Moreover, a few verses not routinely interrogated along these lines (Rom 4:11–16) suggest that Paul continued to regard the Law and its keeping as a defining characteristic of Jewish social identity that he expected to perdure at least until the general resurrection. Such expected Law-keeping does not function at the soteriological register, as if Paul thought Jews merited salvation by Law-observance; rather, according to Paul’s reasoning, such Jewish Law-keeping expressed their belonging to those “of the circumcision”, a people whose existence and perdurance Paul regards as ordained by God as one of the nations comprising Abraham’s promised “seed”.  - Paul T. Sloan, Jewish Law-Observance in Paul.

“It’s all about Jesus” is often used as a cop out for neglecting important passages, commands, and themes in Scripture. Of course it’s all about Him, for He alone is preeminent, but it’s about Him on His terms, not ours. “All Scripture is God-breathed.” - BA Purtle

If your worldview is characterized by a sense of victimhood, entitlement, and suspicion, you haven't got a hold of a Christian one. Some stranger, some hired hand, some wolf has laid hold of your ear. Break free immediately, and find the voice of the Good Shepherd again. - BA Purtle

Drunk Lot impregnated his daughter, who bore Moab, whence came Ruth, the great-grandmother of David, the king who murdered Bathsheba's husband and with her fathered Solomon, who filled Jerusalem with idolatry.

Christ's genealogy preaches his will to save even the most messed up of families. - Chad Bird

“In the matter of Christ’s second coming and kingdom, the church of Christ has not dealt fairly with the prophecies of the Old Testament. For too long we have refused to see that there are two personal advents of Christ spoken of in those prophecies: an advent in humiliation and an advent in glory, an advent to suffer and an advent to reign, a personal advent to carry the cross and a personal advent to wear the crown.” - JC Ryle

Via BA Purtle

“You see, brother, how many THOUSANDS there are among the Jews of those who have believed [the Gospel...]" -Acts 21:20

The idea that the "Jews rejected Christ" in the first century is a total myth. There was no difference in terms of Jewish vs. Gentile acceptance/rejection of the Gospel at this time.

Thousands of people coming to faith from one people group (in this case Jews) is actually an amazing result! Ask any missionary today! - Travis M. Snow

Hubris is common. It emits from us easily.

Humility is uncommon— a product of cruciformity.

Pray that you may be truly humble— seeing Christ acutely, treating others rightly.

At the last day you will not regret a meek life. “The meek”, not the proud, “shall inherit the earth.”

-BA Purtle

There perhaps millions of people asking afresh today, "Who or what is Israel?"

J.C. Ryle would like a word. This is from his book, "Coming Events and Present Duties," chapter 5. It was written in 1867.

------------------------

The MEANING of the word "Israel."

"The definition of terms is of first importance in theology. Unless we explain the meaning of the words we use in our religious statements, our arguments are often wasted, and we seem like men beating the air. The word 'Israel' is used nearly seven hundred times in the Bible. I can only discover three senses in which it is used.

First, it is one of the names of Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes; a name specially given to him by God.

Second, it is a name given to the ten tribes which separated from Judah and Benjamin in the days of Rehoboam and became a distinct kingdom. This kingdom is often called Israel in contradistinction to the kingdom of Judah.

Thirdly and lastly, it is a name given to the whole Jewish nation, to all members of the twelve tribes which sprang from Jacob and were brought out of Egypt into the land of Canaan. This is by far the most common signification of the word in the Bible. It is the only signification in which I can find the word 'Israel' used through the whole New Testament. It is the same in which the word is used in the text which I am considering this day. That Israel, which God has scattered and will yet gather again — is the whole Jewish nation.

Now, why do I dwell upon this point? To some readers it may appear mere waste of time and words to say so much about it. The things I have been saying sound to them like truisms. That Israel means Israel, is a matter on which they never felt a doubt. If this be the mind of any into whose hands this address has fallen, I am thankful for it. But unhappily there are many Christians who do not see the subject with your eyes. For their sakes I must dwell on this point a little longer.

For many centuries there has prevailed in the Churches of Christ a strange, and to my mind, an unwarrantable mode of dealing with this word 'Israel.' It has been interpreted in many passages of the Psalms and Prophets, as if it meant nothing more than Christian believers. Have promises been held out to Israel? Men have been told continually that they are addressed to Gentile saints. Have glorious things been described as laid up in store for Israel? Men have been incessantly told that they describe the victories and triumphs of the Gospel in Christian Churches. The proofs of these things are too many to require quotation. No man can read the immense majority of commentaries and popular hymns without seeing this system of interpretation to which I now refer.

