Week 3 • The Israel of God
Abrahamic & New Covenants • The Great Commission
This is a summary overview of our lesson after the fact. It is intended to help you catch up if you missed the class and will summarize the main points touched on in that session.
We Opened in Prayer
We thanked God for the day, the gathering, and His Word. We asked that the Spirit would form our minds and that Jesus would be formed in us.
Review of Previous Weeks
Last week we examined the chiasm in Galatians 6:15-16 with new creation at the center and “the Israel of God” as the new people formed in Christ. Earlier sessions highlighted the creation backdrop in John 3 and the decisive new beginning that arrived with Christ.
We continue to counter the idea that the kingdom was postponed and the Church is a temporary parenthesis. The New Testament presents one continuous story: the Church (Jews and Gentiles together) is the Israel of God — the new creation people.
Three Key Passages • The Big Story
1. Genesis 12:1-3 – The Abrahamic Covenant
“I will make you a great nation… and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
This is not a brand-new idea — it restarts the original creation commission given in the Garden (“be fruitful and multiply”). The promise points to land, multiplication, and blessing for all nations, ultimately fulfilled in Christ (Galatians 3:16).
2. Jeremiah 31:31-34 – The New Covenant
God promises a new covenant where He writes His law on hearts, forgives iniquity, and ensures all will know Him. It carries forward the same relational promise (“I will be their God, they shall be my people”) but with internal transformation and unilateral grace.
3. Matthew 28:18-20 – The Great Commission
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”
This echoes the original creation mandate but with universal scope and Christ’s supreme authority. The commission flows from the victory of the cross and resurrection.
Overarching Themes
Scripture tells one big story (creation → fall → redemption → consummation). The covenants are not separate plans but progressive unfoldings of God’s single redemptive purpose, always centering on Christ.
The little stories (Abraham, Exodus, exile, etc.) point forward to Him. The kingdom Jesus announced was not postponed — it arrived in the King and advances through His people.
The new creation people (the Israel of God) now receive the fulfillment of what the old covenants anticipated: internal transformation, forgiveness, God’s presence, and the mission to bless all nations.
We Closed in Prayer
Thanking God for Christ’s sacrificial work, His current reign and intercession, and the sure hope of the coming consummation when God will fully dwell with His people.
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