How Galatians 3 Debunks Replacement Theology: God Is Not Done With Israel

The Apostle Paul, when rebuking long hair on men, said:

1 Corinthians 11:14 “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?”

That establishes that nature can teach you things.

In nature, there are edible mushrooms and poisonous mushrooms.

Look at the ones on the screen.

When you don't look closely enough, a poisonous mushroom can look safe.

And when you don't read Galatians 3 closely enough, you can think that God is through with the Jew, and, pay attention, you will think that antisemitism is Biblical.

And what does God say about antisemitism? I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee.

That was a promise to Abraham's children, and in Numbers 24:9 it was confirmed that it went to Israel.

So, if you curse Jews or Israel, you're cursed.

Romans 11:29 and Galatians 3 affirm that God isn't done with that promise.

Now, how does Galatians 3 debunk replacement theology?

Before I go into that, you must keep one thing in mind.

Romans 11:28-29

“As concerning the gospel, they (Jews) are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

Everything Paul says in Galatians 3 must not contradict what he wrote in Romans 11:29, where he said God's promises and his calling of Jews cannot be taken back.

I am going to read the entirety of Galatians 3, and I will give commentary when appropriate.

O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.

He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Galatians 3:6 and the entirety of Romans chapter 4 are a very good example that Paul's epistles and James contradict without Dispensationalism.

Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

Christians are spiritually Jewish, which is what this verse is speaking about. However, the verse, I remind you again, has to be limited by Romans 11:29:

“For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

What the Christian is spiritually cannot

A. Take away God's gifts/promises to Jews

B. Take away God's calling for Jews

Which leaves the Christian being a child of Abraham in a very limited spot.

And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

If you have a reference Bible, it will probably say this is a reference to Genesis 12:3. However, that is false.

Genesis 12:3 says:

“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

The actual quoted verse says:

Genesis 22:18

“And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”

12:3 says families, 22:18 says nations. Galatians 3:8 says nations.

It cannot be Genesis 12:3 also for this reason: either Paul lied and the Bible contradicts itself in Romans 11:29, OR Genesis 22:18 was about Christians and never about Jews.

The verse has to be in reference to Genesis 22:18 and not Genesis 12:3, or it contradicts Romans 11:29:

“For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

I actually was wrong originally with my views of Joel 2 and Romans 10:13 having nearly the same wording. I said it was a coincidence.

A person commented and, thank God, corrected me and pointed out a Dr. Ruckman ISSL on Brother Don's channel where Dr. Ruckman explained this doctrine.

This is a summary of that.

Paul says “The just shall live by faith.”

If you look up the actual cross-reference verse of that in Habakkuk:

Habakkuk 2:4

“Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.”

Paul changes "live by his faith" to "the Just shall live by faith."

The "his" in Habakkuk modifies the sentence. Paul's Christian application of Habakkuk isn't actually found in the original verse. Paul took something from the Old Testament to apply to the NT.

And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

This is the second poisonous mushroom.

What's the blessing of Abraham?

Being justified by faith, and not by works.

What's the promise singular? It cannot be the gifts God gave to Jews because of:

A. Romans 11:29

“For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

B. It's singular.

It's the singular promise of the Holy Spirit.

This is important to pay attention to, because Paul only here and in 3:22 defines the singular promise as the Holy Spirit.

It isn't saying that God is through with the Jew.

I'm not going fully into this, as it is a Galatians video, but in Romans 11:29 Paul uses the plural for gifts.

Now, I've been told that the gifts described in that verse are the gift of salvation. But that is false; every time the gift of salvation is mentioned in Pauline doctrine, it is a singular, not plural.

Romans 5:15

“But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.”

Romans 5:16

“And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.”

Romans 5:17

“For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)”

Romans 5:18

“Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”

Romans 6:23

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

2 Corinthians 9:15

“Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”

Ephesians 2:8

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”

Notice that pattern.

Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.

Paul re-states Romans 11:29 in this verse, and says God can't break his covenant.

Think of Numbers 23:19:

“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”

This is where it gets dangerous once again if you don't read closely enough. You will think God can and has repented of his promises to Jews.

Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

Notice the plural and singular.

The plural "promises" is the plural "gifts" of Romans 11:29, which isn't singular like in verse 14 discussing the Holy Spirit.

You can get messed up here if you don't keep reading.

Because it sounds like Paul is saying that you receive the Jewish promises as a Christian, but Paul does not say that if you keep reading.

Paul switches to the singular promise when speaking later.

“And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.”

Singular promise.

What is that promise? The promise of the Holy Spirit.

Not the promises to the Jews.

Again, I want to re-emphasize: Paul went from plural Jewish promises to a singular Holy Spirit Christian promise.

The plural and singular are what separate them.

“For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.”

Singular promise.

“Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.”

Singular.

“Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.”

“Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.”

Paul is asking if the law is against the plural things God promised the Jews.

“But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.”

A good cross reference is:

John 7:38-39

“He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”

Look at my "believeth on" study, also.

It then switches back from the Jewish promises to the singular promise of the Holy Spirit to anyone who believes.

But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

You may say, doesn't this contradict that God has a plan for ethnic Israel? How can God have promises for an ethnicity when God said there's no difference between Jew and Greek?

There is a very small number of Jews saved today; the vast majority of Jews are not in Christ, and there is a difference, then, between Jew and Greek.

And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Singular promise of the Holy Spirit.

Let's recap.

There are two branches in Galatians 3.

The plural Jewish promises

The singular Christian promise of the Holy Spirit

The idea that Christians have replaced Jews is nonsensical because Paul speaks of the plural promises God made to Jews, then, when he speaks about Christians, he speaks of a singular promise.

If Jews are replaced, and replacement theology is true, then we should have plural promises, not singular.

That is how Galatians 3 debunks replacement theology.

I'd like to thank Steve Sturgeon and Dr. Ruckman for their studies on Galatians 3, and the commenter for the ISSL nugget.