Hi Christine,
“Can anyone provide a
short, simple definition of Replacement Theology and problems that may arise if
following this school of thought?”
The answer to your
question is, “Yes.”
Oh, aren't you satisfied with that answer??
Replacement theology is
the premise that the “Christian Church” [whatever that means – see Note 1] has
replaced Israel in God’s plan.?
Replacement theology,
under many names, teaches that the promises made to Israel in the Tanakh, the
Hebrew Bible also known as the Old Testament are fulfilled in the Christian Church.? Basically, its adherents believe that God is
finished with His dealings with Israel and that all unfulfilled promises to Israel
are transferred to the spiritual “church”.
The primary problem that
arises from this heresy is that it contradicts the clear reading of the text of
both the Old Testament and the New Testament. For example, God made four
covenants with the people of the Old Testament.?
The New Testament in no place invalidates them, which would make God’s
promises to be lies.? Instead, it adds on the
New Covenant wherein salvation is ALSO offered to Gentiles.? There are many places in the New Testament that
make this point.? The most explicit is
Paul’s treatise on Israel in the book of Romans where Chapter 9 covers Israel’s
past, Chapter 10 Israel’s present, and Chapter 11 Israel’s future.
In replacement theology,
Old Testament covenants with Israel are REPLACED by the new covenant. After Pentecost
in Acts, the term “Israel” refers to the “Church”.
To justify deviation
from the plain text, Church leaders even before Augustine of Hippo (AD 354-430)
adopted the amillennial interpretation of Scripture.? They allegorized parts of Scripture that
conflict with their belief that Israel had forfeited her covenants including
the unconditional Abrahamic Covenant by rejecting Christ, and so to them, Scripture
has lost its authority.? For example,
while Revelation clearly states six times that Christ will rule for 1,000 years
after Armageddon (which hasn’t yet happened), amillennials claim that to be a
figure of speech, an allegory, and not a real period.? Some say that the 1,000 years has come and
gone; others claim that it is here now and Christ rules in our hearts; there
are also many other guesses that differ from the biblical text.
Holding a worldview that
the Jews are no longer God’s Chosen People logically leads to the primary
practical application of that perspective, the doctrine of anti-Semitism. After
all, they say, the Jews killed Christ. All of the Bible’s blessings are now directed
to the Church, while all of the judgements are retained by Israel.? Anti-Semitism has plagued many of the mainstream
religions (Roman Catholicism, Anglicanism, Lutheranism, etc.) from the
beginning.? I could add an argument concerning
Islam since its inception here as well.
Modern anti-Semitism is
often shrouded in anti-Zionism, which offers a thin camouflage for those who
hold it, including many secular left-wing Jews in the West. One reason for the
vehement hatred of Israel by some is an inability to harmonize their belief
that Israel was replaced in God’s eye (or, alternatively, that there is no God)
with the reality that the Nation of Israel was resurrected on 14 May 1948, after
a 1,920-year diaspora.? That was indeed a
miracle, and yet it was prophesied in the Old Testament to the very day.
Christine, to sum up,
the many problems that arise from denying the plain text of the Bible can lead
one down Alice in Wonderland’s rabbit hole.?
As the Cheshire Cat said, “I’m not strange, weird, off, or crazy; my
reality is just different from yours.”
Blessings,
Ray
NOTE 1:? I said “whatever that means” about “Christian
Church” because one of the huge issues today is that there is great
disagreement amongst replacement theologists about who or what HAS replaced Israel.? To the Catholic Church, it means the Catholic
Church.? Ditto JWs.? And so on.
NOTE 2: Some other names
for replacement theology include supersessionism and fulfillment theology. Adherents
claim distinctions but all believe that promises to Israel are now the Church’s (whatever that means, see Note 1).?
Ray