In what Paul calls "time past," that is during the Old Testament and time of Jesus' ministry, while still under "the Law," and before today's "dispensation of the grace of God,"  there was a God-ordained distinction among men. Israel was "above all people" as the favored of the Lord, in accord with the Lord's plan.

"Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye (Israel) shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine" (Exodus 19:5)

In fact that distinction was still in existence when Jesus of Nazareth exclusively came as the "minister to the circumcision (Israel)" (Rom 15:8).

"But he (Jesus) answered and said, I am not sent but (except) unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matthew 15:24)

Yet, after Israel's fall and being set aside in God-ordained blindness (Romans 11:10-11, 25), Paul received the revelation of the "gospel of the grace of God" (Act 20:24) for the "Gentiles" (Gal 3:1-5). Paul received this revelation from the resurrected ascended Christ (cf., Gal 1:12). Where Israel was at one time an elevated people, Paul wrote in Romans 2:11 that today "there is no respect of persons with God"... thus today all men all stand on the same level ground.

"For God shows no partiality [undue favor or unfairness; with Him one man is not different from another]. (Romans 2:11 (AMP)

These words, with slight variations, are found many times in the Bible. This essentially means there today are no "big wheels" with the Lord! Rather, all men stand on the same footing before His bar of justice, "for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" and "there is none righteous no not one" (Rom 3:23, 10).

Some might say, "Okay, but now the question is this... if God is no respecter of persons, why did He favor one nation, Israel, above all the rest and, for many centuries, bless them above all others?"

The answer is that God made a difference to show that "there is no difference" (Rom. 3:22-23) in the condition of all men who are born of Adam as fallen humanity. The Lord made an artificial difference, a dispensational difference, to show that there was still no essential difference, no moral difference, but that He would still extend favor to those of mankind who would believe... Abraham believed God and it (his faith) was counted as righteousness (Rom 4:3). Favored people are still sinners and in need of the cross of Christ. God's favor does nothing until one believes to be saved by God's grace though faith in what He says. So the God ordained monotheistic Jew's religion, with its ordinances of their day, did not save them, and neither does religion and its ordinances save us today... only faith in God's words and provision for them saved them. According to His ultimate intent, the Lord had ordained that He would save Abraham and utilize his then believing "seed" (offspring) to one day extend God's favor to the whole world in the salvation that is found only "in Christ." Note that Jesus Christ is of the Seed of Abraham.

"Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." (Galatians 3:16 (KJV)

Thus the same God who once had said to Israel, as His distinctive elevated people on earth: "Ye (Israel) are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant … Unto you first…" (Acts 3:25-26)... today says the following to ALL MEN by Paul's words, during this day of "the dispensation of the grace of God";

"There is no difference between the Jew and the Greek [Gentile], for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10:12-13).

 Note that the equality of men, the  lack of distinction among men today, is only found "IN CHRIST."

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for Ye Are All One IN CHRIST Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)