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Israel’s Rejection of Christ
I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit,
I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit,
God’s Selection of Israel
With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it.
With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it.
that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart.
My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief
who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises;
of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.
Israel’s Rejection and God’s Purpose
But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel,
But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel,
Well then, has God failed to fulfill his promise to Israel? No, for not all who are born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God’s people!
nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.”
That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.
This means that Abraham’s physical descendants are not necessarily children of God. Only the children of the promise are considered to be Abraham’s children.
For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.”
And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac
(for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls),
But before they were born, before they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. (This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes;
it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.”
As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”
Israel’s Rejection and God’s Justice
What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not!
What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not!
Are we saying, then, that God was unfair? Of course not!
For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”
So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.
For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.”
Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.
So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen.
You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?”
Well then, you might say, “Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven’t they simply done what he makes them do?”
But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?”
No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?”
Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?
When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into?
What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,
In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction.
and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,
He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory.
even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
And we are among those whom he selected, both from the Jews and from the Gentiles.
As He says also in Hosea:
“I will call them My people, who were not My people,
And her beloved, who was not beloved.”
“I will call them My people, who were not My people,
And her beloved, who was not beloved.”
“And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them,
‘You are not My people,’
There they shall be called sons of the living God.”
‘You are not My people,’
There they shall be called sons of the living God.”
Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel:
“Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea,
The remnant will be saved.
“Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea,
The remnant will be saved.
And concerning Israel, Isaiah the prophet cried out,
“Though the people of Israel are as numerous as the sand of the seashore,
only a remnant will be saved.
“Though the people of Israel are as numerous as the sand of the seashore,
only a remnant will be saved.
Present Condition of Israel
What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith;
What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith;
Israel’s Unbelief
What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place.
But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded.
As it is written:
“Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense,
And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
“Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense,
And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”