Five Things We Will Learn
- Why salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, and never by ethnicity, heritage, or religious identity.
- How the New Testament frames the Jewish people, Israel, and God’s ongoing covenant purposes without teaching automatic salvation apart from Jesus.
- Whether Christians are biblically required to support the modern state of Israel, and what wise, biblical support does and does not mean.
- How end-times prophecy, the future of Israel, and the rise of false religious systems connect to the return of Christ.
- Why believers must stay anchored in Scripture, love people deeply, reject falsehood clearly, and live ready for Jesus’ return.
In a recent episode of the Live Free Podcast, Pastor Josh Howard and Pastor Paul
Does the Bible Command Christians to Support Modern Israel? Pastors Discuss Faith, the Jews, and the End Times
In a recent episode of the Live Free Podcast, Pastor Josh Howard and Pastor Paul Cunningham (joined by host Carlos Arasa) tackled one of the most heated questions in contemporary Christianity: Does the Bible command Christians to support the modern state of Israel? The conversation also explored the Jewish people’s place in God’s plan, the rise of Islam and end-times prophecy, and a direct response to Tucker Carlson’s recent statements on the topic.
Throughout the discussion, the pastors repeatedly anchored everything in the core of the Christian faith and turned often to Romans 11 for biblical clarity and balance.
Saved by Grace Alone Through Faith Alone in Christ Alone
From the outset, the pastors made the gospel foundation unmistakable:
“We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. No exceptions. We’re not saved by our ethnicity. We’re saved by faith in Jesus.”
They were equally clear about modern Jewish people who continue to practice Old Covenant Judaism while rejecting Jesus as Messiah:
“Modern-day Jewish people who reject Jesus as Messiah but practice faithful Old Covenant-type Judaism are not saved.”
Salvation is never ethnic; it is always by grace through faith in Christ.
Jesus Divides Human History into Three Epochs
Pastor Josh explained Jesus’ teaching in Luke 21 (paralleling Matthew 24), showing that Jesus outlines three major epochs of history: the epoch of Judaism (now fulfilled at the cross and in the events of AD 70), the present “time of the Gentiles” in which the gospel goes to every nation, and a future epoch that culminates in Christ’s return.
He described Judaism as fulfilled and obsolete in Christ:
“Judaism as it was practiced is done. It’s fulfilled. The New Testament says it is now obsolete. It was a type and shadow of things to come. We’re not anti-Judaism, but it’s fulfilled.”
The Chilling Overlap Between Christian and Islamic End-Times Prophecy
The pastors highlighted striking parallels between biblical descriptions of the Antichrist and Islamic teaching about the Mahdi. They warned that the final opposition to Christ may come from a religious system that believes it serves God by killing Christians (John 16:2; Revelation 20).
While urging love for Muslim people as fellow image-bearers and Gentiles whom God desires to save, they drew a sharp distinction regarding the ideology:
“Christians should love Muslims because God loves all people and wants to save all people. They’re Gentiles too. But Christians should hate Islam because it is a demonic ideology and religion that destroys and enslaves the people who adhere to it.”
Responding to Tucker Carlson: Are the Jewish People Still God’s Chosen People?
The episode directly engaged Tucker Carlson’s claim that “there is no chosen people” and that the chosen are simply “people who choose Jesus.” The pastors responded with a careful “yes and no,” grounded deeply in Romans 11.
“Jews are one million percent for sure still God’s chosen people. But we do have to clarify what we don’t mean and what we do mean by that.”
They rejected three misconceptions:
- Jews are not automatically saved by ethnicity.
- Judaism is not a legitimate substitute for faith in Christ.
- Christians are not required to endorse every policy of the modern Israeli government.
At the same time, they affirmed God’s ongoing love and irrevocable promises to ethnic Israel, quoting Romans 11 directly:
“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)
“As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:28-29)
Paul’s words in Romans 11 are decisive: God has not cast off His ancient people. The gifts and calling tied to the patriarchs remain in effect.
The Olive Tree and Gentile Humility (Romans 11:17-24)
The pastors warned against any arrogant or superior attitude from Gentile Christians toward unbelieving Jews. Drawing from Paul’s vivid olive tree illustration, they emphasized that the church does not replace Israel but is grafted into its root:
“If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches… They were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble.” (Romans 11:17-20)
This passage guards the conversation against conceit or replacement theology. The church expands the people of God but does not cancel the natural branches or the covenants given to Israel.
