Those who deny they hold to a "Replacement Theology" do not like the term because they deny that they are "replacing" Israel. In my view, they are retaining the original calling of Natural Israel, but redefining them not as a complete nation, but only as a national remnant of faith. Their belief seems to be that "Israel" has always been defined strictly among those with faith, leaving the national structure itself incidental. The politics of nationhood were incidental to the value of the membership, which was exclusively defined by those with faith.
So "Israel" is retained, but for those who believe the entire nation of Jews had been defined by the whole nation, rather than just by a remnant of faith, "Israel" was really being redefined by Supersessionists. For non-Supersessionists, "Israel" was defined by the entire nation of Jews in covenant with God under the Law. The fact many Jews, over time, abandoned their heritage of faith did not prevent the entire nation from being called "the elect," nor did it mean Israel was to be defined as a "nation within a nation," ie strictly the elect who over time retained their faith. Israel was the whole nation, those who retained their faith and those who disqualified themselves from the inheritance by giving up their faith.
Since Israel, by the time of Jesus, had largely given up their heritage of faith, Israel could no longer retain its covenant blessings under the Law. The vast majority of Jews gave up their faith in God, turning to a Christless religion, though they were still to be considered "God's elect." They were not, in my view, rejected for purposes of a promised future national restoration, but for the meantime, the nation had lost its "blessed" status and could no longer be considered as retaining a temporal form of God's Kingdom.
In my view, temporal Kingdom status had passed to new members of the "elect," Gentile nations who ultimately embraced faith in Christ. Israel lost its status as a "nation of God" to Christian nations, although for purposes of hope Israel remained a "promised and chosen nation." 1 Peter 2.9 Her salvation would take place after an "age of Gentile Salvation." Luke 21.24-28
In viewing Israel delegitimized as a nation of God, Supersessionists believe that Israel was never meant to achieve elect status as a nation in perpetuity. Her national status was never the issue. Achieving individual status as the "elect" was always, for them, the issue, without discrimination among ethnicities or nationalities. But this, for non-Supersessionists, "replaced" the fact Israel had always been called as a "nation," and as such, the entire nation has been considered to be "God's elect." Replacing this with "Individual Salvation" is the "Replacement" that takes place in Supersessionism. Please consider the following points...
1) The whole nation was called to be God's "elect."
Exo 19.5 "Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”
Exo 23.7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.”
8 Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
2) Israel had been called not just to be a national remnant, but to be an entire nation of faith.
Gen 12.“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you."
Rom 11.1 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means!... 11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!... 25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written:
“The deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27 And this is my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”
3) Israel came under a curse as a nation temporarily, but will be restored.
Deut 30. When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations, 2 and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, 3 then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you.
Amos 3.12 This is what the Lord says: “As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s mouth only two leg bones or a piece of an ear, so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued, with only the head of a bed and a piece of fabric from a couch.”
Luke 21.20 “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near... 24 They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled."
Conclusion: Supersessionists see the division of faith in national Israel to have been revealed by the Law, rendering the nation represented by a mere remnant of faith, disqualifying the national political structure from defining who "Israel" was. They are replacing what others consider to be Israel's elect status *as a real and full nation.* with something less than a real and full nation. Elect status has been changed from the full nation to a mere elect remnant of faith within the nation. And the concept of the "nation" is expanded to include many ethnicities of faith.
Instead of "replacing" this concept of *elect nationhood* they believe there has never been an *elect nationhood,* feeling that this false concept should be replaced with the concept of Individual Salvation. What had existed in Israel as a nation of faith under the Law was disqualified by the Law itself, rendering nationality incidental in the process and irrelevant with respect to Individual Salvation. This, they believed, was evident in the failure of a super-majority in Israel to retain the faith, thus disqualifying the nation *as a nation.*
Non-Supersessionists recognize that Israel had been called as an *entire nation* under the Law, regardless of the fact individuals or even super-majorities fell from their calling to faith. Their fall as a "nation of God" did not mean they had never been, as a nation, the "elect of God."
Supersessionists have "replaced" the definition of Israel as a full national "elect, redefining her as individuals with enduring faith. Non-Supersessionists do accept that Israel had been called, under the Law, to both nationhood and elect status. Their loss of faith as a super-majority did not subvert their original calling under the Law to be an elect nation, whether this would ever be restored or not. Israel retains its status as both a political structure and an entire membership in the Jewish ethnicity, whether or not this entity can be restored.
