Quote:
Originally Posted by PastorTim  the issue is resolved when defining Israel by God's definition. "...all that are Israel are not of Israel...". The Israel of God are the people of the promise. If it is earned by heritage it is not by grace. Dispenstaionalism is demonic in that it forces people to await the arrival of the kingdom which is already here, thus, they do not work at furthering. Just wait in fear. |
You made a good point here; however, I would be more cordial in saying that the Despensational vein is demonic. That is not to say that I don't agree with your corolary. I do agree that Despensationalism is indicative of bad thinking. My point is that though there is only one Israel, there can be no "two people" of God. There is only one "dough" which is holy (cf. Rom.11:16); which makes the lump holy; which makes the branches holy. The holiness spoken in this text is comprised in one seed, Abraham. Here is the flow of Paul's thinking in this text:
- If the dough is holy then the lump, too;
- If the lump is holy,then the branches are too.
Therefore the thinking here that Paul wants to make clear is that God's people come from one seed, which is holy, viz. Abraham. I would defy anyone who attempts to identify two people of God. Scripture does not know of any other "Church."