Few subjects have shaped modern prophetic theology more than the relationship between Israel and the Church. Entire systems of interpretation are built upon how this question is answered. Are Israel and the Church two distinct peoples of God with separate covenant promises and separate prophetic destinies? Or does the New Testament teach that God’s covenant promises find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ and are shared by all who belong to Him through faith?
After many years of studying the Scriptures, I have become convinced that the New Testament consistently presents one redeemed people of God united in Christ. This conviction does not require me to deny the historical nation of Israel, the unique role Israel played in redemptive history, or the faithfulness of God to every promise He has made. Rather, it has persuaded me that God’s promises are fulfilled exactly as He intended—through His Son, the true Messiah, in whom believing Jews and believing Gentiles become one covenant people.
This is an important discussion because it influences how we understand nearly every major theme of Scripture. It affects our understanding of Abraham, the covenants, the kingdom of God, the promises made to David, the New Covenant, biblical prophecy, and even the mission of the church. Yet despite its importance, this is not a doctrine upon which our salvation depends. Faithful Christians have reached different conclusions while standing together in the gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason, my goal is not to question the faith of those who disagree, but simply to explain why I believe the New Testament presents the unity of God’s people more clearly than their separation.
As I continued reading the New Testament, one truth became increasingly difficult to ignore. Again and again, the apostles explained the Old Testament through the person and work of Jesus Christ. The promises made to Abraham were understood through Christ. The kingdom promised to David was fulfilled in Christ. The New Covenant was established through Christ. Even the identity of God’s covenant people was consistently defined by union with Christ rather than by ethnicity alone.
That observation did not lead me to conclude that God abandoned Israel. It led me to conclude that God fulfilled His promises to Israel in the very way the prophets had anticipated—through the coming of Israel’s Messiah. Jesus did not replace God’s plan. He accomplished it. He is the true Seed of Abraham, the greater Son of David, the faithful Israelite who perfectly fulfilled the covenant where every previous generation had failed.
As we examine this doctrine together, my desire is to allow the New Testament to interpret the Old Testament in the same way the apostles did. If Jesus Christ truly is the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises, then our understanding of Israel and the Church must ultimately be centered upon Him. Only then can we fully appreciate the unity of God’s redemptive plan and the faithfulness of the God who has kept every promise He has ever made through His Son.
The Children of Abraham
One of the clearest places where the New Testament explains the relationship between Israel and the Church is in its teaching concerning Abraham. Since God’s covenant promises were first given to Abraham, understanding who his children are is essential to understanding who inherits those promises. As I studied the writings of Paul, I became convinced that the New Testament consistently defines Abraham’s family by faith in Christ rather than by physical descent alone.
This does not mean that Abraham’s physical descendants were unimportant. God truly chose Abraham’s family, formed the nation of Israel through his descendants, gave them His Law, entrusted them with His covenants, and through them brought the Messiah into the world. Paul himself says that to Israel belonged “the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises” (Romans 9:4). Israel occupied a unique and indispensable place in God’s redemptive plan.
At the same time, the Old Testament itself makes clear that physical descent alone was never sufficient to make someone part of God’s redeemed people. Throughout Israel’s history, many who were physically descended from Abraham lived in unbelief, while others who were not descended from Abraham were brought into God’s covenant community through faith. The prophets continually called Israel to circumcise their hearts because outward membership in the covenant nation was never intended to replace genuine faith in God.
Paul develops this truth further in Romans and Galatians. In Romans 9 he writes,
«“For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel.”»
With those words, Paul distinguishes between physical Israel and the true people of God. He is not denying Israel’s history or identity. Rather, he explains that God’s saving promises have always been received according to His gracious purpose and through faith, not merely through physical ancestry.
Paul makes this even clearer in Galatians when he writes,
«“Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.”»
That statement profoundly shaped my understanding of this doctrine. Paul does not identify Abraham’s children primarily by ethnicity but by faith. Those who trust in Christ are counted as Abraham’s offspring because they belong to the promised Seed through whom God’s covenant blessings come.
Later in the same chapter Paul writes,
«“And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”»
Notice the order of Paul’s argument. Believers become heirs of Abraham’s promises because they belong to Christ. Union with Christ determines covenant membership. Since Christ is the promised Seed of Abraham, everyone united to Him by faith shares in the inheritance God promised from the beginning.
