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Three Views on Israel and the Church: Perspectives on Romans 9–11
A comparison of three major views on the relationship between Israel and the church
The relationship between Israel and the church is a long-standing debate in Christian theology, and Romans 9–11 are the most important chapters for understanding it. How one interprets these chapters determines how one understands biblical theology, how the New Testament uses the Old Testament, and how the old and new covenants are related.
To help readers draw their own conclusion, four leading scholars on this issue present a case for their viewpoint, followed by a response and critique from the others. Michael Vlach argues for a future mass conversion and a role for ethnic Israel in the church. Fred Zaspel and Jim Hamilton present a case for a future mass conversion that does not include a role for ethnic Israel. And Benjamin Merkle contends that Romans 9 - 11 promises neither a future mass conversion nor a role for ethnic Israel.
General editor Andrew David Naselli helpfully sets the debate in its larger biblical-theological context in the introduction, while Jared Compton provides a useful summary of the views and interactions at the end of the volume.
The relationship between Israel and the church is a long-standing debate in Christian theology, and Romans 9–11 are the most important chapters for understanding it. How one interprets these chapters determines how one understands biblical theology, how the New Testament uses the Old Testament, and how the old and new covenants are related.
To help readers draw their own conclusion, four leading scholars on this issue present a case for their viewpoint, followed by a response and critique from the others. Michael Vlach argues for a future mass conversion and a role for ethnic Israel in the church. Fred Zaspel and Jim Hamilton present a case for a future mass conversion that does not include a role for ethnic Israel. And Benjamin Merkle contends that Romans 9 - 11 promises neither a future mass conversion nor a role for ethnic Israel.
General editor Andrew David Naselli helpfully sets the debate in its larger biblical-theological context in the introduction, while Jared Compton provides a useful summary of the views and interactions at the end of the volume.
- GenresTheologyBiblical Studies
272 pages, Paperback
Published January 26, 2019
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About the author
Andrew David Naselli
45 books106 followersAndrew David Naselli (PhD, Bob Jones University; PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is associate professor of New Testament and theology at Bethlehem College & Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota and an elder of Bethlehem Baptist Church.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 20, 2022
Great representation of various views regarding arguably Paul’s most controversial section in the book of Romans.
Personally was persuaded exegetically by Ben Merkle‘s position of Israel typologically, that doesn’t result in a mass conversion of ethnic Jews at the end of the age, but rather the salvation of the Jewish remnant throughout history.
Overall, greatly appreciated the contributions of the other authors as well
Personally was persuaded exegetically by Ben Merkle‘s position of Israel typologically, that doesn’t result in a mass conversion of ethnic Jews at the end of the age, but rather the salvation of the Jewish remnant throughout history.
Overall, greatly appreciated the contributions of the other authors as well
May 13, 2019
This “views” book is how they should all be.
March 5, 2024
This is one of the better books in this sub-genre and the second in a series which is off to a very strong start. The issue of how Israel relates to the church, and more broadly, how the Old relates to the New Testament, is addressed nowhere more thoroughly in Scripture than by the Apostle Paul in Romans 9-11. Astonishingly, these chapters contribute around 30% of the total number of times Paul quotes from the OT. In these chapters, Paul is defending his gospel from the notion that God is to blame for ethnic Israel's rejection of their own Messiah. He asserts that God is not unfaithful to his promises to Israel (9:6). How and when God fulfils these promises to Israel is the crux of the debate. The most hotly contested verses are Romans 11:11-32, but especially 11:25-26. What does Israel's 'full inclusion' or 'fullness' mean in 11:12? What is the 'mystery' in 11:25? How should we understand 'until' in 11:25? What is the prophecy from Isaiah referring to in 11:26-27, the first or second coming of Christ? And the biggest question of them all, what does Paul mean when he says 'all Israel will be saved' in 11:25?
Some have been critical of the editors for only representing three viewpoints. Personally, I'm grateful for that decision. All of the contributors agree that 'Israel' in 11:25 must be referring to ethnic Israelites. And this is almost certainly the case (despite what Calvin and Wright think) since every other reference to Israel in Romans 9-11 is clearly about ethnic Israel (and not, for eg., spiritual Israel). Again, I am grateful for the decision to limit the number of views in this way. As someone who came to this resource preparing to preach through this section of the book, I found it to be a fairly quick and easy way of getting a handle on the most salient points without sacrificing the necessary depth to make the most informed decisions.
