Understanding The New Man: Part I

WHAT IS REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY?

     Replacement Theology is a Christian doctrine which asserts that the New Covenant through Jesus Christ supersedes the Old Covenant, which was made exclusively with the Jewish people. In Christianity, supersessionism is a theological view on the current status of the church in relation to the Jewish people and Judaism.

    In my 42-year journey with Jesus, I had never heard the term, Replacement Theology until a couple of years ago I was accused of believing in it! A brother in the Lord who followed our ministry for a couple of years, gave offerings to the ministry and was regarded as a good friend read a Message or Devotional that mentioned the "New Covenant" and you would have thought I had blasphemed!

    I was stunned by his accusation not knowing what I was being accused of, so I quickly Googled it and saw what it was and tried to explain to him my view on the subject, but it was to no avail, and he demanded to be taken off the mailing list! Being grieved in my spirit I apologized to him for offending him but ever since it has bothered me, so I decided to write about it!

     But now Jesus has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. Hebrews 8:6

 THE FIRST COVENANT IS OBSOLETE

     Jesus said, "A new covenant," He has made the first covenant obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. Hebrews 8:13

     The replacement theology folks think that God didn't keep His promise to Israel, but in fact He not only kept His promise, He made it better! It would be like your uncle died and left you his will and testament with an inheritance of one million dollars! Then the lawyer calls and says, "We found a revised will of your uncle and he has left you two million dollars, making the first will obsolete!"

    The Greek word for obsolete means, out of date, no longer practiced, discarded, grown old and worn out! In other words, Jesus has made the Jews and us as Gentiles a better covenant with better promises! The problem for Israel is because they have rejected the new covenant in Christ, they are left out of the benefits being lost and rejected by God! People act like Israel are God's special kids, but the church, the Bride of Jesus Christ are somehow second-class citizens!

    If it is true that Israel is under the old covenant and believers are under the new, then why did the Jewish disciples of Jesus get saved and filled with the Spirit and the 120 Jews at Pentecost? When Jesus died on the cross the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom by the angels, symbolizing the end of the old priesthood and the sacrifice of animals for atonement!

     But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. Hebrews 9:11,12

 THE APOSTLE'S PRAYER FOR ISRAEL

     Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own righteousness have not submitted to the righteousness of God. Romans 10:1-3

     Imagine being a Jew who is faithful to the old covenant, sacrifices his goat or calf at the temple and believes that once a year atonement for his sins are dealt with by the High Priest and then after hundreds of years it is over and there is a new way to get saved, by believing in the reported Son of God, born of a virgin!

    This is why it is so hard for the Jews to believe, because of years and years of tradition handed down through the ages. Old habits are hard to break and to believe that their One God has now somehow come to earth as a human from the womb of a virgin is a hard pill to swallow! Son of God, no way, it is impossible and so they refused to believe what God was actually doing for them!

    Jesus is the new way for man to be saved from his sins and redeemed, not by the law or by the blood of bulls, but by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, Savior and Deliverer of all mankind including the children of Israel!

     For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Romans 10:4

 Your servant in Christ, Timothy Laughlin
    Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