WATCHING THROUGH THE EYES OF A COUNTRY PREACHER
THE PROMISE,
THE PEOPLE,
AND THE SEED
Abraham, Israel, the Church,
and God’s Covenant Purpose
LARRY G. TRUITT
Ramblings of a Country Preacher
WATCHING THROUGH THE EYES OF A COUNTRY PREACHER
The Promise, the People, and the Seed
Copyright © 2026 Larry G. Truitt
All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
This book presents a biblical observation offered for prayerful study. Readers are encouraged to search the Scriptures and follow the Lord Jesus Christ.
Watching Through the Eyes of a Country Preacher series
WATCHING THROUGH THE EYES OF A COUNTRY PREACHER
Dedication
To every believer who desires to read the promises of God with humility, to love the Jewish people without turning political nationalism into a doctrine of salvation, and to receive every brother and sister whom Christ has redeemed.
WATCHING THROUGH THE EYES OF A COUNTRY PREACHER
Contents
Preface: Why This Question Matters
Introduction: One Plan of Redemption
1. The Call of Abraham
2. A People Formed by Promise
3. The Sign and the Substance
4. Israel Chosen for a Purpose
5. The Remnant Within Israel
6. The Promised Seed Is Christ
7. Children of Abraham by Faith
8. The Middle Wall Broken Down
9. The Olive Tree and Its Branches
10. Hath God Cast Away His People?
11. The Church and the Promises
12. One Flock Under One Shepherd
Conclusion: If Ye Be Christ’s
Selected KJV Scriptures for Further Study
WATCHING THROUGH THE EYES OF A COUNTRY PREACHER
Preface
Why This Question Matters
Few subjects create more confusion among Bible-believing Christians than the relationship between Israel and the Church. Some have been taught that God has two separate peoples, two separate plans, and two different prophetic destinies. Others speak so carelessly that they appear to say the Jewish people no longer matter to God. Both approaches can lead us away from the plain testimony of Scripture.
The Bible begins the covenant story long before there was a nation called Israel. God called one man, Abraham, and promised to make of him a great nation. Yet the promise was never merely about land, bloodline, or earthly government. From the beginning, God said that in Abraham all families of the earth would be blessed. The promise therefore carried within it a worldwide gospel purpose.
This booklet does not teach contempt for the Jewish people, and it does not deny that God may yet work among them in remarkable ways. Paul warned Gentile believers not to boast against the natural branches. At the same time, the New Testament will not allow us to build two ways of salvation. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one Shepherd, and one redeemed people gathered in Jesus Christ.
I offer these pages as a country preacher’s observation, not as a test of fellowship. Search every passage in its setting. Lay inherited systems beside the Word of God. Let the promise lead where the apostles said it leads—to Christ, to faith, to holiness, and to a family made up of believing Jews and believing Gentiles.
WATCHING THROUGH THE EYES OF A COUNTRY PREACHER
Introduction
One Plan of Redemption
“And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” — Genesis 22:18 KJV
God’s plan of redemption did not begin with Moses, with the kingdom of Israel, or with the building of the temple. It reaches back to the fall, when the Lord promised that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent’s head. The call of Abraham brought that promise into sharper focus. God would form a covenant people through whom the promised Seed would enter the world and through whom blessing would reach every nation.
The chosen people were never chosen because they were naturally better than other people. Election is grace, not human superiority. Israel was called to bear witness to the one true God, preserve the holy Scriptures, receive the covenants, and bring forth the Messiah according to the flesh. The purpose of the choice was service and blessing.
When Christ came, He did not abandon the promise. He fulfilled it. The apostles did not announce a second road for Gentiles. They declared that the blessing of Abraham had come upon the Gentiles through Jesus Christ. Those who believe are grafted into the covenant tree; those who reject Christ cannot claim salvation merely through ancestry. God’s plan is one plan centered in one Redeemer.
This truth should humble every reader. Gentile Christians have no ground for pride, and Jewish unbelief gives no ground for hatred. All have sinned. All need mercy. All who are saved are saved by the blood of Christ. The promise that began with Abraham becomes a great multitude from every kindred, tongue, people, and nation.
