Romans
9.10,11 are used by the Apostle Paul to show us how God is saving the Gentiles,
just as the Prophets said He would. Those same Prophets of the Old Testament
had no understanding of how God was going to bring this about.
They knew nothing of the church that Christ announced and then later revealed, in detail, to the Apostle Paul. They knew what the Spirit testified to them about the salvation of the Gentiles, but not the how or when. This glorious mystery was revealed by Christ to Paul, who has been trying to explain it to us in 13 Epistles, as well as by his sacrificial life and death!
The fact of the church as a separate entity from Israel is often denied by many, but Paul tells us that the church was “a secret hidden in God” until made known to him and the other Apostles. It’s simple enough to see that the church can’t be in the Old Testament since its foundation is comprised of Christ Jesus, the Apostles and the New Testament Prophets. No foundation…no church; an easy deduction.
In these three chapters, the Apostle Paul’s message is that the church, made up of believing Gentiles and Jews, does not replace Israel or alter God’s covenants with His beloved people, Israel. This is very important, because God cannot lie, nor does His word contradict itself, as some erroneously teach.
They knew nothing of the church that Christ announced and then later revealed, in detail, to the Apostle Paul. They knew what the Spirit testified to them about the salvation of the Gentiles, but not the how or when. This glorious mystery was revealed by Christ to Paul, who has been trying to explain it to us in 13 Epistles, as well as by his sacrificial life and death!
The fact of the church as a separate entity from Israel is often denied by many, but Paul tells us that the church was “a secret hidden in God” until made known to him and the other Apostles. It’s simple enough to see that the church can’t be in the Old Testament since its foundation is comprised of Christ Jesus, the Apostles and the New Testament Prophets. No foundation…no church; an easy deduction.
In these three chapters, the Apostle Paul’s message is that the church, made up of believing Gentiles and Jews, does not replace Israel or alter God’s covenants with His beloved people, Israel. This is very important, because God cannot lie, nor does His word contradict itself, as some erroneously teach.
Unfortunately,
teachers of the past and present have failed to see the true meaning of these
chapters and have gotten bogged down in endless speculations, complicated by
their misunderstanding of election.
The true purpose is to show that God has every right to extend His mercy to the Gentiles, even though Israel is His beloved, eternal nation. Saving Gentile sinners as a work of God may not be difficult for some to grasp, but you must put yourself in the shoes of a proud Pharisee for a moment. From the time you were a child on your father’s knee, you have been told you are special, one of God’s chosen people.
You have heard the amazing story of how God picked the Jewish nation from all of the others to love and through which to display His power to all the earth. You grew to revel in your kinship to Abraham, a name revered and respected by all. Your pride in your nationality and religion grew as you heard about the miraculous deliverances from slavery in Egypt. You admired Moses, even as children today admire sports stars. You grew in zeal for the Law, the Temple and the rituals of the Mosaic system. You knew that you were special in the eyes of God and all others, the outsiders, the Gentiles, were dogs.
Suddenly, a false Messiah appeared, doing signs and wonders by the power of Satan to deceive the people. You raised your voice in protest and rejoiced that he was brought to justice. Then you found that many were saying he was alive! A large number of your Jewish people had accepted him as the Messiah and now…to top it all off…Gentiles were being added to what you now view as another Jewish sect! What can be the meaning of all this?
Romans 9, 10, 11 explains how both Israel and the church all fit into the grand plan of God, who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to save us, Jew or Gentile, through faith.
Here is a summation passage from Romans 11:28-32: 28 Concerning the gospel they are (Jewish leaders, unbelievers) enemies for your sake (through their hard hearts, Christ was rejected until the church is born, formed, and flown in the Rapture),
but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. NOTE; all Israel is the elect nation, but not all are saved. Election always has to do with purpose and nothing to do with predestination to salvation. Please see Paul speaks here of these hardened Jews as part of the Elect…yet they certainly aren’t saved)
29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For as you (we Gentiles) were once disobedient (unbelieving) to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, (their rejection of the Messiah through unbelief delayed the coming Kingdom and allowed us Gentiles to be saved and made members of the church, His body)
31 even so these (unbelieving Jews) also have now been disobedient (unbelieving), that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. (even though Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles, he longed for his unbelieving Jewish brothers to be saved; so should we!)
32 For God has committed them all (unbelieving Jews…and Gentiles by extension) to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
The true purpose is to show that God has every right to extend His mercy to the Gentiles, even though Israel is His beloved, eternal nation. Saving Gentile sinners as a work of God may not be difficult for some to grasp, but you must put yourself in the shoes of a proud Pharisee for a moment. From the time you were a child on your father’s knee, you have been told you are special, one of God’s chosen people.
You have heard the amazing story of how God picked the Jewish nation from all of the others to love and through which to display His power to all the earth. You grew to revel in your kinship to Abraham, a name revered and respected by all. Your pride in your nationality and religion grew as you heard about the miraculous deliverances from slavery in Egypt. You admired Moses, even as children today admire sports stars. You grew in zeal for the Law, the Temple and the rituals of the Mosaic system. You knew that you were special in the eyes of God and all others, the outsiders, the Gentiles, were dogs.
Suddenly, a false Messiah appeared, doing signs and wonders by the power of Satan to deceive the people. You raised your voice in protest and rejoiced that he was brought to justice. Then you found that many were saying he was alive! A large number of your Jewish people had accepted him as the Messiah and now…to top it all off…Gentiles were being added to what you now view as another Jewish sect! What can be the meaning of all this?
Romans 9, 10, 11 explains how both Israel and the church all fit into the grand plan of God, who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to save us, Jew or Gentile, through faith.
Here is a summation passage from Romans 11:28-32: 28 Concerning the gospel they are (Jewish leaders, unbelievers) enemies for your sake (through their hard hearts, Christ was rejected until the church is born, formed, and flown in the Rapture),
but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. NOTE; all Israel is the elect nation, but not all are saved. Election always has to do with purpose and nothing to do with predestination to salvation. Please see Paul speaks here of these hardened Jews as part of the Elect…yet they certainly aren’t saved)
29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For as you (we Gentiles) were once disobedient (unbelieving) to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, (their rejection of the Messiah through unbelief delayed the coming Kingdom and allowed us Gentiles to be saved and made members of the church, His body)
31 even so these (unbelieving Jews) also have now been disobedient (unbelieving), that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. (even though Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles, he longed for his unbelieving Jewish brothers to be saved; so should we!)
32 For God has committed them all (unbelieving Jews…and Gentiles by extension) to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
Verse 32 is proof that salvation is not determined by
predestination, but by faith in Christ. These unbelieving, hardened Jews who
were willing to reject Christ and see Him crucified, can yet be saved if they
simply believe the Gospel.
Paul’s misunderstood statement in Romans 9 that God will have mercy on whom He will is more fully seen here as wanting to have mercy on all, even those who crucified His Son! Paul’s earlier point was intended for the Jews to show that God has every right to extend His mercy to the Gentiles.
Paul’s misunderstood statement in Romans 9 that God will have mercy on whom He will is more fully seen here as wanting to have mercy on all, even those who crucified His Son! Paul’s earlier point was intended for the Jews to show that God has every right to extend His mercy to the Gentiles.
Paul, Christ's ambassador in chains.
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