Israel Means the Elect

For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of Him that calls…(Rom 9:11).

Isaac had two children. Jacob was counted for the seed and Esau was not. They were both born of Abraham, but only one was counted as Israel. Paul said again that it was the elect that was the seed (Israel), not the child of the flesh.

We will come back to Romans 11 later, but for now we will look at Paul’s other epistles. Every time Paul mentions Israel he gives the same definition. He is following Jesus’ pattern from the Gospels.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you be Christ’s then are you Abraham’s seed…(Gal 3:28-29).

In God there is no separate nation of Israel now. God has brought all into one in Christ. There is no Jew or Gentile, but those in Christ or out of Christ. Paul shows here again that Abraham’s seed are those of faith.

For the promise that he should be heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law (natural descent), but through the righteousness of faith. (Rom 4:13).