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“I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.” (Romans 11:1-2, ESV)

Pastor Abel’s sermon on this passage is titled, “Faithless People, Irrevocable God”.

What is God’s current relationship to the nation of Israel? As Michael J. Vlach puts it, “Does the church replace, supersede, or fulfill the nation Israel in God’s plan, or will Israel be saved and restored with a unique identity and role?” (Has the Church Replaced Israel,  page 1)

Supersessionism, sometimes called replacement theology, argues that the answer to Vlach’s question is yes. They cite verses like Romans 9:6-8 which says, “It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.” This argument focuses on defining what the “true Israel” means.

The case against this idea focuses on the promises God made to Israel in the Old Testament such as Jeremiah 31:35-37 where God promises that Israel will always be a nation before him, tying this to the permanence of the physical order of the sea and stars. It also uses verses like the one above from Romans 11 where Paul argues that God has not rejected his people.

While there are good arguments both ways, each side agrees that Christ is the center of the gospel, and that God’s ultimate purposes will be carried out in a way that pleases him.

 

Further Study

 

Small Group Questions

  • What is the main idea of Romans 11 and why is it important?
  • Why does God’s commitment to Israel give us hope today?
  • Why is it important for us to, like Paul in Romans 11:33-36, acknowledge that God’s ways and thoughts are too deep for us to fully comprehend?
  • What should a Christian’s attitude be toward the nation of Israel?