Sunday, 30 June 2019

The Replacement Theology Challenge

Tweet

The Apostle Paul anticipated replacement theology when writing to the Roman Christians. There were already attitudes towards the Jews that could lead to this false teaching. Paul notes in the strongest terms that the covenants and the promisesstill belong to Israel (Romans 9:1).  He even asserts that Israel, which has not embraced Yeshua, is the elect andbeloved for the sake of the Patriarchs. Paul concludes the argument with this ringing affirmation: "The gifts and call of God (to Israel) are irrevocable" (Romans 11:28, 29).  One wonders how Paul could have been clearer, as well as how one can still support replacement theology in the light of these verses.

Text after text about Israel's ultimate re-gathering to the Land and the ultimate glory that would be received were twisted to mean something else. The justification was that the New Testament speaks of the Church in terms that were used for ethnic Israel in the Hebrew Bible. However, these texts do not speak of Israel's replacement but rather that the Church by analogy, has parallel meaning to Israel.

After the Holocaust there was a very strong re-evaluation. The positive influence of Karl Barth, who in his Church Dogmatics wrote passionately on the continued election of Israel, influenced the mainline Protestant re-evaluation. Though replacement theology was not seen as logically anti-Semitic, it was perceived as a factor in allowing anti-Semitism to exist.

In a day when God is amazingly fulfilling prophecy and bringing our people back to the Land according to Ezekiel 36:24 and preparing them to receive the New Covenant, this replacement teaching is terribly unfortunate. It robs the Church of its glorious role in making Israel jealous. It steals our rejoicing in the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. In a day when the saved remnant of Israel is growing steadily in numbers and quality, how can there be such blindness? May replacement theology die! We hope that the Church will see the truth and will show support in prayer and finances for the great move of God among our people.

This excerpt was taken from my article.