles will be called "My people." He also reminds us of a statement from Isaiah that a remnant will be saved out of Israel. Then he explains that the Gentiles will enjoy salvation by something called faith, and that Israel "stumbled at the stumbling stone" because they didn't seek Him by faith. Romans 9:33 ends by saying this: "Behold I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."

Questions: Does "whoever believes" signify that salvation is available for anyone? If so, how? Would it be available to both Jew and Gentile by faith? A Calvinist might answer (correct me if I am wrong) that "anyone" is referring only to those who are elect or chosen by God. What do you think anyone or "whoever" means?

Up to this point we can conclude some things: Paul is writing about Israelites and Gentiles with a major focus on Israel. God is not unrighteous in any of His ways. God can do whatever He wants and man can't stop His predetermined plans. At the same time we should remember: The covenant with Isaac was not really finalized until Abraham obeyed. God is in control, but man's willingness to obey is a part of the plan. However, in the end it isn't about man's will...it is about God's desire to have mercy on mankind. The next two chapters reveal how His plan has and will unfold on this earth. That plan, which is predestined, is to bring mercy on all, but will all receive it?

Romans 10

The context continues in chapter 10 with Paul's "desire and prayer" for God to save Israel. Not to be too deep, but it is probably worth mentioning...Israel means Israel. When we as Gentiles read the words Israel or Jew it is far to common for us to spiritualize those words to mean something else. Israel means Israel. Jew means Jew. Gentile means Gentile. Paul (a Jew) understands the "zeal for God" that his brothers have. He explains that their zeal is a zeal of self-righteousness. This is when the will of man seeks to establish its own righteousness without submitting to God. Understanding that God gave Israel the law it should be obvious to us that they follow the law. Following the law preserved the Seed of the woman. How? It exposed the sinfulness of man, and as a result of this exposure man was continually pointed toward his need for salvation which came through Christ. Now, "Christ is the end of the law...to everyone who believes." The law is good, just, and holy...and all of it is fulfilled in Christ. However, no one is justified or saved by the law, or by living under the law. "The just shall live by faith." "Christ (a Jew) has redeemed us from the curse of the law, by becoming a curse for us." When the Messiah died on the cross the blessing of Abraham became available to the Gentiles by faith. The curse of the law is that "the man who does those things (of the law) shall (must) live by them." The problem is, none can live up to the law without the grace of the Lord Jesus. How is this grace received? Through faith. (Eph. 2:8-9)

Romans 10:8-15 clearly teaches that faith and belief is something found in our heart. Paul also says that "whoever believes", both Jew and Greek (Gentile) will experience the rich mercy of God. The message of the gospel must be preached and then it can be received by faith. Now, since this blog is about predestination we must ask again...Does whoever speak only of those whom God has chosen, or does it mean every individual on this earth? When it says, "there is no distinction between Jew and Greek" and that God will be rich towards whoever calls on Him from both groups...does that mean only the Jew and Greek that God has chosen? Or does it mean all people, both Jews and Gentiles? Does God choose who will believe, or does the one who chooses to believe in his/her heart experience saving grace?

Paul continues in verse 16 by admitting the fact that "not all have obeyed the gospel." Again we run into this dilemma that although everyone can call upon the Lord, everyone doesn't. Why? Is it because they willingly disobey or because God has not chosen them? The rest of the chapter again deals with Israel's disobedience and stubbornness to the Gospel and the Gentiles reception of it. So, this begs a couple questions in regards to predestination: Did God not choose Israel? Why do the Gentiles who "did not seek God" have God manifested to them? Paul answers this question in 10:19 when he explains that the purpose of Israel's disobedience was so that the gospel would spread to the Gentiles. When the Gentiles receive the gospel it will provoke Israel to jealousy. In the end we will see that God's plan was to have mercy on all. Therefore He hardens whom He needs to harden, and softens whom He needs to soften. At the same time an individual must decide to obey the gospel and can, after believing, decide to disobey and walk away for whatever reason. However, this in no way negates God's overall plan for Israel and the nations. Sometimes His ways are just past finding out!

