The question addressed on this page is
whether the New Testament Church represents spiritual Israel
or the new Israel as some have taught based on their interpretation
of Galatians 6:16. This is of more than passing pedantic interest, for some
then go on to reason that the "Israel of God" or the "Church"
has now replaced the Old Testament "Israel" and therefore God is finished
with "Israel" in His prophetic plan. Is that what Paul is teaching in
Galatians 6:16?
In
1847 the following article was published in Bibliotheca Sacra
“The
future condition of the Jews is a subject which has received from various
sources no small attention. The subject is worthy of attention. It is worthy
of attention for its own sake. Every branch of truth and every department of
the divine operations has in it something to repay investigation. The
connection of this subject with other themes imparts to it a still higher
interest. The right understanding of it will lead to some views of essential
importance in regard to the general character of the religion of the Bible,
besides which some lessons of practical duty will grow out of it. The Jews
have been a people greatly distinguished… In the investigation of this
subject it is not a mere superficial view of it with which we should be
satisfied. It is a subject which enters deeply into the economy of the
gospel and involves principles of the very highest moment in the
interpretation of the Bible.”
THE ISRAEL OF GOD:
Has God
Replaced Israel with the Church?
In his last words to
the Galatian believers Paul asked that
"peace and mercy
be upon them, and upon the Israel of God." (Galatians
6:16, NASB)
The Amplified
Version renders it...
Peace and mercy be
upon all who walk by this rule [who discipline themselves and regulate their
lives by this principle], even upon the [true] Israel of God!
A tragic misinterpretation (and misapplication) is to
use this verse as justification for the hypothesis that since the majority
of Jews rejected the Messiah and His gospel, God has instituted a new
program in which the New Testament Church, the body of Christ, has replaced
Israel and inherited the promises He originally intended to bestow on
Israel. This genre of of teaching is often referred to as replacement theology. In
context Paul is not suggesting by using the
term the Israel
of God that the church has replaced Israel, for in Romans 11
he declares...
I say then, God
has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an
Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. (Ro 11:1-note)
From this verse
alone, one can conclude that God is not finished with Israel. Paul's
disclaimer not withstanding,
the phrase Israel of God has been misapplied by those who want to
"delete" Israel from God's prophetic plan. Below are a few examples of
comments on the meaning of the Israel of God that could
potentially be used by someone to justify their teaching of replacement
theology. Note carefully that I am not saying the authors of these
commentaries espouse such a radical view but only that the way they comment
on Galatians 6:16 could be utilized by others to "support" a belief that
Scripture teaches replacement theology...
"The church is the true Israel." - The Disciple Study Bible
"A spiritual Israel of which every believer is a citizen"
- Jon Courson's Application Commentary
"upon the Israel, that is, the Church, of God" - John Wesley
"Most interpreters understand “the Israel of God” as...another
term for the Christian church. To Paul the church is the new
Israel, related to God, not through physical descent, but by faith."
- Arichea, D. C., & Nida, E. A. A Handbook on Paul's Letter to the
Galatians. UBS handbook series; Helps for translators Page 159. New York:
United Bible Societies. (Notice that this work which is geared to be an aid
to those who translate the Scriptures does not even mention the alternative
interpretation of "saved Jews" as a possibility!)
"the Israel of
God...is one of many names for the church found in the New
Testament." - Warren Wiersbe (In fairness to Dr Wiersbe his following
comment includes a specific disclaimer that "this does not mean that the
church has permanently replaced the nation of Israel in the program of God,
but only that the church is 'the people of God' on earth today just as
Israel was in centuries past.")
To reiterate, I am
NOT saying that the above commentators espouse a belief that the Church as
the Israel of God has now replaced Israel and that God is finished with
Israel in His prophetic plan. But on the other hand one can see how a
cursory reading of these commentaries might be twisted to support the false
doctrine of "replacement theology".
To add to the
potential for confusion, the fact is that for centuries, Israel was a nation
without a land; and it seemed that the covenant promises would not be
fulfilled. In fact in 1932, the respected British expositor G. Campbell
Morgan concluded...
I am now quite
convinced that the teaching of Scripture as a whole is that there is no
future for Israel as an earthly people at all (This Was His Faith, p.
290)
It is easy to see how
one might draw such a conclusion with Israel being without a homeland for
such an extended time. But then Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
began to move to fulfill His covenant promises (see
Covenant: Abrahamic versus Mosaic).
