Under the “new covenant” blessing for “the Israel of God” God will yet write His laws in each and every believing Jew’s heart (Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:8-13; 10:15-17). One day Israel will have God’s laws written in their hearts… as the members of “the body of Christ” already enjoy during today’s grace dispensation.

In 2 Cor. 3:1-6 Paul is saying that Father God writes in us by “Christ according to the revelation of the mystery” … “which is Christ In You” (Col. 1:27). Today “the Spirit” writes not on tables of stone, but rather He writes the truth of the cross, as seen in Paul’s epistles, ‘in’ our hearts.

Now, contrary to popular opinion, we as mainly Gentile “the body of Christ” are not Israel and we are not under the “new covenant,” just as the Gentiles were not under the “old covenant.” The Jer. 31:31 promise of the “new covenant” was to the “house of Israel” and “house of Judah.”  We today are neither Israel or Judah.

Note that Paul, our “Apostle to the Gentiles” (Rom 11:13), never quotes Jer. 31:31 as being for us. The writer of Hebrews does quote Jer. 31:31-34 twice, and on both occasions, it was a clear reference to the Hebrews, Israel, never for the Gentiles. Thus, Paul wrote;

“That at that time ye (Gentiles) were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:” (Eph. 2:12)

So, what did Paul mean, writing to grace believers as “ministers of the new testament” (2Cor 3:6)?  During today’s “the dispensation of the Grace of God” we are “the Church, the Body of Christ,” and we “are not under the law (covenant) but under grace” (Rom. 6:14b), but we do have the “testament” that makes us “heirs of God.”

Paul’s grace doctrine working in us today is proof of the power of Paul’s grace gospel. God through Paul wrote the message of His grace in us. Paul writes that “we have this treasure in (our) earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” (2Cor 4:7) The “treasure in earthen vessels” is the “life of Jesus made manifest in our body” (2Cor 4:10). Christ living in and through us as we walk by faith in Pauline truth is the reality of the blessings of the “new covenant,” even though we are not God’s “new covenant” people.

Paul says, by God’s sufficiency through His Word to us and the power of “the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” now in us, we today are able to proclaim the benefits of Jesus Christ’s crosswork. We are not under any covenants of any kind in this age, but we are the recipients of God’s grace gospel, now enjoying what He wanted to give us… apart from any covenant of promise.

Today we enjoy the grace and blessings that God will one day give believing Israel. It’s only through Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection... that anyone or any calling can receive the forgiveness of sins (Rom. 5:11). Believing Israel has to wait until Jesus’ 2^nd coming to receive the blessings of God’s grace and forgiveness… through the “new covenant” (Zech. 12:10; Acts 3:19-21; Rom. 11:27).

In short;

1) “The Law” condemned us ALL of us as sinners and yet Christ’s finished crosswork saves us all by making us saints. The Law and Old Covenant was not made for us Gentiles (Rom. 3:19-20), and yet it still affected us because it condemned us also as sinners before God.

2) Likewise, the “new covenant,” though not made with us, its benefits still affects us since Christ’s death and resurrection benefits us, as “ALL men,” unto eternal life (cf. Rom. 5:18). Because of Adam we are ALL condemned before God, but, because of Jesus Christ, we ALL can be declared righteousness before God (cf. 2Cor 5:21) … without a “covenant.”

While “covenant” and “testament” are the same Greek word, only “testament” stresses a special type of contract of “inheritance,” which becomes valid only “after the death of the testator.” A “covenant” is in force while the maker is living. This is why our KJV uses “testament” instead of “covenant” in regard to our being “ministers of the new “testament” (2 Cor 3:6).

We today are not under the “new covenant.” But we, as His “joint heirs,” enjoy “the riches of the glory of our inheritance” (Eph. 1:15-18) by the “new testament.” Paul is saying believers today can bring the light and riches of Jesus Christ’s cross to the lost. Our “sufficiency is of God,” so we are “able.” Paul says God the Father has committed unto us Christians “the word of reconciliation,” the message of how He has reconciled the world unto Himself by Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:18-20).