Romans 11

What has God predestined His people (Israel/Jews) to? Disobedience or obedience? First, according to Paul, "God has not cast away His people." Who are His people? They are the Israelites, as Paul was Himself. God foreknew them and He can't cast them away because of the fathers (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). The church has not replaced Israel as God's people. The church is made up of both Jews and Gentiles (grafted into the true olive tree, by faith). Israel is still God's chosen people because of the everlasting covenants. Gentiles were excluded from this common-wealth until Christ died and made a way for all who believe. We see the manifestation of this begin in Acts 10 when Peter is at Cornelius's house.

Nevertheless, Romans 11:5-10 gives a few statements that would seem to support the Calvinist view of predestination. For example, God "reserved" about seven thousand Israelites for Himself during the time of Elijah. There is "a remnant according to the election of grace." And that "Israel has not obtained what it seeks, but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were hardened." It would seem that the context of these statements is in reference to Israel only and not Gentiles. Why did He choose some of them (Israel), but harden the others (Israel)? God did give them a "spirit of stupor", blindness, and deafness so that they would reject the gospel, but why? Yes, He predestined it to be that way...but why? Paul answers it in the verses that follow.

Think about this. God hardened the Gentiles of the old covenant. One example of this would be Pharaoh. During this time Israel carried and preserved the Seed of the woman. There was no hope for a Gentile under the old covenant. This all changed when the Messiah came and fulfilled the law. Then God hardened Israel in part and opened the heart of the Gentiles. Why?

Israel rejected the gospel because God blocked them from believing it in order that salvation could come to the Gentiles. When salvation started spreading to the Gentiles God's plan was to provoke His people to jealousy so that they would come back to Him. Of course not all of them could be hardened or the Gospel would have never been preached to Gentiles. Paul was one who did not remain hardened, but opened to the Gospel. His conversion was one that he didn't seem to have much of a choice in. God chose and appointed Him and didn't ask Paul's permission before meeting him on the road to Damascus. At the same time we must ask, could he not have disobeyed? If he decided to turn his back on the calling, would God have over-ridden his will? Probably not. After his conversion, Paul preached to Israel first, and when they rejected it, he turned to the Gentiles. When the gospel was rejected it bounced off Israel and the ball fell into the court of the heathen nations of the world. As they believed, the ball of jealousy was bounced back into the court of Israel, drawing their heart back to their God whom we serve.

If the rejection of the gospel brought the riches of salvation to the rest of the world, what is going to happen when they do believe? Paul answers that by saying, "life from the dead." By grace through faith we Gentiles are "grafted in among" the Jews and their common wealth of covenants. However, Paul says that we (Gentiles) should not "boast" against the "branches"(Israel), because they are the root that supports us, not the other way around. They were broken off because of unbelief (was this willful?), we were grafted in by faith. But, we must walk in the fear of God in regards to this. Why? If some of them (Israel) were not spared, we (Gentiles) might not be either. If everything is predestined, then why can a branch that was connected to the tree be broken off, and why can a wild branch that was broken off be grafted in? Was it God who decided that they would be broken off? Or was it their unbelief? Or was it God because of their unbelief? Is that fair if God elected them to not believe? Do they get a choice in the matter?

Doesn't it seem that unbelief determines the breaking off of the branches (Israel) and it is belief that determines the grafting in of other branches (Gentiles)? At the same time, doesn't it seem that God knows and understands how it is all going to happen? If at any moment a Jew who was hardened because of God's overall plan for the whole world believes, then he will be grafted back in again. If a Gentile who was grafted in by faith becomes boastful and proud against the natural branches (Israel), he will be broken off and condemned. So, God has predestined that some will be hardened and others not, but this is at the same time, in part, dependant on man's choice to believe or not believe. Possibly predestination and free will go hand in hand?

Paul summarizes these seemingly complicated scriptures well at the end of Romans 11. First, don't be wise in your own opinion. Israel has been partially hardened for a predestined purpose. This purpose is that the fullness of the Gentile world will come in (salvation). Paul also says that, "all Israel will be saved." This will happen when the Messiah comes out of Zion and completes the covenant with Israel of "taking away their sins." (Romans 11:27/Is 27:9).

