Galatians 6:12-16 As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. (13) For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. (14) But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (15) For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. (16) And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.
In this section, we will discuss the second of the two Israel’s. The Israel that we will discuss in this section, the world knows nothing about, and most of the church falls into that same category, i.e. they know little or nothing about the second Israel. This particular truth is extremely ironic because as we will see in this section, it is the church that is the second Israel. In the above-quoted passage of scripture, the apostle Paul introduces us to the second Israel. The context of this passage is that false Jewish “ministers of the gospel” had gone to the Gentile churches in Galatia, and were trying to convince them that unless they were circumcised and kept the Law of Moses, they could not be saved. The message of “salvation” which they proclaimed was that believing that Jesus died on the cross for our sins was not enough, for one also had to become part of the nation of Israel to be saved. In other words, one had to convert to Judaism. These Jewish “ministers” put themselves forward as examples, proclaiming that they also “believed” that Jesus died on the cross for their sins; nevertheless, it was because they were Jews, and therefore part of Israel, that they were saved. And so in response to the false gospel proclaimed by these Jewish “ministers”, Paul warned the Galatian churches not to be deceived; for nothing other than faith in the cross of the Lord Jesus, is required to be saved. Paul then goes on in this passage to teach the church, that in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. So what does that statement mean? The “circumcision” in this passage refers to Jews (Israel after the flesh). The “uncircumcision” in this passage refers to Gentiles. The “new creation” in this passage refers to the spirits of believers that become new creations in Christ Jesus when they are born again (2 Corinthians 5:17). And so Paul teaches us in this passage that neither being a Jew nor being a Gentile means anything in Christ Jesus, but rather it is the born again spirit that matters. Paul goes on in this passage to commend believers who understand this principle and walk according to it, and then Paul introduces us to the second Israel; for he refers to these believers as being “the Israel of God”. And so we see that Paul teaches us that there are two Israel’s, for he refers to the one as the “circumcision” and he refers to the other as “a new creation”. The circumcision in this passage refers to Israel after the flesh, for it is in the flesh that Jews are circumcised. The new creation in this passage refers to the Israel of God, for it is in the spirit that the saints are born again to become new creations in Christ Jesus. And so we see that being part of “Israel after the flesh” has nothing to do with being part of “the Israel of God”; for the qualifications required for being part of the first Israel differs from the qualifications required for being part of the second Israel. One must be circumcised to become part of Israel after the flesh, and one must be born again to become part of the Israel of God, and neither qualification pertains to the other. In other words, being circumcised does not qualify one to be part of the Israel of God, and being born again does not qualify one to be part of Israel after the flesh. Someone will say, but surely Jews (circumcision) can become part of the Israel of God if they become born again. That is indeed correct, and the apostle Paul is a classic example of that exact scenario. Nevertheless, Paul did not gain access to the Israel of God because he was circumcised, but rather because he was born again. And so we see that Jews that are born again fall into a unique category, for they become part of both Israel's, i.e. Israel after the flesh, and the Israel of God.
As an aside, this particular truth tends to become a stumbling block among certain sects in the church. So why do I say that? Compared to Gentile believers, Jewish believers are under a different dispensation of grace; which is why Paul differentiates between the gospel to the circumcised and the gospel to the uncircumcised (Galatians 2:7). So what dispensation of grace am I referring to? Before Jewish believers become partakers of the New Covenant, they are already partakers of the Old Covenant. In other words, they come from a background of already having a covenant relationship with God. And so God gives them grace to continue the practices they have learnt under the Old Covenant; until they mature enough to understand how to walk in the New Covenant. When certain sects of Gentile believers observe Jewish believers practicing the Laws of Moses, they erroneously assume that God allows/requires all believers to observe those same Laws. What those Gentile believers fail to understand, however, is that they come from a background of having no covenant relationship with God, i.e. they were never partakers of the Old Covenant. And so Gentile believers have no need of God’s grace in this area, and none is given. Therefore when Gentile believers attempt to observe the Laws of Moses, they step outside of their dispensation of grace and place themselves under law. Paul warns Gentile believers from going down this path, because it leads to eventual separation from Christ (Galatians 5:4). In other words, Gentile believers who choose to become part of Israel after the flesh (i.e. become circumcised), cut themselves off from being part of the Israel of God. And so we see that, unlike their Jewish brethren; it is impossible for Gentile believers to become part of both Israel's. Someone will say, but does that mean that God favours Jewish believers over Gentile believers? The answer to that question is emphatically no, for God shows personal favouritism to no man (Galatians 2:6). However, explaining this particular concept requires far more detail than the scope that this series allows. I discuss this concept in more detail in my series “The Two Gospels Explained”.
Michael E.B. Maher
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