WATCHING THROUGH THE EYES OF A COUNTRY PREACHER
CHAPTER 1
The Call of Abraham
“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country... and I will make of thee a great nation... and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” — Genesis 12:1–3 KJV
Grace Took the First Step
Abraham did not discover God by the strength of his own wisdom. God spoke first. The covenant story begins with divine grace. The Lord called Abram out of an idolatrous world and told him to leave country, kindred, and his father’s house. The command demanded faith because Abram did not possess a map of the entire journey. He had a word from God, and that word was enough to begin walking.
This is important when we speak about a chosen people. Choice did not begin with human merit. Abraham was chosen because God had a saving purpose. Scripture later records Abraham’s failures so plainly that nobody can make him an idol. He sometimes feared, sometimes reasoned according to the flesh, and sometimes tried to help God fulfill what only God could accomplish. Yet the Lord remained faithful to His promise.
Seven Parts of the Promise
Genesis 12 gathers several parts of God’s promise: a land, a great nation, a great name, divine blessing, protection, a calling to be a blessing, and blessing for all families of the earth. If we stop at the land or nation, we stop before reaching God’s stated destination. The promise moves outward. Abraham is blessed so that blessing can reach others.
That final phrase is the missionary heart of the covenant. God did not say that only Abraham’s physical family would be blessed. He said that all families of the earth would be blessed in him. The prophets kept that worldwide horizon before Israel, and the apostles announced its fulfillment when the gospel went to the Gentiles.
Faith Answered the Call
Hebrews 11 says Abraham obeyed and went out, not knowing whither he went. His obedience did not purchase the promise; it demonstrated his trust in the One who promised. Biblical faith is never merely agreeing with an idea. It hears God, trusts God, and takes the next faithful step.
The chosen people therefore begin with a man called to walk by faith. That pattern will remain important throughout Scripture. Physical descent has a real historical place, but the spiritual character of Abraham’s household is faith and obedience. The children who truly follow Abraham are those who share the faith that answered God’s call.
A COUNTRY PREACHER’S OBSERVATION
The promise began with grace, was received by faith, and was aimed from the beginning at blessing every family of the earth.
Discussion Questions
What does Genesis 12:1–3 teach about God taking the first step in calling Abraham?
Why was Abraham chosen, and what responsibility came with that choice?
Which parts of the Abrahamic promise were personal, national, and worldwide?
How does the phrase ‘all families of the earth’ reveal the missionary purpose of the promise?
In what practical way is God asking you to walk by faith and obedience?
WATCHING THROUGH THE EYES OF A COUNTRY PREACHER
CHAPTER 2
A People Formed by Promise
“And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” — Genesis 15:6 KJV
An Impossible Promise
God promised Abraham descendants when Abraham and Sarah had no child. As the years passed, the promise became naturally impossible. This was not an accident. God allowed every human prop to fail so it would be plain that the covenant people were born by promise and not by human power.
Abraham looked at the stars and heard God say that his seed would be so numerous. He believed the Lord, and God counted it to him for righteousness. Paul later used this verse to explain justification by faith. The gospel did not invent a new principle; it revealed the deepest principle already present in Abraham’s story.
Ishmael and Isaac
Abraham and Sarah tried to secure the promise through Hagar. Ishmael was truly Abraham’s son, and God showed him kindness, but Ishmael was not the covenant son through whom the promised line would proceed. Natural descent from Abraham, by itself, did not determine the covenant line. God said, ‘In Isaac shall thy seed be called.’
Paul draws on this history in Romans and Galatians. The children of the flesh are not automatically the children of God; the children of the promise are counted for the seed. This does not erase history or family relationships. It teaches that covenant membership and saving inheritance have always depended upon God’s promise rather than fleshly confidence.
A Supernatural Family
Isaac’s birth was a resurrection-like act. Sarah’s womb was beyond ordinary hope, yet God brought life where nature could not. The family created through Abraham thus became a living sign that salvation is the work of God. The same Lord who gave Isaac can create children of Abraham from every nation through faith in Christ.
