03/16/2026

 

Samuel Clifford

 

The epistles of Paul contain some of the richest passages concerning theology and individual guidance for believers. For this article, I will go through several passages found in the Pauline epistles that replacement theologians use to argue the church has replaced Israel. 

 

Scripture 1:

 

¨Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.” Galatians 3:7-9 KJV 

 

“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:26-29 KJV

 

Paul here states that Gentile believers are now related to Abraham by faith. Through belief in Christ, they are ¨sons of Abraham” (Galatians 3:7) and ¨Abraham’s descendents¨ (Galatians 3:29). For many, these designations are significant because they infer that the Church is now the true Israel. Since believers in the Church are designated ¨Abraham’s sons” and “Abraham’s seed,” they must be spiritual Jews. The problem with this false interpretation is that Abraham’s seed is composed of physical descendents, believing and physical descendants (which is his seed by spiritual and physical), and just believing descendants (Gentiles who are a part of the Church). Israel, by definition, is someone who is a physical descendant of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. The “seed of Abraham” is used in four different ways in the New Testament. 

 

1. “[It] can refer to those who are biological descendants of Abraham.

 

2. [It] can refer to the Messiah who is the individual seed of Abraham . . .

 

3. [It] can refer to the righteous remnant of Israel (cf. Isaiah 41:8 with Romans 9:6).

 

4. [It] can be used in a spiritual sense for believing Jews and Gentiles (Galatians 3:29) . . .

 

In this last sense-the spiritual sense-believing Gentiles are the seed of Abraham. J.S. Feinberg distinguishes between a physical sense and spiritual sense of being the seed of Abraham. According to him, non-supersessionists hold that ‘no sense (spiritual especially) is more important than any other, and that no sense cancels out the meaning and implication of the other senses’ (John S. Feinberg, “Systems of Discontinuity,” in Continuity and Discontinuity (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1998), 73).” Accordingly, “. . . the application of the title ‘Abraham’s sons’ or  ‘seed of Abraham’ to believing Gentiles does not mean believing Gentiles are Jews or part of Israel” (Arnold Fruchtenbaum, “Israel and the Church,” in Israelology: The Missing Link in Systematic Theology (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries, 1994), 126-127).

 

Scripture 2:

 

“Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: but now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: and came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:11-22‬ ‭KJV‬‬

 

Supersessionists often claim “. . . that since the former condition of Gentiles was that of being ‘excluded from the citizenship of Israel’ this means believing Gentiles most now become Israel or be considered Israelites” (Michael J. Vlach, Has the Church Replaced Israel?, chapter 13). However, this logic is faulty for several reasons:

 

1. While Ephesians 2:13 and 2:17 “. . . indicates that the Gentiles are ‘made near’ and are no longer excluded from the ‘commonwealth of Israel,’ this does not necessarily mean that believing Gentiles become Israel. Being near to something does not mean assumption of identity . . . Paul’s discussion of Gentiles going from being ‘far off’ to ‘near’ is reliant on Isaiah 58:18-19. Paul is relying on Isaiah's eschatological expectation in which ‘the nations would come from afar and join Israel in the worship of the one “who created the heavens, . . . who fashioned the earth and made it” (Isaiah 45:18)” (F. S. Thielman, “Ephesians,” in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, eds. G. K. Beale and D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007), 818). Truly, “[the] fact that Gentiles have gone from being ‘far off’ to ‘near,’ or from ‘excluded’ to ‘not excluded,’ does not mean they have assumed the identity of Israel” (Michael J. Vlach, Has the Church Replaced Israel?, chapter 13).

 

2. “[If] Paul wanted to say that believing Gentiles were now part of Israel, he could have said that, but he did not. Paul will say that God made both believing Jews and Gentiles ‘one’ [Ephesians 2:14] and ‘one new man’ [Ephesians 2:15] but he carefully avoids the title “Israel” (same as previous citation).

 

3. “[In] the broader context of Ephesians 2-3, Paul’s use of syn compounds rules out the idea that Paul is speaking of some ‘incorporation into Israel’ theology” (same as previous citation). C. B. Hoch explains,

 

“The key to the sense in which Gentiles are made near to Israel is the preposition suvn. Paul uses six σύν compounds to express the relationship of Gentiles to Jews/Israel in these two chapters: συμπολίται, ‘fellow citizens’ (2:19); συναρμολογουμένη, ‘joined together’ (2:21); συνοικοδομείσθε, ‘built together’ (2:22); συγκληρονόμα, ‘heirs together’ (3:6); ούσσωμα, ‘members together of one body’ (3:6); and συμμέτοχα, ‘sharers together’ (3:6)” (Carl B. Hoch, “The New Man of Ephesians 2,” in Dispensationalism, Israel, and the Church, eds. Craig A. Blaising and Darrel L. Bock (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 1992), 113).

 

“Paul’s use of these six syn compounds indicates that ‘the Gentiles are brought near to Israel in Christ to share with Israel in its covenants, promise, hope, and God. They do not become Israel; they share with Israel’” (same as previous citation).

 

Scripture 3:

 

“For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:3‬ ‭KJV‬‬

 

Replacement Theologians will interpret this verse's statement, “we are the circumcision,” as proof the Church has become Israel. Yet, what does Paul mean by “circumcision” in this verse? It is not circumcision of the flesh as seen by the context (Phillippians 2:3-4), so it has to be circumcision of the heart that God does (cf. Romans 2:29; Colossians 2:11; Deuteronomy 30:6; Ezekiel 36:26). There are two circumcisions of the heart in the Bible. One is done by man (Deuteronomy 10:16; Jeremiah 4:4), and the other is done by God (Deuteronomy 30:6; Colossians 2:11; Ezekiel 36:26; Romans 2:29). Circumcision means to cut something off, and in the case of the circumcision of the heart done by man, it refers to Christians cutting out “. . . all corrupt affections and inclinations, which hinder [people] from fearing and loving God” (Matthew Henry, “Deuteronomy 10, Matthew Henry’s Commentary,” Bible Hub, last accessed May 9, 2022, https://bibleapps.com/mhc/deuteronomy/10.htm). Circumcision of the heart done by God is when God cuts off the “old man” (Romans 6:6-7; cf. Colossians 2:11).

 

How does this prove the Church is Israel? It does not, as all this verse is saying is that believers have been circumcised of the heart, i.e., that Christian’s “old man” has been crucified (Romans 6:6-7; Colossians 2:11). To say this proves the Church is Israel is to go beyond the text.