Romans 12:6-8

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6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. ~ Romans 12:6-8

Today, we continue our study of Romans 12 where the Apostle Paul is instructing us on the purpose for which God made us in the first place: to be servants. I find it quite instructive and mind altering that in eternity, according to Luke 12, the Lord Jesus Christ will serve all of us whom He redeemed from the penalty of our sin. I would say that when we embrace the role of a servant, we are in great company. 

In today's passage the Apostle mentions seven different spiritual gifts. The reason the Apostle brings up the gifts of the Spirit here is just that, they are gifts of the Spirit. Different people with different gifts serving the Lord differently. These are the tools that God uses in our lives to accomplish what He has called us individually to do for Him in our communities. The gifts given us are the tools of the servant. And, when we are not behaving as servants, we can use these gifts wrongly.

In v.6 of today's passage we read, "We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith."

God has given us spiritual gifts so that we are equipped to fulfill His calling on our lives. Spiritual gifts are the ability God has given each of us enabling us to do His will, not ours. These spiritual gifts are quite fulfilling when we are turning our backs on the self life and pursuing the role of the servant.

The first gift mentioned in today's passage is prophecy. According to the Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 12-14, this gift enables one to speak forth the Scriptures. The Apostle instructs "prophesy in accordance with your faith." That is, speak in proportion to the confidence and assurance of what God has said in His word. The one with the gift of prophesy must not speak beyond what God has already revealed in His word. The one with this gift must be careful never to speak on his own authority or from his own resources. The litmus test in this case is the completed written word of God, the Bible.

In v.7 of today's passage we read, "If it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach."

Then there are some who have the gift of serving. The word the Apostle uses here for serving is the word from which we get our word deacon. This word describes ones ability to help others with a cheerful spirit causing them to be blessed by it. Those with this gift serve willingly and cheerfully. They serve so that everybody is helped and blessed. 

The next spiritual gift here is that of teaching. The gift of teaching is the ability to interpret the scriptures and to clarify its meaning to others. The one with the gift of teaching will have the ability to help others to understand what the scriptures mean. In addition, he will be able to help his audience to realize the application of the truth being taught. 

In v.8 of today's passage we read, "If it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully."

Then there is the gift of encouragement which comes from the Greek word for exhort. We tend to think of the one who exhorts as getting into our grill, but actually, an exhorter encourages others. Now, he might do it with firmness, but his exhortation will be gentle and motivating. Encouragement was the gift that Barnabas had. In fact, the name Barnabas means "son of encouragement." When we see Barnabas in the Scriptures, he is always found with his arm around somebody's shoulder, encouraging, comforting, and urging on. In fact, Barnabas did this with John Mark when John Mark failed miserably while on one of the missionary journeys with the Apostle Paul.

Then there is the gift of giving. Contrary to what most think, this gift is not only giving of one's resources, included are also this person's time and talents. And, like all the other gifts, the more the one with this gift uses it, the more he will have to give. God created this idea of the law of reciprocity which says we reap what we sow. Reciprocity is a fundamental part of the glue that holds a community together, and, the more we exercise our gifts, the more the blessings grow in that context. 

The Apostle writes, "give generously" which literally means, "Let him give with simplicity." This means to give without calling people's attention to it. Just as much as this gift is a gift from God, the desire to remain anonymous is as well. Those with the gift of giving often like to sit back and watch those whom they have given to receive the blessing. They do this because they are well aware of the fact that their gift is given as unto God and they delight in the opportunity to be used by God in the life of another. This is the case with all of the gifts. 

Then there is the gift of leadership. The Greek word the Apostle employs here is a word that literally means "leading meetings." It comes from a root word which means "to stand up before others." Then, Paul says, do it with diligence which means, "Do not wing it, be prepared." Those with this gift naturally love to plan and this admonition plays right into the giftedness of the one with the gift of leading. 

Then, Paul mentions the gift of showing mercy which is helping those who are often undeserving or neglected. Mercy is what we express when we are led by God to be compassionate. It is more than feeling sympathy toward someone; it is love enacted. Mercy desires to answer the immediate needs of others to aid them in their suffering, loneliness, and grief. Mercy is a champion of the lowly, poor, exploited, and forgotten and often acts in a way that lifts those in need of mercy.  

Finally, in context the Apostle Paul has been accentuating the idea of servanthood. In fact, the gifts of the Spirit are products of God's grace in our lives and they coincide with the purposes that He has for a certain community of believers. God rarely bless us with only us in mind. He expects us to exercise our spiritual gifts for the benefit of others. Essential to being the servants God has called us to be, we must exercise the spiritual gifts that God has given us. Our spiritual gifts empowers us to serve. Humility is required to serve. And, when we are operating as servants the spotlight will not be upon us, it will be on the Lord Jesus.

Romans 12:3-5

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3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ~ Romans 12:3-5

Today, we return to our study of Romans 12-16, the last section of the book. Everything in this section is predicated upon the command to "present your body as a living sacrifice" in Romans 12:1. So, this last section in the book of Romans describes what a living sacrifice looks like in the every day life of the believer in Jesus Christ. And, as we have pointed out before, to be a living sacrifice, we must have experienced the mercies and the grace of God. 

In v.3 of today's passage we read, "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you."

The Apostle begins this verse with the words: "For by the grace given me." Paul is not referencing saving grace; this is the grace specifically that God extended to Paul when He called him to be an apostle. Here, the Apostle Paul puts humility on display, even in the way he refers to his apostleship. Paul was made an apostle by the mercy and grace of God. 

The verb "think" is related to the noun "mind" used in v.2. The renewing of our mind results in the kind of thinking called for here where the Apostle Paul reminds us: "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought." Paul is not saying that we should not think of ourselves, it is that we should not think "more highly than we ought." The believer in Christ must not cherish exaggerated ideas of our own importance. This is the way the enemy trips us up. He tries to get us to think that we are more important than we really are. Remember, he does not get us to follow him directly, no, he gets us to follow him indirectly by tempting us to follow ourselves.

Our natural reaction to God using us in His work in this world is we tend to think that we are pretty awesome. And, when God works in and through our lives, we tend to want to take credit for it. We are in great danger when on the heels of God doing something awesome in or through our lives that we entertain exaggerated ideas of our importance. It is always at this point that we must remember that God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise.  

In today's passage, the Apostle contrasts pride with faith. There is a humility to faith and that humility produces dependence upon the Lord. This is the best place we can be in a given day, dependent upon the Lord. The problem is we tend to be most reminded that we need God when life is not going so well. We tend to forget God when life seems to be going well. And, biblical humility flows out of selfless abandonment to the will of God.

In v.4-5 of today's passage we read, "4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others."

As we considered in Romans 6-8, our sanctification is the process whereby God is changing our souls which is made up of our mind, will, and emotions. Most think that the point of our sanctification is that God is making us better. This is not biblical. When we conclude that our sanctification is about us, we throw a wrench into the process that God designed it to have. The point of our sanctification is pointing others to the One who transforms us: the Lord Jesus Himself.