Today, “all men” (Rom 5:18) may be made right in God’s sight by simple faith in Christ as Savior (1Tim. 4:10). This is accomplished; 1) by the work of the Holy Spirit who works in us to bring them the “Gospel of the grace of God,” and 2) He works in them that they might see and believe to receive Christ as Savior.

Paul, “the apostle to the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:13), later in Galatians refers to Jesus’ “little flock” as “the Israel of God” (Gal 6:16). These are the “time past” Messianic Christian believers who will co-reign with Jesus (Rev. 5:10, 20:6) in His Millennial Kingdom and then the Eternal Kingdom, beginning with His 2^nd coming to earth. So, the “little flock” (Luke 12:32) is the “other sheep” (Jn. 10:16), the “remnant” (Rom. 11:5, 7), and “the Israel of God” (Gal 6:16), who have, by their faith in Christ, and been “circumcised of heart” (Rom. 2:29). They are Messianic “new covenant” believers of Israel. These are not members of “the church, which is His body.”

The many titles as used for believing Israel do not include or have anything to do with the mainly Gentiles “the church, which is His body” (Eph. 1:22b-23a). We believed to receive the Lord Jesus as Savior via Paul’s “gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24) during this age of “the dispensation of the grace of God.” We are not the “little flock” or His “other sheep,” or “the remnant” (Rom. 11:5, 7), or “the Israel of God.” We are members of “His body” who believed “into Him.” Thus we’ve “died” and rose “with Him” (Rom 6:3), being “circumcised of heart” to live in “newness of life.”

Jesus’ earthly ministry was only unto “the circumcision (Israel)” (Rom. 15:8, Matt. 15:24). Jesus of Nazareth preached that the promised Messianic “Kingdom of heaven” was “at hand,” demonstrating this with the miracles. He did these as “signs” of the power that will be the norm in His Millennial Kingdom for the “Israel of God” under the “better covenant” with its “better promises,” referred to as Israel’s “new covenant.” After enduring “faithful to the end” the believing “remnant” of Israel will co-reign with Christ on “earth” (cf. Rev 5:10, 20:6), while “the body of Christ” will co-reign with Christ “in the heaven” (cf. 2Tim 2:12).

“But now hath he (Jesus) obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. (Hebrews 8:6)

The “kingdom of (from) heaven” will come to earth. The believing resurrected “remnant” of Israel, is to be Jesus’ “bride,” consisting of those of Israel in whom He will place His Spirit. They will co-reign with Him on “the new earth.”  Israel will have received her eternal inheritance by the “Spirit” of Israel’s Messiah, come live in and through them. He will indwell every believer of Israel, causing them to walk in righteousness (v27 below). This was clearly prophesied, long ago, by multiple prophets of Israel.

“And I will put my spirit within you (Israel), and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” (Ezekiel 36:27)

“And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land…” (Ezekiel 37:14a)

“so all (believing) Israel shall be saved (when Jesus divides the Tares from the Wheat (Mat. 13:30): as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob (Israel)” (Rom. 11:26)

Sadly, we may liken the Apostate Israel to today’s Apostate Christendom. They are the legalist, humanist, social gospel religionist; all captive to human viewpoint, denominational precepts, vain and empty tradition, the “straw” of the Christian “fold.” They’ve fallen from “the faith” Paul delivered to us.  While most look for revival Paul says, No, the apostasy, the falling away that we already see, will come.

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day (His 2^nd coming) shall not come, except (until) there come a falling away first, and that man of sin (Antichrist) be revealed, the son of perdition (destruction)” (2 Thes. 2:3)

Jesus’ has His Christian remnant today, “the church, which is His body” (Eph 1:22b-23a). They have received Paul’s “gospel of the grace of God” and therefore “the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” into their human spirit to make them “one spirit” with Christ at their core (cf. 1Cor 6:17). We as believers are “new creatures” in Christ (1Cor 5:17) and members of “His body.” We today are free to live in the liberty of the cross, freed from Sin’s penalty and power, free to “walk in the Spirit” (Gal 5:16, 18, 25), following Christ as He leads us from within.