Romans 4:1 says “Abraham our father, as pertaining or according to the flesh” meaning Abraham the father of the 12 tribes of Israel. IOW, Gentiles are not descendants of Abraham “as pertaining or according to the flesh”. If you say “ancestry is required” or as one of the requirements to partake on God’s promise to Abraham then Gentiles are eliminated or are not included base on this criteria alone.As we read the Romans 4 Paul explained the differences between work and faith. In V2 Paul says: “For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.”
NLT says: “Was it because of his good deeds that God accepted him? If so, he would have had something to boast about. But from God’s point of view Abraham had no basis at all for pride.” IOW, Abraham’s descendants cannot boast in front of God base on work/Law alone or base on “Ancestry”alone. Therefore, “Ancestry” is not or never one of God’s requirement, but "faith" alone both for the Jews and the Gentiles. Remember what you said “both faith and ancestry are required. It's not either or, both are required”
Rom 4:1 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our (plural) forefather according to the flesh?
1. In Rom 4:1, Paul announces and confirms his and his Roman audiences' (plural) ancestral identity , similar to how he identified his (singular) own ancestry (Israelite Jews from the two tribes of Judah who were rejecting Paul's message) to the same audience in Rom 9:3:
Rom 9:3 "For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my (singular) kinsmen according to the flesh.
Notice he uses a
plural second person pronoun in Rom 4:1 and a
singular first person pronoun in Rom 9:3 to identify Paul's and his Roman congregants' kinsmen--the physical descendants of Jacob through Abraham----Israelites--according to the flesh!!!
In verse 2 Paul introduces the subject matter to his Israelite audience -- justification by faith not deeds. Nothing here remotely states ancestry is excluded. Ancestry was identified prior to Paul's introduction of the subject matter in both chapters.
The ancestry (not color or race) of the Galatians and all of Paul's audience is confirmed in Hebrews:
Heb 8:8-10 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
Israelite ancestry (outside of nationality, race, color) is required to take part of the New covenant. Non-Israelites are excluded, until the millennium (Isa 56)
The most beautiful thing about the bible is, sometimes you don’t need to expound the verses because it speaks by itself.
Gal 3:6 Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Gal 3:7 Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.
Gal 3:8 The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”
Gal 3:9 So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
Gal 3:10 All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”
Gal 3:11 Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.”
Gal 3:12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, “The man who does these things will live by them.”
Cleary it says here that “ancestry –Gal. 3:10-12” is not even a requirement at all, but “faith” is the only requirement to become “children of Abraham –Galatians 3:7”.
2. Scripture speaks for itself only when the immediate and broad context is correctly determined and the original languages consulted. Gal 3:10-12 says nothing about excluding ancestry and the Greek adverb "only" [monon-G3440] appears once in the chapter (vs2) and has nothing to do with "only" requiring faith, as you suggest. Paul condemns Jews from the two tribes of Judah who were teaching the deeds (ie..,circumcision) of the law would justify them.
The only ones who will be justified by God in this age are Jews from the two tribes of Judah and those from the 10 tribes living and identified as 'gentiles' in the NT--all 12 tribes:
Isa 45:25 In the LORD all the descendants of Israel Shall be justified, and shall glory.
Nothing here or anywhere else in scripture, when taken in its proper context, suggest non-Israelites are justified. The Israelite ancestry of the Galatians is revealed in Gal 3:23-28.
Gal 3:23-28 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the [Old Covenant] law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Since the “you” in verses 26 and 27 represent the Jews and Greeks from verse 28, to be contextually consistent we have to conclude the “we” in verses 23, 24, and 25 are also Jews and Greeks. The Apostle Paul described those people, who were both Jews and Greeks, as having been previously “under the tutor” [law]. What group of people had been given God’s Law or were considered under God’s Law? :
Deu 33:4 Moses commanded a law for us [twelve tribes], A heritage of the congregation of Jacob
Psa 78:5 For He established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers, That they should make them known to their children.
Rom 9:4 who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises.
Psa 147:19-20 God gave his laws and teachings to the descendants of Jacob, the nation of Israel.[12 tribes] 20 But he has not given his laws to any other [gentile/goy] nation. Shout praises to the LORD! (CEV)
God’s Law was given exclusively to the Israelites. Hence suggesting the Galatians gentiles were Israelite descendants from the ten tribes unwittingly living as Greek citizens. Similar to myself and the African Buba Clan.
If the Greek Galatians were non-Israelites, God broke his promise in Psa 147:19-20 by giving his laws (which includes the law of love) to another [gentile] nation!!!
So, your premise that “both faith and ancestry are required. It's not either or, both are required” is false.
3. I have to disagree. My premise agrees with history and every aspect of God's word. Perhaps you didn't see my request in my prior reply which you did not address: Can you find me an OT reference where all twelve tribes were
definitively referred to as Jews?
Also, I would like for you to tell me how you interpret this passage:
Joh 7:35 Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?
), and wouldn't that include the commandment to observe the Shabbat?
