In Romans 3 the apostle Paul asks the question, “What then? are we better than they? “

This is a reference to the Jews in contrast to the Gentiles. Paul goes on to answer this question saying, “No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin.”

Paul puts the Jew and the Gentile on level ground as being “all under sin.” One of the things that Paul reveals in Romans is how Israel, even though they had the Torah, were no different than the Gentiles in that they too were dead in sin, being in Adam.

Their national privilege as the people of God (under the Law) was for the purpose of the outworking of the faithfulness of God which has been manifested in and through Jesus Christ. Now that Christ has come, they have no national privilege but must believe the Gospel to be God’s people.

However, we hear it over and over again, “God has a plan or a purpose for the Jews.“

It seems that we have bought into the idea that God still has some sort of agenda for national Israel, some sort of unfinished business exclusive to his calling to believe the gospel of his Son, Jesus.

This ideology is the breeding ground for duel covenant theology and creates confusion concerning God’s call of Israel as seen in the Old Testament and revealed by the New Testament writers as coming to climax in Jesus Christ.

In Romans 11 Paul describes Israel as the natural olive tree and he describes the Gentiles as the wild olive tree. The branches that have been broken off from the natural olive tree (Israel) are Jews who reject Jesus the Messiah. They are outside covenant membership which is only found in Jesus Christ.

The branches that are not broken off refer to the remnant of believing Jews. The branches that have been grafted into the natural olive tree, being taken from the wild olive tree, are Gentiles. Now, if the natural branches which were broken off believe, they will be grafted back into their own tree. Therefore they will be grafted in with believing Jews and Gentiles who trust in the Messiah. This is Israel of the New Covenant. Remember Jesus said to Nicodemus, “you must be born again.”

The New Testament Church is born again Israel, i.e, the body of Christ consisting of Jews, AND Gentiles in one body!

For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether JEWS or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink (1 Corinthians 12:13)

All Jews who are born again or ever will be born again are grafted back into their tree which is the now the New Covenant Church. God does not have two people, He has one!

This mystery that was hidden in other ages but is now revealed through the Gospel of Christ is that the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in His promise in Christ Jesus (see Ephesians 3;6).

Jews must be born again to see the Kingdom of God and when they are born again, they are baptized into the same body that Gentiles are baptized into and together we drink from one Spirit.

Those who reject Jesus are cut off from God’s people.

For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’ (Acts 3:22-23)

Jews who do not submit to Jesus are completely cut off from being God’s people; those who submit to the Jesus are baptized into His body, the church, the born again Israel!