| 1 I ask then: Did God reject his people?
By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the
tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.
Don't you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah-- how he
appealed to God against Israel: |
Paul proceeds to explain God's plan for the
Jewish people. appealed to God against Israel. Prayer should always
be made "for" people, not "against" people. |
| 3 "Lord, they have killed your prophets and
torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill
me"? |
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| 4 And what was God's answer to him? "I have
reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal." |
Many times our prayers are inadequate. We think
we know what God should do, but our lack of knowledge reveals are
presumption. |
| 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant
chosen by grace. |
remnant. Jews that are believers in Jesus
as the Messiah. |
| 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer by
works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. |
There can be no possibility of teaching
salvation by grace and works. Works nullify the meaning of grace. |
| 7 What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it
did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, |
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| 8 as it is written: "God gave them a spirit of
stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not
hear, to this very day." |
The very word that should have awakened them
blinded them. You must ask "how" God blinds the eyes. Illustration: If
someone says, Pastor Brown killed someone the other day, then you might
assume I did something wrong. But when you ask what happened, and how it
happened, you may discover someone else was at fault. Remember, the same sun
that melts wax hardens clay. In this sense, God hardens hearts because the
person's heart is wrong.
The more you talk to people about the Lord they will either get hard or
soft. |
| 9 And David says: "May their table become a
snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. |
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| 10 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot
see, and their backs be bent forever." |
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11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall
beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression,
salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious.
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| 12 But if their transgression means riches for
the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater
riches will their fullness bring! |
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| 13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I
am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry |
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| 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own
people to envy and save some of them. |
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| 15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation
of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? |
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16 If the part of the dough offered as
firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so
are the branches.
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if the root is holy. Paul points out
that the Jews have the forefathers whom were holy, so God will make them
holy. |
| 17 If some of the branches have been broken
off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the
others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, |
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| 18 do not boast over those branches. If you do,
consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. |
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| 19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off
so that I could be grafted in." |
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20 Granted. But they were broken off because of
unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid.
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| 21 For if God did not spare the natural
branches, he will not spare you either. |
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| 22 Consider therefore the kindness and
sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided
that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. |
A stern warning that should be taken seriously.
(see my article on Can Christians lose their
salvation?) |
| 23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they
will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. |
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| 24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive
tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a
cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural
branches, be grafted into their own olive tree! |
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| 25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this
mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced
a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. |
Part. Meros a section or
allotment. Refers to numbers.
Until. Achri of time.
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| 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is
written: "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away
from Jacob. |
This will take place just before the end,
before the worldwide peace of nations take place in the Millennium reign of
Christ. See Rev 7:5-8 and 8:1; Rev 10:7 All. Does not necessarily
mean "everyone without exception." Full number of gentiles definitely
does not mean everyone without exception. |
| 27 And this is my covenant with them when I take
away their sins." |
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28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are
enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved
on account of the patriarchs,
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Dispensationalists teach that the promises to
Israel belong only to Israel and cannot be claimed by the Church.
Covenant theologians teach that Israel forfeited the promises made to
them and so now the promises belong to the Church and not to Israel.
Paul’s theology teaches that the promises made to Israel belong to the
Church but near the end of time, Israel will come into the promises that
they have temporarily forfeited. |
29 for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable.
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God does not change his mind. If God called you
into the ministry then it is a permanent call. No sin could remove the call
from your life. Unfortunately, many are called, but few are walking in their
call. |
| 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient
to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, |
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| 31 so they too have now become disobedient in
order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. |
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| 32 For God has bound all men over to
disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all. |
There is equality in God’s mind. |
| 33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom
and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond
tracing out! |
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| 34 "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who
has been his counselor?" |
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| 35 "Who has ever given to God, that God should
repay him?" |
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| 36 For from him and through him and to him are
all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. |
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Romans 
