01.1. The People of God
The People of God 1) From the beginning, God selected one people alone, from all the earth.
Deuteronomy 7:6 Deuteronomy 10:15 Deuteronomy 14:2
Isaiah 41:8-9 2) This people would belong to him forever.
1 Kings 6:13 1 Chronicles 17:9
Isaiah 60:19-21 3) He would cast off, or exile this people for a time, for covenant unfaithfulness.
Deuteronomy 28:63-68 2 Kings 17:20-24 2 Chronicles 36:13-21
Hosea 1:9 4) However, he would then gather them together again, and restore them.
Hosea 1:10-11 5) When he restored them, he would also expand them, forming them anew from every people on earth.
Malachi 1:11 6) The New Testament Church is the continuation of this one people.
[Whether or not one sees a future for ethnic Israel in this passage is beside the point: in any case, there is only one people of God, represented by the one olive tree. Believing Gentiles have been grafted into this one tree, and unbelieving Jews broken off; but when they are grafted back in, it will be the same tree into which the Gentiles were grafted, God’s people, true Israel.]
Galatians 3:7-8 Galatians 3:13-14 Ephesians 2:11-22
Ephesians 3:5-6 7) Hence, New Testament believers are called Jews, Abraham’s seed, etc.
Galatians 3:6-7 Galatians 3:26-29 Galatians 4:21-31
[The Greek conjunction may mean either "and" or "even"/"namely"; hence the context must determine the meaning. If it is taken in the sense of "and," so that "the Israel of God," is a different body from the Church, then Paul is contradicting himself and undermining the whole point he has been making throughout his letter! However, if it means "even," then the clear assertion that those who follow the "rule" of boasting only in the cross are in fact "the Israel of God," becomes a very fitting conclusion, and reiterates all that he has been teaching.]
[Some have said that these Jewish terms are applied to the Church by way of analogy, not identification. However, when Peter goes on to speak of these ethnic "Gentiles" in contrast with the Gentiles, he makes it clear that he actually is intending to refer to them as Jews.]