There's A Slow Train A'comin': Truth and Patience Against Christian Cultural Dogmatism

The Temple and Jerusalem itself were so important to the nationalist Jewish Christians that it prevented them from honoring their commission to preach the gospel. They remained in the city and at the temple preaching to the Jews because they expected the imminent return of Jesus any day.

It actually took the persecution of the Christians at the hands of Saul (later Paul) and those of his ilk to drive the Christians out of the city and into other parts of Palestine, including Samaria and northern Galilee. Even at this point, the early Christians continued to preach only to Jews and only the occasional Samaritan and God-fearer. At this point they still considered the Jewish race and religion to be the race and religion by which God saved humanity. Thus, in order to achieve salvation, a person had to become a proselyte to Judaism and participate in the distinctly Jewish rituals.

It was by continued divine action through Jesus and the Spirit of God that the early Christians came to the conclusion that one did not have to become a Jew in order to achieve salvation (see Cornelius in Acts 10). This caused extreme anxiety among the Jewish-Christians. The idea that one could achieve salvation a part from works of the law meant that these works were not necessary. If these works were not necessary then what prevented the Jews from continuing to honor these rituals? If the Jewish-Christians ceased to honor and perform these distinctive Jewish rituals then Judaism and Jewishness would cease to be a distinctive people apart from the Gentiles.

Such an idea was horrible to the Jews. The first century Jews whose ancestors had fought for such Jewish distinctiveness during the Maccabean Revolt and withstood the will of Antiochus Epiphanes who sought to enforce Hellenism onto Jews (see the Book of Daniel) inherited a set of beliefs and values which highly honored such Jewish distinctions (particularly in a Hellenistic dominate world in which Israel was surrounded and permeated by the Greco-Roman culture). Thus the first century Jews (both Christian and not) could not imagine a world without Jewishness, the Temple and Jerusalem. These were too important to be cast aside. Thus, nationalism was their focus.

So we have the Judaizers of Galatia and Rome which Paul must suffer. Thus we have the part of the circumcision that causes such division at the Council of Jerusalem. Let us not forget: the results of the Council of Jerusalem were not overly positive. The end result was a compromise – a moderate win. The issue was not resolved and certainly was not what God was ultimately wanted (We all need to be careful when we look for our examples in the Bible, especially in the book of Acts. The disciples and apostles are not always doing the proper thing. The Jerusalem Council is one such example.).

Thus the nationalism of the Jews and Jewish Christians, the eschatological nationalism inherent in the Temple and the city of Jerusalem were hindering the mission of spreading the Gospel. The disciples and apostles themselves were hindering the Gospel. James the brother of Jesus and Peter were part of this hindrance. It maybe the case that many of the original 11 disciples were unable to overcome their intense nationalism.

Therefore, the continued existence of Jerusalem and the Temple were both sustaining two ideas:

1) The imminent Parousia and, therefore, the absence of a desire to spread the Gospel.

2) The strong nationalism and the desire to prevent non-Jews from coming to an unhindered Gospel.


Ironically enough, it is this nationalism by the Jews that furthers the spread of the Gospel to the Gentiles. I’ve already mentioned the persecution of the Christians by Saul and how it forced the early Jewish Christians out of Jerusalem and Palestine. Moreover, the rejection of the Gospel by the Jews specifically causes Paul and others like him to turn to the Gentiles. Even in their rebellion, the Jews are used by God to enact His will.

Furthermore, while the early Christians sought to win converts from the synagogues and convert these synagogues to the Messianic community, the rejection of many of the Jews to the Messianic community and the unwillingness of many Jewish Christians to fellowship with Gentiles led Christians to found their own Christian-Gentile synagogues (i.e., the modern church). Thus Jewish nationalism led to a severe separation between the Jews and the Church.

By the end of the Biblical story, a movement which, at its start, was originally and completely Jewish had become overwhelmingly and predominately Gentile.

-At the end of Acts, Luke is explaining how and why the Jews rejected their Messiah. Throughout Luke-Acts the writer has focused on the dismissal of both the ritual laws and the Temple, including Jerusalem.

