To the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16

In recent years, a revival of interest in Jewish evangelism among churches has caused many believers to search the Scriptures to see what they say about this subject. As a result, much debate surrounds the true meaning of Romans 1:16.

In a clear, easily understood style, The Jew First Principle answers these questions:

• Did the Apostle Paul ever stop going to the Jew First?
• What did great Christians of the past have to say about the phrase to the Jew first in Romans 1:16?
• Can your church have a Scriptural mission program without Jewish missions?

Our churches have greater resources than ever before, yet the percentage of Christians in the world is continually dropping. In failing to go to the Jew first, could it be that God's work is not being done God's way?

In a clear, easily understood style, the Jew First Principle aptly expounds the Biblical principle of going to the Jew first in a way that challenges the seasoned Bible scholar, yet can still be easily understood by new Christians.

Forward

Written by Daniel Sims

The Nation of Israel has been placed in a unique position by God Almighty. This special relationship has been a great and eternal blessing to millions. It would not be wrong to say that we have a Jewish Bible, a Jewish Salvation, and a Jewish Saviour.

One would think that by virtue of their many contributions to the world, most importantly our Scriptures, our Salvation, and our Saviour, that we would appreciate them deeply and do everything possible to win them to their Messiah, Jesus Christ.

I wish I could say that most Christians are bubbling over with love for the Jewish people and are acutely aware of their indebtedness to this Chosen Nation. However, the reality is quite the opposite.

This seemingly selfish and perhaps anti-Semitic sentiment of neglecting the Jew in our churches has crept unawares into the Independent Baptist movement. It appears that some of our brethren, even well intentioned ones, are oblivious to the Biblical mandate of going to the Jew First in their mission program and local church outreaches. Who would have ever thought that the day would come when such a virus of neglect notable among apostate church denominations would now be plaguing our movement? The falling away from the Faith is taking place right before our very eyes, and it appears there is no stopping it.

Brother Daniel Sims has aptly expounded the Biblical principle of going to the Jew first in hopes that it will stir our brethren to their responsibility, indebtedness, and obligation of giving Jewish evangelism the place that it deserves in their missions program and area outreach.

This book is not intended to divide the brethren but unite us to win Jewish souls, as well as Gentiles. I plead with you to seriously and carefully examine this treatise before rushing to any conclusions. I am confident in the Lord, that those who approach the reading of this book in a fair and unbiased manner will agree with me that Brother Sims has thoroughly done his Bible research in a scholarly fashion, and it is worthy of your attention. I therefore commend this book by our faithful brother and co-laborer in the Jewish harvest field, to all the churches.

Dr. K. Daniel Fried, Director
Hope of Israel Baptist Mission

Introduction

Written by Daniel Sims

A pattern set by God the Father in the Old Testament and observed by the Son in the New, it is one of the most overlooked doctrines of the Bible. Throughout the book of Acts, the Apostle Paul conducted his ministry according to this tenet. John showed that this order will even be followed though the Tribulation Period and Millennial Reign of Christ. Observable from Genesis to Revelation, it is the precept often referred to as the “Jew First Principle.”

In recent years, a revival of interest in Jewish evangelism among churches has caused many believers to search the Scriptures to see what they say about this subject. As a result, much debate surrounds the true meaning of Romans 1:16 which says:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

Opponents of this principle believe that Paul was only stating that the Gospel appeared to the Jew first and was later given to the Greek, or Gentiles. To disprove this idea and demonstrate that every believer has a special duty to seek to win Jews to Christ, this study will examine Paul’s statement in light of his own ministry as well as other Scripture.

It is the author’s desire to see others follow God’s pattern for dealing with God’s Chosen People first and also the Greek. By doing so, ministries will be blessed, souls will be won, and most importantly the Scriptures will be obeyed.

Paul And the Jew First Principle

Written by Daniel Sims

One might state his calling is to pastor a church or to be a missionary to China, Africa, South America, etc. rather than to the Jewish people. Therefore, he may feel there is no need to heed Paul's statement that the Gospel is to the Jew first, then to the Gentile. Perhaps the greatest example of a New Testament missionary is Paul, the “apostle of the Gentiles,” Romans 11:13. He was God’s instrument used to bring the light of the gospel to the ‘Gentiles’, Isaiah 42:6; Acts 9:15. Much has been written concerning the missionary travels of this great man of God, but his travels have left many Bible students confused.

Even though Paul clearly states that he is an apostle to the Gentiles, he followed the biblical statement in Romans 1:16 to first reach the Jewish people with the gospel, giving them the priority. Understanding the Jew First Principle will give structure to the story of Paul’s life and will help in the Bible students’ understanding of the events leading up to his public ministry. It will enable the student to grasp with greater significance the reasons he went to the places he went, skipped the places he skipped, and returned when he did.

Obviously, the best way to see what Paul meant in Romans 1:16 is to look at his pattern of evangelism. As Paul traveled to various cities in Asia Minor on his missionary journeys, he first preached the Gospel in the synagogues, and then among the Gentiles. Although Paul was called of God to “Gentile missions,” he always followed the Jew First principle.

The conversion of Saul of Tarsus around 34 A.D. can be found in Acts 9. In verse 15 of this chapter, Paul was called into “Gentile missions.” One would think that he would have found where these non-Jews gathered and headed straight for them. Instead, verse 20 says, “And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.” Paul started his Gentile ministry going to the Jew first. One may say, “Well, that is because he was just starting out. There is a transition period in the book of Acts.” A look at the rest of Paul’s ministry will show that he never changed his method.

In Acts chapter thirteen, approximately ten years after Saul’s conversion and call to Gentile missions, the church at Antioch separated Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto God had called them. Paul then sailed with Barnabas from the seaport city of Seleucia to the island of Cyprus, a large island in the eastern Mediterranean. This seemed like a good place to start since it was near, was the home of Barnabas, and according to Acts 11:20, there were already Christians there. Salamis was not only the largest city on the island, but there were also several synagogues there. One would think that in a city as large as this one, the first Gentile missionaries would have headed straight for the Gentile areas, but Acts 13:5 reads as follows:

“And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister.”

Following the Jew First Principle, our evangelists immediately began preaching in the synagogues on the Sabbath.

From Salamis they journeyed to the capital city of Paphos, a pagan stronghold for the worship of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Now that they were in a predominately pagan city, one would think that Paul and Barnabas would have started witnessing to Gentiles first and then to the Jews as they stumbled across them, as most modern preachers seem to do. However, when they reached this city, they again practiced the Jew First Principle. The Scriptures say that they FOUND a certain Jew named Bar-Jesus. Following Paul’s journeys in the book of Acts, the Bible simply states in most cases that there was a certain person in a particular place, or that they met a certain man. However, it is careful to note that in this case they found this Jewish man. This indicates that they made a special effort to look for him. Again in Acts 18:2, the Bible records that they found a certain Jew named Aquila with his wife Priscilla. It was not a coincidence that in both places Paul found Jews in these cities.

From Paphos they came to Perga in Pamphylia where Paul took the lead and John Mark departed, Act 13:13. In the vicinity of this pagan town was a celebrated temple of the goddess Artemis of the Asiatic type, who was known as the Queen of Perga. There is no record of any missionary activity on this visit to Perga. Instead, they skipped over it and journeyed to Antioch in Pisidia. These men who were called of God to win the Gentiles passed over this huge city full of Gentiles! That does not make sense unless one understands the Jew First Principle. They had to go to the Jews in the area first. That is why they traveled on to Antioch.

When they arrived at Antioch, they immediately went into the synagogue of the Jews. When these Jews rejected Christ, Paul responded:

“It was necessary that the Word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.” Acts 13:46.

This is where many rejoice thinking that they have found a support verse to show that Paul turned to the Gentiles and did away with the Jew First Principle. On the contrary, Paul was stating that it was necessary for him the go to the Jew first! He couldn’t go to the Gentiles in Antioch until he had preached to the Jews there!

The very next chapter begins with the statement:

“And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed,” Acts 14:1.

It is apparent that Paul did not wholly turn from the Jews to the Gentiles in Antioch. Paul continued in Antioch preaching to the Gentiles, and the Word of the Lord was published throughout the entire region, Acts 14:48-49. However, when he went to the next region, he again went to the Jew first!

