Avoiding Evil

This is my review of an article written in The Journal Of The Evangelical Theological Society. December 2000. 709-721

In Romans 11 Paul clearly describes the final destiny of Israel. Many people who read Romans 11 come to the conclusion that there is a future mass conversion of ethnic Israel, specifically from verse 26 which states, “and in this way all Israel will be saved as it is written…” However, the author of this article seeks to demonstrate that Romans 11:26 does not teach a future mass conversion.

There are three different interpretations of verse 26, “all Israel will be saved:”

1. All the elect, both Jew and Gentile: This interpretation claims that the word ‘Israel” is extended to all the people of God, both Jews and Gentiles alike. These Jews and Gentiles that are God’s elect will complete the salvation of the whole of Israel. Calvin, Jeremias, Barth and Wright are a few of the scholars who held to this position.

2. The ethnic nation of Israel as a whole: This is the view most commonly held. This interpretation believes that “all Israel” refers to the mass of Jews living on earth at the end of time who will be a part of a large scale mass conversion. This will take place immediately before or at the moment of Christ’s return. Some believe this happens to Jews who are alive at the end times, yet others hold to the idea that it refers to Jews of all time.

3. The elect of ethnic Israel throughout history: The third view maintains that God will always save a remnant of Jews throughout history. Israel will experience a partial hardening until the fullness of the Gentiles. This is the viewpoint the author of this article will argue from.

The author gives a couple reasons why he holds to the viewpoint that “all Israel” refers to the elect Jews throughout history and not ethnic Israel:

1. The context of Romans 9-11. Because Romans 9-10 form a unit in Paul’s thought, any interpretation of Romans 11 must also be consistent with that thought.

9:6 “not all Israel are of Israel.” God’s promise to Abraham never included the promise that all his decedents would be saved by their ethnicity. Israel consists of those who are of the promise, not the flesh, meaning those who God has unconditionally elected.

This is further emphasized in 9:7 as it is pointed out that God favors Jacob over Esau, just like He chose Isaac over Ishmael. It is the chosen spiritual offspring who are a part of the elect Israelites.

10:12 “no distinction between Jew and Gentile.” There is no distinction between Jews and Greeks, which would directly contradict the idea that God has a special plan for saving Israel in the future that does not include the Gentiles. Just as the Gentiles are presently being saved, so are the elect Jews.

2. The emphasis on the present situation. If you read Romans chapter 11 you will soon figure out that Paul’s thoughts are focused on the present time and not the future. Paul mentions a remnant of Israel as being part of the present age, and he ensures them that God has not forsaken his people right now. Paul’s hope was to save some Jews through Jealousy of the Gentiles, which would be a false hope if Jews will not be saved until a mass conversion at the end of time.

“At first all of the promises and the Messiah were given to Israel. Then, somehow in God’s mysterious plan, Israel rejected its Messiah and was cut off from its position of distinctive privilege. As a result, the coming of Israel’s Messiah was announced to the Gentiles. Frustrated over seeing the blessings of their messianic kingdom heaped on the Gentiles, Israel is moved to jealousy. They too repent, believer, and share in the promises originally made to them.” – Robertson, “Future”

“All Israel” refers to the elect of the ethnic Israel throughout history. Paul does not have in mind a special future for Israel, and it is not likely that he is referring to the salvation of the nation of Israel in the future. Instead, when Paul says that “all Israel” shall be saved he means to refer to the full number of elect Jews who it pleases Him to save, which will continually happen until the full number of elect Gentiles are brought to the Kingdom. For each era there has been a remnant of the elect taken in, and these remnants throughout all of the ages added together make up “all Israel.”

Answers to possible objections:

1. Verses 12 and 15 suggest a future mass conversion of Israel.

In verse 12 Paul declares, “Now if there [Israel’s] trespass is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!” Verse 15 parallels verse 12, “For if there [Israel’s] being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?”

Those who believe Romans 11:26 refers to a future mass conversion, they see Israel’s trespass as being in this present age and they see Israel’s fullness and acceptance coming in the future. Currently, Israel is rejecting Christ, but there will come a time when they accept Him.

Fullness, however, does not have to be something that happens in the future. In fact, almost all scholars interpret verse 25 “fullness of Gentiles” to mean the full number of elect Gentiles throughout history. This verse runs parallel to “the fullness of the Jews,” which should naturally lead to the conclusion that “fullness” here means the same thing as it does in verse 25. Fullness should refer to the fullness of the elect Jews through history and not some future conversion.

If the failure of the Jews means gospel blessings for the gentiles, then their acceptance will mean nothing less than their resurrection (“life from the dead.”) The “fullness” refers to the full number of elect Jews through history, not just the salvation of the remnant at any one time.

