Steve Conover: Thank you for joining us for The Friends of Israel Today. I'm Steve Conover, executive director here at The Friends of Israel. With me is our host and teacher, Chris Katulka.

Chris Katulka: Well, hello everyone. We are continuing our four-part series, Not So Fast! Does the Church Really Replace Israel? And this week we're going to look at Romans 2:28-29, a difficult passage that's often used to show that God is taking the title “Jew,” a Jewish person, and kind of collapsing it to mean anybody who believes in the Lord Jesus, that the title and name for the Jewish people, all of a sudden a “true Jew” is actually the Christian. But is that what Paul is really saying? Is he really saying that the true Jew is a Christian? I want to challenge this and I think it'll be important for you to hear this as well. So that's why we're continuing our series, Not So Fast! Does the Church Really Replace Israel?

Steve Conover: But first in the news, Israel and Greece signed a 3.5 billion defense deal for Israel to build Greece a new multilayered air defense system called the Achilles Shield. The Jerusalem Post reports it's the first time Israel will supply another country with a complete defense array against a wide range of threats, including ballistic missiles and drones.

Chris Katulka: Well, Steve, here's my take. Israel's foreign ministry recently issued an advisory urging its citizens in Greece to exercise heightened caution and maintain a low profile due to large scale pro-Palestinian protests. In fact, an estimated 4.3 million Greek adults hold elevated antisemitic attitudes second only to Cyprus in the region. Yet Israel, the Jewish state, is partnering with Greece to provide the technology needed to protect those same Greek lives. 

Chris Katulka: We are working through a series called Not So Fast! Does the Church Really Replace Israel? And the purpose of the series is not to deny the unity Jewish and Gentile believers share in Christ, because the New Testament is absolutely clear that both come to God on the same basis through faith in Jesus, the Messiah. Neither ethnicity nor circumcision can save. Both Jew and Gentile need the gospel. Both receive the Spirit. Both are made one in Christ.

But the question we are asking is more of a specific one. Do the New Testament passages commonly used to argue that the church has now become Israel actually say that, or have some of these verses been asked to carry more biblical, more theological weight than their context will allow them to bear? Now, last week we began our series with Galatians 6:16 that has a very famous expression in it, “the Israel of God.” And for many Christians, that phrase is treated almost like a theological trump card. Paul pronounces peace and mercy upon those who walk according to the rule of new creation and upon the Israel of God. And some conclude that Paul simply renamed the entire church “Israel.” But when we looked last week, when we slowed down and we looked at the verse carefully, we noticed something significant. Paul appears to pronounce blessing upon two groups.

First, those who walk according to this rule and then the Israel of God. So Galatians 6:16, it preserves a distinction between Gentile believers and Jewish believers, but both stand together under the blessing of God because both belong to Christ. And if you didn't get a chance to listen to that message last week, you can go to foiradio.org to hear it. But today we're going to move to another passage that's frequently used in exactly the same discussion, Romans 2:28 and 29, where Paul writes, "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh, but he is a Jew who is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit, not in the letter whose praise is not from men, but from God." Now see, at first hearing that sounds almost conclusive. Paul seems to be saying that there are ethnic Jews on the outside and then there are "true Jews" on the inside.

And from there, it's not difficult to take one more step and say, "Well, if Jewish identity is really spiritual rather than ethnic, then Gentile Christians with circumcised hearts can now become true Jews. They are the true Israel." In fact, it's fascinating. The RSV, the revised standard version, the translation of the Bible says this, "For he is not a real Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external or physical." That's the way that the translators translated Romans 2:28-29 in the RSV. And that interpretation has a long history, but once again, people, not so fast! There are some significant reasons to question whether Paul was actually making that argument at all. The first thing that we need to notice is actually surprisingly simple. Believe it or not, especially from the RSV translation here, the words “true” and "real" are not in the Greek text.

Paul does not literally say, “He is not a “true Jew” who is one outwardly and he is a “true Jew” who is one inwardly.” He does not say that. Or how about “physical circumcision is not real circumcision, but spiritual circumcision is real circumcision.” Those words are interpretive additions sometimes used to explain the verse. And once those adjectives are inserted into our English hearing of the passage, they can begin to control the entire interpretation. Paul does not explicitly contrast a false Jew with a true Jew. That really matters because the moment that we remove words like true and real, the passage sounds less like a redefinition of Jewish identity and more like a critique of religious appearance. See, Paul's actual language is built on two Greek expressions, en tō phanerō and en tō  krupto. The first is commonly translated outwardly, phanerō, and the second is inwardly, krupto. Those translations are certainly possible inward and outward, but the words themselves carry a more concrete sense.

