When I say Christ is the central Figure of Scripture what I mean is that He is the central Protagonist of God’s Creation Project. Here is an example of the Christ’s eminence in the Bible:
God created all things through Jesus Christ (Eph. 3:9, Jn. 1:3), and all things created through Him were also created for Him (Col. 1:16). At this present hour the whole creation is upheld through Him (Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3). He is the Lord of all (Acts 10:36) and is therefore the only one who has the wisdom and the power to overcome Satan (Matt. 4:1-11), which one day He will to the uttermost (Gen. 3:15).
That first inkling of His coming (“He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” – Gen. 3:15b) reveals Him as the one who will dislodge the Interloper and knock him off his pedestal, reclaiming the creation for God – for Himself. He would come from Israel, from the tribe of Judah, and would reign over the Kingdom (Gen. 49:8-10). He would be born in Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2) even though He was “from everlasting.” This “encroachment” of the Creator into the Devil’s realm came about because God is not about to give up on something He has made and gifted to His Son and let the Deceiver get away with it. Sin and Death and Satan are no match for God. All three will be triumphed over through Christ (Jn. 1:29; Rom. 5:21; Heb. 9:26; Jn. 8:52; Rom. 6:9; 1 Cor. 15:21-26; Heb. 2:9; Rom. 16:20; Heb. 2:14; 1 Jn. 3:8).
Jesus is the Messiah or Christ (Psa. 45:6-7; Heb. 1:8-9; Matt. 26:63-64; Lk. 3:22; 1 Jn. 5:6), the King of Israel (Zech 9:9; Matt. 2:1-6; Lk. 1:29-33), who will also rule over the entire world (Psa. 2:8; Isa. 11:1-10; Rev. 11:15; Zech 14:9).
Perhaps the greatest of all ironies is that “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.” (Jn. 1:10), since “He made Himself of no reputation” (Phil. 2:7). He is the stone that the builders rejected (Psa. 118:22; Matt. 21:42) who is the stone that will smash all of the kingdoms of man and set up God’s Kingdom upon earth (Dan. 2:45).
The OT or Tanakh is a book about Israel (Exodus – 2 Chronicles) and its main figure is the coming Messiah (e.g., Deut. 18:15-19; Psa. 2:8-10; 22:1-31; 110:1-4; Isa. 9:6-7; 11:1-10; 42:1-7; 49:3-13; 52:11-53:12; Jer. 23:5-6; 33:14-16; Dan. 7:13-14; 9:26; Mic. 5:2; Zech. 9:9-10; 12:10; 13:7; Mal. 3:1; 4:1-2). A reading of these prophecies at face value should persuade anyone that Israel’s hope is intertwined with the completed fulfillment of them in the first and second comings of Jesus Christ.
The NT is a book about Israel (e.g., The Synoptics, Hebrews, Revelation) and about the Church (e.g., John, Acts, Epistles of Paul, Hebrews), though often their fortunes are connected (e.g., Romans, Hebrews, James, Epistles of Peter, Revelation). This is not to say, for example, that the Synoptics are not for the Church, only that they mostly record Jesus’s mission to Israel prior to the inception of the Church in Acts 2. Thus, the “gospel” preached in the Synoptics did not include Christ’s death and resurrection like it would after His ascension (1 Cor. 15:1-4). In the Church the love of God is found in Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:29), and through Him access to by the Spirit to the Father (Eph. 2:18). The Church is not a geo-political entity like Israel, therefore it cannot be the recipient of geo-political promises made to Israel. Differences must be observed even more than similarities.
8 comments On Real Christocentricity
Bonjour Dr Reluctant,
“The Church is not a geo-political entity like Israel, therefore it cannot be the recipient of geo-political promises made to Israel”.
With all due respect, allow me to desagree with you here!
The Church cannot be diferenciated from Israel because the Church is actually Israel.
In Luke 1.31-33, it clearly says about Yeshua that he will reign over the House of Jacob (that is the 12 tribes of Israel) for ever.
Nowhere in Scriptures do we read that Yeshua will reign over a pagan entity called the Church, or do they?
I would highly recommand the following book from Jason Staples, where he clearly put things to rest when it comes to this particular issue and how to interpret Paul’s Gospel to the gentiles.
Paul knew fully well that the Gentiles he was preaching to, for the most part, were the actual descendants of the 10 non Jewish tribes of Israel who had been divorced and scattered throughout the ancient world. Through the blood of Jesus, they had a way to come back to the fold of Israel, together with the believing Jews.
“Paul and the Resurrection of Israel: Jews, Former Gentiles, Israelites” by Jason Staples
As one reviewer states:
REMARKABLY THIS BOOK HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CHANGE THE MODERN WORLD. MOSTLY BY READING THE LAST FEW CHAPTERS OF DEUTERONOMY AND THE PROPHETIC BOOKS INTO THE BOOK OF ROMANS DR STAPLES CHALLENGES AT LEAST 1700 YEARS OF BIBLCAL INTERPRETATION. HE LEAVES NO STONE UNTURNED.
Blessings from France,
FX
Well you are free to disagree of course. I’m afraid Staples’ thesis will not fit into a biblical covenantal scheme. If the book teaches what you have outlined above (and I took a gander at it) I have to say that I find it very far-fetched.
God bless.
Thank you Paul for your article. It was spot on. True Christ centered theology.
I appreciate the loaded in Bible references!
I’m also interested to know if you’ve heard of Jason Staples claim from other sources before? I really like how the biblical covenantal scheme, being hermeneutical, helps us know what to entertain and what to discard. Your book reviewer eye is much appreciated for a lay, overseas missionary like myself.
The closest I’ve come across is the old ‘British Israel’ stuff. I will have to buy the book I suppose.
I like how the Biblical covenantal scheme’s hermeneutical strength is seen in your comment about Staple’s thesis.
Paul, I agree with your view that the identity of Jesus also included His role as the King of the Jews. This is clashing with my church’s covenantal amillennial Reformed view that views Israel as absorbed and transformed into only Jesus Himself on the cross as the Savior of mankind. My church minister is getting more militant with that view over the course of time, and from my reading on his newsletter about the current (2023-now) Middle East situation, that he won’t welcome anyone pushing the view you espouse openly inside the church. Should I quit for another church? Even though this church holds a very high value on the gospel, being “gospel centered”, it has a very strong blind spot on Israel, and I could not respect their de facto twisting and allegorizing treatment of the Old Testament.