2. 23 and 24 imply that Israel as a nation will again be grafted in.

“And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grated in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree, how much more will these, who are the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?”a.

Some believe this means Jews will be grafted into the tree of salvation at some point in the future.

It should be pointed out that Paul’s purpose for this metaphor was to warn the Gentiles of pride, not to tell the Jews that future Israel would be grafted into salvation.

It does not imply that God is going to graft all unbelieving Jews back into the three either.

3. The reference to Israel in verse 25 cannot be different than that of verse 26.
Verse 25 states that a hardening has happened to Israel, meaning the entire nation. In verse 26, however, it says that “all Israel will be saved” referring to only the elect. Some would say that this cannot be.

It is clear that verse 25 must refer to ethnic Israel, meaning the whole nation.
However, there is no reason why Paul could not have switched the meaning of Israel to mean the Spiritual elect in the very next verse. In fact, he does this exact thing in 9:6, “they are not all Israel [the nation] who are of Israel [the elect].” It is certainly common for Paul to change how he uses identical words.

Conclusion:
Based on the authors consideration of Romans 11 I would also conclude that chapter 11 does not teach a future mass conversion of ethnic Israel, but that there will always be a remnant of believing Jews until the end of time. Even though Israel is suffering a hardening of their hearts because of their rejection of the messiah, still the number of Israel that God is pleased to elect will be saved and brought unto Himself, as the number of Gentiles whom God is pleased to elect come to Him as well. God is faithful in His promises and to His people. This interpretation also fuels evangelistic efforts, since we have the promise that God will always have a remnant of both Jewish and Gentile people who will be saved by grace through faith.

Pressed

This is the conclusion of:
Parenting Teenagers Part I
Parenting Teenagers Part II.
Parenting Teenagers Part III
Parenting Teenagers Part IV
Parenting Teenagers Part V

Critique of the Literature.
It is important to first understand that the goal of these authors is essentially the same. In just about every article that I read on the subject of parenting teenagers, the ultimate goal was to give the parents ideas on how to become better parents for the sake of their teenagers. The technique’s of each piece of literature are defiantly different and are based on the cultural, spiritual, and personal convictions of the authors. What I see as an offensive and wrong way of parenting as a Christian may be a right and good way in the mind of a non-believer, which is evident as you cruise the plethora of information on the subject.

There were several common ideas on parenting that were consistent throughout each of the articles and that I also agree with. I do believe that parents need to listen to their teenagers. When the teens have something to say then their parents should be willing to drop everything else and give their kid an ear. It helps build trust and shows them that you care about them enough to give up what you were doing for them. I also agree that clear and consistent boundaries need to be set. Teenagers shouldn’t be punished for things that they didn’t know were wrong because the parent didn’t define it enough. Parents need to give their kids clear boundaries that do not contradict themselves or contradict the action and words of the parents. Parents should lead by example is another commonly agreed upon statement that I agree with as well. If a parent does not want their child to use foul language then the parent should not use foul language. Some articles suggested that teenagers do not learn from their parents behaviors, but I do not agree, I believe they learn a lot about right and wrong from their own parent’s actions, words, and beliefs. One of the major issues with teenagers is that they are in a transition stage and they are beginning to deal with independence. It is important for a parent to give their child independence and respect their space within reason and boundaries. I agree with Dr. Chan that teenagers will go through a few stages and parents need to be ready to adjust the way they deal with their teens in each stage. An important aspect that I think Dr. Dobson pointed out is that teenagers must be held accountable. When a boundary is set and a rule is made, if that rule is broke then the agreed consequence must be enforced, otherwise you build the idea that you are not really going to do what you say.

Though I agree with a few things Jean Walbridge had to say I disagree with most of her approaches and moral convictions. Jean holds the idea that a teenager’s privacy and independence is high above all other things. She thinks that parents should never violate the privacy of a teen and I disagree. We already live in a humanistic world that is teaching our children that they can do what they want, be what they want, and anything they choose is right for them bringing them into the state of mind that “it’s their life and it’s none of their parents business.” I feel that Jean’s ideas allow for the parent to have no authority over the teenager, but instead the teen is simply offered choices and insignificant consequences if they choose poorly. I do believe that parents can allow teenagers to make free decisions and choices inside the boundaries of their authority. I agree that the teenagers are transitioning into a state of independence, but the key word is transition. They are not all the way there yet and I believe that the answer is not “let the teen do what they want”, but instead slowly give them more freedoms that you feel they can handle as they get older.

I disagree with Jean’s position on teenage sexual activity. Her idea is that it is a normal thing, teens are going to do it, so parents should not try to stop it, instead they should provide their children with resources for safe sex. I think that parents need to help their children to understand that they don’t need safe sex, they need no sex at all. That is harder and harder to do in our present social era as they are exposed to it daily, but the answer once again is not in just letting them do it and minding our own business as Jean suggests.

