Who is a True Jew?
Who are the real people of God?
Who are the promises of Scripture really for?
As a church, we’ve been journeying through the Old Testament (the jewish Bible!) for more than 2.5 years, and questions on jews keeps rising to the surface. Did you know there are roughly 15.8 million ethnic jews in the world, and about 45% of these live in Israel and the other large majority, 40% live in America. We need to know what God thinks of these people and how they relate to the Church today. Scripture gives a powerful and surprising answer—one that centers on Jesus Christ. Let’s dive in.
All God’s Promises Find Their “Yes” in Jesus
Gentile (a non-jewish person) Christians should care about the Old Testament because The apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:20, “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.”
Every covenant, every prophecy, every Old Testament promise points to and is fulfilled in Jesus. He is the ultimate “Yes” of God.
In Genesis 12:3, God promised Abraham that “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
How could one man bless the whole world? The New Testament reveals the answer:
Galatians 3:14 explains, “so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”
Through Christ, the descendant of Abraham, the blessing flows to every nation.
True Children of Abraham
Being part of God’s family isn’t about ethnicity or outward signs. Paul writes in Romans 2:28–29, “For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter.”
Galatians 3:26–29 echoes this truth:
“For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”
Through faith in Jesus, anyone—Jew or Gentile, male or female, rich or poor—is welcomed into the same family of God. We become heirs, not by bloodline, but by belief.
God’s Love for Israel
But does this mean God is finished with ethnic Israel? Has the church replaced the ethnic jews and cut them off from the old testament promises…Scripture says no.
Paul declares in Romans 11:28–29, “As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
Irrevocable… God’s promises to Israel have not been taken away and they never will. Even though, they are often “enemies of the gospel” He still chooses them (“election”) and he still calls them, “beloved.”
Though many Jewish people have not yet embraced Jesus as Messiah, God’s covenant love for them remains. Their current rejection has opened the door for the gospel to reach the nations, but one day, a great revival among the Jewish people will come. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 23:37–39,
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
The Only Way to Life
The same invitation that goes out to Israel goes out to every person: faith in Christ is the only way to life.
1 John 2:23 says, “No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.”
1 John 5:12 adds, “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
Salvation is found in Christ alone—Jew or Gentile alike.
From his sermon, The Children of Abraham Are Heirs of the World, John Piper says:
“The Biblical way to say it is that ‘salvation is from the Jews’ (John 4:22), and the promises made to Abraham are the root that supports all salvation (Romans 11:18), and the only way for any Gentile to be saved is to become a fellow heir of Abraham by trusting in the Jewish Messiah. The Jewish heritage is our only hope. Judaism is so central to Christianity. There's no salvation without it. And Jesus Christ is so central to Judaism, there's no salvation without Him.
It isn't arrogant for a Christian to look a Jew in the eye and say, We have no hope without your heritage, and you have no hope without your Messiah. That's not arrogant. It should be called love.” Desiring God
Signs of the Times
Jesus foretold that the gospel would be preached to all nations before His return (Matthew 24:14), and that Israel’s hearts would one day soften (Romans 11:25–26).
History shows these signs coming into view. Pastor Francis Chan notes in The Israel Project video:
“Up until a hundred years ago, the Jews have always rejected Jesus. I mean, many of them hate the name of Jesus. They say that up to 100 years ago, there were less than a thousand Jews on earth who believed in Jesus. But it’s interesting because right now, this is the first time in history that there is a Bible-believing Christian in every nation, and they say that by the year 2033, the Bible will be translated into every language for the first time in human history. Coinciding with that, it’s interesting that right now they’re estimating over 200,000 Jews who now believe in Jesus (Messianic Jews). It doesn’t seem to be a coincidence.”
Romans 11:17 paints the picture: we Gentiles are like wild olive branches grafted into the rich root of Israel’s promises. Their story is our story. Their Messiah is our Messiah.
What This Means for Us
We (gentile christians) belong to God’s family by faith. We are heirs of all that God promised through Abraham along with the remnant of jews who accepted their Messiah.
We love Jews, pray for jewish people, long for their salvation, because God is not done with them, he still loves them, though they will only be saved by repenting and accepting Christ just as gentiles need to do.
The Church has not completely replaced the jews, God still holds his irrevocable covenant with them.
We share the gospel: it is the loving thing to do, because eternal life is at stake (1 John 5:12) We all need the gospel whether jew or gentile.
Our Mission Until He Returns
The Bible ends with the prayer, “Come, Lord Jesus.” As we await His return to the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:11), we are called to share the gospel with all people—including the Jewish people whom God still loves. Supporting ministries like Maoz Israel and the Joshua Fund helps us take part in this mission.
History is moving toward the day when, as Paul says, “all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26). Until then, we rejoice that through Jesus we are beloved children of Abraham and heirs of every promise.
Come, Lord Jesus.
May we pray for Israel, share the hope of the gospel, and rejoice that in Christ all of God’s promises are “Yes and Amen.” (2 Corinthians 1:20)
-Live By Faith, Tanner Trephan