Whenever the Church trusts political power, ethnic privilege, wealth, or human organization more than God, it forgets how the covenant family began. We are a people of promise. Our life comes from above, our righteousness is received by faith, and our future rests upon the faithfulness of God.
A COUNTRY PREACHER’S OBSERVATION
God did not build His covenant people upon the strength of the flesh. He built them upon His promise and called them to live by faith.
Discussion Questions
Why did God allow the promise of a son to become naturally impossible for Abraham and Sarah?
According to Genesis 15:6, how was Abraham counted righteous?
What does the difference between Ishmael and Isaac teach about fleshly effort and divine promise?
How does Romans 9 distinguish physical descent from being a child of promise?
Where are believers tempted to trust human strength instead of God’s promise today?
WATCHING THROUGH THE EYES OF A COUNTRY PREACHER
CHAPTER 3
The Sign and the Substance
“And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised.” — Romans 4:11 KJV
A Covenant Sign
Circumcision marked the males of Abraham’s household as belonging to the covenant community. The sign mattered because God commanded it. It separated Abraham’s family from surrounding peoples and placed a visible reminder of covenant obligation upon the body itself.
But a sign is not the same as the reality it signifies. Abraham was counted righteous before he was circumcised. Paul stresses the order so no one can claim that the outward mark created the inward righteousness. The sign sealed a righteousness that Abraham had already received by faith.
The Heart Was Always the Issue
Moses told Israel to circumcise the foreskin of their heart. Deuteronomy promised that the Lord would circumcise their hearts so they might love Him. Jeremiah warned people who possessed the bodily sign but remained uncircumcised in heart. The prophets never allowed ceremony to replace repentance.
Paul therefore stood inside the prophetic tradition when he wrote that a true Jew is one inwardly and that circumcision is of the heart, in the spirit. He was not speaking contemptuously of Jewish people. He was defending the very truth their own Scriptures proclaimed: outward privilege cannot save a disobedient heart.
No Confidence in the Flesh
The New Testament never permits Christian baptism, church membership, family heritage, or religious profession to become a substitute for the new birth. We can repeat Israel’s error while criticizing it. A person may possess the outward mark of Christianity and remain far from God.
The covenant promise calls for an inward work of grace. Christ must rule the heart. The Spirit must write God’s law within us. The chosen people are recognizable not merely by an outward label but by faith working through love, obedience to Christ, and a life being made holy.
A COUNTRY PREACHER’S OBSERVATION
Outward signs have their place, but the Lord has always sought a circumcised heart—a heart humbled, believing, obedient, and alive to God.
Discussion Questions
What was the purpose of circumcision in Abraham’s covenant household?
Why is it important that Abraham was counted righteous before he was circumcised?
What do Deuteronomy and Jeremiah mean by circumcision of the heart?
Which outward religious practices can become substitutes for inward transformation?
What evidence should appear in the life of a person whose heart belongs to God?
WATCHING THROUGH THE EYES OF A COUNTRY PREACHER
CHAPTER 4
Israel Chosen for a Purpose
“For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself.” — Deuteronomy 7:6 KJV
Not Chosen for Greatness
Moses plainly said Israel was not chosen because it was more numerous than other nations. The Lord set His love upon Israel because He loved them and because He would keep the oath sworn to their fathers. Election rested in God’s grace and faithfulness, not national greatness.
This removes every ground for racial boasting. Biblical election is not permission to despise the nations. Israel was called holy, meaning set apart for God’s service. Privilege carried responsibility. The nation received light so it could bear witness to the One who gave the light.
Custodians of Revelation
Paul listed Israel’s privileges in Romans 9: the adoption, glory, covenants, giving of the law, service of God, promises, fathers, and—greatest of all—the coming of Christ according to the flesh. Christians should never speak as if this history were meaningless. We owe a profound debt to the people through whom the Scriptures and the Messiah came.
Yet every privilege points beyond itself. The law leads to Christ. The sacrifices point to the Lamb of God. The priesthood prepares us to understand the great High Priest. The temple witnesses to God dwelling among His people and reaches its fullness in Christ and in a Spirit-filled people.
