Christ, the Savior of Israel: An Evaluation of the Dual Covenant and "sonderweg" Interpretations of Paul’s Letters

In the wake of the Holocaust, a number of influential scholars argue for a bi-covenantal or two-covenant approach to Paul’s view of Israel and the Gentiles. They maintain that Israel has always been right with God apart from Jesus Christ, and that the death of Jesus is salvifically relevant only for the Gentiles. Through Him the Gentiles can receive the same blessings the Jewish people possess by virtue of the Law of Moses. The Sonderweg proponents argue that the Jewish people need Jesus, but the future conversion of all Israel mentioned in Romans 11:25-27 takes place when the Lord himself preaches the gospel to Israel at the second coming. The church need not evangelize the Jewish people. But neither of these positions does justice to Paul’s letters, where he teaches that the Jewish people need Jesus for their justification, and God will use the evangelistic efforts of the church to bring it about.

Michael G. Vanlaningham serves in the Bible Department at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. His doctorate is from Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois. He served on the pastoral staff of churches in California, Nebraska, and Illinois.