On the currency of the United States is the latin term "E pluribus unum" which means "Out of the many One." This 13-letter motto was suggested in 1776 at the time of the American Revolution. E Pluribus Unum was once the motto of the United States of America and referenced the fact that the cohesive single nation was formed as the result of the thirteen smaller colonies joining together. It was a must in those early days when this country was so young that the colonies needed one another to survive. This is the same for believers in Christ; we need each other. And, the greatest threat to our unity is our pride.

Diversity is necessary for unity, and unity gives diversity purpose. Each of us is different and therefore special, but in our uniqueness, we belong together in Christ. The fact that we are one body “in Christ” unifies us in our uniqueness and gives us purpose. This allows us to appreciate our differences instead of being threatened by them. God implores us to appreciate our uniqueness, the uniqueness of others and our interconnectedness brought about by our position in Christ. 

If we want to know how unity and diversity work together so that each person’s value is appreciated, we can do no better than to consider God Himself. He is one God, but He is also the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The members of the Trinity have separate roles, but they’re connected to each other. God exists in a relationship that takes action for the sake of love. The Father creates. The Son redeems. The Spirit empowers. Each member of the Trinity has value that is recognized and appreciated by the others. When we in the Father’s family unite under the lordship of His Son, we will enjoy the power of the Holy Spirit, we will honor God and we will fulfill His purposes in this world, especially with the body of Christ. We reflect the Trinity when we embrace both unity and diversity.  And, we embrace unity amid our diversity when we resist the self life.

Romans 12:2

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"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." ~ Romans 12:2

Today, we continue in our study of the book of Romans. In our previous two studies we transitioned into the final section of this book which reveals the ultimate goal of God for us as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Servanthood which is the opposite of the self life is God's goal in our lives. Deciding to be a servant does not come natural for any of us, in fact, it is the byproduct of the workings of God's grace and mercy in our lives. This is why it takes so long for us to see the value of being a servant. While most believe this life is about what we get, the life the Lord Jesus died to give us is about what we give.

The first command in today's verse is: "Do not conform to the pattern of this world." The word "conform" refers to an outward expression of behavior that does not reflect what is inside of a person. The word actually implies the idea of masquerading; People wear masks when they’re trying to present an image of something they are not. So Paul is saying, as believers in Christ, when we conform ourselves to the pattern of this world, we’re wearing a mask that is inconsistent with our identity. This verb is written in the middle voice, and, it is best translated: "You, yourselves, do not conform to the pattern of this world." The way this command is written makes it obvious that we perform the action, not God. When we conform to this world ways, we act as a fish out of water. And, the pattern of this world is the way of the self.

The second command, found in today's verse, is written in the passive voice, meaning that someone outside us is responsible for the outcome. So, the command: "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind" is best translated: "Be transformed by God by the renewing of your mind." Only God can transform us into people who are increasingly defined by Him. We cannot transform ourselves, but we can renew our minds with His word, and when we do so, God will transform us. The role that we play is to be diligently in the word of God, daily. Then, we must mull over whatever He is showing us in a given day, asking the Holy Spirit to sensitize us to His leading into the will of God. The life that is saturated by the grace of God will produce a mind that will be saturated by the word of God.

The word "mind" could also be translated worldview or God's way of thinking and living. With our minds, we decide what to do with our bodies or our whole existence. The mind molded by the mercies of God and the word of God, results in a life that brings glory to God. When we offer ourselves to God, we make ourselves available to Him so that we can respond to His will. The word translated "perfect" is getting at the fulfillment of purpose. We fulfill God’s purpose for us when we respond to His will affirmatively. And, might I add that we will find ourselves fulfilled when we walk in His culture. 

God's goal for the believer in Christ is that we get to the place where we are realizing His purposes in and through our lives.  When we have been arrested by the mercies of God, when we are cognizant of the fact that He has rescued us from the very fires of hell, we will be motivated to do God’s will out of gratitude. The way of the enemy is always forced upon us, in fact, he knows know other way but forced entry. The way of the Lord is the way of gentle persuasion. He does not force Himself onto anyone. This is the way love behaves.

In the remainder of the book of Romans, it is revealed to us what God’s will looks like in our lives in a given day. And, at the center of His will, we will see that we are transformed for the sake of others and for the advancement of God's culture in their lives. This is God's calling for all of us as believers in Christ. A transformed mind yields a transformed will. This process of transformation eventually produces in us what God wants. When we present your bodies to God, and, when our minds are being renewed, we will naturally operate according to the culture of God. 

The ability to test and approve the will of God is at the believer's disposal at this point. What a privilege to be about to measure something so big and so important. Of course, this is what the word of God does for us. And, this is why we must be in His word daily. Better yet, we will be able to do this when His word gets into us daily. In Psalm 37 we read, "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." That means when we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will actually plant within us the desire for His will. And, we all know that nothing happens in this world apart from God’s will which frightens the godless, but it stabilizes the one who is walking in God's will.

Romans 12:1 (Part 2)

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"I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." ~ Romans 12:1

Today, we return to our study of Romans 12:1, the jumping off point into a live of servanthood. The Bible has a lot to say about servanthood because the central theme of the Bible is the Servant of all, the Lord Jesus Christ. Once we have come to know the Lord and His priorities in this world, we will give Him His rightful place as Lord of our lives. And, His lordship will be expressed in the way that we serve others.

As we mentioned in our last study, the main idea in today's verse is that servanthood begins with experiencing God's mercies or compassions for ourselves which will translate into a transformed heart that will live to bring glory to the Lord Jesus. As we get to know the Lord and what He has done for us, especially the fact that He rescued us from the clutches of hell itself, we will have a growing desire to love Him because He loved us first.

As we mentioned before, choosing to be God's servant or sacrifice will render four characteristics according to today's verse. The first we considered in our last study: it is a living sacrifice. Our choice to set aside the self life that this world encourages us to embrace renders life, not only in our lives but also in the lives of those around us.

Today's study is about the other three characteristics of being a servant. These characteristics are byproducts of the the fact that we have experienced God's grace and mercy. This is what I like to call the grace saturated life. You see, the closer we get to God, the more of His presence others will see in and through us. These are characteristics that only God can produce through our broken and yielded lives. The key for us is that we daily make the choice to submit our wills to Him and then watch Him work in and to and through our yielded lives. We are to live as though we have been justified. We are to live as though we are forgiven.

The second characteristic of this yielded life to God is that it is "holy." The Greek word the Apostle employed here translated "holy" is multifaceted. It means to be set apart for its intended purpose, but it also means complete or full. The idea is that our daily choice to crawl up on the altar of God for His purposes for that day is steeped in the fact that we have been fulfilled by the mercies of God.

In Leviticus 20:26 we read, "You shall be holy to me; for I the LORD am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine."

