I’ve been told by many Christians that ‘the law’ is for Israel only (ancient Israel in scripture and modern day Jews), and not for themselves as Gentile believers. Sounds good, right? But what does scripture say about it?
Yeshua (Jesus) says this to us, for all to see, in Matthew 15:24
“But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Hmmm…..
Really? Jesus said that? Yes, He did.
The same Christians I mentioned above also claim that the law does not apply to them because they are in the New Covenant.
Well, once again, let’s see what scripture has to say about it.
In prophecy, Jeremiah tells us this about the coming New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:31
“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— “
And Hebrews 8:8 also speaks of the New Covenant:
“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—“
No gentiles are mentioned. If you are in the New Covenant, then you are of Israel (Judah and Israel will be restored as one).
Still don’t believe me? We are also told this in Galatians 3:26-29
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Are we starting to see a theme here?
The New Covenant is with the house of Judah and the house of Israel.
Yeshua (Jesus) came ONLY for the lost sheep of Israel.
If we are Christ’s then we are Abraham’s seed.
Moving on to End Times, Revelation tells us about the city of New Jerusalem, which will come to earth from heaven. The city has twelve gates of entry, each guarded by an angel. The twelve gates are named after the twelve tribes of Israel. There is no thirteenth gate for the Gentiles. In fact, Gentiles are not even mentioned.
Revelation 3:12
He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.
Revelation 21:2-3
Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
Revelation 21:12-13
Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:13 three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.
Who will have the authority to enter into the city? We are told in Revelation 21:27
27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
And who might that be?
Revelation 22:14
14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
Whoa… Could somebody please explain this better???
Nope, no need for that, because scripture already has explained it.
Check out Romans 11:11-36
11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. 12 Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!
13 For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them. 15 For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
16 For if the first fruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, 18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.
19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” 20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
“The Deliverer will come out of Zion,
And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
27 For this is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.”
28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has become His counselor?”
35 “Or who has first given to Him
And it shall be repaid to him?”
36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
Not only does Romans 11 tell us that Gentiles are grafted into Israel, but it also clears up the misconception of “Once-Saved-Always-Saved”. We are told in verses 19-24 that the natural Israelites were broken off due to unbelief, but they may be grafted in again with a change of heart.
Gentiles, while now grafted in, may be broken off, if they change their ways.
Verse 22 contrasts the severity and goodness of God. Severity for those who do not walk in His ways, goodness for those who do.
Receiving His goodness is conditional, and can be granted out of His goodness, or taken away by His severity.
You will notice I’ve chosen to use only New Testament scripture to support this mini-teaching (except for the Jeremiah reference to the New Covenant).
There are many Old Testament scriptures (and more New Testament scriptures) that also support this idea. Feel free to carry on with your study, but the few New Testament verses listed above clearly indicate that we, as believers, ARE Israel.
Has God always considered Israel and the Gentiles as one and the same?
Exodus 12:38 tells us who came out of Egypt during the exodus:
A mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds—a great deal of livestock.
It was not just the nation of Israel, but men and women from many nations, a mixed multitude. Does other scripture confirm this?
Exodus 12:48
And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it.
This passage specifically tells us that non-Israel strangers who choose to follow YHVH (God) are to be included, and that he shall be considered a native of the land. They become Israel, and are no longer considered a foreigner, sojourner, or stranger.
And what does the very next verse say?
Exodus 12:49
One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.”
Wow, ‘the law’ is for both Israel and for any strangers who dwell among them. The law is not just for Israel, but for all who choose to be a part of YHVH’s people.
Leviticus 16:29 shows us a similar concept regarding atonement:
“This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you.
One last idea to consider…
YHVH punished the nation of Israel (and the foreigners among them) for not trusting him. They were fearful of the giants in the promise land (see Numbers). Their punishment was to wander in the wilderness for forty years, until the adult generation had died. There were only two adults who were allowed to enter the promise land, because they had great faith: Joshua and Caleb.
If you study who they were, Joshua represented the nation of Israel, and Caleb represented the Gentile. Both were considered heirs to the promise, both received the inheritance, and ‘the law’ applied to both.
If you claim to NOT be Israel, you are rejecting the New Covenant and you are rejecting the promise of Abraham. You are claiming that you are NOT Christ’s (Galatians 3:29 – And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise).
If as a ‘believer’ you agree that you ARE Israel, which scripture indicates from front cover to back cover, then God’s instruction to Israel in Torah applies to you, this very day, as God said those instructions are forever, for all generations, a perpetual covenant.
