Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
The New Covenant has often been misunderstood for centuries. For example, #1, the on-going Israeli/Palestinian conflict is an outgrowth of this confusion. When God promised Abraham and his descendants the great blessings of the New Covenant, it was "through Isaac" that the blessings should flow. But the New Testament makes plain that Abraham's descendants through "Isaac" are not the fleshly ones, but those who have the faith of Abraham: "They are not all Israel, which are of Israel: neither, because they are the seed [sperm, DNA] of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed" (Rom. 9:6-8). This means that neither the Israelis as literal descendants of Abraham nor the Arabs as assumed descendants of Ishmael, are entitled to the land.
Again, #2, both sides in the conflict could recognize that "the land" that Abraham's descendants should inherit is not a tiny territory in the Middle East, but vastly more land: speaking of Abraham, "the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed [DNA, literal], through the law, but through the righteousness of faith" (Rom. 4:13).
#3, as individuals we all become Abraham's "seed" through faith in Christ: "There is neither Jew, nor Greek, ... for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Gal. 3:28, 29). Our only claim to life is by the grace of Christ.
If the Israeli and Palestinian leaders could sit down together and study an open Bible with believing hearts, they could work out peace and justice without bloodshed and violence. Neither side has a valid biblical claim to the land; both can thank God for life "in Christ." The truth of the New Covenant would open the doors to peace and security.
Copyright © 2009 by Robert J. Wieland.
Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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Daily Bread - Readings about life and the Word of God.
