Confusion abounds in our religious culture regarding the doctrine of God’s chosen people.  Does physical Israel today have a place of first importance with God?  Are the Israelites God’s chosen people?  Is there something left in the redemptive plan of God that involves national Israel?  Does Israel still have special entitlements to the land of Palestine?  Will Jesus reign for a thousand years in Jerusalem?  Will the earthly throne of David be restored?  These and other questions are asked today by many sincere religious people. 

 

             We are bombarded constantly with teaching which seeks to convince us that the nation of Israel is still God’s nation.  Some of this teaching has even shaped our foreign policy and the way we do business in America.  Many of our Presidents have believed that God still has a covenant with the nation of Israel.  This is a very important matter—and for greater reasons than political or military ones.  Understanding the nature of God’s promises to Israel, which began with Abraham, is important to understanding our redemption in Jesus Christ.  Abraham and the covenant that God made with him was in one sense the beginning of our redemption covenant through Christ.  We will seek to deal in this lesson with what it means to be “Abraham’s seed” (Gal. 3:29).  Who are the true Israelites today?  What was the nature of God’s covenant with Abraham?  We hope and pray that this message contributes to someone, somewhere coming away with a greater appreciation of what God has accomplished in Christ and why the church is now, and forever will be, the true seed of Abraham—and the true chosen people of God. 

 

            “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God..”  (Rom. 2:28-29)  Paul tells us plainly who the “true Jew” is.  The one who has been “circumcised” in the heart—which is another way of speaking of the obedient believer in Jesus—is the true Jew.  Only in Christ do we find the spiritual blessings promised to Abraham:  “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”  (Gal. 3:26-29).

 

            What has God wanted from man all along? It is simple:  “Love the LORD your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always” (Deut. 11:1, NKJV).  “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts” (Deut. 6:5-6, NKJV).  God has always wanted someone to keep His law perfectly, obey Him and love Him with all of their heart, in a human body as a man.  Christ was the only who could give Him this (Heb. 10:1-10). 

 

            Even in the Old Testament, it was the heart that God was seeking.  After God developed the Jewish nation, being a Jew physically did not insure the loving favor of God.  Through the prophet Isaiah, God made these stern remarks to the people of Israel:  “Unless the LORD of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been made like Gomorrah.  Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; give ear to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah:  ‘To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?’ Says the LORD. ‘I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats.  When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts?  Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies—I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.  Your New Moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them.  When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.  Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.”  (Isa. 1:9-17, NKJV).  It is clear that God looked at Israel differently than Israel looked at herself.  He had not made a covenant with the wicked—not even in Israel. 

 

            The true Jew, in both Testaments, are those of the faith of Abraham.  “Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!’” (John 1:47, NKJV).  What did Jesus mean, “an Israelite indeed”?  The NIV has, “a true Israelite.”  Not every Jew was a “true” Jew.  Jews were the physical descendants of Abraham, but even under the Old Covenant, not all of Israel was Israel (Rom. 9:6-7). 

 

            When John the Baptist saw those who would trust in being a physical descendant of Abraham without changing their hearts coming to his baptism, he instantly rebuked them:  “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father.” For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’”  (Matt. 3:7-10, NKJV).  In light of such language, we may be certain he could just as easily have said, “Don’t even think about trusting in your Jewish heritage to save you.  The fact that you are a physical descendant of Abraham means nothing if you do not repent.”  Even the fleshly Jew had to “bear fruits worthy of repentance” in order to benefit from the covenantal promises. 

 

            Jesus made this distinction between the physical and spiritual descendants of Abraham.  “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.’  They answered and said to Him, ‘Abraham is our father.’  Jesus said to them, ‘If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father.’  Then they said to Him, ‘We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.’  Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.’  Then the Jews answered and said to Him, ‘Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?’  Jesus answered, ‘I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.’ Then the Jews said to Him, ‘Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, “If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.”  Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?’  Jesus answered, ‘If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, I do not know Him, I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.’  Then the Jews said to Him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?’  Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.’  Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.”  (John 8:37-59, NKJV). 

 

            Christ recognized that they were “Abraham’s descendants” (v. 37), and yet, He said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.” (v. 39).  How could they be “Abraham’s descendants” and yet not have Abraham as their father?  The answer, of course, is that they were Abraham’s descendants physically, but not spiritually—and spiritually is all that has ever mattered.  Their father was the devil (John 8:44), so how could anyone believe that God had a covenant of any kind with them—even though they were “Abraham’s descendants”?  God has never had a covenant with the devil’s children!

 

            “But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect.  For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, In Isaac your seed shall be called.  That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.”  (Rom. 9:6-8, NKJV).  Christians are “children of the promise” and therefore are the seed of Abraham. 

 

            “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!  For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:  circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;  concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.  But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.  Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;  that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”  (Phil. 3:2-10, NKJV). 

 

            Paul said, “we are the circumcision.”  (Phil. 3:3).  We are the ones to whom those promises apply.  Of whom is he speaking?  Of those “who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”  Philippians 3 is the fatal blow to the thinking of those who would trust in a physical Jewish heritage.  Paul plainly says that his Jewish lineage had been counted as “loss.”  So when we say that a fleshly Jewish heritage means nothing as far as a relationship with God is concerned, we are only rewording what Paul said.

 

            The name “Israel” was given to Jacob by God after his all-night struggle with the Lord at Peniel near the brook Jabbok (Gen. 32:28; 35:10).  The exact meaning of the word is a bit obscure, but different scholars have interpreted it as “prince of God,” “he strives with God,” “wrestles with God,” “let God rule,” or “God strives.”  Though we may not know the exact interpretation, we get the idea.  The name reflects the God-centered nature of His covenant with the faithful.  This designation was later applied to the descendants of Jacob, who were known as the “house of Israel,” “children of Israel” and the “Israelites.”  Even from the meaning of the name, we should recognize that those who did not “let God rule” or “strive” in their relationship with God were never considered true Israelites. 

 

            The church of Christ is the true Israel of God.  “And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.”  (Gal 6:16).  We may truthfully say that God has replaced physical Israel with a new nation--spiritual Israel.  However, we should also remember that ultimately, “spiritual Israel” is the only group with whom God ever really had a covenant.  The Jews as a whole were rejected because they were not spiritual Israelites. 

 

            Paul could not have said it more plainly:  “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”  (Gal. 3:26-29).  If you are in Christ, you are one of God’s chosen people. 

 

Bryan Dunaway

Grace and Peace Ministries

www.gandpministries.org