The Church and Israel are One.

[Devin P]

Ephesians 2:11-14
11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,

"He Himself made the two groups one". Before faith in Jesus, we were gentiles, excluded from the covenants of promise without hope and without God. But now, we have been brought near by the blood of Christ, and the two groups, Israel and Gentiles, have been made as one.

In verse 14, Paul was referencing from Ezekiel 37 -

Ezekiel 37:21-22 - 21 and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. 22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms.

Israel was split into two kingdoms due to their disobedience - Israel in the north, and Judah in the south. Eventually, Israel in the north was scattered throughout the entire world because of their disobedience, just as God prophesied in deuteronomy 28, and all throughout the prophets until it happened after king Hosea.

But, because of what He has done for us Paul goes on to say -

Ephesians 2:19 - Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household,

 

[Grip Docility]

Ephesians 2:11-14
11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,

"He Himself made the two groups one". Before faith in Jesus, we were gentiles, excluded from the covenants of promise without hope and without God. But now, we have been brought near by the blood of Christ, and the two groups, Israel and Gentiles, have been made as one.

In verse 14, Paul was referencing from Ezekiel 37 -

Ezekiel 37:21-22 - 21 and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. 22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms.

Israel was split into two kingdoms due to their disobedience - Israel in the north, and Judah in the south. Eventually, Israel in the north was scattered throughout the entire world because of their disobedience, just as God prophesied in deuteronomy 28, and all throughout the prophets until it happened after king Hosea.

But, because of what He has done for us Paul goes on to say -

Ephesians 2:19 - Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household,

It’s interesting how The entire passage of Ephesians 2 is never posted in context... when this claim is made.

ONE New MAN. ONE New Body.

Ephesians 2 actually proofs that the BOC is not Israel. Israel rejected its King. Those of the Israel of God, were those of Jacob, by Nation and Decent, that integrated into the BOC.

But... Context isn’t important, right?

 

[Grip Docility]

Why not drop the only passage in scripture that appears to bolster this position? Galatians 6:16?

Because it’s 3 kai’s indeed sit there to allow both sides of the argument to be bolstered. It does so in a book that acknowledges Jerusalem Above (Heaven) and Jerusalem Below (Real Israel of Nation and Ancestral Origin). It does so in a book that speaks of integrating Jews into the BOC, by the very author that states there is Jew nor Gentile in the BOC.

 

[Grip Docility]

The BOC isn’t Israel. Even the OP title states this... by accident, most likely...

Believing Israel and Believing Gentiles merged into the BOC.

It’s called, the Body of Christ for a reason.

Romans 9-11 even spells this out.

 

[com7fy8]

"For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God." (Romans 2:28-29)

"in Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ," (Colossians 2:11)