Not All Who Claim Abraham are Actually Israel
Paul gives
a really tough analogy here in Romans 9 – an analogy that I don’t think many of
us want to hear. Paul begins by telling
us that he wishes he were cut off for the sake of his kin. This tells us that he believes part of his
Hebrew kin are not included in the promise of salvation. Of course, Paul goes on a few verses later
and makes that claim official when he says in v.6-7, “For not all who are
descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham
because they are his offspring.” He then
follows up that verse by saying “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 then uses
a great example to illustrate that God does not select people based on the
physical attributes or what the world asserts as important. Esau was born first, but Esau was rejected by
God in favor of Jacob because God could judge what was inside. Paul’s point in this statement is that a
people who have the appearance of keeping the Law but who can also find
themselves rejecting the Messiah have a good outward appearance but they are
rejected based upon what lies in the heart.
God is not fooled by a great outward appearance. Either one humbles oneself to Christ or one
doesn’t.
This is
the tough message that I don’t think many of us really want to hear. But here it is. Here is truth. If God can give Israel so many opportunities
and lavish upon them so many blessings and still reject those among Israel who
reject Christ, why then should it be any different upon us Gentiles? Furthermore – and be prepared for this to
hurt – why should those in Christ’s Church who have the outward appearance of
being faithful but who do not have the inward obedience – inward slavery, even!
– have it any differently? No,
friends. There is one simple
qualification: am I justified by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ while
obediently responding to His will?
Or do I
simply seek to serve my own will while giving lip service to God? Do I accept Christ in name only or do I make
God’s agenda my own while forsaking my own selfish desires? Am I really Christ’s, or do I make Him mine
when it is convenient?
Now, I
certainly don’t mean to make people doubt unnecessarily so. Paul has asserted that those who have the
Holy Spirit within them belong to Christ.
That is still absolutely true. If
you have the Holy Spirit within you then you are in Christ. Be confident in your salvation because God
lives in you. But at the same time I do
wish to be blunt. If the Holy Spirit is
not within you, do not think that God is fooled by an outward appearance.
I can go
to church every Sunday and not be in Christ.
I can quote scripture and not be in Christ. {After
all, doesn’t Satan Himself quote scripture when tempting Jesus in the
wilderness?} I can sing praise songs
and lift my hands in the air and not be in Christ. It is God’s Holy Spirit within me and my obedient
response that guarantees that I am in Christ. If God did not accept the outward appearance
of His own chosen people, why would He ever accept the outward appearance of
any of us?
All of That is True, and God is Still Righteous
Amidst all
of this we must certainly not dare to think that God is unjust. God has given salvation to all who desire to
receive it. God has not given it to some
and given others no hope of receiving it!
Any who desire to humble themselves before God can and will receive
Christ and receive His Holy Spirit. God
is never unjust in punishing those who refuse His gift and who continue to
wallow in their unrepentant sinful behavior.
How Can the Gentiles Be Blessed?
This
brings us to the end of the chapter. How
is it that salvation and grace has come to a people who did not pursue God’s
Law while so many who pursue God’s Law find themselves perishing? Is this some ironic twist of fate? The answer to the question lies in taking
another perspective on the question. The
proper question to ask is who has pursued God by faith and who has pursued God
by works of their own righteousness?
The
Gentiles, who have no hope of following the Law, are in the same boat as the
Jews who have the Law. Any Gentile or
Jew who pursues God by faith will find Christ.
Any Jew or Gentile who pursues God by faith will come to terms with
their inability to attain the Law and they will come to terms with their need
for a Messiah. They will come to terms
with why it is that they must come humbly before their God with a contrite
heart. By faith we understand that we
cannot save ourselves and we see we need a Messiah – we need Jesus. Jew or Gentile, by faith we understand that
we need Jesus.
But any
Jew or Gentile that pursues God through their own works only ends up attaining
self-righteousness. Any Jew or Gentile
that comes to God and says, “Look at how good I have been,” believes the lie
that they have told themselves. Nobody
is righteous on their own, especially those who actually know the Law. Regardless of heritage, a person who
approaches God under the guise of their own righteousness has missed the point
of faith, the point of grace, and therefore has missed Jesus Christ Himself.
God is
just when we understand that His judgment is not based on who has access to the
Law but rather based on who responds to God free gift of grace out of
faith. From that perspective, the whole
world is on an even playing field.
Respond to God out of faith, your life may depend on it!
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