"The Israel Of
God"
Galatians 6:16
Contrary to popular opinion, the physical,
political nation of Israel is not the object of God's love, grace
and favor. There are no promises given by God to the Jews, or anyone else,
based upon race, nationality, or any other earthly distinction. This needs to
be understood. All the promises of God are in Christ and made to sinners only
in Christ (II Cor. 1:20). The promises of God are all promises of
pure, free, sovereign, unconditional grace, made to, revealed to and given to
faith (Gal. 5:6). "God is no respecter of persons" (Acts 10:34). He has no regard for circumcision, and
no regard for uncircumcision. No man or woman is advantaged or disadvantaged
before God by his race, nationality or works. God sees no worth in any human
flesh, Jewish or Gentile, black or white, male or female, rich or poor. We are
all, by nature, guilty sinners, in need of mercy, without claim upon God.
God no longer deals with the Jews as a
nation. Because of their unbelief he has cut them off (Matt. 23:37-38; Rom. 11:20). Without question, God sovereignly rules
the nation of Israel, just as he rules all others, in his
providence. And any Jew who believes on Christ is saved, just as any Gentile
who believes. But God has forever forsaken both Judaism and national Israel because of unbelief.
"The Israel of God" is not that
little nation over in the middle east. "The
Israel of God" is the church of God's elect, the house and temple of the
living God, scattered throughout all the nations of the world and ages of time.
The Israel of God is made up of redeemed sinners out of every nation, kindred,
tribe and tongue, who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. We who believe are the
circumcision (Phil. 3:3; Rom. 2:28-29), the people of God's covenant (Heb. 10:15-17), the chosen and blessed nation of
God's elect (I Pet. 2:9-10). God's church, his elect, are
that Israel that shall be saved when "the
fulness of the Gentiles be come in" (Rom. 11:25-36). God's church, "the Israel of
God," will be complete when all the elect Gentiles as well as elect Jews
have been brought to Christ by his almighty grace (John 10:16). Salvation and
grace are promised not to Abraham's physical seed, but to the spiritual seed of
covenant promise (Rom. 9:6-8).
Don Fortner