Of the three views outlined–which roughly equate to (1) a dispensationalist (2) progressive dispensationalist and (3) covenantalist position–I am most persuaded by the third, written by Benjamin Merkle. Persuaded may be too strong a word. I could not tie up everything I saw in the text or find a view that satisfactorily answered all of my objections, but Merkle was, in my own opinion, more internally coherent than the other contributors. He argued for the third position and believes that 'all Israel' is the sum total of all the ethnically Jewish remnants saved by Christ throughout history. He rejects Hamilton & Zaspel's proposition that 'all Israel' represents a mass conversion of ethnic Jews still alive at the end of the inter-advent. He rejects Vlach's added proposition that ethnic Jews will play a key role in the eschatological unfolding of God's plan.
I found Merkle's view more coherent for a few reasons. First, having done my own detailed exegetical work on Romans 9-10, I resonated most with Merkle's understanding of the purpose of these chapters. He maintained this important context, showing how 11:11-32 is just an extension of a train of thought Paul has been developing from 9:6. Second, Merkle's fairly detailed treatment of his hermeneutical lens/methodology (typological reading) was not only more transparent than the others, but also almost identical to my own. He achieves this while also convincingly warding off a false conclusion made against his position, namely that he is pushing replacement theology.
I recommend it to any preacher taking on this daunting but rich section of God's Word.
Some have been critical of the editors for only representing three viewpoints. Personally, I'm grateful for that decision. All of the contributors agree that 'Israel' in 11:25 must be referring to ethnic Israelites. And this is almost certainly the case (despite what Calvin and Wright think) since every other reference to Israel in Romans 9-11 is clearly about ethnic Israel (and not, for eg., spiritual Israel). Again, I am grateful for the decision to limit the number of views in this way. As someone who came to this resource preparing to preach through this section of the book, I found it to be a fairly quick and easy way of getting a handle on the most salient points without sacrificing the necessary depth to make the most informed decisions.
Of the three views outlined–which roughly equate to (1) a dispensationalist (2) progressive dispensationalist and (3) covenantalist position–I am most persuaded by the third, written by Benjamin Merkle. Persuaded may be too strong a word. I could not tie up everything I saw in the text or find a view that satisfactorily answered all of my objections, but Merkle was, in my own opinion, more internally coherent than the other contributors. He argued for the third position and believes that 'all Israel' is the sum total of all the ethnically Jewish remnants saved by Christ throughout history. He rejects Hamilton & Zaspel's proposition that 'all Israel' represents a mass conversion of ethnic Jews still alive at the end of the inter-advent. He rejects Vlach's added proposition that ethnic Jews will play a key role in the eschatological unfolding of God's plan.
I found Merkle's view more coherent for a few reasons. First, having done my own detailed exegetical work on Romans 9-10, I resonated most with Merkle's understanding of the purpose of these chapters. He maintained this important context, showing how 11:11-32 is just an extension of a train of thought Paul has been developing from 9:6. Second, Merkle's fairly detailed treatment of his hermeneutical lens/methodology (typological reading) was not only more transparent than the others, but also almost identical to my own. He achieves this while also convincingly warding off a false conclusion made against his position, namely that he is pushing replacement theology.
I recommend it to any preacher taking on this daunting but rich section of God's Word.
February 19, 2021
This book is at heart an exploration of how the Old and New Testaments fit together. Do God's promises in the OT require "literal" fulfillment, or do they bear a typological relationship to NT realities? Romans 9-11 is the perfect place to explore this question, as Paul's argument in these chapters is highly significant to the relationship between the Old and New Testament realities of Israel and the church. How one interprets Paul on the nature of the church, its relationship to national Israel, and God's future plans for national Israel will largely depend on the theological framework one brings to the table.
The editors of this book intended to bring together three divergent views in hopes that the differences between them would be made clear, but also in order that a consensus might emerge. The intent was to find two authors representing each extreme (traditional dispensationalist and covenant theologian) with a mediating view somewhere in the middle (such as progressive covenantalism). What they got instead were two contributors leaning more toward dispensationalism (Vlach representing traditional dispensationalism, and the pairing of Zaspel and Hamilton representing a more progressive, typology-heavy variant) and Merkle representing something close to, but still distinct from progressive covenantalism. The surprising result was that all three contributors affirmed 1) some degree of distinction between Israel and the church, 2) God's future plans for at least some of national Israel, whether involving a mass conversion or the salvation of a remnant, and 3) Paul's use of "Israel" in this passage excluding Gentiles.