The promises which appear in the Old Testament belong also to us who live this side of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ because it is through the cross that we have been made whole before God. The word "holy" comes from the same root word from which we get our word wholeness. So, holiness means "wholeness" or "completeness." And if we read wholeness in place of holiness everywhere we find it in the Bible we will be much closer to what the writers of that book meant. To be whole is to have together all the parts which were intended to be there, and to have them functioning as they were intended to function.

The third characteristic of this yielded life to God is that it is "acceptable to God."

Once we have through Christ been declared "holy," it makes sense that our sacrifice to God for the benefit of others will be acceptable to God. God called us to Himself through His grace and His mercy which has rendered for us a whole new outlook on life. We now see what is really important in this world and it is not what we thought it was before we came into a personal relationship with God through His Son. God's call to us to live a merciful life is a call to live a worshipful life. And, our aim of showing mercy is essentially showing to others the God of the Bible. More accurately He reveals Himself through our broken and yielded lives. The aim of having bodies is to make the glory of God more visible. He shines best through our merciful behavior. This is what is acceptable to God. And, it must be steeped in faith because the only thing that pleases God, humanly speaking, is faith.

The fourth characteristic of this yielded life to God is that it is "reasonable." Literally, our lives of servanthood is a "logical service." You see, it is only reasonable for us to be available to God. It is our logical reason for existing. When we became believers in the Lord Jesus, our spirits were awakened to God. Now that we have been born again, we are learning to be surrendered to God. There are times when we live schizophrenic lives, and our bodies do not follow what our spirit has already experienced with God. 

Furthermore, Paul tells us, this is the only thing that makes sense. "This is our reasonable or logical worship." This is the way we worship God. And, worship is allowing God to use all of us, even our bodies for His glory. This is the only thing that makes sense for the born again believer in Christ. This is the smartest thing we could ever do. The Apostle Paul used the Greek word "logikos" to describe this worship. True worship isn't singing songs are going through rituals, it is living a yielded and obedient life to God because we have been arrested by His grace and His mercy.

Romans 12:1 (Part 1)

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"I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." ~ Romans 12:1

Today, we transition into Romans 12 where we come to the final section of the book of Romans which is about service. You will remember that we began this study in Romans 1 considering seven characteristics of a servant, and now the book ends with a portrait of the servant.

In today's verse, the Apostle used the word "therefore" indicating that all that follows is conditioned by all that came before. In Romans 1-3 all of mankind was presented as hopeless in our condition of sin. In Romans 4-5 we learned about the believer's one point in time when he is justified in the presence of God by faith in the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ on the cross. In Romans 6-8 we studied sanctification which is the soul changing work of God in the believer in Christ. This ongoing work involves the changing of our minds, our wills, and our emotions. Whereas our justification gets us into heaven, our sanctification gets heaven into us now.

Everything from Romans 12 until the end of the book is conditioned upon that one prepositional phrase, "by the mercies of God," or, as other translations have it, "in view of God's mercy." This prepositional phrase introduces the first main idea that Paul is bringing out in this book which is: the more we come to see the mercies of God, the more we will long to submit ourselves to Him and to obey Him. The Greek word used for mercy means to supply forgiveness and compassion for past failures. Mercy is what God pours out upon us through the Lord Jesus Christ. Mercy is our only hope because there is nothing we have done, or can do to make us acceptable before and useful to God. The mercy of God counters the fact that we deserve hell for our violent rebellion against God. 

Once we understand the mercies of God, the Apostle urges us to present our bodies a living sacrifice to God. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross, when understood by the forgiven sinner, prompts us to lay down our total existence for the glory of God. One preacher once said, "I must live so close to the cross that I get splinters in my nose." 

As, I am sure that you know, the most inner part of us is our spirit. In fact, when we were born again after inviting the Lord Jesus into our lives, it was our spirit that was made alive to God. Due to the fact that we are trichotomous beings, in addition to our spirit we also have a soul and a body. And, even though we value our bodies the most, our spirit is the most important part of us because it is the only part of us that is born again.

Now, the obvious question then is: Why did the Apostle urge us to submit our "bodies" to the Lord? Well, since our bodies are most important to us, it is the last to go, it is the last part of us that we yield up to God. In addition, the work of God is most profoundly delivered through our bodies which He is training to follow His Spirit and His Word.

The word "present" used in today's verse is a technical term often used to refer to the Old Testament Levitical priests who would offer their animal sacrifices on the altar. We are reminded in 1 Peter that we are a holy priesthood, and we are therefore to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God. We, as priests, are to offer ourselves to God as sacrifices. We are to do this every day, and, in doing so we are yielding our total existence up to the Lord. 

Notice that the sacrifice we are to make should be living, holy, acceptable and reasonable. Today, we are just considering the first of these four characteristics of a grace saturated life. Then we will consider the other three in the following studies.

A "living" sacrifice renders life not death. In the Old Testament believers were called to “make” a sacrifice from a dead sacrifice. In the New Testament believers are called to “be” a sacrifice from a living sacrifice. The key to all of this is that we are to live by dying to self. 

The Lord Jesus said in John 12:24, "I assure you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself – but if it dies, it produces a large crop."

Being a "living sacrifice" is the product of growing in intimacy with God. And, this type of intimacy is only experienced by those who go through deep waters with Him. When we remain by ourselves, we really miss the real reality. The essence of sin is the self, and, when we follow the self, we will be selfish. When we die to self, loneliness may be our reality, that is until we begin to see that the loneliness is a means into deeper intimacy with the Lord. The way of the self is not the way of our Savior. His way leads us to selflessness or down the path of the servant. 

Our sacrifice must not be out of duty, it must be born out of our devotion to Him. In fact, if it is not done out of devotion, we should not do it. I say this because in order to be a living sacrifice we must be steeped in the mercy and grace of God. The biggest threat to this grace-saturated way of living is the thinking of many that has been influenced by this world's economy rather than the economy of the God of the Bible. This causes many to think that the Christian faith is linear and they evaluate it according to this world's way of thinking, when in actuality it is quite the opposite. God's economy is upside down and inside out, and only those who have been accosted by God's grace and His mercy really see get it. 

When we "die to self" we reveal that we understand that God created us for a reason; that we are a part of God’s plan for the world. To be used of God one must understand the essence of who we really are now, and how it is that God can use us. 

The world says, "Live for self!" God says, "Die to self!"   

The most difficult prayer for the believer in Christ is, "Not my will, but Thine be done." When we learn to die to self, we discover the "abundant life" the Lord Jesus offers. It is accessed by depending upon God, who provides much more than we can imagine. When we die to self, we discover the freedom of a life freed from a life of self-obsession, and we become more preoccupied by loving others. This moves us away from "the self life" and we find ourselves wanting to serve God by serving others. It is then much easier to pay attention to the concerns, interests and needs of other people when we are no longer preoccupied with ourselves.

Romans 11:33-36

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33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?”

