Lenten Devotional (29) & the Future of Israel
“Israel” is a reference to the Church of all ages; those who will be incorporated into the whole of redemption.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love…” Gal. 5:22
Love is not a possession of some kind; it is not an abstract idea; it is not only the motivating factor for behavior but rather love is also behavior. In simple terms, love is action, or we may say “love is ethics.” Love is the intrinsic action of image bearers who desire to live off the tree of the Spirit.
It is concrete and visible, covenantal and relational. In fact, it is so concrete for Paul that he says in Corinthians 2 that “(he) decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
Love for St. Paul is most clearly demonstrated in the concrete suffering of Christ for us. He gave himself for us while we were yet sinners (Rom. 5:8). To love is to act; anything short of action is no love at all. A husband can say he loves his wife 100 times a day, but if he refuses to connect his words to his actions, there is no fruit to his love. Our mission is to pursue the fruit of love in word and deed. The fruit of the Spirit is love because only love is the right response to a God who loved us even to the point of death.
Prayer: O merciful Lord, there is no greater love than a man giving his life for his friend. We praise you, blessed Lord, for the cup did not pass from you. We praise you for out of love, you drank the cup of wrath that we might drink in your peace. We pray this through our Lord who is love, amen.
Notations
Calvin does not see a future for the nation of Israel. In commenting on Paul’s words in Romans 11:26, he notes:
And so all Israel shall be saved: Many understand this of the Jewish people, as though Paul had said, that religion would again be restored among them as before: but I extend the word Israel to all the people of God, according to this meaning.
“Israel” is a reference to the Church of all ages; those who will be incorporated into the whole of redemption.
Since Rick Davis assumed the helm of the Kuyperian podcast, he’s added almost 30 new episodes. If you love the history of Christian Reconstructionism, as I do, check out this latest episode and the other 100+.
Rich Lusk’s Measures of the Mission, published by Athanasius Press, is a down-to-earth entrance gate into biblical theology. I could title it “The Church for Dummies,” The Family for Dummies,” or any such description. It is written for layman, though it contains some distinct theological jargon. I am in chapter 3 so far, but I find all these little gems I learned from interacting and engaging Rich Lusk as a personal friend all these years. Lines like these deserve triple amens for their brevity and eloquence: “We have to allow the Word to absorb the world rather than allowing the world to absorb the Word (5).” I can see this work becoming a standard textbook in CREC bodies.
I just finished reading Josh Daws’ excellent primer on Christian Nationalism. I think it should be required reading for anyone delving into the topic. He dispels misunderstandings and offers a more irenic way forward in this conversation.
Blessings on this final week before Palm Sunday,
Uriesou Brito