Commonwealth Theology describes itself as a consolidation of mainstream Christian theologies that better conforms the relationship between the Christian Church and today's Israel to the relationship prophesied in the Old Testament and confirmed by the writings of the Apostolic Age Church. Commonwealth Theology derives its name from the Commonwealth of Israel (Eph. 2:12), which describes a commonwealth inhabited by "one new man."πολιτείας (politeias) This corporate body with its citizens is understood to represent both a present reality achieved by Christ's atoning sacrifice and a yet-to-be-realized future united community of believers, known as the Commonwealth of Israel, who hail the Jewish House (Judah). From the House of Joseph—i.e., Ephraim (a/k/a Jezreel, Samaria, Israel)— the Ten Lost Tribes" were swallowed up" by the nations/Gentiles (Hosea 8:7-9), bringing the "rest of mankind" (Acts 15:17) with them into the United Kingdom of David.Moses' prophetic blessing accorded the tribe of Ephraim (representative of all the northern ten tribes) a blessing upon the head of Joseph wherein "on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers. his glory is like a firstborn bull, and his horns like the horns of the wild ox; together with them he shall push the peoples to the ends of the earth; they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh" (Deut. 33:16–17) – indicative of Ephraim's world-wide expansion among the gentiles – assimilated, only "that He (Yeshua) would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad" (John 11:52).
Similar to previous Two House theologies, Commonwealth Theology looks to the Ezekiel 37 prophecy of the two sticksprophecy of the two sticks made one as the ultimate fulfillment upon which God "will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again" (Ezek. 37:21–22 NKJV).
Israel and the Church Advocates of Commonwealth Theology distinguish their position on the Church and the Jews from Supersessionism (Replacement Theology) and Dispensationalism with the phrase, "Yes Distinction; No Separation." The Commonwealth Theology view is that Replacement Theology makes no distinction and no separation between the Church and the Jews based on Supersessionism's premise that the Church has subsumed the legacy of Old Testament Israel to become today, in totality, the "Israel of God" (Gal. 6:16), wherein at the cross the Jews were disinherited, with all promises and covenants made to them forfeited as a result of the New Covenant inaugurated by Jesus. As the Jews rejected Jesus, Jesus, through the Church, has rejected the Jews.
Dispensationalism makes a distinction between the Church and the Jews but separates them:two ages,Dispensationalism: "Start of the Church Age" two gospels, two brides. The notion that the Jews are a "this-worldly" people and the Christians an "other-worldly" people is another form of separation that is antithetical from Commonwealth of Israel Theology, which asserts that the Church and the Jews remain distinct, as represented by the 12 gates bearing the names of the 12 Tribes of Israel (Rev. 21:12) and the foundations of the Holy City bearing the names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb (Rev. 21:14)—One Holy City (Rev. 21:2), Two Branches yet One Olive Tree/Root (Rom. 11:16–24); Two Houses, yet One Prince (Isa. 9:6), One King David shall reign over them both (Ezek. 37). Commonwealth Theology acknowledges the difference between the "believers among the nations" (gentiles) and the Jews in the same manner, as Paul stated, "there is neither male nor female (Gal. 3:28)," not a separate species but still recognizably distinct.
Commonwealth Theology vs. Messianic Judaism Proponents of Commonwealth Theology distinguish themselves from previous Messianic Two-House theologies, which have promoted the doctrine that traceable ancestry is required to show descent from the House of Israel. Commonwealth Theology advocates also distance themselves from prior Ephraimite (Lost Tribes) cultic practices (e.g., Mormonism, Armstrongism, British Israelism) that have insinuated superiority and tend to be suspect by mainline evangelicalism. Commonwealth Theology avoids these controversies by taking the Scripture literally that the House of Israel was "swallowed up...among the nations"Israel's captivity (deportations lasted for 33 years) commenced upon their northern outposts along the Euphrates River (the furthermost extensions of both the Davidic and Solomonic Kingdoms of United Israel) cir. 745 BC until the fall of Israel's Capital (Samaria) cir. 720 BC until the defeat of the armies of the future king of Assyria, King Sennacherib, cir,. 712 BC (although Sennacherib's father, Sargon II (722–705 BC) shared with his son administrative duties, was 2 Chronicles 32; 2 Kings 18:13–19:37; Isa. 36:1–37:38 with King Pul or Tiglath-Pileser III who reigned from 745–727 BC (2 Kings 15:19, 29). so that the Lost Tribes of the Northern Kingdom and the gentiles remain somewhat indistinguishable as a "mixed multitude"THE COMMONWEALTH OF ISRAEL–WHO'S INCLUDED? By Doug Krieger | July 7, 2018: http://commonwealththeology.com/the-commonwealth-of-israel-whos-included (Exod. 12:38). Commonwealth Theology upholds the traditional Christian emphasis on faith (adoption by faith into the rights of inheritance) while respecting those of traceable genetic descent. Nevertheless, the Bible prophesied the "New Covenant with the House of Israel and with the House of Judah" (Jer. 31:31) but also included the gentiles: "I will also give you as a light to the gentiles" (Isa. 49:6). See also Rom. 15:8–9; Eph. 2:22.
