Who is “The Israel of God” in Galatians 6:16?
- Ron Cantor
- Jun 23
- 10 min read
Note: At the end of today’s article, there are a couple of KEY news updates and opinion pieces from the war.
There is suddenly a bit of interest in whether or not modern-day Israel is a fulfillment of prophecy. Many of those who embrace Fulfillment Theology, which is a hybrid of Replacement Theology, are making their case online. Over the next several days, I will be writing different responses, addressing what I believe to be a dangerous and false theology aimed at eroding support for Israel. As I have written elsewhere, I do not believe in blind support for any country. We should never support evil. But we should recognize God’s faithfulness to his covenant with Israel and understand there is a biblical mandate for Christians to be watchmen on Jerusalem’s walls (Is. 62:6–7).
I noticed yesterday that the term “Israel of God” was trending online. This is an effort to fool people into thinking that the God of the Bible is not interested in the nation of Israel and that the Church is the new and true Israel, and God has turned his back on his ancient people in favor of his new people. It refers to a reference in Galatians 6:16
“And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.”
However, there is no way that Paul was saying in this verse that “the Israel of God,” is the Church, which has replaced the nation of Israel. Consider this...
1. This is the only time this phrase is ever used in the New Testament. Thus, it would not be wise to build a doctrine around it without support from other passages. Furthermore, the Greek word “Israēl” appears 72 other times in the New Testament, and it always refers to ethnic, national Israel (i.e., the Jewish people or nation of Israel).
2. Galatian scholar Timothy George says the phrase “has baffled Pauline scholars considerably.” (Galatians, vol. 30, The New American Commentary, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, 439). If it confuses Pauline scholars, who give their lives to understanding Paul, it is unlikely that a quick reading in English will render the correct interpretation.
3. Notice there are two groups of people in this verse: “all who walked by this rule,” and “the Israel of God.” They are separated by the Greek word “kai,” which means “and” or “also.” It can mean “even,” but only to emphasize something (i.e. It’s so easy, “even” a child could solve it). In this verse, Paul is speaking about two different entities. If “all who walk by this rule,” and “the Israel of God,” are the same entity, it would be like saying I love to visit Holland and the Netherlands. (Holland is the Netherlands.)
4. It would be quite strange for Paul to throw in such a consequential theological idea—“equat[ing] gentile believers with the people of Israel” here at the end of a letter, and not use “this potent expression … in his magisterial exposition on the role of Israel in salvation history in Rom 9–11” (George). W. D. Davies, the renowned Duke professor and scholar, agrees that, “If this proposal [that the Church is Israel] were correct, one would have expected to find support for it in Rom 9–11, where Paul extensively deals with ‘Israel’” (Paul and the People of Israel, NTS, 1977, 10–11, no. 2). In Romans 9–11, he uses the word Israel 11 times and roughly two dozen times uses pronouns (their, them) to refer to Israel, and it always means the nation and people of Israel—never the Church.
5. The New Testament never claims that the Church is the new Israel. That is a later construct, first declared in Justin Martyr’s apologetic (Dialogue with Trypho, ch. 11), written in the latter half of the second century: “For the true spiritual Israel, and descendants of Judah, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham are we who have been led to God through this crucified Christ.” Paul never teaches this.
6. The phraseology “peace, and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God,” alludes to one of the most famous Jewish prayers, the Amidah, chanted three times a day. Remember, Paul was a learned Rabbi. These prayers and blessings were deeply embedded in him. They honored the God of Israel and pointed to the Messianic kingdom. He still is a Jew after salvation (Rom 11:1). He did not give up his Jewishness when he became a believer in the Jewish Messiah (See Acts 21:20-25). The Amidah reads, “Grant shalom, goodness and blessing, grace and kindness and mercy upon us and upon all Israel, your people.” Messianic scholar, David H Stern, says that both Messianic Jews, the Judaizers, who were deceiving the Galatians, and many of the Galatians themselves (as God-fearing Gentiles, who attended synagogue) would have recognized the similar wording.
There are Two Primary Views
1. Church as “Spiritual Israel” View:
• Paul is blessing all believers—Jews and Gentiles alike—who are the true, spiritual Israel.
• Suggests a typological or spiritual continuation, where the Church inherits Israel's role.