If anyone is predestined, chosen, or planned...it is Israel because of the covenants. Now, through Christ, God's plan has been opened to all who believe. When we (Jew and Gentile) believe in the Messiah we are instantly grafted into this plan and are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ. They (Israel) are elect and specially beloved for "the sake of the fathers." The gifts and callings of God are irrevocable. This verse (v.29), in context is not speaking of the Gentiles, nor is it speaking of spiritual gifts in general. It is speaking specifically about the gifts and callings given to the fathers (of Israel). Because of these everlasting callings and covenants the whole world has obtained mercy. It is one of Scripture's great mysteries: Disobedience gives others a chance at obedience. Why have we all been plagued by disobedience anyway? It goes all the way back to Adam's choice (or was he predestined to fail?) in the garden to disobey God. Sin reigned in the human race, Jew and Gentile both included. This required God to put a plan in place to redeem everyone back to Himself. How? He "committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all."

Paul could only answer all of this by rejoicing at the unsearchable wisdom and knowledge of God! The whole world will hear the Gospel, and those who believe will be saved by the power of God. At the same time, after the fullness of the Gentiles comes in, "all Israel will be saved." Our God! What a strategy! Thank God for Israel and the Jewish people whom God could choose because of Abraham's obedience. Could it be that because of Abraham's obedience that Isaac, Jacob, and the twelve tribes stepped into a predestined plan to redeem all of humanity? Yes, I think so.

Ephesians 1-2

After reading Romans 9-11, it makes it a little easier to understand Ephesians 1. The questions that I have, specifically after reading Ephesians (with Romans 9-11 in mind), in regards to predestination are: Has He only chosen a select few before the foundation of the world, or did He choose all of those who would believe to be "without blame before Him in love?" Is the point of being chosen, that you are one of the chosen, or is it about what those who do believe are chosen to become? God has chosen us to bear fruit(Jn. 15). He has predestined us to adoption through Christ. He has predestined us "to be conformed to the image of Christ." Should the focus be on who is "chosen" or "elect" or what we are chosen to be and do?

We Gentiles were all "dead in trespasses and sins." We can trust in the Lord after we hear the Gospel because God has had mercy on us. His mercy was revealed through the Gospel, and received by grace through faith when Israel rejected the gospel. Now we have been raised up together with Christ. Verse 10 reveals that "we are His workmanship, created for good works." These good works were "prepared before hand that we should walk in them."

This is why we Gentiles, who were without Christ and, "aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise..." are now near to Christ, by the blood of Christ. He has broken down the middle wall of seperation between Jews and Gentiles. Now we (Jew and Gentile), instead of two, have become one new man. This was done through the death of Jesus on the cross. Now we both, Jew and Gentile, have access by "one Spirit to the Father."

In conclusion...One key to understanding the scriptures is not to exclude God's predestined plan for Israel. When we subtract Israel from the scriptures we have subtracted the context of God's plan for our lives. When we replace Israel/Jews in the Bible with a Gentile interpretation, we miss out on the rich sap of the olive tree from which The Branch sprouted from.

Some things I believe:

I believe that predestination is a scriptural principle. God does harden some and soften others for His purposes.

I believe that salvation is not just for a select few, although not all will receive the gospel. I believe salvation is for all who will call upon the name of the Lord, Jew or Gentile.

I believe Israel was predestined, because of Abraham's covenants with God, to be the carriers of the Seed that would be the salvation of the world.

I believe when a Gentile decides to obey the gospel, he/she steps into God's predestined plan of reedemption. At the same time, I believe they step into appointed works that bear fruit that God chose them to bear.

I believe that an extreme view of the Calvanist doctrine of predestination can lead to replacement theolgy if not careful. That is, if one believes that now, as a Gentile in the New Covenant, we have replaced Israel as God's chosen people...thus making ourselves a "spiritual Israel" instead of Gentiles grafted into what belongs to Israel. If this is believed, a person is "boasting against the branches" (Israel), possibly resulting in a severing severity of God. Historically, replacement theology usually turns anti-semitic, or at least fuels rabid anti-semites to carry out insane acts against Israel. This will be dealt with on judgment day (Joel 3). Neither the church, nor Gentile believers have replaced God's people. God's covenants with Israel are everlasting. We must accept this.

I also believe an extreme view of the "free will" doctrine can lead to a self-help gospel that prides itself on postive thinking and not our need for God. We must also accept that God does have a predestined plan and has chosen to do things a certain way. Gentiles are included in that plan by faith.

Finally, I believe that Hitler is in hell, but I don't believe that every Calvanist would agree with my fellow freshman's statement at the beginning of this essay.

