There are two views of Israel often discussed within the church today. One is the dispensational view, where we are currently in the “church age”. God has set aside the nation of Israel for a period of refinement or judgement for their unbelief, and then it will be restored to God at the end of the age.
The other is often called Supersessionism or replacement theology. In this view, Israel was “replaced” by the church as the people of God. The nation of Israel was completed, and the church took preeminence. Those who belonged to the nation if Israel are restored to God by becoming members of the church of Christ.
Not By Flesh
I’d argue the most focused texts on the topic are found in Romans 9-11. However, what we find there is that, while the second view helps to understand some concepts correctly, in its oversimplification it has made the error Paul warns the gentiles of Rome specifically against! Let’s let God speak for himself and get into his word:
But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.
Romans 9:6-8
This verse, alone, ought to be enough to discourage someone from seeing “Israel” according to ethnic lines. Nobody was born into a relationship with God according to their parents. This is not the only place this type of argument is found either (Galatians 3:7, Matthew 3:9, etc…)
However, the other thing you’ll notice is that these verses aren’t arguing that Israel isn’t relevant. It is, instead, saying that the lines we use to define Israel should not be according to the flesh.
The Remnant
There’s some juicy verses in here about the sovereignty of God over whom he saves and that does relate to this somewhat as well, but for the purposes of this discussion we can now skip down a bit.
And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.”
Romans 9:27
This concept of judgement, a remnant, and God’s people growing out of those redeemed becomes extremely important to a proper understanding of the topic. It is a constant pattern in the Old Testament. God chooses for himself a people. They rebel. God preserves a small number for himself who remain loyal, and the rest are cut off. However, it is also referenced by Paul multiple times in these chapters, and that is no accident.
In Romans 10, Paul treats the topic of justification. Namely, that one cannot be justified by the law, but is justified by faith in Christ. In verse 12, he says that this leads to the conclusion that there is no distinction, therefore, between Jews and Gentiles. There is only a distinction between those who believe and those who do not.
Romans 11 starts again with the concept of a remnant, and this chapter is perhaps the most important for replacement theologians to focus on.
I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
Romans 11:1-6
It’s not that Israel has been rejected and replaced by a Gentile institution. Rather, God cut off a large amount of Israel, but preserved for himself a remnant. When Jesus walked the earth, his ministry was focused almost exclusively (save for the Samaritan woman and a few other encounters) on the Jewish people. Therefore, the 12 apostles and the many hundred disciples were all Jewish.
Not a Gentile Institution
In fact, in Acts 10, we are told of the first instance of a Gentile family becoming members of the church. It takes Peter receiving a vision and the family receiving the Spirit and speaking in tongues for the church (who was Jewish) to realize believers ought to be included regardless of their ancestry.
But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.
Romans 11:17-18
Interestingly, I believe it was the same spirit Paul warns against here that defined the early Roman Catholic tradition. This may be why people are so confused today. The idea of the church as a replacement (either for a time or forever) of Israel is arrogance. Gentiles are called to humbly acknowledge that the foundation of our faith is Israel, rather than that we have replaced it.
Full Inclusion
Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,
“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
Romans 11:25-27
he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;
“and this will be my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”
This section requires some consideration. I’ve often heard it misunderstood, even by very Biblical teachers. The common understanding is this: Israel has been partially hardened. This age is to bring in all Gentiles. Then the rest of Israel will be saved after that.
Looking at the context of “And in this way all Israel will be saved”, however, we see that both the partial hardening and the fullness of Gentiles is how God is saving all of Israel (rather than a future action when the rest of Israel gets lumped in).
There are two problems God must solve in redeeming Israel. One is that some of the descendants of Jacob according to the flesh are not those whom he has chosen to be Israel but are currently included. The partial hardening is to remove those from the midst of his people, so that Israel is his people. He will banish ungodliness for Jacob. He’s creating a remnant.
The other is that some of Israel is not currently included, because they are not biological descendants of Jacob. Therefore, he will bring in the fullness of Gentiles who belong to him. Then, that full body of Israel (the faithful Jews and Gentiles alike) will be in covenant with God through Christ, and he takes away their sins.
All Redeemed from Disobedience
Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Ephesians 2:11-13
For the Gentiles, we have been made members of Israel through faith in Christ. Every Jewish person alive today has been cut off by their lack of faith in Christ as well, to be grafted back in when they accept him.
Therefore, we were all alienated from God. Now, each of us (regardless of where or who we come from) have the opportunity, by faith, to be made the people of God. This is not a change in God’s program, but as pointed out in Hebrews, has been the program from the start which has been slowly revealed over time (to be completely laid bare in Christ).
The faithful can lay hold to the promises of God through faith in Christ no matter who they are! Praise Jesus for making us holy and whole!
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