Therefore, Don't Conform. Be Transformed.

November 20, 2024 by Andrew Forrest in Bible

New Advent devotional books

I’ve written a simple Advent devotional book that we’ll be handing out at Asbury starting this weekend.

Readings start on December 1 and continue through each weekday of the Advent season, and as we work our way to Christmas, we’ll look at the overall story of the Bible and see God’s plan of salvation from the very beginning.

Take a stack of books and hand them out at Thanksgiving!

Live out of town? Email Sandie.

Romans 12:1-8

12 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. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

“Therefore” means that Paul is following up from his beautiful doxology in the last chapter. In light of the long, complicated discussion of God’s relationship with Jews and Gentiles and His saving purposes, Paul says the only proper response is worship. “In light of what I just said, therefore….”

Because God is so good, worship is the proper response.

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 [Romans 12:1].

Romans 12:2 is the theme verse for our entire Romans study:

2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

What’s fascinating to me about this verse is that Paul says we can know God’s will after we are committed to transformation. Our worship will result in renewed minds so that we will be able to discern God’s will for our lives.

This passage comes after Paul’s long discussion about Israel and his remarks to Jewish and Gentile Christians in the previous 11 chapters. Now, he says, “You are all important, and no one is more important or necessary than anyone else.”

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness [Romans 12:3-8].

We each have a role to play, and each role is important in its own way.

You are not more important than anyone else.
But much depends on your role, and only you can play the part assigned to you, so play your part with zeal and cheerfulness.

Paul's Theology Leads to Doxology

November 19, 2024 by Andrew Forrest in Bible

Romans 11:25-36

25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,
“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;
27 “and this will be my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”
28 As regards the Gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. 32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

For the past three chapters, Paul has been making one long, technical argument, and in today’s reading he finally brings it to fulfillment by recapping the main themes he has been emphasizing in chapters 9–11.

Remember: The Roman church to which Paul is writing was made up of both Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians, and most likely the Gentile Christians were in the majority. Throughout this whole long, complicated section, filled with Old Testament allusions and quotations, Paul has been examining and answering four related questions:

Why did so many of the Jews refuse to accept Jesus as Messiah?
In light of Jewish rejection of Jesus and Gentile acceptance of Jesus, has God replaced the Jews with the Gentiles as His chosen people?
Is there any hope that the Jews who previously rejected Jesus as Messiah might one day turn back and believe?
In light of all of the above, what is God up to?

25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in [Romans 11:25].

Paul says that God has allowed Israel—His chosen people—to have hard hearts toward the Messiah so that the Gentiles have a chance to believe. “The fullness of the Gentiles” implies completion—whatever the actual number of Gentiles who become Christians, Paul says that God is going to keep going until every possible person is saved. As Paul has been arguing in previous verses, the closed doors of the Jews have caused the Gospel to be shared with the Gentiles, who seem to have opened their doors to Christ.

But then Paul makes this startling claim:

26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,
“The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins” [Romans 11:26–27].

How or when “all Israel” will be saved, he doesn’t say, but the clear implication that what was once only a minority of the Jews putting faith in Jesus will become, in God’s timing, the vast majority.

28 As regards the Gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. 32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all [Romans 11:28–32].

Paul uses strong language to make the point that God is now using the Jews to provoke the Gentiles to faith, and then God will use the Gentiles to provoke the Jews to faith, because He is committed to the Jews as His chosen people, and because God uses bad things for good. And all along God’s goal has been to show mercy to as many people as possible!

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” [Romans 11:33–35].

The issues involved in chapters 9–11 are profound, and Paul (and us) is forced to acknowledge that God’s ways are deep and mysterious.

But the depth of God’s wisdom and mercy causes him to close this section of the letter with a doxology—a “word of glory.”

36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen [Romans 11:36].

What a good way to wrap up today’s commentary!

Why "Once Saved, Always Saved" Is Sloppy Theology

November 18, 2024 by Andrew Forrest in Bible

Romans 11:17-24

17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. 23 And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

The Roman church to which Paul is writing was made up of both Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians, and most likely the Gentile Christians were in the majority. Throughout this whole long, complicated section, filled with Old Testament allusions and quotations, Paul has been examining and answering four related questions:

Why did so many of the Jews refuse to accept Jesus as Messiah?
In light of Jewish rejection of Jesus and Gentile acceptance of Jesus, has God replaced the Jews with the Gentiles as His chosen people?
Is there any hope that the Jews who previously rejected Jesus as Messiah might one day turn back and believe?
In light of all of the above, what is God up to?

Paul here is directly addressing the Gentile Romans Christians, and he tells them not to get puffed up and think they are any better than the unbelieving Jews, just because God has graciously “grafted” them into His covenant people.

17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you [Romans 11:17–18].

The image is of an olive tree in an orchard, with the olive grower grafting in wild branches into the cultivated tree. The life comes from the root; Paul wants the Gentiles to remember that they are the ones being adopted in as God’s people, and not the other way around.

And then Paul hits the final note of his argument, which is breathtaking in its implications:

19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in” [Romans 11:19].

He imagines a prideful Roman Gentile Christian saying, “Well, yes, I’ve been adopted in, but that’s only because the Jews were disobedient, hard-hearted, and unbelieving.”

Paul’s response:

20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear [Romans 11:20].

He tells the Gentiles, “Don’t gloat over your salvation, but stand in awe and reverence before God, who has permitted you to be saved through faith.”

And then he hits the Gentiles with a bracing reminder:

21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you [Romans 11:21].

In other words, don’t you dare think that your current status as being part of God’s people mean that you can live as an unbeliever or allow your heart to become coarsened toward God, because if unbelieving Jews aren’t saved, neither are unbelieving Gentiles—stay faithful and persevere to the end!

