The Problem of the Jews: The Tragedy of Rejection

Up to chapter 8 Paul has been dealing with theological issues, especially God’s grace, but from Chapter 9 to 11 his style of writing is philosophical conversation, with a lively interchange of questions and answers. He is delivering a sermon on the Jewish question.

The problem facing his Jewish-Christian believers is how, the historically chosen Israelite nation, for special treatment and privilege by God, could now be relegated to the second or the last rung, with the Gentiles given the same, if not better privilege, of close walk with God and salvation, especially so, after the rejection of Christ as the Messiah by most of the Jewish nation.

This is what Paul deals in the next three chapters. The question is, is God being just in dealing with the nation of Israel? God chose Israel as his witnesses and gave them the revelation about Himself. He further planned that his Son, the Messiah will come through Israel. But Israel as a nation failed Him.

So, has God rejected Israel and now has chosen the Gentile in their place? Has God broken His covenantal promises to Israel? If yes, has not God been unfair to Israel? If yes, how will God’s promises to the Jewish nation be fulfilled? This is what Paul is trying to deal with in these three chapters.

Paul starts with talking about the great sorrow that weighs down his heart, in Chapter 9:1-3.  He, being of Jewish origin, feels for his compatriots. The Jews have rejected the Messiah and nailed Him to the cross. Paul in a great show of depth of love for his nation, suggests that he is willing to take up the punishment that would fall on Israel for this crime. 

Paul is willing to be cut off for Jews’ sake. It is reminiscent of Moses, who offered to lose his salvation so that the nation that had sinned against God, by making themselves a golden calf to worship, could be forgiven. Exodus 32:32. Moses dared to suggest to God in all earnestness, that God would blot out his name from the book of life and forgive Israel’s sin.

Paul is similarly suggesting that he is willing to be cursed and cut off from Christ, if that would save his brothers, the Jewish race. His love for the Jewish nation is so great that he is willing to forego his own salvation and be accursed in their place, if only they could be saved.

To ‘be cursed’ is ‘anathema’ – to be under the ban. Such a thing or person is marked for complete destruction. Like the cities of Canaan, which the Lord asked the Israelites to completely destroy, and figuratively these cities were dedicated to God, dedicated for destruction. Deuteronomy 3:6.

Jericho city and all that were in it were devoted to the Lord, and to be totally destroyed, excepting Rahab and her family. Joshua 6:17. That is how Paul was willing to be considered in the eyes of the Lord for the sake of his brothers, the Israelites.

Israel had all the privileges; a special place in the economy of God and many were the privileges of the chosen race.

Israel was adopted as sons. Moses says in Deuteronomy 14:1, 2, “You are the children of the Lord your God.” “The Lord has chosen you to be His treasured possession.” In Exodus 4:22, the Lord says, “Israel is my firstborn son.” Sonship was Israel’s, but Israel never ever behaved befitting that privilege that God gave her.

Jews were entitled for divine glory; shekinah glory was theirs. It was the divine light which descended on them every now and then during their wandering days and thereafter. Exodus 16:10 – “the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.” It was the manifest presence of God.

The Israelites received the covenant. It was a special relationship into which they entered with God; He would be their God and they would be His people. Yahweh entered into covenantal relationship with Abraham, sealing it with the sign of circumcision. Genesis 15:12-21.

The Hebrews were instituted as a nation and received the law at Mount Sinai from the hands of Moses, written by the very finger of God. Exodus 19:4-6. Elaborate Temple worship regulations and rituals were given to them so that they would know to approach God appropriately.                               

     

Israel had the promises; the promise of land, descendants and the Messiah who would bring God’s blessings to all the families on earth. Genesis 12:1-3. They had their Patriarchs, the fathers – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; they had traditions and a history. God introduced Himself as “the Lord God of your fathers – the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,” to Moses in Exodus 3:16.

Christ was born from their line, that was the ultimate. The promised Messiah came through them. They gave the Messiah to the world, but unfortunately, they themselves would not accept him. God prepared Israel all through the years of her rebellion and backsliding for the final outcome, that of a Messiah, long expected and awaited. But when he came, they rejected him.

Therein lies the tragedy of the nation of Israel. Everything in the history of Israel pointed out to the fulfilment of their history in the coming of the Messiah. But instead, frustration and disaster awaited their destiny. Still Paul praises Christ for ever, who is God over all. 

