Jew and Gentile - Both One

Q: What does the Bible say about the relationship between Jew and Gentile?

The Bible teaches that in Christ, Jew and Gentile are both made one, breaking down divisions. Ephesians 2:11-22 presents a profound truth regarding the relationship between Jew and Gentile. It emphasizes that by the sacrifice of Christ, both groups are reconciled into one body. This means that the former divisions and enmities, such as those established by the law, have been abolished in Christ. He is our peace, uniting all who believe in Him, regardless of their ethnic backgrounds. This unity is central to the church, which is made up of all believers who are equal in Christ, fulfilling God's promise to Abraham that all nations would be blessed through him.

Q: How do we know salvation by grace is true?

Salvation by grace through faith is affirmed throughout Scripture, highlighting it as God's gift, not a result of works. The doctrine of salvation by grace is foundational to Reformed theology and is clearly evidenced in Ephesians 2:8-9, which states that by grace we are saved through faith, and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God. This declaration underscores that salvation is solely an act of God's grace independent of human effort or merit. Throughout Scripture, we see examples of individuals, both Jew and Gentile, who were saved by God's grace, starting from Abraham to the present day, emphasizing that faith in Christ is the means by which anyone, regardless of background, can be reconciled to God.

Q: Why is understanding the unity of Jew and Gentile in Christ important for Christians?

Understanding the unity of Jew and Gentile in Christ fosters love, acceptance, and breaks down barriers within the church. The unity of Jew and Gentile in Christ is vital for the church's identity and mission. This truth, as articulated in passages like Ephesians 2, symbolizes the breaking down of walls that divide people based on ethnicity or background. For Christians, this understanding encourages inclusivity, as it reflects God's broader plan for salvation — that all who believe in Christ are part of one body regardless of their origins. It prompts the church to live out the call in Galatians 3:28, where there is neither Jew nor Gentile, and to embrace diversity as part of the beauty of the church. Celebrating this unity strengthens the church's witness to the world of the reconciling power of the gospel.

Q: How does Christ's work affect the relationship between Jews and Gentiles?

Christ's work abolishes the enmity and divisions between Jews and Gentiles, creating one new humanity. Christ’s redemptive work fundamentally transforms the relationship between Jews and Gentiles by abolishing the enmity that existed due to the law. Ephesians 2:15-16 teaches that through His flesh, Christ has made both groups into one new man, effectively uniting all believers in the church. This reflects God’s eternal purpose, demonstrating that in Christ, there is no longer a distinction but a unified body of believers. By understanding that Christ serves as the cornerstone of our faith, we recognize that all believers now share equal access to God and are part of His household. This truth is revolutionary, calling us to eradicate any lingering prejudices and embrace our identity as members of God’s family.

