Book excerpt: How did the Apostle Paul view the Church? And where does Israel fit in? How are the promises to Israel fulfilled? In Heirs of Promise, P. Chase Sears discusses this relationship between the Church and Israel, and he explains how that affects our understanding of the Old Testament. Using a biblical-theological approach to the book of Romans, Sears argues that Paul understood the church not as a replacement of Israel, but as the new Israel—the continuation of Israel reconstituted in Christ. And Jesus, as the Son of God, is the true Israel who fulfills all of God's purposes for Israel and creation. Sears shows how the Old Testament promises to Israel are being fulfilled in the Church.