It seems to me that there is a missing view of Israel’s relationship to the church.
• Dispensationalism views Israel as receiving the covenant promises of the OT alone, with the church having distinct promises.
• Premillenialism views both the church and Israel receiving various parts of the covenant promises.
• Postmillenialism and amillenialism see the NT applying the promises of the OT to the church in a primarily spiritual, intensified way. Literal promises will be fulfilled in the New Heavens and Earth.
•But where is a view that does not focus on the church? It seems from Romans, that Paul argues for the church being something of a subset, a single branch of the tree that is Israel. It strikes me that the above views are a bit ego-centric/ecclesia-centric to how God relates to us, when Romans seems to present the church as riding only on the coat-tails of the initial promises to Adam, Noah, Moses, David, and Jeremiah. This should floor us with the grace of God, and it also profoundly simplifies things.
There is one people of God, those that believe His promise. For millenia that people was Israel, and all who would believe came to her and submitted to her law. Gentiles became Jews in order to live out their faith (ref. Rahab, Ruth et al). Ironically, many of the physical descendants of Abraham became pagan. Now, the Nations who never sought God have been formally grafted into Judah to enjoy her New Covenant. All by faith, believing Jews stand beside believing Gentiles, but all related to promises made to the true (believing) children of Abraham.
