Jesus Had Harsh Words for the Jewish Leadership of His Day, But Who Was He Speaking to?
What Did Jesus Accomplish with His Coming?
Christ Our Peace
14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.
As Paul Says in Ephesians
The verse that refers to “the Israel of God,” often interpreted as describing believers (Christians) as the true or spiritual Israel, is Galatians 6:16.In the New International Version (NIV), it reads: “Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God.”
This comes at the end of Paul’s letter to the Galatians, where he emphasizes that what matters is a “new creation” in Christ rather than circumcision or ethnic descent, and he extends blessings to those who live by this principle, identifying them as “the Israel of God.”
Other passages like Romans 9:6 (“not all who are descended from Israel are Israel”) and Galatians 3:29 (“If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise”) are related and support the idea of a spiritual Israel consisting of faithful believers.