God Is No Liar

By Rev Willem J.J. Glashouwer.. To conclude upon the crucifixion of Jesus that God changed His mind about His everlasting covenants with Israel, and made the Church into the new people of God, the ‘new or spiritual Israel’ – one will not find this expression anywhere in the Bible – simply is not true. And it is not just a theological misconception, but it is a sin before God. It makes God into a liar. And God is no liar. This ‘replacement-theology created an atmosphere for ages that made it possible that millions of Jews were humiliated, denied and deprived of their cultural and religious identity.

That numerous Jews were persecuted and forced into ‘conversion’ to ‘Christianity’.

That countless of Jews were beaten, robbed, and finally raped, butchered and massacred.

And even today, after 2000 years of shaming Church history, ‘Christianity’ is almost completely silent when Jews are threatened. Even when militant Islamic enemies today threaten the existence of the State of Israel. Or at best ‘Christianity’ gives some lip service to the just cause of the Israeli’s to live in peace in their Promised Land and defend themselves against all kinds of murderous attacks. But in reality they support Israel’s enemies, calling it sometimes ‘double solidarity’. Sometimes one thinks: ‘Cannot the Church read the Bible?’

Let us listen to what God says in the Bible. “…He remembers His covenant FOREVER, the word He commanded, for a THOUSAND generations, the covenant He made with Abraham, the OATH(how much more solemn can one make a pledge?) He swore to Isaac. He confirmed it to Jacob as a DECREE, to Israel as an EVERLASTING covenant: To you will I give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit…” (Psalm 105:8-11)

What does ‘EVERLASTING” mean? Until Jesus Christ and then no more, as the Church said? No, of course not. Everlasting means forever. When God can halfway change His mind for whatever reason, how can the Church be sure that one-day, for whatever reason, He will change His mind and His promises towards her? Numbers 23:19 says: “…God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind…”

The Church, telling the world that God replaced the Jewish people and Israel by the Church, makes God into a liar. But God has an everlasting covenant with the Jewish people. Just one? No, more than one. All covenants were made with Israel, not one with the Church, as we have seen. And by nature Jews are not without God, although many have a blind spot for who Jesus really is. By nature Gentiles are without God and without hope in the world.

When the apostle Paul sums up the advantages of being Jewish, his own race, the people of Israel, he states in Romans 9:4–5: “…Theirs is the adoption of sons; theirs the divine glory (the Shekinah), the COVENANTS (plural), the receiving of the law (torah), the temple worship (in the Tabernacle in the desert and the Temple in Jerusalem) and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs (He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob), and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is over all, God forever praised! Amen…”

Jews know Who God is, and have their own relationship with Him. Compare that with what we were as Gentiles before we knew Christ and were drawn near. In Ephesians 2:11-14 Paul says:“…Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called ‘uncircumcised’ by those who call themselves ‘the circumcision’ – meaning the Jews – (that done in the body by the hands of men), remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise (to Abraham), without hope and WITHOUT GOD in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been BROUGHT NEAR through the blood of Christ…”  Brought near, but you did not take over at their expense, Paul clearly states.

We as Gentiles have come into this New Covenant relationship with God since Acts 10: Cornelius the Roman, the man from Italy, and his house. Peter preached the Gospel and upon all of them the Holy Spirit fell, to the ASTONISHMENT of the circumcised believers who had come with Peter. “…Even on the Gentiles…” they marvel. Acts 10:44-46 says: “…While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out EVEN on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God… “ Later Paul explains in Romans 11 that we as Gentiles have become engrafted in the old root.

The Root

What is this root? Israel? Abraham? Jezus? Messianic Judaism? Faithful Judaism?

I believe it is: God’s New Covenant relationship with Israel, as promised to Abraham, and repeated to Isaac and Jacob: “…and all peoples on earth will be blessed through (in) you…”Genesis 12:3b. Spiritual blessings for the Gentile nations. Through the New Covenant of God with Israel, of which the signs are the broken body and the spilled blood of our Lord and sealed by the Holy Spirit, Gentiles can enter into this new covenant relationship made with Israel. The New Covenant, made with the house of Israel and the house of Judah (Jeremiah 31:31-34, compare Luke 22:19-20), but now opened for Gentiles as well. It is the fulfillment of the spiritual side of the covenant God made with Abraham in Genesis 12:3 for the Gentile nations:“…in you – or through you – all peoples on earth will be blessed…

God even hardened and blinded some of His own Jewish people in part in order that we as Gentiles could become engrafted. But one day this hardening will stop, when the fullness of the Gentiles has become engrafted, has come in. Then all Israel shall be saved. How and why God acts in this mysterious way, is a mystery and I doubt whether we ever can figure out why. Paul can only praise the Lord at the end of chapter 11 of his epistle to the Romans.

He concludes in Romans 11:33-36: “…Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counsellor?” “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?” For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen…”

We are almost there. We have almost come full circle, and the time of the redemption of all Israel is near at hand. Because Israel has already started to return to the Promised Land.

May the Church be honest enough to reconsider her theologies of ages. Our Lord is coming soon. How can we meet Him with Jewish blood upon our hands, the blood of age-long persecution, made possible by Christian anti-Semitism of theologies like replacement theology? It is sin that has to be confessed. And real conversion must prove itself by fruits worthy of repentance, like unconditional love and solidarity with the Jewish people and Israel. Only then there is hope for the Church.

Rev. Willem J. J. Glashouwer
President Christians for Israel International