It is true that Gentiles were never refused salvation, but when you say that God never favored Jews over Gentiles, you are not correct about that. Jews have always been favored over Gentiles. Gentiles were considered to be dogs, and swine. This can be easily verified by Christ's reaction to the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:24.
Gentiles were able to achieve salvation, but only by becoming proselyte Jews; i.e., living as the Jews did, following the Law of Moses, becoming circumcised, eating what the Jews ate, and so on.
The mystery that was revealed to Paul had many facets, the main one being that the Gentiles were to become fellow heirs with Jews in one Body. But Paul also had truths that were not known to Peter and the 12, such as Christ's death being payment for the sins of all people who would believe in His finished work on the cross. The 12 apostles looked on the cross as a sad and mournful occurence. Then here comes Paul, preaching the GOOD news of the cross! A huge part of the mystery was that God knew before the foundation of the world that Israel would kill His only begotten Son, and was able to use this act of evil and hatred against Christ as the means by which ALL that believe would have salvation!
A dispensational difference would be works (such as water baptism, circumcision, and the following of the Law) being a requirement, along with faith, in order to have salvation in the dispensation of the Law, as opposed to works NOT being required for salvation in the dispensation of grace, where it is our works that shall be judged at the judgment seat of Christ, rather than our very souls, as in the White Throne Judgment.
Paul makes it very clear that it is not of works, lest any man should boast. That was where the Law was not perfect, for it puffed up those such as the Pharisees, and Saducees in pride, causing them to hold themselves above others.
One thing that you said that needs clarification to me, is
"3) We read in Rom. 1:19-20, "because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead...." This passage tells us that God makes Himself known to man by the things that have been created. When one believes the message of the nature of God, (i.e. His "eternal power"), as exhibited in "the things that are made", one is made righteous."
Are you saying here that if we simply believe in God, by observing the things in nature, that we become righteous? You could not be more wrong, if that is what you believe. You are misunderstanding what Paul is saying here. Another thing that Paul makes very clear in his teachings is that NONE are righteous. CHRIST must be our righteousness, or we have none. HE became sin for US, so that WE could become righteousness IN HIM. He is saying that God the Father will identify us with the cross, when we believe in Christ's finished work on the cross, instead of our sins or sinful nature.
In His name,
Darryl |
