The Super Seven

                                                                                                                               

Aloha Dearest Family,

Have you ever read someone else's mail? If you have, then you know that it can be confusing. Why? Because this mail was written to someone else. Likewise, there is a lot of confusion today in the church as to what sections of the Bible are written to them. Most Christians believe that the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is written TO them. While some believe that only the New Testament is written to the church today. Understanding TO WHOM certain sections of scripture are addressed to will end centuries of confusion and will make the Bible more understandable and enjoyable. Let us begin by looking at I Corinthians 10:32 and start examining the possibilities.

"Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God." (Scripturally speaking, there are only three groups of people listed in the Bible; Jews, Gentiles or the Church of God. Anyone who we read about or referred to in the Bible will fall into one of these three groups. Let us break down these groups.

1) Jews (or Judeans): Anyone who is of the tribe of Israel and therefore is a descendant of Abraham.

2) Gentiles: Everyone else who is not Israel.

3) The Church of God: Anyone, either Judean or Gentile, who have confessed Christ as their Lord. The church of God is neither Judean nor Gentile but an entirely new race of people.

Certain sections of the Bible are addressed to one or more of these three groups. Some sections are written the Jews, some sections to the Gentiles and some are specifically to the Church of God. By reading the beginning of many books of the Bible we will see TO WHOM they are addressed, and therefore to who the message pertains. Let's look at one example.

The first verse of the book of Isaiah says, 

"The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.” 

This verse tells us specifically who this book is written to; Judah and Jerusalem. Today's church cannot and should not take this book and claim it as it is written directly to them. It was written to Judah and Jerusalem. It is vital to the understanding of the Bible as a whole that certain sections and books of the Bible ARE NOT written to the church today.

This being said, let us look at a verse from Romans, 

"For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning..." (Romans 15:4a) 

Paul says that the things that were written before that present time, is for our learning. All of the Old Testament writings, although NOT specially written to today's church, can still teach us tons of stuff about God and the way He deals with mankind (as well as His plan for a coming redeemer).

Many, many Christians, when they do read the Bible, concentrate on the four Gospels regarding the earthly life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many are also surprised to learn that the ministry of Jesus Christ was primarily to Israel. He was their promised Messiah. He came to call the lost sheep of the house of Israel back to God (Matthew 15:24). The four Gospels, as wonderful as they are, are NOT written to the church today. The Gospels were primarily written so that people could know that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God (John 20:31). Now, believe me when I say that the things that Jesus did and taught were earth shattering. His teachings are life altering and we can learn a great deal from his life, death and resurrection. But in general, practically everything that Jesus taught was to Israel. (Keep in mind that the Church of God was not in existence yet. Today's Church did not start until the day of Pentecost - Acts 2). Now you may ask, "If the Gospels are not written to me, that what part is?"

On the day of Pentecost, God first poured out His spirit to mankind. On this day the Church of God was born and man was now able to be born-again for the first time, making him a new creation (II Corinthians 5:17). The men and women of that time realized that they had received a power that they had never had before, but they really did not know the full extent of this gift. It was not until God revealed the full extent of that gift to the apostle Paul that we could have a full and complete understanding of this new life that is now available to anyone who is born again.

There are 7 letters, or epistles, that Paul wrote to the church, that tell us about the new life that God has given to us. The epistles of Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Thessalonians are addressed directly to the Church of God, today's church. In no other books in the Bible can we get a full scope of what this new life is all about. God has placed this knowledge in the Church epistles. The Gospels were limited to Israel alone but the seven church epistles (the Super 7) are written to us, the church. It's as if God himself sat down to write you letters with information that was vital to our lives today. If we concentrate our study time on the Super 7 we will truly come to see what God has given to us because of the finished work of His son Jesus Christ.

Love Always, Ray