Thoughts on the End Times [13]: Faith In Christ, Not the State of Israel
A woman who had been attending our church for some time asked me about my views on the end times. When I explained my perspective, she grew visibly angry and said, “THAT’S REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY!” and accused me of teaching false doctrine.
I had never heard the term “replacement theology” and upon researching it, discovered it’s a pejorative term used for my view by those that oppose it, and (I might add) who don’t understand it and usually misrepresent it.
Those that oppose my view focus on national Israel. My view focuses on God’s covenant promises in the Old Testament – the promise to Abraham (Genesis 12), the promise made to David (2 Samuel 7), and the promise of the New Covenant to replace the Law that Israel broke (Jeremiah 31).
These covenants with Israel are not broken or nullified because national Israel rejected them (Romans 3.3). But the ultimate Israelite – the Son of Man, the Son of Abraham, the Son of David, the Son of God – Jesus (not the nation) is the rightful heir to the ancient promises (e.g. Matthew 21.38; Galatians 3.16; Ephesians 3.6; Hebrews 1.2) and we, His Church – His people -- are joint-heirs, inheriting the promised blessings by faith in Him (Acts 20.32; Romans 8.17; Galatians 3.29; Ephesians 1.11-14,18; Colossians 1.12; Hebrews 9.15; James 2.5; 1 Peter 1.4).
The inheritance promised in the covenants is not promised on the basis of ethnicity, circumcision, or keeping ritual law, but on the basis of faith in Christ (Galatians 3.16-18, 29). There is no more Jew or Gentile – only Christ and those who are His one people by faith (Ephesians 2.11-22). This is (and has always been) the goal of God’s work in history.
Those who differ with my view seem to disagree. They seem to believe entering the covenant by becoming a part of Christ’s church is a temporary state of affairs, and that God will eventually undo this arrangement and return to the world of divinely-blessed national Jewish sovereignty.
This seems to me an undoing of everything that God has done through the cross of Jesus Christ!
Let’s be clear: God has not rejected the Jewish nation; it rejected HIM! The nation stepped away from its own covenant program, thinking it could attain standing with God through ethnicity or ritual law. But,
What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as it were, based on works. (Romans 9.30-32a)
Judaism continues this pursuit by works, and according to Jesus and His apostles, no one inherits, has ever inherited, or will ever inherit the covenant promises that way. You come into the covenant and inherit its blessing by God’s grace through faith.
Can the Jews return to true faith and inherit the covenant blessings? Of course – but not by re-creating a Jewish state or rebuilding the Jerusalem Temple or reinstituting animal sacrifice, but rather as
…the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing riches on all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10.11-13)
…And even [the Jews], if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you [dear Gentile believer] were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into THEIR OWN olive tree. (Romans 11.23-24)
This is Paul’s argument in Romans. His argument in Galatians is similar. It’s pretty straightforward. Some may call it “false teaching”, but I think I’m in pretty good company following the apostle Paul.
I had never heard the term “replacement theology” and upon researching it, discovered it’s a pejorative term used for my view by those that oppose it, and (I might add) who don’t understand it and usually misrepresent it.
Those that oppose my view focus on national Israel. My view focuses on God’s covenant promises in the Old Testament – the promise to Abraham (Genesis 12), the promise made to David (2 Samuel 7), and the promise of the New Covenant to replace the Law that Israel broke (Jeremiah 31).
These covenants with Israel are not broken or nullified because national Israel rejected them (Romans 3.3). But the ultimate Israelite – the Son of Man, the Son of Abraham, the Son of David, the Son of God – Jesus (not the nation) is the rightful heir to the ancient promises (e.g. Matthew 21.38; Galatians 3.16; Ephesians 3.6; Hebrews 1.2) and we, His Church – His people -- are joint-heirs, inheriting the promised blessings by faith in Him (Acts 20.32; Romans 8.17; Galatians 3.29; Ephesians 1.11-14,18; Colossians 1.12; Hebrews 9.15; James 2.5; 1 Peter 1.4).
The inheritance promised in the covenants is not promised on the basis of ethnicity, circumcision, or keeping ritual law, but on the basis of faith in Christ (Galatians 3.16-18, 29). There is no more Jew or Gentile – only Christ and those who are His one people by faith (Ephesians 2.11-22). This is (and has always been) the goal of God’s work in history.
Those who differ with my view seem to disagree. They seem to believe entering the covenant by becoming a part of Christ’s church is a temporary state of affairs, and that God will eventually undo this arrangement and return to the world of divinely-blessed national Jewish sovereignty.
This seems to me an undoing of everything that God has done through the cross of Jesus Christ!
Let’s be clear: God has not rejected the Jewish nation; it rejected HIM! The nation stepped away from its own covenant program, thinking it could attain standing with God through ethnicity or ritual law. But,
What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as it were, based on works. (Romans 9.30-32a)
Judaism continues this pursuit by works, and according to Jesus and His apostles, no one inherits, has ever inherited, or will ever inherit the covenant promises that way. You come into the covenant and inherit its blessing by God’s grace through faith.
Can the Jews return to true faith and inherit the covenant blessings? Of course – but not by re-creating a Jewish state or rebuilding the Jerusalem Temple or reinstituting animal sacrifice, but rather as
…the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing riches on all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10.11-13)
…And even [the Jews], if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you [dear Gentile believer] were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into THEIR OWN olive tree. (Romans 11.23-24)
This is Paul’s argument in Romans. His argument in Galatians is similar. It’s pretty straightforward. Some may call it “false teaching”, but I think I’m in pretty good company following the apostle Paul.