Verse 4 is written in the present tense. I want especially to draw this to your attention. These things - the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises - these gifts and their accompanying responsibilities are also all still in force and effect. Those things were given to Israel.
Now please understand that the church has in no way replaced Israel in God's plan. Israel is still carrying on its responsibility to God, however weakly. It is Israel who distributes Bibles all over the world. It is Israel that sends out missionaries and evangelists. It is primarily Israelites who write, publish, and distribute all of these Bible helps like dictionaries, commentaries, concordances, and encyclopedias. The church, brethren, is a sub-set, a sub-section, a sub-unit, a remnant, which is exactly what Paul called us in Romans 11:4, meaning a small portion within Israel, and within God's plan.
Now the church is the primary focus in God's purpose right now, but Israel is still in existence, very much in existence, and we have a responsibility toward it within God's purpose. We are Israelites.