Paul and Barnabas left Iconium for Lystra and Derbe. It should be noted that all three of these towns were in the Lycoania region. Since the missionaries had fulfilled their obligation to go to the Jew first in this area, they were free to go to the Gentiles. Therefore, they returned to Pisidia, Pamphylia, and Perga. It was noted earlier that there was no missionary activity on the first trip to Perga. However, Acts 14:25 says that they preached the word in Perga on this second visit. They could not do so on the first trip because it was necessary that they first preach Christ to the Jews in the region. They then journeyed to Attalia before returning to Antioch with the purpose of reporting their missionary journey to the church. Throughout his first missionary journey, Paul followed the Jew First Principle.

On the second missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas separated. Paul took Silas, and Barnabas took John Mark. Paul passed back through the Galatian region visiting the churches established on the first journey. Many believe that it was during this time that Paul wrote the Epistle to the Galatians where in chapter three verse twenty-eight he wrote, “There is neither Jew nor Greek.” This is another favorite verse for those who do not believe the Jew First Principle applies today. If Paul believed that there was no longer any difference, it does not appear to affect his remaining missionary endeavors. We will look at this claim later in chapter 7.

Forbidden by the Holy Ghost to enter Asia, Paul and Silas went to Troas where Paul had the vision of the Macedonian. For this reason he traveled to Philippi, the chief city of Macedonia. Paul’s manner was to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath and reason with the Jews from the Scriptures, Acts 17:2. The fact that Paul was by the river on the Sabbath instead of in the synagogue in Acts 16:13 is evidence that there were no Jews in this area. Therefore, he went to the Gentiles. Here they meet Lydia, the Philippian jailor, and others.

After departing from Philippi, Paul and Silas traveled to Thessalonica and headed straight for the synagogues. Almost a decade after he told the Jews at Antioch that he was going to the Gentiles, Paul was still practicing the Jew First Principle. After being asked to leave Thessalonica, Paul & Silas went straight to the synagogues of Berea. When the Thessalonian Jews heard this, they went over to cause trouble. Paul departed to Athens, and Silas and Timotheus tarried behind. When Paul arrived in the city of Athens, he saw that it was wholly given to idolatry. Did he head straight to the pagan stronghold of Mars Hill? No! The Bible says:

“Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him,” Acts 17:17.

Did you catch that “therefore”? Because the city was given to idolatry, Paul headed for the Jew first.

From Athens Paul went to Corinth. It was there that he found the Jew named Aquila and his wife Priscilla as noted earlier. If he found a Jew, he must have been looking for Jews. While in Corinth, he continued his practice of going to the synagogues every Sabbath, Acts 18:4. When the Jews rejected Paul’s message, he shook his raiment and again said that he was free from their blood and would turn to the Gentiles. Only after he was free from the Jewish blood could he go to the Gentiles. He then started a church next door in the home of Justus, the chief ruler of the synagogue.

Even though he had twice said that he was turning to the Gentile, he again went to the Jew first upon entering Ephesus, the capital of Asia Minor. Many teach that Paul was having a hard time turning from the Jews to the Gentiles. This is a weak argument considering the fact that Paul showed no reserve in abandoning Pharisaism, underwent the many hardships recorded in II Corinthians 11:24-28, and counted all things but dung that he may win Christ. Instead, Paul was just practicing the Jew First Principle!

When He left Ephesus to keep the feast in Jerusalem, he traveled back through the regions of Galatia and Phrygia strengthening the churches. Chapter 19 begins the record of Paul’s third missionary journey in which he returned to Ephesus. Again he returned to the synagogues. On the second part of this journey, Paul traveled to Macedonia and Greece and stayed for three months. It was during this time between 60 and 70 A.D. that the book of Romans was written. The Temple would soon be destroyed and the Jews taken into captivity. The Jews hated the Romans and considered Paul a traitor. Twenty years had passed since Paul first said that he was turning to the Gentiles. Still as he penned the book of Romans, he said under inspiration of the Holy Ghost that the gospel was to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Paul traveled back through Troas to Miletus where he called for the elders of the church of Ephesus. He taught them how to conduct themselves in the ministry by reviewing the three years he was with them. He told them that they knew how to behave by the manner in which he had conducted himself. What was Paul’s manner? Acts 17:2 says, “And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures.” He told them in verse 21 of the same chapter that he had testified “both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Even though Paul was not called to be a Jewish missionary, he knew that he was obliged to go to the Jew first.

On the last leg of his journey Paul went from Miletus to Tyre where his friends bid him farewell before he left to go to Jerusalem. Here he would be arrested and spend nearly the rest of his life in bonds. As he stood before Agrippa and gave an account of his ministry, he said that he “shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.” Acts 26:20 The phrase “and then to the Gentiles” gives the impression that he went to the Jews first. This verse is a close parallel to Act 1:8 which says, “in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Paul, being full of the Holy Ghost, knew that he had to try to reach Judaea before he could go to the uttermost part of the earth!

Paul was then sent to Rome. While on the way, he suffered shipwreck, and landed on the isle of Miletia with barbarians. From there he was taken to Rome. The centurions made the mistake of leaving Paul alone with a soldier for three days. He called the chief of the Jews together, and “he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening,” Acts 28:23. He was in a new city so he started with the Jews!

The book of Act closes out with Paul telling the Jews in Acts 28:28, “Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.” It is then recorded that over the last two years of his life Paul had his own house but was bound to a Roman guard.

Paul was not saying that God was turning from the Jews to the Gentiles. He had already made this same claim twice before. Yet each time he went to a new town, he went to the Jew first. After he had fulfilled that obligation, he was free to reach the Gentiles. He was not teaching that God had turned from the Jews. He was teaching that in every city God’s order is to reach the Jews first, and then to also try to reach the Gentiles.

It is obvious what Paul meant by "to the Jew first." We are to be ever-conscious of the priority of Jewish evangelism because the salvation of the Jewish people will bring great blessing to the world, Romans 11:11-15. Paul understood the significance of reaching the Jews with the gospel! When you try to reach Jewish people with the gospel, it is amazing how many Gentiles take notice.

Because God chose Israel, revealed Himself to Israel, brought the Messiah and Saviour through Israel, and then sent Him proclaiming the good news to Israel, it is obvious that Israel has a very important place in the heart of God. Without Israel, we would have no salvation, “for salvation is of the Jews.” John 4:22. Therefore it is fitting that in the spread of the gospel to new places that the Jews hear first of their Messiah and the good news of his salvation. Cleary Jews have the priority in the order of frontier missions when the gospel is taken to a new place.

Written by Daniel Sims

Perhaps by reading this you have realized the responsibility God has given every Christian to evangelize Jews. You should now try to evangelize Jews personally as well as support Jewish missionaries through your local church. Maybe you have a Jewish friend, coworker, neighbor, classmate, or even have a Jewish relative! Maybe you just want to be prepared for the next time you have the opportunity to witness to a Jewish person. There are some things you should know that will help you to be a more effective witness.

While not exhaustive, this section contains some helpful hints. The application of these guidelines will, no doubt, depend upon the kind of relationship you have with the person to whom you seek to witness. We hope that these hints will encourage you to share the Gospel with the Jewish people you know and those you meet. May the Holy Spirit give you boldness as you seek to go tell Jews of their Messiah.

Jewish evangelism seems difficult because Jewish people inherit a negative commitment to Christ. II Corinthians 3:13-15 speaks of the vail of Moses being upon their hearts. This causes them to be blinded to Christ. They view Him as a nice man, a prophet or perhaps a teacher, but for any loyal Jew to think any more of Him would be considered blasphemy.

If you would like for your church to be involved is Jewish evangelism, there are many ways to do this. You could search the phonebook for Jewish surnames and visit those homes. You could do door to door visitation in Jewish neighborhoods if there is one in your area. However, Saturday visitation is not recommended because it is their Sabbath and would be very offensive to them. I learned this the hard way. You could visit a synagogue and get to know the Jews there. Many synagogues and Jewish community centers offer Hebrew classes that provide a great opportunity to make Jewish friends. Your church could start a mailing list to distribute tracts to Jewish homes. You could run also paper ads, and hold special evangelistic meetings geared at winning Jews to Christ. All methods must have a supreme goal and motivation of seeking a one on one witness with a Jewish person.

Christians sometimes fear creating an unpleasant situation or losing the friendship of a Jewish person. Nevertheless, we are commanded to tell the Jews about salvation through Jesus Christ. It is God's responsibility to draw and convince the recipient of that good news, not ours. Scripture says that not everyone will respond favorably. We cannot take a negative reaction personally. A person who rejects the gospel is rejecting Jesus. In reality, most Jewish people to whom we witness will probably respond with indifference. When that happens, just keep praying!