Phanerōs refers to what is manifest, what is visible, what is open, what is apparent or on display. Kruptos refers to what is hidden or concealed or secret. In fact, you can hear the word kruptos even in our English word cryptic, something that's hidden or not immediately obvious. So instead of immediately hearing Paul say, "There's an outward ethnic Jew and an inward spiritual Jew," we might hear something closer to this. “It is not the Jew who is on display nor circumcision that is on display in the flesh, but the Jew who is hidden and circumcision of the heart.” See, that sounds totally different. And in fact, it fits the ending of the verse remarkably well. Paul concludes Romans 2:29 by saying, "Whose praise is not from men, but from God." And that final statement is not a throwaway line. It actually is probably the key to understanding the entire two verses.

Think about the categories that Paul is setting up. There is something visible before people and there is something hidden before God. There is praise from people and there is praise from God. And suddenly the contrast may not be ethnic Jews versus spiritual Jews at all. It may be the Jew on display before versus the Jew whose hidden faithfulness is recognized by God. And I'm going to tell you, that's a very biblical distinction because even Jesus himself talked about it on the Sermon on the Mount. All throughout Scripture, God warns his people against outward religion without inward faithfulness. Israel could possess the covenant sign and still rebel against the covenant God. A man could be physically circumcised and yet still have a hard heart. A person could publicly identify with the Torah, the law and still live in absolute disobedience. That's not a New Testament invention.

It's actually one of the central prophetic critiques of Israel in the Hebrew Scriptures. And this is where the idea of circumcision of the heart becomes especially important. Sometimes in Romans 2:29, it's treated as though Paul is inventing this new Christian concept, physical circumcision belonged to the old ethnic Israel. Now Paul replaces it with spiritual circumcision of the heart. And for that reason, Jewish identity itself has been spiritualized. But that overlooks where Paul got the phrase. He got it from Israel's own scriptures. Deuteronomy 10:16. Moses tells Israel, "Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart and be no more stiff necked." That command is addressed to Israel. Moses isn't telling Gentiles that heart circumcision turns them into Jewish people or Israel. He's telling Jewish people that physical circumcision without faith in God is insufficient. 

Then in Deuteronomy 30:6, Moses looks toward Israel's future and says, "The Lord, your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants to love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul." Again, who is Moses talking to? Israel. Heart circumcision is not the cancellation of Israel's identity. It is a part of God's covenantal expectations and future work within Israel. So when Paul talks about circumcision of the heart in Romans two, he's not abandoning Jewish categories. He's using them and he's standing squarely inside this prophetic tradition of Israel and saying what Moses and the prophets had already said, God has never been impressed with a covenant sign worn on the body when the heart remains rebellious. And that changes the question. Instead of asking who is the real Jewish person, maybe we should ask what kind of Jewish person receives God's approval? That may be closer to Paul's point here in the Book of Romans. And when we come back, we're going to see further that Paul wasn't calling the church the “true Jew,” but that he was speaking to Jewish believers in Jesus to stick around.

Steve Conover: If you follow the news these days, you may feel the world seems out of control.

Chris Katulka: It certainly could feel that way because uncertain times leave many people asking where have we come from and why are we here and where are we going? And really, what on earth is God doing?

Steve Conover: Well, thankfully the Bible has the answers.

Chris Katulka: It certainly does. And actually Dr. Renald Showers’ What on Earth is God Doing? is one of our most popular books here at The Friends of Israel. In a compact and easy to read format, it traces God's plan from creation all the way to eternity. You'll learn about the war Satan is waging against God and how that conflict has shaped history and where the world is ultimately heading.

Steve Conover: It's such a great book. If you're looking for answers and want to understand God's plan for the world, order your copy of What on Earth Is God Doing? at foiradio.org. Again, that's foiradio.org.