Against that system I have long protested, and I hope I shall always protest as long as I live. I do not deny that Israel was a peculiar typical people, and that God's relations to Israel — were meant to be a type of His relations to His believing people all over the world. I do not forget that it is written, 'As face answers to face, so does the heart of man to man' (Proverbs 27:19), and that whatever spiritual truths are taught in prophecy concerning Israelitish hearts — are applicable to the hearts of Gentiles. I would have it most distinctly understood that God's dealings with individual Jews and Gentiles — are precisely one and the same. Without repentance, faith in Christ, and holiness of heart — no individual Jew or Gentile shall ever be saved.

What I protest against is the habit of allegorizing plain sayings of the Word of God concerning the future history of the nation Israel and explaining away the fullness of their contents in order to accommodate them to the Gentile Church! I believe the habit to be unwarranted by anything in Scripture, and to draw after it a long train of evil consequences.

Where, I would venture to ask, in the whole New Testament shall we find any plain authority for applying the word 'Israel' to anyone but the nation Israel? I can find none. On the contrary, I observe that when the Apostle Paul quotes Old Testament prophecies about the privileges of the Gentiles in Gospel times, he is careful to quote texts which specially mention the 'Gentiles' by name. The fifteenth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans is a striking illustration of what I mean.

We are often told in the New Testament that under the Gospel believing Gentiles are 'fellow-heirs and partakers of the same hope' with believing Jews (Ephesians 3:6). But that believing Gentiles may be called 'Israelites,' I cannot see anywhere at all.

To what may we attribute that loose system of interpreting the language of the Psalms and Prophets, and the extravagant expectations of universal conversion of the world by the preaching of the Gospel, which may be observed in many Christian writers? To nothing so much, I believe, as to the habit of inaccurately interpreting the word 'Israel,' and to the consequent application of promises — to the Gentile Churches with which they have nothing to do!

The least errors in theology always bear fruit. Never does man take up an incorrect principle of interpreting Scripture, without that principle entailing awkward consequences and coloring the whole tone of his religion. Reader, I leave this part of my subject here. I am sure that its importance cannot be overrated. In fact, a right understanding of it lies at the very root of the whole Jewish subject, and of the prophecies concerning the Jews. The duty which Christians owe to Israel, as a nation, will never be clearly understood, until Christians clearly see the place that Israel occupies in Scripture.

Before going any further, I will ask all readers of this address one plain practical question. I ask you to calmly consider — What sense do you put on such words as 'Israel,' 'Jacob,' and the like — when you meet with them in the Psalms and Prophecies of the Old Testament? We live in a day when there are many Bible readers. There are many who search the Scriptures regularly and read through the Psalms and the Prophets once, if not twice, every year they live. Of course you attach some meaning to the words I have just referred to. You place some sense upon them. Now what is that sense? What is that meaning? Take heed that it is the right one.

Reader, accept a friendly exhortation this day. Cleave to the literal sense of Bible words and beware of departing from it — except in cases of absolute necessity. Beware of that system of allegorizing and spiritualizing and accommodating, which the school of Origen first brought in, and which has found such an unfortunate degree of favor in the Church. In reading the authorized version of the English Bible, do not put too much confidence in the 'headings' of pages and 'tables of contents' at beginnings of chapters, which I consider to be a most unhappy accompaniment of that admirable translation. Remember that those headings and tables of contents were drawn up by uninspired hands. In reading the Prophets, they are sometimes not helps, but real hindrances and less likely to assist a reader than to lead him astray. Settle it in your mind, in the reading the Psalms and Prophets, that Israel means Israel; and Zion means Zion; and Jerusalem means Jerusalem.

And, finally, whatever edification you derive from applying to your own soul the words which God addresses to His ancient people — never lose sight of the primary sense of the text."

-BA Purtle

Look at Jesus. He is always weeping, a man of sorrows. Do you know why? Because He is perfect. When you are not absorbed in yourself, you can feel the sadness of the world. - Timothy Keller

“Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work. The work in prayer is the labor of birth.” - Oswald Chambers 

