The Fallacy of Replacement Theology
“And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them, and of their children after them: And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me.” Jeremiah 32:39-40
While studying in the book of Jeremiah, as I read through the notes that I made yesterday, the notion of “replacement theology” crossed my mind. This form of theology has been around for a very long time, and sometimes is prevalent among those believers who have little or no regard for the nation of Israel. This teaching is based upon the belief that the church, all of those who have repented of sin, trusted in Christ and His work on the cross, and are born again, have “replaced” Israel as God’s chosen people. Those who follow this teaching believe that all prophecy in scripture referring to the future blessing of Israel is actually foretold for the church. However, God told His people in Jeremiah 32:39 that He “will give them one heart, and one way” in order to fearfully reverence Him for their good and the good of their descendants. The church, made up of those who have been born again, already have that one heart for God. Thus, why would God foretell of a people who would eventually come to know Him through Christ if they already know Him through Christ, as do those in the body of Christ?
Secondly, if God, because of Israel’s disobedience and rebellion, abandoned them, completely forsaking them, and replaced them with the Christian church, mostly made up of Gentiles, then He would appear to have failed His original plan before the entire world. We know that He can’t fail. Whatever He deems to come to pass, will come to pass. There were a couple of times when God almost destroyed His own people, first for idolatry at Mt. Sinai (Exodus 32:11) and the second time during the journey to the promised land for the whining and complaining of the people (Numbers 14:11-12). Both times Moses reminded God that to destroy His own nation would make Him a laughingstock among the surrounding and unbelieving nations. He did allow some to die for their unrighteousness and to set an example for those who remained because He could not turn a blind eye to the flagrant sin of His people.
Thirdly, it was always God’s intention to include Gentiles along with Jews in His plan of salvation. In Colossians 1:26, Paul called it a mystery, the plan to include Gentiles which was hidden until Paul was allowed to proclaim it. In Ephesians 3:6, Paul states that the Gentiles are to be “fellow heirs”, “of the same body” (of Christ), and “partakers of (God’s) promise in Christ by the gospel”. In Romans 3:29, Paul declared that God is the God of the Jews and the Gentiles. He also stated in Romans 11:1-2 that God has not cast away His people–“God forbid”–don’t even consider that notion.
I read an article online which was written to refute the belief that Israel was no longer God’s chosen nation. Those who support replacement theology did not quote a single scripture to back up their claim, but the Bible is replete with passages concerning Israel’s future, particularly in the books of prophecy. We know from the Old Testament that God chose Israel to represent Him to the rest of the world in order to influence them to worship and serve the LORD, but they failed in that mission. They actually became arrogant, feeling privileged as God’s chosen, and turned to idolatry. They were then punished, would repent and return, only to repeat the cycle many times. Rather than influencing the ungodly world, the ungodly world influenced them. In the days of the New Testament, their rejection of Christ opened the door for the plan of salvation to be made available to Gentiles. Israel’s loss was the Gentiles’ gain. Israel’s fall gave the world Christ and God’s grace, riches which cannot be measured, and when Israel eventually comes to Christ, the blessings will be even greater. If their suffering for disobedience brought reconciliation to the world, when they return to the Lord, it will be like coming to life from the dead (Romans 11).
However, Paul had a warning for the church: do not boast that Israel’s suffering and separation from God was just to let believers in Christ into His family. Israel suffered for unbelief. The church is reminded to not be high-minded, but to remember that she is part of His kingdom by belief and faith which was given to us by Him. I think that Paul just might be warning the church to not think that Israel has become less important to Him than the church. When Israel, in the last days, comes to believe in Christ, they will rejoin God’s family and together with Christians will worship, praise, and serve the Lord forever.