This view is supported by Anglican theologian N. T. Wright, “Paul is redefining Israel (emphasis mine) around the Messiah. ‘The Israel of God’ includes those who belong to the Messiah—Jew and Gentile alike. He is not replacing Israel with the Church; he is saying that the faithful remnant has now been reconstituted in the Messiah.” (Paul and the Faithfulness of God, 2013, Vol. II, p. 815)
Three Problems with Wright’s View
1) There is no need to redefine Israel. Israel was already defined as having a physical and spiritual application. In God’s first words to Abraham, he tells him that he would be the father of one nation, and a blessing to all the other nations (Gen 12:2-3). That one nation, Israel, birthed the Messiah, who was a blessing to the whole world. If Israel is redefined, then there is no need for Romans 11, which speaks about Israel’s role in the End Times.
2) It makes the God of the Old Testament unfaithful, who has already stated that even Israel’s disobedience could not remove their calling (Jer 31:36, Rom 3:1-4, 11:29). God cannot lie, and God cannot change. He has made promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he called eternal, everlasting, and forever and ever (olam, l’olam, and min olam v’ad olam).
3) As stated above, it is inconceivable that Paul would suddenly use the word Israel in a completely new light at the end of an epistle. These sections are rich in relational warmth, final exhortations, and personal notes and often reflect Paul’s heart as a shepherd and his awareness of the wider Church network. It would be the middle sections, like Romans 9–11 or Ephesians 2-4, where doctrine is developed.
2. Ethnic/National Israel View:
• Paul uses “Israel of God” to refer to Jewish believers in Jesus, distinct from Gentile believers.
• The “them” = Gentile believers who walk by the rule of the new creation, and “Israel of God” = Messianic Jews.
• This maintains the ethnic distinction of Israel throughout Scripture.
This view is embraced by reformed scholar Douglas J. Moo. “It is best to take ‘the Israel of God’ as referring to believing Jews, the Jewish Christian remnant... Paul likely distinguishes between two groups in the benediction: the Gentile believers (‘those who walk by this rule’) and the Jewish believers (‘the Israel of God’).” (Galatians, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. 2013, p. 406)
F. F. Bruce agrees: “Paul’s wording seems to favor the interpretation that ‘the Israel of God’ refers to that part of Israel which is faithful, in other words, the Jewish believers. It is most natural to understand the second clause as an addition to the first, not a restatement of it.” (The Epistle to the Galatians: A Commentary, NIGTC, 1982, p. 274)
S. Lewis Johnson Jr. from Dallas Theological Seminary writes “The context suggests that ‘the Israel of God’ refers to elect Israelites, that is, Jewish believers in the Christian Church. There is no convincing reason to identify this group with all believers (Jew and Gentile)...” (Bibliotheca Sacra 129, 1972: 222–23)
Reknown scholar Craig S. Keener also sees it as referring to Messianic Jews. “The phrase ‘Israel of God’ likely points to Jewish Christians as distinct from the Gentile believers already mentioned. Paul consistently uses ‘Israel’ to refer to ethnic Israel, unless clearly redefined—which is not done here.” (The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, 1993, on Galatians 6:16)
These scholars argue that Paul is making a distinction, not a redefinition:
• “Those who follow this rule” = Gentile believers walking by the Spirit (Gal. 6:15)
• “The Israel of God” = Jewish believers in Messiah, the faithful remnant within ethnic Israel
This, in my opinion, is a more plausible view. Paul has frequently spoken about the Jewish believers in Israel in his letters to predominantly Gentile churches (see Rom 15:25–17, 1 Cor 16:1–3). After Paul meets with Peter, James, and John in Jerusalem, they all agree on the importance of Paul collecting funds for the Jewish believers there. “Paul and Barnabas were [by Peter, James, and John] asked to remember ‘the poor,’ a shorthand expression for “the poor among the saints in Jerusalem (Rom 15:26)” (George, 165). Paul has an expectation that because the gospel came from Israel, there would be gratitude towards the Jewish believers from the Gentile believers. This has nothing to do with favoritism or superiority, but simply appreciativeness. And as we know from Church history, the opposite took place.
While Paul thought that believers had equal standing before God, and that God does not show favoritism (Rom 2:11, Gal 3:26-28), he also teaches that Israel has a unique role (Rom 3:1–4, 11:29). Acts 15 is very clear that while the Jewish believers did continue to walk according to the Torah (not as a means of salvation, but obedience) that Gentile believers were not expected to embrace the liturgical commands, only the moral ones and to avoid pagan worship practices like drinking blood or engaging in sex acts with temple prostitutes. Therefore, considering all this—it seems that Paul was including the Gentile believers in this benediction inspired by the Amidah, saying this is for you—the Gentile believers and the Messianic Jews.
