"I think I'm finding my identity in the Bible!"

“Remember, it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.” — Romans 11:18

Rediscovering the Story Beneath My Faith

"Dear Pastor Jen, For most of my life, I read the Bible as a Christian.I believed it. I taught it. I cherished it.But somewhere along the way, I realized I was reading it through a narrow lens that had thinned the story. The people of Scripture — Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Ruth, David — felt distant, even foreign.The feasts, covenants, and promises of Israel felt like prequels to something better, rather than the foundation of everything I believed.

But as I began studying the Bible all that changed.I began to feel a kind of homecoming.I wasn’t learning something new — I was remembering something ancient.I was finding my Jewish identity in the Bible, not by converting religions, but by reconnecting to the covenant story that never ended." Eleanor

🌾 The Root of the Story

When Paul wrote to the Roman believers, he used a living image:

“Remember, it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.” — Romans 11:18

That single verse helped to reorient me.Christian faith isn’t a replacement tree — it’s a grafting into one that already existed.And that root is Israel: the people through whom God revealed His Word, His presence, and His Messiah.

If I disconnect from that root, I lose sight of who God is — and who I am.

⚠️ The Subtle Danger of Replacement Theology

The Western Church has long carried the belief that the Church “replaced” Israel — that God abandoned His chosen people and began something new with us.That belief has a name: Replacement Theology or Supersessionism.

At first, it sounds harmless — just a theological position.But underneath it lies a devastating assumption:that God abandons covenants when people fail Him.

And if we believe that, what confidence could we ever have in our own salvation?If God can replace Israel, what stops Him from replacing us?

“The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” — Romans 11:29

Replacement theology doesn’t reveal the character of God — it reveals our own.It mirrors our culture’s obsession with discarding the old to make room for the new.We see this lived out in Cancel Culture. But the God of the Bible doesn’t replace — He redeems.He restores.He keeps His promises, even when His people forget theirs.

🔥 Substitution Isn’t Replacement — It’s Redemption

Part of the confusion comes from our vocabulary. Present day Christianity inherited theological words — substitution, atonement, covenant — and filtered them through a Roman legal mindset instead of a Hebrew relational one.

“Substitution” in Scripture doesn’t mean discarding one and installing another.It means standing in solidarity — bearing the weight of another to bring them home.That’s what Jesus does.

He doesn’t replace Israel;He represents her.He fulfills her calling to bless the nations.

The cross doesn’t cancel the covenant — it confirms it and invites us in.

🌍 God’s Faithfulness Is the Story

The entire Bible — from Genesis to Revelation — isn’t about God changing His mind.It’s about God keeping His word.

He didn’t replace creation — He restored it.He didn’t replace Israel — He renewed her.He didn’t replace the covenant — He embodied it through Messiah.

Replacement Theology teaches a gospel of disposability.But the God of Abraham teaches a gospel of continuity and covenant. Remember, Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8

📚 Resources for the Journey

If you want to explore this further, here are some helpful reads:

• “The Six Errors of Replacement Theology” — Prophecy Today UK Read here →

• “What Is Replacement Theology, and How to Debunk It?” — Eitan Bar Read here →

• “Replacement Theology – Jewish Voice” — Jewish Voice Ministries Read here →

• “The Challenge of Replacement Theology” — International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ)

  Read here →

Each of these writers shows that Replacement Theology doesn’t just distort Israel’s story —it undermines the character of God Himself.

✨ The Invitation

This rediscovery has changed how I read every page of Scripture.I no longer rush to the “good parts.”I no longer separate “Old Testament” from “New.”I see one story — one God — one unbroken covenant reaching through time.

My friend Eleanor said it, "I am finging my Jewish identity not in belief systems, but in the faithfulness of the God of Israel.And when you find that, the Bible stops feeling like ancient history and starts feeling like home.

“The unfolding of Your words gives light.” — Psalm 119:130

🌙 Closing Prayer

God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,thank You for letting me rediscover where I come from.Heal what centuries of misunderstanding have separated.Teach me to honor Your covenants and love Your people.Root me again in Your unchanging faithfulness,that my life would tell the same story:not replacement, but redemption.Amen.