Israel and the Church

John Nelson Darby (1800-1882), leader of the Plymouth Brethren, taught a theological system known as dispensationalism. This system affirms the following:

the terms ‘Israel’ and ‘Church’ in Scripture always stand for two essentially different covenant peoples of God: Israel stands for an earthly national-theocratic kingdom, but the Church for a spiritual and heavenly people. (LaRondelle, 10)

According to this theology, Old Testament promises to Israel will be fulfilled on earth during the millennium. Where will the church be during this time? Raptured away in heaven. So New Testament promises to the church will be fulfilled in heaven. Hence, God has two peoples—ethnic Israel and the church—with distinct covenants and plans for each.

Is this correct?

One Olive Tree

In Romans 9-11 Paul wrestles with Israel’s rejection of the Messiah. He states:

It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. (9:6-8 NIV)

Paul defines Israel not by physical descent but spiritually as “children of the promise.” This correlates with his statement in Romans 2:

A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God. (vv. 28-29)

In Romans 11, Paul asserts that God’s people have always been a smaller group or remnant within the nation of Israel. While most of Israel was practicing idolatry in Elijah’s time, seven thousand were worshiping the true God. Paul then uses this principle to explain why so few Jews embraced the Messiah: “So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace” (v. 5). The remnant of true worshipers in Elijah’s time corresponds with the remnant of Messiah followers in Paul’s time. 

Paul proceeds by employing an olive tree analogy. Believing Gentiles are wild olive shoots that have been grafted into the olive tree. Unbelieving Jews are olive branches that have been broken off from the olive tree.

The idea of being broken off from God’s people can be found in the Old Testament and in Jesus’s statement to the chief priests and Pharisees: “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit” (Matt 21:43). While these are strong words to unbelieving Jews, as Paul says, God is able to graft in the broken branches “if they do not persist in unbelief” (Rom 11:23). Conversely, God is also able to cut off the grafted branches if they turn to unbelief. 

Who, then, will inherit the kingdom? Jesus told his followers, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom” (Lk 12:32), and “I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me” (Lk 22:29). The kingdom does not belong to the nation of Israel. The kingdom belongs to the King—Israel’s Messiah—and his followers.

In the Old Testament God’s people, the remnant of Israel, looked forward to the coming of the Messiah. In the New Testament the Messiah arrives and God’s people—first Jews then Gentiles—embrace him. Instead of replacing Israel, this is a continuation of spiritual Israel—the one olive tree being nourished by the Messiah. 

If we don’t look at ‘Israel’ through the spiritual lens Paul provides but use Darby’s nationalistic lens instead, we will end up with two covenant peoples and two olive trees. 

One Seed

In Galatians Paul makes this claim:

The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. (Gal 3:16)

Paul takes what appear to be ethnic nationalistic promises and applies them to Christ. The promises given to Abraham’s offspring were actually made to Christ. Hans K. LaRondelle states:

Christ was the only perfectly obedient seed of Abraham, the only sinless Israelite who indeed deserved the endless blessings of God’s covenant with Israel. Christ now offers the blessing of God’s redemptive reign to all men, to Jews and Gentiles alike, without distinction (John 12:32; Galatians 3:14). (95)

While there is only one seed, when we join Christ we become one with him, making us also Abraham’s seed. Paul continues:

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal 3:26-29)

Notice the condition: “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed.” Paul didn’t say, “If you are a physical descendant of Abraham, then you are Abraham’s seed.” There’s only one seed—Christ and by extension Christ’s followers. By implication those who don’t belong to Christ are not Abraham’s seed.

One New Humanity

In Ephesians 2, Paul teaches that Jews and Gentiles who have put their faith in Christ compose the “one new humanity” and become members of God’s household.

Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (vv. 11-22)

Christ reconciled both Jews and Gentiles to God through the cross. Since Christ “has made the two groups one,” there’s only one group.

One Community

After listing Old Testament saints, the author of Hebrews, brings New Testament believers into the picture:

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. (11:39-40)

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will only be “made perfect” when believers in Christ join their company. Old Testament and New Testament believers compose one community.

