A New Humanity Part 6; Matthew 5:17-20 vs. Ephesians 2:15 and Colossians 2:14

Eph 2:15 NRSV  He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace,

I cannot count the times some well meaning heresy hunter has called me an antinomian. I don't even pay attention these days as I have realized that evangelical doctrine and dogma is so erroneous, and so toxic that their accusations are meaningless. So much of this error is hinged on a false understanding of Matthew 5:17-20. My reason for bringing this up in the New Humanity series is that until Matthew 5:17-20 is properly understood within the entire New Testament writings, accepting the pristine gospel of grace is virtually impossible. Further to the point, until we can return to the pristine gospel of the first century church, the transformation of people and communities cannot happen. I realize this requires me posting a fairly large portion of scripture below to look in context at the seemingly contrasting passages. I will underline the portions that are contradictory.

Mat 5:17-20 NRSV "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.  (18)  For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.  (19)  Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  (20)  For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

In contrast with...

Col 2:13-15 NRSV  "And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses,  (14)  erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross.  (15)  He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it."

Eph 2:13-17 NRSV  "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  (14)  For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.  (15)  He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace,  (16)  and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it.  (17)  So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near;"

For all who would try to say that they are not contradictory, I would like to contrast the following clause with the Matthew passage; "He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances." He has abolished the Law, how much more plain can it be? How can these passages be squared with Matthew 5:18? Well, the simple answer should be sufficient but alas, the toxic doctrines of evangelicalism make it not so. But first, the simple, and I believe correct answer is as follows. Matthew 5:17-20 was spoken to an audience that was strictly Jewish. The were under the Mosaic Covenant before the cross event; before the resurrection when the vail of the Temple was torn in two. The cross event and the resurrection encapsulated the phrase "all is accomplished." When Jesus said it is finished, it was indeed finished.

But let me continue for those who are steeped in a demand for a wooden legal-constitutional reading of all scripture. This is for the literalists that demand one accept the scripture as simple to understand and forthright in its meaning. To the wooden literalist, there are far more than jots and tittles that have been removed by scripture from the Law. I capitalize law because I mean Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament. The verses are found respectively in Genesis 17 and Exodus 12, and are removed by Acts 15 and Galatians 3.

In Genesis 17 Abraham is told that all of his decedents, all of his slaves, and any male that is within his household must be circumcised. This is an absolute command as evidenced by Gen 17:14 NRSV "Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant." It is absolutely impossible to be a descendent of Abraham without circumcision. Later on in Exodus, when Moses brought the Israelites out of Egypt they were given a way that a Gentile could become part of the people of God and decedents of Abraham. Exo NRSV 12:48-49  "If an alien who resides with you wants to celebrate the passover to the LORD, all his males shall be circumcised; then he may draw near to celebrate it; he shall be regarded as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it;  (49)  there shall be one law for the native and for the alien who resides among you." According to the Torah there was a way for a Gentile to become a part of the people of God. It was through circumcision. The operative verse was that there was just one law for the native (Jew) and one law for the alien (Gentile.) However, according to Acts 15 and most of Paul's letters there was a second way for Gentiles to become a part of the people of God. It was in Christ Jesus. Paul wrote about it this way... Gal 3:28-29 NRSV  "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.  (29)  And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise." The fact is simple. The death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ negated a lot more than a pen stroke or a punctuation mark. It negated a portion of the scripture itself so why would it be difficult to believe Ephesians 2:15 and Colossians 2:14?

For further clarification look at what Paul wrote about the Law in Romans. Rom 10:4 NRSV  "For Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes." It is the end of the law for righteousness in other versions. This does not mean that the law cannot be instructive in how to love your neighbor. What it does mean is that one does not gain their righteousness from the works of the law. It also means that grace is the driving force in the New Humanity. It means that the antinomian accusation is invalid. But most of all, it means that the first century saints realized that the purpose of the law being abolished was to give them absolute peace with the Parent God. Truly, God was in Christ reconciling the world not counting trespasses. This peace with God, was designed by the foreknowledge and foreordination of God to supernaturally produce agape/love. 

