Physical to Spiritual: The Transition from Jew to Gentile

In the last dispensational study, we discussed verses from Paul’s ministry that proved the Christians, as spiritual people, were spiritually baptized. Thus, any mention of a physical baptism needed for salvation was not intended for Christians. So, for Christians, a physical baptism is separated from salvation and we see this distinction in the following verse.

Water Baptism for Salvation?

1 Corithians 1:17 “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. ”

“For Christ sent me not to baptize,but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.”

We see here that the salvation gospel is separate from water baptism. Now, the reason for this distinction was that the physical Jews required physical baptism for their salvation. The time of Paul, however, was a transitional period where God was transitioning from the physical Jew to the spiritual Christian, meaning that the salvation plan for Christians was spiritual. Thus, water baptism for Christians is only an observance done after our salvation. This is shown in the following verse.

Acts 16:30-33 “And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.”

“And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?“

The question of what is needed to be saved is asked here. Notice what Paul said.

“And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

Water baptism for salvation is not mentioned here. Now, notice what happened after believing in Christ for salvation.

“And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.”

Notice that this particular water baptism is not done for salvation but after one is saved. This is because it is not a salvation for Jews but for Christians. For further proof, we know the one enquiring about salvation is a Phillippian jailer in the nation of Philipi (Gentile).

Acts 18:8 “And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.”

In this verse, we see that water baptism follows immediately after believing in Christ for salvation, not before.

“And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house;”

This is how they got saved, by believing.

“and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.”

Notice that believing (salvation) and baptism are separate, meaning that they cannot happen at the same time in the Gentiles’ age. Thus, water baptism is an observance occurring after a person has believed in Christ for their salvation.

This differs from the time of the Apostles in that it was necessary to get water baptized in order to receive the Holy Ghost. This is because God was dealing with a physical nation (Israel) through physical means. In Paul’s timeline, God is dealing with a spiritual people (Gentiles) through spiritual means, hence, it does not matter what physical nation Christians are from, they are united spiritually as the Church. That being said, Christians (Gentiles) are saved by believing in Christ, and not by anything physical.

Now, because the Jews are a physical nation, they are waiting for a physical Messiah to rule over their physical kingdom. As we have mentioned before in previous dispensationalism studies, physical dealings are fading away because God is transitioning from Jew to Gentile due to the Jews’ rejection. Now, when the gospel of the Kingdom is preached, the physical side is fading more and more and being replaced by the spiritual kingdom for Christians.

Paul’s Spiritual Gospel

1 Corinthians 15:-1-4 “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

This is the gospel that saves Christians, by believing what Jesus did on the cross (died, buried, and resurrected), not water baptism or anything else.

Now, when different religions (those who claim to be Christians included) try to show that the gospel of salvation includes works, show them the above-mentioned verses. The following verse re-solidifies that the gospel found in 1 Corinthians 15 is our Christian gospel.

Galatians 1:8-9,11-12 “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you. let him be accursed.”

Paul says that if anyone preaches a gospel different than the one he preaches in 1 Corinthians 15, that person is damnable to hell.

“As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.“

This verse reiterates the verse before it in that any other gospel preached besides the one found in 1 Corinthians 15 is damnable to hell.

Verse 10 states that Paul wants to please Christ, not men.

“But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Here Paul confirms that his gospel was not through the teaching of a man but through a revelation of Jesus Christ Himself.

Because Paul confirms this, some critics believe that Paul was arrogant and that he changed Christianity from the original faith plus work model found in the Old Testament.

This is false because as we saw in previous dispensationalism studies, Paul was approved along with the other Apostles, meaning he was the real deal. Not to mention that God Himself gave Paul a revelation that had not been given to anyone before. To validate this revelation, Paul used proof from the Old Testament to back up the transition from physical dealing to spiritual dealings. These proofs included instances in which God dealt spiritually with someone in the Old Testament.

Spiritual Transition and the Christian Age

Now that Paul’s timeline is over, you might find yourself asking if there are any transitional Jewish physical things that Christians have to uphold. You might also ponder whether a Jew in this day and age is held accountable by physical dealings or spiritual ones. The answer to that is the latter. Recall that God had warned the Jews that they would be put away if they continued to reject Him and thus we Christians today, as well as a Jew or any other nation, are under the same spiritual salvation plan. So, it does not matter that a Jew is following the physical law and statutes of the Old Testament.

Because we are in a different age with a different gospel of salvation, any physical work is not counted for salvation, only belief in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. The change from physical to spiritual dealings is also the reason why signs and wonders were fading away during Paul’s ministry and by the time his ministry ended, so did those physical signs. The following verse shows that God is done with His physical dealings with the Jews.