May 14, 1948 arrived and the
nation of Israel was re-born within a day despite overwhelming odds against
them! For an riveting documentary on this event, watch
Israel - A Nation Is Born,
which presents this drama from a non-religious, albeit still fascinating
viewpoint in which the Christian can clearly discern God's hand of
direction.
So let's take a brief
overview of how some other writers handle this controversial phrase, "the
Israel of God":
Dr. John MacArthur
comments that...
The
Israel of God refers to Jewish believers in Jesus Christ, to those who
are spiritual as well as physical descendants of Abraham (Galatians 3:7)
and are heirs of promise rather than of law (Ga 3:18). They are the real
Jews, the true Israel of faith, like those referred to in Romans 2:28
(note),
Ro 2:29
(note)
and
Ro 9:6,7 (note).
(MacArthur,
J. Galatians. Chicago: Moody Press
- page 210 or
Logos)
Dr. Charles Ryrie
writes that "Israel of God" represents...
Christian Jews, those
who are both the physical and spiritual seed of Abraham. The church
is not equated with the new Israel of God; rather two groups are
mentioned here--all believing Galatians and especially believing Jews in
that group." (The
Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Translation: 1995. Moody Publishers) (Bolding added)
Dr. Henry Morris
adds that...
The Israel of God
is not a synonym for the church, but refers rather to those Jewish
Christians in the church who were truly resting in the grace and liberty of
Christ, justified by faith in His finished work of redemption--not in
circumcision or any other works of the law. Paul was contrasting them with
the Judaizers, the professing Jewish Christians who were troubling the
Gentile Christians with their insistence on circumcision and Jewish
ritualism in general, even while they themselves could not "keep the law"
(Galatians 6:13) and indeed may well have been manifesting "the works of the
flesh" rather than "the fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:19,
20, 21, 22, 23-see
notes).
(Morris,
Henry: Defenders Study Bible. World Publishing)
The highly respected
conservative, evangelical Bible Knowledge Commentary agrees with
MacArthur, Ryrie and Morris' interpretation of
(Galatians
6:16)
writing that
The
NIV errs in translating it "even to the Israel of God" rather than “and upon
the Israel of God” as in the NASB. While some believe that “Israel of God”
is the church, the evidence does not support such a conclusion. First,
the repetition of the preposition (“upon” or “to”) indicates two groups are
in view. Second, all the 65 other occurrences of the term “Israel” in
the New Testament refer to Jews. It would thus be strange for Paul to use
“Israel” here to mean Gentile Christians. Third, Paul elsewhere
referred to two kinds of Israelites—believing Jews and unbelieving Jews (cf.
Romans 9:6-note).
Lest it be thought that Paul is anti-Semitic, he demonstrated by means of
this benediction his deep love and concern for true Israel, that is, Jews
who had come to Christ.
(Walvoord,
J. F., Zuck, R. B., et al: The Bible Knowledge Commentary. 1985. Victor
- Vol 2 Page 611 or
Logos)
(Bolding
added)
William MacDonald writes that...
Many have taken this (the phrase "the
Israel of God") to mean the church. However, the Israel of God
refers to those Jews by natural birth who accept the Lord Jesus as Messiah.
There was neither peace nor mercy for those who walked under the law, but
both are the portion of those in the new creation. (MacDonald,
W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson or
Logos) (Bolding
added)
The King James Version Study Bible
adds
that...
The verse’s final and seems to
distinguish between Gentile Christians (as many as walk) and Jewish
Christians (the Israel of God). (KJV
Study Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson
or
Logos)
Even older
commentators
such as Matthew Poole (1624–1679) have not seen the "church"
in the phrase "the Israel of God", Poole commenting...
Upon the Israel of God;” upon
the true Israelites, whom he calleth “the Israel of God;”
hereby intimating and confirming the truth of what he had said, Ro 2:28
(note),
Ro 2:29
(note), and what our
Saviour had said of Nathanael, John 1:47, calling him “:an Israelite
indeed,” because in him was “:no guile;” and establishing a distinction
between such as were so really, and those who were only Israelites in name,
because descended from Jacob, to whom God gave the name of Israel. Hereby
also checking the vanity of the Jews, who gloried in the name of Israelites,
and thought there could no water come out of the fountains of Israel which
God would cast away. The apostle doth not promise, or prophesy, mercy and
peace to all Israelites, but only to the Israel of God; that is,
to believers, that received and embraced Jesus Christ offered in the
gospel. (Matthew Poole's Commentary on the New Testament) (Bolding added)
Tom Constable
writes that "the Israel of God"
refers to saved
Jews. It describes a second group in the verse, not the same group. Note the
repetition of “upon” that makes this distinction. Also “Israel”
always refers
to physical Jews everywhere else in the New Testament (65 times).