35 “Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him?” 36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. ~ Romans 11:33-36

Today, we conclude our study of Romans 11 which is the third part of three chapters where the Apostle Paul is establishing the sovereignty of God by using the nation Israel as an object lesson. In Romans 9 the emphasis is on God's past election of Israel and the emphasis in Romans 10 is on Israel's present rejection of the Gospel and Romans 11 is on Israel's future restoration.

In v.33 of today's passage we read, "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!"

The deep riches that the Apostle Paul highlights here is that which causes us the most difficulty in life, yet the more difficult the situation the more deeply we go in our walk with God. In fact, let our lives take a serious turn for the worse and we find ourselves struggling to trust God, only to discover the serious turn for the worst is His way of deepening our faith in Him. 

We struggle to grasp the immensity of God! We can understand what He tells us about Himself, but we struggle getting beyond that. This is why the Christian life is such an adventure, we are always being surprised by God. And, yes it is scary at times, but since when have we enjoyed a boring life here on earth. He is always enriching us in ways that we don't anticipate. And, the greatest part to our personal relationship with Him is that we are getting to know Him who is the consummation of everything we have ever longed for all of our lives. Every desire we have finds its fulfillment in Him.

The Apostle Paul writes: "How unsearchable are His  judgments" which means He is beyond accountability. No man can call God to account and say, "You have no right to do that!" We do it all the time, but we have no right to do it. For God is beyond us; He knows so much more than we do. As John Nelson Darby once wrote, "This passage is darkness to my intellect, but light to my soul." 

In v.34 of today's passage we read, "For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?"

We don't know God's mind, but we have become God's counselors. We often think that God has made a mistake in certain cases in our lives, especially when it is not going well for us. But, since God operates on such a different level than we, His ways are way past ours. And, it explains why we struggle so much.

I love the story of the woman caught in adultery. From her vantage point I can only imagine how difficult it was to trust the Lord Jesus. It was obvious that she had been set up by the religious leaders. And then, the religious leaders take her to the up and coming religious teacher who had recently burst on the scene.

Her self-righteous accusers were ready to put her to death. So, the religious leaders brought her to the Lord Jesus. He said to her accusers, "He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone." Soon the woman's accusers were all gone, and no one was left with her but the Lord Jesus. "How unsearchable are His judgments!" His ways are so different than ours and if we just give Him time, He will position us to see the brilliance of the way He does things.

We do not know God deeply unless we go through the deep waters. Over and over in my life, I have discovered the firmness of God amidst the weakness in my soul. We often have great difficulty allowing people into our lives because we’re afraid of what they will discover. We’re afraid of what others will think of us. But, as I have discovered, God already knows what is in the broken recesses of my jumbled up and messed up soul. And, I am discovering that He still likes me. He likes you. I've thought, "He has to love me for He is God." But He also likes me even though He really knows who I really am. He even knows things about me that I do not know about myself. You see, as we delve deep into the caves of our souls, we discover Him there. And, He is always there speaking His blessing to us. The question is this: will I allow Him to define me?

In v.35 of today's passage we read, "Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him?"

God is self-sufficient, sovereign, and free from any obligation to anyone. He doesn't owe the Jew or the Gentile anything because of merit. God is indebted to no man because He has given to us all things through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. And, there is nothing we could give to God that He doesn't already own or have in abundance. God is the originator of all things; all things come from Him. And, He is the sustainer of all things; everything depends upon Him. C. S. Lewis once said, "To argue with God is to argue with the very power that makes it possible to argue at all!" 

In v.36 of today's passage we read, "For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen."

The Apostle concludes with this great outburst of praise. This makes sense when we have come to see our great God as He is. He is the end purpose of all things and all things will find their culmination in Him. He is the reason why all things exist for He is the originator of all things. And, the final take away for us is will we allow Him to define us? Our existence really comes  down to our daily choice to trust Him or not. I am learning the more I trust Him the more I discover that He is trustworthy. In addition, the closer I walk with Him, the more I discover He knows much better than I.

Roman 11:28-32

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28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. ~ Romans 11:28-32

Today, we return to our study of Romans 9-11 where the sovereignty of God is accentuated. From the day that God changed Jacob's name to Israel, Jacob represented the true Israel of God, those who have placed their faith in the God of the Bible. Whereas in Romans 9, we learn of God's past workings with the nation of Israel, in Romans 10 we learn of God's present workings with the nation of Israel. And, in Romans 11 we learn of God's future dealings with the nation of Israel. 

In v.28 of today's passage we read, "Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers."

In context, the Apostle Paul has been discussing how God can be sovereign and yet have the nation of Israel, as a whole, reject God's promised Messiah. The fact that man has a free will underscores the sovereignty of God because control is not involved. The choice always underscores the main topic of the heart and that is love. Without choice their is no love. 

Due to the choice of most Jews to reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they treat Christians like we are their enemies. Through their rejection of the free gift of being made right with God through Christ's sacrifice, they lack a personal relationship with God. They lack a personal relationship with God due to the fact that their sin has yet to be atoned for. So, presently the unbelieving Jews are the enemies of God; Right now, due to their lack of faith in Him, they are not God's friends. As a result, they have been cast away.

On the one hand, they are enemies, but, based upon God's promise that He gave to the fathers, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, they are beloved of God. Unbelieving Israel is God's beloved enemy. Concerning the gospel, they're enemies. Regarding the choice of God, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. This means that the unsaved Jews are loved by an unchanging God. God loves every Jew, without exception. In fact, He loves everyone; He is by nature love. No matter how stubborn or resistant they may be, He has set His love upon them. 

In v.29 of today's passage we read, "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable."

This verse explains the previous verse, why Israel is the beloved enemy of God. In the end, many in Israel will have the story with God that you and I now have; Once the enemies of God but now beloved of God through Christ. God's calling will in the end be irrevocable or He does not withdraw the promise of eternal salvation that He has given to anyone willing enough to believe in Him. And, since we did nothing to earn His salvation, we could do nothing to lose it. This is the nature of grace. Grace is like water, it always runs downhill.

In v.30-31 of today's passage we read, "30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy."

The reason the gospel went to the Gentiles was because the Jews rejected it. So in a sense we owe our salvation to Jewish unbelief. But, we have no reason to boast or to be proud because we were once strangers to the promises of God. We had none of the privileges that God gave to Israel. But because of their unbelief we have been brought in and the gospel turned to the Gentiles. We Gentiles have come into the place of God's blessing because of His grace. And if we did not believe in the Lord Jesus, we would be cast out as well.

The key word in this section is the word "mercy" which speaks of God's generosity. It implies that salvation is not something we deserve but something we don't deserve. It is the mercy of God that withholds His punishment even though it is deserved by us.  Mercy is God granting forgiveness when it is not deserved.