A Kingdom of Priests
At Sinai, God called Israel a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. A priest stands before God and also ministers toward people. Israel was placed among the nations to show the holiness, mercy, and righteousness of the Lord. Isaiah spoke of Israel as a light to the Gentiles.
Peter later applies the same covenant language to believers in Christ: a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a peculiar people. He does not create a competing people. He announces that the covenant vocation has reached a people gathered around the rejected and risen Stone, Jesus Christ.
A COUNTRY PREACHER’S OBSERVATION
Israel’s election was never a blank check for unbelief. It was a holy calling to serve God’s redemptive purpose and bring the Messiah’s light to the nations.
Discussion Questions
According to Deuteronomy 7:6–8, why did God choose Israel?
How does election call a people to service rather than racial or national boasting?
What gifts and responsibilities did God entrust to Israel according to Romans 9:4–5?
How do the law, sacrifices, priesthood, and temple point toward Jesus Christ?
How does 1 Peter 2:9–10 apply Israel’s priestly calling to believers in Christ?
WATCHING THROUGH THE EYES OF A COUNTRY PREACHER
CHAPTER 5
The Remnant Within Israel
“Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved.” — Romans 9:27 KJV
Not All Israel Believed
The Old Testament repeatedly distinguishes the whole nation from the faithful within it. In Elijah’s day, when the prophet thought he stood alone, God had reserved seven thousand who had not bowed to Baal. The remnant existed by grace in the middle of widespread apostasy.
This distinction explains many hard passages. National membership brought real covenant privileges and real accountability, but it did not guarantee the inward faith of Abraham. Prophets addressed Israel as God’s people while also warning that many hearts were rebellious and uncircumcised.
Children of Flesh and Children of Promise
Paul says, ‘They are not all Israel, which are of Israel.’ He is not denying Israel’s history. He is explaining why the Word of God has not failed even though many Israelites rejected Christ. God’s promise was never a promise that every physical descendant would be saved apart from faith.
The lines of Isaac over Ishmael and Jacob over Esau demonstrate that physical connection alone did not settle covenant inheritance. The Lord preserved the line of promise according to His purpose. In the gospel age, that purpose is openly centered in Christ, and everyone who comes to Him comes by grace through faith.
A Warning for the Church
The remnant principle warns churches against trusting numbers, institutions, or inherited names. A congregation may possess a long history and still need revival. A denomination may speak of its founders while abandoning their faith. God has always looked for a people who hear His voice and obey.
The visible Church contains wheat and tares, wise and foolish virgins, faithful servants and slothful servants. Calling ourselves Christian does not remove the need for perseverance, holiness, and living faith. As Israel was warned against presumption, so the Church must take heed lest it fall.
A COUNTRY PREACHER’S OBSERVATION
God has always preserved a faithful people within the larger outward community. The remnant stands by grace, not ancestry, reputation, or numbers.
Discussion Questions
What does the faithful remnant in Elijah’s day teach about God’s preserving grace?
How should we understand Paul’s statement, ‘They are not all Israel, which are of Israel’?
Why could national membership never guarantee saving faith?
How can churches repeat Israel’s mistake by trusting history, reputation, or numbers?
What marks distinguish a faithful remnant from an outwardly religious multitude?
WATCHING THROUGH THE EYES OF A COUNTRY PREACHER
CHAPTER 6
The Promised Seed Is Christ
“Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made... And to thy seed, which is Christ.” — Galatians 3:16 KJV
The Promise Narrows to One
Paul’s inspired interpretation places Christ at the center of the Abrahamic promise. The history involved many descendants, but the promise reaches its decisive fulfillment in one Seed. Jesus is the Son of Abraham, the Son of David, and the Son of God. Every covenant line converges in Him.
If we discuss the promise while leaving Christ at the edge, we have misunderstood it. Land, nation, law, priesthood, sacrifice, kingdom, and temple all prepare the way for Him. He is not a parenthesis in Israel’s story. He is the promised goal of the story.
The Blessing Comes Through the Cross
Galatians connects the blessing of Abraham with Christ redeeming us from the curse of the law. He became a curse for us upon the tree so that the blessing might come to the Gentiles and believers might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
The cross therefore stands at the center of covenant fulfillment. Political control, military victory, and earthly wealth cannot substitute for the forgiveness of sins. The blessing promised to the nations is not domination by one ethnic group. It is reconciliation to God through the crucified and risen Messiah.
