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The Error of Replacement Theology Part II
By Clarence H. Wagner, Jr.
Courtesy of Bridges for Peace
In Part I of this teaching, I defined the term "Replacement
Theology." Basically, it is a belief that entered the early
Church that Christianity superseded Israel, that God's blessings
were for the Church and His curses for the Jewish people, and that
all the covenants and promises of the Bible now belong exclusively
to the Church. This teaching led to centuries of anti-Semitism
where Christians became some of the greatest enemies and persecutors
of the Jewish people, contrary to the instructions of the New Testament,
which we will examine in Part II.
Is the New Testament anti-Semitic? Was it Intended That the Church
Treat the Jewish People with Contempt?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
While the New Testament has been used by Gentile anti-Semites,
even within the Church, the writers of the New Testament were Jewish,
and therefore their arguments, even critical ones, were from the
vantage point of being an intra-communal debate, not inter-communal
accusation. Even where the criticism is harsh, it is directed towards
a particular group or sect of Jews because of their practices,
which needed correcting. For example, even though Yeshua spoke
harshly to the Pharisees, He nevertheless said of them, "The
teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you
must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what
they do, for they do not practice what they preach" (Matt:
23:2-3).
He was distressed that they were "missing the mark" in
their self-righteousness, which is something all of us need to
be careful of doing.
The clear teaching of the New Testament is that the Church was
and is to love and honour the Jewish people. In Ephesians 2:11-18,
we are told that "by the blood of Messiah," we Gentiles
are "made near" to the commonwealth of Israel, the covenants,
promises and hopes given to Israel. In Romans 11:11-12, 25, we
are told that "blindness in part" has come to the Jews
so that the message would be forced out into the nations. Nevertheless,
we are told that a time would come when "all Israel would
be saved" (v. 26), because
the gifts and callings of God towards Israel and the Jewish people
were given without repentance (v. 29). God's relationship with
Israel and the Jewish people is everlasting.
We Gentile Christians are told that the Jews are "beloved
for the sake of the Patriarchs" (Rom. 11:28). They are a chosen
people who fulfilled their calling and brought the Gospel to the
world.
They were chosen to:
- Be obedient to God's Word and demonstrate
to the world as "a
light to the nations."
- Hear God's Word and record it - the
Bible.
- Be the human channel for the Messiah.
The Jewish people have fulfilled their role. The promise to the
world through Abraham was that, "in you will all the nations
on the earth be blessed" (Gen. 12:3). They were to be a light
unto the nations and, while they made mistakes as we all do, they
did demonstrate the power of God on earth, they did hear God's
Word and record it so that we have the Bible, and they were the
human channel for the Messiah, who was born, ministered, died,
rose from the dead, ascended to heaven and will return to Jerusalem,
Israel, in a day yet to come.
God made an everlasting covenant between the land of Israel and
the Jewish people that must be fulfilled and completed or His Word,
the Bible, will be proven a lie, which it is not. God will never
forget or annul His ancient people. If God will not fulfil His
promises to Israel, what guarantee do we have that He will fulfil
His promises to the Church? (See Jeremiah 31:35-37).
Are Jews, Jews, and is Israel, Israel in the New Testament? Do
They Still Have a Covenant with God? ABSOLUTELY. THE BIBLE IS CLEAR
ON THIS.
1) The Jews are Israelites, not Gentiles (Rom. 9:4).
2) To Israel still belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants,
the giving of the law, the worship and the promises ( Rom. 9:4).
3) The gifts and calling of God for Israel are irrevocable (Rom.
11:29).
4) There are 77 references to Israel in the NT and none of them
refer to the Church. Try replacing the words, "the Church," where
Israel is mentioned and the passage is rendered unreadable and
silly, e.g., Rom. 10:1, "Brethren, my heart's desire and
prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved." If
you put "the Church" where Israel is mentioned, then
it is redundant. The Church is the body of saved believers, so
how could Paul's prayer be for the Church to be saved?
5) Psalm 105 has a seven-fold affirmation of God's promises of
Canaan to Abraham. This is an everlasting promise, as was Genesis
12:1-3.
6) Jeremiah 31:35-37 speaks of the everlasting nature of God's
promises to and for Israel, the Jewish people, which is as sure
as the sun that shines by day and the moon and stars that glow
in the night.
7) The end-time prophecies, which speak of the return of the
House of Jacob to their land ( Israel) and its restoration, have
overwhelmingly been fulfilled in Israel and the Jewish people in
the past 120 years. (See, Isa. 11:11-12; Eze. 37:1-14; Eze. 36;
Eze. 35:1, Isa. 43:5,6; Jer. 16:14-16; Isa. 60:9-11; Isa. 49:22-23,
etc.).
8) The Gospel and Yeshua came "to the Jews first, then the
Greek" ( Rom. 2:8,9; Matt:10:5-7; 15:24). There is a distinction
in roles between the two. Galatians 2:28 says: "There is neither
Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither
male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." This
is speaking of everyone's standing before God as equals, because
we are all sinners saved by God's grace and the atoning work on
the Cross. Nevertheless, our roles here on earth are definitely
distinct; e.g., men and women, mothers and fathers, husbands and
wives, etc. all have distinct roles to play. Likewise, Jews and
Gentiles have distinct roles to play.
What is the Role of the Church?
1) "On this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of
Hell will not overcome it" (Matt. 16:18). The Church is built
on the testimony and understanding of Peter, who is Jewish. Ephesians
1:11-14 indicates that Israel and the Jews (we) were chosen, but
Gentiles (you) were also included.
