Jesus Christ called all people of a certain group “dogs” (Mat. 7:6; 15:26) because they worshiped a false god (Jn. 4:22). King David said that His God hated all people in the “dog” group (Ps. 5:5). What He had to offer at did not apply to people in that group. Who were those false god-worshiping, Biblical God-hated, promises-denied “dogs?” Do the same category of people live today? If so, do they have the opportunity to change from what they are? This series will answer those questions.

The answers lie in the second chapter of the Apostle Paul’s epistle to the church located in the city of Rome. We learn from chapter one that he is writing to the Jewish pastor of a mostly Gentile church. In Romans 2:17-20 Paul notes that the pastor of the Rome church taught the people in his church God’s Law and boasted that it was the true LAW of God, that the Law he taught revealed God’s WILL, and that all aspects of the Law were EXCELLENT. He said that the Law was designed to serve as a GUIDE for the spiritually blind and a LIGHT for the foolish and immature who lived in darkness. Paul noted that God’s Law was designed to CORRECT ALL OF THOSE FAULTS.

The problem was that the pastor of the Rome church–a Jew–did not practice what he preached. He failed to obey the Law he was teaching the Spiritual Gentiles (my term) in the church. As a result, he was “dishonoring God” and “causing His (God’s) name to be blasphemed” among the Gentile church members. The term “Spiritual Gentiles” were (and continue to be) both biological Gentiles and biological Jews who refuse to obey God’s Law. They number in the billions today. Disclosure: the “dogs” Jesus rejected were (are) spiritual Gentiles. A spiritual Gentile is anyone (Jew or Gentile) who does not keep the Law, specifically His weekly 7th day Sabbath (Mat. 7:6, 15:26). These are the same people David said his Lord hated. They were (are) workers of “iniquity”–Lawlessness. Read Matthew 7:21-23 to find Christ’s opinion of them.

In Romans 2:24-29 Paul tells us that the goal of all church teachings is to convert everyone–Jew and Gentile alike–from spiritual Gentiles to SPIRITUAL JEWS (SPIRITUAL ISRAELITES). All Jews are Israelites but only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin are Jews (Juhahites). Common sense dictates that if the Jewish pastor was breaking God’s Law, and that Gentiles were following his lead, then some of the Jews in the congregation would follow their lead in order to “get along by going along”–the deadly spiritual disease that has destroyed the modern day (end-time, Laodicean Era) Catholic/Protestant Religious System known as “the church.” By following Satan’s lead away from God’s Law, the church finds herself in a spiritual condition Biblically known as “APOSTASY” which means “falling away” away from God. Read the series using Apostasy as the key word. Also read Christ’s description of the modern-day (end-time) church in Revelation 3:14-20. Also read about the seven church eras using the word Eras as the key. Also read Bait and Switch. Key word–Bait.

In order to establish the proper, God-commanded mind-set, we must examine a statement made by the Lord Jesus Himself in John 4:22: “… SALVATION IS OF THE JEWS.” To understand the context of that statement we need to examine what He said leading up to that statement. Jesus formed both statements into one sentence that I will repeat here. Jesus said to a Gentile woman: “You do not know what you worship; we (Jews) know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.” Christ was telling her that salvation comes from only one Source, and in order to receive eternal life and rebirth from that Source, one must obey the commands of that Source. That Source must be one’s LORD (MASTER) during this lifetime. He commands salvation seekers to OBEY GOD’S TEN COMMANDMENT LAW BY WHICH HE RULES HIS PEOPLE. Read John 8:31; 14:15,23; 15:10; Mattthew 19:17/ First John 2:3-5.

One of the questions posed earlier involved the possibility of biological and spiritual Gentiles (Law-breaking Gentiles and Jews) receiving eternal life. We know, of course that the answer is yes. But in order for a Gentile to become a saint of God, he must undergo a complete spiritual reversal as the Holy Bible makes abundantly clear. This is also true of any Law-breaking Jew (a “Spiritual Gentile”). Recall that Christianity’s first martyr (Stephen–a Jew) was stoned to death by Jews–Spiritual Gentiles–who killed him for telling them what God said in their own Law.