Now, my message this morning,
I believe you're going to get a blessing out of this. I did, and I believe you will.
I think it's going to be most helpful. I really do. The title
of the message is, Jew and Gentile, Both One. Jew and Gentile, Both One. Now, my text don't turn to this. This will be my text, Ephesians
2, 11 through 22. But I want you to turn to Romans
11. Would you turn to Romans chapter
11? Now, let's be honest. That's
the only way to preach and be blessed of the Spirit of God,
is to be honest with what you know and what you don't know. Now, there are a lot of unanswered
questions about national Israel. There are a lot of unanswered
questions about the natural, national seed of Abraham. A lot
of unanswered questions. And Romans 11, if a man will
read it honestly, Romans chapter 11 presents a number of problems,
a number of problems, especially for people who contend that God
is through with what we call Israel, or the Jew. Now, if a
person says, God has written these people off, they're judicially
blinded, which they are, and God is through with them, and
they have no hope of salvation, you've got problems in Romans
11. I mean a whole lot of problems. Let's read, starting with verse
11, Romans 11. I say then, Paul writing here,
have they stumbled that they should fall, talking about Israel?
God forbid. But rather, through their fall,
salvations come to the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now, if the fall of them, the
Jew, be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them,
the riches of the Gentile, how much more their fullness. For I speak to you Gentiles,
inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify that
office, if by any means I might provoke to emulation them which
are my flesh." Paul was a Jew and might save some of them.
I'm trying to get their attention, he said. For if the casting away
of the Jew be the reconciling of the world, what shall, future,
the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? For if the
first fruit be holy, the lump is also holy. If the root be
holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches be
broken off, and you, you Gentiles, a wild olive tree, were grafted
in among them, And with them you partake of the root and fatness
of the olive tree. Boast not against the branches. But if you boast, you bear not
the root, but the root be. Abraham was a Gentile. David,
Moses, Jacob, Joseph, Isaac. These men were men God raised
up. They were Jews. And the gospel was was given
to these men, and that's some of the root. Verse 19, Thou wilt
save them where the branches were broken off, that I might
be grafted in. Well, because of unbelief, they
were broken off. And you stand by faith. Don't
be high-minded, you Gentiles, but fear. For if God spared not
the natural branches, you take heed, lest he also spare not
thee. That's pretty serious, isn't
it? Behold, therefore, the goodness and the severity of God, the
two things here, his goodness, his severity. On them that fail,
these Jews, severity. But towards you Gentiles, goodness,
if you continue in his goodness, otherwise you also will be cut
off. And they, the Jews also, if they abide not still in unbelief,
They'll be grafted in if they believe. But God's able to graft
them in again, isn't he? For if you, if you were cut out
of the olive tree which is wild by nature and grafted in, contrary
to nature, into a good olive tree, how much more shall these
which be the natural branches You're a spiritual son of Abraham,
but they're natural sons of Abraham. Be grafted into their own olive
tree. Now brethren, verse 25, I would not, brethren, that you
should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your
own conceits, that blindness in part is happened to Israel
until the fullness of the Gentile become All right, we'll stop
reading there. Now then, a lot of unanswered
questions, aren't there? And for people who say there's
nothing left for the Jew, there's nothing left for the natural
sons of Abraham, I don't know, that presents a lot of problems.
But now, on the other hand, there's another school of thought which
places too much emphasis on national Israel. too much entirely. Don't put
too little, but don't put too much. There's been so much preaching
and teaching, and this has just been over the past two or three
hundred years. Back yonder, I'd say over the last hundred years
really, back yonder in the days of Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Huss,
Knox, Whitfield, these men, they didn't preach this premillennial
This is an invention of the last so many years. But over the past hundred years
or so, there's been so much preaching and teaching about Israel's part
in the second coming of Christ, that people are led to believe
that the nation of Israel is still God's chosen people. and that other nations will be
judged by their attitude toward and treatment of the Jew. That's
ridiculous. We're going to be judged by Christ
Jesus, not by our attitude toward or treatment of the Jewish nation. They're not any longer in the
respect that they were in the days of Abraham, God's chosen
