Clifford Denton begins to draw his series to a close, looking at the fruit that is born when our heritage in relation to Israel and the Jews is properly understood, and our relationship with them repaired.

Since April, through this series on Christianity, Israel and the Jews we have surveyed extensively the many factors that have led to the Christian Church distancing itself from its heritage in relation to Israel and the Jewish people. By studying these issues, we begin to understand how to repair what has been lost. It is like digging the weeds and stones from around the roots of a plant, so that the roots will go down deeper, feed on the nourishing soil and thereby produce better fruit. This is one metaphor.

Another, and the most appropriate, is the Olive Tree of Romans 11. It could be that some branches of Christianity were never grafted into the Olive Tree. As such they will produce a form of religion that lacks life. Other branches that were grafted in bear better fruit through drawing on what Paul calls "the nourishing sap".

In summary:

• God made a Covenant with Abraham.
• Israel, the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were chosen as the heirs of the Covenant.
• The Covenant is fulfilled in and through faith in Yeshua HaMashiach - Jesus the Messiah.
• All who have faith in him, and live in fellowship with the Father through this faith, are members of the one covenant family.
• Even though some of the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were cut off through unbelief, many have been (and will still be) grafted into the Olive Tree.
• Believers from the Gentile world were also grafted into this existing family of faith, coming to share in its heritage and history.
• By understanding the Covenant and how to use the Bible as one united Book, we can draw deeper into spiritual wells of salvation.
• By understanding who we are as the Covenant People of God we can develop a biblical, balanced understanding of Israel – past, present and future.

Together with those from the Nation of Israel who live by faith in the One True God and his Son, Yeshua HaMashiach, we learn how to live a fruitful life in an increasingly alien world, emphasising those things that strengthen our faith, our families and our communities. These include:

• Bible study from foundations to fulfilment, using all appropriate tools of language, history, geography, culture and personal testimony
• Prayer
• Care of the poor and isolated
• Strengthening the home and thereby our community of faith, through the principles of community life passed on through our entire biblical heritage
• Demonstrating to the world around us, through our living testimony, how the Covenant given to Abraham is manifested in the life of faith in Yeshua, Jesus our Messiah
• A balanced understanding of God's purposes in Israel
• An understanding of the prophetic purposes of God - past, present and future

Renewing Our Minds

This series has argued that the major key to the future fruit of our lives and ministries lies in renewing of our mind-sets, or ways of thinking, towards Israel and our covenant and biblical history.

We need not compromise with forms of Judaism that do not recognise Jesus as Messiah and are thereby lacking the full life of our New Covenant faith. But we can still maintain a healthy and respectful relationship with Jewish communities - indeed, our scriptural injunction is to pray for Israel.

This series has argued that the major key to the future fruit of our lives and ministries lies in renewing our mindsets towards Israel and our covenant history.

What we will gain, through right and balanced relationships, is a fresh perspective on the Church's heritage from Israel and the Jewish people, helping us to walk out biblical truth into biblical lifestyle, not according to ritual but according to the life of the Holy Spirit. Some of these areas where the life and heritage of Israel can help are:

• Hebrew thought
• Love and marriage
• Principles of prayer and worship
• The place of the home
• Sabbath
• Feasts including the centrality of Passover, as fulfilled in the communion celebration
• Generational harmony and stages of life
• Blessings
• Teaching our children
• Discipleship including baptism
• Social action
• Ethics

As we explore our heritage in these areas, we will enter into the fulfilled covenant family in a new and living way. This is more important than ever as the world goes forward into its last phases of history.

For Reflection and Comment

Would it be an exaggeration to suggest that the Christian Church could be both renewed and revived by putting right what has been lost over the centuries because of unfortunate rifts between Jews and Christians? How does this relate to the one new man of Ephesians 2:15?

Next time - series penultimate: Note on the Hebrew Basis of Scripture

This study is part of a series on Christianity, Israel and the Jews.