Along with justification, Paul has also proclaimed a second key truth throughout his letter. The fact that all those who believe in Jesus are part of God’s people. As he says in Galatians 6:16, peace and mercy to all those who follow this rule, to all those who boast in Christ and not in circumcision, so to speak, and to the Israel of God.

God’s church is catholic. It must be a place where all believers are welcome. Even though we will be limited and divided by language, we must do what we can to overcome such challenges, and we must definitely not divide according to ethnicity, gender, or socio-economic circumstances.

Where the catholicity of God’s church has been affirmed, Paul’s parting words help us to define the term Israel of God. Yes, God has promised that there will be converts from amongst the Jewish people. But the Jewish people as a whole are not the people of God. Some of them may be able to trace their lineage back to Abraham. They may even claim to know and follow the Old Testament, but they reject the fact that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ. They are unwilling to submit to what the Old Testament teaches about the Messiah. Unwilling to let go of the old covenant for the new.

Practically, that means we are not obligated to support the modern nation state of Israel. They do not have a special status in the sight of God as opposed to their neighbours, and we do not advance the coming of Christ by making sure that they prosper and grow. Our future, the world’s future, is not tied to the politics of the Middle East. The Israel of God is the church of Jesus Christ, not the modern-day nation-state.