Part 4 - Reason #3 - Why Replacement Theology is a Lie

This Article is part of a multi-part Study Series called The Great Error of “Replacement Theology?”.

God’s Promises to Israel

God’s Promises to Israel have never been rescinded, or transferred to “the body of Christ,” as some believe.

The adherents of Replacement Theology conveniently ignore the promises made to Israel, which logically cannot apply to the church today. These promises testify to God’s fidelity toward a believing Israel, who will be His bride. The myriad of vows He made to Israel, to never cast her aside or permanently reject her. Her is a sampling of the promises made directly to Israel.

9  Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away. Isaiah 41:9 (KJV)

12  And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken. Isaiah 62:12 (KJV)

20  At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD. Zephaniah 3:20 (KJV)

1  I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. Romans 11:1 (KJV)

26  And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: Romans 11:26 (KJV)

We should ask ourselves; if God didn’t keep his promises to Israel, as Replacement Theology assumes, how can we be sure he will keep his word to us today?

  • If God did not keep His promises to Israel, as Replacement Theology assumes, then what are we doing trying to claim Israel’s promises?
  • Who is to say God wouldn’t take Israel’s promises away from us also, if He did give take Israel’s promises to give them to us today… which of course He did not?
  • Who is to say that God will keep His promises to us as found in Paul’s epistles, if He is not going to keep His promises to Israel?

The claim of Replacement Theology is a seriously somber consideration when you think about it. It unnecessary throws doubt upon the very character of God. Now, we can see just how dangerous Replacement Theology is. It casts doubt upon God’s Word, and that’s exactly how Satan operates today; recall the Serpent’s words to Eve, “hath God said?” (Gen. 3:1).

The confusion that comes with “Replacement Theology” is destructive to the believer’s faith and life.

Religion today misuses God’s words to Israel and tries to lay them on the believers of today’s grace age. Consider that denominations have their church programs to run; they’re often more interested in having people give money toward the denomination’s program, mainly to perpetuate denomination or group they oversee, instead of seeking people’s spiritual good. So, preachers often misuse Israel’s verses about Tithing” (Malachi 3:8) as scare tactics to get their congregants to do what they want... give money.

Religious leaders may say;

“You better tithe or you will be under God’s curse!”

Below I will address the misuse of Israel’s Tithing Law.

“You are disobedient to Jesus until you are water baptized at our church!”

But the only baptism for grace believers is DRY.  “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body (of Christ), whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13)

“If you want to really serve God, you have to ask Him to pour out His Holy Ghost on you so He can cause you to do mighty signs and wonders!”

The fact is the moment we first believed we received the whole “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (Romans 8:9-10)

“You will not see the Lord’s miracles in your life if you do not give money, or fast, or forgive others, or pray, et cetera!”

Under grace we are “freely forgiven” of ALL sin, past present and future, the moment we first believed.  “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;” (Colossians 2:13)

It’s true that there are Bible verses to demonstrate these ideas or similar ones… but these are all in God’s Program for Israel, they are not found in today’s grace-age program for the Gentile members of the “body of Christ”!

We must always divide the word as to what applies to Israel and what applies to “the body of Christ.” Unless we “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15), we’ll Confuse Ourselves with Israel, placing ourselves under Israel’s “Law system,” which God is not operating today. Many genuine serious Christians who love God are miserable today, trying to do something that Gods is not doing today. They go against God’s will for us today and are thereby defeated.

Example: Precious few church members understand the difference between giving and tithing. Beloved, God’s grace is not against giving; God’s grace is against O.T. tithing. Yes, the local assembly may have bills to pay to do God’s work. But, we give of our resources out of gratitude to God, not to get or earn something from God in return. The tithe was the method whereby Israel proved whether or not God would bless her materially; and when Israel did not give to God, she was cursed economically. Malachi 3:8-12 is Israel’s tithing passage. The “tithing preachers” misapply it today to generate funds.

See the truth about “tithing” in my article “Tithing or Giving” at www.artlicursi.com. You will see that Israel actually had (3) tithes, totaling 22% each year, and this does not apply to “the body of Christ” today. Paul only spoke of ‘cheerful giving that was not grudgingly.’

Today, God’s spokesman to us, the Apostle Paul, writes that we are already blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3), and now we prove the sincerity of our love by giving to God’s work (2 Cor. 8:8). We are not proving God’s faithfulness as Israel did; He already proved His faithfulness to us at the Cross of Calvary.

When we say, we have to do something in order to get God’s blessings, we’re ignoring that God does not owe us anything. God gives us everything through what Jesus Christ did, not because of what we did. We give to local churches and ministries in order for God’s Word to go forth and bless others as it blessed us. That’s not tithing! There is no such thing as tithing under Paul’s grace gospel for the Gentiles.

The serious Bible student needs to read and prayerfully consider Paul’s letter to the Galatians. After the Apostle Paul established and left the local churches in the region of Galatia, false teachers came in and subverted these believers trying to brings the Galatian grace believers back under “the Law.” These false teachers were perverting the grace of God, telling the Galatians that they had to have works to either be saved or to keep their salvation. But Paul clearly wrote; “…f or ye are not under the law, but under grace.
(Romans 6:14)

We find ourselves facing the very same doctrinal errors today in much of professing born-again, so-called, Bible believing Christian churches and groups. They tell or imply to believers that they need to maintain fellowship with God by doing this or that. Hence, Paul wrote:

“O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? [2] This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? [3] Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? [4] Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain. [5] He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? [6] Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” (Gal. 3:1-4)

Paul is saying; “How did we receive God’s Holy Spirit? By works?” No! It was by faith in what Jesus Christ did for us on Calvary’s cross. It would be foolish of us to think that our Christian lives would operate any differently on the daily basis. Our Christian lives will function on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ’s crosswork, not by our efforts and performance under some religion dictates.

We were not saved by our works, so we don’t stay saved by our works. We were saved by the grace of what God did for us at Calvary, we will stay saved by grace of what God did for us at Calvary. The book of Galatians has six chapters that prove this without doubt.  Concerning our salvation… “if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. (Romans 11:6)

Remember Colossians 2:6-7: As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: 7Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” We “received Christ Jesus the Lord” by “faith in Christ” (v5). Our Christian life will operate on the very same basis from day to day… by “faith in Christ.” We must let go of “Replacement Theology”!