Rogerg, Thanks for your reply. I think that you believe, when the scriptures speak of people being sheep that it is speaking of the elect of God. If so, then who are they speaking of, when they speak of the lost sheep of the house of Israel?
I believe the term house of Israel and spiritual Israel, have come to represent the same entity, that being the Israel of God: spiritual Israel. God’s relationship to OT Israel was ended when it, as a nation, in the role of His wife, consisting of the earthly Jews and those non-Jews who joined Israel, spiritually fornicated with other gods, and therefore, was divorced by God after repeated warnings to them that He would do so, but which warnings they ignored. As a result of that divorce, all who are of the elect, but who have yet to be saved or born-again by God, are the lost sheep. Upon becoming saved, they will no longer be lost sheep, but will be of the sheep.
What is your interpretation of Zephaniah third chapter, especially verses 11-13, Who is being spoken of in verse 11 of those that have transgresses against God? Who is the remnant of Israel in verse 13 which do no iniquity?
All have transgressed God’s law of Christ, both the saved and the unsaved alike have. It is only through the forgiveness of transgression through God’s exceeding mercy and grace, manifested by Christ unto His elect, that brings salvation to them – but not by their righteousness. Before becoming saved/born-again and not yet having been justified by Christ’s righteousness, the elect, in God's eyes, are not one whit better, and some even worse, than the unsaved as we have all sinned that sin. The saved are saved only because of Christ’s choice of them for such, and of His imputing of His righteousness unto them – the righteousness which He brought forth – but not of themselves.
The remnant in verse 13, I believe, is speaking of those saved by God's grace alone. They do no iniquity, not because of themselves, but because of Christ.
As for verse 11, I believe, is speaking of the non-elect/unsaved/ who will never become justified by Christ, they are Chrisian pretenders whom God removes from the midst of the true congregation – the congregation of the firstborn: Christ.
Romans chapter 9 (below) and Eph 2:11 -13 demonstrates that it will be the saved who are translated by God into being the Israel of God, the house of Israel: in God’s eyes, they have now become Israel.
[Rom 9:24-26, 30-32 KJV]
24 Even us, whom he hath called,
not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
25 As he saith also in Osee,
I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.
26 And it shall come to pass, [that] in the place where it was said unto them, Ye [are] not my people;
there shall they be called the children of the living God. ...
30 What shall we say then?
That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.
31
But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness,
hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
32 Wherefore? Because [they sought it] not by faith,
but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;
[Eph 2:11-13 KJV]
11 Wherefore remember, that ye [being] in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12 That at that time ye
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:
13
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes
were far off
are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
In trying to understand the scriptures, with the knowledge that they must all harmonize, I struggle with the question of who exactly does the elect of God encompass? Is spiritual Israel represented through Jacob who God changed his name to be called Israel? Rom 9:11).
If I understand your question correctly, spiritual Israel is a spiritual nation - the eternal, spiritual nation of Israel - the Israel of God. God has thus made them to become the true Israel.
The elect, I believe, consist of certain specific individuals - those, and only those, chosen by God from before the foundation of the world, to become saved. When they become saved, they join spiritual Israel and become true Jews.
[Eph 1:4 KJV] 4 According as
he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Is the remnant a small part of spiritual Israel, or is the remnant of Israel the sum total of God's elect?
Sorry, ForestGreenCook, I’m not sure that I understand your question.
If you could include the verses that you have in mind, I might then be able to provide a better explanation.