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 Dear
bro. Turner:
What
is the election of grace and its process? (ROM.11:5,28) S.M.
Reply:
ROM.11:
is a summation of the general argument of the epistle, that
said: (1) All have sinned; (2) therefore, none are justified by
a system of law; (3) but have hope in the system of faith in
Christ, who gave himself (grace) that man might be
forgiven of his sins.
Israel
sought justification in the system of law (works) (perfect
obedience) (GAL.3:10-f. ROM.10:5-f) but failed miserably to keep
that law. They compounded their failure by denying the Gentiles
equal right to the Messiah when He came (Note ROM. 10:12-ff.
Gentiles "found" God in Christ, even while Israel
denied Him (10:20-21). This brings us to chapter 11.
Will
all Jews be lost? No, even as God promised, a remnant would
be redeemed (ISA.1:9,10:20-23 etc.). This redemption will not be
by a system of law, that excluded Gentiles; but by a system of
grace (the gift of Christ) that welcomes Jew and Gentile
(ISA.49:5-6). So Paul tells the Jew, "There is a remnant
(of Jews to be saved, rt) according to the election of
grace" (ROM.11:5-6).
This
"election" is not selection of particular Jews
but of a "class" — those who will accept Christ (Note,
vs. 7-10, 19-23). God has "chosen" to save
"who-so-ever-will" accept Jesus Christ, and serve Him
faithfully.
"And
so (houtos, in this manner) all Israel shall be saved:"
i.e., it is by the gospel of
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Christ that Jews have their
hope. Paul urges the Gentiles to remember that God used the
rejection and crucifixion of Christ by the Jews, to accomplish
the means of redemption for Jew and Gentile. He pleads with the
Gentiles to show love and mercy toward the rebellious Jews, that
they might be brought to accept Christ and be saved
(11:28-32,6:1-F).
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Dear
bro. Turner:
To
what does 1PE.3:18-20 refer??
Reply:
It
was by the power of the divine Spirit that Jesus offered Himself
upon the cross (HEB.9:14) and was resurrected (1PE.3:18). The
spirit of Christ was in the Prophets of old, as they proclaimed
divine truth (1PE.1:10-11) — even in Noah, a preacher of
righteousness (2PE.2:5) — as he pled with the people of his
day to turn to God.
The
context of the passage under study is that of urging Christians
to be faithful, even in the face of persecution (3:12,14,16;
4:1-f). It seems vs. 18-f. says that Christ, in Spirit, tried to
get the people of Noah's time to accept truth and be saved (from
the destruction pending); and that today He has died for us.
But, as then, only those who did His bidding were saved, so
today, we must endure persecution, "arm yourselves likewise
with the same mind" of Jesus Christ, in order to be saved.
"Spirits in prison" may have been those in bondage to
sin in Noah's day or the same, now in prison, lost, because they
did not heed Noah's preaching.
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