Romans 9:1- 8, I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.
Paul comes now to the justification of the ways of God in relation to man. In the next three chapters; 9, 10 & 11, he demonstrates the consistency of God. We're going to look at what Paul said and then see what it teaches us. Remember, Paul was proud of his Jewish heritage. Whenever he described himself he showed this pride. When he wrote to the Philippians he was of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. Yet, many people take this section of Romans to mean that somehow he rejected his "Jewishness". Nothing could be further from the truth. What he is doing is mourning over the fact that Jesus came to his own and his own people did not receive him. What a tragedy!
When a person receives Christ Jesus as Savior and Lord there is a transition in their life. All relationships change! Old relationships often become less important than the new relationships being made. That's sad because very soon a new believer does not have positive contact with the unbelievers they once associated with. Soon all their relationships are with believers and usually they like it! The problem is, they need to be able to witness to their old relationships whether they are family or friends. Paul did not want his relationship to Israel, his people, to be broken. At the same time, he could not deny his relationship to Jesus Christ.
A few years before, Paul had written to the Corinthians that, "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." At the same time Paul has to deal with the sovereignty of God. At the end of chapter 8 he has said that there is no separation from the love of God that's in Christ Jesus. Yet, God's covenant relationship with Israel seems to have been broken. Many Christians believe that the Jews, as a race, have an unbreakable relationship with God. Well, that's not taught in the Bible.
John the Baptist said, "God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham." Jesus said, "If you were children of Abraham, you would be doing the works that Abraham did." In both cases they were speaking to people who were physically descended from Abraham. And in both cases, John and Jesus, state clearly that a physical relationship to Abraham does not count!
But let’s go on.
With the strongest possible words, the Apostle now tells us that he desires Israel's salvation.
The truth is...
In Christ, who is the truth. Read with me, 1 John 5:20, And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
Paul tells us, "I'm speaking the truth in Christ", and that's a pretty strong statement seeing that Christ is the one who is true. In fact, Christ is the true God and eternal life. Jesus himself said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life".
At one time, in this country, and in most other countries that were under English common law, a person who was asked to give testimony would lay their hand on the Bible and state that they are telling the truth, “so help me God”. Of course, it's a superstition that somehow having the Bible present would make a person tell the truth. But to say, "I'm speaking the truth in Christ", is a very strong statement. Yet, Paul went on to say, "I am not lying". He wanted his readers, us included, to understand that he was truly grieved that his people, according to the flesh, were mostly not Christians. The same is true today and should be a concern to us. Paul goes on to say that his…
Conscience is guided by the Holy Spirit. Read with me, 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee".
Everyone, everywhere, has a conscience. It's not something that we learn. it's something that we know and feel. We are confronted with the knowledge of right and wrong everyday. Our natural conscience has been twisted and damaged by the fall of man into sin but is there none the less. We can harden our conscience, or the circumstances we have been in can harden it. This is especially common in a soldier who goes into combat. At first there is a hesitation to kill and when it happens there are guilt feelings. Later, as the soldier goes on killing to stay alive and protect his friends, killing becomes a part of the job. The people who are killed are no longer thought of as human but as targets or some other object.
When a person becomes a Christian, God puts his seal on that person and gives that person his Spirit. The presence of the Holy Spirit has a profound effect on a person's conscience. Paul wants us to understand that he is not lying and that his conscience bears witness to that truth in the Holy Spirit.
Having said all that, Paul wants us to know that…
I could wish myself accursed for my people. Moses had a similar experience when the people of Israel returned to idol worship and Moses asked God to forgive them, turn with me to, Exodus 32:31-32, So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.”
Paul said that if it were possible he could wish himself accursed for his people's sake. However he knows, and at the end of chapter 8 has proven to us, that he cannot be accursed. He has just told us that nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. He could hardly have taught Romans chapter 8 and then stated that he could somehow be accursed for any reason. But, if he could, he would.
What a missionary zeal is displayed in these words! Most Christians are nowhere near that level of commitment to winning their friends and family. Our commitment level is such that we may witness to a person if they ask us to and it's convenient. If there's no TV show that we might miss, or some project we might interrupt, we would stop and say a few words. There need to be more people who desire others to be saved to the point that they're willing to leave their comfort zone and share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul wanted Israel to be saved because he shared in the…
Heritage of the Israelites.
Notice that he doesn't use the word "Jews" instead he uses "Israel". This is important as he's going to show us further on in the chapter.
