Israel According to the Flesh

by Terry Wane Benton

Romans 9 shows that there are two “Israels” under consideration before God, and that God has a right to reject anyone who does not meet His predetermined terms of acceptance. “They are not all Israel who are of Israel” (Romans 9:6).

You can be of fleshly descent in physical Israel and still not be of the true Israel of God. In other words, you cannot claim physical lineage to Abraham as your qualifying credentials for being children of Abraham because God links the faith of Abraham as more important than physical lineage (Romans 9:7). Ishmael could claim physical lineage to Abraham, but physical lineage does not qualify them to claim Abraham as their father. Jesus told the Pharisees that they were more related to the devil than to Abraham (John 8 ). God chose Isaac over Ishmael to carry the lineage to the Messiah, but also chose that rejection of the Messiah by anyone would not qualify one to have God’s favor. Children of the flesh “are not the children of God” (Romans 9:8).

God chose to call people of both Jews and Gentiles (Romans 9:24). Thus, being a physical Jew did not make one a child of God (Romans 9:8). He called to hearts by the gospel and from the power of the gospel gathered the real children, true Israel, from among Jews and Gentiles (Romans 9:24). Gentiles “have attained to righteousness” (Romans 9:30). Believers in Jesus from among Jews and Gentiles are the true Israel of God. In other words, the church of Christ is the true Israel of God. The “church” is the called out.

Any Jew who refuses to hear the call of the gospel of Christ is of their father, the devil (John 8), and any Gentile who refuses to hear the call of the gospel of Christ remains under condemnation. There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1), and these are the spiritually called, justified, and sanctified.

Are you in the true Israel of God?