God's Chosen People |
This section can be broken into three groups:
- God's Israel is a "Lost" Nation
- The Jews are only a part of Israel
- God's Promises to a Literal, Physical Israel
Many people have difficulty in identifying the two messages which run parallel through the New Testament - the "spiritual" hope of soul salvation promised to all through faith and the "physical" hope of life of spirit, soul and body without death, promised to the 12 tribes of Israel through obedience.
This is contrasted in passages like Acts 16:31, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy house" (also read Acts 10:35; Romans 3:29 and John 11:25) demonstrating where faith brings salvation of the spirit and soul, as compared to 1 Thessalonians 5:23, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ". For further reference read Philippians 3:14,21, John 11:26, 6:50,58, where complete co-operation with God's Spiritual Strength brings obedience to His commands, hence overcoming physical death and presenting Spirit and Soul and Body alive, obediently prepared through love to do ("eat") God's instructions.
For further information on this topic: