How Should Christians Think About Israel? Session 1 (Recorded Live at Santa Clarita URC)

What should Christians think about the modern state of Israel? Rev. Chris Gordon is joined by Dr. Lee Irons and Rev. Dan Borvan to work through the Abrahamic promises, the land, and the claim that the Jewish people remain God's covenant people apart from faith in Christ. Drawing on Genesis 15, Galatians 3, Hebrews 11, and Romans 9–11, they show that Abraham himself looked beyond a strip of land in the eastern Mediterranean to "the city whose designer and builder is God," and that the land, the tabernacle, and the temple were types and shadows of God dwelling with His one people from Genesis to Revelation. They contrast fulfillment theology with the "replacement" label so often placed on Reformed believers, and argue that dispensationalism is the true replacement scheme.

Chapters:
02:22 Who Is Modern Israel to Christians?
04:08 What We Owe the Jewish People: Love and the Gospel
04:50 "The Apple of God's Eye" and the Problem of Unbelief
07:39 Abraham Knew Christ: The Gospel Preached Beforehand
09:17 One People of God, Not Two
10:27 "Isn't That Literal?" The Land Promise of Genesis 15
12:29 The Lord Is Their Inheritance: Levi and the Psalms
13:38 Abraham's Only Land: A Burial Plot
14:41 Earthly-Mindedness and the City Whose Builder Is God
16:27 Neither Retreatists Nor Theocrats
17:52 Who Are Abraham's Heirs? (Galatians 3:29)
19:36 Replacement Theology vs. Fulfillment Theology
20:57 The Charge of Antisemitism
21:58 Paul's Heart for His Kinsmen (Romans 9–10)
25:53 The Great Danger of Christian Zionism
27:00 From Jerusalem to the Ends of the Earth
28:04 The City Is the People (Revelation 21)
29:54 How We Got Here: Hermeneutics
32:08 Interpreting the Old Testament the Way Jesus Did
33:03 Preaching Christ from Every Page
34:33 Moralism in the Pulpit
37:29 The Common Thread: Earthly-Mindedness
38:10 The Land as One Piece of the Kingdom of God
41:24 Jacob at Bethel: From Earthly to Heavenly
42:38 The Tabernacle and Christ Among Us
43:58 The True Holy Land in the New Covenant

Guest Information:
Rev. Dan Borvan
Rev. Dr. Daniel Borvan is pastor of preaching ministry at Christ Reformed Church. Daniel earned his Master of Divinity degree from Westminster Seminary California in 2011. At Westminster Seminary he also earned a Master of Arts degree in Historical Theology. His thesis paper was on Faustus Socinus.
🔗 Dan on X: @danborvan
⛪ Dan's Church: christreformed.org

Dr. Lee Irons
Dr. Lee Irons has served as the organizing pastor of Santa Clarita United Reformed Church since its founding. A minister in the United Reformed Churches in North America, he brings over two decades of pastoral and academic experience to his preaching and teaching ministry. Shaped by the biblical-theological tradition of Geerhardus Vos and Meredith Kline, Dr. Irons is committed to preaching that traces the unfolding storyline of redemptive history from creation to new creation. His ministry centers on the conviction that the church is called to worship God according to His Word, with the preached Gospel at the heart of every Lord's Day gathering. In addition to his pastoral work, Dr. Irons maintains an active scholarly presence through writing and research in New Testament studies, biblical theology, and Pauline theology — particularly the doctrine of justification. He writes at his blog, The Upper Register.
🔗 Dr. Irons's Blog: upper-register.com
⛪ Dr. Irons's Church: santaclaritaurc.org

Mentions:
People

- David Hocking — dispensational radio Bible teacher known for calling Israel "the apple of God's eye"
- Mike Huckabee — U.S. Ambassador to Israel, quoted on the West Bank "title deed"
- Kim Riddlebarger — Reformed pastor and author of A Case for Amillennialism
- S. M. (Steve) Baugh — New Testament scholar, Westminster Seminary California; "shadowy sketch" of the tabernacle
- Geerhardus Vos & Meredith Kline — biblical-theological influences on Dr. Irons
- The Puritans — and the vision of a "new Jerusalem" in North America
- Tony Robbins — motivational speaker, contrasted with moralistic preaching

Dr. Lee Irons has served as the organizing pastor of Santa Clarita United Reformed Church since its founding. A minister in the United Reformed Churches in North America, he brings over two decades of pastoral and academic experience to his preaching and teaching ministry.

Shaped by the biblical-theological tradition of Geerhardus Vos and Meredith Kline, Dr. Irons is committed to preaching that traces the unfolding storyline of redemptive history from creation to new creation. His ministry centers on the conviction that the church is called to worship God according to his Word, with the preached Gospel at the heart of every Lord’s Day gathering.

In addition to his pastoral work, Dr. Irons maintains an active scholarly presence through writing and research in New Testament studies, biblical theology, and Pauline theology — particularly the doctrine of justification. He writes at his blog, The Upper Register.