Is the Church the True Israel, God?
by Keith Mathison, author of Dispensationalism: Rightly Dividing the People of God?, Postmillennialism: An Eschatology of Hope, and The Shape of Sola Scriptura.

Many people believe that the defining doctrinal characteristic of dispensationalism is its unique eschatology. It is certainly the eschatology that gains the most attention. In reality, however, the doctrine that defines dispensationalism, its sine qua non, is its doctrine of the church. The fundamental tenet of dispensationalism is that the Church is not Israel. Several things are meant by this statement, but the most important is the dispensationalist teaching that the church, or body of Christ, consists only of those believers saved between Pentecost and the Rapture. The saints of the Old Testament are not part of the Church, the body of Christ.

Part of the difficulty in evaluating the dispensational distinction between Israel and the Church is the lack of precise definitions in dispensationalist literature. Both "Israel" and "Church" are used in a variety of senses throughout the New Testament, and to simply say that the Church is not Israel is a gross oversimplification. Obviously, if we mean by "Israel" the political state of Israel or unbelieving Jews, then the Church is not Israel. But since within the unbelieving nation of Israel there has always been a remnant, a "true Israel" it is not accurate to make a sweeping general statement divorcing Israel from the Church in every sense of the words.

In the Old Testament, the unbelieving nation had a remnant of believers within it. This true Israel, which included such men as David and Daniel, were those who were circumcised not only in the flesh but also in the spirit. When Christ came, we see the same distinction between national, unbelieving Israel and the true Israel. The Scribes and Pharisees were generally part of the unbelieving national Israel. The apostles were part of true Israel. At Pentecost, when virtually all agree a new stage in redemptive history began, the true Israel, the remnant of national Israel, was the church. In the following decades and centuries, Gentiles began to be added to this true Israel - the church, but that did not change the fact that there was and is a continuity between the Old Testament Israel and the New Testament church. The Church is not national or unbelieving Israel. But the Church is the true Israel, the remnant of national Israel. There are several places in Scripture where this truth is clearly taught. Here we shall focus briefly on three:

Romans 11:11-24 clearly teaches the unity of believers of all ages. The illustration of the olive tree in this passage is one of the better known sections of the book of Romans, but its meaning has not always been clear, especially to those who would separate Old and New Testament believers into distinct bodies. There are four main points in this text of Scripture that are relevant to our topic:

1. The cultivated olive tree is natural Israel.
2. The natural branches that are broken off are unbelieving Jews.
3. The good branches that remain are believing Jews.
4. The wild branches that are grafted into the good olive tree are believing Gentiles.

The most important thing to notice here is that there is only one good olive tree. In the Old Testament it had contained both unbelieving and believing Jews. But when Christ came, the unbelieving Jews were broken off leaving only the believing Jews. Believing Gentiles were then, and are now, grafted into this good olive tree - the believing remnant - the true Israel. Were dispensationalism true, the illustration would make no sense. Paul does not say that God plants a brand new olive tree into which He now grafts believing Jews and believing Gentiles. No, the believing Jews stayed right where they were in their covenant relationship with God. God brought Gentile believers into this already existing covenant relationship. The believing remnant of Israel, the true Israel, and the New Testament Church are one and the same body of believers. These believing Jews and Gentiles are the one good olive tree.

Ephesians 2:11-19 is a passage of Scripture that also has special importance for our study. In this text, Paul compares the former state of the Gentiles in Christ to their previous state apart from Christ. In verse 12, Paul lists five things that were true of them before they became Christians. The Gentile believers were formerly:

1. Separate from Christ
2. Excluded from the commonwealth of Israel
3. Strangers to the covenants of promise
4. Without hope
5. Without God in the world

All five of these things are spoken of in the past tense. In other words, all five were true of the Gentiles prior to their faith in Christ, and all five are no longer true now that the Gentiles have faith in Christ. What this means is that Gentile believers are now:

1. In Christ
2. Included in the commonwealth of Israel
3. Heirs of the covenants of promise
4. With Hope
5. With God in the world

According to Paul, all of these things are now true for Gentile believers in Christ.

Galatians 3:16, 29 emphasizes Gentiles' inheritance in the Abrahamic promises. We learn in
these verses that:

1. The Abrahamic promises were made to Abraham and to his seed (v. 16).
2. His Seed is Christ (v. 16).
3. His seed is also all who belong to Christ (v.29).
4. Therefore, the Abrahamic promises belong to Christ and to all who are His (v.29).

According to Paul, the Abrahamic promises belong to all who are in Christ and only to those in Christ. Since He is the true heir, the true Seed, no one may inherit the promises apart from Christ. Apart from union with Christ, no Jew or Gentile has any claim to the Abrahamic promises.

The dispensationalist distinction between two peoples of God is biblically indefensible. All who are saved are in Christ, and only those who are in Christ are saved. There is no other way of salvation apart from union with Christ in the one body of Christ, the church - the true Israel of God.