people. They're not. There's talk today
of rebuilding the Temple. great emphasis on the fact that
they got to tear down the Dome of the Rock and rebuild the Temple
on its original site. There's talk about, there's even
talk about Israel returning to the priesthood and the sacrifices. There's talk about Christ returning,
listen, and setting up a kingdom in Israel, in Jerusalem. You've heard that, haven't that
during the thousand years reign, Christ is going to sit on a natural
throne in Jerusalem and reign. And we're going to go over there,
return like they did in the days of the Mosaic economy and worship. The rest of the world is going
back to Jerusalem to worship. And that preaching has gone on
so long that every time something happens over in the Middle East,
in Baby Israel, Every time Israel gets in the news, preachers get
all excited and start saying, this is it, this is it, this
is Armageddon, this is the second coming, this is the beginning
of tribulation, this is it. Let me tell you something, Israel
hasn't got anything to do with it. Christ is coming. And if you'll turn to Ephesians
2, I'll show you that. Now, turn to Ephesians 2. And
you see, I'm trying to be honest. I started out and showed you
I don't have the answers about Romans 11. But I do have some
answers about this Jew and Gentile thing in regard to salvation.
I do have the answers. It's right here in Ephesians
2. Now, Ephesians 2. In the first ten verses that
we read, Paul magnifies the riches of God's grace in Christ. Look
at verse 1. He said, And you hath be quickened
who were dead in trespasses and sin. That's Jew and Gentile.
That's sons of Adam. That's our relationship with
Adam, our kinship with Adam who fell. was created, all men were
created in him. When he stood, we stood. When
he fell, we fell. When he died spiritually, we
died. That has no bearing on a man's nationality, or man or
woman, or so forth. You have to equate them to the
dead. But God, who is rich in mercy
for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were
dead in sin, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace
you are saved." That's Jew and Gentile. By grace we are saved,
by the grace of God. In verse 8, "...for by grace
have you been saved through faith." Is there any other way to be
saved? How was Abraham saved? Abraham believed God. Abraham,
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Moses, Christ said,
wrote of me, Abraham saw my day and was glad. How are men saved?
By grace through faith. And that, not of yourselves,
that faith is the gift of God. That's the gift of God, whether
Jew or Gentile, not of works, in any shape, form, or fashion,
lest any man should boast. We're God's workmanship. Whomever
God saves, in whatever generation, under whatever dispensation,
he saves them by his grace through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord. With his workmanship created
in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained,
that we should walk in them. Now, here we go, verse 11. that you being in time past Gentiles."
Aren't they still Gentiles? Not in this sense that they were
then. They are now Israel. You were
in times past Gentiles. Now, Paul is writing to the Ephesians,
the church at Ephesus, Gentiles. And he said, you were Gentiles.
You remember that you were not only dead in sin, you not only
were dead in trespasses and sin, but you didn't have any natural
light. You were Gentiles in the flesh.
Listen, you were called uncircumcision by that which is called a circumcision
in the flesh made with hens. In other words, we were Gentile
dogs is what we were. Pagans, heathens. That's what
we were, that's what I was and that's what you were. That's
what all these people to whom he was writing. We not only were
dead in trespasses and sin, we not only were dead spiritually,
we didn't have any natural light. Now read the next verse. That
at that time, you were without Christ. You say, well all men
are without Christ. Wait a minute, we were without
the promise of the Messiah. The promise of the Messiah that
Christ was made to Israel. He said, in Isaac shalt thou
see me come. We were without the promise of
the Messiah. The prophecies concerning the
Savior in tithe, in sacrifice, in priesthood, were made to Israel. The Gentile nations, name them,
Egyptians and Philistines and Amalekites and whoever, they
had no promise, they had no prophets. Paul said to the Jew, God in
time past spoke to our fathers by the prophets. He didn't even
speak to the Gentiles. You were without Christ. You
Gentiles, you were pagans, heathens, you didn't even have the promise
of a Messiah. You were aliens from the commonwealth
of Israel. So great was the difference between
Jew and Gentile that the Gentiles couldn't even live among the
Jews. They couldn't marry the Jews. They couldn't eat with
the Jews. Don't you know that you Jews
had nothing to do with us Americans? It came on down even to that
division. They had nothing to do with anybody. You were not only without the
promise of the Messiah, but you were aliens. You weren't even
citizens. You were aliens from the commonwealth
