In the previous blog posts (Israel series 01-07) we saw that per the Scriptures, it is absolutely impossible to claim God has rejected Israel or has replaced Israel with the Church. The Scriptures devote an entire chapter and many other texts to address and debunk this error of Replacement Theology (e.g. Romans 11, Zechariah chapters 12-14, Daniel chapters 7-12, Ephesians 2:12-13, Romans 15:27). However, there are those who still hold on to an alternate form of Replacement Theology, claiming that God did not replace Israel with the church but with Jesus. Attempts to justify this erroneous Theology include references to Jesus as the firstborn while ignoring the context within which such a reference applies (e.g. Hebrews 1:5-6, Colossians 1:18). By this, it is claimed or suggested that God has replaced Israel with Jesus as His first born (cf. Exodus 4:2, Hebrews 1:5-6) and has rejected Israel. The major problem with this claim/suggestion is that there is nothing in the entire Bible which teaches or says so.
It is not uncommon in Scripture for the same word or phrase to apply to different things. An example is the use of the term “bride of Christ/the Lamb”, which is used in Scripture to refer to (i) the church in general (Ephesians 5:22-33), (ii) the faithful servants of God, who endure to the end and therefore partake of the marriage of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7-8), and (iii) the city of God, the New Jerusalem, within which all faithful servants of God will serve God following the Millennium (Revelation 21:9-10, Revelation 22:3). Although, all these have the same name or title, “bride of Christ/the Lamb”, they refer to different entities. To claim that the New Jerusalem has replaced or will replace the saints of God, just because they both have the same name, bride of Christ, is to claim that the work of Jesus on the cross is in vain since a city has or will replace the very people for whom Christ died and saved. Such a claim, however, is scripturally inaccurate. This proves the simple truth that similar or same names in Scripture do not necessarily speak of replacement. Context always applies. We cannot ignore context and forcibly make the Scriptures say whatever we want. Another example is the word “sleep”, which is used in Scripture in reference to taking rest in sleep (John 11:12-13), as well as death (John 11:11,14; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). Since sleep has been used to refer to death in Scripture, does that mean every sleep in Scripture, thereafter, has been replaced or taken over by death? Certainly, that would be a severely faulty way to read the Scriptures. In the same way, there is no scripturally justifiable way to claim that Jesus has replaced Israel because the same name or title has been used for both in Scripture. When we disregard context and keep replacing one thing with the other, simply because they bear the same name or title, we would end up rendering the message of the Scriptures meaningless. In the same way, God uses the term “firstborn” to refer to Israel and to Jesus in different ways, while each retain their unique identity, without one replacing or doing away with the other.
In Biblical times, the firstborn male or son had the preeminence among his siblings or kindred, even among livestock (Deuteronomy 21:15-17, Exodus 13:2,12). Even so, when we see God referring to Israel, a nation or people group, as His first born son, we see Israel’s preeminence among the nations or people groups, from how God determined the boundaries of other nations based on the population of Israel (Deuteronomy 32:8, Ezekiel 5:5) to how God chose to bring His promises and salvation to the entire world using the nation of Israel so that all other nations have come to share in the spiritual heritage and blessings that belong to the nation of Israel (Romans 9:3-5, Ephesians 2:12-13, Romans 15:27, Romans 11). Thus, we see Israel’s position as the first born among its kindred or preeminence among the nations profoundly demonstrated in the Old and New Testaments. This is not by any merit of their own but by God’s election on account of their fathers (Romans 11:28).
Regarding Jesus, however, He is referred to in John 3:16, and 1 John 4:9 as the “One and only Son of God” which also translates as the “only begotten Son of God”. The Greek word translated “only begotten” or “only son” is monogenes, which also means “single of its kind” or “pertaining to being the only one of its kind or class, unique in kind”. So, when Jesus came into the world, He was revealed to us as the only one who was in every way the same as God, the same truth John expressed in John 1:1. This goes beyond having the nature of God (as Christians do – 2 Peter 1:4) and encompasses being in every way God. This uniquely refers to the Messiah, Jesus, who alone was worthy to die and save humanity (Revelation 5). After after His death and resurrection, Jesus is also referred to as the firstborn, but not as any other ordinary type of firstborn, but the firstborn from the dead, who doesn’t just have preeminence among the nations but preeminence and first place in all things: “And He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:18). His position as the firstborn from the dead gives Him preeminence over all things following His resurrection. It’s the same truth Jesus declared after His resurrection when He said, “…All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18, see also Philippians 2). He is the first to conquer death, the first fruit of the resurrection, the first born from the dead, and the one who has all authority and first place in all things (see 1 Corinthians 15:23, Philippians 2:5-11, Colossians 1:18, Matthew 28:18).
We can see this same truth expressed in Hebrews chapter 1, when we do not isolate verse 6 by itself, but consider it contextually along with the preceding verse. Hebrews 1:5 reads, “For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”? And again: “I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son”? This text, which is applied to Jesus in Hebrews 1:5 is a citation from the Messianic Psalm, specifically Psalm 2:7, describing and celebrating the crowning of a king or the accession of a king to the throne. The day of entering into new kingly rule, is considered as the day “the king is begotten”. This does does not refer to biology but to the day the king received his authority. In reference to Jesus, this refers to the day of His resurrection from the dead (Colossians 1:18, Matthew 28:18, Ephesians 4:8-10). Thus, when we read the following verse, Hebrews 1:6, and Jesus is referred to as the firstborn, the preceding verse makes it abundantly clear when He was “begotten” or when he became the firstborn. And this was on the day of His crowning as King, when He received all authority and preeminence in all things following His resurrection as the firstborn or first begotten from the dead.
This position of Jesus as the “firstborn”, i.e., the first born from the dead, is not a position the nation of Israel once held, which Jesus had to take and thereby replace Israel. This position uniquely applies to the Messiah, Jesus, alone, whereas Israel’s position as the first born is clearly demonstrated in Scripture as the firstborn among its kindred or those of the same kind, i.e., the nations or people groups. Thus, it is biblically inaccurate to ignore context, and claim that if Jesus is referred to as firstborn in a specific biblical context, then He must replace Israel who is also referred to as firstborn in a different context. Even so, the Replacement Theology, in all its different forms, has no biblical basis. God has not rejected and will never never reject Israel (e.g. Romans 11, Zechariah chapters 12-13), and neither has He replaced Israel with the Church nor with Jesus according to the Scriptures.
Dr. Kwadwo Omari
December 23, 2023.
A Very Important Message
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). Therefore, If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, I invite you to put your faith in Him. Pray the prayer below to accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour: “I come to you God in Jesus’ name and surrender my life unto you. I repent of my sins and I ask You to forgive me all my sins. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, and I believe with my heart that God has raised Jesus from the dead. I thank you God for saving me, in Jesus name, Amen”. If you sincerely prayed this prayer, believe and be assured that you are saved, for the Bible says that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13, Romans 10:9-10, Acts 16:31). Find a Bible believing church to attend so that you can be taught and trained to grow in the ways of God. You can also email me ([email protected]) and I will be happy to grow together with you in Christ. God bless you.