I am convinced beyond doubt that this was in fact the gospel of grace that transformed so many in the first century church, and I am confident that as people begin to embrace the true gospel, and reject the different gospel, the "another gospel" that began to evolve in the second century forward that real transformation will once again take hold. Yes, people are broken. Some are addicts, some have been victims of loveless lives, but as communities spring up that proclaim the absolute love of a Parent Creator, who loves us much more that the most loving human parent is capable of, we will be able to embrace those broken pieces of humanity and together nurture one another with love as we love the creator. The truly effective gospel is one that is believed and shared in community.

A New Humanity Part 5; Looking at the Church, second century forward

Ephesians 2:15 NRSV  He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace,

In my view there is a huge disconnect between the first century church prior to 70AD/CE and the church that we see emerging in 110AD/CE. In the second century church I do not see the gospel of grace emphasis that was in the first century church. First and foremost, Paul et. al., always lead with the gospel of grace when addressing the saints. By gospel of grace, I mean proclaiming the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus for redemption, salvation and forgiveness. This was true of all of Paul's epistles, and even when he was exhorting them to deal with problems, he always proclaimed the gospel first. He explains why in the verse posted below.

1Co 2:1-2 NRSV  "When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom.  (2)  For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified." 

In fact, in the most corrective letter of Paul's ministry, the first epistle to the Corinthians, he spent a multitude of verses in the beginning proclaiming the efficacy of the preaching of the cross. However, in reading the letters from even the first bishop's of the second century it is obvious that a legalism akin to the leaven of the Pharisees had already crept in.  While the letters of Ignatius of Antioch did mention, the cross, the blood of God, it did not have the imperative focus of the grace of God and the gospel as did the letters of Paul and even Peter, James and John for that matter. Undoubtedly, the  writings of that early period that are so legalistic that they would have been rejected by Paul, were the Shepherd of Hermas and the Didache.

The Shepherd of Hermas is considered to be a product of the second century, and was read widely and included in the canon of the early church. It was loved by the saints, and used in worship and sermons and it was ultra legalistic. It would have made the Rabbi's of the first century Pharisees happy indeed. The didache makes no mention of redemption and justification by the faith of Jesus Christ. Rather, it is a compilation of the Sermon on the mount and many sayings of Jesus. It completely ignores the transition that took place within the early history of Jesus earthly mission. It seems to miss the fact that the Sermon on the Mount and all of Jesus sayings for that matter were given to Torah observant Jews who were under the Mosaic Covenant before the cross event. Those who believe that the Sermon on the Mount was an amplification of the Law to show the Jews who believed that they were obeying the Torah blamelessly were not doing so and were actually incapable of it are much closer to right than those who see it as the law of Christ.

It is almost as if the great doctrines of grace and gospel expounded in such depth by the Apostle Paul was forgotten or relegated to an unessential status. There is no mention of one of the most profound teachings that is found in Paul's letter to the Ephesians. In that letter, chapter one, verses three though fourteen explain that God's PURPOSE in creation was redemption. Further the purpose was to bring praise to God's glorious grace. I feel like when I say that revelation is profound I am not doing it proper justice. Think about it, the language, before the foundation of the cosmos, means before anything was created. Paul states plainly and forcefully that God had chosen the redemptive work of Christ before the foundation of the world. This means that the only clue to the mind of God in creating was that it was set on redemption so that the glory of the gracious plan would be praised. Yes and amen! That is certainly worth all the praise humanity can muster!

It is not like there was no warning about the church falling victim to a different gospel and a different Jesus. Paul told the Ephesian elders in Acts 20 that after he left savage wolves would come in not sparing the flock. Paul told the saints in Thessalonica that God would turn the saints over to a strong delusion so that they would believe what was false. Jesus told his disciples that they need to take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and further explained to them that the leaven of the Pharisees was their doctrine. He said in Matthew chapter thirteen that the entire kingdom would be leavened.

As the centuries progressed orthodoxy got farther and farther afield from the pure gospel of grace that Paul and the other Apostles taught. Yes, I mean all of the other apostles. James, who wrote to Jewish believers before the destruction of the temple, while the Old Covenant still hobbled alongside the New Covenant, an Apostle that Luther rejected... calling his epistle an epistle of straw, wrote this. Mercy triumphs over judgment!

It is my hope that this series of posts will build on one another, and point the way to a return to the gospel of grace that Paul taught the first century church, and that in doing this, we will be able to re-capture the agape, joy and peace that will transform the world into a new humanity, one person, one community at a time.

