This post is part 4 of 8 in our “Covenant Thieves” series—exposing how replacement theology hijacks Scripture to claim God has cast away Israel. These verses have been twisted, spiritualized, and ripped from context to turn God into a covenant-breaker. But when read in context, and applying the full counsel of God, they say no such thing. We’re restoring the context and letting Scripture speak for itself—boldly and clearly.

“In that He says, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” —Hebrews 8:13

📖 Context and Setting

The book of Hebrews was written to Jewish believers who were either tempted to return to Judaism or struggling to understand how the old covenant (the Mosaic system) related to the new covenant in Christ. The entire letter contrasts the shadow of the Old with the substance found in Christ—showing the superiority of His priesthood, His sacrifice, and His covenant.

Hebrews 8:13 closes a section quoting Jeremiah 31:31–34, where God promises to make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Yet replacement theologians twist this final verse to argue that since the first covenant is obsolete, God has permanently ended His covenantal relationship with Israel and replaced them with the Church.

But that’s not what the passage says—and it’s certainly not what the full counsel of God reveals.

🔍 Phrase-by-Phrase Breakdown

“In that He says, ‘A new covenant,’…”
 

The author of Hebrews is quoting Jeremiah 31, where God Himself says He will make a new covenant—not with the Church—but with “the house of Israel and the house of Judah” (Hebrews 8:8).

“…He has made the first obsolete.”

The first covenant here refers to the Mosaic covenant—the law given at Sinai, including the Levitical priesthood, sacrifices, and temple worship. That system is no longer in effect for salvation. It served its purpose: to point people to their need for a Savior (Galatians 3:24). The new covenant, based on Christ’s finished work, is now in force.

“…Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.”

This speaks to the present transition at the time Hebrews was written—just before the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. The old system hadn’t vanished completely yet, but it was fading away. The author urges his readers to embrace the better covenant in Christ rather than clinging to what was passing.

🧱 Biblical Support and Explanation

1. The New Covenant was made with Israel—not the Church.

“Behold, the days are coming… when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah…” —Jeremiah 31:31
(Quoted directly in Hebrews 8:8)

God never said He would make this covenant with Gentiles or the Church. Gentile believers are brought into its spiritual blessings by faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:11–13), but that does not mean the Church has replaced Israel.

2. The Mosaic Covenant is obsolete—God’s covenant with Israel is not.

Replacement theology confuses the Mosaic covenant with the Abrahamic, Davidic, and New covenants—each of which God declared everlasting (Genesis 17:7; 2 Samuel 7:16; Jeremiah 31:35–37).

Hebrews 8:13 speaks only of the Mosaic covenant becoming obsolete—not the people of Israel or the unconditional covenants made with them.

3. Israel’s national restoration is still future.

Paul declares in Romans 11:

“Blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved…” —Romans 11:25–26

“Until” is a time word—when the last person is saved under the gospel of grace and God decides the fullness of the Gentiles is complete. He will remove the Church which is His body then once again turn His attention to dealing with His covenant people.

The Church is not spiritual Israel. The promises of Israel’s restoration, national repentance, and kingdom inheritance remain intact—and will be fulfilled exactly as God promised.

🚫 Refuting the Replacement Lie

Replacement theologians twist Hebrews 8:13 to teach that Israel has been replaced because the old covenant is obsolete. But this is a false equivalence.

What they fail to understand—or simply refuse to see—is that Paul is quoting an Old Testament promise made by God to the nation of Israel. Hebrews 8:8–12 is a direct quotation from Jeremiah 31:31–34—a passage where God Himself declares that He will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.

✅This was not a covenant made with the Church.
✅It was not made with Gentiles.
✅It was not a spiritual metaphor.
✅It was—and remains—a literal promise to national Israel.

Yet those who preach replacement theology rip verse 13 from its context and use it to claim God is finished with Israel—even though the entire section is built on a covenant God promised to Israel! The irony is staggering.

This verse—when read in context—completely destroys their argument. It affirms the very thing they try to deny: that God is still dealing with Israel and has made a future-binding covenant with her.

They can’t even see it. Their hatred for the Jewish people blinds them to the plain meaning of the passage. They quote a promise God made to Israel as if it proves Israel is out of the picture. But God’s Word remains unbroken.

• The Mosaic covenant (law) is set aside because Christ fulfilled it. 
• But the New Covenant was made with Israel, and its full national fulfillment is still future. 

Gentiles are not the new Israel. The Church is not spiritual Israel. God has not revoked His promises.

This twisting of Hebrews 8:13 isn’t just theological error—it’s an assault on the faithfulness of God. It denies everything He swore to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, the prophets and the apostles. And it’s the backbone of a theology that fuels antisemitism/antizionism in the name of Christianity.

✅ In Summary

Hebrews 8:13 teaches that:

• The Mosaic covenant has been replaced by the better covenant in Christ. 
• The New Covenant was made with Israel and Judah—not the Church. 
• Gentiles share in its spiritual blessings, but do not take Israel’s place. 
• God’s covenant with Israel is not obsolete—only the Mosaic system is. 

⚠️ Final Word

Hebrews 8:13 does not teach that God canceled His promises to Israel. It teaches that the law has been fulfilled and that Christ is the mediator of a better covenant—one He made with Israel.

The Church benefits by grace—but it was never the original recipient of the covenant. To teach otherwise is to call God a liar.

“Thus says the Lord… If those ordinances depart from before Me… then the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a nation before Me forever.” — Jeremiah 31:35–36

“God is not a man, that He should lie…” —Numbers 23:19