At the heart of God’s relationship with Israel stands the Abrahamic covenant, described in Genesis 12, 15, and 17—the foundational promise God made to Abraham and his descendants. God pledges to make Abraham into a great nation, to give his offspring the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession, and to bless all nations through him. Genesis 12:2–3 declares: “I will make you into a great nation… and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

The Biblical Foundation: God’s Covenant with Abraham

What makes this covenant extraordinary is its unilateral nature. In Genesis 15, God alone, represented by a smoking firepot and blazing torch, passes between the divided animals, while Abraham is put into a deep sleep. This ancient Near Eastern ritual symbolized: “May this happen to me if I break the covenant.” But only God walks through. The message is unmistakable: the covenant’s fulfillment depends not on Abraham’s faithfulness but on God’s. Even when his descendants fall short and fail, their God won’t break His unconditional covenant.

Yet Abraham and his descendants are still called to responsibility. In Genesis 17, God commands, “Walk before me and be blameless,” and uses circumcision as the sign of the covenant. To this day, Jews circumcise their sons on the eighth day — my son, myself, my father, his father, going all the way back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Although Israel’s covenant blessings depended on faithfulness (Deuteronomy 28), the core covenant promises — to raise up a people, to give them the land, and to bless the world through them — are called “everlasting” (Genesis 17:7–8) and are never annulled by human failure. In other words, Israel’s right to the Land is not contingent upon the nation’s behavior — whether good or bad — but rests entirely on God’s covenant faithfulness and His unchanging promises.

This thread runs throughout the Hebrew Bible. Even when Israel sins and is exiled, God insists: “Yet for their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors” (Leviticus 26:40–45).

In Ezekiel 36 we read:

Therefore say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations and which you have profaned among them, and the nations shall know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when through you I display my holiness before their eyes. I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land.

(Ezekiel 36:22-25)

Likewise, Psalm 105:8–11 praises God for remembering “his covenant forever, the promise he made for a thousand generations.” Only about a hundred generations have passed since then. If physical Israel no longer existed, as some antisemitic conspiracy theories suggest, it would mean God either failed or lied — an unthinkable idea.

In Genesis 32:28, Jacob is renamed “Israel” after wrestling with God, and his descendants become the twelve tribes. 7 or 8 centuries later, during King Solomon’s reign, the kingdom splits: Israel (north) and Judah (south). Israel falls to Assyria; Judah falls to Babylon. But after exile, those who return are called Jews, carrying the identity of all Israelites. Today, therefore, the term “Jews” refers to the descendants of the ancient people of Israel, originating from the tribes of Jacob—most prominently Judah, but also from the other tribes that became part of the Jewish people throughout history.

Who Is a Jew? Bloodline, Covenant, and Identity

The Hebrew word Yehudi (Jew) comes from Yehuda (Judah), initially referring to people from the southern kingdom after the split of Solomon’s kingdom. After the Assyrian exile of Israel (722 BC) and the Babylonian exile of Judah (586 BC), “Jew” became a broader term for the survivors from all twelve tribes who returned to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. By the Second Temple period, Jew and Israelite were used interchangeably. So, it would be historically and biblically inaccurate to claim that Jews today are only descendants of Judah.

Even older is the term Hebrew (Ivri), used for Abraham and his descendants. In the New Testament, Paul calls himself both a “Hebrew of Hebrews” (Philippians 3:5) and “a Jew” (Acts 21:39). These terms overlap historically; they are not rigidly separated.

The terms “Judah” (Jerusalem area) “Jew” (ethnicity) and “Judaism” (religion) can be confusing because they all come from the same Hebrew root, Y-H-D:

1. Yehuda (Judah) is the name of one of Jacob’s sons and the tribe that descended from him. Jerusalem was located within the territory of the tribe of Yehuda (Judah).
2. Yehudi (Jew) originally referred specifically to someone from the tribe of Judah. Over time, especially after the exile, it became a broader term for anyone descending from any of the twelve tribes of Israel who identified with the people of Israel.
3. Yahadut (Judaism) refers primarily to the religious tradition that, following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD, developed under the Pharisees, later known as Rabbinic Judaism. Today, Rabbinic Judaism represents the religious beliefs and practices of roughly a third of Jews worldwide.