Contrary to popular opinion, the necessary CONVERSION one must undergo is more than a mind-set. In Biblical reality, conversion involves both death and life. We are told in Romans 6:9/ Second Corinthians 5:17/ Ephesians 4:22,24 and Colossians 3:9 that the “old man” of sin must die, and that the “new man” of holiness must replace him. The transformation (conversion) must be TOTAL AND PERMANENT, which is the Lord’s description of TRUE CONVERSION. Nothing pertaining to the old man of sin can be a part of the new man of righteousness. As stated Biblically, new wine must be placed in a new wineskin.

The question now becomes: WHAT DOES TRUE CONVERSION ENTAIL? The answer to that question is summarily rejected by 99% of professing Christianity. Why? But first, two definitions are needed. A “SPIRITUAL JEW” (my term) is a Jew or Gentile who obeys God’s Law. A “SPIRITUAL GENTILE” (my term) is a biological Gentile or biological Jew who does not obey God’s Law. Again, why does the church reject Biblical conversion and embrace man’s conversion?

Because true conversion requires salvation seekers to become SPIRITUAL JEWS. Obviously, BEING A BIOLOGICAL JEW DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY MAKE ONE A SPIRITUAL JEW. Jesus speaks to this Truth in John 8:31-45 where He is telling a group of Jews that they were slaves to sin (Spiritual Gentiles), meaning that they disobeyed God’s Law–(1 Jn. 3:4); and that by obeying Him (keeping the Law) they would be freed from their enslavement to sin. They informed Him that they were the descendants of Abraham and therefore had never been enslaved. Jesus told them that ANYONE WHO COMMITS SIN (BREAKS HIS LAW) IS A SLAVE TO SIN (Satan–Jn. 8:38,44). He adds that sinners cannot abide (spiritually live) where He (Jesus) lives spiritually (–“in heavenly places”-Eph. 2:5,6). Study John 8:31-45 carefully. Note in John 8:45 what Jesus says to those Jews who have had the Law all of their lives: “Because I tell you the Truth (God’s Word), you do not believe me.” This reveals the power Satan has maintained and continues to maintain over all but a few people on this earth. In verse 45 Jesus perfectly describes the church of today. Here He tells us that the Holy Bible is Truth, and that by not believing and obeying that Truth, salvation seekers prove that they reject all of the Holy Bible. Commandment #4 immediately comes to mind because of its universal rejection by those who claim to be the people of its Author.

Jesus said that to doubt anything in the Holy Bible proves that the doubter despises both Him and His Father (Lk. 10:16). The Apostle James tells us in 2:10 that to break one of God’s commandments is to break the entire Law, making one guilty of INIQUITY (Lawlessness). In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus expresses His attitude toward those guilty of iniquity (Lawlessness), which proves that one rejects every Word in the Bible–the Truth (Jn.17:17). The church says “not so.” God says “so.” Who do you believe?

Jesus said of Himself: “I am the way, the TRUTH and the life” (Jn. 14:6 ). In John 17:17 He says to the Father: “YOUR WORD IS TRUTH.” Recall that in John 1:1-4,14 Jesus is called “THE WORD.” JESUS, HIS WORD, HIS WAY, HIS TRUTH AND HIS LAW ARE ALL ONE AND THE SAME. TO BREAK ONE COMMANDMENT MAKES ONE GUILTY OF INIQUITY–LAWLESSNESS–THE PENALTY FOR WHICH IS DEATH (ROM. 6:23). THE ONLY SOLUTION TO THE SIN PROBLEM IS TO LIVE “IN JESUS.” THIS REQUIRES ONE TO RID HIMSELF OF SIN, FOR “IN HIM THERE IS NO DARKNESS (SIN) AT ALL” (1 JN. 1:5). Read Eph. 5:8/ Col 1:13/ 1 Pet. 2:9. No one can live “in Him” and continue to sin because THERE IS NO DARKNESS (SIN) IN HIM. If a church sinner (sinner saved by grace) claims to be “in Him” he is deceiving himself.

Lastly, Romans 3:1,2 makes a definitive statement relative to salvation and being a Spiritual Jew. Here Paul asks what advantage does the biological Jew have relative to attaining eternal life? His answer: “MUCH IN EVERY WAY” BECAUSE THEY HAVE ALWAYS HAD THE LAW AND THEREFORE DID NOT NEED TO LEARN IT UPON RECEIVING JESUS CHRIST AS THEIR LORD WHO RULES HIS PEOPLE BY HIS LAW. L.J.