Jean believes that parents need to allow their children to find their own way, and the only time they need to intervene is when it may be harmful to their health. I would disagree in that I think parents need to show their children the right way and let them find their own independence inside the context of knowing right from wrong. Jean’s idea allows for the teenager to experiment with everything that is both good and bad and choose which one they want to do, but I think teenagers should already know what is bad without having to try it because of the advice and truth coming from their parents. If my teenager wants to take drugs he will do so knowing full well that it is wrong and harmful and that it will produce bad consequences. If Jean’s teenager wants to take drugs it is ok for him to do so and experiment with it as long as he doesn’t bring it into the house. There is great danger in giving teenagers too much freedom. In a sense I disagree with Chan on the issue of allowing the teenagers to “express themselves” with orange hair and body piercing. I think that we can easily confuse rebellion with self-expression. Once again I do believe that the teenagers should have the freedom to express themselves, but inside the boundaries set by their parents. Orange hair and piercing may be harmless, and then again they may be a rebellion and it depends on the motives of the individual.

One thing that I didn’t think about before starting this study is the moral differences between a Christian raising a teenager and a non-Christian. As a Christian parent I would be under the conviction that it is not right for my child to have sex, drink, do drugs, and other things that I feel are morally wrong. But with those who are not Christians some of these things are acceptable to them so that it is alright for their teen to have sex, which does provide for a little bit of conflict when it comes to understanding how to parent teenagers. Our society would like for us to believe that it maybe alright for one teen to have sex and then it maybe wrong for a different teen to have sex and it simply depends upon the individual, but I disagree in that I believe that God has give us absolutes when it comes to right and wrong. I believe that these absolutes apply to all aspects of life including raising teenagers and leading our families.

Application
I believe that it is highly important that the adults in our churches know that there is a right and wrong way to raise their children. It is easy for Christian’s to follow the social norms and unintentionally slip down the wrong path when it comes to parenting an adolescent. It is also easy for parents to think they are doing the right thing by overbearingly restricting their child and causing unneeded conflict and pain. In order to apply some of the things that I have learned in this research project I think it would be good to offer a class to the parents of teenagers that are coming up into the youth group. As a youth minister I believe that my job is not simply to instruct and lead the teenagers in spiritual growth, but their parents as well. The class would involve learning many of the techniques and ideas presented by Clark, Chen, and Dobson. It would also involve bible studies that help parents in understanding their role as the spiritual leaders of their children and families. I would offer the class to those parents whose kids are getting ready to enter into the adolescent stage so that they have a heads up and then I would continue to offer bible studies thorough the years of their child being in high school in order to remind them and help them as their child gets older.

Another way to apply these teachings would be to set the example in my own family (when I have one). As people come to me and ask for help with their teenagers I could help them to see the things that I have done and do as a parent. The spiritual leaders of the Church should always lead by example in their words, actions, and family life.

As the church teaches it’s members how to be parents of children of all ages and how to raise their children up in the way they should go and as the church continues to lead each individual adult and teenager into spiritual maturity I think that family life will grow stronger. It is to the glory of God that we would do any of this so that in the unity of a strong spiritual family we give praise to our God as we represent holiness in our lives and obedience to His word.

Pressed

This is a continuation of:
Parenting Teenagers Part I
Parenting Teenagers Part II.
Parenting Teenagers Part III
Parenting Teenagers Part IV

On the website, Families Online, Alan Bright writes a couple articles concerning raising teenagers and proper discipline. Bright offers several suggestions for becoming better parents. The first suggestion is to catch your children doing things right. “Bad behavior and punishment should not be a major part of your relationship with your children.” Parents should always praise the good behavior of their teens. The second thing Bright suggests is that parents should agree with each other in front of the teens. A third tip is that parents should give instructions in a normal voice, if not “you are training your children to take you seriously only when you raise your voice or when you repeat yourself.” Another thing that parents should do is to never make a threat that they won’t carry out. We want our children to trust us and if we contradict ourselves it doesn’t build that trust. The fifth suggestion that Bright gives is that whenever you tell your teenager to do something you should make sure that you tell them the reason why. “Because I say so” is not an option. Make sure they understand so that they are more likely to obey you. The last thing is that parents must keep in mind that teenagers can spot hypocrisy a mile away. Parents should treat their children how they would want to be treated and lead by example.

Another writer for this same website, Angelique Forrester, gives some suggestions for parent teen interaction. Parents should resist put-downs about other people based on their appearances and so on. Parents should always praise and encourage their teenager’s strengths to reinforce their self esteem. Watching television with your teenager is a good idea in that it opens up the door to talk about how “real” the situations and images are. Listening is important for parents to do. “…making them know that they matter to us and their opinions are valid.” Teach your children strategies for their relationships with others, including being thoughtful in the way they treat other people. And finally love your teenager unconditionally and make sure that they know it.