Thus, Jewish identity today is a tapestry of lineage, covenant, religion, and culture — not every Jew is strictly from the tribe of Judah, nor does every Jew follow Rabbinic Judaism (Yahadut), the religious system developed after the destruction of the Second Temple. Many Jews identify as secular, cultural, or follow other Jewish streams (like Reform, Conservative, or Karaite traditions). Some Jews, in rejecting Judaism altogether, come to believe in Jesus. Most Jewish believers today express their faith through a Romanized-Westernized perspective — some become part of the Catholic Church, others joined Anglican communities, and some align with Protestant traditions (often identifying themselves as “Messianic,” usually Baptist, Calvinist or Pentecostal believers). Yet, some are like me — Jews who believe in Jesus, feel comfortable worshiping across all denominations, yet are not formally part of any specific religious group.

Israel: By Blood or By Covenant?

Some argue Israel is defined not by bloodline but by covenant faithfulness. This has biblical roots: the Torah warns that Israelites who persist in idolatry will be “cut off” (Leviticus 17:4), and the prophets call for “circumcision of the heart” (Deuteronomy 10:16; Jeremiah 4:4). But they never suggest physical descent is meaningless — they assume the people are physically part of Israel, calling them to live out their calling. Moses and the prophets spoke directly to circumcised Israelites. They never abolished or erased their physical identity as a people, but rather called them to live in harmony with it. Again and again, they urged Israel to “circumcise their hearts” — to align their inner lives with the covenant, not merely to rely on the outward sign of belonging.

The New Testament echoes this prophetic line. Paul writes, “Not all who are descended from Israel are Israel” (Romans 9:6–8), pointing to a faithful remnant within ethnic Israel — not saying Gentiles replace Israel, but highlighting that within Israel, some walk in covenant, others do not.

You can think of it as a majestic lineage: the fact that princes are sons of a king does not automatically make them good, kind, or faithful rulers when they become kings themselves. That is why Israel’s prophets were sent — not to abolish that identity, but to hold it accountable. Time and again, the prophets challenged and encouraged Israel’s leaders to live worthy of their calling. Consider the prophet Nathan, who boldly confronted King David after his sin with Bathsheba, reminding him that even a king stands under God’s covenant authority.

Romans 11 — The Olive Tree: Grafting, Not Replacing

Paul’s olive tree metaphor (Romans 11) is essential to understanding Israel’s role in God’s plan. Here’s the picture:

• The root and tree = Israel, God’s covenant people, nourished by the patriarchal promises (Romans 11:16–18; Jeremiah 11:16; Isaiah 11:1).
• Natural branches = ethnic Jews, some faithful, some “broken off” because of unbelief (Romans 11:17, 20).
• Wild branches grafted in = Gentile believers, joined to Israel’s promises through Messiah (Romans 11:17, 24; Ephesians 3:6).
• The remnant = Jewish believers in Jesus, part of the faithful core or “remnant” (Romans 11:5, Kings 19:18).

In Paul’s day, during the first century, what we now call “Christianity” was not a separate religion but, for the most part, a Jewish denomination. The earliest followers of Jesus continued to live as Jews, worship in synagogues, and observe the Scriptures of Israel. A large percentage of the so‑called “Christian church” were themselves Jewish men and women who believed Jesus was the long‑awaited Messiah. They represent the faithful remnant, the “faithful few” of Israel.

Furthermore, Paul explicitly warns Gentiles: “Do not consider yourself superior to those other branches… You do not support the root, but the root supports you” (Romans 11:18). Paul’s warning suggests antisemitism was already alive and kicking in his time. Yet, Paul envisioned a time when the natural branches will be grafted back in, leading to greater reconciliation and blessing (Romans 11:12, 15, 25–26). This is not replacement but enlargement.

Besides, for the natural branches to be grafted back in — it presupposes that Israel must still exist as a distinct people. If the Jewish people had been dissolved or lost their identity, there would be no “natural branches” to restore. The very metaphor assumes continuity: Israel remains, even in unbelief, so that God’s promises may ultimately be fulfilled in them.

The Apostle Paul, grappling with Israel’s unbelief in part of his letter to the Romans, emphatically rejects the notion that God has rejected His people: “I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means!… God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew” (Romans 11:2).

