Still Chosen: How Paul Welcomes the Nations Without Erasing The Jews

Listen to this episode from The Jewish Road Podcast on Spotify. Galatians 3 has done a lot of heavy lifting in modern theology. Some say it proves everything is now “spiritual,” that Israel was folded into the church and the land promise dissolved. We open the text and ask: is that what Paul actually says? Paul’s concern is rescue, not replacement. He confronts the claim that Gentiles need the works of the law to belong. By returning to Abraham, he shows that righteousness has always been by faith and that the blessing promised to the nations reaches its center in the Messiah. That’s inclusion without erasure. We then trace what Galatians 3 does say - justification by faith, Gentile heirship with Abraham, the law as guardian, one body in Messiah - and what it never says: that the church is the new Israel or that Jewish identity and the land are cancelled. The result is a bigger table, not a different family. Key Takeaways Justification by faith predates Sinai; Abraham believed and was counted righteous. Gentiles are heirs with Abraham through the promised Seed, Messiah Jesus, without identity transfer to “Israel.” The law is a guardian, not a ladder; it cannot annul the earlier promise. “Neither Jew nor Greek” means equal standing, not uniform roles in redemptive history. Paul never says “the church is Israel.” Inclusion doesn’t require erasing Jewish calling. The three strands remain - people, place, purpose - brought to coherence in Messiah, not collapsed by Him. Romans 9–11 safeguards Israel’s ongoing calling, warning Gentiles against arrogance. Chapter Markers 00:00 Welcome & Series Setup: “Still Chosen” 03:00 Why Galatians? The Rescue Mission Context 08:30 Sons of Abraham by Faith (Gal 3:6–9) 14:30 Promise vs. Law; the Singular Seed (Gal 3:15–18) 21:00 Guardian to the Messiah; Faith as the Doorway (Gal 3:23–26) 24:00 “Neither Jew nor Greek”: Unity without Erasure (Gal 3:27–29) 31:00 What Paul Doesn’t Say: No Replacement of Israel 37:30 Analogies: The Expanded Table & Family Business 43:00 Land Promise and Acts 1:6—“Not yet,” not “never” 49:00 Lightning Round Q&A and Next Episode Tease Galatians 3 throws the doors wide to the nations through the Messiah without canceling God’s covenant with Israel. Equal standing at the Father’s table, distinct roles in His unfolding story. Explore more resources at The Jewish Road, consider coming to Israel with us, and if this ministry blesses you, join “The Few” and support the work.