When you witness to someone, you should always be sensitive to the leadership of the Holy Ghost. Zechariah 4:6 shows us that salesmanship does not substitute for a Spirit-led ministry. Don't interpret God's moving in a person's life as a license for insensitivity. Be prepared to witness and don't assume your Jewish friend has a working knowledge of Scripture. Messianic prophecy is generally unknown to most Jews. Ironically, many Jewish people are not used to talking about God. In some ways, He is a stranger to them.

Show the Jewish people as well as tell them that you love them. Of course, sharing the gospel is the most loving act one person can do for another. Keep in mind the fact that the person needs to hear the life changing gospel you share. You could break the ice by asking your Jewish friend to tell you what they think about the Messiah. Learn to let them do the talking while you steer the conversation by the questions you ask. This may sound unusual, but it is a good way to engage someone in conversation and get them to think.

Find a way to give a brief personal testimony. You can also tell your friend how God answers prayer in your life. Your Jewish friend may not respond to your testimony. He or she may be interested but not ready to admit it. In any case, remember to pray and wait for another appropriate opportunity to share a testimony. Offer to pray for your friend. Often your Jewish friend will not receive your witness but will receive your offer of prayer. Be sure to follow up to see what happened.

If your Jewish friend responds, use Scripture to answer questions, objections, and statements. If necessary, don't be afraid to ask for time to gather information and check your answers. You could say, "I am not sure, but I’ll study that out for you." When possible, arrange for your Jewish friend to meet with a responsible Jewish Christian.

Offer them a copy of the New Testament. You can order a free Hebrew-English New Testament online at HopeOfIsrael.net that you could present to them as a special gift at their birthday or another special occasion.

If you feel that the Lord is working in their heart, ask them to accept Christ. Often a person doesn't accept the Lord because we don't ask him or her to. DO NOT give them a "1-2-3 repeat after me" prayer and tell them they are going to heaven. Many souls will go to Hell thinking they were Heaven bound because they repeated what the preacher said. Let the Holy Spirit show them who Christ is as you share the Word. When God gets them lost, they'll have no problem knowing what to say.

If you have tried all of this and still cannot find any Jews in your town, you should do the following:

1. Begin daily to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, asking God to give you a great burden and love for His Chosen people Israel. In such a prayer of supplication, cry out to the Lord for an opportunity to meet a Jewish person. We have seen in the past where God will bring them from another area perhaps on a bus or train or maybe because of a business trip, and draw such a one to a God fearing saint, who loves the Jew.
2. As God leads you, support and earnestly pray for Jewish ministries such as The Hope of Israel Baptist Mission and other sound Jewish works. You may want to entreat your pastor to consider having us present our ministry and burden at your church. We desire like-minded churches to help this ministry.
3. If God is moving your heart personally to reach the Jewish people as a ministry, then please contact us. If there are Jews in your area, we will assist you and your local church to begin your own concentrated effort in evangelization of the children of Israel with our very effective minuteman mailing programs. Perhaps you are being called by the Lord into full-time missionary work amongst the Jews. Let us know!

Concerning the mission plan of your church, you should make it a point to include Jewish missions. It is our firm conviction that all ministries be a part of a Bible believing sound local church. The problem prevalent today among so-called "Missions" is their unscriptural autonomy away from the local church authority. Our burden and activities to reach the Jew should never conflict or compromise with our steadfastness in contending "for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." Jude 3. Therefore, when you support a ministry, whether to the Jews or to the Gentiles, you should be sure to check their doctrinal beliefs to make sure that they are scripturally sound in the faith.

The Hope of Israel Baptist Mission is different than most "missions" in that it seeks to assist other like-minded churches to establish their own local ministry without organizational strings attached. This is in obedience to the scriptural teaching of autonomy of the local church, and His will for such churches to have a balance in world evangelism. Realizing that many churches are ignorant, unprepared, or are lacking significant population of Jewish people in their area to attempt a specific ministry to the Jews, The Hope of Israel Baptist Mission is a godly alternative, fulfilling God’s program in sowing the seed among the Hebrews.

We are here to train other Christians to evangelize Jews through their local church. We will gladly assist you in any way we can. If you have any questions that arise as you seek to win Jews to Christ, please ask us. That's what we're here for.

The Jew First Principle in the Old Testament

Written by Daniel Sims

Reading behind most Bible commentators would lead one to believe that in the Old Testament God gave the message of salvation exclusively to the Jewish people. They act as if God was only concerned with the Jews in the Old Testament but decided to broaden His horizons in the New Testament by reaching out to the Gentile as well.

One of the major flaws in this idea is that it would mean that for 4,000 years the Gentiles never had a chance to be saved! Missionary work among Gentiles was not a New Testament afterthought; it has always been the heartbeat of God. From the very beginning, God intended for the Jews to carry His Word to the uttermost part of the earth. God called out Abraham so that his descendents could bless all the families of the earth by being missionaries to the rest of the world. God had given the Jews His Word and wanted them to take it to the ends of the world and tell them about God. It was here that Israel failed. God has always been mission minded, and His mission plan has always been “to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

Salvation was offered just as freely to “whosoever will” in the Old Testament as in the New. However, the Old Testament followed the Jew First Principle. While many examples of this teaching appear in the Old Testament, one could just as easily sum it up by saying that the entire Old Testament demonstrates this precept. Jewish missions was so predominate in the Old Testament that one does not need to prove that God went to the Jew first; what is needed is proof that He went also to the Greek.

God separated Abraham in Genesis 12. While doing so, He told Abraham that all nations would be blessed in him. This verse may have found its ultimate fulfillment in Christ centuries later, but that does not negate the fact that any time a Gentile was saved in the Old Testament it was the result of contact with the seed of Abraham. After all, the reason God separated the Jews in the first place was so that they could be a people that He could use to reveal Himself to the entire world!

Anyone who does not believe that God was interested in Gentile salvation in the Old Testament need only look at the Exodus. God said unto Pharaoh in Exodus 9:16, “And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.” This verse shows that everything from the plagues to the parting of the Red Sea was done so that the entire world, Jew and Gentile alike, would hear about the God of Israel. Again, Exodus 14:4 says that God’s purpose was “that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.” Anyone who believes that God was throwing His weight around like a playground bully has missed the point. He truly wanted the Egyptians to know Him. Even the plagues demonstrated the mercy of God. God could have started out killing the firstborn sons of Egypt, but He did not. Instead, He was longsuffering and offered Pharaoh a chance to repent. God was reaching out to these pagans, and He wanted them to know that He was the Lord.

As the Jews prepared for the Passover, God said, “And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.” in Exodus 12:48.

These strangers were the Egyptians who had witnessed the miracles of God and had come to believe in the God of the Israelites. It appears that God expected converts and was making provision for the Gentile believers even before the Exodus.

When the spies went into Canaan to check out the land, Rahab, a Gentile harlot to whose house they had gone for protection, saved them from danger. Rahab could have turned them in and became a heroine in her own land. Instead, she aided their escape. She admitted to the spies that she had heard of the above mentioned miracles that God had performed for the Israelites. God knew that the miracles would cause His name to be declared throughout all the earth. Rahab confessed in Joshua 2:9, “For the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.” Therefore, God’s plan worked with this Gentile. When the city of Jericho fell in Joshua 6:17-25, Rahab and her whole family were preserved. Rahab was saved and became the wife of Salmon, a prince of the tribe of Judah. She is listed among the faithful in Hebrews 11 and in the genealogy of the Messiah in Matthew 1:5. God did not withhold salvation from this Gentile.

Solomon spoke of Gentiles worshipping at the temple in his dedicatory prayer in I Kings 8:41-43. He would not pray in that manner unless Gentiles were expected to come. This temple was later destroyed, but then Herod’s Temple was built, it had two courts, one intended for the Israelites only, and the other, a large outer court, called “the court of the Gentiles,” intended for the use of strangers of all nations. If salvation had not yet appeared to the Gentiles, why did they need a court at the Temple? This Temple was constructed before Peter’s vision of the great sheet, before Pentecost, and even before Christ sent His disciples to the nations.

Even Assyrian kings could know the God of Israel in the Old Testament. In II Kings 17:27-28 an Assyrian king sent for a Jewish priest to teach his people how they should fear the Lord. Elijah went to a Gentile widow and Elishah cleansed a Gentile leper named Naaman, a Syrian commander. God was more than willing to save Gentiles in the Old Testament, but He always dealt with the Jew first.