God allowed sin because He has in His nature mercy.  And because God is a God of mercy, He has to exercise that mercy.  And the only way that mercy can be exercised is where there is sin. So in order for God to reveal Himself as a merciful God, He had to permit sin so that He can show His mercy toward the sinner. So, God allowed the whole world to be enveloped in unbelief and sin. He didn't make man sinful, He allowed us to be so. As a result, He shut us up in the prison of His judgment so that He might demonstrate His mercy to us. 

In v.32 of today's passage we read, "For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all."  

Israel was set aside by God temporarily because of their unbelief. Presently, the nation of Israel is not God's special people to take the gospel of the Lord Jesus to the world. They have been set aside because of their unbelief. And the Gentile church has been brought in to replace them. 

Our salvation is never gained by our merit, it is gained by us through God's mercy. In fact, it is not because we are worthy but rather because we are unworthy. And the day will come when God will grant His mercy to the believing Jew and the Jew will be grafted back into the place of God's blessing. The issue in both cases is mercy and nothing beyond mercy. It is mercy to the Gentiles. It is mercy to the Jew. It is merited in neither case by either.

At the end of this verse we read, "that He might have mercy on all." That does not teach universalism or the salvation of the whole of mankind. It simply means "all" in the sense of the Gentile church and the Jewish nation have the chance to experience God's mercy. God has allowed us all, Jew and Gentile to be imprisoned by sin so that "we might become the righteousness of God in Christ."  

I'm so grateful to the Lord for the rough times in my life because they have served me in crying out to the Lord. He has strangely been incredibly merciful to me. And, I have always known that in me no good thing dwells. That is, there has never been in me anything that could have made me right with Him. He had to cause and allow certain things in my life, most of which were very painful, to position me to see my need for Him. For so many years I was shut up in the prison of myself, unable to be persuaded by the truth. My darkened mind could not see, that is until the God of the Bible awakened me to Himself. And now, I am free to live this incredible life He has called me to where I see Him at work in this fallen and needy world. And, I am in wonder! 

Romans 11:25-27

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25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.” ~ Romans 11:25-27

Today, we return to our study of Romans 9-11 which has as its overall theme: the Sovereignty of God. Underscored in this section is the fact that the people of Israel, by and large, have chosen to not place their faith in God's Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. This means that Israel forgot God, not that God has forgotten Israel. No, Israel forgot God and turned away from Him. And, they chose to reject the free gift of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.

In v.25 of today's passage we read, "For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in."

There are times when believers in Christ experience ignorance with regard to God's will. In this case, our ignorance is caused by the lack of revelation on a given subject, namely here the blindness of the Jews regarding the identity of their Messiah. It is quite obvious in the Gospels and in the New Testament that some Jews did believe on the Lord Jesus as their Savior. In fact, such Old Testament passages like Daniel 9:24-27 revealed when the Messiah would come to the earth the first time. 

In Daniel 9:24-27 God gave us a 490 year prophecy concerning Israel. According to the prophecy there were three divisions. The first was the rebuilding of Jerusalem. The second would be the coming of the Messiah. The third was to be a seven year period at the end of time that many call the Tribulation. When we do the math and we multiply seventy times seven we have a total period of 490 years which are decreed for Daniel's people which are the Jews.

According to Daniel 9:25 from the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild the temple, the first period of time in this prophecy it would be a period of 49 years. The issuing of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem came in Nehemiah 2:1-8 which was 444 BC and the completion of the rebuild of Jerusalem was in 395 BC. That is a 49 year period of time that the Lord told Daniel in advance would happen.

The second part of the prophecy also found in Daniel 9:25 where we learn that from the issuing of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem to the coming of the Messiah there would be 62 sevens. When we multiply 62 x 7 we get 434 years which was the many years later that the Lord Jesus arrived in Jerusalem as her King riding on the donkey. God had given Israel the precise dates to know the first coming of the Messiah but since the Lord Jesus did not fit their definition of a political messiah, they rejected Him. This underscores the utter necessity of God defining things for us.

Due to Israel's rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah, blindness in part has come upon Israel until the full number of Gentiles have come in. During this period that we know as the church age that we live in now, the emphasis of the gospel ministry has been mostly to Gentiles. When the number of the Gentiles is full, and only God knows what that is, at that point the church age will be over. The rapture of the church will take place at that point. Because of this, there is a clear distinction throughout the Bible between Israel and the Church. And, good biblical hermeneutics begins with keeping these two entities separate when we are making proper interpretation of the Scriptures.

In v.26-27 of today's passage we read, "26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins."

Note that some time in the future, the deliverer will come and turn godlessness away from Jacob who was renamed Israel. The significance of this is that Jacob is Israel in unbelief. I find Jeremiah 30:7 helpful because it describes the 70th seven of Daniel 9:27 as a time of Jacob's trouble. So, the point of the 70th seven is that God will deal with the unbelief of Israel during the Tribulation. You will also note that the first 69 sevens of Daniel 9 have been fulfilled, but the last seven has not. Most commonly call this last seven the Tribulation. The Lord Jesus refers to the last 3.5 years of the seven year tribulation as a time of great tribulation. 

I find it quite fascinating that the people group we know as the Jews perpetuate. Over and over throughout human history, the Jewish people have been the object of annihilation, yet, they perpetuate. And, it is clear, according to this passage, God has a clear plan for the people of Israel in the future. I find this comforting. God is sovereign over the will of anyone else. God, even though man resists His will, keeps His promises. And, the purpose of the Tribulation is to bring those Jews of Israel who will be living on earth during the Tribulation back to God. God will do this by the arrival of the Deliverer who is none other than the Lord Jesus Himself. When the Lord Jesus arrives on earth at His second coming, He will take Israel's sins away. This will happen because they will see Him come to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem and they will recognize their Messiah as the crucified Lord Jesus. They will know that it will be Him due to the nail prints in His hands and in His feet.

Let me close by centering in on a thought that I brought up earlier. God is true to His promises. When our lives seem to be on life support, the word of God and my experiences have shown that God is true to His word. God promised the children of Israel a promised land, and, as the book of Exodus notes, God delivered. Promised Land people choose to trust God’s promises. They choose to believe that God is up to something good even though all we see looks bad. When the sky looks threatening, always respond with this thought: "But God said..." Whenever our lives do not go the way we desire, when doubts arise, we must remember the statement, "but God said…" We must be in the habit of searching the Scriptures like a miner digging for gold and trust the promises we find therein that are applicable to us. When we do this, we will be defined by God. This is how we navigate through this woeful world which seems to be spiraling out of control. This is how we navigate ourselves into the exciting adventure of a personal relationship with God.

Romans 11:22-24

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22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? ~ Romans 11:22-24

Today, we return to our study of Romans 11 where the will of man has challenged the will of God. And, as we will see, the will of God always triumphs over the will of man. Most believe freedom is the ability to do what we want to do when we want to do it how we want to do it. The problem with this is that man is fallen from his original design. God designed us to operate in true freedom which is the ability to operate according to His design because His design is not only the best for us, it is also known as the truth. Anything other than God's design is sin and is steeped in rebellion which invites chaos and destruction.

