"The Rule" - Israel's New Covenant

Before we get into details, let’s do a quick summary of what this topic is about.

Israel, the circumcision, was made some promises by the Lord that he did not make to the uncircumcised Gentiles, one of these being the new covenant. So let’s do a quick comparison and then we will go into details.

In Revelation 22 it says,

“14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.”

After the 1000 year reign and the new Jerusalem comes down to the earth, Israel will dwell in the new Jerusalem, but there will be Gentiles living outside of the city.

The Gentiles living outside the city will be able to obtain eternal life, but in order to get it they will have to keep the commandments of God. If they do, they will be able to get to the tree of life and eat of it and live forever.

The fruit of the tree of life has something to do with flesh regenerating and eating of it on a regular basis will keep you alive forever. If they don’t keep his commandments, God will remember their sin and they will not be allowed to get to the tree of life.

This is the salvation that the Gentiles will have outside of the city. Their salvation will be based upon keeping the commandments of the Lord so they can get to the tree of life. They will have some type of law that they must follow.

But this is not what was promised to Israel. In Jeremiah 31 it says,

“33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

The new covenant that the Lord makes with Israel states that he will put his law in their hearts and he will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more. This is quite different from what the Gentiles will be obtaining.

So Israel’s eternal life will be based on the new covenant promised to them, but the Gentiles eternal life will be based upon keeping the commandments of God so that they can enter into the city and get to the fruit of the tree of life.

These are not the same. The Gentiles will be able to obtain eternal life, but it will NOT be the same as what was promised to Israel.

The problem we have with our division among people that rightly divide is that many believe that the only way that uncircumcised Gentiles can obtain eternal life is being partakers of Israel in their new covenant. This makes people believe that an uncircumcised person can be partakers with Israel which is not so. The only way an uncircumcised Gentile can be partaker of the promises of Israel is through the one new man, which the Lord made so he could do just that.

OK, that’s enough for a quick summary. Let’s get into the details.

In Genesis 17 God made a covenant with Abraham. This is when God separated men into two different classes: circumcision and uncircumcision. Starting in verse 7 it says,

“7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.”

Please notice that this covenant is established between Abraham and his seed, it is everlasting and the purpose is, “…to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.”

“8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.

10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.

12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.

13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.”

Please notice in verse 11 that the token of this covenant is the circumcision of the foreskin of the flesh. Not the circumcision of the heart, but the circumcision of the flesh. The circumcision of the flesh is the token that you are keeping covenant with God.

Notice in verse 13, “…MUST needs be circumcised.” This doesn’t mean you ought to, this means you HAVE to.

Please notice once again that this is an everlasting covenant. It will never stop.

In verse 14 the Lord is very clear that if a man does not get circumcised, he has broken covenant with God and CANNOT be partakers with them that are circumcised. They are to be cut off from among the people.

This is the separation that God made between men. It’s not black or white, Asian or European, skin color has nothing to do with it. It has to do with the circumcision of the flesh. If you get circumcised it shows that you are in covenant with God, if you don’t then you are not in covenant with God and cannot be partakers with his people.

THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT AN UNCIRCUMCISED MAN CANNOT OBTAIN ETERNAL LIFE.

It means he cannot be partaker with God’s people in the promises and covenants that he will make with them.

In Genesis 12 the Lord told Abraham,

“3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

Many people take this verse and teach if you bless Abraham and his seed you become a partakers with them. This is NOT the case. Just because you receive a blessing from God does not make you partakers with the circumcision. It means you received a blessing, it does not mean you became partakers with the circumcision in their promises and covenants.

If this were the case, that you could become partakers with the circumcision by just blessing them, it would make the covenant of circumcision null and void and everything that the Lord told Abraham in Genesis 17 would be untrue.

A blessing is just a blessing. To be partakers with the people that keep covenant with God you also have to keep covenant with God.

In Exodus 12 it says,

“43 And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:

44 But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.

45 A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.

46 In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.

47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.

48 And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.

49 One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.”

It is quite clear in these passages of scripture that God said that an uncircumcised man could not be partaker of the passover.

Question:

If you blessed Israel could you be partakers of the passover? Nope.

We also know that this passover represented Christ as Paul said in 1st Corinthians 5,

“7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:”

The Lord was very serious about this covenant of circumcision he made with Abraham.

In Ezekiel 44 it says,

“5 And the LORD said unto me, Son of man, mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of the LORD, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entering in of the house, with every going forth of the sanctuary.

6 And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations,

7 In that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations.

8 And ye have not kept the charge of mine holy things: but ye have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves.