He goes on:

22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. 23 And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree [Romans 11:22–24].

This is both a powerful warning and a word of encouragement to American Christians. There is lots of sloppy theological sentiment that is bandied about these days, and Paul’s words apply a necessary correction:

The phrase “once saved, always saved” is helpful when it offers comfort to Christians who find themselves backslidden or having engaged in sinful practices and who sincerely mourn their sins and repent. Jesus never refuses anyone who cries out for mercy—you cannot “lose” your salvation accidentally, the way you might accidently drop your car keys.
On the other hand, the phrase “once saved, always saved” plainly is not what the New Testament teaches, if by that glib phrase we imply “Once you are baptized, it is impossible to reject God and walk away from His grace.” Look at the plain sense of what Paul says here:

22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off [Romans 11:22].

What Paul is saying to the Gentile Christians is, “Don’t think you can make the same mistake that the unbelieving Jews have made—they presume upon God’s kindness just because of their former status, even though they are presently rejecting His grace.”

This passage is a warning to us as well. We must continue to faithfully respond to God’s grace toward us or face the consequences.

But this passage is also an encouragement:

23 And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree [Romans 11:23–24].

There is hope for everyone—until the very end, God is graciously offering everyone the opportunity to repent and receive His mercy. So, even unbelieving Jews, if they were to turn back to God and accept Jesus as Messiah, would be be brought back into God’s grace. After all, if God can graft in “wild” branches, who knows what he might do with the “natural branches”, i.e., with unbelieving Jews at some point in the future?

Pray today for spiritual awakening among the Jewish people.

Is It Too Late For Unbelieving Jews?

November 15, 2024 by Andrew Forrest in Bible

Romans 11:11-24

11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!
13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 15 For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? 16 If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

Remember that chapters 9–11 make up one unified, technically complex section, filled with Old Testament allusions and quotations. As we work through this section, we see that Paul is examining and answering four related questions:

Why did so many of the Jews refuse to accept Jesus as Messiah?
In light of Jewish rejection of Jesus and Gentile acceptance of Jesus, has God replaced the Jews with the Gentiles as His chosen people?
Is there any hope that the Jews who previously rejected Jesus as Messiah might one day turn back and believe?
In light of all of the above, what is God up to?

So, in today’s reading Paul asks, Is it too late for the unbelieving Jews? Has their “stumbling” by missing the Gospel mean that they are going to permanently fall away from salvation?

11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? [Romans 11:11].

Paul gives a two-part answer to the question:

No, it’s not too late for the Jews!
And by the way, the Jewish refusal to accept the Messiah has meant that God has moved to bring in the Gentiles—an amazing act of God; so, along the same lines, if Jewish refusal brings in the Gentiles, can you imagine how great it will be when the Jews finally accept the Messiah?!

11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! [Romans 11:11–12].

Paul’s primary mission has become a mission to the Gentiles, and here Paul talks about that:

13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them [Romans 11:13–14].

His point is that he hopes that the success of his ministry to the Gentiles will actually get the Jews’ attention and cause them to reconsider and then believe in Jesus as Messiah. Note that Paul is here talking about saving unbelieving Jews who have previously rejected Jesus. Verse 14 is proof, therefore, that just because someone has rejected Jesus previously does not mean that it is too late for that person. Remember the amazing message of Jeremiah 18 (which Paul has explicitly referenced in Romans 9 but that is in the background of this entire section of chapters 9–11):

5 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7 If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, 8 and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. 9 And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, 10 and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it. 11 Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds’ [Jeremiah 18:5–11].

The point of the Jeremiah passage is that God will respond to people according to their willingness or their refusal to repent:

If they repent and turn from disobedience toward obedience, then God will change His plan of destruction to a plan of blessing;
If they turn from obedience toward evil, then God will change His plan of blessing to a plan of destruction.

In 11:14, Paul is specifically referring to the possibility of future salvation for Jews who have previously rejected Christ. In other words, it is never ever too late, and God’s desire is that people turn and repent. From a reading of Romans 9–11 that takes into account the entirety of Paul’s long, technical, and complicated argument, I believe that we cannot come to the conclusion that God has previously decreed—“predestined” that some people will be saved and others will be damned. You may disagree and I respect and expect disagreement, but you better be ready to back up your argument with support from chapters 9–11!

15 For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? 16 If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches [Romans 11:15–16].

Once again, Paul holds out hope that, if God has used the rejection of the Jews in order to bring in the Gentiles, then shouldn’t we expect something great to happen if and when the Jews finally come to faith?!

Because the synagogues slammed the door in the apostles’ faces, so to speak, the apostles turned to the Gentiles who were open to the message about Jesus. But Paul holds out hope that, because some Jews have believed—he calls these Jewish Christians “the firstfruits” (v.16)—who knows that, in the end, the rest might also believe?

Don’t you ever give up hope for anyone.

Some Of The Jews Were Spiritually Blind

November 14, 2024 by Andrew Forrest in Bible

Romans 11:1-10

11 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God's reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written,
“God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear,
down to this very day.”
9 And David says,
“Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them;10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.”

Remember, throughout this whole long, complicated section, filled with Old Testament allusions and quotations, we see that Paul is examining and answering four related questions:

Why did so many of the Jews refuse to accept Jesus as Messiah?
In light of Jewish rejection of Jesus and Gentile acceptance of Jesus, has God replaced the Jews with the Gentiles as His chosen people?
Is there any hope that the Jews who previously rejected Jesus as Messiah might one day turn back and believe?
In light of all of the above, what is God up to?

Paul begins our section today once again stating his certainty that God has not given up on the Jews:

1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew [Romans 11:1–2].

Paul makes the point that it’s not as if none of the Jews have accepted Christ, and he puts himself forward as a prime example to prove his point—Paul, after all, was Jewish.

