Turning the page…
Turning the page…
Glory · The Church
God chose Israel as His people through Abraham's covenant, and that choice was never revoked. But Scripture also reveals a mystery hidden for ages: that Gentiles in Christ are grafted into the same olive tree, becoming fellow members with Israel of one body. The church is not a replacement for Israel; it is the fullness of what Israel was always called to be, a people from every nation joined to the God of Abraham by faith in Jesus.
https://glorystudy.com/questions/who-are-gods-chosen-people · Scripture quoted from the World English Bible
Exodus 19:3-8
As you read: God calls Israel 'a people for his own possession' and sets them apart as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
3Moses went up to God, and Yahweh called to him out of the mountain, saying, “This is what you shall tell the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel:
4‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to myself.
5Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all the earth is mine;
6and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
7Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which Yahweh commanded him.
8All the people answered together, and said, “All that Yahweh has spoken we will do.” Moses reported the words of the people to Yahweh.
Deuteronomy 7:6-11
As you read: God chose Israel not because they were the greatest, but because of His oath to Abraham and His love.
6For you are a holy people to Yahweh your God. Yahweh your God has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples who are on the face of the earth.
7Yahweh didn’t set his love on you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people; for you were the fewest of all peoples:
8but because Yahweh loves you, and because he desires to keep the oath which he swore to your fathers, Yahweh has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
9Know therefore that Yahweh your God himself is God, the faithful God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness with them who love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations,
10and repays those who hate him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack to him who hates him. He will repay him to his face.
11You shall therefore keep the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances, which I command you this day, to do them.
Ephesians 2:11-22
As you read: Gentiles who were separate from Christ are now made near, one new man, the barrier between them broken.
11Therefore remember that once you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “uncircumcision” by that which is called “circumcision”, (in the flesh, made by hands);
12that you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near in the blood of Christ.
14For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition,
15having abolished in the flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace;
16and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the hostility thereby.
17He came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near.
18For through him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.
19So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God,
20being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone;
21in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord;
22in whom you also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.
Ephesians 3:1-12
As you read: The mystery hidden for ages: that Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body.
1For this cause I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles,
2if it is so that you have heard of the administration of that grace of God which was given me toward you;
3how that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before in few words,
4by which, when you read, you can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ;
5which in other generations was not made known to the children of men, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;
6that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of his promise in Christ Jesus through the Good News,
7of which I was made a servant, according to the gift of that grace of God which was given me according to the working of his power.
8To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
9and to make all men see what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ;
10to the intent that now through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places,
11according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord;
12in whom we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in him.
Romans 11:17-24
As you read: Wild olive branches grafted into Israel's tree; God has not cast away His people.
17But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them, and became partaker with them of the root and of the richness of the olive tree;
18don’t boast over the branches. But if you boast, it is not you who support the root, but the root supports you.
19You will say then, “Branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.”
20True; by their unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by your faith. Don’t be conceited, but fear;
21for if God didn’t spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.
22See then the goodness and severity of God. Toward those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in his goodness; otherwise you also will be cut off.
23They also, if they don’t continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.
24For if you were cut out of that which is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree, how much more will these, which are the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
At Sinai, God called Israel 'a people for his own possession, above all peoples who are on the face of the earth.' He chose them not because they were the greatest, but because of His love and His oath to Abraham. Israel was set apart to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, a light to the world that reflected the character of their God.
“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.””Exodus 19:5-6
“For you are a holy people to Yahweh your God. Yahweh your God has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples who are on the face of the earth. Yahweh didn’t set his love on you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people; for you were the fewest of all peoples: but because Yahweh loves you, and because he desires to keep the oath which he swore to your fathers, Yahweh has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”Deuteronomy 7:6-8
Even in the Old Testament, God hinted that His chosen people would one day include the nations. He told Israel, 'I will move them to jealousy with those who are not a people. I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.' Hosea prophesied that those who were 'not my people' would be called 'sons of the living God.' The expansion was always part of the plan.
“They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God. They have provoked me to anger with their vanities. I will move them to jealousy with those who are not a people. I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.”Deuteronomy 32:21
“Yet the number of the children of Israel will be as the sand of the sea, which can’t be measured nor numbered; and it will come to pass that, in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”Hosea 1:10
“I will sow her to me in the earth; and I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; and I will tell those who were not my people, ‘You are my people;’ and they will say, ‘My God!’””Hosea 2:23
“yes, he says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give you for a light to the nations, that you may be my salvation to the end of the earth.””Isaiah 49:6
Paul calls this the mystery that was hidden for ages and generations but now revealed: that Gentiles in Christ are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise. This was not a change of plan; it was the unveiling of what was always intended. The door that was opened to Israel through Abraham is now open to all who come by faith.
“by which, when you read, you can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ; which in other generations was not made known to the children of men, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of his promise in Christ Jesus through the Good News,”Ephesians 3:4-6
“the mystery which has been hidden for ages and generations. But now it has been revealed to his saints, to whom God was pleased to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory;”Colossians 1:26-27
Paul writes that Gentiles were once separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise. But now in Christ Jesus, those who were far off have been made near by His blood. He Himself is our peace, who made both one and broke down the barrier that divided them, creating one new people from the two.
“that you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near in the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition,”Ephesians 2:12-14
“having abolished in the flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace;”Ephesians 2:15
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”Galatians 3:28
Paul's olive tree metaphor makes it clear: wild olive branches (Gentiles) are grafted into the good olive tree (Israel), becoming partakers of the root and its richness. But he warns Gentiles not to boast over the natural branches, for it is not you who support the root, but the root supports you. God has not cast away His people. The church is one tree, one people, built on Israel's covenants and promises.
“But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them, and became partaker with them of the root and of the richness of the olive tree; don’t boast over the branches. But if you boast, it is not you who support the root, but the root supports you.”Romans 11:17-18
“For if you were cut out of that which is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree, how much more will these, which are the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? For I don’t desire you to be ignorant, brothers, of this mystery, so that you won’t be wise in your own conceits, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in,”Romans 11:24-25