One Chosen People

Following the exodus, God announced to Israel, “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exod 19:5-6; cf Hos 1:10; 2:23). God’s people are the obedient people of Israel. Peter applies these descriptions of Israel to believers in Christ:

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Pet 2:9-10)

Peter was writing to believers “scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia” (1:1), so he knew God’s chosen people were not restricted to one nation. Now believers in Christ are scattered around the world so no single nation can claim to be God’s people. 

One City

The new Jerusalem, the eternal city, is described in this way:

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. (Rev 21:9-14)

In the end we don’t have two cities—one for Israel and one for the church. There’s only one city with the names of the tribes of Israel and the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

One Israel

This last reference is controversial. Near the end of Galatians Paul seems to call believers “the Israel of God” but everything hangs on the translation: “Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God” (6:16). The NET Bible explains:

The word “and” (καί) can be interpreted in two ways: (1) It could be rendered as “also” which would indicate that two distinct groups are in view, namely “all who will behave in accordance with this rule” and “the Israel of God.” Or (2) it could be rendered “even,” which would indicate that “all who behave in accordance with this rule” are “the Israel of God.” In other words, in this latter view, “even” = “that is.”

I side with the second view because of the nature of Paul’s argument in Galatians. He is showing that Jews and Gentiles are one in Christ so I don’t think he would make a distinction between Jews and Gentiles at the end of his letter.

Two Concepts: Remnant and Universal Blessing

Does God have one people or two? If you only read the Old Testament you may think God’s people are limited to the physical descendants of Abraham. And then when we come to the New Testament we see another people—the church. So God has two peoples, an ethnic people and a spiritual people. But taking our cue from Paul, a closer reading of the Hebrew Bible reveals that divine judgment leaves Israel with only a remnant. Consider the following verses:

In that day the remnant of Israel,
    the survivors of Jacob,
will no longer rely on him
    who struck them down
but will truly rely on the Lord,
    the Holy One of Israel.
A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob
    will return to the Mighty God.
Though your people be like the sand by the sea, Israel,
    only a remnant will return.
Destruction has been decreed,
    overwhelming and righteous. (Isaiah 10:20-22)

For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. (Is 37:32)

I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. (Jer 23:3)

But I will leave within you the meek and humble. The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the Lord. (Zeph 3:12)

In addition to the remnant of Israel, God intended to bless all people through Abraham:

and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you [Abraham]. (Gen 12:3)

May his name [the king] endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. Then all nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed. (Ps 72:17)

I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth. (Is 49:6)

my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. (Is 56:7)

So according to the Old Testament, God’s people—the people who will receive his blessing—are the faithful remnant of Israel plus people from all nations. Who is the faithful remnant of Israel? Jesus said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel” (Mt 15:24) so he chose twelve Jewish men to be his followers and he sent them to “the lost sheep of Israel” (Mt 10:6). Those who accepted their message became part of the remnant of Israel that Jesus was gathering to himself.

What about Jews who rejected Jesus and his message? A sifting occurred in Israel when the Messiah was revealed. As Simeon told Mary:

Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Lk 2:34-35)

The child caused the “falling and rising of many in Israel.” Those who accepted the Messiah rose; those who rejected the Messiah fell. Now that the Messiah has come, ethnic Jews can only become God’s people when they turn to the Lord. (cf. 2 Cor 3:14-16).

What about Gentiles? After his death and resurrection, Christ told his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations (Mt 28:18-20). The blessing of Abraham was transmitted to all people who accepted their message. Consequently, Gentile believers joined the Jewish remnant and became members of the same household. This is not replacement theology—no one has been replaced. The faithful remnant begins in the Old Testament then flows into the church—the faithful remnant plus believing Gentiles. It is fulfillment theology because it fulfills God’s plan to bless all nations.

Conclusion

Darby was wrong. God doesn’t have two different covenant peoples—one national and one spiritual. The new covenant has been established making the old covenant obsolete (Heb 8:13). There’s only one people of God—all who trust in his Son. In Paul’s words, “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom 10:12-13). “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal 3:28-29). And “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph 4:4-6). 

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Resources

Mathison, Keith A. Dispensationalism: Rightly Dividing the People of God?

LaRondelle, Hans K. The Israel of God in Prophecy: Principles of Prophetic Interpretation