No, “God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.” (v. 2)

Note the word “foreknew” here. In the context it cannot mean “those whom God already predestined for belief” because Paul is obviously talking here about Jews who have NOT believed. When Paul uses that word here and in Romans 8:29, he simply means “the people God has already known” or “known for a long time in the past.”

Paul then references the Old Testament story of Elijah (1 Kings 19:18) to make the point that God always has a remnant of faithful people. (I find this point very encouraging.)

2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God's reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace [Romans 10:2–6].

There are some Jews that have believed, and it’s not that they earned their salvation; rather, their salvation is a gift of God.

Then Paul goes on to cite some Old Testament verses to make the point that although the elect—the ones who believe—have responded in faith to Messiah Jesus, the rest have been blind and unable to see what’s right in front of them.

7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written,
“God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear,
down to this very day.”
9 And David says,
“Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them;10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever” [Romans 11:7–10].

Way back in Romans 1, Paul told us that one of the consequences of sin is spiritual blindness. Therefore, an important prayer to pray for unbelievers is that the Lord would open their eyes to the truth.

For whom do you need to be praying today?

Did The Jews Not Know About Jesus?

November 13, 2024 by Andrew Forrest in Bible

Romans 10:14-21

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the Gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for
“Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”
19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,
“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.”
20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,
“I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”
21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

Paul begins by making the point that unless the Gospel is shared with the Jews, then there is no way they could respond to the news:

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” [Romans 10:14–15].

Unfortunately, the Jews just haven’t listened:

16 But they have not all obeyed the Gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ [Romans 10:16–17].

And they haven’t listened, even though, speaking with hyperbole, Paul says, “everyone has heard about Jesus, so it’s not like it’s a secret:”

18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for
“Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world” [Romans 10:18].

So, did the Jews not understand the Gospel? Why haven’t more Jews accepted Christ?

19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry” [Romans 10:19].

Paul says that God seems to be using the Gentiles to get the attention of Israel—if the Gentiles believe in Jesus as Messiah, shouldn’t this provoke Israel to faith?

And, once again, Paul makes the point that the Old Testament prophets foretold that God was planning all along to bring in the Gentiles:

20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,
“I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me” [Romans 10:20].28

But why haven’t more Jews believed? Well, Paul says it is because they are being disobedient and hard-hearted:

21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people” [Romans 10:21].

In our time, many parts of the Muslim world are totally unreached by the Gospel. Pray today that the Lord would raise up missionaries that will go share the good news in those places.

How Does A Person Become A Christian?

November 12, 2024 by Andrew Forrest in Bible

Romans 10:5-13

5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Throughout chapters 9–11, Paul is examining and answering four related questions:

Why did so many of the Jews refuse to accept Jesus as Messiah?
In light of Jewish rejection of Jesus and Gentile acceptance of Jesus, has God replaced the Jews with the Gentiles as His chosen people?
Is there any hope that the Jews who previously rejected Jesus as Messiah might one day turn back and believe?
In light of all of the above, what is God up to?

In our previous day’s reading (vv. 10:1–4), Paul has explained that Jesus as Messiah was a difficult concept for the Jews to accept; many of them “stumbled” over Jesus and consequently missed the life that He came to bring.

Here, Paul makes the point that the Old Testament had said that if you want life, you have to obediently follow the Law:

5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them [Romans 10:5].

The problem (as Paul has explained in chapters 1–7) is that no one was actually able to follow the Law. But the good news is that though no one else was able to perfectly keep the Law; Jesus Himself perfectly followed it and, though He died in place of disobedient Israel, God raised Him from the dead; through His obedience Jesus now offers the blessings of the Law to all who trust in Him. Paul calls this “the righteousness based on faith” (v. 6).

And then Paul explains that faith is trusting that God has already done in Christ what needed to be done—we don’t have to do it:

6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead) [Romans 10:6–7].

In other words, there is no need to try and bring Christ down from heaven, since He has already made that journey, and there is no need to try and descend into the place of the dead—that is, “the abyss”— to raise up God’s people, since Jesus has already descended to the dead and ascended to sit at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, holding in his hand the keys of death and Hades (Revelation 1:18).

No, there is no need to do any of that, because Christ has already done it. Rather, all you have to do is trust:

8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” [Romans 10:8–13].

You just need to trust—have faith in—Jesus;
This faith is both an internal decision to trust Jesus (“believe in your heart”) and an external action that conforms to the internal decision (“confess with your mouth”);
Anyone who trusts in Jesus will be saved;
And there is one salvation for both Jews and Gentiles—everyone is saved by the same way—by faith.

Have you placed your trust in Jesus by internal decision—belief in your heart—and external action—confession with your mouth?

Who around you can you lead to Christ in this way? Be praying for the opportunity.

The Jews Missed The Forest For The Trees

November 11, 2024 by Andrew Forrest in Bible

Romans 10:1-4

10 Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Remember, it seems that some of the Roman Gentile Christians had come to believe that God was replacing the Jews as His chosen people with the Gentiles as His chosen people, and so Paul is giving a long, complicated response to that issue.

Here, he says that he really wants the unbelieving Jews to be saved.

1Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved [Romans 10:1].

The reason the Jews aren’t believing is not because they don’t care, but that they care about the wrong things:

2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness [Romans 10:2–3].

The Jews had the Law of God, and they thought this made them superior to the Gentiles, but when the Messiah came in a way different than their expectations, they missed Him. Israel’s problem is that they missed the forest for the trees—they were “zealous” but not for the right cause. Think of the Pharisees, arguing with the Son of God and totally missing Him. The Jews were so concerned with the Law that they were unable to see that:

4Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes [Romans 10:4].

