Throughout his letters the Apostle Paul is engaged in the task of defining what it means to be a member of “the people of God” in light of the death and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah of Israel. Paul does not describe “the Church” as a new entity that is separate and disconnected from “Israel” but rather as the very thing that Israel was destined to become!
Jesus was the singular “seed of Abraham” and through Him all the blessings promised to Abraham are fulfilled and released to the world through the presentation of the Gospel message and the release of the Holy Spirit. That is why Paul does not say, “Israel is the circumcision, but we are the uncircumcised.” No, Paul simply says, “We are the circumcision!” (Phil. 3:3). For Paul there has been a re-definition of circumcision, “circumcision of the heart,” because of the triumph of…
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Grace and Truth 