The Jews are a chosen people. Turn with me to, Exodus 4:22-23, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” Moses is speaking to Pharaoh and stating how strong God's commitment to the people of Israel really is. The people that were only slaves to the Egyptians are really considered by God to be his children. They were adopted by God. They were going to see the glory of God during their rescue and their wanderings in the wilderness. They were going to enter into a covenant relationship with God and receive the law from his hand. It was a very serious matter for Pharaoh to hold the children of the living God in slavery! These were people who were going to learn from God how to worship him.
Who knew how to worship. There are too many passages in the Old Testament about worship for us to begin to read them. Suffice it to say, with the writer of Hebrews, even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. Instead let's move to Paul's own words in, Romans 12:1, I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Old Testament worship involved many rituals designed to point forward to Christ. An unblemished animal would be brought before the priest, or in the absence of a priest, before the head of the household and after confessing their sins over it, it would be slaughtered and placed on the altar of sacrifice. Depending on the type of sacrifice, part of the meat could be eaten by the family and the priest. The elaborate rituals of the Jews show the compassionate heart of God and his desire to free his people from their blood guilt. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, the wages of sin is death! All those animal sacrifices looked forward to a time when God would send his son, while we were yet sinners, to die on the cross and pay for those sins.
Since Jesus died on the cross for our sins there is no more animal sacrifice. Instead, we are called upon to present ourselves as living sacrifices. That is our spiritual worship! We are to be holy — set apart to God — and acceptable to God. Most of us are not acceptable to ourselves how can we be acceptable to God? Paul answered that question a number of times. He wrote to the Colossians, He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. I submit to you, you do not get more accepted than that! We are not holy because of what we do we are holy because of who he is. We are not acceptable because of what we do we are acceptable because of who he is.
The Israelites had much to be commended for. Because…
From them is the Christ — God over all! Read with me, Colossians 1:16-19, For by him (Jesus Christ) all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, …
What a powerful statement! This is what, according to the flesh, came from Israel. The Creator of All Things. Things in heaven and things on earth. Things we can see things we cannot. Every Power that exists came from him. Not only did he create all things but all things belong to him. He existed before all things and he holds everything together. He is the head of the church! He is the beginning! He is the firstborn from the dead so he can be above everything. And, most importantly, in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.
No, Paul was not rejecting his relationship to his native people. He gloried in that relationship. But at the same time he grieved that his people were not saved. He could no longer associate with many of the people of Israel because they would not accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. And consequently, they rejected Paul.
What does this mean for us?
If this passage is just all about the Jews it doesn't really apply to us. But it is not about the "Jews". It is about "Israel", and we need to remember that the church of the living God is…
The "Israel of God". Turn with me to, Galatians 6:15-16, For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.
Being a Jew according to the flesh, or not being a Jew according to the flesh, doesn't mean anything at all. Instead, what counts is the Israel of God. Repeatedly, Paul has stated that what really counts is a faith relationship to God based on grace. Romans Chapter 9 verses 6 to 8 say very clearly that not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel. Not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring. The children of the flesh are not the true children of Abraham instead only the children of the promise are his children. The inheritance of Abraham comes to those who have faith because he is the father of the faithful. As a result of that, the true heirs receive…
The promises of God. Read with me, Galatians 3:13-14, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
All mankind are born under a curse — the curse of Adam. For an untold number of generations man lived under that curse. Animal sacrifices were made to atone for their sins and to point them to the true sacrifice of God. Jesus came into the world for the express purpose of becoming sin for us, being beaten, dragged through the streets, and nailed to a cross. In doing so, he atoned for our sins so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. He did this, according to this passage of Scripture, so that in Christ Jesus the blessings of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, (that's us) and that we might receive the promised Holy Spirit. And become…
The people of God. Turn with me to, 1 Peter 2:9-10, But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
The Christian church comes from all races and all nations. We are not a people, according to human standards, we are unrelated by blood. Except, God now says that we are his people because we have now received mercy. We have become a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession. He has transferred us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. We have become children of Abraham because he is the father of all those who come to God by faith.
There are so much confusion in the world today among believers in Christ about the role of the Jewish people and especially the modern-day nation of Israel. We need to remember that the true church today is the Israel of God, the heirs of promise, a holy people and a royal priesthood. Jews who are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, saved by grace through faith, are part of the kingdom but are not "the kingdom". We also need to remember that Jesus Christ is God over all and blessed forever. We must put our faith in him and him alone. He is our Lord and the only way of salvation! I hope each of you have trusted Christ alone for your salvation.
All Scripture quotes are from:The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
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