What’s behind door number three?

This article highlights, I think, two of the erroneous theories concerning the Jews, Israel, and the Old Covenant, while failing to mention the third, to which I, and I thought, most Christians, hold.

The gist of the article is that Ann Coulter said on a news show that Christians were “perfected Jews,” which offended the host (maybe he was Jewish?). Anyway, that Christians are perfected Jews sounds to me like replacement theology, i.e., that the New Testament replaces the Old, that Christians replace Jews in God’s plan, and that the Church replaces Israel as God’s chosen people.

“Coulter, along with most Christians, believes that Jews like any other person need to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior in order to gain salvation.”

Although I disagree with replacement theology, I certainly agree that Jews and all human beings need the atonement Jesus provided for us on the cross, received by grace through faith, in order to be saved.

The article goes on to highlight another view to which John Hagee, founder of Christians United for Israel, holds, they assert. That is that Jews have their own covenant with God and don’t need Jesus Christ for salvation. Boy, that is the first time I have ever heard that theory, and I vehemently disagree with it. When Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man comes to the Father but by Me,” I believe He meant it.

Paul also disagrees with Hagee, if it is true that he believes what they say he does (you never know). Paul teaches in Romans 11 that the Jews will come to salvation in Jesus Christ too — after all the Gentiles have come into the kingdom. In this third theory, the Gentiles (Christians) don’t replace the Jews, and the Jews aren’t saved outside of Christ, but the Gentiles and Jews become united in the one faith in Jesus Christ. Just because the Jews are not there yet does not mean it will not happen. God is not limited by time. We, as believers, have been called since the moment of conception, but there was a time before we accepted Christ when we were separated from the covenant of promise. Was our calling annulled because at that point in time we weren’t walking in it? No, of course not. Besides, many Jews are coming to faith in Jesus Christ, which is why the rabbinate in Israel is so panicked about “Christian evangelism.” (Broken link, active October 18, 2007) Well, the religious leaders of Jesus’ day opposed Him, too.

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Update: Here is the video clip. She says that Jews have to obey laws, but Christians are on the fast track. Doesn’t she believe that Jesus and the apostles also told Christians to obey? Didn’t God say that obedience is better than sacrifice? She makes it sound as if Jesus dying on the cross for our sins (our sin sacrifice) gives us a license to sin! I cannot believe that she believes that, she must not have thought through her comments and expressed her full meaning completely. I hope she clarifies herself in an upcoming column.