Romans 11 In that case, I say, isnt it that God has repudiated his people? Heaven forbid! For I myself am a son of Israel, from the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not repudiated his people, whom he chose in advance. Or dont you know what the Hebrew Scriptures says about Elijah? He pleads with God against Israel, Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars, and Im the only one left, and now they want to kill me too! But what is Gods answer to him? I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not knelt down to Baal. Its the same way in the present age: there is a remnant, chosen by grace. (Now if it is by grace, it is accordingly not based on legalistic works; if it were otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.) What follows is that Israel has not attained the goal for which she is striving. The ones chosen have obtained it, but the rest have been made stonelike, just as the Hebrew Scriptures says, God has given them a spirit of dullness — eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear, right down to the present day. And David says, Let their dining table become for them a snare and a trap, a pitfall and a punishment. Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cant see, with their backs bent continually. In that case, I say, isnt it that they have stumbled with the result that they have permanently fallen away? Heaven forbid! Quite the contrary, it is by means of their stumbling that the deliverance has come to the Gentiles, in order to provoke them to jealousy. Moreover, if their stumbling is bringing riches to the world — that is, if Israels being placed temporarily in a condition less favored than that of the Gentiles is bringing riches to the latter — how much greater riches will Israel in its fullness bring them! However, to those of you who are Gentiles I say this: since I myself am an emissary sent to the Gentiles, I make known the importance of my work in the hope that somehow I may provoke some of my own people to jealousy and save some of them! For if their casting Jesus aside means reconciliation for the world, what will their accepting him mean? It will be life from the dead! Now if the loaf offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole loaf. And if the root is holy, so are the branches. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you — a wild olive — were grafted in among them and have become equal sharers in the rich root of the olive tree, then dont boast as if you were better than the branches! However, if you do boast, remember that you are not supporting the root, the root is supporting you. So you will say, Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in. True, but so what? They were broken off because of their lack of trust. However, you keep your place only because of your trust. So dont be arrogant; on the contrary, be terrified! For if God did not spare the natural branches, he certainly wont spare you! So take a good look at Gods kindness and his severity: on the one hand, severity toward those who fell off; but, on the other hand, Gods kindness toward you — provided you maintain yourself in that kindness! Otherwise, you too will be cut off! Moreover, the others, if they do not persist in their lack of trust, will be grafted in; because God is able to graft them back in. For if you were cut out of what is by nature a wild olive tree and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree! For, brothers, I want you to understand this truth which God formerly concealed but has now revealed, so that you wont imagine you know more than you actually do. It is that stoniness, to a degree, has come upon Israel, until the Gentile world enters in its fullness; and that it is in this way that all Israel will be saved. As the Hebrew Scriptures says, Out of Zion will come the Redeemer; he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob and this will be my covenant with them, . . . when I take away their sins. With respect to the Good News they are hated for your sake. But with respect to being chosen they are loved for the Patriarchs sake, for Gods free gifts and his calling are irrevocable. Just as you yourselves were disobedient to God before but have received mercy now because of Israels disobedience; so also Israel has been disobedient now, so that by your showing them the same mercy that God has shown you, they too may now receive Gods mercy. For God has shut up all mankind together in disobedience, in order that he might show mercy to all. O the depth of the riches and the wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments! How unsearchable are his ways! For, Who has known the mind of the Lord? Who has been his counselor? Or, Who has given him anything and made him pay it back? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 15:41:49 +0000
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