The two Israels. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul refers to the believing Jews and believing Gentiles collectively as the Israel of God. Paul writes," As many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy and upon the Israel of God." So there are two Israels, the Israel of God and the Israel according the flesh. The early Gentile Christians so thoroughly identified themselves as part of the Israel of God that they often referred to unbelievers as Gentiles.
For example, Cyprian writes," A believer should not live like a Gentile." Lactantius, who was likewise a fleshly Gentile, told the Romans," Our ancestors were the patriarchs of the Hebrews." He again declared," God had previously given blessings to the Jews, whose successors and posterity we are." Chrysostom writes," Paul goes on to confidently define what a Jew really is." He demonstrates that he is rejecting neither the Jew nor circumcision.
Rather, He is rejecting the person who is not really a Jew and who is actually uncircumcised in heart. Paul shows there is no difference between the unbelieving Jew and the uncircumcised Gentile. Not only that, Paul says the uncircumcised Gentile even has an advantage if he takes heed to himself." For it is he who is the real Jew." Chrysostom continues," By making this statement, Paul sets aside all outward things.
For circumcision, Sabbaths, sacrifices, and ritual purifications are all outward things." Paul sums all these things up in a single word, outwardly. He says," For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly." So circumcision of the flesh is set aside. However, the need for a good life is everywhere demonstrated.
Accordingly, Justin Martyr told the Jews of his day," We Christians, who have been led to God through the crucified Christ, are the true spiritual Israel and the true descendants of Judah, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham." For Abraham was approved by God and blessed by him on account of his faith, while he was still in the state of uncircumcision. Therefore, he was called the Father of many nations. Justin again writes," Here it is necessary for us to observe that there are two seeds of Judah and two races.
Likewise, there are two houses of Jacob, the one begotten by flesh and blood, the other by faith and the Spirit." Similarly, Origen writes," Just as there is a race of fleshly Jews, so also is there a race of inward Jews." Again, he says," When we regard them in the aspect of the hidden man of the heart, I would conclude that the entire people of Christ are those who are called Jews inwardly and who are circumcised in the Spirit." Jesus had prophesied about the day when the kingdom of God would be taken from the
fleshly Jews.
He said," Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits of it." By the time Paul wrote Romans, that day had come. The nation to whom God had given the kingdom was the Israel of God, the people bearing the fruits of the kingdom. Ethnicity plays no role in being part of the Israel of God, the true Israel, nor does it play any part in being a citizen of God's kingdom.
In chapter 11 of Romans, Paul goes on to clarify how a Gentile can become a Jew and how a Jew can lose his privileged status. He explains that the believing Gentiles, like branches from a wild olive tree, are being grafted onto the olive tree of Abraham. Similarly, the unbelieving Jews, like unproductive branches, are being broken off that same olive tree. Such Jews do not belong to the Israel of God, but are now only Israel after the flesh. The wall of separation broken.
Paul later wrote to the Ephesians," Therefore, remember that once you, the Gentiles in the flesh who are called uncircumcision by those who are called circumcision, that you were at that time separate from Christ. But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off are brought near by the blood of Christ.
For he is our peace, who made both into one and broke down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in his flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances that he might create in himself one new man out of the two, making peace. So there is no longer a wall of separation between Jew and Gentile. Instead, there is one new man, the spiritual Jew, the true Jew. These comprise one nation, the Israel of God.
As Paul told the Galatians," You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. True circumcision. Neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.
But circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter. So there are also two circumcisions: that of the heart and that of the flesh. The only one that carries any weight with God is that of the heart. Theodoret writes, circumcision is a sign and seal of faith. If faith is not there, circumcision is worthless. The real circumcision is that of the heart. A Gentile who obeys the natural law is circumcised in the heart. The Jew who disobeys the Mosaic Law remains uncircumcised in the heart.
So his circumcision is pointless. Lactantius writes," Fleshly circumcision was a figure of this second circumcision, signifying that we should live with an open and pure heart." Justin Martyr writes," Even though a man is a Scythian or a Persian, if he has the knowledge of God and of His Christ, and if He keeps the everlasting righteous decrees, He is circumcised with the good and useful circumcision. He is a friend of God." In several passages in the Old Testament, God had spoken of this circumcision of the heart.
For example, through Jeremiah, He told the Jews," Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart, you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest my wrath go out like fire and burn so that no one can quench it because of the evil of your doings." What is circumcision of the heart?
Paul explains this in his letter to the Colossians." In Him, you were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God who raised Him from the dead." So Paul describes this circumcision as putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, which happens at the time of our conversion and baptism.
Jew and Gentile alike need this circumcision. Concerning true circumcision, Irenaeus writes," The things in the law were given for a sign. Yet the signs were not without figurative significance. That is, they were neither without meaning nor purpose, for a wise artist gave them.
The circumcision of the flesh typified that of the Spirit, for the apostle says," We have been circumcised with the circumcision made without hands." Tertullian adds," It is fully within the purpose of the God of the law that circumcision should be that of the heart, instead of the flesh, in the Spirit, not in the letter. Since this is the circumcision commended by Jeremiah, circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart." Jeremiah 4:4.
And even Moses says," Therefore circumcise the hardness of your heart." Deuteronomy 10:16 Septuagint, whose praise is not from men, but from God. The name" Jew" is derived from Judah. Jacob had prophesied about Judah," Judah, your brothers will praise you." So Judah received the praise of his brothers. Yet, as Origen points out, the inner Jew does not seek the praise of his brothers, but the praise of God.
Ambrosiaster comments," The reason this type of circumcision receives praise from God is that it is hidden from humans, but visible to God alone. For God examines the heart, not the flesh. In contrast, the Jews receive their praise from man, for they boast in their fleshly circumcision." In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned us not to perform godly actions to be seen by men. Take heed that you do not give your alms before men to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
So we want our praise to come from God, not man. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote that the Lord will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts, then each one's praise will come from God. Paul 6 key points. Because Paul's great argument is so lengthy, it is important we do not forget the key points Paul has presented in the subject chapter. Paul's great argument is like the human body.
The body is a single entity, but it is made up of many essential parts. If any of those parts are removed, the body becomes impaired or even dies. It is the same with Paul's great argument. It is composed of six key points, as I discussed in the introductory chapter on pages 4 and 5. If we remove any of these key points, Paul's argument is immediately distorted. As we progress through Romans and study Paul's other key points, it is important we do not forget the key points from Romans 2.
A cautionary word about chapters. Although I have been using the term chapters in my discussions, we must keep in mind that Paul did not divide his letter into chapters. Paul presents one lengthy argument that spans 13 of our modern chapters. Of course, we all have found these chapter divisions to be enormously helpful. At the same time, we need to recognize that these divisions are man-made. The chapter divisions sometimes distort the meaning of Paul's argument.
So even though this commentary follows the present chapter divisions, we must always keep in mind that Paul had no inkling that his letter would be divided up this way.