The Believers in Christ are the Real Israel of God and the Many Sons of God

The church of God is composed of the many genuine believers in Christ and has many aspects. One aspect of the church is being the Israel of God (Gal. 6:15-16). Maybe for us today this may not mean much, but for the Apostle Paul – who was born a Jew – this means a lot.

We are Gentiles, eating all kinds of clean animals, not being born in God’s chosen people Israel, but we have been chosen and redeemed to be the Israel of God.

In the Old Testament, God has a definite people with a definite way of being initiated into God’s people and with definite dietary regulations, and God’s presence with His promises were exclusive with this people.

But now, in the New Testament, Paul says that God has a new people, the real Israel of God, who are composed of all the believers in Christ. To the real Israel of God circumcision or uncircumcision mean nothing – what matters is a new creation. What matters to us as believers in Christ and the Israel of God is God being wrought into us to make us His new creation, the church!

On the one hand, therefore, we are sons of God, and on the other hand, we are the Israel of God. Hallelujah for Paul’s completing ministry which shows us that the church today is the Israel of God composed of the many sons of God!

The Church is the Real Israel of God

If you read the Old Testament you will be very inspired and will desire to be part of God’s people, who had God’s presence and God’s blessing.

But in the New Testament we see that the people of Israel rejected the Lord Jesus, persecuted Him, killed Him, and even brought a curse on themselves by doing this (Matt. 27:25).

Therefore, God has temporarily set them aside as His people (see Rom. 11:11-16), and He has turned to a spiritual people composed of the believers in Christ, those who receive God into them as their life inwardly, making them the real Israel of God in this age.

Today, the Israel of God is the real Israel including all the Gentile and Jewish believers in Christ, who are the true sons of Abraham and the household of the faith (see Rom. 9:6b; 2:28-29; Phil. 3:3; Gal. 6:15-16, 10; 3:7, 29). We, those who believe into Christ and are organically joined to Him, are now the real Israel of God, the real sons of Abraham, according to the spirit.

What a revelation to see what Paul said in Gal. 6:8, 16, the fact that all the believers in Christ are collectively the Israel of God!

So today, in His New Testament economy, we have been made both sons of God and the Israel of God! Our destiny is so glorious: we are destined to be sons of God expressing Him with His life and nature, and we are destined to be kings of God reigning in the kingdom of God for His dominion (see Gal. 3:26; 6:16; Rev. 21:7; 22:5b; 12:5a).

This is not because of our merit or because we are better in any way, but simply because we are a new creation – this is what matters! We are not Israel outwardly, but we are the real Israel inwardly, caring for God, the things of God, and the people of God.

The Sons of God and the Israel of God

When we believed in the Lord Jesus, we received the divine life, and we became sons of God, children of God, having His life, His nature, His Spirit, His image, and His likeness (John 1:12-13; 3:6).

We are now sons of God, members of God’s family, brothers and sisters together with all the believers in Christ who love the Lord and call on His name in every place (see 1 Cor. 1:1-2).

As sons of God, we need to walk by the Spirit so that we would no longer fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Gal. 5:16). This means that we need to have a general daily walk by the Spirit, having a common, habitual walk in our daily life in fellowship with the Lord and by the Spirit.

On the other hand, we are the Israel of God, of which Paul says that “walk by this rule” (Gal. 5:16). This means that there’s another kind of walk by the Spirit, which is more regulated, spoken of in Gal. 5:25. In order for us to be the Israel of God in reality, we need to have

“takes God’s unique goal as the direction and purpose of life, and a walk that follows the Spirit as the elementary rule, the basic principle. Such a walk is cultivated by living in the new creation (6:16 and note 2), by pursuing Christ in order to gain Him (Phil. 3:12 and notes), and by practicing the church life (Rom. 12:1-5; Eph. 4:1-16), thus fulfilling God’s intention in Christ for the church.” (footnote 2 in Gal. 5:25, Recovery Version)

We need to have both kinds of walk in the church life today, both walking by the Spirit daily and generally, always seeking to touch the Lord and be filled in Spirit (to be the sons of God in reality), and walking more specifically by the new creation, not doing things by ourselves but turning to God and pursuing to know Christ and gain Him, and practising the church life in a proper way.

Hallelujah, we are sons of God, part of the divine family of God! Praise the Lord, we are the Israel of God, part of God’s royal family, reigning with God in the kingdom of God as kings!

The Recovery of the Israel of God

If we look at our own situation today and at the general situation in Christianity, we will realize that at the most our seeking and pursuit is to be sons of God in reality. Do we live in a kingly way? Do we walk in an orderly way by the Spirit, being regulated by the Spirit to live the church life for God’s kingdom to come in?

The Lord needs to recover the Israel of God in reality today, those who are not only sons of God living and walking by the Spirit in a general way, but those who have a kingly walk expressing God and representing Him.

The first one to walk this way was Jacob, the supplanter who was transformed and touched by God until he limped and trusted in God in his walk…if Jacob could make it, so can we! We need to aspire to this, being stirred up within to live in a kingly way to be the real Israel of God on earth today.

The Lord needs to recover the real Israel of God in all the local churches today, so that there may be a people who bear God’s kingship, representing God with His authority and executing His governmental administration.

May we be those who not only walk daily by the Spirit to have the fruits of the Spirit (Christ expressed in us and through us as love, joy, peace, meekness, and long-suffering, see Gal. 5:22-23) but who also walk in a more regulated way, caring for the church life today as God’s kingdom and representing God with His authority to be the real Israel of God. It will help us to pray,

Lord, thank You for making us Your sons and Your people. We are the real Israel of God today according to the spirit. Lord, cause us to live and walk in a kingly way so that we may be qualified to be part of today’s Israel of God. May we have not only the general, daily, common walk by the Spirit bearing the fruit of the Spirit for Christ to be expressed. Lord, recover the Israel of God in all the local churches on earth today!

References and Further Reading

• Inspiration: Bro. Andrew Yu’s sharing and portions in, Life-study of Galatians (msgs. 30, 34, 36-37, 43), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, “The Completing Ministry of Paul“, week 5 entitled, Five Aspects of the Church.
• Further reading: recommending the footnotes in Gal. 5:25 (note 2 on, Walk by the Spirit), Gal. 6:16 notes 2 and 4 (Rule, and, Israel of God), and Gal. 6:15 note 1 on, a new creation is what matters.
• Hymns on this topic:
  # Living, acting, having our being according / To the spirit, / Peripateo and Stoicheo / There are two kinds of walk.
  # Now on the earth the church we see, / God’s kingdom here expressed, / Where He has full authority / His rule to manifest. / The place where Satan has to flee / Our mighty conquering rod, / The kingdom through the church will be / Brought to the earth for God.
  # God’s goal is the divine sonship / For His corporate expression / As the household of the faith, / The new creation, and the Israel of God; / As the household of the faith.