of Israel. Listen, you were strangers from
the covenant. God gave to Abraham a covenant. I'm not talking about that everlasting
covenant. I'm talking about that covenant
that had to do with the Canaan and the blessings, promises of
God, David's kingdom, Solomon's kingdom, all of these covenant
promises. You weren't, we weren't part
of those. Strangers from the covenant of promise. Listen,
having no hope, we had no tabernacle. There was only one tabernacle,
it was in Israel. We had no mercy seat, no atonement,
no priesthood. We had no hope, nor promise of
hope. And watch it, and we were without
God. You say, well, all men are without God who are not saved.
Israel was without God in one sense of the word, yeah, but
God dwelt within them. God's glory hung over that mercy
city. But the Gentiles didn't even
have that, did they, Caesar? Now, that's what he's saying
there. Without any knowledge of God, without any prescribed
worship, we were worshiping snakes. We were worshiping eagles. We
were worshipping creatures. Israel was worshipping God, not
in their hearts, but at least in form. So you see the condition,
pagans, Gentiles, this is what we were. Israel, that's true,
God gave them the prophets, God gave them the promise of the
Messiah, God gave them the tabernacle, the prescribed worship, He gave
them the priesthood, He gave them the mercy seat, He gave
them the atonement. We didn't have any of those. The saying
was in that day, he who dwells outside of Israel has no God. That's a black picture, isn't
it? But you remember that Paul said, verse 11, remember, remember. I tell you, if that wouldn't
make you jump up and click your heels to know what you were and
now what you are, we were dogs. We had nothing. But now, oh,
it's different now. But now we're in Christ Jesus. Can I make that plain as I can?
I wish I could make it. Not in the Baptist ranks. Not
in Calvinism. Not in whatever we believe, whether
it's right or what it is. It's in Christ. But now in Christ
Jesus. You who were sometimes, at one
time, so far off. I mean, far off not only from
spiritual knowledge. We didn't know the answers, but
we didn't know the questions. You're made now. You're brought
into union with God, into fellowship with God. You're made now by
the blood of Jesus. That is the gospel. But now,
we know what we were, but now in Christ, we were chosen in
Christ, we were loved in Christ. But here's the glorious thing.
We were already in Christ even when we were outside the covenant.
Even when we were pagan Gentile dogs, some of us were in Christ,
chosen in Christ, before the foundation of the world, loved
in Christ, redeemed in Christ, called to Christ by the Spirit,
brought to faith, and he said, Wherefore, brethren, come boldly
to the throne of grace. He hath opened for us by his
blood a new and living way into the presence of God. You see
that? what we were, but now. What makes this gospel so wonderful,
you who were what you were, are made now, seated in Christ at
God's right hand. For, watch this verse 40, for
he's our peace, he's our armistice, he's our communion. Christ is the settlement
of all the issues. He's our peace with God. We're
separated from God, and Christ brought us nigh. We were enemies
of God, and Christ reconciled us. Our sin just separated us
from God, and Christ brought us to God. He's our peace. Now watch this. Here's the key.
Who hath made both one? Both. Who's the both? Jew and
Gentile. That's it, Bob. You who were
far off, yet through Christ you're brought into the very presence
of God. And He's my peace. And He has
made both Jew and Gentile. See, there's no difference. He's
made them both one. They're one now. Don't try to
separate them. They're one. And watch, "...and
hath broken down the middle wall of petition between us." That
middle wall may refer to the wall in the temple that separated
Jew and Gentile, the court of the Gentiles, but I'm telling
you this, it's definitely that Levitical law and ceremonial
difference. Circumcision, Sabbath days, feast
days, all these things. He's broken down, just like he
tore that veil in two when he died on that cross. There is
no court of the Gentiles. For he hath made both one. I want you to look at some scripture.
Hold that right there just a moment. Turn to Galatians chapter 3.
Galatians 3. Galatians 3. Now listen to this. God hath made both one. In Christ
there is no Jew or Gentile. Not anymore. Galatians 3 verse
7. Listen. Know ye, therefore, that they
which are of faith the same are the children of Abraham? And
the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentile,
the heathen, through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham,
saying, And thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which
be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." Now look at
verse 26. For you are all the children
of God by faith in Jesus Christ. For as many of you as have been
baptized into Christ have put on Christ, and there's neither
Jew nor Greek, there's neither bond nor free, there's neither
male nor female, you're all one in Christ Jesus." How'd that
come about? He made us one. He made both
