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A | According to the flesh, Brethren.
B | Who are Israelites.
C | To whom pertaineth the ADOPTION.
D | And the glory.
E | And the covenants.
E | And the giving of the law.
D | And the service of God.
C | And the PROMISES.
B | Whose are the fathers.
A | As concerning the flesh, Christ came.
No one who has any understanding at all can interpret "Israel" and "according to the
flesh" as of the Church, or of that company where there is "neither Jew nor Greek"
(Gal. 3: 28).
When Israel were about be brought out of Egypt, God called the nation His "firstborn"
saying, "Israel is My son, even My firstborn" (Exod. 4: 22).
Attached to this position is a citizenship, the city being Jerusalem, which is destined
to be the centre of the earth when the Kingdom is set up. This we have already seen in
our second article, and we need now do no more than quote the references (Isa. 2: 3;
Zech. 14: 16, 17). One item, however, we did not emphasize, and it must now be given
due prominence. It is obvious that if one nation is to be granted pre-eminence, the others
must be subservient, and one of the accompaniments of the privilege of adoption, which
we find true of each sphere, is the grant of pre-eminence over other companies in the
same sphere.
"The nation and the kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations
shall be utterly wasted" (Isa. 60: 12).
"Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks and the sons of the alien shall be your
plowmen and your vinedressers; but ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall
call you the Ministers of our God" (Isa. 61: 5, 6).
We shall find that the following features are inseparable from adoption as used in the
Scriptures.
(1)
The appointing of the heir.
(2)
The dignity of the first-born.
(3)
The close association of a citizenship.
(4)
Some special pre-eminence over other companies in the same sphere.
Let us put this to the test by turning to the Scriptures that speak of the second sphere.
We have already given proof that Gal. 3: 28, 29 cannot refer to "Israel according to
the flesh", and that the company here in view is associated with the New Jerusalem
(Gal. 4: 26). Nevertheless, although Rom. 9: categorically declares that to Israel
according to the flesh pertaineth "the adoption", this new company, where there is neither
Jew nor Greek, and where the "flesh" is excluded, has this privilege also, "That we might
receive the adoption of sons" (Gal. 4: 5).