Daily Scripture Reading Romans 11:23 - 12:8
There are some Christians who believe the church has replaced Israel; or in other words, Israel became the church. They believe the Old Testament promises to Israel will be fulfilled in and by the church, not by the people group we know today as the Jews. If this were true, it would impact our understanding of future events as well as how Christians should view Jews and the modern state of Israel.
There are no verses that say the church replaces Israel. When Christians claim the church replaces Israel, the burden of proof is on them to cite scriptural references to back up their claims since it is not possible to prove a negative. It is not possible to prove the church does not replace Israel.
Having said that, today’s passage comes close to proving the church does not replace Israel because Paul’s statements in Romans 11 treat Israel and the church as two different things.
At the end of yesterday’s passage we were reading that some of the natural branches, the Israelites, were broken off because of unbelief, and the Gentiles were grafted in by faith. However, Gentiles should not be haughty because if God broke off the natural branches, He can also break off the grafted branches.
Rom. 11:23 And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.
The pronoun “they” refers to the Israelites.
Rom. 11:24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?
It should be more natural for Jews to believe in Jesus than for Gentiles to believe in Jesus.
Rom. 11:25 ¶ For I do not want you, brothers, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in;
Notice the word “until”. Israel is under a partial hardening until the fulness of the Gentiles. That means at some point Israel will stop being under a partial hardening.
The term “fulness of the Gentiles” refers to the church age which is the time period from the resurrection of Christ up to the present day.
This verse assumes Israel and the church are two different entities. That means Israel did not become the church.
Rom. 11:26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,
“THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION,
HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.”
Rom. 11:27 “AND THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM,
WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.”
Verses 26-27 are a quote from Isaiah 59:20-21. The passage in Isaiah contains promises to Israel. Paul clearly applied the promises to Israel, not the church, meaning the church did not replace Israel and the Old Testament promises to Israel will not be fulfilled in and by the church.
After the church age, all Israel will be saved. This does not mean every Jew who ever lived throughout all history will be saved. It means at some point in the future every Jew who is alive at that time will be saved.
Rom. 11:28 From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers;
Rom. 11:29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
Look at the word “enemies” in verse 28. The Jews strenuously opposed Jesus and the Christians in the 1st century, and in many ways still do so today, which makes them enemies of Christians to a certain extent.
Now look at the words “beloved”, “sake of the fathers”, and “irrevocable”. We Christians need to remember that God’s promises to the Israelites are irrevocable and they are still God’s people. Once again, this verse negates the idea that the church replaced Israel.
Rom. 11:30 For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience,
Rom. 11:31 so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy.
Rom. 11:32 For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.
Rom. 11:33 ¶ Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
It is not possible to understand God. It is not possible for humans to fathom how God can be Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and yet be One. This is actually a good thing. If we could explain God, then He would not be God. If we could comprehend God and all His acts, then He would not be worthy of fear, praise, and adoration.
Rom. 11:34 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR?
Rom. 11:35 Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE REPAID TO HIM?
Rom. 11:36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.
Rom. 12:1 ¶ Therefore I exhort you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—living, holy, and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
Notice the word “therefore”. Because of the facts listed at the end of chapter 11, we should do what Paul wrote in chapter 12. God is beyond comprehension and all things exist because of Him; therefore, we should present ourselves as a sacrifice to God.
Rom. 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may approve what the will of God is, that which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Look at the first command in this verse: “do not be conformed to this world”. This command to the church is very similar to a command we see throughout the Old Testament in which Yahweh told the Israelites to be different than the nations around them. Throughout history, serving the Creator has involved being different than the world.
Rom. 12:3 ¶ For through the grace given to me I say to each one among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound thinking, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.
Notice the command to have sound thinking. Paul will complete this thought in a couple verses.
Rom. 12:4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function,
Rom. 12:5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another,
Rom. 12:6 but having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: whether prophecy, in agreement with the faith;
A prophet has sound thinking by being in agreement with the faith.
Rom. 12:7 or service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching;
Servers and teachers must have sound thinking when they serve and teach.
Rom. 12:8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with generosity; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
An exhorter must exhort with sound thinking. A giver has sound thinking by being generous. A leader has sound thinking by being diligent. One who practices mercy has sound thinking by doing so with cheerfulness.
If you are a Christian who believes the church replaces Israel, what is your scriptural basis for believing that?
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”