By Barron Greenwalt, Pastor at En-Joy Ministries | June 02, 2025

As Christians, we often wrestle with big questions about our identity, God’s chosen people, and the path to salvation. If we all descend from Adam, why aren’t we all Jewish? What makes the Jewish people unique in God’s plan? And how does faith in Jesus Christ connect to these questions, especially in light of modern Israel’s prophetic significance? At En-Joy Ministries, we want to address these questions with clarity, rooted in Scripture, to help you understand God’s incredible plan for humanity. As believers who reject dual-covenant theology (the idea that Jews have a separate path to salvation) and replacement theology (the notion that the church fully replaces Israel), we affirm that salvation comes only through Jesus Christ. Modern Israel’s existence is a fulfillment of God’s promises. Let’s dive in!

We All Come from Adam—So Why Aren’t We All Jewish?

The Bible teaches that every human being descends from Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:20). After the Flood, humanity traces its lineage through Noah and his three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Genesis 10:1-32). This “Table of Nations” in Genesis 10 shows how the peoples of the world spread out, each with their own lineage. But being Jewish is not about this universal descent—it’s about a specific covenant God made with one man, Abraham.

God called Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3, promising to make him a great nation through which “all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” This covenant passed to Isaac, then Jacob (renamed Israel, Genesis 32:28), whose twelve sons became the tribes of Israel. The Jewish people, therefore, are the ethnic descendants of Jacob/Israel, set apart by God’s covenant for a unique role in His redemptive plan (Deuteronomy 7:6).

If you’re not of Jewish descent, your lineage likely traces back to Noah through Shem, Ham, or Japheth, depending on your ethnic background (e.g., European, African, Asian). For example, tradition links Europeans to Japheth and Africans to Ham, though the Bible doesn’t map every modern people group precisely. As Christians, we’re “born again” through faith in Christ (John 3:3), making us spiritual heirs of Abraham’s promise (Galatians 3:29). But this spiritual identity doesn’t make us ethnically Jewish—it grafts us into God’s covenant family (Romans 11:17-24). So, while we all share Adam as our ancestor, the Jewish people are a distinct lineage chosen by God for His purposes.

When Did “Israel” and “Jews” Begin?

Biblical Israel began with God’s covenant with Abraham (around 2000–1800 BC), formalized through the promises of land, descendants, and blessing (Genesis 15, 17). It took shape as a nation at Mount Sinai (circa 1446 BC), when God gave the Law to Moses, calling Israel a “holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). Israel became a unified kingdom under Saul, David, and Solomon (circa 1050–930 BC), but after the kingdom split, the southern kingdom of Judah became prominent.

The term “Jew” comes from “Judah,” one of Jacob’s sons. It first appears in 2 Kings 16:6 and became common after the Babylonian exile (586–538 BC), when the people of Judah (including remnants of other tribes) returned to Jerusalem (Ezra, Nehemiah). By Jesus’ time, “Jew” was the standard term for the descendants of Israel. This distinct identity—rooted in God’s covenant—sets the Jewish people apart, even as all humanity shares a common origin in Adam.

Salvation: One Way Through Jesus Christ

As Christians, we hold fast to the truth of John 14:6, where Jesus declares, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The New Testament is clear: salvation comes only through faith in Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again to defeat death (Romans 10:9, Acts 4:12). This applies to everyone—Jew and Gentile alike. We reject dual-covenant theology, which suggests that Jewish people can be saved apart from Christ through the Old Covenant. Scripture teaches that the New Covenant in Jesus fulfills and supersedes the Old (Hebrews 8:6-13), and all must come to faith in Him.

But what about the Jewish people? The Bible affirms their unique role as God’s chosen people (Romans 11:1-2: “Has God rejected his people? By no means!”). In Romans 11:25-26, Paul speaks of a “partial hardening” on Israel until the “fullness of the Gentiles has come in,” after which “all Israel will be saved.” Many Christians, including us at En-Joy Ministries, see this as a future turning of many Jewish people to faith in Jesus as Messiah, fulfilling prophecies like Zechariah 12:10. This hope doesn’t mean a separate path to salvation—it underscores God’s faithfulness to His people and His plan to bring them to Christ.

We also reject replacement theology, which claims the church fully replaces Israel in God’s plan. Paul warns against such arrogance (Romans 11:18), and God’s promises to Israel remain “irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). The Jewish people have a distinct role, and their restoration to the land is a sign of God’s faithfulness, which brings us to a key point.

Modern Israel: A Prophetic Fulfillment

We believe the establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948 is a fulfillment of biblical prophecy. Passages like Ezekiel 36:24 (“I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land”) and Amos 9:14-15 point to God’s promise to restore His people to their land. The return of the Jewish people to Israel after centuries of exile is a powerful testament to God’s unchanging Word. This doesn’t mean every event in modern Israel is divinely ordained, but it affirms that God is working out His plan for His chosen people, which will culminate in their recognition of Jesus as Messiah.

What Does This Mean for Us?

For Christians, understanding our place in God’s plan is both humbling and exciting. Ethnically, we may trace our roots to Noah’s sons, but spiritually, we’re grafted into God’s covenant through faith in Christ (Romans 11:17). We’re not Jewish by descent, but we’re heirs of the same promise given to Abraham (Galatians 3:29). The Jewish people remain central to God’s redemptive story, and we’re called to love and pray for them, sharing the Gospel with humility (Romans 10:1).

At En-Joy Ministries, we hope this clarifies the distinction between our universal descent from Adam, the unique covenant with the Jewish people, and the one path to salvation through Jesus Christ. Modern Israel’s existence is a reminder that God keeps His promises, and it points us toward the day when “all Israel will be saved” through faith in the Messiah. Let’s continue to study God’s Word, pray for His people, and share the good news of Jesus with all!

Have questions or want to dig deeper? Connect with us at En-Joy Ministries, and let’s grow in faith together!