This is a beautiful, profound point. The Greek word telos means “end” as in “The End” at the end of a movie, and it also means “goal” as in the phrase “the ends justify the means.” So, Paul means two things here:

1. Christ is the goal of the Law, its destination—everything was always moving toward a culmination in the life, death, and resurrection of the Son of God.
2. Christ is the final act of the Law. As Paul has already said in Romans 8:2–4, the death and resurrection of Jesus fulfilled the Law’s purpose once and for all so that now we live in the freedom and life that the Law was always meant to bring.

Paul’s point: the Jews have missed seeing that in Christ God didn’t abandon the Law, He fulfilled it and brought it to its completion.

Be careful not to miss Jesus today.

So, What Happened? Why Didn't The Jews Believe?

November 08, 2024 by Andrew Forrest in Bible

Romans 9:30-33

30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written,
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Chapters 9–11 make up one unified, technically complex section, filled with Old Testament allusions and quotations. As we work through this section, we see that Paul is examining and answering four related questions:

1. Why did so many of the Jews refuse to accept Jesus as Messiah?
2. In light of Jewish rejection of Jesus and Gentile acceptance of Jesus, has God replaced the Jews with the Gentiles as His chosen people?
3. Is there any hope that the Jews who previously rejected Jesus as Messiah might one day turn back and believe?
4. In light of all of the above, what is God up to?

Paul has been explaining to the Romans that the Old Testament prophets foretold that God would one day bring in the Gentiles and that unbelieving Israel would face consequences for that unbelief. In today’s reading, Paul is breaking it down even further by answering the question:

So, what happened? Why didn’t the Jews believe?

30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; [Romans 9:30].

Well, says Paul, believe it or not the Gentiles (of all people)—the Gentiles who didn’t even have the Law and had no idea what righteousness really meant—the Gentiles have actually now become righteous because of their faith—their trust—in Jesus.

In contrast:

31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law [Romans 9:31].

The Jews—who had been actually instructed by God and had the Law—missed what God is doing. Here’s why:

32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame” [Romans 9:32-33].

Paul says that the Jews are missing the key aspect of relationship with God, i.e., they are failing to trust, to have faith. In fact, they have tripped up over Jesus!

32b They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written,
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame” [Romans 9:32b–33].

Jesus is the stumbling block; because the Jews were unwilling to accept Him as Messiah, they have completely missed what God is doing. Anyone who believes in Jesus will be saved, but if you refuse to believe in Jesus because He doesn’t conform to your expectations, you will trip up and fall.

“Who is Jesus?” You have to answer that question one way or the other—to not answer it by trying to avoid it is still answering it.

How would you answer that question today?

God Is Working The Long Game

November 07, 2024 by Andrew Forrest in Bible

Romans 9:25-29

25 As indeed he says in Hosea,
“Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’
and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’”
26 “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”
27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” 29 And as Isaiah predicted,
“If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring,
we would have been like Sodom
and become like Gomorrah.”

Throughout this whole section, Paul has been dealing with four related questions:

There are more Old Testament quotations in Romans 9–11 than in the whole rest of the letter, and here Paul offers a few more.

First, from Hosea, Paul makes a point about the Gentiles:

25 Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’
and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’”
26 “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ‘sons of the living God’” [Romans 9:25–26].

Paul uses the quotation from Hosea to make the point that the Lord was always planning to bring in people into His family who were originally outsiders, so Paul wants the Romans to understand that the inclusion of the Gentiles shouldn’t be shocking.

Second, from Isaiah, Paul makes a point about the Jews:

27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” 29 And as Isaiah predicted,
“If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring,
we would have been like Sodom
and become like Gomorrah” [Romans 9:27–29].

Just as the Old Testament prophets has said that the Lord would one day bring in the Gentiles, Paul also reminds the Roman church that the Lord had warned the Jews that there would be consequences for unbelief:

In 9:27 Paul quotes Isaiah to make the point that just because there are lots of people related to Abraham does not mean they will all be saved; rather, only the small (faithful) number will be saved;
In 9:29 Paul quotes Isaiah to make the point that, even if the majority of Israel rejects the Messiah, nevertheless there will still be a faithful remnant.

Paul’s point is just to explain to the Roman church that the inclusion of the believing Gentiles and the exclusion of unbelieving Jews was already foretold in Scripture.

God Will Change His Plans In Response To Human Actions

November 06, 2024 by Andrew Forrest in Bible

Romans 9:19-24

19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?

Today’s commentary will be crucial to our understanding of everything Paul is saying. If you miss Paul’s allusion to Jeremiah 18, you will end up drawing the wrong conclusions from Romans 9–11.

We are in the midst of a technical and complicated argument Paul is making in chapters 9–11 as he examines and answers four related questions:

At the time Paul is writing the majority of the Jews—Paul’s own people!—have rejected Jesus, while more and more Gentiles are coming to faith. This would seem to imply that God has abandoned His people. Paul is explaining why this is not the case.

In our previous reading, we’ve seen how Paul has explained that sometimes God uses certain people for His salvation purposes. The implication (which Paul will specifically state many times in his letter, e.g., Romans 11:15) is that God is currently using Israel’s refusal to accept the Messiah as part of His plan.

So, Paul anticipates someone objecting to his point:

“If God is using Israel’s refusal to accept Jesus as part of his plan, then how can God possibly hold Israel accountable for that refusal?”

You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” [Romans 9:19].

Paul’s answer: Are you kidding me? Who are you to possibly assume you know better than God?

19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? [Romans 9:19–21].

You cannot understand this passage unless you know the Old Testament allusions and “hyperlinks” behind it.

In the background here is Isaiah 29:16:

16 You turn things upside down!
Shall the potter be regarded as the clay,
that the thing made should say of its maker,
“He did not make me”;
or the thing formed say of him who formed it,
“He has no understanding”?

