In recent years there has been considerable debate about the relationship between Israel (as The Children of God, not the geographical place) and the Church of Jesus Christ in what has been termed COVENANT THEOLOGY.

Two Vines, One Covenant

We saw in the unit headed JESUS THE TRUE VINE that the Church of Jesus Christ is grafted onto the original stock of God's Chosen People Israel.

The table below outlines the main points of their relationship.

The Two Vines - Israel & The Church

In ROMANS Chapters 10-11 Paul addresses some of the issues of the relationship between Judaism and Christianity - The Original Olive (Israel) and The Wild Olive (The Church) that has been grafted into the original stock. In Chapters 10-11 he addresses the question of whether the arrival of the Messiah in the Person of Jesus Christ means that God has given up on his covenant with Israel.

Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.  ROMANS 10:1-5

A Summary of Paul's Argument

1. Paul longs for all Jews (the children of Israel by birth) to be saved.

2. He says they have a religious zeal for God, but it is based on The Torah -  The Law of Moses.

3. They believe salavation is through obedience to the letter of the Law instead of through faith and obedience, as demonstrated by Abraham, the Father of the faithful.

4. Since Jesus' arrival as the Messiah, who came not to abolish the Law of Moses but to fulfill it, salvation is through faith in Yeshua rather than through  observance of the rituals of the Law.