No Old Testament story better illustrates the universal offer of salvation in the Old Testament as the wonderful testimony of Ruth. When their husbands died, Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law, entreated her to leave. Ruth refused to do this, and instead uttered those immortal words, “for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.” Ruth 1:16. Eventually Ruth married a rich relative, Boaz, and became the mother of Obed, the grandfather of David. Ruth, a Gentile, is among the maternal progenitors of the Lord. Once again, salvation appeared to a Gentile before the Cross.

Some of the greatest missions texts in the Bible are found in the Psalms. Psalm 65:2 says, “O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.” David knew that salvation was for the Jew and for the Gentile alike. In the fourth verse of the next Psalm, he wrote, “All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.” He prayed in Psalm 67:1-3, “God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.” David wanted God to be merciful to Israel so that they could declare God’s name throughout the world. In Psalm 68:32, the Psalmist spoke of Ethiopia stretching out her hands to God. The entire text of Psalm 72 is about Gentiles worshipping God. Psalm 86:9 refers to all the nations glorifying God. In fact, Psalm 96:3 commanded the Jews “to declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.” David knew that the heartbeat of God is missions. Perhaps that is why Acts13:22 called David a man after God’s own heart.

If salvation was not “also to the Greek” before Christ, then why did God call Jonah to go to the Gentile land of Nineveh, one of Israel’s worst enemies. Jonah did not want to go to the heathen land because he knew that judgment would soon come if they did not repent. He wanted vengeance. In chapter four of Jonah, God rebuked Jonah for his lack of sympathy. In the last verse of this book, God asked Jonah, “And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?”

The God of Israel, in His mercy, showed compassion on those Jew-hating Gentile dogs and sent that great city a missionary. In Jonah’s day God may have sent missionaries to the Jew first, but He also sent them to the Greek. God sent Jonah to Nineveh because He was concerned with world missions. It is funny that in the Old Testament Jonah got mad at Gentile missions, and today preachers get upset at Jewish missions.

Gentile missions are a recurring subject of the book of Isaiah. In fact, chapter 13 is about the Gentiles of Babylon. Chapter 14 begins by referring to strangers, or Gentiles, who will join the house of Jacob. Chapters 15-16 concern the pagan land of Moab. Chapter 17 is about the Gentile land of Damascus. Chapter 18 is to Ethiopia. Chapter 19 concerns Egypt. This pattern continues all the way through chapter 23. Many may say that these were messages of judgment. That may be true, but sending a warning before judgment is an act of mercy. Jonah’s message to Nineveh was also a message of destruction with the goal being repentance.

Isaiah said in 45:22, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” This is a wonderful demonstration of God’s great compassion for Gentiles even before Calvary.

It is clear that God’s mission was not exclusively for the Jews in the Old Testament. God’s plan from the very beginning was that the Gospel be proclaimed throughout all families of the earth. The fact that Jonah, Obadiah, and Nahum were all three sent to Gentile lands shows that God was also concerned about reaching the Gentiles. When all of this evidence is considered, there can only be one explanation. Salvation always has been and always will be to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Jesus and the Jew First Principle

Written by Daniel Sims

A casual reading of the Scriptures would lead one to think that Jesus never tried to win anyone but Jews. Many think that it was only after His death that Christ commanded His disciples to preach His name among all the nations. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Several Old Testament verses prophesied that Christ would be a light to the Gentiles. For example, Isaiah 49:6 says, “And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.” Notice that he put the tribes of Jacob first. Nevertheless, the Messiah was supposed to proclaim salvation to the Gentiles all over the globe. With prophecies such as this in mind, it does seem odd that it was only in unusual circumstances that the Messiah ever ministered to non-Jewish people.

Jesus Christ demonstrated the Jew First Principle many times. Responding to the Centurion soldiers cry for help in Matthew 8:11-12, Jesus said, “And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.” He was saying that the Gentiles could be saved as well. However, when the Lord sent out His disciples in Matthew 10:5-6, He told them: “Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” This occurred two chapters after Jesus healed the Gentile servant of the Centurion soldier. Jesus was not hypocritical about the matter. In Luke 4:25-27, Jesus enraged the synagogue by speaking of Old Testament prophets who reached out to Gentiles. Even though He never neglected to save a Gentile, He followed the Jew First Principle. He had already gone to the Jew first, and could go to the Gentile. Only after the disciples had fulfilled their obligation to reach the Jews did he send them to the nations.

Upon entering the borders of Tyre and Sidon in Matthew 15:21-28, Jesus had not yet reached the Jews in that area when a Greek woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit approached him. Jesus said nothing and the disciples, who viewed her as an old Gentile dog, tried to get Him to send her away. As she persisted, He said unto her, “Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.” Mark 7:27.

He did not say that the dogs could not eat, only that they could not eat before the children. Christ had not yet reached the Jews in that area so He was telling her that He needed to go to the Jew first. The women told the Lord that even the dogs under the master’s table eat of the children's crumbs. When Jesus saw her faith and humility, He told her to go her way that the devil was gone out of her daughter. Going to the Jew first does not mean that you must skip over thirsty Gentiles knocking on your door! If a church has Gentiles beating down the door for salvation, I guess it is o.k. to bypass the Jew First Principle. Otherwise we should follow this pattern or plan of evangelism that has the ultimate goal of seeing both Jew and Gentile come to Christ.

It is almost universally accepted that Jesus Christ went to the Jew first in His earthly ministry. There is almost no sense in defending that point. However, many believe that Jesus went primarily to the house of Israel only while on earth. However, Luke 24:47 shows that even after His death He wanted His disciples to go to the Jew first. As He commanded the disciples to preach His name among all nations, He told them to begin at Jerusalem. They were already in Jerusalem. Where else would they start? Christ was commanding them to go to the Jew first.

Many teach Acts 1:8 as if Jesus were commanding the disciples to win their hometown and then expand their territory. They act as though Jerusalem were the city, Judaea the state, and Samaria the country. They think that it would be equivalent to saying, “both in Atlanta, and in all Georgia, and in America, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” The city-state-country argument crumbles when one realizes that Jesus had already been to Samaria at least twice. A simple geography lesson will clarify this misunderstanding. Jerusalem was the capital city of Judaea, or the Southern kingdom of Judah. Samaria was not the country but instead was the capital city of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Samaria was not a part of Judaea, nor was Judaea a part of Samaria.

In Acts 1:8, the word “both” indicates “a couple” or “two.” Four places are mentioned in the verse, but they fit into two categories, Jew and Gentile. Presenting his case before Agrippa, Paul made a statement that almost parallels Act 1:8. He said that he covered Judaea and then went to the Gentiles. No one would know the true meaning of Acts 1:8 better than the Apostle Paul. It appears that Paul understood Jerusalem and Judaea as referring to the Jews, and Samaria and the uttermost part of the earth as referring to the Gentiles.

The Grammar of Romans 1:16

Written by Daniel Sims

It has been said that most Christians use the Bible the way a drunkard uses a streetlamp: more for support than for illumination. When most people find a verse of Scripture that does not necessarily fit into their little theological box, they will reconcile the difficult passage with their contradicting beliefs by searching the concordance to find a few verses they can wrest from its context to defend their viewpoint. If that doesn’t work, they will search the dictionary for a definition that could be stretched to uphold their ideas and forever settle the issue in their own hearts. They do not mind ignoring the sum total of Scripture as long as at the end of the day, they can say that they were right in the first place. Instead of believing what the Bible says, they make the Bible say what they believe. This is not the way to approach the Word of God.

Anyone who is willing to sit down with pen and paper long enough to properly diagram Romans 1:16 will be able to comprehend its meaning. This method of studying Paul’s statement will allow no other exegesis but to conclude that God commands every Christian to give special attention to Jewish evangelism.

Many think that the semicolon in this verse means that Paul is restating the fact that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. However, that cannot be the case. The semicolon has many uses in English grammar. Its use appears to have been declining in recent years, possibly because fewer and fewer people are confident about the proper role of this punctuation mark. According to The Plain English Handbook, there are several ways to use the semicolon as an effective tool for enhancing clarity and emphasis in a sentence. A person may use a semicolon to separate a list of items in a series containing commas. A semicolon can also be used to separate independent clauses if there are commas within the clauses. It can also be used between independent clauses joined by words such as “for example,” however,” “therefore,” and “furthermore.”