Despite these similarities, there were still many points of disagreement ranging from the place of typology in biblical interpretation, to exegetical issues relating to a single word. The interaction between the authors on these issues brought out the reality that larger issues of hermeneutical approaches affect exegesis of particular texts, and vice versa.
This is one of the best books I've read in the "debate book" genre. I appreciated that the exchanges between the authors was friendly and cordial throughout. But beyond that, I came away with both a better sense of the varying approaches to biblical theology and the key exegetical points of contention in Romans 9-11. If I had to choose a winner, I would say that Merkle made the most convincing case, although I still have questions on a few points in light of rebuttals from the other contributors. (For example, in Rom. 11:28, if "all Israel" is the believing Jewish remnant, how can Paul describe them as "enemies as far as the gospel is concerned"?) I still have a lot to learn, but this book was a big step in helping me to better understand the issues at hand.
The editors of this book intended to bring together three divergent views in hopes that the differences between them would be made clear, but also in order that a consensus might emerge. The intent was to find two authors representing each extreme (traditional dispensationalist and covenant theologian) with a mediating view somewhere in the middle (such as progressive covenantalism). What they got instead were two contributors leaning more toward dispensationalism (Vlach representing traditional dispensationalism, and the pairing of Zaspel and Hamilton representing a more progressive, typology-heavy variant) and Merkle representing something close to, but still distinct from progressive covenantalism. The surprising result was that all three contributors affirmed 1) some degree of distinction between Israel and the church, 2) God's future plans for at least some of national Israel, whether involving a mass conversion or the salvation of a remnant, and 3) Paul's use of "Israel" in this passage excluding Gentiles.
Despite these similarities, there were still many points of disagreement ranging from the place of typology in biblical interpretation, to exegetical issues relating to a single word. The interaction between the authors on these issues brought out the reality that larger issues of hermeneutical approaches affect exegesis of particular texts, and vice versa.
This is one of the best books I've read in the "debate book" genre. I appreciated that the exchanges between the authors was friendly and cordial throughout. But beyond that, I came away with both a better sense of the varying approaches to biblical theology and the key exegetical points of contention in Romans 9-11. If I had to choose a winner, I would say that Merkle made the most convincing case, although I still have questions on a few points in light of rebuttals from the other contributors. (For example, in Rom. 11:28, if "all Israel" is the believing Jewish remnant, how can Paul describe them as "enemies as far as the gospel is concerned"?) I still have a lot to learn, but this book was a big step in helping me to better understand the issues at hand.
April 4, 2020
I've read a number of "multiple views" books over the years. Some have been good, while others have been more frustrating than helpful. This one, however, is currently my favorite. The main essays showcase each scholar at his best, each one making a strong case for their view. The authors respond to each other with great respect and courtesy even while giving insightful criticism. And both the opening and closing chapters by the editors go a long way in framing the debate and pinpointing the precise areas of disagreement. Particularly helpful in this regard was Compton's concluding section in which he offered one or two points of pushback towards each author's essay. In other words, this book is EXACTLY what a "Multiple Views" book is supposed to be.
As far as my own views go: I found Zaspel/Hamilton's exegesis of Romans 9-11 the most persuasive of the three, but also found myself identifying more with Merkle in terms of the wider theological and typological issues surrounding the relationship between Israel and the Church (which Zaspel and Hamilton avoided coming to specific conclusions on). While this means that I don't fall neatly into any of the three views (I take a more progressive covenantal perspective), this book still helped clarified my thinking in a number of places and also highlighted what areas I'm still fuzzy on and need to study further.
As far as my own views go: I found Zaspel/Hamilton's exegesis of Romans 9-11 the most persuasive of the three, but also found myself identifying more with Merkle in terms of the wider theological and typological issues surrounding the relationship between Israel and the Church (which Zaspel and Hamilton avoided coming to specific conclusions on). While this means that I don't fall neatly into any of the three views (I take a more progressive covenantal perspective), this book still helped clarified my thinking in a number of places and also highlighted what areas I'm still fuzzy on and need to study further.