Chris Katulka: Welcome back everyone. We're tackling passages in the New Testament that are often used to erase Jewish identity or Israel's nationality in order to show that the church has become the new Israel. And today we're in Romans 2:28-29, looking at a very difficult passage that I believe is often misinterpreted to show that a “true Jew” is one who inwardly aligns to the things of God. And in doing so, the title “Jew” reserved for Jewish people all throughout scripture is reinterpreted to mean that even a non-Jewish person can become spiritually a “true Jew” if they believe in Jesus. But see, I don't think that's what Paul's teaching at all. See, Paul's not redefining Jewish ethnicity. He's calling out hypocrisy, just as Jesus did when he was talking to the Jewish people on the Sermon on the Mount saying, "Be careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people." The immediate context of Romans chapter two points strongly in that direction.

See, beginning in verse 17, Paul in Romans chapter two addresses someone who calls yourself a Jew and rests on the law and makes your boast in God. This person knows God's will. He approves of excellent things. He is instructed out of the law. He sees himself as a guide to the blind, a light to those in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children. In other words, Paul describes a person with a very impressive public religious identity. He has the law. He knows the law. He teaches the Torah. He boasts in his relationship to God, but then Paul turns the argument back on him. "You therefore who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You preach that a man should not steal. Do you steal? You say people should not commit adultery. Do you commit adultery? You boast in the law. Do you dishonor God by breaking the law?

That is the context immediately preceding Romans chapter 28 and 29. And that context is all about the difference between religious appearance and actual obedience. So when Paul says he is not a Jew who is en tō phanerō, we should at least consider whether the Jew on display captures the force of the argument better than importing the phrase, ‘not a true Jew.’ And remember, en tō phanerō literally means one that is a Jew outwardly. Paul may be addressing someone who publicly identifies himself as a Jewish person, publicly possesses circumcision, publicly teaches the law, publicly enjoys the praise of others for his religious standing, but whose hidden life before God tells another story. Then comes the contrast, the Jew who is en tō  krupto, the Jewish person in secret, the Jewish person whose heart is circumcised, the Jewish persons whose praise come not from people, but from God. And really this makes excellent sense of everything Paul has just been saying, which is built on the foundation of what Jesus taught.

Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 6 on the Sermon on the Mount, "Whenever you pray, don't be like the hypocrites because they love to pray while standing in the synagogues on the street corners so that people can see them. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward, but whenever you pray, go into your inner room, close the door and pray to your father en tō  krupto in secret." And notice what Paul does not say. He does not mention Gentiles in verse 28 and 29. He does not say Gentiles are now Jewish people. He does not say the church is the true Israel. He does not say ethnic Israel has been replaced. He does not say physical Jewish descendants no longer matter. Those conclusions have to be brought into the text. The actual passage can be read quite naturally as an internal Jewish critique. Jewish identity displayed before others is not enough.

Physical circumcision by itself does not produce divine approval. God sees the hidden person. God desires the circumcised heart. God praises genuine faith in his Son, Jesus. And this interpretation makes good sense of what Paul is about to say in Romans 3 because see, if in Romans 2:28-29 means that ethnic Jewish identity has effectively been emptied of meaning, we might expect Paul to continue saying, "Therefore, there is no longer any particular advantage to being Jewish." But instead, see, if you keep reading, Romans chapter three opens with the question, "What advantage then has the Jew or what is the prophet of circumcision?" And you know what Paul's answer is? It's this, “much in every way.” Isn't that interesting? If Paul had just said that ethnic Jewish people are not really Jews and physical circumcision is not really circumcision, “much in every way” would be a very unusual follow-up.

But it makes perfect sense if Romans chapter two is not denying Jewish identity at all. Paul is confronting Jewish presumption, not Jewish existence. Possessing the Torah is a privilege, but privilege does not exempt anyone from judgment. Having circumcision is a covenant distinction, but the sign does not excuse disobedience. Jewish identity remains real. Jewish covenant privilege remains real, but neither remove the need for inward faithfulness and ultimately the need for the gospel. And that is the larger argument that Paul is making as Romans continues to unfold. You ready? He continues. He says, "Gentiles are sinners. Jewish people are sinners. As a Jewish person possessing the law does not save. As a Gentile, lacking the law does not excuse. All stand in need of the righteousness God provides through Christ Jesus.” But equal need for salvation does not require Paul to erase the identities of the people who need it. That is such an important distinction.