This understanding has brought remarkable unity to my reading of Scripture. Rather than seeing two separate covenant peoples with different inheritances, I see one family gathered around one Savior. Jewish believers and Gentile believers do not inherit different promises through different covenants. Together they inherit every spiritual blessing because together they belong to Jesus Christ, the true Seed of Abraham through whom all the families of the earth are blessed.
For these reasons, I believe the New Testament consistently teaches that Abraham’s family is ultimately defined by faith in Christ rather than by physical descent alone. God’s promises have not failed. They have been fulfilled exactly as He intended through His Son, and everyone who belongs to Christ shares together in the covenant blessings God promised to Abraham thousands of years ago.
One New Man in Christ
As I continued studying the New Testament, another theme became impossible to ignore. The apostles did not describe God as creating two redeemed peoples who would forever remain distinct under separate covenant programs. Instead, they repeatedly taught that through the work of Jesus Christ, believing Jews and believing Gentiles had been united into one body, sharing together in the same salvation, the same Spirit, and the same covenant promises.
Paul explains this most clearly in Ephesians 2. Speaking to Gentile believers, he reminds them that they were once “separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise.” Before coming to Christ they had no share in the covenant blessings God had entrusted to Israel. Yet through the blood of Christ everything changed.
Paul writes,
«“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:13)»
Notice what Paul does not say.
He does not say the Gentiles received a separate covenant.
He does not say God created a second people alongside Israel.
Instead, he says those who were once far away have now been brought near.
He continues by explaining that Christ Himself “has made us both one” and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility between Jew and Gentile. Through His death, Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial requirements of the Mosaic Law that had distinguished Israel from the surrounding nations, creating, as Paul says, “one new man in place of the two.”
That language is significant.
Paul does not describe two covenant peoples worshiping side by side.
Neither does he describe one people replacing another.
He describes one new humanity brought into existence through union with Jesus Christ.
This same truth appears throughout the New Testament. Believers share one Spirit. They belong to one body. They confess one Lord. They possess one faith and one baptism. Christ is not divided, and therefore His redeemed people are not ultimately divided either. Every believer, whether Jew or Gentile, stands before God in exactly the same way—saved by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.
Paul develops this further in Romans 11 through the illustration of the olive tree. He does not describe two separate trees representing two separate covenant peoples. He describes one olive tree. Some natural branches were broken off because of unbelief, while believing Gentiles were graciously grafted into that same tree through faith. The image is one of continuity rather than separation. There remains one covenant people rooted in the promises of God, and participation in those promises is determined by faith in Christ rather than ethnicity.
This understanding has greatly influenced the way I read the rest of the New Testament. The church is never presented as God’s emergency plan after Israel rejected the Messiah. Neither is it described as a temporary parenthesis in redemptive history. Rather, the church is the redeemed community gathered around Israel’s Messiah, consisting of believing Jews and believing Gentiles who together inherit the promises of God because they are united to His Son.
For these reasons, I believe the New Testament consistently presents one redeemed people gathered through one gospel under one covenant Head. Our unity is not found in nationality, ancestry, or ethnicity, but in Jesus Christ Himself. He has broken down every barrier that once separated His people and has reconciled us both to God in one body through the cross. In Him, God’s covenant promises reach their glorious fulfillment, and through Him believers from every nation become fellow citizens of God’s kingdom and members of His household.
Romans 11 and the Olive Tree
Romans 11 became one of the passages that most influenced my understanding of the relationship between Israel and the Church. It is frequently cited in discussions about the future of ethnic Israel, and rightly so, because Paul is addressing one of the most important questions facing the early church. If many Jews had rejected their Messiah while large numbers of Gentiles were believing the gospel, had God’s promises to Israel failed?
Paul answers that question with a resounding no.
From the very beginning of the chapter, he insists that God has not rejected His people. He points to himself as evidence, for he is an Israelite who has believed in Jesus Christ. He then reminds his readers of the days of Elijah, when it appeared that Israel had completely abandoned the Lord. Yet God had preserved a faithful remnant according to His gracious choice. In the same way, Paul explains that there remained a believing remnant of Israel in his own day who had received the Messiah through faith.