2) The Church is related to
Israel and partakers of the covenants, promises, and hopes, but
we have not been called to usurp them. Our relationship is as "grafted
in" (Rom. 11:17); "brought near" (Eph 2:13); "Abraham's
offspring" (by faith) (Rom. 4:16); "heirs" to Abraham's
promise as adopted sons (Gal. 3:29) and "partakers" (Rom
15:27).2) To the world, the Church is called to preach the Gospel
to all nations and make disciples (Matt. 28:19-20); to love the
Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength; and to
love our neighbour as ourselves (Mk. 12:30-31).
3) To the Jewish people, we are called to show God's love "for
the sake of the Patriarchs" (Rom. 11:28), for without them
we would not have had God's Word or our Saviour who was a Jew from
Israel. We are to show God's mercy (Rom. 11:31). We are to give
our material gifts to help them (Rom. 15:27). We are to pray for
them and for Israel (Ps. 122:6). We are to be watchman on the walls
to protect them (Isa. 62:6,7). We are to help with the aliyah (immigration)
to Israel and the building up of Zion (Isa. 60:9-11; Jer. 16:14-16;
Isa. 49:22-23).
4) According to Romans 11, we are two distinct groups,
both grafted into the same tree, which are the covenants and
promises given to Israel; grounded in the same root, the Messiah;
drinking of the same sap, God's Holy Spirit. We do not hold up
the tree, but the tree us, and we are forbidden from boasting against
or being arrogant to God's covenant people the Jews (Rom. 11:17-18).
What Happens When the Church Replaces Israel?
The Church becomes arrogant and self-centred. It boasts against
the Jews and Israel. It devalues the role of Israel or has no role
for Israel at all. These attitudes result in anti-Semitism in word
and deed. Without a place for Israel and the Jewish people today,
you cannot explain the Bible prophecies, especially the very specific
ones being fulfilled in Israel today. Many New Testament passages
do not make sense when the Jewish people are replaced by the Church.
You can lose the significance of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old
Testament, for today. Many Christians boast of being a New Testament
(NT) Christian or a NT Church as in the Book of Acts. However,
the Bible of the early Church was not the New Testament, which
did not get codified until the 4th century, but rather the Hebrew
Scriptures.
You can lose the Hebraic/Judaic contextualization of the New
Testament, which teaches us more about Yeshua and how to become
better disciples. The Church loses out on the opportunity to participate
in God's plan and prophecy for the Church, Israel and the world
today.
What Happens When the Church Relates to Israel?
The Church takes
its proper role in God's redemptive plan for the world, appreciating
God's ongoing covenant relationship and love for Israel and the
Jewish people. We can see the consistency of God's redemptive plan
from Genesis to Revelation as an ongoing omplementary process,
not as disconnected snapshots. We show love and honour for God's
covenant people, not contempt. We value the Old and New Testaments
as equally inspired and significant for the Church today. Bible
prophecy makes sense for today and offers opportunities for involvement
in God's plan for Israel. We become better disciples of Yeshua
as we are able to appreciate the Hebraic/Judaic roots that fill
in the definitions, concepts, words and events in the New Testament
that are otherwise obscured. Why? Many were not explained by the
Jewish writers of the New Testament, because they did not feel
the need to fill in all the details that were already explained
in the Old Testament. Had the Church understood this very clear
message from the beginning, then the sad legacy of anti-Semitic
hatred from the Church may have been avoided. The error of Replacement
Theology is like a cancer in the Church that has not only caused
it to violate God's Word concerning the Jewish people and Israel,
but it made us into instruments of hate, not love in God's Name.
Yet, it is not too late to change our ways and rightly relate to
the Jewish people and Israel today. Through Bridges for Peace you
can read, study and learn more, and also give to demonstrate God's
exhortation to us to bless His Covenant People, whom He still loves.
Not only do we need to learn and do for ourselves, but we need
to teach others so as to counteract the historical error that has
been fostered in the Church for nearly 2,000 years. Thank God,
He is a God of mercy, redemption and second chances.
Bibliography
1) Gerhard Falk, The Jew in Christian Theology, (MacFarland:
Jefferson, NC, 1992).
2) Leopold Lucas, The Conflict Between Christianity and Judaism,
(Aris & Phillips, Warminster, UK: 1993).
3) The New International Study Bible, (The Zondervan Corporation:
Grand Rapids, MI, 1985).
4) The New Scofield Reference Bible, Authorized King James Version,
(Oxford University Press: New York, NY, 1967).
5) Keith Parker, Is the Church the "New Israel?", (Prayer
for Israel: Golant, UK).
6) James Parkes, The Conflict of the Church and the Synagogue,
(Athenaeum, New York, 1974).
7) David Rausch, The Legacy of Hatred, (Moody Press: Chicago,
IL, 1984).
8) Marcel Simon, Verus Israel, (Oxford University Press: New
York, NY, 1986).
9) Clarence H. Wagner, Jr., Lessons from the Land of the Bible,
(Bridges for Peace: Jerusalem, Israel, 1998).
10) Eds. C. Roth and G. Wigoder, Encyclopaedia Judaica, (Keter
Publishing House, Ltd.: Jerusalem, Israel, 1972).
11) A. Lukyn Williams, Adversus Judaeos, (Cambridge University
Press: Cambridge, 1935).
12) Robert Louis Wilken, John Chrysostom and the Jews, (Universiy
of California Press: Berkeley, 1983)
Talk About It. What do you think?
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