Christians As God's Chosen People and How Christianity Was Influenced By Greek Philosophy

If, according to Paul, Christians have since become the "chosen people" of God. then why do some Christians today, especially the evangelicals, still insist that the Jews are God's "chosen people." Are they not contradicting their own faith? That's absolutely right. It IS a big contradiction. This is one of those messy theological knots where different streams of Christianity interpret scripture in radically different ways. In several of his letters (especially Romans and Galatians), Paul argued that faith in Christ, not ethnicity or adherence to the Law, is what makes someone part of God’s covenant people. In fact, Galatians 3:28 famously says: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Paul describes the Church (meaning all believers in Christ) as the "new Israel" — meaning the chosen people are now defined by faith, not by bloodline. So why do evangelicals still call Jews “God’s chosen people”? This is where theological camps within Christianity split sharply. Many mainstream Christian denominations (like Catholics, Orthodox, and even many Protestants) follow what’s called “supersessionism” or “replacement theology.” This view teaches that the wider Christian church has replaced Israel as God’s chosen people. Under this view, the old covenant with the Jews was fulfilled (and effectively set aside) with the arrival of Jesus and the establishment of the new covenant. But evangelical Christians (especially in the US) often reject this. Here’s why: 1. Literalist Reading of the Bible. Many evangelicals believe every Old Testament promise to Israel still applies literally to the Jewish people, including the promise of land (like in Genesis 12 and 15). They see the founding of modern Israel in 1948 as a fulfillment of prophecy — a direct sign that God is still actively working through the Jewish people in history. 2. End Times Prophecy (Christian Zionism). A large chunk of evangelical belief (especially in dispensationalism, a popular evangelical theological framework) teaches that the Jews’ return to the land of Israel is necessary for the Second Coming of Christ. According to this view, the Jews still have a unique prophetic role, even though salvation itself (according to evangelical doctrine) comes only through belief in Jesus. 3. Theological Dual Covenant (held by some). A minority of evangelicals even believe God has two parallel covenants — one with the Jews (related to the land and the Old Testament promises) and one with Christians (related to salvation through Christ). This is not mainstream Christian doctrine, but it pops up in pro-Israel evangelical circles. So is it a contradiction? Definitely, YES from a strictly Pauline perspective. It is contradictory. Paul makes it clear that the people of God are those who follow Christ, not those who inherit bloodlines or land. But many evangelicals try to hold both views at once: One, Salvation through Jesus only. Two, God’s chosen people, still the Jews (at least in terms of prophecy and land promises). This is theological double-dipping, but they see it as necessary to fit both their love for prophecy and their desire to uphold a certain reading of scripture. And it gets political. This belief isn’t just theology. It’s politics in the U.S. and the Middle East. Evangelicals are some of the strongest pro-Israel voters in the US. Their support for Israel often has nothing to do with Jewish welfare or Jewish self-determination but rather with what they believe Israel’s existence means for their own end-times beliefs. This is why you’ll sometimes hear evangelical politicians say, “We love Israel” while simultaneously believing Jews who don’t convert will go to hell. It’s an odd blend of support and religious superiority. In short, Paul says Christians are God’s chosen people. But evangelicals (at least, some) insist that the Jews remain God’s chosen people in terms of prophecy and land) BUT they still need Jesus for salvation. For the other Christians, the Church replaced Israel. Period. This is the reason why, as Christian, I don't consider the Old Testament co-equal in relevance to the New Testament, which is really the scripture that anchor my faith. I only look at the Old Testament as historical reference to see how Christianity evolved from it. Especially when I take into consideration the horrible genocidal acts of God in the Old Testament, that is, if you believe the claims of the Israelites that they simply follow God's orders.