BY GREG CRUM
“I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew.” Romans 11:1-2a
Has God forsaken the modern nation of Israel? Great question, and one that has been hotly debated in recent months on Facebook forums, in the halls of government buildings, and even inside the walls of Christian churches. Almost 2,000 years ago, a famous Christian apologist, perhaps the most famous, one that had suffered persecution at the hands of the Jewish religious elite more than most, addressed this very question.
The apostle Paul revealed definitively that, though for the most part the natural descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had forsaken Jesus as their Messiah, God had not forsaken them. Now, I know that does not reconcile with the talking points of conservative conspiracy theorists today, and does not play nicely with growing antisemitic sentiment, but it is New Testament Bible truth. What is more, if that was not enough to curl the lip of the “Israel is the root of all evil” crowd, when you read the rest of Romans 11 you see that not only has God not forsaken the nation of Israel, He has plans for their redemption and restoration before this world as we know it comes to an end. There are better days ahead for believers in Jesus, and a great many modern-day Jews are going to be a part of that group as well.
So, the last couple of weeks we have addressed a concerning false doctrine adrift in Christian circles today— that Israel is the cause of all the evil in the world. That God has replaced the Jews with Gentile believers in Jesus. That “born again” Christians are exclusively His people today. In the last two articles we have given you some Biblical evidence to counteract this end-time deception.
First, we brought to your attention the fact that our Jesus, God made flesh, is in his flesh, a Jew. That is historically and genetically undeniable if you believe the Bible is the authoritative Word of God. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a descendant of the patriarch Jacob (also known as Israel). Jesus’ body shares the same DNA as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and down through the line. Why is that important? Do you love your natural family despite their flaws? There is your answer. Do you really want to actively revile those that Jesus loves?
Secondly, we mentioned that the Christian church today, the Body of Christ, did not replace Israel as the exclusive people of God. Please read Romans 11. Like, for real, read it. No, really, read it. It applies to this generation (Age) of believers in Jesus, and to modern Jews yet to see him as the Messiah. Notice it still calls the nation of Israel “his (God’s) people.” Friends, it is Biblically inaccurate to say we replaced Israel. We did not. We became a new people for the Lord—the Church of God, as I Corinthians 10:32 states. In fact, if anything, we rely on the legacy of faith that the Jewish Patriarchs displayed because the Bible declares that we Gentile believers in Jesus were the wild olive tree grafted in among them (Jews), and with them partake of “the root and fatness of the olive tree.” (Romans 11:17)
Finally, a third point, it is important for Christians today to realize that God purposely chose the Jews as His people many thousands of years ago, He chose to make Jesus one of them, and He still has a great future planned out for this people He loves. Read Isaiah 41:8-16 and Zechariah 2:1-13 and think about what it reveals about the heart of God towards this people. Read Romans 11 and realize that God is not done with Israel. They have messed up, sure, but so have we. In the end, Israel will come back to God. They will accept Jesus as their Messiah. They will be our brothers and sisters in the Lord.
The bottom line is this: Israel still matters to God and Jesus. Anti-Jew is, at least in part, anti-Jesus. Think about the groups that have historically despised the Jews. Are these the people you want to believe and act like? Friends, let us not be enemies of those that God loves.
Greg Crum is the pastor at Calvary Temple in Lovely.