A New Humanity Part 4; Reconciled to God

He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, ~ Ephesians 2:15 NRSV

2Co 5:17-21 NRSV  "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!  (18)  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation;  (19)  that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.  (20)  So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  (21)  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

The above scriptural quote is in my view the most concise declaration of the gospel of God's grace. It states that God was in Christ Jesus reconciling the WORLD to himself. When KOSMOS is used in the Greek it is universal. However, Paul clarifies his meaning in another of his letters. Rom 5:18 NRSV  "Therefore just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all." So, let's look at the evidence before us: All are reconciled, all have life, and all are justified. It really should not be a shock, and were it not for thousands of years erroneous doctrine, it would not be a shock at all that God had reconciled, justified and given life to all. In fact, the majority view of the early church was universalism. But, what about salvation? Sure you have mentioned, reconciliation, justification and life, but what about salvation? I'm glad you asked twice :)! Well Paul had this to say about that in another place: 1Ti 4:10 NRSV  "For to this end we toil and struggle, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe." The preponderance of evidence is mounting.

Well, what about the phrase in 1 Timothy? "especially of those who believe." This is another great question that I am happy to answer. All of the above declarations have impact on the eternal state, but my contention is that the gospel of grace has important implications for life here on earth. It is the element that will supernaturally create the "new humanity." I will repeat an analogy I have used in the past. If you were to go to my bank and deposit a million dollars in my account I would immediately become a millionaire. However, if I was not aware that you had done it, or did not believe you had done it what benefit would it be to me? It is only when I hear of your deposit and believe it was made that I can begin to benefit from my millionaire status. This is the reason for declaring the gospel to people. It is why Paul stated in the above 2 Corinthian passage that our ministry was to proclaim to people that they should be reconciled to God.

I know that many evangelical's will demand you believe that the passages that I quoted don't really mean what they say. To that I simply say that they have an intellectually dishonest position as it is precisely, concisely, exactly what was written. Further, if it is not absolutely true then Paul is indeed a false witness. That is the ONLY intellectually honest conclusion to reach.

This is really good news! In fact it is the really good news/gospel that turned the religious people's world upside down in the first century. It is the pristine gospel of God's grace. It is the gospel, that when apprehended by faith, creates peace/shalom with the Parent God, that produces love for the Parent God, and in turn creates loving beings that can begin to love their neighbor as they do themselves, and dare I say, even love their enemies. It is the way in which the Holy Spirit produces a genuine New Humanity!

A New Humanity Part 3; How the transforming gospel transforms

He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, ~ Ephesians 2:15 NRSV

2Co 5:17-21 NRSV  "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!  (18)  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation;  (19)  that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.  (20)  So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  (21)  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

In the last post in this series, we discussed the possibility of this being the dawning of the age of the new humanity. In many of Paul's epistles he made reference to a new creation that was the direct result of the gospel of God's grace. The gospel was transformative in the first century. It greatly transformed individuals and the communities they chose to participate in. The transformation was so great, and so disruptive to the norm, that some who witnessed it said that it had turned their world upside down. Those who made this accusation were religious people. They were Jewish followers of God, but to them, the gospel had turned their world topsy-turvy. It was uncomfortable. So much so that they were trying to catch and incarcerate those who they deemed guilty of this transforming power.

What was this gospel that transformed? How did it operate. How did it function to facilitate such remarkable change? The three questions above are very important. Quite frankly, I do not think that Christian doctrine and dogma have properly answered those questions and it is precisely why the new humanity has been stunted in its growth. If you look at the previous three ages that I addressed in the previous post there seems to be purpose in the way in which they unfolded. It was to bring humanity to the end of its self-effort to improve through religious practice. Humans with the disease brought on with the knowledge of good and evil, (Paul referred to it as the wisdom of the world,) do not have the ability to love/agape-style.

Love/agape-style is the transforming agent that is supernaturally created by the Holy Spirit in connection with belief in the gospel message as I believe the first century saints were taught to understand it. It was their understanding of the gospel message that the Holy Spirit used to supernaturally transform individuals and communities in such a radical way that it threatened the status quo of religion and religious practice.

