We live in an age obsessed with identity—how we define it, claim it, and often distort it. We regularly see people claim an identity that physical reality and biology don’t support. You can see highly educated and outspoken people suddenly go quiet when asked “what is a woman?”… because the obvious answer isn’t politically convenient. The most important identity question we should be asking is, “who are the people of God?”
The answer to that question has a long history, but ultimately comes down to terms set by God Himself.
If you turn back to Genesis 12:2, you will see that God made a promise to Abraham: “I will make you a great nation.” That promise wasn’t just about physical descendants…it was about a relationship. It was a covenant. A commitment to form a people who would trust Him enough to follow His will, even when they didn’t fully understand it. And in doing so, God would make them great.
We often think of Israel as a political nation. But in Scripture, God’s people have never been simply about borders and bloodlines. They’ve been defined by something deeper…their faith.
1. A Promise and a People
As we move forward from Abraham’s day to the time of Moses, we can see that when God brought Israel out of Egypt, He didn’t do so just to give them land. He made them His special people. “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples” (Exodus 19:5). The relationship was always conditional. Sure, bloodlines and geography played a role, but a heart of obedience to God was the key.
God’s people were to be a spiritually holy nation, not just a political one. Sadly, they broke the covenant again and again…failing to be His peculiar people. They chased other gods and trusted in worldly strength. They lived as though their status as God’s people was a permanent right instead of a privilege with responsibilities. And God…like a patient husband…pleaded with them to return.
2. A Marriage Betrayed
The prophets describe Israel’s unfaithfulness in heartbreaking terms. “You have lived as a prostitute with many lovers” (Jeremiah 3:1). “You adulterous wife! You prefer strangers to your own husband” (Ezekiel 16:30–32). In Hosea, God compares Israel to a wife chasing after lovers who can’t satisfy.
This wasn’t just poetic language. It was the reality of a broken covenant. And eventually, God made it clear: “I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce” (Jeremiah 3:8).
But God wasn’t done. He had always planned something greater.
3. A New Bride, A New Covenant
Roughly 400 years after the last prophet wrote in the Old Testament, John the Baptist warned the physical Israelites, “Do not say, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham” (Matthew 3:9).
Not long after, Jesus…not merely a prophet, but the only Son of God…began His ministry to redeem a new people. He came to redeem a people not defined by nationality, but by obedient faith in Him. As Paul writes in Ephesians 5:25–27, “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, to make her holy…without blemish.” This church is the bride of Christ (Revelation 19:7).
The old Mosaic covenant, with its laws and ceremonies, was nailed to the cross when Jesus was crucified (Colossians 2:14). In its place, He established a covenant not with an earthly nation, but with the faithful in Christ.
In Romans 11, Paul explains this transition. Some of the natural branches (Israelites) were broken off because of unbelief, and wild branches (Gentiles) were grafted in by faith. But the root…the promise and purpose of God…remained. God’s people are now those who live by faith and bear fruit.
4. The People of God Today
What God once told the Israelites, He now tells those sanctified by Christ, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession…” (1 Peter 2:9). That’s not a political group. That’s the church. The faithful. Those who have obeyed the gospel and continue to walk in faith.
The shift from national Israel to spiritual Israel isn’t about erasing the past…it’s about fulfilling it (Matthew 5:17). The promise to Abraham was always about blessing the world (Genesis 12:3). And now, through Christ, that blessing is available to all.
So what does this mean for us today?
Applications:
1. Cherish the Old Testament to Love the Covenant More Deeply
While we are no longer under the covenants of the Old Testament, its lessons aren’t outdated. From it, we learn about God’s kindness, His expectations for His people, and it helps us develop a deeper understanding of just how good our covenant with Christ truly is. It also shows us what grieves God, what delights Him, and how patient He has been.
2. Stop Fighting for Earthly Kingdoms…Live for His Eternal One
We don’t need to stake our hope on modern Israel or any other worldly nation. God’s kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). Our mission isn’t to restore physical Israel…it’s to live as representatives of the spiritual kingdom Jesus died to establish.
3. Don’t Mistake God’s Patience for Permission
God waited centuries for Israel to return…and He’s patient with us too (2 Peter 3:9). But patience is not permission. God still desires obedient faith. Not perfection, but devotion. We must live as people who belong to Him, not just in name, but in action (Colossians 2:6).
God’s people were never meant to be defined by borders or bloodlines…but by faith. Faith that obeys. Faith that trusts. Faith that endures. The question isn’t, “Do I support Israel?” It’s, “Am I living as part of God’s faithful people?”
