There are many voices out there right now speaking against “Replacement Theology.” I have noticed many misunderstandings and errors in these talks and thought it would be helpful to clarify a few of the major ones. My main concern in posting this is to urge for understanding, which will hopefully lead to more unity in the Body of Christ. Make sure you know exactly what INDIVIDUALS believe by asking THEM, instead of assuming what they believe based on a broad category someone else lumped them into.  

1. Most proponents of “Replacement Theology” do not think that the Church has replaced Israel. They don’t think that God disinherited Israel, took away the promises pertaining to them and gave them to the Church. Rather, they think that God indeed fulfilled his promises to Israel in Jesus the Jewish Messiah and in the remnant believers of the congregation (assembly/church) of Israel. Joseph, Mary, Peter, John, Paul were all Jews. They were also the charter members of the New Testament Church. The faithful of ethnic, political Israel became the Church, the true, eternal spiritual Israel. The promises of God flowed like a single river from Abraham to Jesus, but when Jesus came the river burst out into many branches and spread around the world. There is only one river of God’s promises. There is only one People of God, not two. There is only one Olive Tree, not two. There is only one Congregation (Church), not two. There is only one New Covenant, not two. Therefore, “Replacement Theologians” prefer titles like “Fulfillment Theology” or “Expansion Theology,” which emphasize God truly keeping his promises to Israel and to a cohesion between Israel and the Church, rather than a severe division between the two.     

2. Barely any “Replacement Theologians” are anti-semitic. You probably wouldn’t get that impression from most of these talks against “Replacement Theology.”  There are extremes in every theological camp, so yes anti-semitism does exist out there amongst them. However, among those who gladly claim to be Bible-Believing, Evangelical, Born Again Christians, I haven’t heard any anti-Jewishness, rather only love for Jews and gratitude for the special place they hold in Redemptive history. It is granted that those who hold to what is called “Replacement Theology” typically do not support Jews or the state of Israel unconditionally. They would say that if a Jew is being evil or the nation of Israel is engaging in unjust activities it should be called out and not supported. Basically, we should treat Jews and the nation of Israel with the same level of respect and accountability that we would to any other people or nation. This is contrasted to a Dispensationalists approach, which tends to favorably support Jews and the nation of Israel regardless of their actions. The motto tends to lean more in the direction of “I Stand With Israel…No Matter What.” Whereas most “Replacement Theologians” would think something more like, “I Stand With Israel…So Long As They Stand On The Side Of God.”  

3. Most “Replacement Theologians” are staunch supporters of Biblical Inerrancy and the Literal approach to Bible Interpretation. It is a misrepresentation to say that “Replacement Theologians” interpret the Bible allegorically and Dispensationalists literally. Both do both, it’s just a matter of degree. Dispensationalists do not think Jesus is literally a wooden door, but take that as symbolic language. “Replacement Theologians” take the apostles literally when they say things like, “a Jew is not one outwardly in the flesh but inwardly in the spirit (Rom. 2)” meaning: being truly Jewish is not an ethnic reality, but a spiritual reality; or “If you belong to Christ then you are a child of Abraham and heir of the promise (Gal. 3)” or “they are not all Israel, which are of Israel (Rom. 9)” etc. Just because someone has a different understanding than yourself of certain passages doesn’t mean they are Bible deniers, unless you believe that all of your interpretations are infallible. 

Just as there are different forms (and cases of extremes) of every theology there are different forms of what is called “Replacement Theology.” Ask individuals what they believe. Then make sure to place the identity of Israel in it’s proper place of importance in the grand scheme of things. 

I hope this article was helpful to you. Please feel free to interact in the comments. Thank you for reading, Lee