9 Thus saith the Lord GOD; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel.”

So here we have the Lord telling Israel about their abominations. The children of Israel were allowing uncircumcised Gentiles into the temple and the Lord rebuked them for doing so. Allowing uncircumcised Gentiles into the temple was an abomination to the Lord.

Question:

If you blessed Israel would you be allowed to go into the temple? Nope.

Now let’s compare this with Isaiah 56 which says,

“3 Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.

4 For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;

5 Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.

6 Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;

7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.”

In verse 7 the Lord said that his house would be called a house of prayer for all people. But what would these people have to do to be accepted into this house?

Verse 4 and 6 reveal the answer and notice it says, “…AND TAKETH HOLD OF MY COVENANT.”

Which covenant is this? The covenant of circumcision.

We saw in Ezekiel 44 where it was an abomination for the uncircumcised to go into the house of the Lord.

By the way, many people do not call it the covenant of circumcision. They call it the Abrahamic covenant or things of this nature to take emphasis off of the circumcision of the flesh, but in Acts 7 Stephen called it:

“8 And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs.”

No matter which way you slice it, it is the covenant of circumcision and it will last forever and it deals with the circumcision of the flesh.

Now let’s go on to the new covenant. In Jeremiah 31 it says,

“31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:”

Now before we go any farther, we have to confirm who this new covenant is going to be made with. It is very clear to see that The Lord is going to make this with the house of Judah and the house of Israel, which are the Jews. They are the circumcision.

Is he going to make this new covenant with the uncircumcised Gentiles?

NO WAY!

There is no indication whatsoever that God is going to make this new covenant with the world or the uncircumcised Gentiles. It will be with the house of Judah and the house of Israel.

Question:

If you blessed Israel would you be partakers of the new covenant? Nope.

Many, many preachers from various denominations and even many grace teachers teach that the Lord is going to make this new covenant with everyone. This is NOT what the bible says.

The new covenant will be with Israel, the circumcision.

Whenever I teach on this I always ask this question:

Could an uncircumcised Gentile that could not be partakers with Israel, could not be partakers of the passover, could not go into the temple, could this uncircumcised Gentile be partaker of a new covenant that wasn’t made for him to start out with?

NO WAY!

To teach that God made the new covenant for everyone totally goes against scripture. There is much more to the new covenant than Christ dying and paying for sins. Christ dying and paying for sins is what makes the new covenant possible, but there is much more to it. Back to Jeremiah 31,

“32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:”

33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

So what we have so far is:

1. The separation that God made among men, circumcision and uncircumcision.

2. God will be a God unto those that keep covenant with him by the circumcision of the flesh.

3. God makes special promises and covenants to these people that keep covenant with him.

So let’s continue, in Isaiah 46 it says,

“12 Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness:

13 I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.”

Question:

Where is the Lord going to place salvation and who will it be for?

In Zion for Israel.

Will it be for the uncircumcised Gentiles?

NO.

Now wait a minute. Can’t these people in the old testament times already obtain salvation by keeping the law?

Sure they can. But that is the old covenant salvation. The new covenant salvation will be quite different. Once again in Jeremiah 31 it says,

“32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:”

The new covenant salvation is different from the old covenant salvation. Under the old covenant salvation their works were involved but under the new covenant salvation they are not, it will be by grace, and Israel will obtain it at the second coming of Christ.

So when it says,

13 I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.”

The Lord is talking about the new covenant salvation, not the old. In John 4 Jesus told the woman,

“22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.”

Did Jesus teach that salvation belonged to Israel? Did Jesus know Isaiah 46:13?

Sure he did. He also knew that Israel would fall one day and that this new covenant salvation would be offered to the Gentiles through the one new man.

Before we get into the dispensation of grace and the one new man, let’s skip ahead and see the future how it will be in the kingdom.

Question:

Is the covenant of circumcision an everlasting covenant?

It sure is, and it will be in effect during the tribulation and the 1000 year reign of Christ and beyond into all eternity. Only during the dispensation of grace is there something that is put into place that overrides the covenant of circumcision and that is the one new man to where God is having the circumcision made without hands and allowing the uncircumcised Gentiles to be partakers with the circumcision for the only time in history.

When the dispensation of grace is over and the adoption (rapture) of the one new man takes place, the covenant of circumcision will be in full effect once again forever more.

After the adoption, the tribulation (Daniel’s 70th week) will begin. During this time, if a Gentile blesses the nation of Israel, God will allow him into the kingdom, but he WILL NOT, I REPEAT, WILL NOT be partakers with Israel in their new covenant. In Mathew 25 it says,

“31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”

So here is the scenario, as you know, most of the world’s population will be wiped out during the 70th week. We will have Israel and then we will have those Gentiles that blessed Israel and those that did not. These will be the remaining people that are alive on the earth that make it through the tribulation.