Romans 11:25-26,28 “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father’s sakes.”

“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.”

Here we see that Israel is temporarily blind, meaning the physical Israel is over.

“And so all Israel shall be saved:”

The physical nation of Israel will be saved in the future. How do we know it’s in the future?

“as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:”

The word ‘shall’ is mentioned multiple times in this verse and refers to a future time. This means that the physical nation of Israel will be saved (in the future) by their deliverer, Jesus Christ when He comes down to Zion on earth. This, we know, has yet to happen so this is in the future Millennium time period.

“As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes”

This verse shows enmity between the physical Jews and the spiritual Kingdom of God.

“: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father’s sakes.”

However, the Jews are still considered God’s elect, meaning God is not finished with His physical people yet.

The Restoration of God’s Physical People

Christians know that God’s physical dealings with the nation of Israel are done. In fact, Scripture shows us that through the gospel the Jews are our enemies. Because God is done with His physical dealings, Judaism is no longer a viable means of salvation, Christianity is. This is because God has transitioned from physical to spiritual matters, those which include His son, Jesus Christ. However, this does not mean that God just lets go of His national people, they are still His nation and He will deal with them in a future timeline.

Now, replacement theologists will argue that the nation of Israel is aligned with the Antichrist and are heavily against them. This is dangerous thinking. While the Jews are our enemies through the spiritual gospel of salvation, they are not our enemies physically because they are still God’s people. In fact, during the Tribulation, they will be the good guys once again because the Antichrist will be coming after them. Keep this in mind when you hear a Christian going against God’s physical people.

Now, let’s look at examples of how God will restore the nation of Israel in the future.

Romans 11:21-24 “For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again. For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?”

“For if God spared not the natural branches“

God’s original branches (people) were the Jews. He spared them not, meaning He is done with them.

“take heed lest he also spare not thee.”

God is speaking to non-Jews.

“Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity;”

Again we see God did away with the Jews in this verse.

“but toward thee, goodness,”

Non-Jews again.

“if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.”

Non-Jews can be cut off too. We see this happening in our current generation where a spiritual revival in the country of America for instance is impossible. Non-Jewish nations have done away with God and His teachings beginning in the late 1800 and early 1900s. And we see in this verse that God also warned non-Jews not to go astray from Him or else He would cut them off too. This is why in the Tribulation the Jews will once again be good and now the Gentiles will be the evil ones.

“And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.”

This means that God can restore the original branch (the Jews) into the olive tree.

“For if thou“

Non-Jews.

“wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?“

God is not finished with the Jews. Just because God is done with the Jews in this time period doesn’t mean that He won’t restore them later on. The Christian Church is not a replacement for the nation of Israel so beware of the false teaching of replacement theology.

Now that we established that God will restore His physical nation, let’s look at some more evidence to support this and we see this with the covenant that God made with Abraham.

Genesis 17:7 “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.”

“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.”

God establishes a covenant between Himself, Abraham, and Abraham’s descendants in an everlasting covenant. This solidifies the fact that God has not finished with His people, they are just on hold. Now, compare this verse with Judges 2.

Keep in mind that God is currently done with the Jews because we are currently in the spiritual Church Age. Recall, however, that God is going to restore the Jews in future times.

Judges 2:1“And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.”

“And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers;”

God is speaking to Jews here

“and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.”

And He promises that their covenant with Him is unbreakable.

Now that we know this be very careful of false doctrines. Although it is true that God is done with the Jews and has since moved on to the non-Jew Christian Church, God has said that He would eventually restore them in the future. False teachers agree with the first and second parts of this but not the part where Israel is restored. In fact, they see themselves as God’s new Israel. That being said, they take every doctrine that applies to a physical Jew and apply it to themselves, which is a false doctrine. This is why it is important to divide Scripture to the correct people. God still considers the physical nation of Israel to be His people and separates them from His spiritual nation (Christians), which will be gone before the Tribulation begins.

The Dangers of Hyperdispensationalism

2 Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

It is important to keep in mind that the entire Bible is ours to use so we can perfect ourselves in good works. As we go through the Bible we might wonder about which doctrine applies to us. As we saw previously, Paul’s ministry was addressing the Church and nearly all of the Pauline epistles were concerning the Church because they were spiritual teachings. So, in order to find the correct doctrine for the spiritual Church, all we have to do is match the doctrine to Paul’s writings. The only exception to this is the book of Hebrews because that is addressed to the Jews. All other writings are for non-Jews so compare any other verses to what is found in the Pauline epistles to find the correct doctrine.