via BA Purtle

Likewise, the parables of the mustard seed and leaven (Matt. 13:31–33) would have been understood negatively, spoken “to them” (v. 13) and interpreted apocalyptically, in light of “the end of the age” (v. 40). These two terse parables are simply negative teaching devices with a single player, akin to the parables of the rich fool (Luke 12:16–21), the barren fig tree (Luke 13:6–9), and the counting of the costs (Luke 14:28–33). Leaven was commonly understood as a bad thing (cf. Ex. 12:15–20; 34:25; Lev. 2:11; Matt. 16:6, 11–12; 1 Cor. 5:6–8; Gal. 5:9), and the allusion to Nebuchadnezzar concerning the mustard seed (Matt. 13:32; cf. Dan. 4:12) probably evoked highly negative emotions in Jesus’ hearers. Thus the leaven and the mustard seed most likely would have been associated with the preceding and following “weeds” (vv. 25, 38), which were destined to be “burned” (vv. 30, 40)—especially since the mustard seed and leaven parables are given no explanation (a point rarely appreciated). In this way, they simply communicate that God, in his great mercy, will allow wickedness to grow to its full measure (an idea seen throughout the Scriptures; cf. Gen. 15:16; Dan. 8:23; Zech. 5:5; Matt. 23:32; 1 Thess. 2:16) until the judgment at the end of the age. Again, if the mustard seed and leaven parables are bookended by a parable concerning God allowing evil to continue to maturity, then should we not assume the unexplained parables in the middle to communicate the same message? - John P. Harrigan, The Gospel of Christ Crucified, p.278-279

Such a theology of Jewish election and stewardship weighs heavily in the discussion of the role of the Jews in the land of Israel today. Many argue vehemently that the Jews no longer have a role or calling in the land. Others say that the Jews retain a unique calling to keep the land. We must heartily affirm the latter. Though many in the land today are indeed apostate, that too was the case before the exile (cf. Isa. 3:9; Jer. 2:19) and before the ad 70 destruction of Jerusalem (cf. Acts 7:51; Rom. 11:25). Though the Jews have always fallen short (as have all Gentiles!), ought we not support their divine right to promulgate the oracles, of which the land itself stands at the forefront (cf. Ps. 72:8; 89:25; Zech. 9:10)?  - John P. Harrigan, The Gospel of Christ Crucified

The Great Reign (COVENANT AND CONTROVERSY) • First Teaser Trailer

My teaching on Zechariah 7-11. Notes. Audio 1. Audio 2. 

On the way to Gethsemane, Jesus also identified himself as “the shepherd”of Zechariah 13:7, saying, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered ’” (Matt. 26:31). Jesus had told his disciples earlier, “You will be scattered.  .  . and will leave me alone” (John 16:32), which found fulfillment during his arrest when “all the disciples left him and fled” (Matt. 26:56). Zechariah 11–13 broadly portrays this “shepherd” as being rejected (chap. 11), pierced (chap. 12), and struck (chap. 13) before the final vindication of the day of the Lord (chap. 14). So John quotes Zechariah 12:10 concerning the crucifixion:“These things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: . . . ‘They will look on him whom they have pierced’” (John 19:36–37). As with Isaiah 53, Zechariah 11–13 also leads up to a prophecy of eschatological glory in chapter14. Therefore Zechariah 12:10 is rightly quoted in light of the return of Jesus: “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn over him. So it is to be. Amen” (Rev. 1:7, csb). - John P. Harrigan, The Gospel of Christ Crucified, p.195

The attempt to argue for a purely “spiritual” kingdom in this age, in contrast to a “visibly manifest” kingdom in the age to come, is patently Platonic. There is no immaterial world seeking to manifest itself in materiality. Rather, Jesus sits enthroned over the heavens and earth, waiting in mercy to judge the living and the dead. This age remains this age (Gal. 1:4; Titus 2:12), essentially characterized by the cross (Luke 24:47; Acts 3:19–21); and the age to come remains the age to come (cf. Eph. 1:21; Heb. 2:5), essentially characterized by judgment (Acts 10:42; 2 Tim. 4:1). Where in the Scriptures does the messianic kingdom ever precede the day of judgment? Rather, divine judgment always initiates the kingdom (cf. Ps. 2; Isa. 24; Dan. 7; Hab. 2–3; Zeph. 2–3; Zech. 12–14; Mal. 3–4). - John P. Harrigan, The Gospel of Christ Crucified, p.187

Moreover, just because the Jews cannot steward all of the oracles (e.g., the Davidic dynasty, temple service, etc.), should they not steward as many as possible? Modern Israel engages in many objectionable practices, of course, but should we not support and encourage righteous stewardship rather than the rejection of Jewish election altogether? If God chooses to discipline his stewards yet again and remove them from the land (as seems anticipated in Daniel 12:7, Joel 3:2, Zechariah 14:2, etc.), so be it. But woe to those who presume upon divine mercy and election. - John P. Harrigan, The Gospel of Christ Crucified, p.170-171

My teaching on the healing of the man with a legion of demons from Luke 8. Notes. Audio 1. Audio 2. 