Every Promise Finds Its Yea
Paul told the Corinthians that all the promises of God in Christ are yea and amen. This does not make the Old Testament empty. It makes it full. The promises are larger, deeper, and more glorious than a merely earthly reading can contain because their fulfillment is found in the eternal Son.
To inherit the promise we must belong to Christ. No human bloodline can replace His blood shed at Calvary. No earthly citizenship can replace citizenship in His kingdom. No temple made with hands can replace the living presence of God given through His Spirit.
A COUNTRY PREACHER’S OBSERVATION
The promised Seed is not a political system or an ethnic privilege. The Seed is Jesus Christ, and every saving promise rests in Him.
Discussion Questions
How does Galatians 3:16 identify the promised Seed of Abraham?
Why must Christ remain at the center of every interpretation of the covenant promises?
What blessing came to the Gentiles through Christ’s death upon the cross?
What is lost when the Abrahamic blessing is reduced to land, politics, or earthly prosperity?
How does belonging to Christ change our understanding of inheritance and citizenship?
WATCHING THROUGH THE EYES OF A COUNTRY PREACHER
CHAPTER 7
Children of Abraham by Faith
“Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.” — Galatians 3:7 KJV
The Gospel Preached Before
Paul says Scripture foresaw that God would justify the heathen through faith and preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham: ‘In thee shall all nations be blessed.’ The worldwide gospel mission is therefore not an emergency plan created after Israel’s unbelief. It was spoken in the original promise.
The prophets also saw the nations coming to the light of God. Isaiah envisioned Gentiles seeking the Root of Jesse. The Psalms called all lands to praise the Lord. The promise kept opening outward until Christ commanded His disciples to teach all nations.
One Basis of Justification
Abraham was justified by faith before the law of Moses and before circumcision. That makes him the father of all who believe, whether circumcised or uncircumcised. Paul’s argument destroys the idea of separate methods of salvation for Jews and Gentiles.
The Jew is not saved by possessing the law, and the Gentile is not saved by lacking it. Both are under sin. Both need grace. Both must confess Jesus as Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead. The same Lord is rich unto all that call upon Him.
Heirs According to the Promise
Galatians reaches a clear conclusion: if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Paul does not say Gentile believers become physical Jews. He says they receive the promised inheritance because they belong to the promised Seed.
Our identity is therefore first in Christ. Nationality, race, family, and culture remain parts of our earthly story, but none of them determines our standing before God. At the cross, boasting is excluded. In Christ, believers from every background become members of one household.
A COUNTRY PREACHER’S OBSERVATION
The children of Abraham are identified by Abraham’s faith. Everyone who belongs to Christ is an heir according to the promise.
Discussion Questions
In what sense was the gospel preached beforehand to Abraham?
According to Galatians 3:7, who are identified as the children of Abraham?
Why can there be only one basis of justification for Jews and Gentiles?
What does Galatians 3:29 mean when it calls believers Abraham’s seed and heirs?
How should our identity in Christ govern our attitudes toward race, nationality, and culture?
WATCHING THROUGH THE EYES OF A COUNTRY PREACHER
CHAPTER 8
The Middle Wall Broken Down
“For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.” — Ephesians 2:14 KJV
Strangers Brought Near
Paul reminds Gentile believers that they once stood outside Israel’s covenant privileges. They were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise, without hope, and without God in the world. Christianity has no place for Gentile arrogance. We were brought near by mercy.
The means of nearness is the blood of Christ. Gentiles are not brought near by adopting a political identity, observing ceremonies as a basis of righteousness, or displacing Jewish people. They are brought near to God through the atoning death of Jesus.
Of Two, One New Man
Christ abolished the hostility and created in Himself of two one new man. Notice the language: He did not maintain two redeemed bodies traveling on separate covenant tracks. He reconciled both unto God in one body by the cross.