As well as Isaiah 45:9:

9 Woe to him who strives with him who formed him,
a pot among earthen pots!
Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’
or ‘Your work has no handles’?

The point Isaiah is making (and to which Paul is alluding) is that as the creatures, who are we to question the Creator? The Roman Gentile Christians were lording it over the Jewish Christians, assuming that the Gentiles had become the new chosen people, replacing Israel. After all— they might have said—if Israel is still the chosen nation, then why aren’t more Jews becoming believers in Jesus as Messiah? Paul has no patience for this kind of thing—if God wants to choose to bring in the Gentiles, then so be it. Who are we to question?

But Paul goes further and makes an even more explicit Old Testament allusion:

21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? [Romans 9:21–24].

Here, Paul is referencing the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah, who was instructed by God to go and pay a visit to a potter. It is vital that we closely read the Jeremiah passage or else we will miss what Paul is doing in Romans 9–11.

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words.” 3 So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4 And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do [Jeremiah 18:1–4].

First, Jeremiah goes to visit the potter, and he sees that, as the potter is working, one of the pottery dishes becomes messed up, so he reworks the clay and turns it into something else.

Having shown Jeremiah this lesson, God speaks to him concerning His providential purposes:

5 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7 If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, 8 and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it [Jeremiah 18:5–8].

There are two crucial points here:

1. God is within His rights to pronounce judgment and destruction on a disobedient nation (specifically Israel, in this case);
2. BUT IF THAT NATION, UNDER GOD’S JUDGMENT, THEN REPENTS AND CHANGES ITS WAYS, GOD WILL RELENT AND FORBEAR RELEASING THE DESTRUCTION HE HAD PREVIOUSLY INTENDED.

To make the point even more explicit, God continues His lesson to Jeremiah:

9 And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, 10 and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it. 11 Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds’ [Jeremiah 18:9–11].

Now, God makes the related but opposite point to that above:

1. If God has promised blessing and life to a nation because of its obedience,
2. But if that nation then subsequently turns from life and begins to follow after evil, THEN GOD WILL CHANGE HIS PLANS FROM BLESSING TO DESTRUCTION.

Friends, this is one of the most important points Paul has made so far in all of Romans, and the meaning is as clear as day:

God’s desire is blessing, and if people who are under judgment subsequently repent, God will change His plans and bring blessing, but if people who are under blessing subsequently begin to do evil, God will change His plans and bring destruction.

IN OTHER WORDS, GOD WILL CHANGE HIS PLANS DEPENDING ON WHETHER PEOPLE ARE OBEDIENT OR DISOBEDIENT, DO GOOD OR DO EVIL.

This is the plain sense of Jeremiah 18:1–11. God is warning Judah (Judah is the only surviving tribe of Israel at the point Jeremiah is prophesying, which is roughly around 600 B.C.) that, though the people have been disobedient, and that destruction is coming, it is not too late to change direction, and if they change, then God will change His plan.

With all that in the background, let’s look again what Paul is arguing in vv. 19–24:

19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? [Romans 9:19–24].

God is the potter, shaping history. If the chosen people are now hardhearted toward the Messiah, then God—who has been extremely patient with the Jews (has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction)—has simply moved to share His mercy in a place where it will be received, namely the Gentile nations. The very fact that God is bringing in the Gentiles is a both a sign of his mercy—Paul calls the Gentile Christians vessels of mercy [v. 23]—and a confirmation of the warning that the prophets gave to Israel long ago, namely that their hard hearts would leave God no choice but to give them over to judgment.

Paul’s point in all of this is this: “No, God hasn’t abandoned Israel—He warned them for centuries and finally now God has decided to work in a new way and bring in the Gentiles. But, if Israel were to repent, He’d pour out mercy on them, too.”

This is a heavy message, both terrifying and encouraging. We American Christians need to remember:

1. God is expecting us to stay faithful and not presume we can abandon the Lord and escape the consequences of our apostasy.
2. But it is also not too late for anyone to turn in repentance to the Lord—God is eagerly offering every person the chance to receive mercy and move from death to life.

How seriously do you need to take #1? How seriously do you need to pray for point #2?

Is God Unfair?

November 05, 2024 by Andrew Forrest in Bible

Romans 9:14-18

14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

Chapters 9–11 make up one unified, technically complex section, filled with Old Testament allusions and quotations. As we work through this section, we will see that Paul is examining and answering four related questions:

HAVE THE GENTILES REPLACED THE JEWS AS THE CHOSEN PEOPLE?

At the time Paul is writing his letter, most of the people who are becoming Christians are Gentiles, not Jews, and in the Roman church some of the Gentile Christians were implying that the Jews were no longer the chosen people. In our previous days' readings, Paul has lamented the failure of so many of his Jewish brethren to come to faith in Jesus, but he has said that this failure does not mean that God has failed. Using the Old Testament, Paul has shown that it has always been the case that God has chosen to use merely one part of Abraham’s family.

Is it unfair for God to single out certain people to play specific roles in salvation history?

Paul’s answer: By no means! [v 9:14b]

Paul then uses the example of Moses and Pharaoh to make his point.

The very first thing the Israelites did after the Lord made a covenant with them at Mt. Sinai was to make a golden calf and worship it! One would think that this would mean the end of their relationship with the Lord, but surprisingly, the Lord continued to be faithful to Israel. In fact, when Moses presses the Lord on this point, the Lord replies,

15 I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion [Romans 9:15, referencing Exodus 33:19].

As Paul points out, God even uses Pharaoh—of all people—as part of His plan of salvation. The point of the Pharaoh example is that hard hearts can be used by God to bring other people to saving faith—just as God previously used Pharaoh’s refusal to relent to bring salvation to the Hebrews, so now God is using the hard hearts of the Jews to bring salvation to the Gentiles. (But we are getting ahead of ourselves—Paul hasn’t gotten there yet.)