What was the content of this gospel? It was unlimited, undeserved, magnanimous grace. Yes it was GRACE! In order for this grace to transform, they had to be totally convinced that the Law with its commandments and ordinances was abolished.This flies in the face of conventional wisdom. remember however that it is written, there is a way which seems right unto humanity but the end thereof is death. Unlimited, unrestrained grace just doesn't seem right to humanity. Law and religious practice seems right. But Paul told his followers that the cross of Christ overcame the wisdom of the world and while it seemed foolish to religious adherents and philosophers it was indeed the wisdom of God!

Therefore, the transforming agent is grace. Once a person realizes that God has declared them good they cannot help but love God agape-style. Interestingly enough, God declared humanity very good in Genesis 1:31 but through the three previous ages, not many believed it. So then, until one accepts/apprehends the notion that they are righteous no matter what....  no matter what in the eyes of God they can only fear. However, once the fear is set aside by complete faith in grace, they then can begin to love agape-style. This is the reason that so many early saints were willing to die for their faith. They believed the gospel of grace.

What will create a new humanity in this age? The answer quite simply is the gospel of God's unlimited grace. It must be rehearsed over and over. It is not merely an entry point into a religious experience. It is not even an entry point into a religion with laws and ordinances. It is the entry point into a 24-7 relationship with the loving creator of the universe. It is a reality that presence is always in force. One is never out of the presence of the loving creator no matter what. One can be unaware of presence but that does not negate it.

Therefore, community where the gospel of grace is rehearsed and proclaimed over and over and often is the petri dish for developing this transformation. There is no such thing as a saint so seasoned that they do not need to be reminded daily of the gospel of grace. It is in this awareness that the love agape-style of the saint grows from faith to faith. This is the condition that turned the world upside down and is available to us right now to see the manifestation of a truly new humanity!

A New Humanity Part 2; The Fourth Age

Eph 2:15 NRSV  "He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace,"

In a previous post in this series, I asked the question, "what if it was always the purpose of the pristine gospel to bring about a new humanity?" We just began a new millennium. Oh, I know that was twenty years ago, but in relation to a period of one thousand years it is only the beginning, and if, one views it as the beginning of a two thousand year "age," then it is truly just the beginning. Mathematically speaking it is merely 1% of the age. Why a two thousand year age you ask? Well, I am very glad you asked.

If one looks at the history of the biblical record, I like to think of it as the history of the redemptive narrative, or the history of the story of redemption Then one can see that there is a major shift every two thousand years. From Adam to Abraham was two thousand years. From Abraham to Christ Jesus was two thousand years, and twenty years ago we had yet another two thousand year age begin.

God declared in Genesis 1:31 that his creation was very good. When light was created God said it was good. When the heavens were created God said it was good. This went on throughout the first five days of creation (if you see the days of creation that as a metaphor, frankly I am inclined to agree with you) but either way in creating humans on the sixth day God said it was VERY good. This establishes the fact that God is gracious and benevolent. Based on Genesis 1:31 it is reasonable to conclude that no one need be afraid of God.  Even in the narrative of our first parent's sin there is no reason for them to be afraid of God. Didn't he clothe them? Didn't he make it so that they would not have to live forever in the state of fear by shutting them out from the tree of life?

So let's examine the three ages prior to the one that just began in 2000 AD/CE. The first of the three ages, from Adam to Abraham can properly be called the human age. The second age from Adam to Christ can properly be called the Old Covenant or the Jewish age. The third age from Christ to 2000 AD/CE can properly be called the Church age. This new age, that began in 2000 AD/CE I will call the New Humanity age, the New Jerusalem age, the New Heaven and Earth age. Further this is likely not the last age to come. Paul clearly states in Ephesians 2:7 that there will be ages (plural) to come.

Eph 2:7 NRSV  so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

1Jn 3:2 NRSV  Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.

The two verses posited above certainly point to the possibility of a NEW HUMANITY in the ages to come. So let's look at the possible reasons for several ages with humanity becoming ever increasingly humane. Go back to Genesis 1:31. By decree of God, humanity was declared good. Yet, with the onset of the knowledge of good and evil, humanity lost the innocence of child-like faith. Humanity entered it's adolescent and adult stages.

So from Adam to Abraham, only a select few on an extremely limited basis would believe that God was gracious and loving. Humanity failed to see God's goodness. From Abraham to Christ, there were more people who believed that God was gracious and loving but still as a whole Israel did not understand the graciousness of God. Then Jesus came on the scene. Showed us the loving parent aspect of God's attitude toward humanity, and still most of the church, the saved saints did not understand the graciousness of a loving God. However, in that age, the gospel of grace was introduced if only for a short span before it was tainted. Now in this latest of ages, that we are just beginning, humanity can recover the universal gospel of peace, the true ministry of reconciliation and begin to progress toward one new humanity.