Paul then introduces the illustration of the olive tree.
This illustration is significant because he does not describe two trees. There is one olive tree rooted in the covenant promises of God. Some of the natural branches were broken off because of unbelief, while believing Gentiles were grafted into that same tree through faith. The point of the illustration is not that God abandoned one people to create another, but that participation in His covenant blessings has always depended upon faith.
Paul also warns Gentile believers against arrogance. They are not to boast over the branches that were broken off because they do not support the root; the root supports them. Their place in the tree is not the result of ethnic superiority or personal merit but entirely the result of God’s grace received through faith. Just as unbelieving Jews were removed because of unbelief, believing Gentiles must continue in humble faith, recognizing that salvation belongs to the Lord alone.
Perhaps the most encouraging part of the chapter is Paul’s confidence that God is still able to graft natural branches back into their own olive tree. Jewish unbelief is not permanent or irreversible. Any Jew who turns to Christ in faith is immediately welcomed into the same covenant people through the same gospel by which every Gentile is saved. There is not one way of salvation for Israel and another for the Church. There is one Savior, one gospel, and one people redeemed through faith in Jesus Christ.
The statement that “all Israel will be saved” has been understood in several different ways by faithful Christians. After much study, I believe Paul is describing the complete salvation of God’s covenant people as God’s redemptive plan reaches its fulfillment. Throughout Romans, Paul has carefully distinguished between ethnic Israel and the true Israel of faith, and he has consistently emphasized that both Jews and Gentiles are saved in exactly the same manner. Whether one understands “all Israel” as the full number of elect Jews, the complete people of God, or a future widespread conversion of ethnic Jews before Christ returns, the central truth remains unchanged: salvation is found only in Jesus Christ.
For these reasons, I believe Romans 11 beautifully illustrates both the continuity and the unity of God’s redemptive plan. There is one olive tree because there is one covenant people. There is one root because there is one source of God’s covenant promises. There is one means of entering that tree because there is one gospel. Every branch that remains does so by faith, and every branch that is restored is restored through faith in Israel’s Messiah. Far from separating Israel and the Church into two distinct redemptive peoples, Romans 11 demonstrates the remarkable unity of God’s saving purpose as He gathers believing Jews and believing Gentiles together into one redeemed people through Jesus Christ.
Common Objections
Whenever this subject is discussed, several passages and theological concerns are raised in defense of maintaining a permanent distinction between Israel and the Church. I appreciate those concerns because they arise from a sincere desire to uphold the faithfulness of God. If God made promises to Israel, then every Christian should want to understand how those promises are fulfilled. The question is not whether God keeps His promises, but how the New Testament teaches us those promises are fulfilled.
Perhaps the most common objection is that if the Church inherits the promises made to Israel, then God has somehow abandoned Israel or replaced one people with another. I do not believe that accurately describes the biblical picture. God has not cast aside Israel and chosen a different people. Rather, He has fulfilled His promises through Israel’s Messiah. Jesus is the true Seed of Abraham, the Son of David, and the faithful servant who succeeded where Israel failed. Those who belong to Him, whether Jew or Gentile, share together in the blessings God promised from the beginning. This is not replacement but fulfillment.
Another objection is that the promises concerning the land, the kingdom, and the restoration of Israel must be fulfilled exactly as they were originally given to the nation. I certainly agree that every promise of God will be fulfilled. Where I differ is in the way the New Testament interprets those promises. The apostles consistently explain the Old Testament in light of Christ’s coming. The kingdom is established through the reign of the risen Messiah. The New Covenant is inaugurated through His blood. Abraham’s inheritance expands beyond the borders of Canaan as the gospel goes to every nation. The promises are not diminished; they are fulfilled in ways greater than many had anticipated because they find their completion in Christ Himself.
Some also argue that distinguishing between Israel and the Church is necessary in order to preserve a future for ethnic Israel. I certainly believe God continues to save Jewish people, and I rejoice whenever they confess Jesus as the Messiah. Paul himself anticipated a future ingathering of Jews into the people of God. However, I do not believe Scripture teaches a separate way of salvation or a separate covenant people for ethnic Israel. Every Jew who is saved is saved exactly as every Gentile is saved—through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. There is one gospel because there is one Savior.