This is also how we know that we do not have to keep the law, get baptized, or do good works for salvation because those things do not line up when we compare them to Paul’s teachings. Another way to avoid the wrong doctrine is by reading the verse’s surrounding chapter for context, which can save you from many problems.

Now, beware of Hyperdispensationalists that overly divide verses which we see in Paul’s case is not so cut and dry. Although Paul did mostly minister to the Gentiles, he did write some doctrine for the Jews, as previously mentioned in his book of Hebrews. Similarly, this does not mean that we Christians only need to know Paul’s epistles. In fact, the entire Bible is beneficial to us because of what 2 Timothy 3 says; all scripture is profitable. We can still find spiritual dealings in other parts of the Bible besides Paul’s epistles and apply them as lessons for us to learn from.

An example of this is the splitting of the Red Sea, which was a physical sign for the Jews. Is it not possible for us Christians to learn a spiritual lesson from this? Of course. we can learn that God is so powerful He can split the Red Sea so we should walk by faith.

Dispensationalism: Physical Signs and Wonders vs. Faith

Galatians 1:2 “And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:”

“And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:”

Paul is speaking to the Church. Now, we have read verses 8-12 before and they state that if anyone preaches something different from what Paul teaches is damned. This proves that he is the authority of the Christian Church. Any verse that is used that contradicts Paul’s teachings such as Acts 2:38 and James 2, those things are not applied to our salvation today but to Jewish endtimes salvation.

Because physical dealings are done with, we now have to go by spiritual dealings. Keep this in mind when arguing with an atheist and they want God to send physical signs to prove His existence. This is not possible at this time because the Christian faith in the Grace Age is based on God’s spiritual dealings, not physical ones. Christianity is not proven with something physical but with testimony and prayer.

2 Corinthians 5:7 “(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)”

“(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)”

Our Christain walk is based on faith (spiritual), not physical signs (sight). Old Testament Jews and the transitional Jews during the time of the Apostles had physical signs, but not Christians, we just have faith. This is why healings in today’s age do not make sense and why dispensationalism is needed for correct doctrine.

Now, the fact that Christians have been able to continue to exist 2.000 later and that through our testimony many lives have been convicted to repent, get saved through Jesus, and clean up their sinful lives among other things because of faith is a more powerful testament to God’s power than any physical sign or power done in front of you.

1 John 5:4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

“For whatsoever is born of God“

We Christians are born again.

“overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

Our faith is the greatest evidence for Christianity when debating with atheists. The faith of the Apostles that died horrible deaths and the fact that pagan Rome was converting to a pagan form of Christianity proves the power Christianity had at the time and has continued to have even today.

Note: We have mentioned terms like dispensationalism, covenants, and hyper-dispensationalism in this study. It is highly recommended to check out other dispensational videos in the Real Bible Believers library to better understand their importance.

The final authority of Christians is the word of God, not anything physical.

1 Corinthians 1:22 “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:”

“For the Jews require a sign,” 

Jews need signs and wonders to believe.

“and the Greeks seek after wisdom:”

Gentiles require reasoning and wisdom, which is the Bible, for them to believe. Any time you see any debate containing philosophy, science, history, or math, it can be traced to the main source; the Bible.

Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

Our wisdom comes from the word of God. In order to persuade a non-Jew today, they will require wisdom as we have seen in the previous two verses.

Physical and Spiritual Kingdoms

Recall the promises God made with the Jews in the Old Testament whenever they tithed or gave money, it was usually that they were going to receive more abundantly than they gave. Charismatic churches will try to push their members to tithe and give money so that they can claim the same promises for themselves today. However, if you look at the verses they will use to claim God’s physical blessings, the wording will be connected to a Jew. What we Christians need to understand is that God’s dealings with us are spiritual, not physical like they were with the Jews. Not everything we receive will be physical but mostly spiritual.

Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:”

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:”

The promises we can claim today are spiritual.

The following part of the covenant is the most important to us Christians because this is what our lives are based upon. Our kingdom is not earthbound but of heaven meaning it is the spiritual kingdom of God.

Matthew 6:19-20,31,33“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:”

Spiritual over physical matters for Christians.

“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?“

All these things are physical.

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

These things are spiritual, thus the kingdom of God promised to Christians is a spiritual kingdom, not a physical one. That being said, beware of any pastor saying that they are building the physical kingdom of Heaven. This kingdom is a physical kingdom on earth meant for the Jews. We, Christians, are spiritual people with a spiritual kingdom.

Another proof that we Christians do not have a physical kingdom on earth is that we are not conquering nations as the Jews did in the Old Testament, meaning that an earthly kingdom was for different people in a different context in a different time period. We Christians go strictly by spiritual matters and this is why we grow our spiritual nature so our rewards in Heaven can grow more.