Are the Jews still God’s chosen people?

No Partiality With God

The Jews are no better than the Gentiles in God’s eyes. The Bible clearly states that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Therefore, God does not favor one race over another, as “there is no partiality with God” (Romans 2:11). He is the righteous Judge (Deuteronomy 10:17; 2 Chronicles 19:7; Job 34:19).

God “hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth… That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us” (Acts 17:26-27). Thus, the Bible emphasizes the oneness of humanity through creation and salvation.

God’s Covenant With the Jews

God chose Abraham and made a covenant with him and his descendants due to his faithfulness and unquestioning obedience (Genesis 12; 22:15-18; Genesis 17:2; Exodus 2:24). God chooses the faithful, and thus the Jewish people became God’s chosen people and His treasured possession. They were commissioned to spread His truth to the nations of the world (Genesis 17:9-27). To fulfill this mission, He delivered them from slavery in Egypt to establish them as His holy nation (Deuteronomy 4:20).

At Mount Sinai, the Lord emphasized to the people of Israel, “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 14:2; 2 Samuel 7:23; 1 Chronicles 17:21). He declared, “you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6).

This covenant was to be demonstrated externally through circumcision (Genesis 17:9-14) and internally through godliness (2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 Peter 2:9). A holy God requires holy people (Matthew 5:48; 1 Peter 1:16). The phrase, “Ye shall be my people, and I will be your God” (Ezekiel 11:20; Jeremiah 7:23; 11:4; 30:22), illustrates Israel’s relationship with God. This covenant encompassed the entire plan to position Israel as the spiritual center of global missionary efforts to reach the world.

Conditional Promise

God’s covenant with the ancient Jews was conditional upon their obedience to Him. The Lord instructed, “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth” (Deuteronomy 28:1; also Ezekiel 36:26-28). Had they adhered to this obedience, the Jews’ residence in their land would have been permanent, and from Israel would have gone forth the message of peace to bring the whole world to the truth.

Israel’s Unfaithfulness

Given the conditional promise, one may ask: are the Jews still considered the chosen people? Unfortunately, the ancient Jews proved unfaithful, leading the Lord to respect their freedom of will. Consequently, the nation was left to the destiny it chose. They lost the glorious calling that could have been theirs, along with the promises of the Lord’s covenant (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). The nation of Israel faced the consequences of the Lord’s curses: “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything, therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the LORD will send against you…” (Deuteronomy 28:47,48).

As a result, Israel’s enemies conquered them, and their kings and people were taken into exile (Jeremiah 9:15, 16; 16:13). Even upon their return from exile, they continued to backslide. Their apostasy culminated in the crucifixion of the Son of God, the Savior of the world (Luke 23:26-43). “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:11-12).

In response to their rejection, Jesus lamented, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate” (Matthew 23:37,38). The ancient Jews’ probation ended, and they were ultimately destroyed as a nation by the Romans in 70 AD.

Spiritual Israel – Converted Jews and Gentiles

When Israel, as a nation, failed to fulfill her high privileges and responsibilities, her special position was transferred to the spiritual family of God on earth, which includes converted Jews and Gentiles, or the Christian church. Paul refers to the Church as “the Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16).

Thus, God’s covenant to Israel was passed on to New Testament believers who became Spiritual Israel and heirs of God’s promises (Romans 8:17; Galatians 4:6, 7). The “kingdom of God” was taken from the literal nation of the Jews and given to a nation producing the fruits thereof (Matthew 21:43). However, as individuals, Jews can still be saved by accepting Christ (Romans 11:23, 24).

In the future, God’s plan for world salvation will no longer depend on the literal nation of Israel. In the New Testament, both Jews and Gentiles are welcomed into the family of God through submission to Christ. “For you are all sons 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, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26, 29).

Today, God the Father invites everyone to be saved through faith in Christ. “By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4; also John 1:12, 13; 3:3). God’s grace transforms believers into “sons of God” (1 John 3:1), “joint-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17), and recipients of all the spiritual family privileges (Galatians 4:6, 7).

The Wild Branches Grafted Into the Cultivated Tree

In Romans 11:11-24, Paul likens Israel to the natural branches of a cultivated olive tree, while the Gentile believers are compared to the branches of a wild olive tree. The natural branches (Israel) were broken off due to their unfaithfulness, and the wild branches (Gentiles) were grafted in (verse 17). Paul is addressing a reality that many Gentiles experienced.

Paul explicitly states in verse 24 that the grafting of the Gentiles into the stock of Israel is “contrary to nature.” The call and conversion of the Gentiles were unexpected from a Jewish perspective. Thus, the Gentiles, through their faith in Christ, became the recipients of the promises of God’s salvation.