Paul now goes on to explain that Israel’s rejection of Christ did not mean God’s plan has failed. Not all Jews might have rejected Christ. Not all those who descended from Abraham are Abraham’s children. Physical descent alone is not the deciding factor here. There is selection among the election of God! To prove this argument Paul gives two examples from the history of Jews.

Among Isaac and Ishmael, God selected Isaac, to carry the line from Abraham. Genesis 21:12. Those reckoned as Abraham’s children were not necessarily those of natural descent alone, but those who were the children of promise. For Sarah was promised a child and that child would be the child of promise. Genesis 18:12. Within the Israel nation, God’s selection and election went on.

Again, of the two children of Rebekah and Isaac, God’s election was the younger son, Jacob, Genesis 25:23, while the elder son Esau was not selected. Malachi 1:2,3. It was through the line of the younger son, Jacob, God’s will and plan will be carried on.

So even among the descendants of Abraham, there was a process of election throughout the history. God’s used His sovereignty to carry out His selection even among the natural descendants of Abraham. God knows the best and we may not understand why He does certain things, but we need to trust His superior wisdom.  

Paul asks the question, does this mean God is unjust? He answers vehemently, “No, not at all!” in verse 14. And he goes on to explain it in the next few verses, which we will meditate on in the next blog.

Praise be to the Sovereign God, who carries out His plan in spite of the failure of human beings selected and elected by Him. 

The Inseparable Love of God

Having listed all the foundational things that God has done towards our salvation, the election, predestination, justification and the assured glorification, Paul goes on to ask his readers four pertinent questions about their faith, in Romans 8:31-39. That is what we will meditate on today.

Paul is wondering what is going to be our response to all these wonderful things that God has done to save us from eternal hell. He asks his first question, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Whatever might be the circumstances, God’s redeeming love and grace will always envelop us, His children.

Yes, as the Psalmist asks, “If the Lord is with me, I will not be afraid; what can man do to me?” Psalm 118:6. In Hebrews 13:8, the writer quotes the said Psalm to say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Yes, what can man really do to us? Nothing, nothing at all.

Paul further explains, God did not spare His Own Son, but ‘gave him up’ for us all. He gave us the best He could ever spare, the life of His Own Son. He gave Christ in exchange for our sins, so that He could declare us ‘not guilty.’ He punished Jesus, who was sinless, so that in Him we could become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21.

That is the depth of God’s love. In such a case, will He not give us graciously all things, along with His Son? Yes, definitely He will, as long as we ask things in alignment of His will and for the expansion of His Kingdom on earth. 

The next question Paul asks is “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?” For it is God who justifies us. When it is God himself who has justified us and pronounced us as ‘not-guilty,’ thus acquitting us, then who else can bring charge against us? No one can. Jesus Christ has taken our punishment on the cross; we have exchanged our sins for His righteousness. We are justified in the eyes of God, because of this.

The third question of Paul is, “Who is he that condemns?” Who can really condemn us, because it was Christ who died for us, and more than that, he was raised to life by the power of God and He lives. That Christ, who is living, is at the right hand of God and is constantly interceding for us.

It is only Satan who condemns us, for he is our ‘accuser;' he accused about Job to God. Job 1:9-11; 2:4; he is called ‘the accuser of our brothers,’ accusing them day and night before God. Revelation 12:10; Satan was accusing the High Priest Joshua, a man with zeal for God. Zechariah 3:1-2. Thus, if at all anyone is accusing us, it is Satan and his minions.

But then, his accusations against God’s children are of no avail, because the Lord knows His Own from the time of laying down the foundations of this earth. And the living Jesus Christ is mediating for us day and night, being at the right hand of God. Hebrew 7:25 says, “he always lives to intercede for them (those who come to God through Christ).

Christ entered heaven itself “now to appear for us in God’s presence.” Hebrew 9:24. He is our great High Priest, representing us before God, seeking forgiveness for our lapses, and extending the assurance of God’s forgiveness to us. Hebrew 4:14, 15. He was tempted like each of us, but remained without sin; however, He can understand our weakness and sympathises with it. Hebrew 2:24. He is the One who speaks to the Father in defence of us. 1 John 2:1.