In v.22 of today's passage we read, "Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off."

When we trusted in Christ's sacrifice for the penalty of our sin, we were gifted with His righteousness and salvation. We were given an inheritance, a heritage of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, the patriarchs. In context the Apostle Paul has referenced the olive tree which describes those who have placed our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. These are those who are of the faith of Abraham. These are those who have been made right with God through sheer grace, without any merit of our own. 

On center stage in today's passage are the kindness and the severity of God. Our posture towards God is determined by these characteristics and our understanding of them. We have all heard it said that a loving God would not send anyone to hell. This is a true statement. In fact, anyone who ends up in hell will be there because of their choice to go there. If we come to God needy and repentant and acknowledging that we need help, we will always find Him to be loving, gracious, open-armed, and open-hearted. But if we come to Him complaining, excusing ourselves, justifying our wickedness, we will always find that He is as hard as iron, and as merciless as fire, and as stern as a judge. 

That phrase: "if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off," gives many much difficulty. That would make sense if we did not understand that in order to be the recipients of God's blessing we must believe in Him. And, when Israel ceased believing, they were cut off and only the remnant remained. It doesn't mean we could lose our salvation because we never earned it in the first place. When some come to the point that they no longer believe, they no longer have access to the goodness of God. In affect, they chose the severity of God over the goodness of God.

In v.23 of today's passage we read, "And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again."

To be in the place of God's blessing we must believe. And when Israel ceased believing, they were cut off. Because of this, there is no place for boasting. The secret of the mystery of the people of Israel and their blindness is this: as long as they come to God in arrogant self-justification, they will always find a hard, iron-willed, stern God. This is true for anyone, not just the Jews. But, when the day comes when they come to Him acknowledging their need for the Savior God who shares His righteousness with broken sinners, the He will be to them as loving, gracious, open-armed, and open-hearted. Is not this our story with Him?

Paul is not saying that anyone who is truly a member of the family of God, based on faith in His Son, can then lose their place in the family of God. Nevertheless, his warning should not be taken lightly because some think they are part of God’s family but, in fact, are not. Paul’s point, even if the particulars of his argument may be difficult for us to follow, it is clear enough: Jews can join the family of God, even though they have in the past rejected entry through the Lord Jesus.

In v.24 of today's passage we read, "For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?"

In the same way that branches receive nourishment from the root system of any tree, the believer in Christ receives nourishment from the Lord Jesus who came to us through the promises given to Abraham. When the believer in Christ delights in the Word of God, the culture of God will flourish in his soul. The key to this process is faith placed in the Lord Jesus. And, it's not the amount of our faith that is the key, it is the object of our faith that enables us to flourish in the truth of God. The smallest bit of faith in the God of the Bible is worth infinitely more than the greatest bit of faith in ourselves. But, our faith counts for nothing unless its object is the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Hebrews 11:1 informs us that "faith is the confidence in what we hope for and the assurance in what we do not see." 

Faith in the God of the Bible begins with "what is hoped for," that is, it starts with a sense of discontent. We can never have much faith unless we are dissatisfied with the way we are now, and are longing for something better. If we do not feel dissatisfied with the way we are, it will be impossible for us to exercise any faith in the Lord. That is why, all through the Bible, the great enemy of faith is a complacent spirit, an attitude of self-satisfaction with the status quo. But if we are dissatisfied, if we are looking for something better, then we are positioned to exercise faith in Him.

Our faith in the God of the Bible grows when we invite "the conviction of things not seen" into our lives. This is not only a desire for something better, but an awareness of something else. This is what makes up biblical faith. It means we become aware that we are surrounded by a God whom we can not see with our eyes. Oh, we can see His handiwork all around us but to see Him, our hearts must be engaged. God is most made real to us when we engage Him with our hearts. And, when our hearts are added into the equation of what we can see about Him through His creation, then we will get somewhere in our pursuit of Him.

Charles Spurgeon once said, "Our life is found in 'looking unto Jesus,' not in looking to our own faith. By faith all things become possible to us; yet the power is not in the faith, but in the God upon whom our faith relies."

Romans 11:19-21

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19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” 20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. ~ Romans 11:19-21

Today, we return to our study of Romans 9-11 which has as its main theme the sovereignty of God. As we have pointed out before, Romans 9-11 are about God's dealings with the people of Israel in the past, in the present, and in the future. Emphasized in this passage is the fact that God is true to His promises, and, there are many promises that have yet to be fulfilled that He has made with Israel. Largely, this is the purpose of the Millennial reign of Christ which will happen after the Tribulation.

In v.19 of today's passage we read, "You will say then, 'Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.'"

It is sad that the failure of Israel to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ resulted in our success in believing in Him. It did not have to be this way. Everyone has the same opportunities to believe in the God of the Bible. And, I am sure it is true that some have received more revelation than others. The principle: The more truth we respond to will result in the more truth being given to us, is definitely true and that principle explains why some get more revelation than others. This is why no one can blame God for one's damnation. God has gone way overboard to win the rebellious heart of man back to Himself.

One of the greatest effects in our lives, having come to faith in the Lord Jesus, is that we see more widely. My dad used to say, "Son, some people are so narrow-minded they could look through a keyhole with both eyes." From the viewpoint of the proud humility is not embraced. When we gain God's heart for the lost we will experience broken heartedness over their unwillingness to believe in the God of the Bible. We Gentiles are in God's family largely because Israel rejected the Lord Jesus Christ, and, this should break our hearts for the Jews.

In v.20 of today's passage we read, "Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear."

Israel was broken off from the tree of biblical faith due to their unbelief in the Lord Jesus as their Messiah. They missed Him because He did not match their definition of what they thought the Messiah should be. This has always been our problem, we always prefer our definition of something over God's definition of it. In this case Israel misdefined their Messiah. We are defined by God as a result of our fear or respect of Him. It is out of our respect of God that we bow our will to Him, allowing Him to define us. Pride has no room to exist amid such a posture.

Here, the Apostle warns us of the age old problem of unbelief and arrogance. And, like I said before, arrogance or pride or the self is our greatest enemy. So, there is no room whatsoever in the heart of the believer in the Lord Jesus for "looking down our noses" toward anyone, including the proud Jew who has yet to trust in the Lord Jesus as Savior. Plus, if we do give safe haven in our souls for pride, we undermine God's working in our lives.

In v.21 of today's passage we read, "For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either."

God did not spare unbelieving Israel due to their lack of faith in Him. This is a daunting thought. And, have you ever wondered why you believe as you do? I have done the same. I believe that my faith in the God of the Bible is the result of the many blessings that God brought into my life. He allowed me to be born in a land which valued the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He allowed me to be born to parents who valued the Gospel of the Lord Jesus. These blessings broadened my understanding that I now see the blessing of losing my parents when I was young. I am truly blessed and because of this I am so very grateful. 

