By Shelley Neese
In February, I began to share some of Jim Hutchen’s commentary on the “One New Man,” a teaching that is especially important for us in these unprecedented times. You can see the other parts on our channel. But now I want to finish it up the One New Man teaching over the next two weeks. If any of you are more visual learners and readers, we would love to email you a free copy of Jim’s small booklet One New Man. I will put the link below.
As we draw near to the day of redemption as spoke of in the gospel of Luke, believers, especially those who are “gentiles by birth,” and “foreigners to the covenants of the promise,” must recognize they have a new standing. That standing is based on a relationship to Jesus the Messiah:
“But now in Messiah Jesus you who were once far away have been brought near through the blood of Messiah. .
The joyous results of this new standing in the Messiah is: “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with Gods people and members of Gods household.” .
Thus the One New Man is a creation of Jesus the Messiah, made up of Jews and non-Jews all on equal footing before God.
“For God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with the Messiah, even when we were dead in transgressions – it was by grace you have been saved.” .
No hierarchy of worth or value here -no second-class citizens, for God has made it clear;
“For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” .
The One New Man is therefore, by virtue of his relationship to Jesus the Messiah, now a full fledged heir to “the covenants of the promise.” Not only as he realized his complete “adoption” into the family of God, but he now shares that “adoption as sons” with “the people of Israel” or the “Israel of God.” .
Indeed, the One New Man is a new creation – a mystery revealed and yet a work in progress. The Apostle Paul confirms this when he exclaims: “Therefore, if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold; behold all things have become new.” .
While we have glimpses of the One New Man – what he will look like and how he will express his faith, his full unveiling awaits the coming of the Messiah. For it is only when the Messiah comes that God will restore all things.
The idea of Messiah Jesus as a “restorer” comes from Luke’s anticipation of a future restoration which takes place when Jesus returns.
“Repent therefore and be converted. That your sins may be blotted out, so that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” .
Restoration is coming – a restoration brought about by God when Jesus comes and establishes his Messianic, millennial kingdom. The question is what will this restoration look like? What will God restore, or more correctly restore too? What will life in the earthly kingdom of Messiah look like?
On this side of its actual occurrence, we can only speculate.
In any case, whatever God restores when Messiah comes will be seen as Israel-related. God has graciously accommodated himself to the inventions and machinations of institutional religious practices and denominations in the past. The gospel and God’s grace has penetrated hearts and wondrously brought billions into the Kingdom of God. But when God brings about restoration, The One New Man, created by Jesus, consisting of a remnant of Jews and in-grafted Gentiles, will rule and reign with Messiah Jesus in his kingdom on earth, and it will be recognized by all as The Israel of God.
Shabbat Shalom