When writing a multifaceted sentence such as Romans 1:16, the writer must have some basis for deciding whether to use two independent clauses with a semicolon between them, or two separate sentences with a period. It is usually best to divide the writing into two sentences. A semicolon is used only when the ideas in the two clauses are so closely related that a period would make too distinct a break between them. If separated into two sentences, the latter part of Romans 1:16 would read, “For it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” and “For it is the power of God unto salvation to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” As it is written, the verse teaches that the Gospel is to everyone that believes. It also teaches that it is the Jew first!

Another problem with the “Chronological Order” argument is the use of the word “is.” Because of the above mentioned semicolon, that pesky little word governs both of the phrases that follow it. It emphasizes continuous action and shows that even today believers are not supposed to be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. It also shows that the Gospel is still the power of God unto salvation. Likewise, it shows that the Gospel is still to everyone that believes. Since the same verb governs both of the phrases that follow it, then it must also mean that the Gospel is still to the Jew first. Paul is saying that the Gospel is continually God’s power to save; it is continually to everyone that believeth; and that it is continually to the Jew first and also to the Greek. If the Gospel is no longer to the Jew first, then it is no longer to everyone that believes. To interpret this verse any other way is hyper-dispensationalism.

Paul’s use of the phrase “and also” shows that he not referring to the chronological appearance of the Gospel. This is not a term to be used to show chronological order. The Holy Ghost inspired Paul to pen this verse in approximately 60 A.D, almost 30 years after the Jewish leaders rejected Christ. If this were the intended idea, other words such as “then,” “afterwards,” or “subsequently” would have been used. If that were the idea Paul wanted to convey, the verse would read, “to the Jew first, and then to the Greek.”

Many think that all they have to do to correctly interpret a verse is to get a Webster’s 1828 dictionary and define the word in question. A simple little exercise using another Bible term will show that defining the words in a verse is not always sufficient for determining the verse’s meaning. For example, one could choose the word “bear” as found in 2 Corinthians 11:1, “Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me.” The word “bear” can be defined as, “to put up with or tolerate.” Most would agree that Paul is expressing an earnest wish that they would tolerate him a little in his folly. It is clear that in this verse the word “bear” means “to tolerate.” Since it means “to tolerate” in this verse, can it be concluded that it means the same thing every time it is used? The great messianic prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 says, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Is God saying that Mary would tolerate a son named Immanuel? Of course not! No one would dare defend such a silly method of interpretation.

This same principle also applies to Romans 1:16. The word “first” is sometimes used in the Word of God to show a chronological order of events. However, it is also used to designate first in rank, influence, honor, chief, and principal. Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:20, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” If first always means a chronological order, then the first thing every new believer should learn is that no sacred text is of private interpretation. That is definitely not what Peter meant. He is simply saying that one should keep this in mind as a primary and most important truth when studying the inspired Word of God.

Since the controversy of Romans 1:16 is often over the intention of the word “first”, the definitions of this expression must be found and then the sentence structure must be carefully examined to understand what Paul is saying. According to A.T. Robertson’s Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament, the word “first” as used in this verse is the Greek word “proton” which means “first either in time or place, in any succession of things or of persons.” Among its many uses in the Bible, it is used to refer to a place in Acts 5:23 to show that the keepers were before the door. It is used in Acts 5:36 referring to a certain time. It is also used to show pre-eminence when translated as “above all things” in James 5:12 which reads as follows: “But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.” Therefore it cannot be concluded that Romans 1:16 shows the timeline of the Gospel simply because the word “first” can sometimes be used to designate a chronological order of events. It can just as easily be used to convey “supreme, first, chief, and foremost.” Robertson says that in this sentence it teaches that the Jew is first in privilege and in penalty.

The words “first” and “chiefly” are often used interchangeably. This truth can also be seen in Romans 3:1-2 where Paul wrote, “What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.” The chief, or first, advantage of being a Jew is possession of the Holy Writings and their enlightenment. Of all the benefits of being a Jew, the most important is because they had the Bible. The word translated “chiefly” is the same Greek word translated “first” in Romans 1:16. Here the connection is seen between something being first in order and first in importance. With that in mind, let us again read Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first (chiefly), and also to the Greek.”

Paul’s choice of words as well as the sentence structure allows no other exegesis. Any other consistent interpretation would arrive at the conclusion that the gospel was once God’s power to save but is no longer so. It would conclude that the gospel was once to everyone that believes but is no longer so. Nevertheless, the gospel has always been God’s power to save. It is has always been to everyone, and it has always been to the Jew first.

Is God A Respector Of Persons?

Written by Daniel Sims

By this point many have begun to search through their Bibles for verses to disprove the Jew First Principle. Some will try to use Romans 2:11, which says, “For there is no respect of persons with God.” Perhaps they will conclude that God is no longer a respecter of persons, and the Jew First Principle is no longer applicable. Since the Book of Romans comes after the Book of Acts, many will assume that God once respected, or placed pre-eminence on, the nation of Israel but no longer does so. This chapter will show that every verse stating that there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek is ALWAYS in the context of salvation.

Most people who make this mistake do not realize that this verse was not the first time the Bible says God is not a respecter of persons. He was not a respecter of persons in the Old Testament either. Almost fifteen centuries before Christ, Moses wrote in Deuteronomy 10:17:
“For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward.”

The Hebrew word translated “regardeth” is of the same root word that is translated as “respect” in II Chronicles 19:7, which says, “… for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons…” Almost a thousand years later God called Israel the apple of his eye in Zechariah 2:8. Was He a respecter of Israel then?

Others will quote Galatians 3:28, which says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” Since Galatians is the third book after Romans, they may think God has somehow done away with any differences between Jews and Gentiles. Does that mean that women can preach, or that a man can marry another man as long as they are both in Christ? Of course not! The phrase “in Christ Jesus” shows that the verse is talking about saved people. In every case where the Bible speaks of all human beings being equal, it is in the context of salvation.

Romans chapter eleven teaches that the Jews are still a special people. These verses teach that the Jews do not have priority in righteousness or merit. Nor do Gentiles. All are on the same footing. That is one of the main points of the first two chapters of Romans. Paul taught that both Jews and Gentiles alike need to be saved. Paul concludes in Romans 3:9:
“What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin.”

The Jews do not have priority in how they are saved. They are saved exactly the way Gentiles are. This is clear from Romans 3:29-30, “Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.” So neither Jews nor Gentiles have priority in how they are saved: both are saved by faith in Christ, not in their ethnic or religious distinctive.

The God who chose Abraham from all the others is the same God that has no respect of persons in Romans 2:11. The same God who chose Jacob to carry the messianic lineage instead of Esau is the same God who is no respecter of persons in Ephesians 6:9. The dispensation of grace is not the result of any change in God’s counsels. Instead, it is the fulfillment of His everlasting purposes. Malachi 3:6 says, “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” It is because of His ancient covenant that the Jews are not totally consumed; but are preserved as a distinct people. This is signal proof of God’s unchangeableness. In James 1:17, the Bible states that “in God there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

Concerning salvation, God has never been a respecter of persons, and there has never been any difference between the Jew and the Greek. In Romans, Paul quoted fourteen books from the Old Testament to show that the Gospel message has been the same in all ages. In Galatians, Paul mentioned Abraham to show that salvation by grace through faith is not a New Testament doctrine. One would have a hard time using any of the verse mentioned in this chapter to prove that the Jew First Principle does not apply to the church age.

Why Go to the Jew First?

Written by Daniel Sims

It is important to understand the many reasons why it is imperative to place a special emphasis on Jewish missions. Since God did it that way, Paul did it that way, and the Bible commands all believers to do it that way, should not we place a priority on reaching the Jews? Every Christian is indebted to the Jewish people. Jewish authors, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote the Bible. All of the early disciples and church leaders were Jewish. Throughout the Scriptures, God reveals Himself as the God of Israel. When the God of heaven chose to come to earth, He chose to take on the robe of a Jewish body.

The leaders of the early church preached to the Jew first and also to the Greek in every town to which they went. Herein God set the pattern for the Scriptural method of New Testament evangelism. No other such order has ever been divinely authorized.

In Romans 2:9 Paul was referring to the coming judgment when he stated: “Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile.” I have never read a single commentary that said the word “first” in this verse indicates a chronological appearance that has been done away with.

In light of chapters nine through eleven of Romans, one can hardly explain Romans 1:16 as merely referring to the historical fact that the gospel was preached to the Jews before it was preached to the Gentiles. While the Gentiles were in the jungles worshipping idols, the Jews worshipped the true God with a copy of the true Word of God. For four thousand years the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. Therefore, they have the greatest need of the Gospel; being so deeply fallen, and having sinned against such glorious privileges; they are much more accountable than the Gentiles, who have never had the light of divine revelation. In a parable on stewardship, Jesus said, “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” Luke 12:48.