-In the book of Revelation, John shows how and why God “divorces” His own people because of their “adultery” and takes the Gentile(-Jewish) Church instead. This book shows the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Romans.

-The book of Matthew also focuses on this Jewish rejection.

-We can see similar ideas in John’s Gospel.


When the Temple and Jerusalem were destroyed by the Romans in AD 70, this was a tremendous event of far-reaching proportions.

1) Jewish nationalism within the Church ceased, and the Gospel unhindered from Jewish rituals (the compromise of the Jerusalem Council was rectified).

2) It became apparent to the Church that God had given the Jews over to their own devices.

3) The idea of an imminent Parousia (which had been waning) ceased. Then the Church realized they were in it for the long ha

[Since I focus most of my scholarly work on Luke-Acts and the other narrative NT books (Matthew, Mark, John and Revelation), I finally concluded that Luke-Acts was written after the destruction of the Temple in AD 70. Here’s why:

1) The Lukan additions to the Olivet Discourse suggest that he has historical knowledge of the events.
2) Luke focuses a lot of attention against the Temple and justifying its destruction as Scriptural.]

So what can we learn from this>

-Forget dispensationalism (classical, progressive or otherwise). Ideas of the Temple, Jerusalem and the Jewish people as playing any significant part of the Parousia is a false idea. It’s nonsense. Not only is it not Scriptural, but the NT writers go out of there way to eliminate such notions from the minds of their audiences. The Temple is gone. Jerusalem is not important. The Jews are not distinctively important. To consider any of these as such is to not only contradict the teachings of Jesus and the apostles but to fall into the same trap that led to the Jews rejecting God through Christ. Just drop it all.

-Let us be careful to separate culture from Scripture. Do not hinder the Gospel by adding your culture’s requirements (secular or Christian). Thus do not make music (contemporary or traditional or classical) a matter of division of fellowship or something to be forced upon others. And certainly do not force cultural requirements upon others when the Bible clearly teaches otherwise.

Thus, drinking alcohol and praying to God in tongues are both Biblically allowed. To prohibit these particular things is not only non-Biblical but the act of prohibiting them is non-Biblical. Those who do so are breaking TWO Scriptural commands. The latter command was extremely important to Jesus, the apostles and the early church. To enforce these cultural requirements is completely against the Gospel. Those who do so are hindering the Gospel. I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes.

-To separate our selves from fellowship over these issues runs the risk of being passed by. History is like a forest with numerous institutions for trees. Some trees grow old and die. Other out live all the rest. Every so often a fire comes and wipes out the forest leaving only a few scattered trees. The rest of the forest has to grow back new trees from the ground up.

ANOTHER FIRE IS ON ITS WAY.

It could be the next year, it could be the next decade, it could be the next century, but it is coming and those that refuse to follow the direction of the Holy Spirit will be wiped out for their own good and the good of the Gospel. We may love God and God may love us, but He loves us so much that He will let us and our institution die. Remember, there were a lot of Jewish-Christians that died in 70 AD.

I say this for our own benefit and not because I doubt that any of us can stop the inevitable. Alcohol, tongues, women as pastors, aversion to evolution and other such things ... the Holy Spirit will do what He wants and no one can stop Him. We can either help and serve or hinder and die. God loves us just the same. I am not at all worried that, for example, women will be recognized as pastors by the Church. It is already happening and, apparently it is what the Holy Spirit wants. After two millennia of winking at this issue, God has decided to start enforcing it. Which is why I tell more progressively minded believers to be patient and enjoy the moment with love and submissiveness; it's going to happen regardless. If we're so convinced of the truth of which we espouse, then we should mind when others discount it as false. We should not attempt to force our views upon others; that's what the "other side" does. They do so because it is the only way they have of making their beliefs a reality - albeit a temporary one. We should not be like that. Ours is a long term and permanent reality of the unfolding kingdom.

As Bob Dylan notes concerning the kingdom of God: there's a slow train a'comin'