Why did God temporarily turn to the Gentiles and call out the Church?
God temporarily turned to the Gentiles and called out the Church because the Law and prophetic expectation concerning the coming King and Kingdom had fallen through the cracks. This temporary shift did not cancel what came before; the Church still builds on the Law and the prophets as part of God’s progressive revelation.
Les explains from Romans 3 that the righteousness of God is now manifested without the Law, yet it was witnessed by the Law and the prophets. The Bible is a progressive revelation: the Law of Moses came first, then the prophets taught concerning the coming King and Kingdom. When that program fell through the cracks, God temporarily turned to the Gentiles and called out the Church. Grace rests on the Law and the prophets, and the Church builds on everything that has gone before.