Another concern is that this understanding minimizes God’s covenant faithfulness. In reality, I believe it magnifies it. God’s promises have not failed. They have been fulfilled exactly as He intended through His Son. The promise to Abraham has reached the nations. The Son of David reigns forever. The New Covenant has been established. The Holy Spirit has been poured out. The Messiah has come. Far from weakening God’s faithfulness, the New Testament continually celebrates the fact that every promise of God finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
For these reasons, I remain persuaded that the New Testament presents one redeemed people gathered through one gospel under one covenant Head. God’s plan has never been divided. From the beginning, His purpose has been to redeem a people for His own possession through His Son. Believing Jews and believing Gentiles together proclaim the faithfulness of the God who has kept every promise He has ever made, not by abandoning His Word, but by fulfilling it perfectly in Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
After studying the Scriptures, I have become convinced that the New Testament presents one unified people of God gathered through faith in Jesus Christ. This conviction did not arise because I wished to minimize Israel’s place in God’s redemptive plan. On the contrary, it grew from seeing how central Israel is to the entire biblical story. Through Israel came the covenants, the Law, the prophets, the promises, and ultimately the Messiah Himself. Without Israel, there is no gospel. Yet the New Testament consistently teaches that everything God promised through Israel finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
This understanding has profoundly shaped the way I read the Bible. Rather than seeing two separate covenant peoples moving toward two separate destinies, I see one unfolding plan of redemption centered upon one Savior. The promises made to Abraham reach their fulfillment in Christ. The throne promised to David is occupied by Christ. The New Covenant is established through the blood of Christ. Every major covenant promise finds its fulfillment in Him, and everyone who belongs to Him shares together in the blessings He has secured.
I recognize that many faithful Christians understand these passages differently, and I gladly acknowledge them as my brothers and sisters in Christ. We are united by the gospel, not by complete agreement concerning every prophetic detail. While I remain persuaded that the New Testament presents the Church as the fulfillment of God’s covenant people, I also believe this subject should always be discussed with humility, patience, and genuine love for those who hold different conclusions.
More than anything else, this doctrine has increased my confidence in the faithfulness of God. His promises have not failed. His covenant has not been broken. His plan has not changed. From the very beginning, God purposed to redeem a people for His own possession through His Son. That purpose has unfolded throughout history exactly as He declared, and it continues today as the gospel is proclaimed to every nation and people are brought into Christ through faith.
This understanding has also strengthened my love for the church. The church is not an afterthought or a temporary interruption in God’s plan. It is the redeemed people of God gathered from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation through the saving work of Jesus Christ. In Him, the dividing wall has been broken down, peace has been established, and sinners from every background have become fellow citizens of God’s kingdom and members of His household.
For these reasons, I joyfully confess that there is one Savior, one gospel, one covenant people, and one glorious hope. The same Lord who called Abraham, delivered Israel, fulfilled the Law, established the New Covenant, and raised His Son from the dead is still gathering His people today. One day that work will be complete, and believers from every nation will stand together before the throne of God and the Lamb, worshiping the One who has fulfilled every promise through Jesus Christ.
A Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your perfect faithfulness throughout every generation. Thank You that every promise You have made has found its fulfillment in Jesus Christ and that through Him You have gathered a people from every tribe, language, people, and nation to worship Your name.
Help us to read the Scriptures with humility and reverence, always allowing Your Word to shape our understanding rather than our traditions or assumptions. Teach us to see the unity of Your redemptive plan and to rejoice in the wisdom You have displayed throughout history.
Thank You that through Jesus Christ the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile has been broken down and that all who trust in Him are members of the same household of faith. Help us to love one another as brothers and sisters, remembering that our unity is found not in our nationality or background but in our common Savior.
Give us a deeper love for Your church and a greater burden to proclaim the gospel to every nation. May we faithfully announce that forgiveness of sins is found in Christ alone and that everyone who calls upon His name will be saved.
We eagerly await the day when people from every nation will stand together before Your throne, united forever in the worship of the Lamb who was slain and who lives forevermore. Until that day, keep us faithful, strengthen our hope, and help us to glorify You in all that we do.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Messiah, and our King,
Amen.