3624 — Jew, Gentile, Church
If Israel signifies church, or church Israel, why did Paul himself make a distinction between Jews, Gentiles, and church? This is another of those "hard" questions. He who has read Paul's epistles will have no trouble in answering it. The text referred to is, "Give no occasion of stumbling, either to Jews, or to Greeks, or to the church of God." By the Jews Paul meant the unbelieving Jews. He declares in another place, "They are not all Israel, which are of Israel." Rom. 9:6. He makes very clear distinction between the unbelieving Jews and the true Jews. The true Jew is not the one who is a Jew outwardly, but he is a Jew who is one inwardly. Circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, not in the law. Now the Jew to which he refers in 1 Cor. 10:32 is the unbelieving Jews: Ye shall give no occasion of stumbling to them, or to Greeks, or Gentiles — the unbelieving Gentiles. We should give no occasion of stumbling to them. And we should bring that still closer home: give no occasion of stumbling to the church of God, composed of believers from both Jews and Gentiles; but having accepted of the Lord Jesus Christ, all of those believers become the true Israel of God. So the apostle declares, "If ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Gal. 3:29. And so, also, he declares in the 2d chapter of Ephesians, that those who believe in Christ "are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief Corner-stone." They are all then of the true Israel of God. This is a sample of these questions. They are mere quibbles, efforts to evade duty. There is but one thing, and only one thing, that men may bring which can not be answered, and that is the carnal heart, because "the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be," and no scripture can be brought which will satisfy the carnal mind regarding God's law. But when the individual is willing to put away that carnal mind and accept of the everlasting, universal, unlimited authority of God in Jesus Christ, he will have no question or quibble over a single commandment of God. Rather, he will say, with the psalmist, "O how love I Thy law! it is my meditation all the day;" and he will say, with the apostle, "This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous."