Consider This...
Theological Thoughts to Encourage the Heart & Stir the Mind ___________________________________________________
Volume I May 2011 Issue 22
As a believer in Christ, do you take the Bible literally? Do you read it symbolically or treat it in an allegorical way? This may determine whether you are a dispensationalist or one who believes in what is called Covenant Theology. There are many differences in these two areas of belief (please review the chart at the end of this article). I would like to examine the literal and symbolical aspects of the two. In this article, I will mainly focus on why Israel has not been replaced by the Church.
In the past, we have discussed the Dispensationalist view. Most of this belief is based on literally taking the Word of God for what it says. For example, there will be a literal thousand year reign of the Messiah on earth (Rev. 20:4) when He returns and establishes His kingdom. The literal, physical nation of reborn Jews will possess the Promised Land of Israel in the Middle East as promised by God in the Scriptures (Genesis 17:7-8, Ezekiel 36:24-38).
Covenant Theology is the belief that God is finished with Israel. The new Israel is the Church that began on the day of Pentecost. Israel has been replaced because of disobedience and failure to adhere to the covenant made by God. Now this statement alone seems like a paradox. Why would God cast aside literal Israel and replace it with the Church which was made up and began with true Israelites and which happened on a Jewish holy day, Pentecost? Converted Jews and Proselytes to Judaism (over 3000) believed on a single day (Acts 2:41). It seems God used Jews (the apostles) and a Jewish holy day (Pentecost) to save Jews! Yet Covenant Theology would argue God no longer has a plan for the Jewish nation.
By the way, Paul the apostle was a Jew and, once converted, God used many of his letters to make up the New Testament.
God established his covenant with the Jewish nation through Abraham (Genesis 22:15-18).This covenant was implemented and everlasting because it was based on God's promise and not on man's ability to obey it. God keeps his word even when man doesn't. When God established this covenant, he knew that Israel would disobey, rebel, and continually resort to paganism and idolatry. Yet God made this covenant for all generations. Yes, even the one we are in today!
God knew from the foundation of the world that Gentiles would become heirs of God's goodness through adoption and belief in the Gospel.
So we know God is able to keep his covenant people, Israel, and yet establish a new covenant with Gentiles and all mankind as well. In this way, the Church does not replace Israel but, by a new covenant, they come alongside Israel in being chosen as those who also will declare the Lord's glory along with Israel. The Scripture states that Israel has experienced a hardening. This is only for a short time until the full number of Gentiles has come in (Romans 11:25-26).
During the seven year tribulation period, Israel will return to the God of their salvation and be used in a mighty way to bring other believers to their Messiah (Rev. 7:3-8).
In the simplest terms, I would like to put forth this quote to summarize this argument against Covenant Theology in relation to Israel:
“The people of Israel are the people God has chosen to bring the Messiah into the world. They are not forgotten or replaced. The Church is the Body of Christ chosen to bring the Messiah into people's hearts. Both have a covenant made with the Living God that will bring reward to each group. Each has a covenant with God that will not be broken or replaced.”
--------- Ed Delgado
The following are the major differences between these two systems of theology. They represent the mainstreams of both systems, though there are variations in each.
| DISPENSATIONAL THEOLOGY (Lewis S. Chafer, John Walvoord, Tim LaHaye, John Nelson Darby, C.I. Scofield) | COVENANT THEOLOGY (Charles Hodge, Loraine Boettner, Louis Berkhof, John Murray, B.B. Warfield) |
| 1. May be Arminian or modified Calvinist. Almost never 5-point Calvinist. | 1. Always Calvinist. Usually 5-point. |
| 2. Stresses rigidly “literal” interpretation of the Bible. | 2.Accepts 'normal' interpretation of the Bible text (allows both literal and figurative) |
| 3. Usually does not accept the idea of the “Analogy of Faith.” | 3. Almost always accepts the idea of The "Analogy of Faith." |
| 4. “Israel” always means only the literal, physical descendants of Jacob. | 4. "Israel" may mean either literal, physical descendants of Jacob or the figurative, spiritual Israel, depending on context. |
| 5. "Israel of God" in Gal. 6:16 means spiritual Israel, parallel to Gal. 3:29; Rom. 2:28-29 , 9:6; Phil. 3:3. | |
| 6. God has 2 peoples with 2 separate destinies: Israel (earthly) and the Church (heavenly). | 6. God has always had only 1 people, the Church gradually developed. |
| 7. The Church was born at Pentecost. | |
| 8. The Church was not prophesied as such in the O.T. but was a hidden mystery until the N.T. | 8. There are many O. T. prophecies of the N. T. Church. |
| 9. All O.T. prophecies for “Israel” are for literal Israel, not the “Church.” | 9. Some O. T. prophecies are for the literal nation of Israel, others are for spiritual Israel. |
| 10. God's main purpose in history is literal Israel. | 10. God's main purpose in history is Christ and secondarily the Church. |
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