How important is the upcoming Romans study going to be for contemporary Messianics? Consider this short excerpt from the Introduction: The Epistle to the Romans is quite relevant for us to be studying and reflecting upon, given much of the circumstances and tensions which we are witnessing in the modern Messianic movement. When I was in seminary, one of my instructors actually compared the situation in Romans like someone in a Baptist church leaving for a while, and then returning and discovering that beer and wine were being served at fellowship meals, with all of the people “drinking like fishes.” While there is a useful analogy here of how things change in the Body of Messiah, if this kind of example is as far as some contemporary evangelical Christians can go in considering Romans integration issues, then there are some obvious problems. Contrary to this, Messianic readers recognize the significant importance in evaluating the reintegration issues of the Jewish Believers having left Rome at the Edict of Claudius, and then returning to expect things to go back to the way they were, even though the congregations and fellowships of Messiah followers had become (large) majority non-Jewish. When we look out at most Messianic congregations and assemblies in the First Century, we see that even with many having a Jewish leadership, that the members and attendees are majority non-Jewish. There are integration issues between Jewish and non-Jewish Believers, between those who are more conservative and less conservative in their approach to, and application of, the Torah’s instruction. There are issues regarding eating at fellowship gatherings for certain (ch. 14), and there are some strong discussions over whether non-Jewish Believers are a part of Israel via their Messiah faith, or not (chs. 9-11). There are surely difficulties present, even though we are all united around the need to see Jewish people come to faith in Israel’s Messiah en masse, and aim toward “...so all Israel will be saved...” (11:26) and the consummation of the Messianic Kingdom.
Posted on: Sun, 11 Aug 2013 14:37:07 +0000
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