Because Abraham was promised that he would inherit the land “from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates” (Gen. 15:18), so then his Seed will rule “from the River to the ends of the earth” (Ps. 72:8; Zech. 9:10). Such a geographical demarcation between the Euphrates and the ends of the earth confirms the geopolitical demarcation of the kingdom of God in the age to come. Hence the land of Canaan itself is a prophetic oracle, of sorts, inherently prophesying the age to come, and the Jews were and are stewards of that oracle (cf. Matt. 21:33; Rom. 3:2). - John P. Harrigan, The Gospel of Christ Crucified

The New Testament assumes Jesus to be “the son of Abraham” (Matt. 1:1; cf. Luke 3:34), and all the ethno-geographic characteristics of the Abrahamic covenant are simply assumed as part of Jesus’ messianic identity. His incarnational birth (Luke 1:31–32) was taken by Mary to mean, “He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever” (vv. 54–55). The crowds “glorified the God of Israel” (Matt. 15:31) when they saw Jesus’ miracles. And Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem on a colt was plainly understood in light of Zechariah’s messianic oracle (cf. Zech. 9:9), resulting in the declaration, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 19:38). This Messiah is “the King of the Jews” (Matt. 2:2; 27:11; Mark 15:26; Luke 23:37; John 19:3)—that is, “the King of Israel ” (Matt. 27:42; Mark 15:32; John 1:49; 12:13)—and thus divorcing Jesus from “the hope of Israel” (Acts 28:20) is senseless. - John P. Harrigan, The Gospel of Christ Crucified, p.130

History is thus portrayed as moving toward a unique and climactic end. Though mankind continues to exalt itself with ever-increasing zeal and ambition, “a day is coming for the Lord ” (Zech. 14:1), when God alone will be glorified and honored—for “all mankind will come to bow down before Me, says the Lord” (Isa. 66:23, nasb). Though our literature and history books write endlessly about the glory of mankind—our progression, our knowledge, our civilization—God will come and suddenly reverse the current of history. - John P. Harrigan, The Gospel of Christ Crucified, p.48

The primary element of apocalyptic thought is what the Bible calls “the day of the Lord” (Isa. 13:6, 9; Ezek. 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14; Amos 5:18; Obad. 15; Zeph. 1:7, 14; Zech. 14:1; Mal. 4:5; Acts 2:20; 1 Cor. 5:5; 1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Thess. 2:2; 2 Peter 3:10). Spoken of first in the early prophetic literature, the day of YHWH becomes the focal point of prophetic declaration since “similar terms, particularly ‘that day,’ ‘the day of,’ and ‘the day when,’ appear nearly 200 times in the prophets.” - John P. Harrigan, The Gospel of Christ Crucified, p.46

Many scholars infer from these interactions that Jesus disregarded the food laws and purity to show that only love and faith matter (Dunn); "redefined" the nation's practices, swapping "allegiance to Torah" with "allegiance to himself" (Wright); or replaced purity with mercy (Borg). But a refined understanding of purity, sabbath halakha, and other contemporary legal debates will show that Jesus does none of these things. -  Paul T. Sloan, Jesus and the Law of Moses. 

Jesus didn’t use parables to impart hidden knowledge.

Instead, he employed them against those with hardened hearts.

“Because looking they do not see, and hearing they do not listen or understand” Matthew 13:13

Knowing this is key to understanding the parables. - Tyler Luedke

The "kingdom of the world" will manifestly become the "kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ," but not to the exclusion of the kingdom being restored to Israel. All of this has been fixed by the Father's own authority, and it's going to be marvelous. (Rev. 11.15; Acts 1.6-7) -BA Purtle

Theology 101: Orthodoxy often involves holding several vital truths in tension.

Heresy relieves the tension. - Dr. Michael Svigel

“Paul is revealing something extraordinary — that though Israel is currently experiencing a judicial blindness, there will come a time when ‘all Israel shall be saved.’ This is not merely the ongoing salvation of a small remnant of Jews throughout church history, but rather a future large‑scale conversion of Jews that will be so remarkable it will be ‘like life from the dead’ for the church.”

“Paul’s language … points to a future dramatic turning of the Jewish nation to Christ that will occur after ‘the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.’” - Martin Lloyd Jones, From Future of the Jews: Rom. 11.24-32, April 9, 1965

-Via BA Purtle

“I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel… They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them… I will plant them on their land, and they will not again be rooted out from their land.” (Amos 9:14-15)

The apostle Paul—

“As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him.”

Divisiveness is a matter of church discipline. Don’t treat it lightly. - BA Purtle

The Roman satirist Lucian of Samosata mocked the martyrs as “misguided creatures (who) start with the general conviction that they are immortal for all time…which explains the contempt of death and voluntary self-devotion which are so common among them.” Even the skeptical pagan recognized a life laid down as a witness to the Resurrection. Thus, in sickness, death, and martyrdom, the message of Christ was preached. - Graysen Borders, Gen Z: Miracles and Martyrdom