18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills [Romans 9:18].

If you take this verse out of context, it at first seems that God is deliberately hardening the hearts of the Jews so that they will NOT believe. But, as we shall see, this is not the point Paul is making. (The problem is that we have to read his entire argument in chapters 9–11 to get his overall point.)

1. Paul will go on to explain in chapter 11 that even Jews who initially rejected Jesus are capable of later changing their minds and coming to faith in Him. Paul is not here talking about God making someone permanently incapable of repenting and responding to the Gospel.

2. For another thing, the example of Pharaoh is complicated. In Exodus, the Lord continually reaches out to Pharaoh and gives him chance after chance to repent. Finally, and tragically, Pharaoh stubbornly refuses to repent but God even uses Pharaoh’s refusal for His salvation purposes.

The point Paul is making here is that God shows mercy in surprising ways!

We’ll have to read on to see how this applies to the question, Have the Gentiles replaced the Jews as the chosen people?

In the meantime, don’t give up hope today—God’s mercy often comes in surprising ways and places. Keep praying. Whatever the result of the election, do not assume you know how God is at work.

The Israel Within Israel

November 04, 2024 by Andrew Forrest in Bible

Romans 9:6-29

6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 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. 9 For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” 10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12 she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

Previously we read about the grief and sorrow Paul has experienced because so few of the Jews—his own flesh and blood!—have accepted Jesus as Messiah, despite the fact that they have the amazing privilege of being God’s chosen people.

Does this mean that God’s promises to Israel have failed? Paul’s answer? NO.

Why?

Paul points out that there were always two “Israels” within Abraham's family—the people literally (biologically) descended from Abraham, and then the ones God chose to use in a certain way for His salvation purposes. There is an Israel within Israel, so to speak:

6b For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 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 [Romans 9:6b–8].

There is an Israel within Israel, and so God is not unfaithful to His promises when He chooses this or that person to play an important role in salvation history. Yes, Ishmael is descended from Abraham as well as Isaac, but God chose Isaac—the child of promise, of faith—to be the one He would work through; Esau is descended from Abraham just like Jacob is descended from Abraham, but God chose Jacob to be the one He would work through, this despite the fact that the boys were twins and unlike Isaac and Ishmael, came from the same mother. Moreover, Jacob was the younger brother. And on top of that, God chose to work through Jacob even before he was born—when she was pregnant, Rebekah their mother was told:

12 The older will serve the younger [Romans 9:12].

In other words, the fact that God chose to work through Jacob’s line had nothing to do with Jacob deserving to be chosen—rather, God just chose Jacob according to God’s own mysterious (mysterious from a human point of view, that is) purposes.

This is why the above matters:

Paul’s argument should matter to us is because he is making a very simple but profound point: God can choose how He will work through human history. When He picks Isaac and not Ishmael, Jacob and not Esau, He is working according to his deep purposes. In the Bible, this concept is called election.

Election is the idea that God chooses to work in particular and specific ways, and through particular and specific groups of people. The Lord did not choose Israel to be the chosen people because they were somehow better than the other nations; He chose them as an act of grace. Israel didn’t choose God, God chose Israel. The elect are those who find themselves chosen by God to play an important role in God’s plan—in the Old Testament, Israel is the chosen nation, the elect. When God singled out Abraham to play an important part in salvation history, that was always God’s prerogative. To be singled out to play an important part does not mean you are any better than anyone else.

As we shall see, Paul is not saying that people have no choice in the matter—people can and do choose how they will respond to God’s choosing of them. Will they respond to His gracious invitation with faith, or with hard hearts? And, the ones chosen by God to play a part in salvation history—“the elect”—is a group that is continually being added to. In fact (and Paul will explain this in Romans 11), Paul believes that it’s not too late for the unbelieving Jews, and that some of them will come to put their faith in Jesus before the end.

But, in this section, Paul’s overall point is simple:

Just because right now the majority of the descendants of Abraham have failed to believe in the Messiah is not something new that God is doing; God is not a liar—it has always been the case that God was working through only one part of the descendants of Abraham.

In the same way, none of us chose the circumstances or timing of our birth. Why were we born when or where we were born, to those particular parents? The answer is known only to God. What Paul is reminding the Romans here is that God doesn’t work in ways that immediately make sense to the world.

Is this unfair? That’s the question Paul will tackle next.

Why Didn't More Jews Believe In Jesus?

November 01, 2024 by Andrew Forrest in Bible

Romans 9:1-5

9 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 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. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

Sometime around A.D. 57 Paul sent the letter we now call Romans to the network of house churches in Rome that together made up the Roman church. The Resurrection of Jesus took place in either A.D. 30 or A.D. 33 (either of those two dates is possible), and in the first few years after the Resurrection, the church was primarily made up of Jewish Christians, i.e., people who had a Jewish background before they believed in Jesus. But as the Gospel spread around the Mediterranean—and the Apostle Paul was one of the missionaries and church planters who was most responsible for its spread—the church became more and more Gentile. As the decades went on, fewer and fewer Jews were coming to faith in Christ. When Paul sent his letter, the Roman church was made up of both Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians, but there was some tension between the two groups, and it’s likely that at the time Paul was writing that the Gentile Christians had come to make up a majority of the Roman church.

It seems that in the Roman church, the Gentile Christians were feeling superior to the Jewish Christians because so many of the Jewish people had failed to recognize Jesus as Messiah. In light of this fact, the Roman Gentile Christians believed that perhaps God has abandoned His chosen people and that they—the Gentiles—were the new chosen people: they had superseded—replaced—Israel.

