The Unbroken Promise: Why Israel Remains God’s Chosen People

Few topics stir as much passion, confusion, or debate in the Christian world as the question of Israel’s ongoing chosenness. For nearly two millennia, many have asked: if the Church is now the “new Israel,” does God still have a unique purpose for the Jewish people? Are the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants still valid, or have they been spiritualized away—lost in history or absorbed into the identity of the Church?

To answer these questions honestly, we must turn not only to theological tradition but also to the heart of Scripture itself. What we discover is not just a story of a people, but a breathtaking portrait of God’s faithfulness, mercy, and unwavering commitment to His promises—a story that, at its core, reveals the very heart of God.

1. Chosenness: More Than Salvation—A Sacred Calling

It’s vital to begin with what “chosen” actually means in the biblical context. Contrary to popular Christian assumptions, especially in some Protestant circles, election is not primarily about individual salvation. For Israel, it’s about a corporate vocation—a role God chose Israel to fulfill on behalf of all humanity.

Deuteronomy 7:6–8 makes this clear:

“The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession… because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers…”

Here, God’s choice is not based on Israel’s greatness or righteousness, but on His love and His promise—a covenant made to their ancestors, carried forward by God’s faithfulness.

Chosenness doesn’t mean perfection. In fact, Israel was called “stiff-necked” even as she was chosen. God’s election is not based on flawlessness, but on His grace and purpose.

The “chosenness” of Israel is a calling to be a light to the nations (Isaiah 49:6), to bear witness to God’s justice, mercy, holiness, and the reality of covenant relationship. Through Israel, the world would come to know the oneness of the God of Israel (Deuteronomy 6:4), receive the Bible (instruction), and ultimately, the Messiah.

“I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.”
(Romans 9:2-5)

2. A Vehicle for Revelation—Teaching the Nations

Why did God choose Israel? The Hebrew Scriptures offer a profound answer: not for privilege, but for service. Israel was meant to model what it means to walk with the living God—to show the nations both the blessings and consequences of a relationship with the Creator. Through Israel, the nations would see God’s loyalty and patience, but also discipline.

God’s faithfulness to Israel—even in their failures—demonstrates His loyal love. Israel’s story includes exile, return, discipline, and restoration. God’s patience with Israel is a testament to His enduring commitment:

“For the Lord will not cast off His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance.” (Psalm 94:14)

In their darkest moments, God’s presence remains. He disciplines, but He never abandons. Through Israel, God teaches the world about repentance, forgiveness, and hope—even for those who fall.

3. The Irrevocable Covenant—A Promise That Endures

Perhaps the most powerful biblical argument for Israel’s ongoing chosenness comes from the apostle Paul, who grappled with this very question. In Romans 9–11, Paul affirms with conviction:

“As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake; but as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
(Romans 11:28–29)

How can Paul say that Israel is the “enemy” of the gospel if the Church is the “new Israel”? This alone contradicts the notion that “the church replaced Israel.” Furthermore, Paul doesn’t minimize Israel’s stumbling; he grieves over it. Yet he insists that God’s promises—His calling—are irrevocable. Despite Israel’s struggle, Paul’s vision ends not in despair but in hope:

“And so all Israel will be saved…” (Romans 11:26)

Israel will be saved? If “saved” meant going to heaven, how could Israel, as a nation, be “saved” when salvation in Christian theology is supposedly an individual matter? Nations do not “go to heaven”—but they can be restored, renewed, and brought back into covenantal relationship. This is how Romans 9-11 frames Israel’s situation — in terms of corporate estrangement, communal spiritual blindness, and their ongoing role in God’s redemptive plan that will ultimately lead to Israel’s spiritual restoration once the Jewish people accept Christ. I believe this will be the only case in human history where an entire nation will collectively and miraculously accept Christ.

If Israel no longer exists, then Paul must be a false prophet—for how could “all Israel” be saved if there is no Israel left to save? The enduring existence of Israel is essential to the truth of Paul’s theological message.

4. Prophetic Promises of Restoration

Throughout the Hebrew Bible, God promises a future, national restoration for Israel—not merely a spiritual “Israel” redefined as the Church, but the actual, physical descendants of Abraham. These promises are explicit, concrete, and tied to the land and people.

