* What is the relationship of Israel (descendants of Jacob) to the Church (Body of Christ)?
* Is that relationship one of, continuity, discontinuity or a mixture of both?
*Can this relationship be explained outside of Covenant or Dispensational theology, or not?
*Are there two peoples of God at the present moment or only one?
* When 'all Israel will be saved' Rm 11, will it be as a part of the Church or separate to it?
I appreciate your input as I am grappling with these questions, having recently relinquished Dispensationalism.
Blessings.
To me, the answer to these questions is found in the second half of the book of Romans.
I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; 5 of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen. The New King James Version (Ro 9:1–5). (1982). Thomas Nelson.
Paul obviously cared for his countrymen according the flesh. They were caretakers of the kingdom of God before God took his kingdom away from them and gave it to us. The most important aspect of their ministry was that God promised that the Savior of the world would come into the world through them. And God fulfilled that promise when Jesus became a human being.
30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. 33 As it is written:
“Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense,
And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” (Ro 9:30–33)
But Israel stumbled. And God took His kingdom away from them and gave it to us to be its caretakers.
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 firstfruit 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? (Ro 11:11–24)
This passage stands both as an explanation for why God took His kingdom away from them (their unbelief/rejection of Jesus as Messiah) and serves as a warning to us that if we don't coninue in His goodness He may take our stewardship of the gospel away from us. It also says that if they do not continue in unbelief, God is able to graft them back in just as He was able to graft us in.
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. (Ro 11:25–32)
And concerning the possibility that this may happen for the nation of Israel, Paul states boldly that he believes it will happen. If we remain faithful and avoid losing our stewardship of the gospel, Israel will join us and be joint caretakers of the gospel with us. If as a people we stumble before that happens, believing Israel may become stewards of the gospel with the remnant of us who remain faithful. I don't have any insight into which possibility will come to pass.
