Well actually Major, the Church is referred to as Israel.
Eph 2:11,12,13.
So, were were once alienated from Israel, but now we are not.
and again,
Act 2:17. Note that this is addressed to Israel, yet it refers to 'your sons and daughters' and we know that this promise fell also on Gentiles. Therefor Gentiles are included in the roster of sons and daughters of Israel.
There is obviously no distinction between peoples here..no Jews only, no Gentiles only, just one people.: a new creation.
Gal 6:15,16.
and again:
Rom 11:25 ,26
It seems clear enough that Paul is saying the Gentile Christians will complete the roster of Israel. (the Israel of God)
Again there is only one body.
and again
Gal_3:29 .
and again,
Isa 44:3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.
Isa 44:4 They shall spring up among the grass like willows by flowing streams.
Isa 44:5 This one will say, 'I am the LORD's,' another will call on the name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand, 'The LORD's,' and name himself by the name of Israel."
There is plenty of evidence that we are Israel.IMO.
Allow me to speak to each verse you used calvin.
Ephesians 2:11-13.
Those verses do not say that Israel is the church or vise versa. What they teach us is at the cross, Jesus made full atonement for the sins of all humanity, therefore annulling in its entirety the old system of laws that marked divisions between Jews and Gentiles.
Jesus is the way! Second, God has called a new people to himself based on the promised new covenant. This new humanity would no longer be Jews or Gentiles but Christian believers. In other words, this was God’s plan for the reconciliation of both Jews and Gentiles into one new people in Christ and that group including both Jew and Gentile became the church.
Acts 2:17.
It is of course a quotation rom the prophet Joel (Joel 2:2-14). His prophecy was given in the middle of a call for repentance from the nation of Israel. Peter uses that quote for the same reason. The prophecy indicated that something new would occur. Together with
Matthew 3:11, 1 Cor. 12:13 and Eph. 4:12, we can see clearly that only New Testament saints were and are baptized into one body - the Body of Christ. These are New Testament saints which again make up the church. This was the start of a New Covenant and resulted in the church, which is part of all of the saints since the creation, BUT Israel is still Israel as ALL of Israel did not and has not YET come to Christ.
The body of Christ, or the church, started on Pentecost, which is recorded in Acts 2. They are
"When were the first Christian churches formed?”. The body of Christ is composed of all the saints who are baptized in to the body of Christ
(1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 4:12). These saints are people who have believed in Jesus Christ.
Galatians 6:15-16
Calvin, this is pretty much the same argument as the others you have put forward. It is IMO what is called "Spiritualization".
The question presented by Galatians 6:15-16 is to ask if there is a special
Israel of God that is distinct from the nation as a whole. There are certainly two Israel’s in the new testament, but they are both Jewish. One is simply the believing remnant and the second is the national and corporate whole. The way these passages are often interpreted is to spiritualize
Israel as meaning
the Church. I do not agree with that and say to you that
all believing Jews are a part of the church, but not all of the church is Israel.
I am going to stop here because this is getting too long and all that I am doing is saying the same thing again and again and that is
all believing Jews are a part of the church, but not all of the church is Israel.
So hen Calvin, what I am saying and believe the Scriptures confirm is that the Church is the assembly of people, whether Jew or Gentile, who have been called out of the world to form the spiritual Body of Christ. . Those in the Church come together by the Spirit and through the Messiah. They are said to be "in Christ" (Romans 8:1; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 1:13).
What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory
--even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? (Romans 9:23-24; italics added)
The Church is Jews who have been
physically called out of the nations, but also
spiritually called out from unbelieving Israel, and Gentiles who have been
spiritually called out of the nations to worship the God of Israel. Both spiritually called-out peoples form one called-out people known as the Church. However, that in no way means that Israel is the church. It means that some of the Jewish people from Israel have come to Christ in order to be saved jus as do the Gentiles do today.