This post is part of the “Covenant Thieves” series—exposing how replacement theology hijacks Scripture to claim God has cast away Israel. These verses have been twisted, spiritualized, and ripped from context to turn God into a covenant-breaker. But when read in context, and applying the full counsel of God, they say no such thing. We’re restoring the context and letting Scripture speak for itself—boldly and clearly.

“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.” —Galatians 6:15–16

📖 Context and Setting

Paul closes his letter to the Galatians with a final defense of the gospel of grace. He’s pushing back hard against the Judaizers—false teachers who were trying to compel Gentile believers to be circumcised and keep the Mosaic Law.

Throughout Galatians, Paul argues that salvation is by grace through faith alone, apart from works of the law. In this concluding section, he emphasizes that what matters is not religious ritual or ethnicity, but whether a person is a new creation in Christ (v. 15). Then comes verse 16—the phrase “the Israel of God”—a verse that replacement theologians twist beyond recognition.

🔍 Phrase-by-Phrase Breakdown

“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything…”

Paul is making it clear: religious status or ethnic background means nothing when it comes to salvation. Whether Jew or Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, it’s irrelevant. What matters is being a new creation—born again by faith in the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1–4).

“…but a new creation.”

This is the heart of Paul’s gospel. It’s not about law-keeping or lineage—it’s about being made new in Christ. This echoes 2 Corinthians 5:17:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation…”

“And as many as walk according to this rule…”

What rule? The rule of grace through faith, apart from the law. Paul is blessing those who reject legalism and trust in the sufficiency of Christ’s finished work.

“…peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.”

This is the phrase that replacement theology seizes upon. They claim Paul is redefining “Israel” to mean the Church. But let’s look closer.

⚠️But before we move on PLEASE JUST READ THE VERSE, you don’t have to read and understand Greek to know that “…and upon the Israel of God” isn’t saying God abandoned Israel and gave everything to the Church! Be sensible, take this seriously, and read this verse several times in context of the chapter and within the totality of Scripture.

🧱 Biblical Support and Explanation

What does “the Israel of God” mean?

There are two main interpretations:

1. Replacement view: “The Israel of God” refers to the Church, meaning the Church is now the new, true Israel.
2. Grammatically consistent view: “The Israel of God” refers to believing Jews—a distinct group from the Gentile believers mentioned in the first part of the verse.

The second view is correct—and it’s supported by grammar, context, and the full counsel of Scripture.

💡 Greek Grammar Supports Two Groups:

📝 I’m not a Greek scholar, and I don’t claim to be—but thankfully, anyone can look up the meaning of words for themselves. I personally use free tools like BlueLetterBible.org or Scripture4All.org to help better understand the original Greek. They’re simple to use and incredibly helpful.

The conjunction “and” (kai) in Greek connects two distinct groups:

• “As many as walk according to this rule” = Gentile believers in the body of Christ
• “and upon the Israel of God” = Jewish believers who also walk by grace through faith

If Paul meant to equate the two, he would have used a different grammatical structure—he didn’t. He blesses both Gentile believers and the believing Jewish remnant.

This is consistent with how Paul always distinguishes Jews and Gentiles within the one body of Christ (cf. Romans 1:16, 1 Corinthians 10:32, Ephesians 2:11–22).

🚫 Refuting the Replacement Lie

To claim that “the Israel of God” is the Church is to do violence to the text and ignore Paul’s consistent theology. It also ignores that “Israel” is never redefined anywhere in Scripture to mean Gentiles or the Church.

• Israel always refers to ethnic descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—unless explicitly stated otherwise (and it never is).
• Paul uses “Israel” 11 times in Galatians and Romans—and every time, it refers to ethnic Israel.
• If Paul wanted to redefine “Israel,” Galatians would be the worst place to do it—it’s his most direct confrontation with Judaizers, who were blurring the lines between law and grace, Jew and Gentile.

This twisting of Galatians 6:16 is just another attempt to erase Israel from God’s plan. But God’s promises to Israel remain intact—unbreakable, irrevocable, and eternal.

“I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not!” —Romans 11:1
“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” —Romans 11:29

✅ In Summary

Galatians 6:15–16 teaches that:

• What matters is not circumcision or ethnicity, but becoming a new creation in Christ.
• Paul blesses all believers who walk according to this rule—Jew and Gentile alike.
• “The Israel of God” refers to Jewish believers in the body of Christ—not the Church replacing Israel.
• This passage does not redefine Israel or transfer her covenants to the Church.

⚠️ Final Word

Galatians 6:16 is not a banner for replacement theology—it’s a blessing upon all who live by grace through faith, both Gentile believers and the faithful remnant of Israel.

To twist this verse into a declaration that God has rewritten His promises is to accuse Him of dishonesty. But the God of Israel does not lie. He keeps His word. Always.

Let God be true but every man a liar. —Romans 3:4