I’ve been surprised by the number of people who cannot tell me who they are, and where they fit in. We fall into one of two categories, Jew or Gentile. That’s it. Two options. It’s not rocket science, it’s not complicated. If you are not Jewish, then you are automatically a Gentile (officially if your mother is Jewish, then and only then are you a Jew). In the Old Testament this was a big deal. The Kingdom of God was limited to one nation. The Gentiles (every other race on the planet) at that time were heathens with no way to become righteous. That’s just the way it was (though there were a few exceptions along the way). But everything changed when Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament Law. He started a “new and better covenant” (Hebrews 8:6-13), in which there are no favorites. Because of the cross, anyone and everyone can become a Christian. A real, Spirit-filled, Christ-like person. What an amazing opportunity. The Jews rejected their Messiah, so God made Him available to the whole wide world. All races and nationalities can now come into God’s Kingdom through a transforming work of the Holy Spirit. Some Jews are getting saved in this age, but the nation of Israel will not embrace Jesus as the Messiah until the very end (and only after being fooled by the Anti-Christ, so be careful if you are trying to mimic them).
We live in the New Testament. We are not Jewish, and it would not benefit us in any way if we were. Read Galatians 5. If you want to be a Christian and go to Heaven when you die, you must be “born again”. No one in this present age is born into the family of God by natural birth, whether Jewish or not. I know lots of people who think they are more special than the next person simply because of what they were naturally born into (and they aren’t even Jewish). No one is safe, saved or extra special by being born and raised in a certain place, culture, or church.
In some circles there are those who faithfully participate in communion services twice a year (spring and fall) and each service consists of “reliving” the Old Testament, following the Children of Israel as they go from slavery to freedom (from Egypt to Canaan). There’s nothing wrong with that on the surface, but it’s important to understand that (unless you are currently of Jewish descent) you would not have been in the Hebrew camp. You were, and are the heathens who had no opportunity to be redeemed. Heritage itself saves no one, and again, even if you are Jewish today you’re not any better off than non-Jews (read and study Galatians 3).
The solution is painfully simple. We need Jesus. We don’t need to become a Hebrew or Jew. We don’t need to be like anyone or anything except Him. His sheep know His voice. They commune with Him and they follow Him. They are not trying to be like Abraham. They are not trying to make a statement to the world by the way they dress. They don’t have a “holier than thou” attitude. They are happily following their Shepherd, not a man. When you do that, you’ll be plenty like your Old Testament heroes, only better, because you can walk in something that only the priests, Levites, and a few others had back then.
Sadly, many people prefer religion (laws and rules) because it’s mechanical, only requires human effort, and anyone can do it. You don’t have to be right with God. You don’t have to let go of your secret sins. All you have to do is what the Pharisees did, and they did it well. They looked good. Now I’m not saying there are no actions/human efforts involved in our Christian walk. We all have a free-will and in fact choose on a daily basis to do good or evil. I am saying God is not impressed or fooled when good deeds are used to cover up a dark heart. The Pharisees had perfected the art of hiding who they really were, and sadly many people caught up in religion today are doing the same.
It’s late in the game and the Devil is doing his thing, and religious people have no way of stopping him. The answer is found in James 4:7-8. “Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
Three very important things are mentioned in verse seven. 1: Draw near to God (near enough to experience a total transformation). 2: Resist the devil (that’s right… tell him where to get off). And last but not least, “he will flee from you”. There is such a thing as victory over the enemy. If you are filled with light, he can’t get away from you fast enough. Jesus said in Luke 11:34-36, “The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.” And by the way, after being filled with this wonderful light, you have nothing to brag about because Jesus made that possible, not you. He gets all the credit, and you shouldn’t have any problem with that whatsoever.