For centuries, Christians have evangelized Jewish communities with apparently little awareness of the gratitude they owe to ethnic Israel. Jews are usually reached only when they are stumbled upon in a Gentile community. More often than not, Jewish mission efforts have not differed much from outreach to lost pagans.

The Jew First Principle Brings Blessings

Written by Daniel Sims

When things are done God’s way, with God’s blessing, more can be achieved than man could accomplish alone. God deals favorably with those who are good to the Jews. In fact, Psalms 122:1 says that He will prosper us just for praying for the peace of Jerusalem in. He told Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 that He will “bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” This is known as the Abrahamic Covenant.

We learn in Genesis 15 that the covenant is unconditional. God told Abraham to make a sacrifice of “an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” With the birds being the only exception, Abraham parted the sacrifices in the midst. When the fulfillment of a covenant was dependent upon both parties of the covenant, it was customary for both to pass between the pieces of animals. However, God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Abraham so that he would not be able to pass between the two halves of the animals. He was the one who binded Himself. Fulfillment of the covenant fell to God alone. There is nothing Abraham or His descendants could do to break the covenant. This shows that the Abrahamic Covenant is a promise completely dependent on God, and He has never broken a promise.

Some of God’s Bible promises were conditional upon man’s obedience. However, God’s promise to Abraham was not dependent upon Abraham’s reliability, but on God’s integrity. The unconditional and eternal nature of the covenant is seen in that the covenant is reaffirmed to Isaac in Genesis 21:12. The covenant is further confirmed to Jacob in Genesis 28:14–15. God promised to bless anyone who would bless Israel. He also promised to curse anyone who cursed Israel. Thousands of years of history prove that God is still keeping His promise.

There are three main features to the Abrahamic Covenant: the land, the seed, & the blessings. One need only pick up a newspaper to see that the promise of land is still in effect. Israel is the only nation to ever be resurrected from the dead with the same land, people, language, and religion. The promise of seed can also be observed in almost any city in the world. It is hard to find an area where there are no Jews. We will now examine the third part of this covenant.

We will begin our study with Egypt, once one of the world’s great civilizations. When Pharaoh treated Joseph kindly, God blessed Egypt and it became the superpower of its day. Beautiful pyramids and massive sculptures forever immortalized this great place. However, Egypt stepped on the wrong side of the Abrahamic Covenant. The Jews were made slaves, and the curse of Genesis 12:3 went into effect. After a few plagues and the Red Sea, Egypt would never be the same. Now when a tourist visits Egypt, all they see is the ruins of her glorious past.

The ancient city of Babylon, under King Nebuchadnezzar II, must have been a wonder to the traveler's eyes. "In addition to its size," wrote a historian named Herodotus, "Babylon surpasses in splendor any city in the known world." Its hanging gardens are one of the Seven Wonders of the World. This legendary city also made the mistake of mistreating the Jews. Around 586 the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and took the Jews into captivity. About 50 years later, Babylon fell to the Persians.

The kingdom of Persia was at first kind to the Jews, and after the Babylonian captivity of seventy years, had given them permission to return to their ancestral land. A man named Haman convinced the king to issue a decree to destroy the Jews of Persia on the 13th day of the Hebrew month of Adar. How he decided on the best date for genocide is very interesting. According to Esther 3:1, Haman was the son of Hammedatha the Agagite. Agag was the king of the nation of Amalek whom King Saul neglected to kill as commanded. Therefore, Haman was an Amalekite, and he harbored a pathological hatred of the Jewish people. Haman cast Pur, or lots. The plural of “Pur” is “Purim." They cast lots because it was part of Amalekite ideology that everything happens by chance. There is no God running the show. Haman built gallows to hang Mordecai, but he was hanged on it. Haman sought to solidify his position, but his position was given instead to Mordecai. Haman sought to kill Mordecai's people, but he and his whole family were killed instead. So Haman is dead and the Jews are still celebrating a holiday called Purim. Haman should have read Genesis 12:1-3. As long as the Persian Empire blessed the Jews, God blessed the Persian Empire. However, when they began to curse the Jews, they fell to the Greeks.

Alexander the Great conquered most of the known world for the Greek Empire. He conquered the land of Israel but left the Jewish people to live their own lives in the traditions of their fathers. As long as they blessed the Jews, Greece prospered. Alexander eventually died and the Empire was split into three parts by the three men who took over from him: Seleucus, Ptolemy and Antigonus. By the year 170 B.C. the Selucid ruler, Antiochus began to look at the Jewish land as a strategic place to begin his battles against the Ptolemys. Prohibitions were enacted forbidding circumcision, Sabbath observance, and teaching Jewish tradition. A Jewish family known as the Maccabees led a revolt and took back control of the Temple. They removed all of the idols and purified the vessels for service. Unfortunately they could only find one flask of oil, enough to keep the Menorah lit for one day. The production of new and pure oil took eight days. Miraculously the oil burned for eight days. Today, while the Greek Empire lies in ruins, the Jews celebrate Hanukkah in remembrance of this event.

Arguably the greatest of all empires during classical antiquity was the Roman Empire which once controlled approximately 3,500,000 square miles of land surface. Rome ruled the world with an iron fist. However, because she mistreated the Jews, Rome’s greatness is just a memory today.

Germany was also once a world superpower. Hitler conquered the largest portions of Europe, Asia, & Africa ever subdued by a single armed force. Hitler's conquests had created an unprecedented situation in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Yugoslavia, France, Greece and Albania. Their armies, governments, parliaments and political parties had been destroyed. He stood as the world’s mightiest military commander. Hitler sought to rid the world of the Jewish race. He claimed that his anti-Semitism grew out of his Christian education. Hitler expressed a great admiration for another German named Martin Luther, the leader of the Protestant Reformation. Luther held a livid hatred for Jews and their Jewish religion. In his book, On the Jews and their Lies, Luther set the standard for Jewish hatred in Germany. Hitler believed what Martin Luther said about the Jews, and as a result, approximately six million Jews were killed by the Third Reich. Hitler ended up with a bullet in his head, and the Jews ended up with a homeland.

God’s covenant with Abraham is as true today as it ever was. Chad, Ethiopia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, and many other African nations broke off relations with Israel. Today they suffer terrible droughts, famines, and diseases.

The British Empire was, at one time, the foremost global power and the largest empire in history. During World War I, Sir Winston Churchill turned to a Jewish Chemist name Chaim Weizmann for help in producing gunpowder for the British Navy. Mr. Weizmann succeeded and helped turn the tide of the war. When asked what he wanted in return, Mr. Weizmann asked for a home for the Jews. In 1917 Britain issued the Balfour Declaration granting a homeland in Israel for the Jews. However, to please the Arabs, the British divided the land and gave the Arabs the best land. Contrary to their expectations, the Jews were met with intense Arab opposition to Jewish settlement in their new homeland. Individual and small bands of Arabs engaged in violence against Jews and Jewish settlements. As time went on, Arab attacks against Jews became more organized and more widespread. British weapons continued to flow into the Arab states. The British authorities often failed to stave off Arab attacks and refused to come to the assistance of Jews during these attacks. Jewish immigration into the Promise Land eventually stopped.

When Hitler rose to power, the Jews begged the British to intervene, but the British again ignored their cries. After the war, the British refused to allow Holocaust survivors to enter Palestine. On June 6, 1946, President Truman urged the British government to relieve the suffering of the Jews confined to displaced persons camps in Europe by immediately accepting 100,000 Jewish immigrants. Britain's Foreign Minister, Ernest Bevin, replied sarcastically that the United States wanted displaced Jews to immigrate to Palestine “because they did not want too many of them in New York.” Just a few years later the largest empire in the history of the world was less that a major power. Is it a coincidence that America, the Jews second homeland, is the only remaining superpower today?

History declares that the Abrahamic Covenant is still relevant today. How does this affect a church and ministry? If God allows entire civilizations to rise and fall according to their treatment of Israel, is it unreasonable to think that He would do the same for a ministry? If we go to the Jews and bless the Jews, would God not honor the same Abrahamic promises? If a church would trust God and bless Israel, God would be faithful and bless that church.

Great Christians and the Jew First Principle

Written by Daniel Sims

In case further proof is needed to demonstrate that the Jew First Principle still applies today, this chapter will examine famous preachers from the past to see how they felt about the Jew First Principle. The thoughts of Hudson Taylor, Robert Murray M’Cheyne, Andrew Bonar, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, and others will be considered.

