Caspar,

In your paper on dispensationalism, you brought up a number of interesting points.

One of which, is where you wrote:

 "Jews are not Israelites, and Israelites are not Jews"

That made me think about what some amillennialists, I have known, have said.

They say that Israel is put aside, with no more claim to the land, because they rejected their Messiah.

However, the 10 tribes of the northern kingdom had been out of the land since the Assyrians took them.

They were 700 years already outside of the land for idolatry, not for rejecting the Messiah.

So the rejection of the Messiah did not apply to them.

The promise through Hosea, that he would regather them in the future, had nothing to do with the rejection of the Messiah.

Therefore, the amillennial argument doesn't apply to those ten tribes.

(by the way, I do not agree with their premise about promises to Judah being abrogated, due to rejection of the Messiah, but that's another subject.)

You had also written:

"but who is Israel ?"

And you had also written:

"By the dispensational doctrine there would then no longer be one new man, but two -- and there one would be subordinate to the other, and the other the lesser and less loved and less privileged. It is the reverse of what the Bible teaches us. This is never what the Lord intended. Jew and Greek are one in Christ, there is no more dividing wall. God has no preferential treatment of certain people and that based on genealogy or belief, it is equal for Jew, Greek and all Gentiles are one in Him together."

It is true, that, now, when one is saved, as you showed in your paper, that it matters not who they were, but who they are now in:

Galatians 3:28 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.

Colossians 3:11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

I Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

But are there still any distinctions?

For one, the LORD still sees three different groups:

I Corinthians 10:32 Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:

The first two groups, Jews and Gentiles, in that scripture, are referring to those who are not saved yet.

The third group is saved people, regardless of whether they had been Jews or Gentiles, before they were saved.

As for other distinctions, in his earthly ministry, Jesus said:

Matthew 15:24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Even though, as the Son of God, he knew that the door would be opened to the Gentiles, later in Acts 10.

Similarly:

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.

Acts 11:19 Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.

Acts 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, 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.

Then there arose a problem, where some were teaching that Gentiles who believed on Jesus, were now required to be circumcised and to keep the law of Moses. 

Acts 15:5 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

They discussed this, and came to a conclusion, which showed that they, themselves, still saw a distinction, as stated by James:

Acts 15:19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:

  20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

And word was then sent to back to Antioch:

Acts 15:24 Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:

  28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;

  29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

The Gentile believers were not required to keep the law, like the sabbath, nor were they required to be circumcised.

But the Jewish believers did continue to circumcise:

Acts 16:1 Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek:

  3 Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.

Also, the Jewish believers continued certain practices of the law, that the Gentile believers were not required to:

Acts 21:18 And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.

  19 And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.

  20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:

  21 And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.

  22 What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.

  23 Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them;

  24 Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.

  25 As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.

  26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.

Were Paul and James wrong?

No, but they showed that there still was a distinction, that cannot be ignored.

.