A few weeks ago when I was speaking to a Christian brother, he declared to me that the Church is the seed of Abraham but not the seed of Jacob (Israel). “Really?” I asked. “Do you really believe this?”
I asked him if, therefore, he believed that the “seed of Abraham” is Christ as Paul said in Galatians 3:16 but the seed of Jacob is racial/ethnic/national Israel? He said, “Yes.” By making this distinction he could believe seperate promises made to Abraham and promises made to Israel. Wow! I remember those hermeneutical gymnastics during my college days!
On the other hand, the Apostles made no such distinction. For example, Peter, who was sent to the circumcision (Gal. 2:7), follows Paul’s pattern when he designates Christians as “stones” being built into a “spiritual house” (1 Pet. 2:5-9). He also draws upon several Old Testament designations of Israel and applies them to the church: “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation” (1 Pet. 2:9-10; Exo. 19:5-6; Deut. 7:6). He, with Paul, also calls Christians “a peculiar people” (1 Pet. 2:10; Titus 2:14), which is a familiar Old Testament designation for Israel (Exo. 19:5; Deut. 14:2; 26:18; Psa. 135:4). In addition, he designates the New Testament believers as a “diaspora” (1 Pet. 1:1).
If Abraham can have Gentiles as his “spiritual seed” (even according to the New Scofield Reference Bible, p. 122 at Rom. 9:6.), why cannot there be a spiritual Israel?
In fact, Christians are called by the name “Israel”: “And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God” (Gal. 6:16). Although dispensationalists explain Galatians 6:16 as speaking of Jewish converts to Christianity, such is clearly not the case: The entire context of Galatians is set against claims to any special Jewish status or distinction: “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:26-28).
Thus, we see that in Christ, all racial distinction has been done away with — forever. Why would Paul hold out a special word for Jewish Christians (“the Israel of God”), when he had just stated that there is no boasting at all, save in the cross of Christ (Gal. 6:14)? After all, “in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation” (Gal. 6:15). That new creation is spoken of in detail in Ephesians 2:10-22, where Jew and Gentile are united in one body. This is the church.
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Jason Robertson is a husband and a father and a pastor. He is dedicated to leading and equipping his the Church with God’s word and biblical theology for life ministry, using a combination of pastoral, church planting and evangelism experience. He holds a Master of Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He is experienced in church planting, evangelism, missions, and the training of pastors and Bible teachers.
Jason has been preaching the gospel since 1985, serving the first ten years of ministry as a Southern Baptist itinerant evangelist out of Milldale Baptist Church in Zachary, LA which ordained him in 1993. He has preached in hundreds of churches in over 30 States and 4 countries. He planted churches in Siberia, Russia in the summers of 1993 and 1994. He founded Murrieta Valley Church in California, which he planted in cooperation with the SBC NAMB in 2001. He also teaches ministry students at California Baptist University.
You can hear his sermons and read his manuscripts on sermonaudio.com. Just follow the link to "sermons" at the top of this page.