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Well said, Marlowe. It's interesting, isn't it, that those who cite Gal. 3:28 on this subject always do so very selectively?

One wonders what they do with other passages in the NT that do indicate a difference:

Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised. (1 Co. 7:18)

Really? So Jews are supposed to stay Jews and Gentiles supposed to stay Gentiles even within the Body of the Messiah?

What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? 2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God. (Rom. 3:1-2)

Wait, there's a natural advantage to being a circumcised Jew? How can that be if there is no more Jew or Gentile?

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. (Rom. 1:16)
Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; (Rom. 2:9)
But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: (Rom. 2:10)

Waitwaitwait, what's with all this "Jew first" stuff? I though there was no more Jew or Gentile.

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (1 Co. 12:13)
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (1 Co. 12:13)

Ah, there's that annoying distinction again.

So, obviously the ontological (essential, by nature) distinction between Jew and Gentile remains, just as the ontological distinction between male and female does, or the economic distinction between slave and free--but Sha'ul's point is that we are all equally saved by faith in the Messiah of Israel, and that makes us all one family, whether we are Jew, Gentile, man, woman, slave, freeman, black, white, American, Chinese, or any other ontological distinction one can think of.

"Well said, Marlowe. It's interesting, isn't it, that those who cite Gal. 3:28 on this subject always do so very selectively?"

And they interpret too broadly. It was meant to describe the make up of the church, like Eph. 2 and 3, not God's total plan for the nation of Israel. During the "times of the Gentiles" (the church age) it is the church God is dealing with and both Jew and Gentile are dealt with in the same way by the Holy Spirit. But Paul in Romans 11: 25-27, says after the "fullness of the Gentiles be come in" the temporary blindness of the nation of Israel will be removed and God will deal with the believing remnant of Israel again and they will be saved and their salvation will cause Gentiles to turn to God. That is what the tribulation period and the millennium is for.

Paul warns us if we are ignore this mystery we are at risk of becoming wise in our own conceits.

Sha'ul's point is that we are all equally saved by faith in the Messiah of Israel, and that makes us all one family, whether we are Jew, Gentile, man, woman, slave, freeman, black, white, American, Chinese, or any other ontological distinction one can think of.

Which is why the idea that the Jews get their own special dispensation is offensive.

(Would it kill you to lay off the Hebraisms? They're pretentious.)