Similar to the various positions of continuity and discontinuity, there were many different answers to these questions in the first century. On the one hand were those who viewed Christianity as complete heresy and utterly incompatible with Judaism. On the other hand were those who believed Christianity to be the true way and Judaism to be complete foolishness.

This was a major, major concern in Luke=s day as he recorded the early expansion of the Church. We=ve already seen that one of the primary themes of the final 8 chapters of Acts is that God was behind all that happened to Paul. It was His plan for the furtherance of the gospel.

But there is another overarching theme of this section that I would like to explore, and it has direct relation to these questions of continuity and discontinuity. What was Paul=s view of the relationship between Israel and the Church? Obviously he believed Christianity to be correct, but what did he think of the Law of Moses? What did he think of Judaism? What did he think of God=s plan and the relationship between the Jews and the Gentiles? This section will help us to understand the answers to these questions, and will allow us to come to some very practical conclusions for our understanding of God=s plan as well.

In the last seven chapters of Acts, Luke records 6 different speeches made by Paul, and each of these speeches has 3 primary themes. First, like we saw last week, Paul is defending his innocence of any legitimate charge against him. Second, Paul gives the gospel. And third, he emphasizes his beliefs concerning God=s plan for Israel and the Church. Four of the speeches are made to Jews (the crowd, the Sanhedrin, Agrippa, and the Jews in Rome), and the other two speeches are made to Gentiles (Felix and Festus), and what he says to them and what he emphasizes is very instructive. So I=d like to look at excerpts from each of these speeches in order to determine Paul=s beliefs on this subject.

Continuity

Paul emphasizes that his actions have been in obedience to the God of the Jews

First, we find in two of these speeches that Paul gives his testimony of being a Pharisee, persecuting the Christians, and then being converted on the road to Damascus. What is Paul=s purpose in giving these testimonies?

Well to begin, we need to notice to whom he gave this testimony. In chapter 22 he gave it to the crowd, and in particular to the native Jews in the crowd. We know this because chapter 21 verse 40 tells us that he purposefully spoke to them in Aramaic. In other words, the Romans who were there, and even the Grecian Jews who were there wouldn=t have been able to understand him. If he had wanted the most possible people to understand him, he would have spoken in Greek C everyone knew Greek. But only the native Jews understood Aramaic. So it is clear that he intended this speech to be directed to them.

The second speech in which he gives his testimony is with King Agrippa, one of the Herods who was very proud of his Jewish heritage.

So why would Paul be intent upon detailing his testimony to these Jewish audiences? He emphasizes that he is a Jew, that he was trained under Gamaliel, than he was a Pharisee and did all He could to serve the God of the Jews. He then emphasizes that he was directly visited by God himself several times and has been trying to serve Him every since. Why would he emphasize all of this? It was because he wanted to demonstrate that his actions as a Christian have been in complete obedience to the God of the Jews. The same God that he had been trying to serve as a Pharisee is the same God that visited him and gave him instructions, and it is the same God he is obeying today.

In other words, Paul is emphasizing the continuity between God=s plans and instructions for the Jews and God=s plans and instructions for the Church. This new revelation that has created Christianity is simply a continuation of God=s plan and revelation He had given to Israel. These are not two separate religions, per se, Christianity is the next step in God=s plan from Judaism. To reject Christianity is to reject the God of Judaism!

He emphasizes this same thing in his speech before the Sanhedrin in verse 1 of chapter 23:

Acts 23:1 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.”

What is he saying? He is saying, AI have not forsaken my Jewish heritage or my Jewish religion. It=s just that God has now moved his plan along with the sending of the Messiah and His death on our behalf, and so now I=m serving the same God in all good conscience.@

When he is speaking to Agrippa and related how God gave Him specific instructions, he says in 26.19: ASo then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.@

Paul wants to emphasize that all of his actions as a Christian have been in obedience to the God of the Jews. There is continuity in God=s plan and revelation for the Jews in the Old Testament and God=s plan and revelation now for the Church. It is all part of the same developing plan of God.

Paul emphasizes that his actions are not contrary to the Law C they are fulfillment of the Law

In fact, Paul goes even further to insist that his actions are not contrary to the Mosaic Law and the Prophets C they are fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. Paul does not hate the Law; he does not hate the Jewish authorities. He demonstrates his respect for them when he apologizes for insulting the High Priest because he didn=t realize who it was.

Let=s look at a few of Paul=s statements where he emphasizes that his actions are not contrary to the Law:

Acts 24:14 [Felix] However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets,

Acts 25:8 [Festus] Then Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.”

Acts 26:6 7 [Agrippa] And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today. 7 This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. O king, it is because of this hope that the Jews are accusing me.

Acts 28:23 [Jews in Rome] They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.

