Church and Israel
The Church: Fulfilment, Not Replacement of Israel
The relationship between Israel and the Church is an important question in biblical theology and interpretation. How we understand this relationship shapes our interpretation of God’s covenant promises and redemptive plan. Dispensationalists maintain a distinction between Israel and the Church, arguing that God’s promises to Israel remain tied to the ethnic nation. In contrast, the Reformed perspective sees the Church as the fulfilment—not the replacement—of Israel, emphasizing the continuity of God’s promises through Christ to a spiritual people united by faith. This is a brief summary of the teaching of the Word of God. It does not claim to be an exhaustive study on this subject.
Let us explore this assertion through Scripture, examining its foundation, prophetic fulfilment, and relevance for the Church today.
1. God’s Covenant with Abraham: A People Beyond Ethnicity
The starting point for understanding the Church as the fulfilment of Israel lies in God’s covenant with Abraham. In Genesis 17:7, God declares:
“And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.”
Dispensationalists often interpret “thy seed” as exclusively referring to Abraham’s ethnic descendants. However, the New Testament reveals a broader understanding. Paul, who was Jew, gives the understanding of Jewish Christians, and explains in Galatians 3:16 that the promises were ultimately made to Christ: “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.”
Through Christ, the covenant extends beyond ethnicity. Paul continues: “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:29)
This truth shows that God’s promise to Abraham was never meant to remain confined to a single ethnic group but always pointed to a spiritual family united by faith in Christ. The Church, made up of believers from every nation, is the true fulfilment of God’s covenant with Abraham, demonstrating the global scope of God’s redemptive plan.
2. Israel as a Type and Shadow
The Old Testament nation of Israel served as a type—a shadow pointing to a greater spiritual reality. God’s purpose in choosing Israel was to create a people who would reflect His holiness and bring light to the nations: “And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.” (Exodus 19:6)
However, Israel repeatedly failed to fulfil this calling. Their disobedience revealed the need for a new covenant and a greater High Priest. Jeremiah 31:31 proclaims: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah.” This prophecy is quoted in Hebrews 8:6-13 to show its fulfilment in the church of Christ.
The New Testament identifies this new covenant as established in Christ, uniting both Jew and Gentile into one spiritual family. Paul underscores this unity in Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”
The failures of ethnic Israel were not a rejection of God’s covenant plan but a signpost pointing to its fulfilment in Christ and His Church. Israel’s role as a kingdom of priests is now fulfilled by the Church, a holy nation reflecting God’s glory and bringing His light to the world.
3. The Church as the Fulfilment of Prophecies
The prophetic writings of the Old Testament find their ultimate fulfilment in the Church. For instance, Hosea prophesied: “I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.” (Hosea 2:23)
Paul applies this prophecy to the Gentiles in Romans 9:24-26, showing that God’s plan was always to include those outside the ethnic boundaries of Israel. “Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.” Similarly, Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones (Ezekiel 37), often understood by dispensationalists as a future restoration of ethnic Israel, finds its ultimate meaning in the resurrection life brought by the Spirit to all believers in Christ.
God’s plan to include the Gentiles is evident from the beginning. Galatians 3:8 affirms: “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.”
The Church, comprising both Jew and Gentile, embodies this promise. It does not replace Israel but fulfils God’s covenant purposes, revealing that His promises were always about a spiritual people called to glorify Him.
Further Note: In Reformed and covenantal theology, there are differing views on the future of the Jewish people and whether their hearts will turn to their Messiah, Jesus Christ. Many Puritans, along with numerous theologians today, hold that, in God’s perfect timing, multitudes of Jews will come to faith in Christ and join the true commonwealth of Israel, sharing the same blessings as Gentile believers. This is how many understand the Romans 11 verses in relation to the restoration or the engrafting back of the elect Jews into the olive tree. This view does not remove the fulfilment interpretation of the Scriptures.
4. Answering Dispensationalist Objections
Objection 1: The Land Promises Are Yet to Be Fulfilled
Dispensationalists argue that God’s promise of land to Abraham’s descendants remains unfulfilled, citing Genesis 17:8: “And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession.”