Paul points to himself (a Jew) as evidence that God still has a plan for Israel, and he foresees a future redemption for Israel as a whole, calling it a “mystery” that the hardening is partial and temporary (Romans 11:25–26):

Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in…

(Romans 11:25)

Paul clearly draws a distinction between two groups: Israel, which is experiencing a temporary hardening, and the Gentiles, who are being brought to faith. Paul teaches that only after the “fullness of the Gentiles” comes in will Israel’s spiritual blindness be lifted. This only makes sense if Israel still exists as a people—otherwise, Paul’s hope and prophecy would be empty. The very structure of his argument assumes that Israel endures through history, awaiting its ultimate restoration.

He then exults in God’s faithfulness by quoting the prophet, “The Deliverer will come from Zion… and this is My covenant with them” (Romans 11:26–27). In other words, God is not done with Israel because He swore long ago to be their God. “For the sake of the patriarchs,” Paul says, “they are beloved, for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). Here, Paul clearly connects the covenant God made with Israel’s patriarchs to His promises, which he claims are irrevocable.

This is both logically reassuring and deeply emotional. Logically, it means that all God’s promises hold together — His promise to Israel, and by extension His promises to the Church and to each of us who follow Him. We can trust God to keep the New Covenant because we see how He honors His previous covenant. Emotionally, it reveals God’s fatherly heart. Just as a loving father may discipline a wayward child but will not disown that child, God says of Israel, “Is Ephraim My dear son? … Though I spoke against him, I do remember him still” (Jeremiah 31:20). Knowing that God’s love perseveres even when we falter gives us hope that He will never leave or forsake us either (Hebrews 13:5).

Against Replacement Theology

Paul, writing decades after Christ had ascended, still openly identified himself as both a Hebrew and a Jew (Philippians 3:5; Acts 21:39). He never abandoned his ethnic or covenantal identity, nor did he suggest that faith in Christ erased Jewishness. In fact, the earliest church was almost entirely Jewish, rooted in the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Yet, as the Gospel spread among the Gentiles, something tragic began to take shape: some non-Jewish believers started to view themselves as the “New Israel,” as though they had replaced the original covenant people. This idea — later systematized into what we now call Replacement Theology — not only distorts Paul’s teaching, but severs the Gospel from its Jewish roots.

Replacement Theology — also known as supersessionism — claims the Church has permanently replaced ethnic Israel as God’s people. The phrase “new Israel” appears nowhere in Scripture. Historically, this view dominated much of Western Christianity (both Catholic and Protestant), but Paul’s vision contradicts it.

His olive tree image isn’t about cutting down the old tree and planting a new one; it’s about grafting, healing, and making one people from Jew and Gentile in Messiah. Gentile believers are “grafted in among the others” (Romans 11:17), not replacing the whole tree.

The re-establishment of modern Israel has compelled many Christians to reconsider replacement theology and rethink the ancient covenants. Israel’s very existence today stands as a living testimony that God’s promises endure. Gentile followers of Jesus are called to recognize that the Jewish people still hold a unique and irreplaceable role in God’s unfolding redemptive plan.

Like it or not, Jesus was — and remains — a Jew. And just as the Jewish roots of the Gospel cannot be erased, neither can the significant future role that Scripture assigns to Israel (Romans 11:15, 25–29). These future promises lose all meaning if there is no longer such a thing as “Israel,” replaced by a so-called non-Jewish “new Israel.”

Here, the image of the Prodigal Son becomes powerful: Israel, though estranged in some ways, is still the Father’s beloved child. The Father stands at the road, arms open, longing for reconciliation. This is Paul’s longing too: “My heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved” (Romans 10:1).

Final Thoughts: One Story, Many Branches

Biblical faithfulness calls us to affirm that the Abrahamic covenant has never been revoked. Israel remains Israel, and Gentile believers are graciously grafted into something older, deeper, and more enduring. Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, fulfilled Israel’s promises, but His fulfillment does not dissolve God’s covenant with the Jewish people.

In a metaphorical sense, “spiritual Israel” includes non-Jewish followers of Jesus who have been grafted into Israel’s story — united through the Jewish Messiah. But that spiritual inclusion does not replace the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

In the end, the church is not Israel’s replacement but Israel’s enlargement. God’s promises still stand; His purposes still unfold; and one day, the natural and wild branches will glorify Him together in the fullness of redemption.

This was an excerpt from my upcoming book, “The Elephant in the Middle East: The Hidden Theological Context of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.“