These are just some instances of the wealth of information that can be found about parenting teenagers. There is a wide variety of opinions about this particular subject and people’s opinions are based on their own convictions and belief. Tomorrow I will offer some of my own opinions about these articles and the this subject.

Pressed

This is a continuation of:
Parenting Teenagers Part I
Parenting Teenagers Part II.
Parenting Teenagers Part III

Jean Walbridge is a licensed clinical social worker in the State of Illinois and she was at one time the president of the Board of Directors for the Youth & Family Counseling agency. Jean consults to the Illinois Department of Child & Family Services and runs a website called Parenting Adolescents where she gives advice on raising teenagers. Giving advice to a mother about the sexual activity of her teenage daughters Jean reminds the parent that it is the teenager’s private life and she questions whether the parent should get involved in a direct matter. She suggests that the parent should let her teenagers know that this is normal behavior and that she just wants them to be safe and happy. She also suggests giving her teens useful information on safe sex.

Jean constantly reminds parents that they should never invade their teenager’s privacy, such as trying to find out what web sites they have visited on the internet or searching through their backpack or room. Parents must respect their child’s boundaries. After a parent finds that her son is viewing pornography Jean helps the parent to recognize that “His parents CANNOT control what he chooses to look at.” She says that “parents should not pretend that they have power over their children.” The teenager is in charge of his/her sexual life and has the power to make the decision not the parent. Once again she encourages the parent to tell her child about safe sex and offer him resources to learn more about sex. Jean’s idea of good parenting is to allow your teenager to find their own way knowing that as a parent you have no right or ability to control him/her.

Jean promotes the idea that clear boundaries need to be set. The teenagers need to know the rules and the consequences to breaking those rules. Spanking is not an option, but the consequence should be enough to make them not want to do it. She also suggests that since teenagers have an issue with “autonomy and control,” parents should give them the ability to make choices instead of bossing them to do something. Teenagers will resent being told to do something.

Jean gives advice to parents, that they should set an example of moral behavior to their children. “What you do speaks louder than what you say.” She believes that parents should set limits with enforceable consequences in areas that seem to be a major threat to their teen’s wellbeing, but with the understanding that the teen can do it if they want to and it’s not your business to snoop in their personal life. Jean believes that parents should listen far more than they should advise, allowing the teen to make their own decisions. Teens should be supported in their effort to become independent and establish their own identity by parents gradually allowing them more freedoms, but continuing to enforce consequences and limits.

Pressed (Still more to come…)

This is a continuation of Parenting Teenagers Part I and Parenting Teenagers Part II. If you haven’t done it yet, go back and read those two posts first before continuing.

From the highly acclaimed website family.org, Dr. James Dobson gives six broad guidelines on disciplining teenagers.

1. The first strategy is to “define any boundaries before they are forced.” What you expect from you teenager should be established in advance and the child should know what is not acceptable behavior before he/she is held responsible for those rules. “This precondition will eliminate the sense of injustice that a youngster feels when he is slapped or punished for his accidents, mistakes, and blunders. If you haven’t defined it—don’t enforce it!”

2. Secondly, “when you are challenged respond with confident decisiveness.” Accountability is important, and once they know what is expected then your child must be held accountable for their actions. When the rules are disobeyed it is important for the parent to “win decisively and confidently.” Nothing is more destructive to parental leadership than a parent who gives in to their child and allows them to break the rules. “Instead of being secure and confident leaders, they become spineless jellyfish who are unworthy of respect or allegiance.”

3. The third piece of advice that Dr. Dobson gives is that parents should “distinguish between willful defiance and childish irresponsibility.” Willful defiance is what should be punished in children, not irresponsible behavior. Forgetting to feed the dog and doing something they were specifically told not to do are two very different things. Childhood immaturity is a normal thing and the children should be gently instructed on how to be more responsible.

4. The fourth tip is that parents should “reassure and teach as soon as the confrontation is over.” After discipline it is important to teach your child and remind them of your love for them. Tell them you love them and let them know again why they were punished. This is a way that parents can both communicate and reassure their love for their teenagers.

5. The fifth thing that Dr. Dobson mentions is that the parents should “avoid impossible demands.” You must be sure your teen is fully capable of “delivering what you require.” Don’t punish teens for doing things they couldn’t control because it creates an irresolvable conflict inside them and can lead to emotional damage.

6. The last tip is to “let love be your guide!” All parental relationships should be characterized by genuine love and affection. Parental mistakes are always inevitable, but make sure your relationship with your teen is one of love.

Pressed (More to come…)