August 8, 2019
This book takes a classic dispensationalist (Vlach), a couple of Progressive Dispensationalist (Zaspel & Hamilton) and a Covenant Theologian (Merkle) and has them exegete Romans 9-11 from their perspective. I thought that this was a great discussion. All three views were well represented and I particularly enjoyed the format. Each view gave their discourse and then the other two views offered a critique of that view. Plenty of insight and perspective here. Plenty left to think about. It doesn't take long to realize that there are many variant views on the relationship between Israel & the Church and I found this book particularly helpful in understanding the how's, why's, and perspectives of these different views.
March 20, 2023
Helpful, but complex. To be fair, this topic isn’t one that can be oversimplified, but not all of the authors seemed equally committed to writing to be understanding by non-academics. That leaves me wondering if I find myself agreeing the most with one author because I found his essay the most comprehendible or because it’s actually the strongest argument. Additionally, I find it a little baffling that the authors chose not to include a traditional Covenant theologian here since the covenant view of this question is one of the biggest differences between Baptist and Presbyterian theologies. I appreciate their explanation if this in Compton’s summarize essay, but still wish this book had contributed more greatly to my understanding of this view.
November 3, 2025
This book looks at Romans 9-11, and basically at one question: will the nation of Israel be saved at some future point.
The first view answers yes, and the promises of God are literal towards Israel. The second says yes, though there is some typology in how God treats Israel. The third says no, the fulfilment of God’s promises to Israel is in the remnant who do believe, and Jesus fulfils the role of Israel as an antitype.
I found the first section quite hard going, dealing very much with the intricacies of the language. The second section argued pretty much the same point but had a great introduction section covering the themes of the passage. The third section appealed most to my thoughts on salvation, and I found more useful in explaining the symbology being used by Paul.
The first view answers yes, and the promises of God are literal towards Israel. The second says yes, though there is some typology in how God treats Israel. The third says no, the fulfilment of God’s promises to Israel is in the remnant who do believe, and Jesus fulfils the role of Israel as an antitype.
I found the first section quite hard going, dealing very much with the intricacies of the language. The second section argued pretty much the same point but had a great introduction section covering the themes of the passage. The third section appealed most to my thoughts on salvation, and I found more useful in explaining the symbology being used by Paul.
July 16, 2019
The book was incredibly helpful for a prolonged look at the exegetical and theological foundations of a number of major views on Romans 9-11. Unlike a host of other “views” books, this one limited discussion to a major text unit, resulting in a fresh and exciting new frontier for books in the increasingly overflowing field of biblical theology. I’ll be turning to this book for future study and will be looking forward to more volumes in this format.
Want to read
February 27, 2021This book describes the difference between the dispensation of Israel and the Church where the Church is the "Mystery" which Paul later revealed. This book provides an excellent explanation of this matter, thus opening broad insights into the understanding of the differences between Israel and the Church today
February 7, 2019
Pretty helpful.
November 27, 2024
Pretty helpful. Merkle’s article / argument is the strongest.
September 1, 2025
I very much enjoyed the debate format and the skillful way the topic was handled by all involved. Worth your time, Christian reader!
November 30, 2025
Although I couldn't align myself completely with one singular view, this book was extremely helpful in giving me clarity about Romans 9-11 and the place of Israel in God's future plans.
June 26, 2024
(2024 Review) Revisited this book since the men's Bible study at my church through the epistle of Romans is getting ready to jump into chs 9-11. Upon my initial read, I leaned more towards Hamilton/Zaspel's position. Now, I think I may be leaning more towards Merkle's. A very helpful book on a very difficult passage.
(2021 Review) Coming from somebody who isn't the biggest fan of multiple views/perspectives books, I thought this book was superb. Naselli and Compton have assembled a top-notch group of scholars who represent their respective positions effectively and engage with one another in a clear and charitable manner. Naselli sets the table for the discussion well, and Compton, especially, does a fantastic job of tying up all the threads to conclude the book in a cohesive fashion. Not only does this book exemplify the right way to carry out in-house theological debates, but it also serves as a helpful diving board into the deeper hermeneutical waters of biblical theology, typology, and NT use of OT.
(2021 Review) Coming from somebody who isn't the biggest fan of multiple views/perspectives books, I thought this book was superb. Naselli and Compton have assembled a top-notch group of scholars who represent their respective positions effectively and engage with one another in a clear and charitable manner. Naselli sets the table for the discussion well, and Compton, especially, does a fantastic job of tying up all the threads to conclude the book in a cohesive fashion. Not only does this book exemplify the right way to carry out in-house theological debates, but it also serves as a helpful diving board into the deeper hermeneutical waters of biblical theology, typology, and NT use of OT.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews