August 16, 2021
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Romans? Here’s today’s reading:
Romans 11 (NIV)
The Remnant of Israel
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 Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 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”? ......Continue Reading
Romans 11
“So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.”
Romans 11:5-6 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.11.5-6.NIV
“For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”
Romans 11:36 NIV
https://romans.bible/romans-11-36
Even in their sin and unbelief, God did not abandon the Jews. They still had access to Him and He showed Himself still faithful represented in the remnant of Jews that did believe. And for those who didn’t believe, God hardened them further. And yet even those who were hardened were not beyond recovery. Rather, because of their unbelief and rejection of Christ, the gospel came to the gentiles, and if we are blessed to have found Christ because of the Jews, how much greater will the blessing be if and when the Jews return to God? In fact God desires to use our connection to Him to make the Jews envious and arouse them to evaluate what they have missed. So we as gentiles have no place to look down on them as if we are better than them because we got it and they didn’t because that would be doing the same wrong thing that the Jews did and how much more would God graft them back into the faithful if they were to believe.
In fact in His mercy, God will draw all Israel back to Him and all those who believe ( the true Israel) will be saved. And such mercy shown in the presence of Jewish and Gentile disobedience is noteworthy and shows the wisdom and wonder of God who is far better to us than anyone deserves….Amen?
Dear Pastor Peter,
Please explain the “true Israel” that you mentioned.
Thanks
the Jews who believe in Jesus…..sorry so long to reply….
The Jews missed their King and allowed their disbelief to instead crucify Jesus, however, God did not turn from them. God used this as an opportunity to reach the Gentiles so that they would believe. God’s grace and mercy extends to all both Jew and Gentile and if He looks on them the same who are we to look on each other differently. None is better than the other all of us have been saved by God’s grace not by anything we did on our own.