A New Israel?
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9)
The Old Testament is often known as the story of the people of Israel; a people selected and chosen by YHWH to be His and His alone, set apart from the world. However, even though they were selected by the Most High God, they continuously disobeyed Him. This became so bad that they were eventually dispersed across the four corners of the Earth (1 Kings 14:15) and say that they are no longer His people (Hosea 1:9). Based on that knowledge and certain other verses found in the New Testament, a new belief of the church replacing Israel has come to existence, but is it true?
It is simple enough to say that it is a false doctrine that holds no weight.
A very technical and theological presentation of the subject would be to use its official name: supersessionism. It’s also called replacement theory. However, many who adhere to this would not say that they are specifically adhering to this, but to two other theories: fulfillment and expansion. The first one, fulfillment, presents that all the promises given to Israel were fulfilled in Christ and therefore anyone who is in Christ, Jew or Gentile, can receive it. This is based on Philippians 4:13 and 19. The second one, is that the Father expanded the promises to Israel to everyone who accepted Christ in their lives and who followed Him. Both of these explanations are but
The reasoning for it is because the Old Testament doesn’t talk about a religious movement, but the people of Israel. These are the descendants of Abraham (Galatians 3:29), through whom the Father has given favor and the Law (Romans 9:4, Psalms 147:19 - 20). Though many use Hosea 1:9 to talk about the Father dispersing them, the following verse also shows that He will bring them back, as follows:
“Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’ The people of Judah and the people of Israel will come together; they will appoint one leader and will come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel.
- Hosea 1:10 - 11
The Children of Israel were always meant and will always be the recipients of the promises made to their Father Abraham. There can be people who come from outside and attach themselves to Israel and receive gifts (Isaiah 14:1), but they will not replace them. A father does not replace their child with their child’s best friend, but they can give the child’s best friend a toy as well, but only because of that title.
Paul, the person who is often attributed the title of the one who “started” this theory during the writing of his letters, warns believers of this in Romans 11:17 - 24. The Gentiles and those who are not Israel shouldn’t be arrogant because the children of Israel have lost their way, but be humble for they are still loved by YHWH. That relationship will never change, for ethnic Israel will always be attached to their forefather Abraham, with whom the Lord made a covenant with in Genesis 17.