Perhaps one of the greatest pioneer missionaries of modern times, Hudson Taylor once said that God’s work done God’s way will never lack God’s provision. Taylor, founder of China Inland Mission, must have known how to do things God’s way. When he died on June 3, 1905, over eight hundred missionaries had collaborated with over two thousand native pastors and evangelists in reaching China with the Gospel. More than $7,500,000 had been given to the work resulting in over 30,000 Chinese being converted. The Mildmay Missions to the Jews understood Hudson Taylor’s idea of doing thing’s God way when they received a check from him each year inscribed, “To the Jew first!”

Robert Murray M’Cheyne is credited as being the man used by God to bring revival to Scotland in the nineteenth century. M’Cheyne credited the revivals to his obedience to the Jew First Principle. In a sermon on Romans 1:16, M’Cheyne said, “One peculiarity in this statement I wish you to notice.-He glories in the Gospel as the power of God unto salvation to the Jew first, from which I draw this doctrine-That the Gospel should be preached first to the Jews.”

In his sermon on Romans 1:16, M’Cheyne said, “We must not only be evangelistic, but evangelistic as God would have us be-not only dispense the light on every hand, but dispense it to the Jew first.” Believing that churches would be enriched when this doctrine finds its rightful place in their hearts, M’Cheyne said that other lands could be refreshed as Kilsyth had been if they realized this key to revival.

Another historic believer in the Jew First Principle was the great Andrew Bonar. Greatly influenced by older Scottish preachers such as Samuel Rutherford, Bonar also inherited their love for the Jews. Even at the young age of 19, he recorded visits to the synagogues. He was made acting secretary of the Committee of the Jewish Society at Edinburgh at 27. For years his diary included detailed accounts of Jews with whom he had come in contact and shared the Gospel. During his ministry in Glasgow, Bonar had an inscription from Proverbs 11 in Hebrew placed above the door of the church in hopes that some Jews might visit, as well as to remind the church of their duty to the Jews. After the need for Jewish missions was brought before the Assembly of the Church of Scotland, it was proposed that Bonar and Robert M’Cheyne be sent to inquire about the state of the Jews in Europe. During these mission travels, Bonar and M’Cheyne won the souls of Adoph Saphir and Alfred Edersheim, the great Hebrew Christian preachers and authors.

On behalf of the group that later became Christian Witness to Israel, Charles Spurgeon preached a message in 1864 entitled “The Restoration and Conversion of the Jews.” From Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones, Spurgeon expounded Ezekiel 37 to show the future restoration of the nation of Israel which later occurred more than eighty years later in 1948. He also said that this text shows the spiritual restoration of Israel. In answer to the questions about how Jews are to be converted, he gave God’s command to Ezekiel, “Prophesy upon these bones.” His answer showed the need of preaching to Jews. Spurgeon went on to say, “a greater prominence should be given to prophecies in teaching the Jews than among any other people.”

Charles Hodge, who was the principal of Princeton Theological Seminary between 1851 and 1878, reported the following:
“The future restoration of the Jews is, in itself, a more probable event than the introduction of the Gentiles into the church of God. This, of course, supposes that God regarded the Jews, on account of their relation to him, with peculiar favor, and that there is still something in their relation to the ancient servants of God and his covenant with them, which causes them to be regarded with special interest. As men look upon the children of their early friends with kinder feelings than on the children of strangers, God refers to this fact to make us sensible that he still retains purposes of peculiar mercy towards his
ancient people.”

In His commentary on The Epistle to the Romans, 19th century Scottish preacher John Murray made the following statement: "To the Jew first, and also to the Greek...It does not appear sufficient to regard this priority as that merely of time. In this text there is no suggestion to the effect that the priority is merely that of time. The implication appears to be rather that the power of God unto salvation through faith has primary relevance to the Jew, and the analogy of Scripture would indicate that this peculiar relevance to the Jew arises from the fact that the Jew had been chosen by God to be the recipient of the promise of the gospel and that to him were committed the oracles of God...the gospel is pre-eminently the gospel for the Jew.”

We are to be ever-conscious of the priority of the Jewish people in evangelism because the salvation of the Jewish people will bring great blessing to the world, Romans 11:11-15. When you try to reach Jewish people with the Gospel, it is amazing how many Gentiles take notice!

In What Ways Do The Jews Have Priority?

Written by Daniel Sims

There are several priorities in regard to the Jewish people and the purposes of God -– a past priority, a present priority and a future priority. When a church rediscovers this truth, it will revolutionize their view of world missions.

The Jews have priority over Gentiles as the chosen people of God. In Genesis 12, God chooses Abraham and his descendants freely from all the peoples of the world to bless with his covenant and promise. Nehemiah 9:7 says, "God . . . chose Abram, and brought him out from Ur of the Chaldees." Then Deuteronomy 14:2 says about the whole Jewish people, “the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth." Amos 3:2 says, " You only have I known of all the families of the earth." In Romans 11:29, Paul says, "as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sake. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance."

The Jews have priority because of their special role as God’s Chosen People. He set his favor on them and set them apart from all the peoples, not because of any virtue or special value in them, but simply on the basis of his free choice:

"The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” Deuteronomy 7:7-8.

The Jews have priority over Gentiles as the guardians of the oracles of God. In Romans 3:1, Paul asks the question:

"What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.”

God gave his special revelation and promises to Israel by Moses and the prophets. Romans 9:4 states: “Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises.” All the great expressions and foreshadowing of the gospel of salvation were given to the Jews in the Word of God, the Old Testament. So the Jews had priority in receiving the Scriptures.

The Jews have a priority over the Gentiles in that the Messiah himself, Jesus Christ, came first as a Jew to the Jews. Isa 49:5-6 says:

“And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength. And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.”

When God the Father sent forth His Son as the Suffering Servant, His first priority was “to bring Jacob again to Him.” God said that He would ALSO Give Christ a light for the Gentiles. Is this the same “also” from Romans 1:16?

In Romans 9:5, Paul brings his list of privileges to a climax with these words, "Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen." The Messiah, Jesus, was a Jew, a Son of David, Romans 1:3. He gave priority in His ministry to the Jews.

The Jews have a priority over the Gentiles in that salvation is from the Jews. These are the very words of Jesus in John 4:22. Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well, "Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews." They are the chosen nation; the nation with God’s special revelation; and the nation with the Messiah, the Saviour. So, clearly, salvation is "from the Jews."

Another way to see that salvation is from the Jews is found in Romans 11:17-24 where Paul compares the Jewish nation to an olive tree. He says that the natural branches are broken off and unnatural branches were grafted in, meaning that the unbelieving Jews were cut off from the covenant of promise; and Gentiles who believed were grafted in and saved by the covenant of promise. Verses 17-18 are crucial for us:

"And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee."

Salvation comes to us Gentiles from the root of God’s covenant with the Jews. We are grafted in like wild olive branches that have no historical claim at all on being God’s people. God saves us by reckoning us children of Abraham by faith, as Paul says in Galatians 3:7, "Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham." All salvation comes through God’s covenant with Abraham!

The Jews have a priority over the Gentiles in final judgment and final blessing. In Romans 2:9-10, Paul wrote,

"Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile."

The Bible teaches that the priority that the Jews have, if it is rejected and squandered, will result in a priority in judgment. If they are grateful for their priority and trust in the mercy of their Messiah, then they will go first into the final blessing of God. "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more," Luke 12:48. There are definite dangers in having this priority.

In Romans 11:17-32, God wants to humble both Jew and Greek and make them deeply aware that they depend entirely on mercy, not on themselves, their traditions, nor ethnic connections. To the Gentiles He says, “Salvation is of the Jews.” Gentiles are saved by a salvation that comes through the despised Semitic people called the Jews. We are saved by becoming, as it were, spiritual Jews, Romans 2:28-29. This should humble us and strip us of any arrogance and boasting in any presumed ethnic superiority. It also should vanquish anti-Semitism and fill us with zeal for evangelism to Jews.

Similarly, Paul says to the Jews, your salvation is not your own. It is God’s and he gives it to whom he pleases. He can raise up from stones -even Gentile stones– children to Abraham, Matthew 3:9. The words "also to the Greek" in Romans 1:16 would have been as offensive to the Jews as the words "to the Jew first" were to the Gentiles. What they thought were Jewish prerogatives are, in fact, shared by the lowliest Gentiles who believe. Both of us are being humbled. Jews must humble themselves to receive unclean Gentiles into full covenant membership and share all the blessings of the promise of Abraham. We Gentiles must humble ourselves to be saved through a Jewish Messiah and a Jewish covenant and to give priority to Jewish missions.

