Sea Breeze, let’s
rather say, replacement theology emphasizes a few fundamental verses which place
all other passages and verses in clear perspective. Those are some of the verses I
quoted. E.g., if someone says Enoch and Elijah went to heaven, then there’s
just one verse needed to cancel such a statement and that is Jesus’ words at
John 3:13. End of story.
I am about to
test the generalization of Gal. 6:16 according to your Bible scholars. Let’s
first look at the meaning of καί.
ΚΑ´Ι Conjunction, used in
two principal senses, either copulative, to join words and sentences, and, Lat.
et; or making a single word or clause emphatic, also, even, Lat. etiam.
A. copulative, and, merely
joining words or sentences.
B. influencing single
words or clauses, also, even, Lat. etiam, ἔπειτά με καὶ λίποι
αἰών then
let life also forsake me, i.e. life as well as all other goods, Il.; καὶ αὐτοί
they also,
they likewise, Xen.; εἴπερ τισκαὶ ἄλλος Plat., etc. Liddell and Scott Greek Lexicon
(abridged).
3169 καί conj. and, also, but,
even; that is, namely; καὶ . . . καί both . . . and, not only . . . but also;
frequently used merely to mark the beginning of a sentence (UBS Lex).
How does the majority
of scholars and editors interpret the “Israel” of Gal. 6:16?
Ἰσραήλ, ο: figuratively, of Christians as the new
covenant people of God Israel (Gal. 6.16). See ANLEX.
ὁ Ἰσραήλ
τοῦ Θεοῦ (genitive
of possession), i. e. Christians, Gal. 6:16 (See Thayer).
of Christians as
participants in the privileges of Israel Ro 9:6b; Gal 6:16. [pg 95] (See Gingrich
Lex).
believers within
God’s promise system as authentic Israelites Ro 9:6b; Gal 6:16. (See Danker Lex).
After Deutero-Isaiah and
Ezra, many attempts were made to define the true Israel. Paul speaks of
Christians as the true “Israel of God” (Gal.
6:16). See Eerdman’s Dictionary of the Bible.
And here’s an interesting and balanced
discussion of “Israel” of Gal. 6:16:
There is widespread
agreement that the Pauline reference to the Israel of God (Gal 6:16) refers to
Christians, either to Jewish Christians as distinguished from other Christians
by the copula καί (Schrenk) or — by means of the epexegetical function of καί — to all Christians,
as in the preceding discussion. Neither explanation is, however, totally
satisfactory, for, on the one hand, nothing indicates a limitation of the
saying to Jewish Christians (Dahl, et al., against Schrenk); on the other hand,
it is evident that "addition of καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ τοῦ θεοῦ . . . (widens) the
circle of addressees" (F. Mussner, Gal [HTKNT] 417). A possible
explanation is offered in the extension of the greeting of peace (cf. H.
Lietzmann and W. G. Kümmel, 1-2 Cor [HNT, 51969] on 1 Cor
1:2b!) to "the total Israel of God, wherever they may be" (H.
Schlier, Gal [KEK] 283). But one may not exclude the possibility that
here the original Israel comes into view (D. Lührmann, Gal [ZBK] 102),
either in its portion which does not yet believe, but will come to faith in the
future — "an Israel (of God) within (all) Israel" (Richardson 82;
similarly: E. D. Burton, Gal [ICC] 357f.) — or (more probably) the same
as the πᾶς Ἰσραήλ of
Rom 11:26 (Mussner, Gal 417n.61). See EDNT.