Ezekiel 36:24–28:

“For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land… I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you…”

I believe that the first step started in 1948. The second step is the hope Paul was referring to – the day all Israel will be saved.

Jeremiah 31:35–37:

“This is what the Lord says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars…Only if these decrees vanish from my sight… will Israel ever cease being a nation before me.”

In other words, God’s covenant with Israel is eternal and unconditional. According to Paul, the church was “grafted” into Israel (Romans 11:11-31). Not the other way around.

Zechariah 12:10:

“And I will pour out… a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him…”

How will Israel mourn the one it pierced if there’s no more Israel?

These passages point to a future time when Israel, as a nation, will be spiritually renewed, restored to the land, and reconciled with God in a profound way.

5. The Olive Tree—Grafted In, Not Replaced

Paul’s metaphor of the olive tree (Romans 11) is crucial. Gentile believers are not a “new Israel” replacing the old; they are grafted into the rich root of Israel’s promises. The tree remains; the Church is included, but not at the expense of God’s faithfulness to His original people.

“Do not boast over those branches… you do not support the root, but the root supports you.”
(Romans 11:18)

This vision is one of unity and humility. God’s grace expands, but His promises remain true. The Church did not replace Israel, nor was Israel rejected by God:

I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.
(Romans 11:1-2)

6. The Faithfulness and Compassion of God

At the heart of all this is the faithfulness of God. The story of Israel is a living testament to God’s steadfast love, understanding, patience, and mercy. He is not fickle, nor does He break His word because Israel isn’t perfect. God’s relationship with Israel is marked by discipline, yes—but also by an unbreakable promise, a patient heart, and a relentless pursuit of restoration.

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
(Isaiah 54:10)

God is NOT Done with Israel

Recognizing that Israel remains God’s chosen people is not a matter of national pride or exclusion—it is about honoring the story God is telling through history. It is a story that demonstrates His loyalty, patience, and desire to redeem not just Israel, but all nations through Israel’s Messiah. It calls the Church to humility, gratitude, and a renewed sense of wonder at the God who keeps His promises.

Israel still exists because God is not done with Israel:

“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!… For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?“
(Romans 11:12-15)

To lose sight of Israel’s chosenness is to miss the heart of the gospel: a God who is faithful to His word, whose mercy endures, whose plans embrace both Jew and Gentile (just as there is still ‘male and female’, there is still Jew and gentile), and whose ultimate goal is the restoration of all creation, Israel included.

In the end, Israel’s chosenness is not about privilege but about purpose—a purpose that continues to unfold, bearing witness to the love and faithfulness of God in every generation.

God’s Promises for Israel Mean It Still Exists

The claim that the Jews living in Israel today are not the same people as in the time of Paul is not only false—it is a well-known anti-Semitic conspiracy theory used to delegitimize both Jewish identity and the modern State of Israel.

Historically, Jewish identity has been preserved through continuous lineage, tradition, and religious practice for over 2,000 years. Despite centuries of exile, forced conversions, persecution, and dispersion, Jews maintained their distinct identity, faith, language, and connection to the Land of Israel. Archaeological evidence, ancient manuscripts, and genetic studies all confirm the continuity of the Jewish people from biblical times through today.

As proven by modern DNA tests, Jews in Israel come from a variety of backgrounds—Sephardi, Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, Ethiopian, and others—reflecting the global dispersion and survival of the Jewish people. Yet all share common ancestry and heritage that trace directly back to the ancient Israelites and the time of Jesus.

The accusation that Biblical Israel no longer exists is not about historical truth, but about erasing Jewish legitimacy and fueling hatred. The same exact false claim that was used by Hitler and the Nazis and other anti-Semites throughout history to justify violence against Jews is now used by Hamas supporters in a political context and unfortunately even Christians buy into the lies.

The truth is simple:

• The Jews of Israel are the direct descendants—biologically, culturally, and spiritually—of the Jews of the Bible and the Second Temple period.
• The Jewish return to Israel is a story of resilience, continuity, and fulfilled longing, not of replacement or forgery.