When we have an Advocate before God, pleading the case for us, what are we afraid of? Think of this way, if Christ alone is our Judge, for the Father has given Him the power to judge, as said in John 5:22, then what is our problem? For the very Judge has become our Advocate![1] A peculiar situation but a privileged situation at that!

Paul’s last question is “who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can anyone or anything ever separate us from such a love like this? No! No trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword could ever separate us from God’s love. That is Paul’s argument here.

Paul knew that the infant churches in the Roman Empire in the first century were going to face terrible persecution in a few years’ time. He is preparing the church to face such trials in the strength of God. No matter what happens, God’s profound love is always available for us. This is the most comforting verse in all Scripture. This applies very much to us too.

Suffering must not drive us away from God. We tend to think God has abandoned us. We are tempted to ask and complain, and grumble, ‘why me, God?’ ‘why is God punishing me in this manner?’ and ‘Why has God cursed me?’ God does not target you or is punishing you or cursing you. He has no pleasure in doing these.

Suffering has become a way of our life, ever since Adam and Eve succumbed to the honey words of Satan and obeyed him rather than God. When we become ensnared by our own desires we fall into sin and face the repercussions. Why blame God?

God in His mercy sent His Son to save us from this mess we have made of our lives. God never abandons us, especially when we trust Him and believe in His Son. His love is unconquerable. It is an amazing love that is inseparable from us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. Hebrews 13:5; Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:5. We get all the security that we need from such a love.

God uses these troubles and tribulations to shape us in the image of Christ. That is part of God’s design to change us and transform us. He makes us into God’s craftsmanship. Ephesian 2:10. He makes use of all such troubles to bring something beautiful out of our life, as said in Romans 8:28. But God never gives these sufferings. He is definitely not a kill-joy. When we suffer, He suffers along with us. He is broken for us.

Paul’s quotes Psalm 44:22 here to say, even if we face death all day long and considered as sheep to be slaughtered, yet we are not to worry, because “in all these we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” No suffering can separate us from the love of God. We are conquerors along with Christ, who won a victory over unseen evil forces and authorities, nailing them to the cross. Colossians 2:14-15.

Yes, we are conquerors. We can do all things in Christ who strengthens us. Philippians 4:13. Christ can guard us from falling on the wayside. 2 Timothy 1:12. “God has given us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57.

Neither death nor life, angels nor demons, the present nor the future, nor any power, height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, could separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord, finishes Paul with full certainty. That is the certainty of our salvation.

Of course, we are conquerors, only if we abide in Christ and give the charge of our entire lives to the Holy Spirit to direct and lead us. That will be our response to God’s love. On our own strength if we stand, we will be a zero, but with Christ we can be a hero. That is the wonder of Christ’s love. Amen.

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[1] C.H. Dodd, “The Epistle of Paul to the Romans,” p. 159.

Reasons for the Christian to Rejoice

Pointing out to Jesus Christ as the answer for our sinful nature, and the help rendered by the Holy Spirit, who with inexpressible groans intercedes for us, Paul has offered us the solace that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him. In verses 29 and 30 of Romans 8, Paul lists out the reasons why a Christian can consider himself a privileged person and rejoice.

Those whom God foreknew, He also predestined to be confirmed to the likeness of His Son. This statement of Paul is heavily loaded with theological dogma. A whole range of questions are unleashed with this pronouncement.

If God chose those who will be saved, then how fair is He that He should select some for being saved and reject others? If God has already decided who is to be saved and who is not, then where is our free will? What use of a free will? Are we then to believe in an all-powerful fate? 

In Ephesians 1: 4-5, 11, Paul elaborates this doctrine. “For He chose us in Him before the creation of this world …” Again, “In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons though Jesus Christ, in accordance with His will and pleasure.”

It could be taken as God selected some for saving them, while rejecting others or it could be taken as God foreknew who will respond to Him and selected such people to be saved. Either way, God is sovereign. He knows who will accept Him with a willing heart and is endowed with a teachable spirit. He knew such people even before the foundations of this world were laid down by Him.

What a comforting thought, that God has always known us, you and me, individually, in all eternity, even before we were born on this earth! He has loved us from eternity and His love will last into eternity. We can take comfort from the fact that it was all settled long time back.

It is definitely not fate. We, the believers, use our free will to respond to the love of Christ and accept him as our Saviour. That can be done only by us using our free will. We are convicted by the holy Spirit of our sins and we repent and seek His forgiveness and accept Christ and the forgiveness He offers with our free will.