So what is Romans 2:28-29 saying? Well, maybe we could paraphrase it better this way. The Jewish person God approves is not simply one whose Jewishness and circumcision are visible before other people. What God seeks is the Jewish person whose faith reaches into the hidden person of the heart, whose circumcision is not merely a mark in the flesh, but a heart transformed by the Spirit and whose praise comes from God rather than from human beings. So when someone says Romans chapter two proves that Jewish identity has now been spiritualized and transferred to the church, perhaps once again, the best response should be, ah, not so fast. Read the words of Paul, read the words Paul actually used. Read the Hebrew Scriptures behind them. Read the context and look carefully at the final question Paul is answering. Maybe he's not telling us who gets to replace Israel. Maybe he's reminding Israel and all of us that the God of Israel has always cared about what is hidden in the heart.

Steve Conover: Now, Apples of Gold, a dramatic reading from the life and ministry of Holocaust survivor, Zvi Kalisher.

Mike Kellogg: I have lived in this part of Jerusalem for more than 35 years, and my children grew up playing with their Arab neighbors.

Today my children’s Arab friends are adults, and they blindly hate Israel. Recently, after many years, I ran into some of them. They recognized me and asked about my sons. One said, “Your sons were our good friends. Now they hate us.”

I replied, “They do not hate you. I have taught them to love.”

“Even to love those who hate you?” one asked.

I replied, “We believe in the living God. And the Lord teaches us not to hate but to love one another. But hatred rules your lives.”

“What books do you read that you speak such nice words––even to your

enemy?” one asked.

“Would you like to see the Book?” I replied.

“Yes,” they all agreed. “We want to read it. And we want to know who wrote it.”

I showed them the Holy Bible. They were very surprised.

“You know,” one told me, “we want to read this book. But our parents are fanatic Muslims. They would kill us if they saw us reading the Jewish Bible.”

I told them the Bible was given to all people, not only Jewish people. “Do you have a Bible in our language, Arabic? And how do you know our language?” one asked.

“The Lord blessed me,” I said. “I have never studied languages, but I can speak 10 because God has enabled me to do so.”

While we were talking, two of their Arab friends were listening. “We, too, know your sons,” one said. “Many years ago we played football together [by football, they meant soccer]. We also want one of those books––but in Arabic.”

I told them, “This is the Holy Bible. And here it is not written to hate your friends. It tells us about faith and love. And those of us who have believed in the Lord no longer hate because God enables us to love.”

Now they all wanted a Bible. “Can you give us this Book?” they each asked.

“Are you sure this Book is not only for Jews?” one asked.

“I am sure,” I replied. “This Book is for everyone.” They asked me many questions. They even asked in what language they must go to the Lord.

“The language does not matter,” I said. “What matters is that you go to Him with your heart. Pray to Him, and He will answer you.” I showed them Isaiah 49:5–7, which says, And now the LORD says, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel is gathered to Him . . . “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.” Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, to Him whom man despises, to Him whom the nation abhors, to the Servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel; and He has chosen You.”

They wanted very much to read what was written there. “This is the beginning,” one said. “We will come one day and speak with you about what we have not spoken about. Are you ready?”

“It is my duty before the Lord to be ready,” I replied.

Please pray for these men. We know in prayer we see the mighty power of God.

Steve Conover: Thank you for joining us for today's episode of The Friends of Israel Today. Don't forget to order your copy of What on Earth is God Doing? You can do that at foiradio.org. Again, that's foiradio.org. Chris, where are we headed next week?

Chris Katulka: Well, we're continuing our series hereNot So Fast! Does the Church Really Replace Israel?, and we're going to actually look at a verse that a lot of Christians like to use to show that God is done with ethnic Israel and their future. And that comes from Romans 9:6 when Paul says, "Not all those from Israel are Israel." Well, is Paul deconstructing ethnic Israel or is he simply speaking to the Jewish people? Again, you're going to want to come back to find out.

Steve Conover: As we close, I want to thank our radio team: host and teacher, Chris Katulka, executive producer Lisa Small, associate producer, Sarah Fern, engineer, Bob Beebe, program editor, Jeremy Strong, Apples of Gold was voiced by the late Mike Kellogg, and I'm Steve Conover, Executive Director of The Friends of Israel. The Friends of Israel Today is a production of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. Passion for God's Word. Compassion for God's Chosen People.