L25-27: How can Yeshua the Jew be the Kinsman Redeemer of one who is NOT Jewish?

We are currently discussing the Kinsman Redeemer and the thorny topic of how can one who is NOT part of the nation of Israel be eligible for redemption.

Or to put it another way, we’re trying to answer the question HOW CAN A GENTILE BE SAVED?

The short answer is that a gentile CANNOT be saved.

The Torah makes it clear that a foreigner, one who is not a member of the nation of Israel, is NOT eligible for redemption.

Leviticus 25 takes it even further and says that even an “alien” who lives inside of Israel is not eligible.

An alien is a person who lives INSIDE of Israel but not as a member of Israel.

The truth is Israel had lots of these aliens living among them who enjoyed all of the economic and security advantages they received as a result of YHWH pouring out His blessings on His people.

That’s why they decided to live in Israel in the first place.

However, redemption, or to use an evangelical term, “salvation” was NOT for them.

Remember Yeshua can ONLY save his kinsmen.

And his kinsmen are ONLY Israelites.

However, there is a caveat to all of this that should have the uncircumcised gentile jumping for joy.

And here is what it is.

When YHWH chose and separated Abraham from all other men on the face of this planet to start a new line of people, this election came with the provision that ANY HUMAN OF ANY ETHNICITY FROM ANY NATION would have the option to join Israel as a full citizen.

However, of course there were certain requirements placed on them.

They had to renounce not only all of their false gods but also renounce allegiance to their former nation.

They had to worship YHWH and serve Him ONLY!

And they had to follow the laws of Hebrew society.

Did you catch that?

They had to obey the commandments, rules and regulations of Israel.

None of this breaking the Sabbath, celebrating pagan holidays or eating pork nonsense was to be tolerated.

To put it simply, a gentile was required to live under the conditions of the covenants God made with Abraham and his descendants.

If they agreed to all of these provisions of the covenant, then they become eligible for redemption.

In other words, their status changed from that of “foreigner” to that of a “kinsmen”.

Remember that BEFORE God elected and plucked Abraham out of the sea of gentile nations, he himself was a gentile (in fact Israel wasn’t even in existence at this time, so this is an obvious point).

Or how about Esau and Jacob, the sons of Isaac and Rebekah?

Both Esau and Jacob had the exact same mother and father, but only Jacob was considered a Hebrew?

Why?

Again, because it was an ELECTION by God.

Understand that in the beginning what made an Israelite an Israelite was not necessarily blood or genealogy.

Much more important was their acceptance of YHWH as their ONLY God and fully adopting His covenants as their national constitution.

That’s the way it has always been.

The “New Covenant” or the “Covenant of Yeshua” is simply the last in a series of covenants YHWH entered into with Israel.

However, it’s important to understand that the New Covenant is nothing but a renewal of the covenants that came before.

Think about it.

The New Testament introduces to us WHO the Messiah is and shows us how he fulfilled all of the Old Testament prophecies.

Understand that with the exception of Noah, every covenant that YHWH made, starting with Abraham, was with Israel.

Any idea that there’s such a thing as a gentile Biblical covenant is based on wild imagination and false doctrine.

There is no such thing as a gentile Biblical covenant and there never will be, BECAUSE GOD DOES NOT CHANGE.

So let’s get back to our original question.

How can a gentile be saved?

The answer should be crystal clear by now.

And this is exactly the theme of Romans chapter 11!

The only way a gentile can be saved is to be grafted into Israel so that he or she can come under Israel’s covenants

Once that happens, in a very real sense, the gentile is no longer a foreigner.

I hope you’re getting this oh so vital understand point.

ONLY BY BEING UNDER ISRAEL’S COVENANTS is a gentile eligible to qualify as a kinsman of Yeshua.

Until that happens, sorry, but you are NOT eligible for redemption.

Now don’t misunderstand me and think I’m saying that gentiles have to become physical Israelites in order to be saved.

Recall the AS-IN-HEAVEN-SO-ON-EARTH PRINCIPLE.

Just as the commandments in Torah are a physical reflection of spiritual truths in the heaven, so it is that gentiles do NOT have to become physically circumcised in order to be grafted in.

Rather a spiritual circumcision or a circumcision of the heart is was it is required and this is what happens when one proclaims faith in Yeshua the Messiah of Israel.

Prior to the advent of Messiah, one joined the nation of Israel via physical circumcision.

Now with the advent of Messiah, one joins spiritual Israel via a spiritual circumcision.

When I say “spiritual Israel“, understand that I’m talking about the PERFECT AND HEAVENLY IDEAL OF GOD’S ELECT WHO EMBODY ALL THE SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLES OF TORAH IN THEIR LIVES.

If you think this sounds like a bunch gobbledygook, read Romans chapter 11.

Paul goes so far as to say that just because one is a Jew or Hebrew by birth, that alone is NOT enough to warrant salvation.

Don’t get me wrong.

The ethnic or physical reality of Jewishness stands and can never be taken away from the Jewish people.

In fact, being Jewish has great advantages and honors, but being a physical Jew is NOT one of the requirements of salvation but BEING GRAFTED INTO ISRAEL’S COVENANTS IS!

So to conclude, how can Yeshua be the kinsman redeemer of a person born outside of Israel?

The answer is he can’t unless that person is JOINED to Israel.

And this happens (on a spiritual, NOT physical level) when the gentile accepts Yeshua as his or her Lord and Savior.