There is a curious notion in some Christian circles that believing gentiles constitute "spiritual Israel" and, as such, have displaced physical Israel in God's plan.2 This idea comes from misunderstanding something Paul says...3
Circumcision is the perpetual reminder of God's covenant with Abraham, whereby He promised the land of Canaan to Abraham's descendants, and failure to obey this command resulted in exclusion from Israel.4
Paul echoes this dual usage of the term when he states that God expects obedience from His people in all things, that the physical act alone is insufficient grounds for a Jew to consider himself in compliance with the terms of the covenant, and that it is certainly insufficient grounds for justification.7
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
Rom 2:28 A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29 No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God.As Paul makes clear in the context, he is addressing Jews (not believing gentiles) and is indicating that God's concern for His people goes beyond their physical status.
Circumcision is the perpetual reminder of God's covenant with Abraham, whereby He promised the land of Canaan to Abraham's descendants, and failure to obey this command resulted in exclusion from Israel.4
Gen 17:11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring.... 13b My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.When the Israelites are about to enter Canaan, Moses recalls the literal act of circumcising the foreskin and uses it twice to signify the figurative act of circumcising the heart (i.e., removing the sheath of stubbornness = "stiff-necked"), referring to what they must do presently and to what God will do ultimately.5
Deut 10:15 ... the LORD set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. 16 [You must c]ircumcise your hearts, therefore, and...not be stiff-necked any longer.
Deut 30:1 When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come upon you and you take them to heart wherever the LORD your God disperses you among the nations, 2 and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, 3 then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather You again from all the nations where he scattered you.... 5 He will bring you to the land that belonged to your fathers, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. 6 The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.When the people's disobedience threatens to transfer them from their home in Canaan to exile in Babylon (just as Moses had warned), Jeremiah calls them to repent by repeating this metaphorical use of circumcision.6
Jer 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, circumcise your hearts, you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done—burn with no one to quench it.The biblical writers use this phrase to indicate the ideal condition for Israel; the peoples' obedience to God must be internal as well as external.
Paul echoes this dual usage of the term when he states that God expects obedience from His people in all things, that the physical act alone is insufficient grounds for a Jew to consider himself in compliance with the terms of the covenant, and that it is certainly insufficient grounds for justification.7
Rom 2:25 Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised.... 28 A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29 No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code.Paul is not disparaging the literal act;8 he is simply noting that physical circumcision has a limited and specific function. It has no bearing on salvation, for God "will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith" (Rom 3:30).9 Therefore, when Paul speaks about Abraham as the father of all who believe, he does not mean that God replaces one people by another but that He includes one people with another to receive His offer of salvation.
Rom 4:11b So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12 And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.So, what is a spiritual Jew? The term itself is something of a fiction. Paul does not use it; but if he had, it would designate a person circumcised in both body and heart. If non-Jewish believers want a comparable title, they could call themselves "spiritual gentiles."10
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
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Jim Skaggs