In this lesson, I wish to deal head-on with the heresy of Replacement Theology, which states that the Church has replaced Israel, and is a result of Preterism. God made promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the Nation of Israel that were unconditional. Those promises could not have been forfeited by the Jews if they tried, and they most certainly were not transfered to the Church upon the rejection of Yeshua (Jesus) as Messiah by the Jews.
Paul spoke of the Jews and what would become of them in the book of Romans, chapters 9, 10, & 11. At the time, many were pushing for the continued observance of Jewish rituals and traditions. The Judaizers sought that all gentiles wishing to become Christians would first become observant Jews. Paul said no. Jesus was the fulfillment of the Jewish law, which meant that there was no longer any reason to be put under the law. Paul argued that by associating ourselves with the crucifixion of Christ, we become dead to the law, and the law no longer has any claim to us.
All of this worried the Jews of the day, even those who were now Christians. If doing away with the ordinances of the law was the way of the New Covenant, then would was to become of the Jews?
Paul spends three chapters in the book of Romans answering this question, climaxing in Romans 11:
1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, [of] the tribe of Benjamin.2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias (Elijah in the NASB)? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, 3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. 4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to [the image of] Baal. 5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 And if by grace, then [is it] no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if [it be] of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. 7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded 8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. 9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: 10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway. 11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but [rather] through their fall salvation [is come] unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. 12 Now if the fall of them [be] the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? 13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: 14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation [them which are] my flesh, and might save some of them. 15 For if the casting away of them [be] the reconciling of the world, what [shall] the receiving [of them be], but life from the dead? 16For if the firstfruit [be] holy, the lump [is] also [holy]: and if the root [be] holy, so [are] the branches. 17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; 18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. 19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. 20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: 21 For if God spared not the natural branches, [take heed] lest he also spare not thee. 22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in [his] goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. 23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. 24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural [branches], be graffed into their own olive tree? 25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this [is] my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. 28 As concerning the gospel, [they are] enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, [they are] beloved for the fathers’ sakes. 29 For the gifts and calling of God [are] without repentance. 30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. 33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable [are] his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36 For of him, and through him, and to him, [are] all things: to whom [be] glory for ever. Amen.
Replacement theology teaches that God is through with Israel (the biological seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), and that He has replaced them with the Church. To the contrary, Paul here is saying that they are still God’s chosen people. They are currently being used by God to draw the Gentile world to Him. He makes it clear that you should not allow your position in Christ to become a source of pride over the Jews, and warns that God can just as easily cast you aside. He is using your position in Christ to rile them to jealousy so they might come to Christ as well.
Note verse 29, which nails my point about the promises of God. They are WITHOUT REPENTENCE. To say that God has withdrawn His unconditional promise deminishes who He is. God is the one who “knows the end from the beginning”. He new that they would not accept Jesus as Messiah. He made promises with them regardless.
Let me also not fail to note the distinction Paul makes between Israel and the Gentiles (the Church) as well. This is why I put emphasis on verse 25 where Paul states that blindness is happened to Israel “until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” This is the same blindness that Jesus declared in Luke 19:42, which I quoted in Lesson 1: “Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things [which belong] unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. If the church is Israel, as the Replacement Theologists claim, then Paul is declaring blindness on the church!! That is not only NOT what he is saying, he is saying that the blindness that is happened is limited and has an expiration date.
The Bible is consistent in its terminology, from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21. Speaking of both the person Jacob, as well as his decendents the nation of Israel, he always refers to them as “Israel” when they are in communion with him, and as “Jacob” when they are in a state of apostacy. This is why I emphasised “Jacob” in verse 26. Paul is acknowledging that the rejection of Jesus as Messiah puts the Jews in a state of apostacy, but makes no claim that this is a forfeiture of the promises of God.
Aside from being unscriptural, Replacement Theology raises serious questions for the Church. If God can retract unconditional promises made to the Jews, what is to say that He could not retract the unconditional promises He has made to His Church?
Past Lessons on Dispensationalism:
Dispensationalism – Lesson 1
I agree that this is one of the key points of disagreements between preterists and dispensationalists. First, though, I agree; God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is unconditional and stands sure: “in you all the nations of the earth will be blessed.” This is fulfilled in Jesus, the son of Abraham, the true descendant of David, and the Last Adam. However, keep in mind that there were a lot of conditional promises made to the nation of Israel; see Deuteronomy 28 for example.
Also please note that “nation of Israel” and “biological seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” were never identical. In Genesis 17, when God commands Abraham to be circumcised, he also commands that all the other members of Abraham’s household be circumcised as well; in Genesis 14 we see that includes at least 318 fighting men. The nation was by covenant from the beginning, not by blood. We see people from other nations joining the covenant at other points later on, as well: the mixed multitude that came up from Egypt (Caleb was a Kenizzite, not a Hebrew), the converts during David and Solomon’s time (see Uriah the Hittite for example), and those who converted during exile (e.g. Esther 8:17).
All this is to point out that there is little reason to believe that even the majority of the Jews in Jesus’ day were descendants of Abraham, biologically, and even less reason to believe that the people who call themselves Jews now are. And even then, genealogy is not the condition for being a Jew; covenant membership was. Today that covenant has passed away, thus there are no Jews.
I think it is likely that the event Paul is pointing to here was future to him, but past to us. The fullness of the Gentiles is the establishment of the (non-Jewish) early church, which inherits the richness of the Old Testament promises. The provocation to jealousy is the Jews seeing other people receiving the blessings of God’s kingdom. This will bring salvation to the faithful Jews who join the church, and destruction to those who, like Korah (Numbers 17-18), refused to accept the new covenant. This is accomplished in the 40-year transitional period between the old and new covenants. As with Sodom, God will not judge Jacob until faithful Israel has been called out from among it. Even if one rejects this view, it is hard to reconcile the idea that this single chapter indicates a separate future for Gentiles and Jews when the “mystery” of the new covenant discussed in other places in the New Testament speaks of no division between Gentile and Jew.
I realize these kinds of discussions touch on the interpretation of a lot of different things in Scripture and I don’t expect that these very condensed notes will be a convincing argument, but I hope to at least show that so-called “replacement theology” is not heretical or unscriptural.
(Further investigation into this passage that I have found helpful is here: http://www.biblicalhorizons.com/bh/bh027.htm http://www.biblicalhorizons.com/bh/bh028.htm http://www.biblicalhorizons.com/bh/bh029.htm)
I’m sorry, I’ve been quite busy lately. I will address your comments at the first chance I get.
Also, I cut some stuff out of Lesson 2 intending to use it in lesson three. Lesson three will address the question “If the Church is not the new Israel, then what is the present/future role of the Jews?” At least that’s the intention.