Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

“That is, it is not the children by human descent who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as descendants..” (Romans 9:8)

“Then God said to Abraham, “Do not be displeased on account of the boy and on account of the slave woman. Listen to everything that Sarah said to you, for through Isaac your offspring will be named.” (Genesis 21:12)

Paul now comes to God’s dealings with Israel. Chapter nine is His past dealings in electing grace, chapter ten is His present dealings in governmental discipline, and chapter eleven are His future dealings in fulfillment prophecy. The Jews were looking for a restored Israel from which fruit would come to cover the Earth. Yet Gentiles were submitting to God and gaining the rights connected to Covenant WITHOUT a restored Israel. Were all their prophecies failed? Paul shows them, no. They have NOT failed. But the Jews had forgotten or overlooked that God had always dealt with humanity from a position of sovereign grace. All of the special privileges Israel had enjoyed came from this principle. God was merely extending that principle through Jesus to the whole world. AND He was doing it without reducing Israel’s place or position in any way.

Chapter nine starts with the great blessings that belonged to Israel: placement as sons, the glory of God manifested, covenants, the giving of the Law, the ritual service, the promises, and the fore-fathers. They had been separated out as a nation and made the children of promise (from Abraham through Isaac), instead of children of the flesh (Romans 9:8). It was from the child born of a miracle that the promise became real. The children of God are children born of a miracle (John 3:3). This is how God had always appealed to the Israelites: first as their Creator and second as the giver of the blessings. They were given a beautiful land, well-watered and productive; a holy law; pastors and shepherd-kings; prophets to instruct; and a ritual system full of expression to lead their hearts in worship and praise. All people can be saved (John 3:16), but no one can deny or refute that the Jews had enjoyed earthly and spiritual privileges the rest of the world had never known. Yet even the privileged can fail to respond to God and the least knowledgeable of privilege turn to Him in trust. When Jesus came as a Suffering Servant, Israel was expecting a Conquering King, therefore, He was rejected (on the whole). They failed to see how every privilege had pointed to Jesus and His ministry of atonement.

Chapter ten shows that nationally, as a whole, Israel has been set aside (but NOT replaced). For now, only a remnant is saved. Although the Gentiles are taking up the righteousness of God in Jesus, the same promises exist and are extended to each and every Jew as individuals. There is NO BARRIER to ANY individual member of the House of Israel, even though as a NATION they are not in a place to be submitted. As a nation, they are the lost sheep. They do not recognize their condition, however. They are earnestly trying to serve the God of their fathers even though they have rejected the fuller revelation He has given of Himself, His mind, and His will in Jesus. Being ignorant of how righteous God really is, they are set on attempting to establish a righteousness in their own strength. In truth, the Law proposes a righteousness that no human can furnish from adherence or obedience. Jesus, however, HAS met every requirement of that holy law. He died under its penalty. He has been raised to holy spirit life. Jesus is Himself the righteousness that we need and provides it freely by Grace. LEGAL righteousness is not wholly achievable by human beings on their own and a whole adherence is required to attain it. A righteousness of TRUST, however, depends on the testimony of God. From the revelation at Sinai through the prophets to Jesus’ birth it is clear. Jesus had to come, Jesus needed to die, Jesus was raised to life, and we can only accept these things through trusting in God’s testimony that they are truth. This is why: “that if you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses, resulting in salvation” (Romans 10:9-10). This is the word of trust (Isaiah 28:16; Proverbs 18:10). This is the gospel message – and it is the START of a true relationship with God, not the end point. This grace to believe and be saved was now going out to ALL the Earth. The Jews were not losing their position. They were not being rejected. But they were also not the ONLY ones specially privileged. Through belief in and submission to Jesus as Lord, anyone could now enter into the special privilege of being called a Son or Daughter of God. The wall, the curtain of partition, had been torn open.

First we saw God’s past dealings with Israel proved His righteousness in acting toward the Gentiles as He now does. Then we saw that although as a nation Israel has been set aside (NOT replaced), this does not prevent any Israelite from turning to God and finding the same salvation which God is proclaiming to all (Jew first, then Gentile) the Earth. Now we look at what God is doing with the NATION of Israel. Has He cast them aside? NO! First of all, there was a remnant who believed. Absolutely believed. It was through them that the message of the gospel came to the Gentile world. ALL come to the throne of God by grace and belief and trust in that grace. The nation of Israel stumbled when this revelation came, but they did NOT fall. Instead, those who did accept the message and the Gentiles who accepted the message, will provoke Israel the nation to jealousy and as a NATION they will turn to God and fulfill their purpose. Like the Prodigal Father, God is waiting. When His son (the nation Israel) turns around, He will welcome them with open arms and the WORLD will rejoice at their fullness.

Paul’s wish was that the Jew get stirred to emulating the Gentiles as they saw the Gentiles enjoying the blessings of salvation by grace. In the same way, he did not want the Gentiles trying to glory over the Jew. The Jews who had accepted the gospel message were a people set apart to God. So were the Gentiles who believed. But the Gentiles would ever be individuals grafted into this setting part. The Jews could look forward to their whole NATION regenerating. A complete NATION set apart to God. Think of the witness that will be! None of the branches (Jew and Gentile) were to boast against each other. Instead, they were to focus on their connection to the root (Jesus) and stand in their trust in Him both together and separately. Only fruitful branches will survive (Jew or Gentile) as Jesus taught us Himself (John 15:1-17). The fullness of the restoration of Israel and Gentiles will be when Jesus calls the Church (ALL believers in Jesus) to Himself (1 Thessalonians 4; 1 Corinthians 15). All Israel will then be saved – not just a nation, but all the children of the promise (Jew first, and then Gentile). This will be the fulfillment of the New Covenant, the saving principle by which ALL are saved: “For God confined them all in disobedience, in order that he could have mercy on them all. Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how incomprehensible are his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given in advance to him, and it will be paid back to him?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for eternity! Amen” (Romans 11:32-36).

Summary

Key Players: God, Jesus, Paul

Key Verse(s): Romans 9:1-8; 10:5-18; 11:11-22