Scriptural Mission Plans Must Include Jewish Missions

Written by Daniel Sims

The CIA claims that there are 271 countries in the world. I am not sure how many races, languages, or religions there are, but to illustrate my point, we will say that each country represents a people group. That would mean that there are 271 groups in the world. According to I Corinthians 10:31, God divides the lost from all of these groups into two categories: Jews & Gentiles. 270 of these groups are Gentile and 1 group is Jewish.

Even if the correct interpretation of Romans 1:16 is that we have to reach both the Jews and Greeks at the same time, then you must agree that we must reach them both. You can not honestly say that you are reaching both if you are only reaching one, right? How can you reach both at the same time if your church does not have any Jewish missionaries or ministries?

There are currently over 4,000 missionaries who identify themselves as Independent Baptists. That averages out to about 15 per people group. Let’s just say that a church supports 100 missionaries and no two have the same field. Unless one of them is a Jewish missionary, then that church is supporting 100 missionaries to the Gentiles. Therefore, they can not honestly say that they are going to the Jew and also to the Greek. They are only going to the Greek. On the other hand, if a church can only support two mission works, they could obey God’s command to reach Jews and Gentiles alike by having one missionary to the Jews and another to any one of the other 270 groups.

Knowing how God feels about the Jews, I would not want to face the Judgment Seat of Christ knowing that I had supported many missionaries to my fellow Gentiles without a single missionary to the race of people to which Jesus was born!

Today, churches have greater resources for reaching the world than ever before. Trips that would have taken months long ago can now be completed in a few hours. Printing presses, the internet, radio, and other modern tools make it easier than ever before to take the Gospel to the uttermost part of the earth. Yet, the percentage of Christians in the world drops every day. Until the churches and their missionaries are willing to rethink their missions strategy, this trend is likely to continue. In failing to go to the Jew first, could it be that God’s work is not being done God’s way?

Conclusion

Written by Daniel Sims

Perhaps by reading this you have realized the responsibility God has given every Christian to evangelize Jews. You should now try to evangelize Jews personally as well as support Jewish missionaries through your local church. Maybe you have a Jewish friend, coworker, neighbor, classmate, or even have a Jewish relative! Maybe you just want to be prepared for the next time you have the opportunity to witness to a Jewish person. There are some things you should know that will help you to be a more effective witness.

While not exhaustive, this section contains some helpful hints. The application of these guidelines will, no doubt, depend upon the kind of relationship you have with the person to whom you seek to witness. We hope that these hints will encourage you to share the Gospel with the Jewish people you know and those you meet. May the Holy Spirit give you boldness as you seek to go tell Jews of their Messiah.

Jewish evangelism seems difficult because Jewish people inherit a negative commitment to Christ. II Corinthians 3:13-15 speaks of the vail of Moses being upon their hearts. This causes them to be blinded to Christ. They view Him as a nice man, a prophet or perhaps a teacher, but for any loyal Jew to think any more of Him would be considered blasphemy.

If you would like for your church to be involved is Jewish evangelism, there are many ways to do this. You could search the phonebook for Jewish surnames and visit those homes. You could do door to door visitation in Jewish neighborhoods if there is one in your area. However, Saturday visitation is not recommended because it is their Sabbath and would be very offensive to them. I learned this the hard way. You could visit a synagogue and get to know the Jews there. Many synagogues and Jewish community centers offer Hebrew classes that provide a great opportunity to make Jewish friends. Your church could start a mailing list to distribute tracts to Jewish homes. You could run also paper ads, and hold special evangelistic meetings geared at winning Jews to Christ. All methods must have a supreme goal and motivation of seeking a one on one witness with a Jewish person.

Christians sometimes fear creating an unpleasant situation or losing the friendship of a Jewish person. Nevertheless, we are commanded to tell the Jews about salvation through Jesus Christ. It is God's responsibility to draw and convince the recipient of that good news, not ours. Scripture says that not everyone will respond favorably. We cannot take a negative reaction personally. A person who rejects the gospel is rejecting Jesus. In reality, most Jewish people to whom we witness will probably respond with indifference. When that happens, just keep praying!

When you witness to someone, you should always be sensitive to the leadership of the Holy Ghost. Zechariah 4:6 shows us that salesmanship does not substitute for a Spirit-led ministry. Don't interpret God's moving in a person's life as a license for insensitivity. Be prepared to witness and don't assume your Jewish friend has a working knowledge of Scripture. Messianic prophecy is generally unknown to most Jews. Ironically, many Jewish people are not used to talking about God. In some ways, He is a stranger to them.

Show the Jewish people as well as tell them that you love them. Of course, sharing the gospel is the most loving act one person can do for another. Keep in mind the fact that the person needs to hear the life changing gospel you share. You could break the ice by asking your Jewish friend to tell you what they think about the Messiah. Learn to let them do the talking while you steer the conversation by the questions you ask. This may sound unusual, but it is a good way to engage someone in conversation and get them to think.

Find a way to give a brief personal testimony. You can also tell your friend how God answers prayer in your life. Your Jewish friend may not respond to your testimony. He or she may be interested but not ready to admit it. In any case, remember to pray and wait for another appropriate opportunity to share a testimony. Offer to pray for your friend. Often your Jewish friend will not receive your witness but will receive your offer of prayer. Be sure to follow up to see what happened.

If your Jewish friend responds, use Scripture to answer questions, objections, and statements. If necessary, don't be afraid to ask for time to gather information and check your answers. You could say, "I am not sure, but I’ll study that out for you." When possible, arrange for your Jewish friend to meet with a responsible Jewish Christian.

Offer them a copy of the New Testament. You can order a free Hebrew-English New Testament online at HopeOfIsrael.net that you could present to them as a special gift at their birthday or another special occasion.

If you feel that the Lord is working in their heart, ask them to accept Christ. Often a person doesn't accept the Lord because we don't ask him or her to. DO NOT give them a "1-2-3 repeat after me" prayer and tell them they are going to heaven. Many souls will go to Hell thinking they were Heaven bound because they repeated what the preacher said. Let the Holy Spirit show them who Christ is as you share the Word. When God gets them lost, they'll have no problem knowing what to say.

If you have tried all of this and still cannot find any Jews in your town, you should do the following:

1. Begin daily to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, asking God to give you a great burden and love for His Chosen people Israel. In such a prayer of supplication, cry out to the Lord for an opportunity to meet a Jewish person. We have seen in the past where God will bring them from another area perhaps on a bus or train or maybe because of a business trip, and draw such a one to a God fearing saint, who loves the Jew.
2. As God leads you, support and earnestly pray for Jewish ministries such as The Hope of Israel Baptist Mission and other sound Jewish works. You may want to entreat your pastor to consider having us present our ministry and burden at your church. We desire like-minded churches to help this ministry.
3. If God is moving your heart personally to reach the Jewish people as a ministry, then please contact us. If there are Jews in your area, we will assist you and your local church to begin your own concentrated effort in evangelization of the children of Israel with our very effective minuteman mailing programs. Perhaps you are being called by the Lord into full-time missionary work amongst the Jews. Let us know!

Concerning the mission plan of your church, you should make it a point to include Jewish missions. It is our firm conviction that all ministries be a part of a Bible believing sound local church. The problem prevalent today among so-called "Missions" is their unscriptural autonomy away from the local church authority. Our burden and activities to reach the Jew should never conflict or compromise with our steadfastness in contending "for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." Jude 3. Therefore, when you support a ministry, whether to the Jews or to the Gentiles, you should be sure to check their doctrinal beliefs to make sure that they are scripturally sound in the faith.

The Hope of Israel Baptist Mission is different than most "missions" in that it seeks to assist other like-minded churches to establish their own local ministry without organizational strings attached. This is in obedience to the scriptural teaching of autonomy of the local church, and His will for such churches to have a balance in world evangelism. Realizing that many churches are ignorant, unprepared, or are lacking significant population of Jewish people in their area to attempt a specific ministry to the Jews, The Hope of Israel Baptist Mission is a godly alternative, fulfilling God’s program in sowing the seed among the Hebrews.

We are here to train other Christians to evangelize Jews through their local church. We will gladly assist you in any way we can. If you have any questions that arise as you seek to win Jews to Christ, please ask us. That's what we're here for.