The key to all of this is to maintain a "thankful" heart. Biblical gratitude is grounded in God’s love for us who are unrighteous. The English word “gratitude” derives from a Latin word which means “grace, graciousness, or gratefulness.” The term most often translated “thanksgiving” in the Bible is the Greek word eucharistos, which comes from two Greek roots: eu meaning “good” and charizomai meaning “grace.” It isn’t a coincidence that the terms “grace” and “gratitude” come from the same Greek root word. According to the Bible, at the heart of gratitude is a response to the overwhelming grace of God.

It is a must that we understand God's grace because this kind of gratitude most often arrives in our lives on the heels of something tragic that has happened in our lives. God was most gracious to me when the doctors told my dad that he had five months to live due to the cancer that was overtaking his lungs. And when he died, it was, at that time, the most difficult thing that I have ever had to deal with. But, the shattering of my world through my dad's death, especially since my mother died when I was five years old, was the greatest moment in my life. Why, you might ask? Well, it was through my dad's death that I came to faith in the Lord Jesus. And, all of my life's experiences to that point directed me to placing my faith in the only One who could help me, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

Romans 11:13-18

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13 For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them. 15 For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, 18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. ~ Romans 11:13-18

Today, we continue in our study of Romans 9-11 where the main theme is the sovereignty of God. Due to the fact that Israel, for the most part, rejected the Lord Jesus as their Messiah, it only makes sense that we would question the will of God. By virtue of the fact that Israel exercised their will seemingly over God's will, it appears that God is not sovereign. But, He has never forced His will on man. This is the nature of love, and at the end of the day, love is demonstrated by our choices.

Whereas Romans 9 is about God's past dealings with the nation of Israel, and Romans 10 is about His present dealings with Israel, Romans 11 is about the future God has in store for that seemingly insignificant country in the Middle East. In the context of today's passage we have seen that Israel's rejection of the gospel resulted in salvation for those Gentiles humble enough to place our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. And, as we continue through this chapter, we will see that at the end of time, all of Israel will be saved.

In v.13-14 of today's passage we read, "13 For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them."

God gave the Apostle Paul the primary responsibility to take the gospel to the Gentiles in order to provoke the Jews to jealousy. This is what a personal relationship with the Lord God does to us; it causes us to gain His heart for the lost. Before his conversion on the road to Damascus, the Apostle Paul would have never been caught ministering to the lowly Gentiles. Yet, here he is ministering to us because God had called him to it. Evidence of the Father's heart is often seen in our love for the lost, no matter their pedigree.

In v.15 of today's passage we read, "For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?"

The Greek word translated "being cast away" here is a description of unbelief, and it literally means "to throw away." That’s what Israel has done with the gospel; they have discarded it into the trash. God put the gospel in front of them, they pick it up and just discard it and put it in the trash can. 

But, as we see over and over throughout the Bible, a remnant from Israel always returns to the Lord. This verse highlights the fact that even the failure of Israel to believe the Gospel brings about the victory and the triumph of the gospel in greater ways in the world. God’s love turns the enemies of God into sons of God. The word "reconciling" means to bring the two back together so that the worst of the worst could be at peace with God.

Israel's eventual acceptance of the gospel will lead to the reverberation of God's life throughout the world. So, even though Israel has rejected the gospel for now, one day they will believe and they will be used of God to perpetuate the gospel resulting in eternal life for all who will believe. Long before the Lord Jesus walked this earth, this was described for us in Ezekiel 37. When Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime arose the process described in Ezekiel 37 was put into motion. In order to get the Jews out of Europe back into their homeland, God allowed Hitler's Germany to assign the Jews to concentration camps. And, even though they executed literally millions of them, the remaining Jews streamed into their homeland at a rapid rate. This was the beginning of the fulfillment of Ezekiel's prophecy.

Like many Old Testament prophecies, this prophecy has a double fulfillment. The fulfillment of the remainder of this prophecy is yet to come. In a day soon to come the people of Israel, a remnant not all, will come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The remnant is referred to in Revelation 12 where we read in v.10, "I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of supplication so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son; and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn." 

This passage corresponds with Zechariah 12 where we read of the remnant from Israel who will see the Lord Jesus Christ as He descends from heaven to the Mount of Olives. In Revelation 13:1 we read, "In that day, a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for impurity." Further down in Revelation 13:9 we read, "I’ll bring the third part through the fire, refine them as silver is refined, test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name; I will answer them. I will say, 'They are My people,' and they will say, 'The Lord is my God.'" 

In v.16 of today's passage we read, "For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches."

Here Paul quotes Numbers 15:17-21 through which God commanded Israel to give to Him the "firstfruits" of every crop harvest. This practice reminded Israel how everything belongs to Him. The idea of giving the "firstfruits" to God was a way of saying to Him, "Thank you for this provision." The "first fruit" was a subtle indication that just as God has already saved a small remnant of Jews, there will still be the rest of the lump of dough that He would save later. 

Then, the Apostle wrote: "if the root is holy, so are the branches." This means there is an inseparable connection between the branches and the root. The "first fruits" in this case were Israel's patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. And since God set apart the first fruits, then He was setting apart the whole lump.  And if God set apart the root, who was Abraham, then He's setting apart the branches who are believing Israel.

In v.17-18 of today's passage we read, "And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree. 18 Do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you."

In these verse Paul continues with the figure of the previously mentioned olive tree. Here he mentions the grafting process. It was customary in that day to give new life to an old olive tree when it ceased to bear fruit. They would cut off the unproductive old branches and in the process graft in a shoot from a wild olive tree that would end up being productive. The mingling created new life resulting in productivity. The wild olive tree branches represents the gentile believers in the Lord Jesus.

Then the Apostle writes, "Do not boast against the branches." This means don't be proud as if we gentiles are better than the Jewish branches that were cut out. They were cut out due to their unbelief. His point is that the gentiles can't boast because we're not the source of your own blessedness. We are blessed of God through the promises given to Israel through the Abrahamic Covenant. Salvation, said the Lord Jesus in John 4:22, is of the Jews. 

In the book Genesis long ago God said to Abraham, "I'm going to redeem all the nations through you." And only through the Lord Jesus who came out of the loins of Abraham, are we blessed of God with salvation. It would be ridiculous if we were to boast because pride is what lured us away from God in the first place. It was the poison of self that enticed us away from the very One who has our best interest at heart. To those who would give pride access into their hearts we say, "If you uproot the idol and fail to plant the love of Christ in its place, the idol will grow back."

Romans 11:11-12

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11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. 12 Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! ~ Romans 11:11-12

Today, we return to our study of Romans 9-11 where the Apostle Paul is underscoring the sovereignty of God. Amazingly, God's sovereignty is accentuated in these verses through what seems to be an affront to His sovereignty; the free will of man. Man's free will is this: God gives fallen humans the opportunity to make choices that genuinely affect our destiny. Of course, this does not mean that we can do whatever pleases us. Our choices are limited to what is in keeping with our fallen nature. We cannot choose to make ourselves righteous because our sin nature prevents us from canceling our guilt. This is why we desperately need the Lord Jesus.