This unity does not demand sameness of culture. Jewish believers may honor their heritage, and Gentile believers need not pretend to be Jewish. The unity is deeper than culture because it is created in Christ. Both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
Fellowcitizens and One Household
Gentile believers are no more strangers and foreigners. They are fellowcitizens with the saints and members of the household of God. The foundation is the apostles and prophets, and Jesus Christ Himself is the chief corner stone.
The whole building grows into a holy temple in the Lord. Here the temple promise takes living form. God dwells in a people made one through Christ. The Church is not a Gentile club replacing a Jewish club. It is the reconciled household of God, containing all who come to the Father through the Son.
A COUNTRY PREACHER’S OBSERVATION
At Calvary, Christ did more than make peace between God and individuals. He broke down the wall and formed believing Jews and Gentiles into one new humanity.
Discussion Questions
What was the spiritual condition of the Gentiles described in Ephesians 2:11–12?
By what means were those who were far off brought near to God?
What did Christ accomplish by breaking down the middle wall of partition?
How can believing Jews and Gentiles remain culturally distinct while belonging to one body?
What does it mean for the Church to be God’s household and a holy temple in the Lord?
WATCHING THROUGH THE EYES OF A COUNTRY PREACHER
CHAPTER 9
The Olive Tree and Its Branches
“Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.” — Romans 11:18 KJV
One Tree, Not Two
Paul pictures God’s covenant people as an olive tree. Some natural branches were broken off because of unbelief, and wild branches were grafted in by faith. The image is not two trees with unrelated roots. It is one tree sustained by the root of God’s covenant promise.
Gentile believers do not replace the root. They are graciously grafted into a story they did not begin. The patriarchs, covenants, prophets, and Scriptures belong to the history from which the gospel came. Gratitude, not boasting, is the proper Gentile response.
Unbelief Breaks Off; Faith Stands
Paul states the matter plainly: because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Ethnic identity did not protect unbelieving branches from being broken off, and Gentile identity will not protect proud branches from judgment.
The apostle therefore says, ‘Be not highminded, but fear.’ This is not fear that God is unfaithful. It is reverence that refuses presumption. The same God who judged unbelief among natural branches will not excuse unbelief among the grafted branches.
Able to Graft Them In Again
Paul holds out real hope for Jewish people: God is able to graft them in again if they abide not still in unbelief. The way back is not separate from Christ. It is through faith in Christ. The gospel remains the power of God unto salvation to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Christians should therefore pray for Jewish people, share the gospel in love, reject antisemitism, and refuse every form of religious pride. We must also reject the teaching that political support can take the place of evangelism. The deepest blessing we can desire for anyone is reconciliation to God through Jesus.
A COUNTRY PREACHER’S OBSERVATION
Romans 11 leaves no room for Gentile boasting and no room for salvation apart from faith. There is one covenant tree, and God is able to graft in everyone who believes.
Discussion Questions
What do the root, natural branches, and wild branches represent in Romans 11?
Why does Paul’s picture of one olive tree matter to the relationship between Israel and the Church?
What caused some natural branches to be broken off, and how do grafted branches stand?
Why are Gentile believers forbidden to boast against the natural branches?
How should belief that God can graft Jewish people in again shape Christian prayer and witness?
WATCHING THROUGH THE EYES OF A COUNTRY PREACHER
CHAPTER 10
Hath God Cast Away His People?
“I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid.” — Romans 11:1 KJV
Paul’s Own Testimony
Paul answers his question by pointing to himself. He was an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin, and a follower of Jesus Christ. Jewish believers were living proof that God had not abandoned His people.
The earliest Church was Jewish. The apostles were Jewish. Thousands of Jewish people believed in Jerusalem. The gospel’s expansion among the Gentiles did not begin because God hated Israel. It began in fulfillment of the promise that all nations would be blessed.
A Remnant According to Grace
Paul again appeals to Elijah’s day and says there is a remnant according to the election of grace. Grace and works cannot be mixed as competing grounds of acceptance. The remnant is saved in exactly the way every sinner is saved—by grace through faith.
This truth guards us from two opposite errors. We must not say Jewish ancestry is meaningless in history, and we must not say it guarantees salvation. God honors His promise by bringing people to the promised Messiah, not by creating a road around Him.
