Paul, the self-described apostle to the Gentiles, wrote these words to Christians in Rome: “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). What was Paul talking about?
He was declaring that God keeps His promises even when we don’t. In Romans 9-11, Paul defends the faithfulness of God to Israel to reassure Gentile believers that the Gospel promise he had just written in Romans 10 could be trusted — “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Because the covenant God made with Abraham in Genesis 12 remains valid, and will be fully fulfilled, we can be confident the promise of the New Covenant will be fulfilled: God gave this promise to Abraham, “Go from your country… to a land that I will show you.… I will make of you a great nation… I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
This continuity of covenant undergirds Christian support for Israel today. God’s redemptive plan was never revoked — it was expanded. The Church has been grafted into the covenant, not as a replacement for Israel, but as partakers in God’s unfolding promise. Paul warns Gentile believers in Romans 11:18, “Do not boast against the branches … remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.”
What does this have to do with what is happening in our nation and in the world? How we view this topic will shape the public policies we support or oppose. Some voices — even among those who claim the name of Christ — are labeling these beliefs and convictions as “Christian heresy.” Recently, Tucker Carlson, in a conversation with known antisemite Nick Fuentes, mocked Christians like Mike Huckabee and Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) who support Israel’s right to its land and existence. He claimed Christian Zionists are “seized by a brain virus” and that their beliefs are “Christian heresy.”
Let’s be clear: standing with Israel is not heresy — it’s biblical orthodoxy. Christians who support Israel are not endorsing every decision of its government any more than they endorse every policy of their own. Rather, they recognize that God’s prophetic promises move toward restoration, not rejection; multiplication, not subtraction.
Paul didn’t have a brain virus, nor did he teach a nationalistic fantasy — he articulated divine revelation. God’s covenant with Israel remains intact because “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” The same faithfulness that secures Israel’s future guarantees our salvation in Christ.
Throughout history, from the prophets to the apostles to the Church Fathers, those who have taken Scripture seriously have affirmed this truth: God’s dealings with Israel reveal His character. To deny that is to question the reliability of God Himself.
So, no — Christian support for Israel is not heresy. It is faith in action, anchored in the word of God, aligned with the heart of God, and consistent with the promises of God — promises to Israel, and to all who believe.
Tony Perkins is president of Family Research Council and executive editor of The Washington Stand.