You can read part one here: A New Humanity

A New Humanity

Eph 2:15  He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace,

Our world is very divided and divisive. The divide seems to grow with each and every passing week, month and year. What if the kingdom of God, the kingdom of the eternal ONE, could actually begin to reshape a new humanity. What if this is the age of the New Humanity and the New Jerusalem? What if the New Jerusalem is a new type of community not bound by geographical and geo-political boundries? What if the New Humanity is comprised of a multitude of ethnicities and tribes? What if it brings a counter narrative to our current system of increasing tribalistic tendencies?

What if it was always the purpose and goal of the pristine gospel?

By pristine gospel, I mean the gospel that was taught by the first century saints that turned the world upside-down, and produced such loving communities that they were noted far and wide for their brotherly love, and their uncommon and completely unheard of agape/love. According to the Greek Old Testament, the Septuagint, both commandments that Jesus cited in Matthew 22, one as the first and greatest and the second which is like unto it both use a form of AGAPE which was rendered love.

As far as I am concerned Strong's and Thayer do not give an adequate definition of AGAPE. Paul defines it in 1Co 13:4-8a  "Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant  (5)  or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;  (6)  it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.  (7)  It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  (8)  Love never ends..." and John explains in 1John 4:8 that God is AGAPE.

So let's get back to a new humanity. It would be a humanity that is transformed by AGAPE. It would be a humanity that had AGAPE love for God. It would be a humanity that had AGAPE love for each other. It would be a humanity that had AGAPE for all of humanity. And, it would be a humanity that had AGAPE for the planet and its eco-systems including all of its animals. This new humanity would bring the kingdom of God, the kingdom of the eternal ONE into fruition, and as it would grow, it would increasingly begin to transform everything including, politics, economics, and social norms.

It would begin with the transforming pristine gospel of God's grace. The gospel would be advanced by proclamation which is the same as preaching but unfortunately I believe that orthodox and evangelical Christianity has made so many terms represent loaded meaning that one would need to be careful in the presentation and in how this gospel and this kingdom was explained.

As I have repeatedly posted in various ways on this blog; I believe that the actual operation of the gospel and Holy Spirit as a transforming agent has never been properly explained or understood by the church from the second century on. I believe it was in the first century church and that was the reason that it was so transformative. However, between the forty year silence from 70AD/CE to roughly 110AD/CE the pristine gospel was leavened with the leaven of the Pharisees and became as prophesied by the Apostle Paul the "strong delusion."

From the second century forward, with the early church fathers, the gospel message was altered; influenced by first century Judaism which culminated in the late fourth century when the canon was settled. Probably the most influential cause of this was from the time of Emperor Constantine forward when Rome made Christianity the religion of the realm, and demanded that the various church leaders get together and hash out a compromise on what orthodox doctrine would be.

I am convinced beyond doubt that the first century gospel used grace as the driving force, and the Holy Spirit used this grace to transform the hearts of people who heard the message. The message is best capsulated in 2 Cor 5-17-21. The proclamation of the first century church was since God has reconciled the world through Jesus be reconciled to God. The transforming force was the ministry of reconciliation. It flowed as follow: Justification by the faith of Christ Jesus, brought peace with the father, which in turn created real love for the Father, which resulted in transformation. Love for the Father, Joy in the Father, and Peace with the Father produced AGAPE in those who heard the message. They had to hear it regularly for its effect to continue and as a community they would encourage one another in the gospel of grace.

Since Jesus and the first century apostles taught that the gospel, not scripture per se was the word of God, they realized that Christ was the END of the law for righteousness. Therefore, we see few commandments in the New Testament writings other than love one another and Paul commanded the Thessalonians to work and not quit because they thought that the world was coming to an end.

All other passages that current evangelical doctrine has considered to be commands were in reality exhortations which is different than a command. That is not to say that people should not strive to follow exhortations but they did not result in death as did commandments. The legal constitutional reading of scripture that evangelical orthodoxy has adopted skewed this understanding and caused the gospel to be less effective than it was in the first century. A return to the pristine gospel as it was explained by way of oral teaching and epistles would revitalize the opportunity for real transformation and in turn, real transformation could and would begin to create a new humanity.