Another reason to embrace this view is seeing how the enemies of Israel and the Jewish people have weaponized this verse as a proof text, erroneous, as it is, that God no longer sees Israel as his own. When the Church does not recognize the unique calling on Israel (Rom 11:29), it is not long before they begin to persecute the Jewish people.
At the Council of Nicaea, the bishops officially changed the date on which the resurrection would be celebrated from Passover to Easter. This change was rooted in disdain for Jewishness. Emperor Constantine, who convened the Council, wrote: "It appeared an unworthy thing that in the celebration of this most holy feast we should follow the practice of the Jews... let us have nothing in common with the detestable Jewish crowd..." This was the beginning of a long campaign of the Church against the Jewish people. When the Church forgets or rejects the continuing significance of Israel in God’s redemptive plan, it often opens the door to theological arrogance and antisemitic attitudes.
Replacement Theology (the idea that the Church replaces Israel in God’s plan) has often contributed to Christian antisemitism, especially in the writings of Church Fathers (e.g., John Chrysostom, Justin Martyr, Jerome) and later in medieval and Reformation Europe. Failure to recognize a continuing role for the Jewish people has fueled supersessionism (Replacement Theology), which devalues Judaism and has justified marginalization, forced conversions, ghettos, expulsions, and even the mass killing of Jews.
This theology has been the cause of tens of thousands of Jewish deaths. One could say it was a root cause of the gassing of six million Jews in Nazi Germany, as Hitler used to say that he was only finishing what the Church had started. Bad theology, in this case, can lead to horrible antisemitism and senseless deaths. Please be careful with your Bible.
Notorious Evin Prison Gates Bombed
Israel bombed Evin Prison with the goal of freeing the “prisoners.” The prison functions as the main facility for detaining political prisoners, journalists, academics, human rights advocates, dual nationals, and foreign citizens charged with espionage or spreading propaganda.
This is why it is so strange that Bernie Sanders, AOC and other left-wing activist like Greta Thunberg, are against Israel’s actions against Iran. Iran has one of the most horrible human rights track record. There are LGBTQ+ individuals in Evin Prison, and numerous human rights reports confirm their detention and harsh treatment. Do they not think they should be free? Then support Israel and the US in defeating the wicked regime.
Breaking: The Iranian judiciary said in a statement that the situation at the notorious Evin Prison is “under control” and “denied rumours of unrest” as “baseless.” This can only mean that things are “out of control,” there is massive “unrest,” and the “reports are factual.” Pray that political prisoners are able to escape quickly.
Talk about Genocide! Iran has (had) a “Destruction of Israel” Clock
Yesterday, the Iranian foreign minister claimed the attack from the US was against the “peaceful” Iranian regime. Did you know that they have a genocidal “Destruction of Israel” clock in Tehran Square that is counting down until Israel’s annihilation? I’m told it’s for peaceful means.😉 I should say was. Reports are that Israeli jets just destroyed it.
What If?
Imagine it’s 1938. US President Roosevelt realizes that Europe does not have the will to take out Hitler. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain has just signed the Munich Pact, where he, with the leaders of France and Italy, allowed Germany/Hitler to annex part of western Czechoslovakia. Chamberlain utters some of the most misguided words in history.
“My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honour. I believe it is peace for our time.”
Roosevelt authorizes a secret mission to assassinate Hitler and top Nazi leaders. The CIA and US Armed Forces carry it out with precision. Hitler is dead. The Holocaust never happens. The Nazis never take Poland, Holland, France, etc. Millions of lives are saved. 26.6 million citizens of the Soviet Union are not killed.
And the far left in America collectively screams outrage for hurting the antisemitic regime, expressing concern for the innocent people of Germany, even though the target was the Nazi regime that was about to take Germany into the abyss.
The far right isolationists in America protest, “It’s not our war,” not comprehending the danger that Hitler was and would be.
Since the Iranian regime stole Iran from the people of Iran in 1979, they have offered nothing good to the world.
👉They’ve started wars.
👉They have created many terrorist groups.
👉They funded Oct. 7
👉They have maimed and killed American soldiers.
👉 They have called for genocide in Israel
While the left is worried about Iranians, the real Iranians themselves are cheering on the attacks against the regime (by all metrics).
The Washington Post reported Iranians felt “relief or even joy” at the death of senior officials; one exclaimed, “I have not been this happy in ten years” and “We have no fear… even if there’s a war… it’s better than our situation under this government.
The far right doesn’t understand how small the world has become, and doesn’t see that it is our fight. As much as the Iranian regime chants death to Israel, it chants death to America.
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