There could be others, who repent of their sins and still do not accept Christ, like Judas Iscariot. That is where grace of God plays an important role. God did all the work for our salvation, and all that we do is to submit ourselves to that love and accept that offer of salvation, again as the grace of God takes hold of us and leads us. Without that we will be lost.

That is why Dodd writes, “our salvation is rooted in the depths of God.”[1] It is a marvellous thing and is by the Lord, though there is a place for our free will within the divine purpose of predestination.

Let’s further meditate on Paul’s statement at verse 29. God foreknew whom he predestined to be confirmed to the likeness of his Son, so that we might be the firstborn among many brothers. God’s ultimate goal for human beings is to make each one of us reflect the image of Christ, a likeness we lost in the Garden of Eden.

“But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him…” 1 John 3:2. Yes, we will be like Him, and that again is a great promise and a great privilege for us to behold.

Paul further explains them that they will be the firstborn among many brothers. In the first century, those who converted and accepted Christ as their Saviour, were definitely the first born among all those who will follow them in the many centuries after them. To be the first born was indeed a privilege, but also had a lot of responsibilities – to spread the Gospel to the four corners of the world, to die for the Lord as martyrs, to lead a pure and holy life as a model and example for those who would follow them.

In some parts of the world even today this might be the fate of those who believe in Christ. But nothing compared to the first three centuries after the death and resurrection of Christ.

But it is all worth it, because the Lord God selected us to be His people. In Hosea 13:5, the Lord of Israel says, “I knew you in the desert.” It is wonderful to be known by God and be cared for by Him. When God knows a person, it means He has a purpose and a plan and a task to be performed by that person. God knew us.

More than anything God is sovereign as He says, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand.” Isaiah 14:24, 27. “For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart Him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?” His plan for you and me will be carried through, in spite of all the bad and debilitating circumstances of this life. Isn’t that a great solace?

Again, in Isaiah 46:9,10,11 the Lord says, “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please… What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.” We have been saved by that great God and we need to have no worries on that front – for we have been saved in the very purpose of God.

Those He predestined He called; those he called he also justified; those he justified he also glorified. Paul goes through the various stages in Christianity here. Those who are predestined, He called for a higher purpose, that of service to His people; those whom He called thus, He justified, by pronouncing them to be ‘not guilty;’ and those whom He justified He also glorified, transforming them to have the glorified body on death and resurrection.

Just to dwell on the stages in Christian life, following the pattern offered by Paul here, we have 7 stages in Christian life or our spiritual experience. First the Election or predestination; second, being Called; third Justification; fourth, Atonement or propitiation, Christ offering himself as a sacrifice in our place.

Fifth, Redemption, being redeemed by Christ, who paid the price for us; Sanctification, becoming more like Christ, by the work of the Holy Spirit in us, which is life-long; and Glorification, which we will receive on our death and resurrection on the final Day.

 

As you carefully analyse all these seven stages, you will notice that each stage is the work of God, and it is by His grace that we are predestined, called, justified, atoned, redeemed, sanctified and glorified. All that we do is to use our free will and accept each of these works accomplished by the Triune God. To quote Dodd again, ‘All stages are founded on the impregnable rock of eternal will of God.’[2]

Do we need any other reason to celebrate and enjoy our security and status in Christ than these? What a glorious salvation and what a wonderful privilege we have and what a great God we have, who has provided us with all these privileges at His own cost and at His own initiative, full of love and concern for us? Let’s be glad and celebrate.  

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[1] C.H. Dodd, The Epistle of Paul to the Romans, p. 156.

[2] C.H.Doss, The Epistle of Paul to the Romans, p. 156. 

A Help in our Prayer Life

Having given the Roman congregation, hope of glorious adoption as God’s children, Paul goes on to exhort them to wait patiently for the hope to be fulfilled in future. However, we are not without help. That is what he describes in Romans 8:26 to 28.

Yes, each one of us is groaning under the weight of the sufferings and sorrows of this worldly life. Even the whole creation is groaning under the curse of death and decay. But, the believers are not left to our own resources to cope up with these problems. We have a Helper residing with us, the Holy Spirit.