Mercy Upon All
Romans 11 moves toward wonder at the wisdom and mercy of God. Jew and Gentile have both been shut up in unbelief so that salvation might plainly be of mercy. Neither group can stand before God and boast that it deserved redemption.
Christians may disagree over the timing and extent of a future turning among Jewish people. We should hold those discussions humbly. What cannot be surrendered is the apostolic gospel: deliverance comes through the Deliverer, sins are taken away through the new covenant, and mercy is received in Christ.
A COUNTRY PREACHER’S OBSERVATION
God has not cast away the Jewish people. His door of mercy remains open, and His power is able to bring them into their own covenant tree through faith in Jesus Christ.
Discussion Questions
How did Paul’s own salvation answer the question, ‘Hath God cast away his people?’
What does the remnant according to grace demonstrate about God’s faithfulness?
How can Christians affirm God’s continuing mercy toward Jewish people without teaching salvation apart from Christ?
Why are both Jews and Gentiles dependent upon mercy rather than human merit?
How should believers discuss possible future fulfillment concerning Israel when Scripture is interpreted differently?
WATCHING THROUGH THE EYES OF A COUNTRY PREACHER
CHAPTER 11
The Church and the Promises
“For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” — 2 Corinthians 1:20 KJV
Fulfillment Is Not Theft
Some accuse Christians of stealing Israel’s promises whenever the New Testament applies covenant language to the Church. But fulfillment in Christ is not theft. The apostles, writing by the Holy Ghost, repeatedly explain that believers share Abraham’s blessing through union with Christ.
The better question is not, ‘Which group can claim this verse as private property?’ The better question is, ‘How does this promise reach its fulfillment in Jesus?’ He is the true temple, the faithful Israelite, the Son called out of Egypt, the Servant of the Lord, the Davidic King, and the covenant for the people.
The Church Does Not Boast
The Church can misuse this truth if it turns covenant fulfillment into pride or contempt. Paul forbids boasting against the branches. Church history contains shameful examples of persecution and hatred directed toward Jewish communities. Such behavior denies the spirit of Christ.
A Christ-centered understanding should produce humility. Gentile believers were strangers who received mercy. We did not earn a place in God’s household. The grace that grafted us in commands us to love, pray, witness, and remember the root that bears us.
Promises Produce Holiness
Peter says believers are given exceeding great and precious promises so that they might be partakers of the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world through lust. Prophecy and covenant truth are meant to produce holy living.
If our teaching about Israel makes us excuse injustice, rejoice in death, hate whole populations, or neglect the Great Commission, something has gone wrong. If our teaching about the Church makes us proud, careless, or indifferent to Jewish salvation, something has also gone wrong. The promises should make us more like Christ.
A COUNTRY PREACHER’S OBSERVATION
The Church receives the promises only in Christ and therefore has nothing of which to boast. Covenant grace should produce gratitude, mission, mercy, and holiness.
Discussion Questions
Why is fulfillment of Israel’s promises in Christ not the same as stealing those promises?
How does the New Testament present Jesus as the fulfillment of Israel’s covenant story?
What warning does Romans 11 give the Church concerning pride and antisemitism?
According to 2 Peter 1:4, what kind of life should God’s promises produce?
What attitudes or actions would reveal that prophecy has been separated from the character of Christ?
WATCHING THROUGH THE EYES OF A COUNTRY PREACHER
CHAPTER 12
One Flock Under One Shepherd
“And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring... and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” — John 10:16 KJV
Jesus Gathers His Sheep
Jesus spoke first among the lost sheep of the house of Israel, yet He looked beyond that immediate fold. Other sheep would hear His voice and be brought in. The result would not be two flocks under separate shepherds. There would be one flock under one Shepherd.
The Shepherd gives His life for the sheep. Membership in His flock rests upon hearing His voice and following Him. Ancestry may explain where a person came from, but only the Shepherd’s saving call brings a sinner into eternal life.
One Body and One Spirit
Ephesians says there is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all. This sevenfold unity is difficult to reconcile with the claim that God maintains two separate redeemed peoples with separate saving destinies.