The Gentiles will be separated into two groups, the sheep and the goats. The sheep will be allowed into the kingdom but the goats will be cast into everlasting punishment.

So what we will have remaining from the tribulation are the Gentiles that blessed Israel and the nation of Israel.

Now let’s compare what Israel will receive compared to what these Gentiles will receive.

Israel of course will be receiving their new covenant and will have their sins blotted out and the Lord will write the law into their hearts, and he will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more as prophesied by Jeremiah the prophet. Peter also said in 1st Peter 1,

“13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;”

This is when Israel will be receiving their grace that was promised to them. And because they will have their sins remembered no more by the Lord, this is eternal security, they cannot lose their salvation once this new covenant is given. They have endured unto the end, the end came, now they do not have to endure anymore. The Lord will now write the law in their hearts and the Lord will bestow grace unto them just as we have it during the dispensation of grace today. This new covenant for Israel will last forevermore.

But the uncircumcised Gentiles that are allowed into the kingdom is a whole different ball game. In Revelation 19 it says,

“15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”

Notice here that the Lord is going to rule over them with a rod of iron. This is not the grace that he will be bestowing upon Israel. These Gentiles blessed Israel to get into the kingdom, but they will be ruled over with a rod of iron.

In Revelation 2 the Lord is talking to the seven churches of Asia, which are Jewish churches, and he tells them,

“26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:

27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.”

So not only will the Lord Jesus himself be ruling over the nations with a rod of iron, but also the Jews that overcome and make it into the kingdom.

Israel will be the head, and the Gentiles will be the tail.

In the kingdom and throughout all eternity, the uncircumcised Gentiles will be second class citizens. They will not be partakers with Israel.

Sure you can say, “The Gentiles are in the kingdom therefore they are partakers with the Jews in the kingdom.” But the uncircumcised Gentiles WILL NOT be partakers with Israel in their new covenant.

In Isaiah 52 it says,

“1 Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.”

When the Lord comes back, the uncircumcised Gentiles will not be allowed into Jerusalem ever again.

In Joel 3 it says,

“17 So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.”

In Zechariah 14 it says,

“21 Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.”

The Canaanites will not be allowed into the house of the Lord anymore because they will not be allowed into Jerusalem.

During the kingdom, the Gentiles throughout the world will have to come unto Jerusalem to worship the king. In Zechariah 14 once again,

“16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.

18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

19 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.”

Notice in verse 17 it says that they will have to come UNTO Jerusalem but they will not be allowed to go INTO Jerusalem. And please also notice that if they do not come to worship, they will be punished. The Lord will be ruling over them with a rod of iron. This is not the grace that he will be bestowing upon Israel.

Israel and the circumcised Gentiles (proselytes) that keep covenant with God will be allowed into Jerusalem but not the uncircumcised.

In Isaiah 42 it says,

“1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

2 He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

3 A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.

4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.”

According to verse 4, the Gentiles will be under the law of the Lord whatever it may be, but as Peter said, Israel will be under grace.

So this was a quick overview of the differences between Israel and the Gentiles during the kingdom. It is very easy to see that what they each receive is not the same. There are plenty more verses we could cover but these should suffice to make the point that Israel and the uncircumcised Gentiles will not be the same.

Now after the 1000 year reign and God creates a new heaven and new earth and the new Jerusalem comes down to this earth, all of Israel will be dwelling in the new Jerusalem, but outside of the city will be the uncircumcised Gentiles. And as we mentioned in the beginning of this article these Gentiles will have to keep the commandments of God in order to get to the tree of life to eat of it and live forever. Once again in Revelation 22 it says,

“14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.”

These Gentiles outside of the city will definitely not be partakers of Israel’s new covenant, but they will be able to obtain eternal life by keeping the commandments of God so they can get to the tree of life, eat of the fruit of it and keep their fleshly bodies going forever.

This is how God originally planned it in the garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. The tree of life was designed to keep fleshly bodies living forever.

There is only one time in history that God allows the uncircumcision to be partakers with the circumcision in their covenants and promises and that is during the dispensation of the grace of God given unto the Gentiles when God gives the one new man.

Let’s stop here and look at a few charts. This first chart shows us the 69th and 70th weeks not separated by the dispensation of grace.

http://www.gracebiblestudy.net/images/Charts/Israel%27sNewCovenant1.jpg

It also shows the separation between Israel and the uncircumcised Gentiles and that they are strangers from the covenants of promise. We also have the everlasting covenant of circumcision.

