Israel and the Church

To understand the relationship between Israel and the Church, there is one important question that we must ask that will help us understand the biblical relationship between them: Who fulfills the Old Testament promises about Israel’s salvation? Are these promises fulfilled by Israel or the Church?

So far in our study of Romans 9, we have seen that God never promised to save every Jewish person (9:6), only those whom He has chosen to show mercy to, (9:18) those who believe. This week in Romans 9:25-10:4, Paul reveals more about God’s reason to partially harden Israel. We can see that redemptive history took a pretty clear turn after Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. Israel has stumbled and is still stumbling over Jesus (Rom. 9:30-32). God's purpose for this partial hardening is so that elect Gentiles (Rom. 8:29) would be included in His plan of redemption. Since the coming of Jesus, Gentiles have been and are still presently flooding into the kingdom of God. This is the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3.

In Romans 9:25-33, Paul takes several Old Testament passages from Hosea and Isaiah where God was working with Israel and applies them to what God is now doing among the Gentiles in the Church. Paul deliberately takes these two prophecies about the future salvation of Israel and applies them to the Church. Paul’s point is that the Church, consisting of both Jews and Gentiles, has become the people of God, the Israel of God (Gal. 6:16). The prophecies of Hosea about Israel are fulfilled in the Christian Church along with believing Gentiles.