Furthermore it would be natural for Paul to single out Christian Jews for
special mention since in this epistle he sounded almost anti-Semitic.
Therefore it is better to take this phrase in its regular usage rather than
as a unique designation for the church as a whole, as many
non-dispensationalists do.
“Strong confirmation
of this position [i.e., that “Israel” refers to Jews in the New Testament]
comes from the total absence of an identification of the
church with
Israel until A.D. 160; and also from the total absence, even then, of the
term ‘Israel of God’ to characterize the church.” (Peter Richardson, Israel
in the Apostolic Church, p. 83)
(Quoting Arnold
Fruchtenbaum) “The conclusion is that the church is never called a ‘spiritual
Israel’ or a ‘new Israel.’ The term Israel is either used of the
nation or the people as a whole, or of the believing remnant within. It is
never used of the church in general or of Gentile believers in particular.
In fact, even after the Cross there remains a threefold distinction. First,
there is a distinction between Israel and the Gentiles as in 1Corinthians
10:32 and Ep 2:11, 12-notes.
Second, there is a distinction between Israel and the church in 1Corinthians 10:32. Third, there is a distinction between Jewish believers
(the Israel of God) and Gentile believers in Ro 9:6
(note)
and Galatians 6:16.” (Tom
Constable. Tom Constable's Expository Notes on the Bible)
D H Stern
commenting on Galatians 6:16 writes that...
This controversial
verse, with its expression, unique in the New Testament, “the Israel of
God,” has been misinterpreted as teaching what Replacement theology
(Ed note: see also
What is replacement theology?)
wrongly claims, namely, that the Church is the New Israel which has
replaced
the Jews, the so-called “Old Israel,” who are therefore now no longer God’s
people. But neither this verse nor any other part of the New Testament
teaches this false and anti-Semitic doctrine." (Stern, D. H. Jewish New Testament
Commentary: Clarksville, Md.: Jewish New
Testament Publications)
The NET Bible
addresses the Greek text in Galatians 6:16 with the
following comment...
The word “and”
(kai) can be interpreted in two ways: (1) It could be rendered as “also”
which would indicate that two distinct groups are in view, namely “all who
will behave in accordance with this rule” and “the Israel of God.” Or (2) it
could be rendered “even,” (Ed Note: NIV chooses "even" for
translation) which would indicate that “all who behave in accordance with
this rule” are “the Israel of God.” In other words, in this latter view,
“even” = “that is.” (Biblical
Studies Press. The NET Bible)
Dr. John Walvoord,
one of the most esteemed authors on Bible prophecy, in an article entitled
"Does the Church Fulfill Israel's Program?", writes that...
Appeal is made (by those who do
not accept a Millennium) to the fact that the
Greek preposition kai is sometimes used in an explicative sense and
is equivalent to namely. Or it could be used in an ascensive
sense and
translated even. But the normal meaning of kai
is that of a simple connective as indicated by the translation “and.”...
there is, in fact, no instance of (Paul's) using "Israel"
except of the Jewish nation or a part thereof. These facts favour the
interpretation of the expression as applying not to the Christian community,
but to Jews; yet, in view of "tou theou" ("of the God"), not to the whole
Jewish nation, but to the pious Israel, the
remnant according to the election of grace (Ro 11:5-note), including even those who had
not seen the truth as Paul saw it. In view of the apostle’s previous strong
anti-judaistic expressions, he feels impelled, by the insertion of kai to
emphasize this expression of his true attitude towards his people. It can
scarcely be translated into English without over translating (Ed note:
Young's Literal "over translates it as "peace upon them, and kindness,
and on the Israel of God!"). The burden of proof is on the expositor to
show that the word is used in the sense of “namely” or “even.” Such proof is
completely lacking. It is significant that Arndt and Gingrich avoid listing
Galatians 6:16 in their study of unusual uses of kai. Robertson has
no reference to it in either his Grammar or his Word Pictures. It is also
interesting that commentators who do not have a particular burden to prove
that Israel is the church usually do not comment on the problem. Under the
circumstances the simplest explanation is the best, that is, that what Paul
is saying is that those who walk by the rule of grace as a new creation in
Christ are worthy recipients of His benediction of peace and mercy, but that
from his standpoint this is especially true of the Israel of God,
by which Paul means Israelites who in the church age trust Jesus Christ.