In orange, we have the offering of the new covenant which started with John the Baptist who was the messenger of the new covenant and it goes all the way through the 70th week.

In blue, we have the new covenant church which started in Acts 2 or the cross (which ever you prefer), and goes through the 70th week also. This church is Jew only. God did not make the new covenant for uncircumcised Gentiles but rather only the circumcision.

At the second coming is when Israel receives their new covenant.

In this next chart, we separate the 69th and 70th weeks with the dispensation of grace given to the Gentiles and this is when the one new man comes into play.

http://www.gracebiblestudy.net/images/Charts/Israel%27sNewCovenant2.jpg

During this time, God is joining Jew and Gentile into one body and he is allowing the Gentiles to be partakers with the Jews in their covenants and promises through the one new man.

During the dispensation of grace, the one new man actually gets the spiritual things of the new covenant at this time, such as salvation by grace and not of works, not imputing sin, being sealed and so forth and does not have to wait until the second coming of Christ.

In purple, we see the uncircumcised Gentiles that bless Israel and go into the kingdom and they will be ruled over with a rod of iron and will wait on the Lord’s law that he will give them to follow.

In this 3rd chart, we have the new Jerusalem coming down after the 1000 year reign and Israel is still under the new covenant and always will be.

http://www.gracebiblestudy.net/images/Charts/Israel%27sNewCovenant3.jpg

In purple, once again we see the uncircumcised Gentiles outside of the new Jerusalem and they will have to keep the commandments of God in order to get to the tree of life to eat of it and live forever.

So through these visual aids we can see the separation that God made between the circumcision and uncircumcision, the dispensation of grace when he joins them together by the one new man and offers the new covenant salvation unto the uncircumcision, and finally see that throughout all eternity the separation that God made between the Jews and Gentiles. The covenant of circumcision is truly an everlasting covenant just as God said in Genesis chapter 17.

When Paul first was in prison in Rome he wrote Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon, and sent them all out at the same time. In Ephesians 2 he says,

“1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;”

Many times in the scriptures you find the word “trespass” used evenly as the word “sin”, but in this passage Paul uses both, indicating that they are somewhat different. We know for sure that sin is the transgression of the law, so what is a trespass?

The covenant of circumcision was given before the law was given. So if sin was the transgression of the law what was it not being circumcised and not keeping covenant with God?

How about a trespass?

Paul told the Ephesians,

“1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;”

And watch what he tells the Colossians in chapter 2,

“13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;”

He tells the Ephesians that they were dead in trespasses and sins and he tells the Colossians that they were dead in their sins and THE UNCIRCUMCISION OF THEIR FLESH.

So what made the Ephesians and the Colossians dead?

Their sins and the uncircumcision of their flesh.

Why did the uncircumcision of their flesh make them dead? Because they could not be partakers with Israel in their covenants and promises. They had no hope to obtain the new covenant salvation that was promised to Israel only.

Back in Ephesians 2 it says,

“11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;

12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”

19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

How did the Lord join circumcision and uncircumcision together?

By breaking down the middle wall of partition between them by making in himself of twain (Jew and Gentile) ONE NEW MAN.

It is the one new man which allows the uncircumcision to be partakers with the circumcision. As we have shown through many scriptures, blessing Israel will allow you to receive a blessing but it will not allow you to be partakers with Israel in their covenants and promises.

The one new man is very unique and special. Paul clearly tells us that it is this one new man that allows circumcision and uncircumcision to be joined together. In Colossians 2 he says,

“11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

Even though the uncircumcision of the flesh makes you break covenant with God, the one new man overrides this by giving you the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.

Without the one new man, the uncircumcision could not be joined with the circumcision.

SALVATION UNDER THE OLD COVENANT

Salvation under the old covenant was available to Jew or Gentile. In Romans 2 Paul is telling the Romans how God gave eternal life in time past,

“6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,

9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:

11 For there is no respect of persons with God.

12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;

13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.”

The old covenant salvation was based upon deeds and good works and a Jew or Gentile could obtain eternal life by having faith and doing the law just as Paul said.

But the new covenant salvation is quite different. There will be no works involved and God will write the law in their hearts and forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more. They will be under grace.

But this was only promised to Israel.

So what the Lord has done is allowed the salvation of the old covenant to everyone but the salvation of the new covenant is promised to only Israel.

ONLY during the dispensation of grace through the ONE NEW MAN is the new covenant salvation allowed to uncircumcised Gentiles.