In this chapter we are learning that God disciplines unbelieving Israel. It is not that He has rejected them; it is that He is disciplining them. Though Israel believes not in the Christ, through their unbelief the Gospel has been extended to Gentiles. And, though Israel is going through a time of discipline from God right now, they have not be utterly destroyed by Him. Israel's perpetuation is a great argument for the promises and existence of God. Israel has merely been set aside because of their choice to reject Christ for now.  

In v.11 of today's passage we read, "I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles."

This verse has as its subject the unbelieving nation of Israel. It is never God's design that any human miss Him. He is not the cause of any human going to hell. In fact, God is clear that He wishes that no one perish in their sin, and, it is His great desire that all come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. In context, the Apostle Paul gives argument to prove that Israel will come to faith in Christ in the future. His argument is that the salvation of the Gentiles was and will be useful to reach Israel with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Throughout the book of Acts, we see that everywhere the Apostle Paul began his ministry with the Jews first. It was only when the Jews rejected the message that the Apostle turned to the Gentiles with the good news of salvation through Christ. As a result, the Gentiles were blessed and we believed because the Jews had refused the Gospel. At the moment of salvation the Gentiles became different people which made the Jews jealous. The Jews stumbled and the result is that the Gentiles were given salvation which in turn provoked Israel to jealousy. The point of the jealousy was that they too might be saved. The purpose of God, then, was to save the Jews ultimately through their stumbling, not to destroy them. 

The word "jealousy" is used here in the positive sense. The Greek word used includes the idea of admiration. The hope is that Israel would be drawn to God through the redemption of the once far off Gentiles. God humbled Israel so that the Gentiles would be redeemed, and, as a result, the Gentiles became the testimony to the Jews. God works in our lives in such a way that our trust in Him grows causing the unsaved world to desire what we have with Him. By blinding Jewish eyes and hardening their hearts, and deafening their ears, God opened the way of salvation to everyone.  

In v.12 of today's passage we read, "Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!"

"Their fall" here is the Jews rejection of Christ which resulted in "riches for the world." This means Israel's rejection of Christ resulted in the Gospel being delivered to the rest of the world. And, if Israel's rejection of Christ resulted in the salvation of many in the Gentile world, how much more will their eventual faith in the Lord Jesus accomplish? The book of the Revelation at the end of the Bible reveals the results of their faith in the Lord Jesus, and, it will be incredible. 

We are told in Zechariah 12, "when they look on Him whom they pierced," they will believe. At His Second Coming, the Lord Jesus will descend to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, and, at that very moment the convicted Jews will recognize the Lord Jesus as their Messiah. This is the "how much more" in Romans 11:12. The result will be the redeemed nation of Israel will reign with their Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, during the Millennium. During that time which will be a period of 1000 years, Satan will be bound and the justice of God will rule the earth. It will be a time of unparalleled blessing and peace on earth.

Israel did not stumble that they should permanently be destroyed, they stumbled so that the salvation of the Gentiles would provoke them jealousy and a then their salvation. All of this will usher in Christ's Messianic millennial kingdom. And then, there will be no mistaking who the Lord Jesus is because we will experience His reign which will be consistent with His words which are: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Romans 11:7-10

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7 What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. 8 Just as it is written: “God has given them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear, to this very day.” 9 And David says: “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a recompense to them. 10 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see, and bow down their back always.” ~ Romans 11:7-10

Today, we continue our study of the sovereignty of God in light of Israel's rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Romans 9 we learned of God's past workings with the nation of Israel, while in Romans 10 we considered God's present workings with Israel. Today, we continue our study of Romans 11 where we will consider God's future dealings with His chosen people. But, before we consider God's future dealings with Israel, we must consider why most of them missed their Messiah when He came to this earth.

In v.7-8 of today's passage we read, "7 What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. 8 Just as it is written: 'God has given them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear, to this very day.'"

The people of Israel did not recognize their Messiah because their hearts had wandered from the God of the Bible. When we hear truth, it is always very important that we respond to it. When we hear the truth and we do not respond affirmatively, we lose our capacity to recognize truth. Our hearts must be engaged. I find it quite instructive that the word "heart" is used 725 times in the Old Testament and 105 times in the New Testament. The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.

God actually hardens hearts. People don't refuse to believe in Him because they are hardened by Him; rather they are hardened because they refuse to believe. They willfully and persistently reject God's grace, so He allows them to go their own way, and eventually confirms them in their unbelief. Israel, as a whole, had made their own volitional choice. And it was their poor choice that made it look like God had not kept His promises. Yet God continues to be at work, doing what He promised He would do, even when it looked like He was being unfaithful to His Word.

The expression of Israel's hardheartedness here was their blindness. Their eyes were so blinded, that even when they saw the truth, they could not see it. They weren't even able to hear the truth due to the stupor that God had given them. The word for "seeks" in v.7 of today's passage means "to diligently seek."  But, Israel's zeal was not according to biblical knowledge. They were ignorant of God's righteousness and they therefore went establishing their own self-righteousness. They lived for their own righteousness; they kept all the rules, ceremonies, rituals, and the laws of the Torah in order to establish their own self-righteousness. And, due to that, they missed the God of the Bible.

In v.9-10 of today's passage we read, "9 And David says: “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a recompense to them. 10 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see, and bow down their back always."

These two verse are quotes from Psalm 69:22-23. The Lord caused "a spirit of stupor" to come upon Israel in response to their rejection of Him. When we do not open our hearts to the Lord, something else will influence them. This is the case here. The word "stupor" means a bewilderment from being struck or like being in a deep sleep that you can't wake up from and thus you can't see or hear. It is a dangerous thing to ignore the wooings of God to follow Him.

On one hand, the Bible makes it clear that God loves us with an everlasting love, and He stands ready to forgive anyone who sincerely turns to Christ in repentance and faith. The Bible also warns that when we repeatedly turn away from God, we can reach a point of no return. The reason isn’t because God won’t forgive us, but because our hearts have grown so cold and hardened because of sin. God still calls us but we are too insensitive to hear His voice. 

In 2 Corinthians 6:2 we read, "Behold, today is the accepted time; behold, today is the day of salvation." God's time is always today. Today is the only time we have got. We do not have yesterday; it is gone. We may not get tomorrow. Therefore, God always addresses us in this existential fashion. And His appeal to us is this: "Don't wait! Believe in me now! Don't wait share the Gospel with the lost! Do it now!" It is a sad moment when we do not obey the leading of God in our lives. But, it is the greatest blessing when we obey Him. Every time that I have ever obeyed Him in this way, He had something incredibly great waiting on me on the other side. So, my friend, let me encourage you to take that step. You will be glad that you did.