one. So just don't discuss that issue
anymore. As far as the kingdom of God,
as far as the mercies of God, as far as the blessings of God,
there is no Jew or Gentile. Nonsense. And to think that there's
something going on over there in which I'm not involved means
I'm outside of Christ. If Christ's over there, I'm over
there. Isn't that right? Turn to Romans 2. Turn over here
to Romans 2 a moment. You know these things. It's evident. Romans 2 verse 28. Who is a Jew? Who is a Jew? Verse 28 says,
He's not a Jew which is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision
which is outward in the flesh. He's a Jew which is one inwardly.
Circumcision is of the heart. Is God going to revert that and
change that? Now, come on. Is God going to
change that? No, He's not going to change
it. In the Spirit, not in the letter, whose praise is not of
men, but of God. All right, back to our text.
Verse 15. It's talking about our Lord Jesus
Christ. I've got to read verse 14 again,
or verse 13. Now, listen, verse 13. But now,
we know what we were. But now in Christ Jesus, you
that were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. And he
is our peace who has made both ones, you and Gentile, and has
broken down the middle wall of petition between us." He's not
going to raise it back up. He abolished, having abolished
in his flesh. That which made us enemies, even
the law of commandments, the Sabbath day, the tithe, the priesthood,
the tabernacle, the sacrifices, the feast days, the holy days,
contained in the ordinances. For to make in Christ of two,
Jew and Gentile, one new man, is one body, one Lord, one faith,
one church, one body, one baptism, one faith, not two or three different
Gospels and things. and so make him peace. You see
that? Christ, I have a tabernacle,
it's Christ. They have a tabernacle. They
better not build another one, it's Christ. I have a priest,
and they have one too. Not another, it's Christ Jesus.
I have a Sabbath day, it's Christ Jesus. I have an atonement, I
have a mercy seat. They do too. I don't care who
the man is, red, yellow, black or white, old or young, Jew or
Gentile, male or female, there's no way to God except by Christ. I am the way, the truth and the
life. There is no days or feasts or
ordinances or special doings that can recommend anybody to
God except Christ Jesus the Lord. That's what he says here. That's
what he says. He made one man, verse 16, and
that he might redeem or reconcile both, who are we talking about
here? Jew and Gentile, both unto God in one body by the cross. That may mean either his body
in which he suffered or his body in the church. There's just one
church, one true church of the Lord Jesus Christ. They're local
churches that God uses and blesses. I'm pastor of a local church.
I believe in a local church. It sends missionaries and all
these. But their true church, which he purchased with his own
blood, is made up of everybody in heaven and on earth, and Jew
and Gentile, male and female, bond or free, whomever believes
on Christ. Abraham's a member of the Lord's
body, his church, and so am I. He said church is an assembly,
that's right. When does this universal, I don't
call it invisible because I ain't invisible. When does this universal
church ever assemble? They've always been assembled
in the presence of Christ. He called it his church. They've
always been assembled, they're assembled now. He's not very
far from any of us. Well, you see, we're geographically
oriented, you know. Here's Ashland and now Brother
Don's going to be in Australia. How far do you reckon Australia
is from Ashland? Well, it's a long ways, I know.
How far do you reckon it is to God? About that far. I mean, they're assembled with
us this morning in His presence. How far do you reckon Fannie
is from us right now? Oh, I can't even imagine, preacher,
how far it is. To God is she. He's with her
and he's with us. We're in his presence. I mean,
let's don't try to bring God down here to our thinking. There's
only one true church. And in his body, verse 16, having
slain the enmity, now listen, and he came and preached peace
to you which were far off and to them that were not. Christ
came himself and preached peace. My peace I give unto you, to
Jew and Gentile, to them that were near and to them that were
far off. You remember Luke 4 when he went
down to Nazareth and he preached and he said there were many widows
in Israel and God saved a Gentile. Many lepers in Israel and God
healed a Gentile. He preached to both of them right
there. That's right. And through his disciples he
preached. Verse 18, now note carefully, here's a summary of
all I'm trying to say now. Verse 18, for through him, through
Christ, through his blood, our Redeemer, he has made unto us
all we need. Through him, we both, who's we
both? Jew and Gentile. We both have
access We have this glorious grace access into God's presence
through the Spirit into the Father, unto the Father. We both, through
Christ. Don't hang any other label on
me now. Don't tell me I've got to do
anything else. Don't tell me anything else is necessary. Don't
