“But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people. I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, [of] the tribe of Benjamin.” (Ro 10:20-11:1 AV)
I am sure glad the LORD did not give up on the human race when Israel rejected Jesus. That is certainly a valid thought here. However, what I want to consider is Paul’s reaction to Israel’s rejection. Isaiah prophesied the rejection of Jesus by Israel. He further foretold that God would turn to the Gentiles. This is a major theme of the book of Romans. Paul is writing to a multi-cultural church. There is a conflict between the Jews and Gentiles. Centuries of bias caused problems in the New Testament church. Neither knew their place in the church, or the place of the other. This is evident in Acts chapter six. This would be natural. So, Paul sets out to preach unity in a divided church. They are partly Jewish and partly Gentile. All are one! All are sinners. All are in need of Jesus Christ. All contribute to the body of Christ; the church. All failed. The Gentiles prior to Genesis twelve and the Jews after Genesis twelve. All are condemned. But all are forgiven. The rejection of Jesus by the Jews turned the gospel to the Gentiles. Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles. What Paul concluded here is the rejection of Israel did not alleviate him from giving them the gospel. Just because most rejected Jesus does not mean the gospel message is silenced. Paul felt a moral obligation to preach the gospel to a people who wanted nothing to do with it.
We like to think that we know what God closes a door and when He opens a door. The thing is, the door may be closed to our ministry, but that does not mean the door of presenting the gospel is closed for all. For instance, when we knock on doors, the vast majority are not interested. In our way of thinking, we are one and done. If they said ‘no’ the first time we gave them the gospel, then there is no more obligation to offer it again. That is not what Paul is speaking of when asking that a door of utterance be opened to them or that the Spirit forbid them to go to a people. These things have to do with Paul’s ministry and not the gospel ministry. Where one would not belong or succeed, another may bear fruit. We are too quick to come to an opinion as to the salvation chances of a given person or place. We are too quick to write off an investment as non-profitable. We do not work things to the natural end. We do not exhaust things until there is nothing left. We are used to quick results. If they do not pan out, then we move on.
This is the idea Paul is sharing. Isaiah was bold to predict the gospel going to the Gentiles. Paul speaks of the Gentiles being included in the promises to Israel. Paul understands the rejection of Israel means grace comes to the Gentiles. However, he will not stop witnessing and preaching to his brothers in the flesh. Israel needs Jesus. So, too, does your community. So, too, does our nation. Just because it appears our nation has rejected God and embraced rebellion does not mean the LORD is giving us permission to remain silent. Just because our nation is doing everything it can to bring the wrath of God into a fury, does not mean the gospel message should be vacated. Paul never gave up on the Hebrews. If there is but one soul who will trust Christ, does that not give cause? If the glory of God depended on our faithfulness amid fruitlessness, is that not a cause? There are countless souls without Christ. Who are we to determine who will or who will not trust Him?
No comments:
Post a Comment