To conclude, let’s take a trip to the Potter's house. From the following scriptures (JER. 18:1-10), it would seem that our all powerful Potter does have power over the clay. In these verses, it is speaking of Israel and the Gentile nations. However, at any time if an evil nation repents, or for that matter, an evil person…God promises to change His plans based on mans willful decision to repent and turn towards Him.

“This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD : "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message." So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

Then the word of the LORD came to me: "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.”

Upcoming Blogs

Here are a few blogs I am trying to work on that are in the thinking stages at this time. Stay tuned for the next update.

1. The Doctrine of Predestination-The Missing Ingredient

2. Faith, Reason, and the Christians Relationship to Israel.

3. Emerging or Traditional? (Is God making the Church more trendy to reach new people, or bringing us back to our roots?)

Sound interesting? Any subject matter that needs to be considered? If you have suggestions please feel free to comment.

Praying The Psalms

Another good way to spend extended and focused times of prayer with the Lord is by praying the Psalms. There are 150 of them to choose from and they make for a honest and refreshing time before the Lord. David was a man after God's heart. His psalms can easily be prayed as they are written or by personalizing them slightly. One can personalize the Psalms very simply without even taking them out of context.

Here are a few off the top of my head that I love to pray.

Psalm 1
Psalm 15
Psalm 18
Psalm 23
Psalm 25
Psalm 27
Psalm 34
Psalm 119
Psalm 121
Psalm 139

There are so many to choose from! It is really wonderful to purposely take extra time to draw close to God without any agenda other than to draw close to Him. One can very easily spend 30 minutes to an hour praying the psalms. Remember, spending a lot of time with God is really not that hard if you use the scriptures as a prayer book.

Some Reasons Why All Christians Should Pray the Lord’s Prayer

1. It is the way Jesus instructed His disciples to pray.

2. It is simple enough that even a child could pray it.

3. It keeps secret place and corporate prayer consistent and focused.


As a child I was baptized and confirmed in the Catholic Church. To be honest, this is something that I am not ashamed of. Many good seeds were sown into my life in the most formative years of my childhood, one of these things being the consistent recitations of the Lord’s Prayer. This was repeated every week in our liturgical service. Contrary to what Christians of a Charismatic, Pentecostal, or non-denominational background may think, a liturgical service does not make it a dead service. Rather, it is a consistent way to produce discipline and stability in the heart of believers. This is something that is desperately needed in a time that Christianity is surrounded by a very secularized and lawless society. Which I might add, can very easily creep into a Christians life if they lack discipline in the fundamentals of their faith: Bible reading, prayer, obedience, etc… Sometimes our fear of organized religion, legalism, and condemnation has led us to the opposite side of the ditch…laziness and lawlessness. Structure is not bad, sin is.


Praying the Lord’s Prayer with daily consistency keeps us on track and focused. When I first decided to be fully obedient to the Lord (get saved :-), many of my new Christian friends indirectly (sometimes directly), looked down upon praying the Lord’s Prayer, because it was “religious.” I think what they meant was that if they prayed it, they would look and feel too traditional which would stifle their new found “freedom” in Christ. This is a bit interesting, since the One who set them free is the One who instructed us to pray this way. We should pray it consistently if for no other reason, because Christ said, “when you pray”, pray this way (see Matt. 6 and Lk. 11).


It is very simple to pray The Lord’s Prayer. Have you ever prayed it exactly the way it is written? If so, how long does it take? Thirty seconds…maybe a minute? That is not difficult for anyone to do. This means it can very easily be prayed throughout the day numerous times. Early in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening…it is easy and painless to pray. This does not quench the spirit of “free” prayer. Actually, it keeps you in a focused and constant spirit of prayer.


You could also use it as an outline for extended times of prayer. I know of one minister that uses it to pray for thirty minutes to an hour. I recommend this way of praying it also. Take each statement in the prayer and pray in a ripple like fashion. If you have ever thrown a rock into water you know what a ripple is. Begin by praying the statement in the prayer for yourself, then your family, then your community, your city, your nation etc… Expand your mind and you can cover the earth with prayer and spend quite a long time before your heavenly Father. Quantity time leads to more quality time.

Praying this prayer has been a part of Christianity for thousands of years. It is an effective way to pray in the secret place, and in my opinion, it is important to pray it as a corporate church body. I encourage you to pray it every day. If you (like the rest of us) have trouble from time to time focusing in prayer, this is one very effective way to combat that. Focused prayer is powerful prayer!

In this manner therefore pray…

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.