Hi gang!  Locally, I’m in the midst of studying through Looking for the Blessed Hope (the Bible study) with a wonderful group at my home church.  We spent last week studying God’s covenant promise to Abraham and his descendents, and I believe it is imperative to understand that covenant if we are to understand God’s covenant with us as Gentiles.  Today, let’s focus on one simple point regarding that fact: the church is NOT the “new Israel.”

In Genesis 12:1-3 God called Abram (later renamed “Abraham”) out of Ur of the Chaldees, and He initiated a covenant with Abraham.  In summary, those verses indicate that God’s primary promises had to do with land and descendents.  He provided more detail in Genesis 15:1-21, and reaffirmed the covenant in Genesis 17:1-21, where (in verse 8) he vowed it would be an everlasting covenant.  The same promises were confirmed to Abraham’s son, Isaac (Genesis 26:2-5); and Isaac’s son, Jacob (Genesis 28:10-17).

Thus, the covenant was unmistakable: it was to be for Abraham and his descendents, through his son Isaac, and would be forever and ever.

Yet, a “new theology” is circulating, even among “big name” preachers and churches.  It is being taught in many seminaries, and those who profess to follow Jesus are falling in line with it.  It is commonly known as “Replacement Theology,” and it is false teaching!  It goes something like this:  because the Jews rejected Jesus as Messiah, God has now chosen the church to be the “new Israel,” and all the covenant promises God made to Israel now apply to the church.

If you hear such doctrine, RUN…and run fast!  Why?  In short, because if God is not faithful to His covenant promises to the Jewish people, what assurance do we have that He will be faithful to His promises to us as Gentiles?  This is critical!

When God initiates and cuts an unconditional covenant, He has never, and will never, break it!  Such was the covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and such is His covenant of salvation with us!  You see, if God reneges on those covenant promises in Genesis, then there is no assurance of His promise in John 3:16 that “…whoever believes in Him shall have eternal life.”

We could make this explanation much more complicated than this.  However, the foundational truth is that if the church is the “new Israel,” it is meaningless because we can’t take God at His Word!  Praise God that He has proven His faithfulness to Israel, as it serves as testimony to us of His faithfulness to those who believe in Him!

Do you believe?