You need to read more carefully, That's all I can say. You are jumping to conclusions. Let's look at that again,
What you hear:
"You were alienated from the citizenship of Israel but now you are citizens of Israel.
What Paul actually says:
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Do you see it? These words relate to location, not spiritual status. The reason why the Ephesians were separated from Christ and unfamiliar with the covenants of promise is because they lived in a far off land. It wasn't until Paul travelled to Ephesus and after believing the gospel about the blood of Christ were the Ephesians brought near. preached the gospel to them that they were brought near. He tells you that "He [the Lord through is apostles] came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near . . ." The Ephesians were physically distant, which is why they were unaware of the gospel message until they were "brought near" by belief in the Gospel. Paul is talking about their former condition, i.e. separated by great distance, as compared to their current condition when distance doesn't matter.
In all of that explanation, Paul never suggests that the new "spiritual" polis is called "spiritual Israel." He doesn't make the point you want him to make.
What are you talking about? The cross had absolutely no effect on the Gentiles coming to some geographical "location" on this earth, and "not spiritual status." That is absolutely ridiculous. Where did you get that from? I never heard anything so silly. You are definitely on the ropes bro. It is time to stop fighting the inspired Book and embrace the truth. Admit, your teachers have taught you wrong. They have laden you with a large deposit of burdensome, erroneous and preposterous teaching.
It is not difficult to catch the message here.
In our main passage in Ephesians 2, and speaking about the old dispensation, believing Israel is described here as those that “were nigh (
eggus).” The darkened Gentiles are depicted as those that were
“afar off.” However, through, and since, the cross those that are saved (both Jew and Gentile) are classed as “nigh (
eggus)” whereas those that are strangers to grace are recognized as “afar off.”
So, what applied to the elect of God in the past (namely imitate union and communion) must (if we are consistent) similarly be related to believers today under this new arrangement, as the phraseology is exactly the same. This all comes through the cross.
Bible students can speculate or debate all they want about the full meaning of what “afar off” and “made nigh” really entails here, but the dispute is truly non-existent. When you recognize that “the blood of Christ” is the remedy for the “afar off” condition and that the “far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ” we can confidently assume that we are looking at pre and post conversion conditions. The phrase to be “made nigh by the blood of Christ” in the case of the new relationship between the Gentile believer and “Christ” is to be understood in the most intimate spiritual sense possible.
The blood of Christ doesn’t merely draw believers
near (or close) to “Christ” in an external or detached sense, but brings them nigh into Christ in an intimate spiritual union upon salvation. They become one with Christ upon conversion in a mystical union. Paul reinforces this fact by showing that drawing nigh results in us becoming members of the body of Christ and components of the temple of God. To be nigh to God clearly denotes salvation here. This is seen throughout Scripture.
We Gentiles that were once hopelessly “without Christ” (or separated from Christ), are now graciously found “in Christ Jesus” through the cross (Ephesians 2:13). We were “aliens” or estranged “from the citizenship of Israel” (Ephesians 2:12) but now are “no more strangers and foreigners, but
fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). We were “strangers from the covenants of the
promise” (Ephesians 2:12), but are now “fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his
promise in Christ by the gospel” (Ephesians 3:6). We were blind “having no hope,” but now we belong to “one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in
one hope” (Ephesians 4:4). Plainly, we enjoy the same spiritual hope and are made subject unto the same “covenants of promise” as our Old Testament counterparts. For “in Christ” we have become fellow citizens of the Israel of God. We used to be “without God in the world” (or godless in the world) but now no longer. This privileged transformation having been secured for us “by the blood of Christ.”
It is only through the blood of Christ that men (Jew or Gentile, of either era) can enter into union with God and partake in all the spiritual blessings that are outlined in Ephesians 2. This shows us that the New Testament Gentiles are reconciled unto God on the same basis as the Old Testament Israelite – by putting their personal faith in the redeeming blood of Christ. Outside of that there is no salvation, no hope, and no appropriation of the promises and blessings of God.