However, the land promise was always typological, pointing to a greater inheritance. Jesus declares in Matthew 5:5: “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”
The patriarchs themselves understood this typology, as Hebrews 11:10 reveals: “For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”
The physical land of Canaan was a shadow of the eternal inheritance promised to all believers in Christ—a heavenly country and a new creation.
Objection 2: Romans 11 Teaches a Future for Ethnic Israel
Dispensationalists interpret Romans 11:26, “And so all Israel shall be saved,” as a promise of future salvation for ethnic Israel. However, Paul’s argument in Romans 9–11 shows that “Israel” is not limited to physical descendants: “For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel.” (Romans 9:6)
Paul’s metaphor of the olive tree in Romans 11 demonstrates that the true Israel comprises both believing Jews and Gentiles grafted into one spiritual family: “And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree.” (Romans 11:17)
“All Israel” refers to the complete number of God’s elect, united in Christ. The Church is not a replacement but the continuation and fulfilment of God’s covenant people.
5. Dangers and Problems
When dispensationalists distinguish Israel and the Church as two separate peoples of God with distinct plans and purposes, several theological problems and dangers arise:
- Two Peoples of God
This view divides God’s redemptive plan, suggesting He has separate purposes for Israel and the Church. It undermines the unity of salvation history as revealed in Scripture, where Jew and Gentile are made “one new man” in Christ (Ephesians 2:14-16). - Undermines Christ’s Fulfilment
It risks denying the centrality of Christ’s work by relegating Old Testament promises to an exclusively ethnic fulfilment. Instead, the New Testament shows that these promises are fulfilled in Christ and extended to His Church (Galatians 3:16, 29). - Misinterpretation of Prophecy
By focusing on literalistic interpretations of Old Testament prophecies, dispensationalists often miss the spiritual fulfilment intended in the New Testament. For example, land promises are reinterpreted in Christ as the inheritance of the whole earth (Romans 4:13; Matthew 5:5). - Marginalizing the Church
By claiming the Church is a “parenthesis” in God’s plan, dispensationalism risks minimizing the Church’s significance in salvation history. This contradicts the New Testament’s teaching that the Church is the climax of God’s redemptive purposes (Ephesians 3:10-11). - Encourages a Temporal Focus
This view can lead to an overemphasis on political Israel and earthly events, distracting believers from the eternal, spiritual realities of the Kingdom of God (John 18:36; Colossians 3:1-2). - Weakens the Gospel’s Universality
It risks creating a sense of hierarchy, as if ethnic Jews hold a privileged position in God’s future plan, which contradicts the New Testament emphasis on equality in Christ (Galatians 3:28).
These distinctions fracture God’s unified plan of redemption, distort the fulfilment found in Christ, and shift the focus away from the Church’s mission as the spiritual Israel called to proclaim God’s glory.
6. Application for Today
Understanding the Church as the fulfilment of Israel profoundly impacts how we view ourselves and our mission. As God’s holy nation, the Church is called to proclaim His glory:
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)
This identity humbles us, reminding us that inclusion in God’s people is not based on ethnicity, merit, or works, but solely on His grace through faith in Christ. It also unites us, as the Church comprises believers from every tribe and tongue. The unity of Jew and Gentile in Christ should compel us to live in love, holiness, and mutual edification, reflecting the glory of our Saviour.
As the fulfilment of Israel, the Church is called to carry out Israel’s original mission: to be a light to the nations, proclaiming the excellencies of God. This truth should transform how we engage with one another and the world, living out the reality of our identity as God’s chosen people.
Conclusion
The Reformed understanding of the Church as the fulfilment of Israel is the biblical view, which reveals the beauty and unity of God’s redemptive plan. Far from replacing Israel, the Church fulfils her role as God’s covenant people, demonstrating that God’s promises were never limited to an ethnic nation but extended to a spiritual family united in Christ.
This perspective should lead us to worship and gratitude, as we rejoice in the privilege of being part of God’s eternal plan. As His chosen people, may we faithfully proclaim His excellencies and reflect His holiness, living out the hope of the gospel in a world desperately in need of the light of Christ.