Paul is going to spend the next three chapters dealing the following questions:

1. Why did so many of the Jews refuse to accept Jesus as Messiah?
2. In light of Jewish rejection of Jesus and Gentile acceptance of Jesus, has God replaced the Jews with the Gentiles as His chosen people?
3. Is there any hope that the Jews who previously rejected Jesus as Messiah might one day turn back and believe?
4. In light of all of the above, what is God up to?

Paul himself was a Jewish Christian, and the failure of so many of his people to recognize Jesus as Messiah was a source of pain for Paul:

2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 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 [Romans 9:2–3].

What happened? Why didn’t more Jews believe in Jesus? God chose the family of Abraham—Israel—to be His chosen people; the Old Testament is the account of how God worked through Israel:

4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen [Romans 9:4–5].

So, despite being the chosen people and having all the privileges and blessings of hearing directly from God (!), despite being the people from whom the Messiah came (!), the Jews in Paul’s day missed recognizing Jesus as Messiah. Why? What does their blindness to the Gospel mean? Did God forsake His people? Was God unfaithful to His promises to Israel? Have the Jews been replaced by the Gentiles? In chapters 9–11, Paul will give an answer.

An overview of Paul’s answer: No, the Jews have not been replaced by the Gentiles; rather, God is working His plan of salvation, and throughout history God has used certain people at certain times for the larger purpose of bringing salvation to all who will receive it. If the majority of the Jews are rejecting Jesus, somehow their rejection is being used by God to be part of His overall salvation plan, but His promises to Israel are still valid and will be forever—He has not given up on Abraham’s family.

In the meantime, I think it’s worth thinking through the idea of privilege in our lives. Paul lists all the privileges that the Jews enjoyed, and yet they missed Jesus.

What are we doing with what we have been given?

We know the Gospel—are we living as if we know it?

We have the Gospel—are we doing anything with it?

Paul's Thundering Climactic Crescendo

October 31, 2024 by Andrew Forrest in Bible

Romans 8:38-39

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans chapter 8 is like a symphonic movement with various musical themes appearing and then reappearing, all the while the piece is building to its breathtaking final measures, and here we have arrived at Paul’s thundering climactic crescendo.

Paul concludes his reassurance to the Romans not with precise argument but with ten poetic phrases that are meant to represent anything and everything that is arrayed against those who are in Christ Jesus. There is literally nothing in the created order that can take us out of God’s love because God is the one true Creator, and all things ultimately answer to Him.

The gift of Christ Jesus is proof of God’s love, and the believer ought to find peace and strength in that fact.

The Hyper-Nike-Men

October 30, 2024 by Andrew Forrest in Bible

I have some questions for you:

Are Some People Predestined to Hell?
Why Did So Many Jews Refuse to Believe in Jesus?
Are the Jews Still the Chosen People?

You know you’re interested! Our final All-Church Bible Study of 2024 is TONIGHT, Wednesday, 10/30, and we’ll be covering those questions as we look at chapters 9-11 in Paul’s Letter to the Romans. 6:30-8:00 PM. Sanctuary. Dinner beforehand.

P.S. Our new Romans reading guides are in! Pick yours up at Asbury, or email Sandie and she’ll mail you one. Readings begin on 11/1, and I’m really excited to work through this final section of Romans with you.

This is going to be a fascinating evening, and I hope you’ll make every effort to attend. Bring friends!

Romans 8:37

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

“We are more than conquerors” is five words in English, but just one verb in Greek.

Until my recent study of Romans, I had always assumed that “more than conquerors” was just hyperbole that Paul is using for effect, like saying “we didn’t just win, we dominated.” But, in fact Paul is here making a profound point about the Christian life.

The Greek verb can be transliterated hypernikōmen. It is a compound verb that means “to be completely victorious.” In Greek the goddess Nike is the goddess of victory, and there is a verb based on that name—“to nike” something is to triumph over it. By using the prefix “hyper” Paul is talking about “hyper-nike-ing” something or “super nike-ing” something. It’s a verb for complete and total triumph.

What does he mean by that?

In the deep mystery of the gospel, how is it that Jesus defeats death?

By dying.

In other words, Jesus uses the power of His enemy against itself. The very thing that is working against Him becomes the very thing that is working for Him.

This is why the devil is no match for God—God is so powerful that He can even turn weakness to strength.

It’s the ultimate jiu-jitsu move.

In this way, Jesus is a “more-than-conqueror”—He doesn’t just defeat His enemy, He uses His enemy’s strength against Him. It is a complete, utter triumph.

So, why would Paul use the phrase hypernikōmen here, when describing Christians who are facing difficulty and suffering?

Because it is through suffering and difficulty that we triumph. The things that are arrayed against us become part of a testimony of God’s grace toward us.

In Revelation, John sees the beast kill the martyrs, but though it seems like the beast is victorious, it’s actually the martyrs who have overcome the beast. Why?

Because the very fact that the beast kills the martyrs proves that it doesn’t have power over them—it can’t make them renounce the truth.

So, we are “more-than-conquerors” because even great suffering and difficulty are being turned to our good because they are shaping us into Christ’s image and because through our weakness we testify to God’s strength.

This is what Tertullian—the church father from the second century—meant when he said, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” In other words, even when the Christians were killed by the Romans, their very deaths testified to the power of the Gospel, and more

people came to faith as a result.

The way of Jesus is the way of the cross:

There is difficulty and suffering;

But that very suffering becomes the sign of victory through the love of God. How can you be “more-than-a-conqueror” through

Cancer?
Grief?
Divorce?
Addiction?

We are the “hyper-Nike-men.”

(Maybe my favorite Greek word ever.)

Sheep To Slaughter

October 29, 2024 by Andrew Forrest in Bible

I have some questions for you:

Are Some People Predestined to Hell?
Why Did So Many Jews Refuse to Believe in Jesus?
Are the Jews Still the Chosen People?

