|
(Continued
from previous page)
 of
our life (for Deity dwells only in those who love Him and keep
His commandments with perfect intent). Our true and sincere
desires will be compatible with the leading of His Spirit
(expressed in His word), and we will fight against sinful
inclinations of the flesh. Our spirits will cry, "Father!
Father!" and God will recognize us as His children.
Eventually God will change our mortal bodies, so that, that
which now wars against our spirit will be resurrected in glory
to the praise of God.
Because
God sees deep into our spirit, He understands our innermost
groanings. He reads our hearts, and hears prayers we do not even
know how to utter. In fact, the knowledge, and planning, and
calling, and justifying and glorifying, in God's eternal
purposes, are all mustered on behalf of those who love and trust
him. We are brethren of God's Son, who died for us, and who
intercedes for us. We are beloved of Go-! in Christ Jesus, and
!note than conquerors in Him.
-----------------------------
I
am concerned for my Jewish brethren. They have been highly
favored in the past, and I want then to be saved. But God's
people are not chosen by accident of birth. In building the
nation through which Christ would come, not all of the
descendents of Abraham were selected. Isaac was chosen; Ishmael
was not. Jacob was sleeted to be in that lineage: Esau was not.
Then, as now, God's blessings were by promise. We must
not think that an accident of birth gives us the right to argue
with God. God sometimes uses even the rebellion of people and
nations to accomplish His purposes.
| |
Respecting
salvation from sin, there are two classes of people:
"vessels of wrath" and "vessels of mercy."
The "vessel, of mercy" includes Gentiles as well as
Jews, as Indicated by prophets of long ago. Jesus Christ is the
testing stone. Gentiles who seek rightstanding with God on the
basis of trust in Christ, are accepted. But Jews, who refuse
Christ and seek rightstanding on the basis of perfect works or
physical lineage, are rejected.
Both
the Old and New Covenants have this in common: they must be
understood through an objective approach to, and faith in,
testimony clearly given. Just as God made His commands clear to
the Jews, so that they could do them; so also has He made the
word which produces faith in Christ. God sent His proclaimers to
Gentiles as well as Jews (as predicted by Moses and Isaiah) so
that whosoever will may hear, believe, and call upon the Lord,
and be saved. But much of Israel, as prophesied, has rejected
God's word.
—————————–
This
takes us through Romans 10. To conserve space we have not
identified chapters as we go along, but we hope you well be
interested enough to use your text side by side with this
digest. Following the last section, next issue, we will give
some word studies that help to show why we have adopted certain
conclusions. This is an abbreviated commentary, not a
translation or "version" in any sense. We hope it will
be helpful, but it is no substitute for detailed, painstaking
study of the complete word of God.
[Previous
Article] [Next
Article]
|