Looking at the parables: Three measures of meal

Mat 13:33  "He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened."

Some of the translations render three measures of meal as fifty-sixty pounds of flour. Now that is a lot of flour and would make a gigantic batch of leavened bread. However, this is a parable. According to the dictionary the meaning of parable is as follows: "a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson as told by Jesus in the Gospels." In the Greek the word paroble means similitude or simile. It is a symbolic lingual device or a figure of speech.

Therefore, there must be significance in the fact that he said three measures. Three measures are three things and must therefore represent three distinct things. I think that the three measures of wheat or meal is a figure of three ages. There are three biblical ages that have lapsed and we are just beginning the fourth. These ages are roughly two thousand years each. They are as follows; the two thousand years between Adam and Abraham; The two thousand years between Abraham and Jesus Christ; The two thousand years since the resurrection of Jesus; and the new age, the two thousand years that began in 2,000 AD/CE. If the situation changed drastically every two thousand years through out the biblical timeline, what would make one think that it would not again change drastically in this new 2,000 year age?

Now then, if you research this parable you will find different understandings of its meaning. The two most prominent are that it is the gospel permeating the kingdom and the other is that it is the leaven of the Pharisees that compromises the gospel message in favor of a false gospel. The late J. Vernon McGee believed it was the latter and made what I feel is a very strong case for it. His argument is that leaven in the bible mostly represents sin and is something to avoid. Both Jesus and Paul used it that way in their references. Of course this is one of the uses of Jesus... so... did he switch streams of thought and tell us that leaven was now a good thing? That is very unlikely don't you agree. I do not think he was mixing metaphors so to speak. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that this leaven mentioned in this parable was not the kingdom expanding.

So what do we make of the three measures of meal/flour? Let me briefly make the case for it being three ages. God stated in Genesis 1:31 that when he made male and female on the sixth day it was VERY good. In the garden story, God clothed Adam and Eve with the skins of an animal and thus covered their nakedness. God demonstrated his love, grace and acceptance of humanity from the onset of creation forward. He had the Apostle Paul declare in Ephesians chapter one that God had purposed redemption before the foundation of the world. This is very significant because it means that God's purpose in creation was redemption. Paul gives a reason for God's purpose being redemption. It was to the praise of His glorious grace.

God being unchangeable has always been gracious. He has proved that time and again throughout the redemptive narrative. The problem is that with the advent of death, and the knowledge of good and evil, for the most part, humanity has not believed it. Noah did, Abraham did, Moses did, David definitely believed it, and even more so, Jesus in his earthly sojourn believed it with perfect faith. So now for the three ages most people did not truly understand God's grace. From Adam to Abraham humanity for the most part feared God and did not believe he was gracious. Then, from Abraham to Jesus Christ, the Jews, though called and set apart, did not believe that God was gracious. Then Christ came on the scene and for the most part, Christianity has not accepted how truly gracious God is. They have missed the true pristine gospel and the way in which God uses grace and the Holy Spirit to transform lives.

Yet Paul states that the gifts and callings of God are irrevocable. God's original gift and calling to humanity is found in Genesis 1:31. It was VERY good. This brings to mind a passage of scripture by Paul found in the middle portion of Romans. Yes there are three parts to Romans; chapter's 1-8, chapters 9-11, and chapters 12-16. At the end of chapter 11 we find this: Rom 11:26-36  And so all Israel will be saved; as it is written, "Out of Zion will come the Deliverer; he will banish ungodliness from Jacob."  (27)  "And this is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins."  (28)  As regards the gospel they are enemies of God for your sake; but as regards election they are beloved, for the sake of their ancestors;  (29)  for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.  (30)  Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience,  (31)  so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy.  (32)  For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.  (33)  O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!  (34)  "For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?"  (35)  "Or who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return?"  (36)  For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen. I really love this passage. It is not properly understood by current evangelical and orthodox doctrine. I have emboldened the part I love most.

The end of the third age was the church age. So then, humanity by itself missed God's graciousness. The calling of Abraham and the Jewish Nation missed God's graciousness. Thirdly, the church missed God's graciousness. Now, in the current age, the one that began in the year 2,000, humanity will begin to realize that God has mercy on all! This indeed will bring PRAISE to His glorious grace!