This is a natural and biblical explanation. In any case this verse is not an
explicit statement that the Israel of God equals the church
composed of both Jews and Gentiles. If those who contend for this point of
view had a better verse, they obviously would not use this text. (Walvoord,
John: "Does the Church Fulfill Israel's Program?" in Bibliotheca Sacra:
published by Dallas Theological Seminary. Dallas TX: Volume 137, Issue 547,
1980- online)
William Newell
writes that...
Most of that earthly nation will perish
under Divine judgments, and the Antichrist: but the Remnant will be
“accounted as a generation.” Our Lord told His disciples that this present
unbelieving generation of Israel would not pass away till all the terrible
judgments He foretold would be fulfilled. But that that generation—“Israel
after the flesh” will pass away we know; and a believing generation take
their place. See Ps 22:30-note;
Ps 102:18-note.
Jehovah at last “arises, and has pity on her,—for the set time has come!” So
we read the Psalmist’s words
This shall be written for the generation
to come;
And a people which shall be created shall praise Jehovah.
This is the real Israel of God, of
whom it is written, “All Israel shall be saved.” (Romans
11 - in Romans Verse by Verse)
Marvin Vincent
widely recognized as a Greek scholar adds that...
The kai and
may be simply collective, in which case the Israel of God may be different
from as many as walk, etc., and may mean truly converted Jews. Or the kai
may be explicative, in which case the Israel of God will define and
emphasize as many as, etc., and will mean the whole body of Christians,
Jewish and Gentile. In other words, they who walk according to this rule
form the true Israel of God. The explicative kai is at best doubtful
here, and is rather forced, although clear instances of it may be found in
1Cor 3:5; 1Cor 15:38. It seems better to regard it as simply connective. Then
osoi ("all") will refer to the individual Christians, Jewish
and Gentile, and Israel of God to the same Christians, regarded
collectively, and forming the true messianic community." (Vincent, M:
Vincent's Word Studies)
The Nelson Study
Bible agrees but leaves a slight hint of uncertainty writing that...
The Israel of God
probably refers to the remnant of believing Jews (Ro 11:1, 2, 7-see notes
Ro 11:1;
11:2;
11:7).
They are Abraham’s spiritual descendants (Gal 3:6-9) because they believe in
God and rely on His grace.
(Radmacher,
E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. The Nelson Study Bible: NKJV.
Nashville: Thomas Nelson)
Similarly the
Wycliffe Bible Commentary has a note of uncertainty writing that "the Israel
of God" possibly...
refers to the whole church, in
view of
the and, the more probable reference is to Christian Jews,
such as Paul himself. These are the real Israel, as opposed to those who
merely bear the name (cf. Ro 2:29-note).
(Pfeiffer,
C F: Wycliffe Bible Commentary. 1981. Moody
or
Logos)
The best Commentator
on Scripture is always God Himself. Thus
Jeremiah records Jehovah's testimony...
Behold, days are coming," declares the
LORD, "when I will make a new
covenant
with the house of Israel and with the
house of Judah, not like the
covenant
which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring
them out of the land of Egypt, My
covenant
which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. But
this is the
covenant
which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the
LORD, "I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it;
and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall not
teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know
the LORD,' for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the
greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity,
and their sin I will remember no more. Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun
for light by day, and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by
night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; the
LORD of Hosts is His name:
"If
this fixed order departs from before Me," declares the LORD, "Then
the offspring of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me
forever."
Thus says the LORD, "If the heavens above can be measured,
and the foundations of the earth searched out below, then I will also cast
off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done," declares
the LORD. (Jeremiah
31:31-37) (Bolding added)
Beloved,
Jehovah could not have been much clearer! God is not finished with Israel or
the Jews! So continue to
"Pray for the peace of
Jerusalem"!
