Some Jews Have Joined Spiritual Israel From Within Physical Israel
It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Romans 9:6
9:6-13 answers the obvious question: ‘has God’s promise failed?’ At first sight it looks like God’s promise to Israel has failed (literally: fallen). He had promised to bless them but they had forfeited His blessing through unbelief. But Israel’s failure was her own failure. It was not because God’s word had failed (9:6).
‘For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel’ (9:6b). There have always been two Israels, those physically descended from Jacob on the one hand, and his spiritual family on the other; and God’s promise was addressed to his spiritual family, who received it. Paul has already made the distinction earlier in the letter between those who were Jews outwardly, whose circumcision was in the body, and those who were Jews inwardly, who had received a circumcision of the heart by the Spirit (2:28f).
So Paul differentiates two ‘Israels’ – a physical Israel and what might called a ‘spiritual’ Israel. How can we define this spiritual Israel? In Galatians 6:16 Paul refers to the entire church as ‘Israel,’ ‘Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God.’ With this translation and punctuation, ‘Israel of God’ is identical to ‘all who follow this rule’ – in the context including both Jewish and Gentile Christians. Not all Jews by birth belong to the ‘Israel of God,’ the church, only those who have expressed faith in Jesus as their Messiah.
The question is: is this what Paul means in Romans 9 when he says ‘not all who are descended from Israel are Israel’ (9:6)? Many evangelical teachers think it does (e.g. John Stott). Others feel there are strong arguments in favour of Paul having something slightly different in mind here (e.g. Douglas Moo). This second understanding sees the use of the term ‘Israel’ describing both Jew and Gentile Christians as out of keeping with Paul’s use of ‘Israel’ in Romans 9 to 11 where he is concerned to guard Israel’s privileges. In this view it does not easily fit the development of the argument in 9:7-13 which focuses on God’s choice of a spiritual people from within physical Israel. If this was what Paul had in mind, the ‘Israel’ at the end of 9:6 is the spiritual Israel that is found within physical Israel. All Jews belong to the larger Israel by birth but only those Jews called by God belong to the true Israel.
To be very clear, this is not to claim in any way that God has two programs – one for natural Israel and another for the church. God has one program, centred in Christ. This second view simply sees the ‘Israel’ Paul refers to at the end of 9:6 as those from within natural Israel who place their faith and trust in their Messiah, Jesus. In doing so, they are joined, with believing Gentiles, to the true church, together comprising God’s redeemed company.