As we sigh and groan inwardly, the Holy Spirit pleads for us with sighs beyond words. Because of our weaknesses we do not even know how to pray or what to pray for. We are not able to pray properly because, one, we do not know what the future holds for us; secondly, we do not know what is God’s plan for us in this life. In this helplessness, the Holy Spirit becomes our help.

When we pray we need to align ourselves and our wills to the Will of God. Then we get what we ask. James 4:3 says, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasure.” When we are not sure of the Will of God, we may ask selfishly and when we do not get it, we feel discouraged and depressed even.

So how do we pray? It is baffling to most of us. As Jesus said, our Father in heaven knows what we need already, Matthew 6:32, then what to pray for? God as a perfect Father knows what is good for us and what to be given to each of us. Luke 11:13.

God knows what is good for us and He will give it to us in His time. Just because we ask, He will not give us something that will harm our interests. We ourselves may not know what is good for us. We need to have that trust that God our Father knows the best.

Perfect prayer would be what Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:42. Whatever requests we may make in our prayer, it is best to finish it acknowledging that God knows better in His wisdom and leave things to Him to be done as per His will. That way, we will not be disappointed, when we do not receive what we ask for, but at the same time, we can be sure that God will do it if it is His will for us.

In this dilemma, the inward dwelling Spirit is a present help. Knowing our weakness, He assists us, by interceding for us, pleading for us with sighs beyond words. It is in Dodd’s words, “the divine in us appealing to the Divine above us.”[1] For only the Spirit of God will be able to understand the thoughts of God, and He intercedes for us according to God’s will.

God searches the minds of human beings. Psalm 139: 1-2 says that the Lord has searched the Psalmist and knows every move that he makes and the very thoughts of him. The Word of God will judge the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrew 4:12. The Son of God says in Revelation 2:23, “…I am He who searches hearts and minds...”  

When God searches our hearts and minds to find out our motives in asking a request in prayer, the Holy Spirit who resides in believers’ hearts, intercedes for such saints in accordance with God’s will. God honours such a prayer.

It is God who initiates our salvation, by convicting us of our sins, through the Holy Spirit, leading us to confess our sins and get forgiveness from Christ; in our ongoing sanctification, the Holy Spirit plays the most prominent role, instilling in us the Fruit of the Spirit and bringing us closer to God, so that we become more like His Son Jesus Christ.

Nowhere has he left us alone to fend for ourselves. He is always with us, from the beginning of our conversion, helping us, prodding us and leading us till we reach the final glory and eternal life. No wonder Paul says in verse 28, “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

There is nothing that happens in our lives that God does not know. He knows every single detail of our lives, our joys, sorrows, heartaches, burdens and tears. He counts our steps, as Job would point out in Job 14:16; He puts our tears in His wineskin (a container) Psalm 56:8; He has counted the very hairs of our heads Luke 12:7.

To go further, He has engraved us on the palm of His hands, Isaiah 59:16. Will He ever leave us or forsake us? Never, not even if our own mothers and fathers were to forsake us. Isaiah 59:15. That is the God we have and He would cause all things to work together for good in our lives.

God will take the very things in our lives that are discouraging and given us deep hurts and sorrows and will use these very bitter experiences for His own glory and our own good. When we look back our lives, things we thought as the greatest disappointments worked out to be our greatest blessing.

The worst we went through have become our strongest points in God’s service, bringing comfort and solace to others, who are struggling in such similar situations. It is through such experiences that God mould us to make us useful instruments in His hands. We are his workmanships. Paul says elsewhere “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good work…” Ephesians 2:10.

God makes something beautiful out of the broken vessels, our broken lives. Isn’t that amazing! Like the ancient Japanese art, Kintsugi, of mending broken pottery with gold-dusted lacquer, giving the finished vessels a beauty of its own, with golden strands gleaming in the cracks, God makes something equally beautiful with our broken lives.

The only requirement for such an honour would be, that we love Him and been called according to his purpose. More of this in the next blog.  

So never grumble or blame God when troubles come. Rather look at these as stepping stones in our travel further towards glory. Are we not like clay in God’s hands? Jeremiah 18:6. Doesn’t He have right to do with us as He wants? Isn’t He our Creator? We need to submit to His will so that He could make a beautiful vessel out of us and our lives.

Glory to be His name for ever and ever.

Amen.

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[1] C.H.Dodd, The Epistle of Paul to the Romans, Hodder & Stoughton, 1959, p.150