Replacement Theology
I once would tell you that I do not believe in "replacement theology". That being the Christian church (or some denomination thereof) has replaced the Israelites according to the flesh as God's chosen people.
I have since embraced this idea fully, although not quite in the "traditional" way.
Before I venture further, allow me to describe briefly, one small part of a debate concerning the trinity doctrine that had been conducted under the guise of a radio interview. The trinitarian host did not present adequate scriptural arguments for his and the church's traditional view, but made a statement to the effect of: "So do you(the unitarian) believe yourself to be smarter than 1700 or so years of Christian tradition?" Of course, these kinds of statements were delivered merely to discredit the unitarian apologist's position in the minds of the listeners by nothing more than on overwhelming sense of being outnumbered and outweighed by the traditional and centuries old views of the church.
The irony is that the church also held the belief that the earth was flat for centuries. Was that true because it said so? It is ridiculous to even respond to such redundancy. The Protestant Reformers themselves, after 13 centuries, declared the Roman Catholic church to be filled with error and denounced it. Were they smarter than 1300 years of traditional views?
2Th 2:15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
The previous scripture uses the term "traditions" and I accept that fully as the teachings of the Apostles delivered orally and in the letters that make up the New Testament. These traditions, however have been twisted, skewed, and completely misunderstood and misapplied by the "scholarly" interpretations and "traditions" of church leaders and expositors for millenia as was forewarned by the self-same Spirit-inspired apostles....
Act 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Act 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Act 20:30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
Act 20:31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
These vehement warnings by Paul were, by the text, expected to come to fruition immediately after his death, NOT 1700-2000 years later.
So where does that leave us? I say look to scripture for a dynamic example of a people who were given divinely-inspired instruction and demolishing the context in light of time and tradition.
Mat 15:3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
Mar 7:9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
Mar 7:13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
Was not our Lord Jesus admonishing his Jewish brethren(Israel) for completely misreading and misapplying the words of God delivered to them by the hands of Moses and the Prophets? Did they not, seeking their own justification and elavated status, misapply scripture in order to divide themselves (Pharisees and Sadduccees) about what is or is not the right interpretation? And were they not blinded and not able to see the truth, or had not ears to hear?
The same error was to come into the church and spoil it over time and, as uncomfortable as many readers may feel at this thought, at God's will.....
2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2Th 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
2Th 2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
One need only research a bit into one's own Protestant history to see who was thought to be this "Wicked". This apostasy was apparantly a means, among many other things, to test God's elect. Namely, do we love truth that we might be saved, or do we take pleasure in unrighteousness that we might believe a lie.
Time and tradition ruined the Jews. Likewise, time and tradition have ruined the church. Neither concept was foreign to the inspired messengers of God.
Therefore I embrace a "replacement" ideology. The modern church has replaced Israel as the current, chosen misinterpreter of His Word and Will and the vain twister of all things holy and I would respond in kind to the radio host....."Is 1700 years or so of man's traditon smarter than the Holy Scriptures?"
Col 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
I have since embraced this idea fully, although not quite in the "traditional" way.
Before I venture further, allow me to describe briefly, one small part of a debate concerning the trinity doctrine that had been conducted under the guise of a radio interview. The trinitarian host did not present adequate scriptural arguments for his and the church's traditional view, but made a statement to the effect of: "So do you(the unitarian) believe yourself to be smarter than 1700 or so years of Christian tradition?" Of course, these kinds of statements were delivered merely to discredit the unitarian apologist's position in the minds of the listeners by nothing more than on overwhelming sense of being outnumbered and outweighed by the traditional and centuries old views of the church.
The irony is that the church also held the belief that the earth was flat for centuries. Was that true because it said so? It is ridiculous to even respond to such redundancy. The Protestant Reformers themselves, after 13 centuries, declared the Roman Catholic church to be filled with error and denounced it. Were they smarter than 1300 years of traditional views?
2Th 2:15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
The previous scripture uses the term "traditions" and I accept that fully as the teachings of the Apostles delivered orally and in the letters that make up the New Testament. These traditions, however have been twisted, skewed, and completely misunderstood and misapplied by the "scholarly" interpretations and "traditions" of church leaders and expositors for millenia as was forewarned by the self-same Spirit-inspired apostles....
Act 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Act 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Act 20:30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
Act 20:31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
These vehement warnings by Paul were, by the text, expected to come to fruition immediately after his death, NOT 1700-2000 years later.
So where does that leave us? I say look to scripture for a dynamic example of a people who were given divinely-inspired instruction and demolishing the context in light of time and tradition.
Mat 15:3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
Mar 7:9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
Mar 7:13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
Was not our Lord Jesus admonishing his Jewish brethren(Israel) for completely misreading and misapplying the words of God delivered to them by the hands of Moses and the Prophets? Did they not, seeking their own justification and elavated status, misapply scripture in order to divide themselves (Pharisees and Sadduccees) about what is or is not the right interpretation? And were they not blinded and not able to see the truth, or had not ears to hear?
The same error was to come into the church and spoil it over time and, as uncomfortable as many readers may feel at this thought, at God's will.....
2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2Th 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
2Th 2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
One need only research a bit into one's own Protestant history to see who was thought to be this "Wicked". This apostasy was apparantly a means, among many other things, to test God's elect. Namely, do we love truth that we might be saved, or do we take pleasure in unrighteousness that we might believe a lie.
Time and tradition ruined the Jews. Likewise, time and tradition have ruined the church. Neither concept was foreign to the inspired messengers of God.
Therefore I embrace a "replacement" ideology. The modern church has replaced Israel as the current, chosen misinterpreter of His Word and Will and the vain twister of all things holy and I would respond in kind to the radio host....."Is 1700 years or so of man's traditon smarter than the Holy Scriptures?"
Col 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
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