tell me I have to be circumcised or baptized or canonized or any
other eyes. Through Christ! And I'll tell
you, if one of those Jews over there comes to God, he'll come
through Christ, and he's not going to come bringing a lamb,
he's not going to come bringing a day, and he's not going to
come bringing a law, and he's not going to come bringing a
birth certificate that he was born of the tribe of Benjamin,
because they don't know what tribe they came from. There's
even, somebody said, a lost tribe, or 13th tribe, and all this foolishness. He'll come looking to Christ.
That's right, Tom. That's where he'll come. Through
him, we both have access by the Spirit of God into the Father. If God is pleased to save a Gentile,
a Jew, a male, a female, a young man, an old man, a boy or a girl
today or tomorrow, it will be through Christ. It always has
been and it is now. You know what that's saying?
So don't hang significance on a group over there like folks
do sometimes. It's Christ. He hath taken away
the first, that he may establish the second. Read on. Now, therefore,
verse 19, you no more strangers. I'm not a stranger to the covenant.
No, sir. I'm not a foreigner. No Jew,
no Gentile either. There's some Jews that are strangers
now and foreigners. We're fellow citizens. We're
sons of God. We're the saints in the household
of God. That's who we are. You no more
stranger. And you're built. He has a temple,
but it's a living temple. And you're built upon the foundation
of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself, not Moses
and not Abraham, being the chief Corvistone. We have a temple. We are that living temple, and
Christ is the foundation and the cornerstone, in whom all
the building fitly framed together grow unto a holy temple of the
Lord, in whom you also are builted together for habitation of God
through the Spirit. Does that help? I'll tell you
this, nothing's going to change this. You see, all the types
and patterns and pictures and people God used That day is over. All of these people were simply
instruments in the hands of God to reveal Christ Jesus. Christ
was the key then. That's the reason the Jew had
the ceremonies and the ordinances and tabernacle and the mercy
seat and missed salvation. When they went into the promised
land, only two of them entered in that left Egypt over 20 years
of age. Why couldn't they enter in? Unbelief.
Unbelief in whom? In Christ. Their table became
a snare. They tried to find favor with
God in what they were doing, instead of what they were doing
to represent who did it. See, that's where they missed
it. Don't you miss it. Don't go back to the beggarly
elements. Having found Christ who fulfills all of it, don't
go back and play the game. Preachers would have us do that.
They would have me this morning put on some special kind of dress,
like the priest of the Old Testament. They would have us set up some
kind of inner sanctuary. They would have us set up these
holy vessels and pour wine. They won't let me sprinkle blood.
The humane society will interfere with that, you know. But we do
everything we can do. We won't pour wine and have these
special candles burning. Don't go back to the weak and
beggarly elements. Add nothing to him. He's my light. I don't need a candle. He's my
righteousness. I don't need a robe. He's my
tabernacle. I don't need an inner sanctum.
He's my mercy seat, I don't need an altar. He's my Sabbath, I don't need
a special day. He's my rest, I don't need a
council chamber. That's right. And anyone's a
fool to go back to that stuff. And a greater fool is a man that
tries to take people back, because he's going to be held accountable. Nothing is going to change this
order. Anything which we preach or believe in regard to the return
of the Lord Jesus Christ has got to fit this message right
here, Christ. So you say, Brother Man, what
do you believe about the second coming of Christ? Well, I look
for his return. And the Jews aren't going to
determine the time nor the events. That's been determined by my
Heavenly Father. And I'm telling you this, I'm not nearly so much
interested in what's going to occur when he returns as in his
return. I'm interested in seeing him.
And whatever he does will be fine with me. But I do tell you
this, I know this, you'll all be completely in accord with
and agreement with his gospel. you

Jew and Gentile - Both One

What does the Bible say about the relationship between Jew and Gentile?

How do we know salvation by grace is true?

Why is understanding the unity of Jew and Gentile in Christ important for Christians?

How does Christ's work affect the relationship between Jews and Gentiles?

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Jew and Gentile - Both One

What does the Bible say about the relationship between Jew and Gentile?

How do we know salvation by grace is true?

Why is understanding the unity of Jew and Gentile in Christ important for Christians?

How does Christ's work affect the relationship between Jews and Gentiles?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

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