The unity of the body does not erase the beauty of redeemed peoples and cultures. Revelation sees a multitude from every nation, kindred, people, and tongue. Their differences become part of the praise offered to the Lamb, but they stand before one throne because they were washed in one blood.
The Chosen People Completed in Christ
God’s plan for a chosen people began with Abraham, developed through Israel, centered in Jesus Christ, and opened openly to the nations through the gospel. The Church does not stand apart from that story. It is the assembly of all who have been called out and joined to Christ by faith.
The final people of God will not boast in flesh. They will boast in the Lamb. Abraham will be there, along with Isaac and Jacob, believing Israel, the apostles, martyrs, saints from forgotten villages, and redeemed people from every corner of the earth. The promise will have reached its intended harvest.
A COUNTRY PREACHER’S OBSERVATION
From Abraham to the New Jerusalem, Scripture tells one story of grace: one promise, one Seed, one Shepherd, and one redeemed people gathered from every nation.
Discussion Questions
What did Jesus mean when He said there would be one flock and one Shepherd?
How does the sevenfold unity of Ephesians 4:4–6 challenge the idea of two separate redeemed peoples?
Does unity in Christ require believers to erase their cultural or national backgrounds? Explain.
Trace God’s chosen-people purpose from Abraham through Israel to Christ and the nations.
How should the vision of a redeemed multitude from every nation affect the Church’s mission today?
WATCHING THROUGH THE EYES OF A COUNTRY PREACHER
Conclusion
If Ye Be Christ’s
“And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” — Galatians 3:29 KJV
The promise to Abraham was the beginning of God’s plan to form a chosen people through whom the Savior would come and the nations would be blessed. That plan unfolded through the patriarchs, the nation of Israel, the law, the prophets, the covenants, and the faithful remnant. It reached its center and fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the promised Seed.
This conclusion does not give Christians permission to despise Jewish people, erase their history, or deny the gifts God gave through them. Neither does it permit us to preach salvation through ancestry, national identity, or political allegiance. The apostolic message is both more humbling and more hopeful: Jews and Gentiles alike are reconciled to God in one body through the cross.
Physical Israel has a unique place in redemptive history, and Christians should pray for Jewish people to recognize their Messiah. Gentile believers must remember that they were grafted into a tree whose root they did not plant. We stand by faith and therefore must never become high-minded.
The Church is not God’s afterthought. Nor is it a separate Gentile people unrelated to Abraham’s promise. It is the household formed in Christ, containing believing Jews and believing Gentiles. Its members are a chosen generation and royal priesthood because they belong to the Chosen One.
In the end, the question is not whether we can claim a certain earthly pedigree. The question is whether we belong to Christ. If we are Christ’s, we are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise. If we reject Christ, no heritage can save us. Let us therefore preach the gospel to every creature, love every neighbor, reject every form of hatred, and watch for the appearing of the one King whose kingdom shall never pass away.
WATCHING THROUGH THE EYES OF A COUNTRY PREACHER
Selected KJV Scriptures for Further Study
The promise to Abraham: Genesis 12:1–3; 15:1–6; 17:1–8; 22:15–18
Children of promise: Genesis 21:12; Romans 9:6–9; Galatians 4:21–31
Circumcision of the heart: Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6; Jeremiah 4:4; Romans 2:28–29
Israel’s calling: Exodus 19:4–6; Deuteronomy 7:6–8; Isaiah 42:6; 49:6
The faithful remnant: 1 Kings 19:18; Isaiah 10:20–22; Romans 9:27; 11:1–6
Christ the promised Seed: Matthew 1:1; Luke 1:68–75; Galatians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 1:20
Abraham’s children by faith: Romans 4:1–17; Galatians 3:6–9, 26–29
One new man: John 10:14–16; Ephesians 2:11–22; 3:1–12; 4:1–6
The olive tree: Romans 11:11–32
A chosen generation: 1 Peter 2:4–10; Revelation 1:5–6; 5:9–10
WATCHING THROUGH THE EYES OF A COUNTRY PREACHER
“For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.”
ROMANS 11:36 KJV
