He Shall Have Dominion

1:16; Eph 2:21). These terms clearly reflect Israel’s covenantal identity.
135
Their descent from Abraham was a source of great Jewish pride and
136
circumcision was the Jew’s distinguishing covenantal mark. Yet the New
Testament applies these images to Christians. Peter designates Christians
as “stones” building up a “spiritual house” (1Pe 2:5–9). But he does more:
he draws upon several Old Testament designations of Israel and applies
them to the church. He calls Christians: “a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, an holy nation” (1Pe 2:9–10; Ex 19:5–6; Dt 7:6). He and Paul
call Christians “a peculiar people” (1Pe 2:10; Tit 2:14), which is a familiar
Old Testament designation for Israel (Ex 19:5; Dt 14:2; 26:18; Ps 135:4).
“The Israel of God.” If Abraham can have Gentiles as his “spiritual
137
seed,” why may we not envision a spiritual Israel? In fact, Paul applies
the name “Israel” to Christians: “And as many as walk according to this
rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God” (Gal
6:16). The “and [kai]” preceding “Israel of God,” is probably epexegetical,
so that we should translate the passage: “mercy upon them, that is, upon
the Israel of God.” Dispensationalists see Galatians 6:16 applying to
Jewish converts to Christ, “who would not oppose the apostle’s glorious
138
message of salvation.” But such is surely not the case, for the following
139
reasons.
Galatians’ entire context opposes any claim to a special Jewish status
or distinction: “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There
is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither
135. We read often of “the God of Abraham” (Ge 28:13; 31:42, 53; Ex 3:6,
15–16; 4:5; 1Ki 18:36; 1Ch 29:18; 2Ch 30:6; Ps 47:9; Mt 22:32; Mk 12:36; Lk 20:37;
Ac 3:13; 7:32). The Jews expected blessings in terms of their Abrahamic descent
(Mt 3:9; 8:11; Lk 3:8; 13:16, 28; 16:23–30; 19:9; Jn 8:39, 53; Ro 11:1; 2Co 11:22).
136. Circumcision is the special sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and Israel
(Ge 17:10, 13). Circumcision appears eighty-six times in the Scriptures; we read
of the uncircumcised sixty-one times. Tertullian calls circumcision “their well-
a
known bodily sign” (Tertullian, Apol. 21). In b. Sanh. 39 a rabbi calls upon the
Emperor Julian the Apostate (361–63) to be circumcised and “become like us” to
effect unity.
137. NSRB, 1223 (at Ro 9:6).
138. NSRB, 1223. See also: Ryrie, Dispensationalism, 128; Pentecost, Things to
Come, 89; Donald K. Campbell, “Galatians,” Bible Knowledge Commentary, 1:611.
139. For a helpful study of this passage, see: Robertson, The Israel of God, 38
–46. See also: Sanders, Paul, the Law, and the Jewish People, 174ff. DBI, 430–31.