Over and over Paul insists that his actions are not contrary to Judaism, they are simply a continuation of it. Over and over Paul tries to prove from the Hebrew Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah, that He had to die, and that Christianity is the true way.

Christianity is Jewish

In this way, Paul is stressing the continuity within the sovereign plan of God between God=s revelation to the Jews and God=s revelation to the Church. God did not change his mind; He did not revert to plan B. Always in the mind of God He had planned to reveal new truths through His Son that would add to the revelation He had given in the Old Testament.

Christianity is Jewish at its roots. It is the continuation of God=s plan to save the world.

Discontinuity

So thus far we have noticed Paul=s emphasize of continuity in God=s plan. But in these 6 speeches, Paul also emphasizes the discontinuity between the Jews as a nation and the Church as a Body without national distinction.

God told Paul that the Jews would reject Him and the Gentiles would accept Him

For instance, notice what it was in Paul=s speech to the crowd in chapter 22 that caused such a riot:

Acts 22:18 21 and saw the Lord speaking. ‘Quick!’ he said to me. ‘Leave Jerusalem immediately, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 19 “‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these men know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. 20 And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’ 21 “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’” 22 The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!”

What was it that caused the crowd to explode like that? Paul was saying in verse 18 that God told him, AThe Jews will reject your message about me.@ And not only that; he is saying that because the Jews will reject the message, the message will be taken to the Gentiles, and they will accept it. Look at what Paul says in two other places:

Acts 26:22 23 [Agrippa]But I have had God’s help to this very day, and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen   23 that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles.”

Acts 28:25 28 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet: 26 “‘Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.” 27 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ 28 “Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!”

Paul is emphasizing a complete discontinuity between the Jewish people and the Gentiles who would form the Church. The Jews would reject God=s message, and the Gentiles will listen.

The salvation of the Gentiles through the Church will lead to the salvation of the entire nation of Israel

But this discontinuity between Israel and the Church has a purpose, and that is the salvation of the whole world climaxing in the entire nation of Israel coming to true salvation. Paul makes that no more clear than in Romans 9.25-27:

I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. 27 And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”

It is easy for us to forget that although Israel was God=s chosen people, relatively few individuals Jews were actually believers. In Acts 13 we saw why God chose Israel C it was through them that he gave His revelation, and it was through them that He gave the Messiah. But His plan all along has been for the salvation of the whole world, not just one nation. So His first step was to reveal Himself through the nation of Israel. His second step was to send the Messiah through the nation of Israel. His third step was to use Israel to murder the Messiah, thus providing a means of atonement. His fourth step is to build the spiritual Body of His Son who will be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. And the climax of His plan is that all Israel will eventually be saved and people from all people groups will be saved, and He will set up His Kingdom on earth!

Conclusion

God=s eternal, sovereign plan has always been one of complete continuity. There are no Plan B=s with God. He has always intended to glorify Himself by saving people from every tongue and nation, but he has planned to do so in stages. And that is where we see the discontinuity. Within the overall plan God chose one nation, Israel, to accomplish very specific purposes; then he chose one Body, the Church, to accomplish very specific purposes; and both of these groups will always be distinct from one another while at the same time intricately connected through their relationship to Christ Himself and the master plan of God.

So what does this mean for us today. First, it means that we must view the Bible and God=s plan as revealed in the Bible as one overarching plan of continuity. Nothing surprises God because He has ordained it all. God does not have to respond to unexpected rejection by man C he has planned the rejection to accomplish his purposes. We must not fall into the trap of seeing the Old Testament and God=s revelation to Israel as completely distinct from the New Testament and His revelation to the Church. It is all part of God=s plan, and it all reveals His character and His purposes.

But second, we must acknowledge the biblical distinction between Israel and the Church C between the Jews as a nation and the Church as a Body without national distinction. What God is doing now through the Church is different from but related to what He did through Israel. And God=s plans for Israel are not over. One day He will bring the nation to Himself and give them the Kingdom He promised.

But although it=s all part of one continuous plan, Israel and the Church are distinct. This has very practical ramifications for us. What is our view of the Law of Moses? The Law reveals eternal truths about the character of God, but it=s particulars are not intended for the Church. It affects our view of social responsibilities. Israel as a theonomy C a government under religious law C was instructed to feed the poor and care for the needy. But the Church is not given these responsibilities; the Church is instructed to care for its own. The government has that responsibility. Churches who confuse commands made to the religious government of Israel with the Church are those who feel the necessity for social action, often to the neglect of the true mission of the Church.

These are just a few of the many practical ramifications to acknowledging the distinction between Israel and the Church.

Paul=s point is clear, and Luke=s point is clear, and God=s point is clear: There is great continuity in the plan of God, but a discontinuity within the people of God.