The Mystery and Future Hope for Israel (Romans 11:25-26)
One of the most hopeful notes in the entire New Testament comes in Romans 11. Paul reveals a mystery intended to keep Gentiles from becoming conceited:
“I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved.” (Romans 11:25-26)
The hardening is partial and temporary. After the full number of Gentiles comes in, Paul anticipates a climactic turning of “all Israel” to the Messiah. While Christians debate the precise details of how this will unfold, the promise stands as a clear expectation of future mercy and revival among the Jewish people.
This future hope, rooted in God’s faithfulness, undergirds why many Christians feel a special concern and affection for the Jewish people and the modern nation of Israel.
Does the Bible Command Christians to Support the Modern State of Israel?
The pastors carefully nuanced the Genesis 12 promise (“I will bless those who bless you”) while rejecting blind endorsement of every Israeli policy. They noted that even in the Old Testament, prophets frequently called out Israel’s sins, and the modern Israeli government is a democracy whose own citizens do not uniformly support every decision.
“If by ‘support’ you mean I have to completely agree with everything they do, then of course not.”
Yet they affirmed a general biblical posture of support and blessing:
“Christians should broadly support Israel in the sense that we should wish them well, want them to succeed, definitely want them to exist today… and side with them against Islamic regimes that would want to exterminate them if they could.”
They connected this back to the irrevocable nature of God’s promises in Romans 11 and the reality that a significant portion of the world’s Jewish population now lives in Israel.
They also encouraged prayer for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122), while clarifying that the Old Covenant temple system is fulfilled and obsolete in Christ:
“Peace in Jerusalem is good… But when praying for the peace in Jerusalem, if it includes the Old Testament practices of Judaism (temple, priests, sacrificial system), that’s all done. It’s fulfilled and obsolete. We have Jesus now.”
The New Testament mission priority remains: “To the Jew first and then to the Greek.”
Was the 1948 Rebirth of Israel Prophetically Significant?
The pastors acknowledged the extraordinary historical fact that no other ancient people has returned to its ancestral homeland after nearly 1,900 years of exile while preserving its ethnic and cultural identity. They discussed Isaiah 66:8 (“Can a country be born in a day?”) and differing Christian interpretations, including possible links to the birth of the church or the future New Jerusalem.
Regardless of the exact prophetic interpretation, they agreed that the regathering of the Jewish people carries significance in light of the Romans 11 promise of a future mass turning to Christ.
Does the Church Replace Israel?
The pastors firmly rejected hard replacement theology (supersessionism), which claims the church has completely supplanted Israel so that God no longer has any special affection or plan for ethnic Jews.
“The church does not replace Israel; it expands it… We are grafted in, not canceling or removing the original.”
Ephesians 2 reinforces this: Christ has made Jew and Gentile “one” in Himself while preserving the covenants and promises originally given to Israel.
Is Judaism a False Religion?
The pastors made an important distinction:
“If we’re talking about faithfully practiced Old Testament-type Orthodox Judaism, it’s not a false religion—it’s a fulfilled and obsolete one… Biblical Judaism is the root from which Christianity grew.”
They contrasted this with more extreme forms of Talmudic Judaism but stressed the radical asymmetry between biblical Judaism (the root of Christianity) and Islam (which denies core Christian truths).
They also cautioned against conflating all Jewish people with the practice of Judaism, noting that a large percentage of Israelis are secular.
Final Word: Hasten the Day
The conversation returned repeatedly to the hopeful urgency Jesus instilled regarding His return. The big emotion for Christians when discussing end times should not be fear but joyful anticipation:
“The big emotion for a Christian when we talk about end times is ‘Come on, Lord! Hasten the day!’ It’s like a wedding day… That’s what God wants every Christian to feel: ‘Come on, let’s go. I’m counting the days.’”
Romans 11 ends with a doxology that perfectly captures the spirit of the entire discussion:
“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! … For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.” (Romans 11:33-36)
Saved by grace. Grafted in. Loved on account of the patriarchs. Looking up. Hasten the day.