Two-House Theology
Objections Some among the Messianic community, such as TorahResource, have initially distanced themselves from the two-house aspect of Commonwealth Theology (see video: "The Two House Theory.") In response, proponents have asserted a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of Ephraim and Edom—"the rest of mankind." Advocates of Commonwealth Theology note that both traditional ethnic Jews and Messianic Jews are reticent to allow gentiles to be identified with Ephraim (a/k/a the Lost Tribes/House of Israel), although they allow gentile believers in Yeshua to identify outwardly as Jews regarding feast days, dress, diet, Torah, etc. Messianic Jews tend to include the rest of the ten tribes, making them all Jews, whereas these Ten Tribes of Israel were swallowed up among the nationsDenver Declaration, Section 8 – Distinction Between Judah and Scattered Israel: http://commonwealththeology.com/the-denver-declaration (Hosea 8:7–9); given a writ of divorce (Jer. 3:8); and become Lo-Ami—no longer His beloved, "for you are not My people, and I will not be your God"—Hosea 1:9; and "made nigh" by the blood of the everlasting covenant in Christ Jesus although far off (Eph. 2:13, 17; Heb. 13:20).
Two-House Theology and the notion that the Church is the reconstituted House of Israel have both been challenged by John J. Parsons in his article "Two House Theology: Are Christians the 'Lost Tribes' of Israel?" Parsons articulates his understanding of the two-house system as well as the intuitive conclusion of Commonwealth Theology, that by faith, the Gentile Church has been adopted/grafted in as the bona fide House of Israel. After questioning the relevance of the Bible's two-house narrative to traditional Christian theology, the article concludes with skepticism as to whether a Christian's identification with ethnic Israel could enhance a believer's "daily walk of faith." Without considering the impact of Commonwealth Theology and Two-House Theology on present-day relations between Christians and Jews, Parsons concedes the potential benefits of "identifying with Israel and her destiny," a "sense of belonging and inheritance," and a "deeper appreciation for God's sovereign plans for the nation of Israel."
Significance
Commonwealth Theology theologians point out that the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31:31 is a direct response to the Breach of Jeroboam and the resulting desolation of the land brought about by the sins of both houses divided kingdom.
The Commonwealth of Israel, mentioned in Ephesians Ch. 2, is composed of those near and those far, which, according to Commonwealth Theology, alludes to the House of Judah and the House of Israel, respectively. The near/far connection is substantiated by the fact that this same language was used in the Book of Daniel, associating "near" with Judah and "far" with those driven (scattered), that is, "Israel": "O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but us the shame of face, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You" (Dan. 9:7). (See "Assyrian captivity"). The House of Israel remained scattered at the time Second Kings was written—"there was none left but the tribe of Judah alone...So Israel was carried away from their land to Assyria, as it is to this day (Cir. 550 BC.)" (2 Kings 17:18–23)–and the Northern Tribes were scattered at the time of the writing of Daniel.Israel's captivity (deportations lasted for 33 years) commenced upon their northern outposts along the Euphrates River (the furthermost extensions of both the Davidic and Solomonic Kingdoms of United Israel) cir. 745 BC until the fall of Israel's Capital (Samaria) cir. 720 BC until the defeat of the armies of the future king of Assyria, King Sennacherib, cir,. 712 BC (although Sennacherib's father, Sargon II (722–705 BC) shared with his son administrative duties, was 2 Chronicles 32; 2 Kings 18:13–19:37; Isa. 36:1–37:38 with King Pul or Tiglath-Pileser III who reigned from 745–727 BC (2 Kings 15:19, 29).
The diaspora of the House of Israel among the nations (gentiles) resulted in the partial fulfillment of Hosea's prophecy: "For I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, but I will utterly take them away." "Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered." "Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together..." (Hos. 1:6,10,11). Commonwealth Theology addresses the mystery of how the Northern Kingdom (Ephraim) could be scattered, "lost," "mixed with the peoples," "not a people," and yet could re-assume its identity and be reunited with Judah, whereas mainline Christian theologies either assess the Bible's many references to the two houses as trivial information or else suppose that the Northern Kingdom had already reassembled before the time of Christ. At issue is the relationship between the Church and the Jews due to Christ's first coming and a fuller understanding of the gathering at Christ's second coming.
The Two Houses and the marriage covenant Commonwealth theologians propose that Paul's reference to the institution of marriage as representing Christ and the Church (Eph. 5:32) points to Old Testament allusions to God's divorce and remarriage with Israel; for instance, the New Covenant passage in Jeremiah 31, "though I [God] was a husband to them."