You know you’re interested! Our final All-Church Bible Study of 2024 is Wednesday, 10/30, and we’ll be covering those questions as we look at chapters 9-11 in Paul’s Letter to the Romans. 6:30-8:00 PM. Sanctuary. Dinner beforehand.

This is going to be a fascinating evening, and I hope you’ll make every effort to attend. Bring friends!

Romans 8:36

36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

When Paul quotes from the Old Testament, he uses one verse or phrase as a hyperlink into a larger idea. Here he takes just one verse from Psalm 44, but the idea he wants to convey is powerful.

Psalm 44 is a complaint against God. This is how the psalmist begins:

44 O God, we have heard with our ears,
our fathers have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days,
in the days of old:
2 you with your own hand drove out the nations,
but them you planted;
you afflicted the peoples,
but them you set free;
3 for not by their own sword did they win the land,
nor did their own arm save them,
but your right hand and your arm,
and the light of your face,
for you delighted in them.

But the psalmist has a complaint against God, namely that in his day God seems to have forgotten the people:

9 But you have rejected us and disgraced us
and have not gone out with our armies.
10 You have made us turn back from the foe,
and those who hate us have gotten spoil.
11 You have made us like sheep for slaughter
and have scattered us among the nations.

If the people had been sinful or idolatrous, then the psalmist could understand that they were simply bearing the consequences for their actions. But the psalmist knows that the people are innocent of wrongdoing, and yet still they are being persecuted and oppressed:

17 All this has come upon us,
though we have not forgotten you,
and we have not been false to your covenant.
18 Our heart has not turned back,
nor have our steps departed from your way;
19 yet you have broken us in the place of jackals
and covered us with the shadow of death.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
21 would not God discover this?
For he knows the secrets of the heart.
22 Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered [Psalm 44:1–22]

Why would Paul quote Psalm 44:22 here, at the end of his great eighth chapter?

He is reminding the Romans that suffering is not a sign that they have done anything wrong or are somehow abandoned by God.

Suffering can be part of God’s redemptive plan, and the Jesus-people will face suffering.

But just like Jesus, God will use the suffering of His people for their good.

Penultimate Assurance

October 28, 2024 by Andrew Forrest in Bible

I have some questions for you:

Are Some People Predestined to Hell?
Why Did So Many Jews Refuse to Believe in Jesus?
Are the Jews Still the Chosen People?

This is going to be a fascinating evening, and I hope you’ll make every effort to attend. Bring friends!

Romans 8:35

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

When I was in high school, I distinctly remember trying to seem smart by working the word “penultimate” into an essay. I thought “penultimate” meant something like “extremely ultimate” or “super ultimate” or something like that. (It shows how little thought I really gave to it, since “ultimate” implies last or final, so how could something be extremely final?!)

It was several years later that I learned what that “penultimate” actually means “the next-to-last” or “second to last” or “the one before the last one.”

It is important that we remember that Paul has been talking to the Roman Christians about how even suffering and difficulty can be part of God’s plan. He has assured them that all things are working together for good, even the hard things (see Romans 8:28). He has reminded them that the presence of the Holy Spirit is a comfort even in the midst of suffering, and that the inner witness of the Spirit tells them that they are beloved children of God (see Romans 8:16).

Here, Paul is not merely reminding the Romans that ultimately things will be okay—though of course that’s true and he believes that—rather he is also giving them what N.T. Wright helpfully refers to as “penultimate assurance.” That is, he is assuring things that even in the midst of hard things in this life, God is still with them. This is the great testimony of the martyrs—that even at the darkest hour, the love of God was still with them.

Many people reading this will have had similar experiences: at a really dark point—say a cancer ward—they still knew that God was with them. As he builds toward his majestic climactic point, Paul wants the Romans to know that none of the bad things that occur are enough to move them out of experiencing the love of God.

· Famine was all-too-common in the ancient world;
· Nakedness was the situation one found oneself in before crucifixion for
example, or after shipwreck;
· Danger from both man and beast was often encountered by travelers;
· The sword was used by the executioner (Paul uses the word for “short
sword,” the kind executioners used).

What these and the other examples do is show us that there is no situation in life whereby we are totally bereft and separated from God. Looking back on your life in Christ, what could you add to that list?

Not grief

Not cancer

Not divorce

Not addiction

None of these things can separate us from the love of Christ Jesus our Lord.

It Literally Doesn't Matter What Anyone Else Says

October 25, 2024 by Andrew Forrest in Bible

I have some questions for you:

Are Some People Predestined to Hell?
Why Did So Many Jews Refuse to Believe in Jesus?
Are the Jews Still the Chosen People?

This is going to be a fascinating evening, and I hope you’ll make every effort to attend. Bring friends!

Romans 8:33-34

33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Paul was no stranger to persecution. He knew that the Christian life required fortitude and perseverance under pressure. So, part of what he is doing in this letter is giving the Roman church what it needs to stand firm under pressure.

He imagines Christians being accused by hostile Roman society the way Jesus was accused in front of Pontius Pilate. But because God is the ultimate and only judge who matters and because Jesus has died and has taken His place at the right hand of the Father—“from where He shall come to judge the living and the dead”—he reminds that Romans that it doesn’t matter what anyone else says. People can lie about you and accuse you and insult you, but nothing they say will affect your status as part of “God’s elect,” that is God’s people. And since God is working all things for good and because that includes your future position in glory and because the Holy Spirit is with us now and gives us comfort in the midst of difficulties—because of all those things, the only word that matters is God’s word.

Keep going, and do not be afraid.

Skin In The Game

October 24, 2024 by Andrew Forrest in Bible

Romans 8:31-32

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

It’s really this simple:

God can be trusted because He has skin in the game, so to speak:

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all… [Romans 8:32]

Therefore, we believe God is good even when things are difficult.

If God is for us, who can be against us?