Which House are you: Ephraim or Judah?

Hebrews 8:7-12

⁷ For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.

⁸ For finding fault with them, He says,

“BEHOLD, DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD,
WHEN I WILL EFFECT A NEW COVENANT
WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH;
⁹ NOT LIKE THE COVENANT WHICH I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS
ON THE DAY WHEN I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND
TO LEAD THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT;
FOR THEY DID NOT CONTINUE IN MY COVENANT,
AND I DID NOT CARE FOR THEM, SAYS THE LORD.
¹⁰ “FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL
AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD:
I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS,
AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS.
AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD,
AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
¹¹ “AND THEY SHALL NOT TEACH EVERYONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN,
AND EVERYONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, ‘KNOW THE LORD,’
FOR ALL WILL KNOW ME,
FROM THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST OF THEM.
¹² “FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR INIQUITIES,
AND I WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE.”

This passage has often been taught in the church that God started a new thing with the Messiah when He came and died on the cross.  They claim that the "church" is the people of the new covenant and that God gave up on Israel and is pursuing a different route now.  This is commonly known in the scholarly world as "Replacement Theology" and is a false teaching through and through.

The facts are in the words of Scripture itself.  Look above and you will see that the author of Hebrews quotes Jeremiah chapter 31 when referencing the establishment of the New Covenant.  He does not write something new to explain the New Covenant, but rather references back to what God has said about the New Covenant.

So who is the New Covenant concerned with?

⁸ For finding fault with them, He says,

“BEHOLD, DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD,
WHEN I WILL EFFECT A NEW COVENANT
WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH;

The New Covenant, according to Scripture, deals with the House of Israel and the House of Judah.  So what does it mean when a church claims to be a New Covenant church?  Are they claiming to be part of one of these houses?  They must necessarily be part of one of them and understand what that means to even understand the New Covenant.  But I would venture to say that they do not understand who the two Houses are nor do they teach their people about it. 

Thus they have to make up something and lo and behold, we have the church becoming the recipients of the New Covenant.  This is not true either.

The House of Israel or also known as the House of Ephraim is the remnant of the non-Jewish believers who believe in the Messiah and keep His commandments.

The House of Judah is the remnant of the Jewish believers who believe in the Messiah and keep His commandments.

You must be part of one of these two Houses to be involved in the New Covenant.  Paul speaks of not defining Israel by bloodline in Romans 9.  Israel is the renmant of believers whether Jew or non-Jew.

Romans 9:6-8

⁶ But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; ⁷ nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.” ⁸ That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.

Ezekiel speaks of the two houses as sticks of staffs joined together as brothers, Jew and non-Jew, Israel.

Ezekiel 37:15-17

Reunion of Judah and Israel

¹⁵ The word of the LORD came again to me saying, ¹⁶ “And you, son of man, take for yourself one stick and write on it, ‘For Judah and for the sons of Israel, his companions’; then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions.’ ¹⁷ Then join them for yourself one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand.

 

Paul says that we are one in Christ, Jewish and non-Jewish believers.  And we are decendants of Abraham and heirs of the promise.

 

Galatians 3:27-29

²⁷ For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.