In 6:16 Paul goes on to say, “And as many as shall walk by this rule, peace be upon them and mercy, even upon the Israel of God.” The rule Paul speaks of here is that of being a new creation, living by the Spirit through faith, not that of keeping the law through the observance of ordinances. This rule, the rule of the new creation, is the processed Triune God being our life and our living. On the one hand, we say that in the church life we do not have regulations and rules. Although this is true, it is not true in every sense, for we do have the rule mentioned in 6:16. We need to walk by the rule which is the Triune God processed to be our life and living. To live in this way by the new creation is our rule.
In 5:25 Paul charges us to walk by the Spirit, and in 6:16 he charges us to walk by “this rule.” This indicates that to walk by this rule is to walk by the Spirit. In other words, the rule is equal to the Spirit. When we live by the Spirit, we live by the processed Triune God as our life and our living. Therefore, to live by the Spirit is to live by this rule.
Paul says concerning those who walk by this rule, “peace be upon them and mercy.” Paul opens his Epistles with a word about grace and peace. This is true of Galatians (1:3). But at the end of Galatians, Paul mentions peace (v. 16) before grace (v. 18). Grace is the Triune God becoming our enjoyment, and peace is the issue, the result, of this enjoyment. Whenever we enjoy the Triune God as grace, we have peace. Peace is thus the condition that results from grace. However, even though we have peace, we still have need for more grace. First we receive grace, and grace brings in the condition of peace. Then as we abide in this peaceful condition, we need to receive further grace. In addition to grace, we also need mercy. Therefore, Paul says that upon those who walk by this rule, who walk by the Spirit, there should be peace and mercy.
Paul concludes verse 16 with the words, “even upon the Israel of God.” The Greek word rendered even (kai) here is not connective but explicative, indicating that the apostle considers the many individual believers in Christ collectively the Israel of God. The Israel of God is the real Israel (Rom. 9:6; 2:28-29; Phil. 3:3), including all the Gentile and Jewish believers in Christ. These are the true sons of Abraham (Gal. 3:7, 29), the household of the faith (6:10).
Those who walk by “this rule” are the true Israel, the Israel of God. In a way there is no difference between the nation of Israel and the secular world or the religious world. In the eyes of God, the nation of Israel is not the real Israel. We, the sons of God, are the true Israel, for we are God’s household, His chosen people today. We may not be Israel outwardly, but we are Israel inwardly. This is why we say that we, the believers in Christ, are the true Israel. The outward nation of Israel has little concern for God. However, we have a genuine concern for God and speak of Him continually. We are indeed the Israel of God.