Journal: Journal of the Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies
Volume: JIRBS 05:1 (NA 2018)
Article: An Exegetical, Contextual, and Biblical Examination of “The Israel of God” in Galatians 6:16
Author: Benjamin Carlson

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An Exegetical, Contextual, and Biblical Examination of “The Israel of God” in Galatians 6:16

Benjamin Carlson*

* Benjamin Carlson, M.Div., Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary, is Pastor of Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Owensboro, KY.

Does the apostle Paul give the church the special designation “the Israel of God” in Galatians 6:16? I contend that Paul wants us to understand “the Israel of God” as referring to the church of Jesus Christ. This is what I will set out to prove in the pages below. How will I begin to tackle all the complex issues involved in this verse? I will do so exegetically by looking at the verse itself, contextually by walking through the Galatian epistle, and biblically by examining both the Old Testament background and New Testament support for it.

The Contemporary Issue

After beginning his letter to the Galatians with a curse upon all those who believe in a false gospel (Gal. 1:8–9), the apostle Paul ends his letter with a profound blessing upon all those who hold to the true one: “And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and [καὶ] upon the Israel of God” (Gal. 6:16 ESV). But who are they? Who are the recipients of God’s salvific blessings? And specifically, who is “the Israel of God”? This phrase has historically been understood to refer to the church of Jesus Christ, both Jews and Gentiles who have been justified by faith alone in Christ’s redeeming work and who have been united together in Christ’s church. The “Israel of God,” then, has been understood not as a physical nation but as a spiritual community made up of those who possess the same saving faith as Abraham. But there are always those who see things differently. Some contemporary scholars assert that “the Israel of God” is not the church but is the ethnic nation of Israel, either

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presently or eventually redeemed. A vast majority of these scholars are classical or revised dispensationalists. One of the hallmarks of their theology is that the church of Jesus Christ must always be kept separate from the Old Testament people of God. Anthony Hoekema comments:

. . . one of the determinative principles of dispensational theology is that there is a fundamental and abiding distinction between Israel and the church. Dispensationalists say: Israel and the church must always be kept separate. When the Bible talks about Israel it does not mean the church, and when the Bible talks about the church it does not mean Israel.You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
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