Replacement Theology does not subvert the idea that Israel had been called as a nation to faith. It only rejects that status in the long run with the realization that the Law, under which the nation was called, subverted the idea of its permanence. It meant, for Supersessionists, that Israel had only ever been meant to realize Individual Salvation, ultimately revealed to be international, and not exclusive to a single nation.
So "Israel" is retained, but for those who believe the entire nation of Jews had been defined by the whole nation, rather than just by a remnant of faith, "Israel" was really being redefined by Supersessionists. For non-Supersessionists, "Israel" was defined by the entire nation of Jews in covenant with God under the Law. The fact many Jews, over time, abandoned their heritage of faith did not prevent the entire nation from being called "the elect," nor did it mean Israel was to be defined as a "nation within a nation," ie strictly the elect who over time retained their faith. Israel was the whole nation, those who retained their faith and those who disqualified themselves from the inheritance by giving up their faith.
Since Israel, by the time of Jesus, had largely given up their heritage of faith, Israel could no longer retain its covenant blessings under the Law. The vast majority of Jews gave up their faith in God, turning to a Christless religion, though they were still to be considered "God's elect." They were not, in my view, rejected for purposes of a promised future national restoration, but for the meantime, the nation had lost its "blessed" status and could no longer be considered as retaining a temporal form of God's Kingdom.
In my view, temporal Kingdom status had passed to new members of the "elect," Gentile nations who ultimately embraced faith in Christ. Israel lost its status as a "nation of God" to Christian nations, although for purposes of hope Israel remained a "promised and chosen nation." 1 Peter 2.9 Her salvation would take place after an "age of Gentile Salvation." Luke 21.24-28
In viewing Israel delegitimized as a nation of God, Supersessionists believe that Israel was never meant to achieve elect status as a nation in perpetuity. Her national status was never the issue. Achieving individual status as the "elect" was always, for them, the issue, without discrimination among ethnicities or nationalities. But this, for non-Supersessionists, "replaced" the fact Israel had always been called as a "nation," and as such, the entire nation has been considered to be "God's elect." Replacing this with "Individual Salvation" is the "Replacement" that takes place in Supersessionism. Please consider the following points...
1) The whole nation was called to be God's "elect."
Exo 19.5 "Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”
Exo 23.7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.”
8 Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
2) Israel had been called not just to be a national remnant, but to be an entire nation of faith.
Gen 12.“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you."
Rom 11.1 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means!... 11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!... 25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written:
“The deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27 And this is my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”
3) Israel came under a curse as a nation temporarily, but will be restored.
Deut 30. When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations, 2 and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, 3 then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you.
Amos 3.12 This is what the Lord says: “As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s mouth only two leg bones or a piece of an ear, so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued, with only the head of a bed and a piece of fabric from a couch.”
Luke 21.20 “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near... 24 They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled."
Conclusion: Supersessionists see the division of faith in national Israel to have been revealed by the Law, rendering the nation represented by a mere remnant of faith, disqualifying the national political structure from defining who "Israel" was. They are replacing what others consider to be Israel's elect status *as a real and full nation.* with something less than a real and full nation. Elect status has been changed from the full nation to a mere elect remnant of faith within the nation. And the concept of the "nation" is expanded to include many ethnicities of faith.
Instead of "replacing" this concept of *elect nationhood* they believe there has never been an *elect nationhood,* feeling that this false concept should be replaced with the concept of Individual Salvation. What had existed in Israel as a nation of faith under the Law was disqualified by the Law itself, rendering nationality incidental in the process and irrelevant with respect to Individual Salvation. This, they believed, was evident in the failure of a super-majority in Israel to retain the faith, thus disqualifying the nation *as a nation.*
Non-Supersessionists recognize that Israel had been called as an *entire nation* under the Law, regardless of the fact individuals or even super-majorities fell from their calling to faith. Their fall as a "nation of God" did not mean they had never been, as a nation, the "elect of God."
Supersessionists have "replaced" the definition of Israel as a full national "elect, redefining her as individuals with enduring faith. Non-Supersessionists do accept that Israel had been called, under the Law, to both nationhood and elect status. Their loss of faith as a super-majority did not subvert their original calling under the Law to be an elect nation, whether this would ever be restored or not. Israel retains its status as both a political structure and an entire membership in the Jewish ethnicity, whether or not this entity can be restored.
Replacement Theology does not subvert the idea that Israel had been called as a nation to faith. It only rejects that status in the long run with the realization that the Law, under which the nation was called, subverted the idea of its permanence. It meant, for Supersessionists, that Israel had only ever been meant to realize Individual Salvation, ultimately revealed to be international, and not exclusive to a single nation.
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