Am Yisrael Chai -Replacement Theology?

The People of Israel Live

Replacement Theology—also known as Supersessionism—is the belief that the church (used in this ideology as gentile believers and Jews who reject their Jewishness) is a “spiritual Israel”. It falsely claims that the church has superseded physical Israel in God’s redemptive plan.

According to this view, the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) in the Hebrew Scriptures are now fulfilled spiritually in the church, and ethnic Israel no longer has a distinct role in God’s plan or as God’s chosen people.  This doctrine emerged early in church history and has influenced Christian thought for centuries, often contributing to antisemitism and theological confusion.

By the second century, church Fathers like Justin Martyr began interpreting “Israel” as the church. This was influenced by the scattering of the Jewish people and the renaming of Judea as “Palestine” by Rome. Without a visible Jewish homeland, it could be easy to understand why many assumed Israel’s role had ended.

However, Scripture and history refutes this nonsense.

The Bible never says that the church is a “spiritual Israel”.

The Newer Covenant did not replace the Older Covenant - there has just been a renewing- in fact in Jeremiah it states the Renewed Covenant will be made with the “House of Israel and the House of Judah” (Jeremiah 31:31).

Israel is the holy land for many but the promised land only for the Jews.

Replacement Theology is not only historically problematic—it is Biblically indefensible. The Word of God consistently affirms that Israel remains central to God’s covenantal purposes, and the church (made up of the nations), while grafted in, does not erase or replace Israel.

Biblical Refutation of Replacement Theology

1. God’s Covenant with Israel Is Irrevocable

Paul writes in Romans 11:1–2:

“I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.”

And again in Romans 11:29:

“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

These verses directly contradict Replacement Theology. Paul affirms that God’s covenant with Israel stands, and His promises are not nullified by Israel’s disobedience.

2. The Church Is Grafted In—Not a Replacement

Romans 11 uses the metaphor of an olive tree to describe Israel and the gentile believers:

“If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others… do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches” (Romans 11:17–18).

Gentile believers are grafted into the covenantal tree of Israel. Israel is the root that supplies nourishment to the whole tree. The church joins Israel’s story—it does not overwrite it.

Israel’s Role in God’s Redemptive Plan

1. The Abrahamic Covenant Still Stands

God’s covenant with Abraham includes promises of land, descendants, and blessing to the nations (Genesis 12:1–3; 15:18–21). These promises are unconditional and eternal. Yeshua will ultimately fulfill every aspect of the covenant in the Messianic Kingdom, both physical and spiritual.

2. Prophetic Restoration of Israel

Ezekiel 36–37 and Zechariah 12–14 speak of Israel’s future restoration—both physically to the land and spiritually to God. These prophecies are not allegories for the church; they are specific to ethnic Israel. The reestablishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948 is a powerful sign that God’s promises are unfolding in real time.

Replacement Theology has contributed to centuries of Christian antisemitism, including the Crusades, Inquisition, and Holocaust-era complicity. It distorts God’s character by portraying Him as one who breaks covenants and abandons His people.

The church and Israel are both part of God’s redemptive plan, but they are not interchangeable.

• Israel is the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, chosen for covenantal purposes.

• The church is a spiritual body of believers from all nations, grafted into the promises through Messiah Yeshua.

God Keeps His Promises! God made covenants. Some were conditional and some were unconditional. Unconditional means that mankind had to do nothing to make it happen. For example the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants were unconditional. The Mosaic covenant was conditional. God keeps covenants even if man didn’t keep his end of the covenant. Abraham nor David, nor their descendants, had to do anything to make the promises happen. God did or is doing everything to bring those covenants to fruition. Israel broke the conditional Mosaic covenant. This is why Yeshua came to re-establish a Renewed Covenant. God isn’t breaking the Mosaic Covenant that man broke but re-establishing it through Yeshua.

Replacement Theology is a theological lie that undermines the integrity of Scripture and the faithfulness of God. The Bible affirms that Israel remains chosen, the church is grafted in, and God’s covenants endure. To understand the fullness of redemption, we must honor both Israel and the church in their distinct roles.

Please see attached articles below for more info on this subject.

I stand with Israel,

Am Israel Chai

Leisa