Distinguishing Saints from Gentiles in Pauline Theology

The distinction between “saints” and Gentiles in Paul’s writings rests on consistent hermeneutical principles: the law of first use, normal usage of conjunctions, and careful attention to pronouns. When these are applied rigorously, especially in Ephesians, a strong case emerges that “saints” refers consistently to Jewish believers, the little flock, while Gentile believers in the body of Christ are described separately.

The law of first use shows that when the term “saint” (or its underlying Hebrew/Greek equivalents) is used of people rather than places, it is used of Israelites. This is true both in the Old Testament and in the New. The “holy city” and “holy people” share the same basic term; its first and primary personal application is to Jews. That establishes a default: unless context clearly dictates otherwise, “saints” should be read as Jews.

In addition, the primary use of the Greek conjunction kai is “and” in the sense of addition (“this and another”), not apposition (“this, that is to say”). You can translate it appositionally (“even,” “that is”) when context demands, but if you bypass the normal, primary meaning, the burden of proof is on you to show why.

Consider Ephesians 1. Paul opens:

"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus.’’

If we let the law of first use stand, “saints” are Jews. If we let the primary meaning of kai stand, “saints” and “faithful” are two groups, not one label for the same people. To merge them, one must decide to override both the law of first use and the default meaning of kai, and then produce a compelling reason for doing so.

Most interpreters, including many right-dividing teachers, assume “saints” and “faithful” are the same group. They sometimes justify this by treating kai as appositional (“the saints, that is, the faithful in Christ Jesus”). But this is an assumption that ignores the defaults. If we keep the defaults in place, the verse naturally reads as addressing two groups: Jewish saints and Gentile faithful.

Now follow the pronouns in Ephesians 1. If “saints” are Jewish believers and “faithful” are Gentile believers, the first person plural (“we,” “us”) can be read as Israelite believers, and the second person plural (“ye,” “you”) as Gentile believers.

Verse 3:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.’’

If you assume this “us” is the body of Christ without distinction, you then must claim that the following verses describe the body of Christ being chosen and predestined “before the foundation of the world” Ephesians 1:4, which leads directly into Calvinistic readings:

"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: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.’’

If “us” is the body of Christ here, then the body of Christ is corporately chosen and predestined before the foundation of the world in a way that fuels classic Calvinism. Some attempt to evade this by saying God chose “the body” but not which individuals would be in it. That distinction, however, is not found in the text and is hermeneutically weak.

If instead “us” refers to Jewish saints, the little flock, then the choosing, predestining, adoption, and inheritance language fits comfortably with Israel’s covenants and prophetic expectations. Terms like “redemption,” “inheritance,” and “adoption” align naturally with Israel—God buying back what was formerly His, restoring Israel to her promised standing, giving the long-promised inheritance in connection with Messiah. The body of Christ, by contrast, did not exist in time past; it was a mystery hidden in God and later revealed through Paul. Strictly speaking, something that did not yet exist cannot be “bought back.”

Keep reading to verse 10:

"That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.’’

Who “first trusted in Christ”? It is not the body of Christ as such. There were believers in Christ before Paul. Paul himself references people “who also were in Christ before me” Romans 16:7. From a right-division standpoint, the body of Christ as a pattern begins with Paul, but those who “first trusted in Christ” are believing Israelites who trusted their Messiah under kingdom promises.

If you make “we” in verse 12 the body of Christ, you are forced into the absurdity of claiming the body of Christ was “first” to trust in Christ. That cannot stand historically or dispensationally.

Now observe the crucial shift that follows:

"That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.’’

There is an explicit movement from “we” (those who first trusted in Christ, Jewish saints) to “ye also” (Gentile believers who later believed and were sealed). If you track this consistently through Ephesians, the pattern holds: first person plural aligns with Jewish believers; second person plural with Gentile believers. The two groups share blessings in Christ but are still distinguishable in Paul’s description.

This gives a concrete example of right division:

Rightly Dividing in Ephesians 1

• “Saints” (Ephesians 1:1): by law of first use, Jewish believers, the little flock.
• “Faithful in Christ Jesus”: Gentile believers in the body of Christ.
• “We,” “us” (Ephesians 1:3–12): Jewish saints, recipients of covenantal promises, chosen and predestined in relation to Israel’s prophetic program.
• “Ye,” “you” (Ephesians 1:13 and following): Gentile believers who “also” believed and were sealed, brought into blessings in Christ apart from Israel’s law and covenants.

When this distinction is honored, several things happen:

1. The Calvinistic reading of Ephesians 1 loses its force because the choosing and predestining are not about the body of Christ in general, but about the Jewish saints in their covenantal role.
2. The claim that the body of Christ was “first” to trust Christ disappears; that phrase instead fittingly describes believing Israel.
3. The entire chapter aligns with right division: one program for Israel and her saints, another for Gentile believers in the body of Christ, both centered in Christ but not merged into a single undifferentiated group.

Once this pattern is seen in Ephesians, it can be tested across Paul’s writings. Read “saints” as the Jewish believing remnant, the little flock, unless a clear contextual reason demands otherwise. Distinguish between first person plural (often tied to Israel, covenants, inheritance) and second person plural (Gentile believers and the body of Christ). When this is done consistently, the distinction between saints and Gentiles within Paul’s letters proves to be coherent, exegetically grounded, and fully compatible with a robust right-division framework.

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