Both Jews and Gentiles were without Christ before He came.   <p>What is ^the commonwealth of Israel^?   -> the promise of the Messiah -> the land of Canaan -> the Law <p>What are ^the covenants of promise^? -> Abrahamic covenant -> Mosaic covenant -> Davidic covenant <p>So, exactly what were the Gentiles missing as -> only 1 thread of Abraham^s descendants brought forth the Messiah -> Canaan is not a very big part of the earth -> the Law was helpful but burdensome.<p>What hope did the ChildrenOfIsrael have that Gentiles didn^t?<p>The ChildrenOfIsrael did not ^<i>have</i> the HolySpirit^.  Different individuals had experiences with the HolySpirit but He was not an abiding presence in them.<p>My point is that Paul saw being a Jew as somehow or other more blessed than being a Gentile despite the fact that there is no concrete historical evidence to support that feeling -> grandeur of Egypt ->  grandeur of Babylon -> grandeur of Persia -> grandeur of Greece -> grandeur of Rome <p>The Jewish fixation on being ^chosen^ (which is the persepective from which Paul is speaking) is a problem for them as it is still holding them back from receiving Christ who revealed that God loves the WORLD - not just Jews. <p>As believers, we know that those who choose Christ are chosen by Him.