Any time you challenge Jewish identity (circumcision, DNA, culture, tradition, etc.) as being relevant to being in covenant with God, you will be marked by some as anti-Semitic. Yet it is precisely this: the relevance of Jewish identity as the mark of covenant with God, which has been taken away by the cross.

It is because of the cross, that the unrepentant Jews were persecuting the apostle Paul as well as persecuting the other Jews who believed the gospel. The cross alone is the power of God unto salvation.

The message of the cross, which was preached by Paul,  was a scandalous offense to the unrepentant Jew, for it takes away the boasting in  Jewish identity after the flesh.

In Galatians, the apostle Paul says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

Would you like to know why Paul says there is no bond or free, nor male or female, in the same line of thought as neither Jew nor Greek?

It is because the Law of Moses (Israel’s covenant) made a distinction with regards to all of these. Under ancient Israel’s covenant with God, the sign of the covenant was in the male’s flesh, and not in the woman’s. Women did not have the same status as men under the Law of Moses, and neither did the slaves as the free.

In essence, Paul is saying the old covenant (national Israel’s covenant) has no relevance now that Christ has come. All distinction “with regards to covenant status” has been annulled. In Christ all are ONE!

While men who boast in Jewish identity want to mesmerize you with Jewish culture and style, the God of scripture wants you to seek after Him through Jesus Christ.

In scripture it wasn’t the Jews who were saturated in Jewish culture and tradition that are highlighted. In scripture it was the Jews who were holy in the sight of the living God who are highlighted, for their lives were marked by righteous and godly character.

The emphasis of the Bible isn’t on Jews because they were Jews, or because of their culture. The emphasis of the Bible is on righteousness and unrighteousness and God made a distinction between righteous Jews and unrighteous Jews all throughout their history in scripture.

Power with God has never based on outward Jewish culture or tradition. Instead it has always been based on purity of the heart, for a true Jew in God’s sight is one who is a Jew inwardly and not outwardly (Romans 2:28-29). It’s always been about the heart with God, not about the outward things that people love to boast in.

Knowing God is not about Jewish tradition, culture, or style. Knowing God is about faith from a pure heart, and a pure heart comes through Jesus Christ. God isn’t impressed with how Jewish something is, for God looks on the heart and shows no favoritism.