All Israel shall be saved

Rom 11:25-36

2009-08-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

It is time now to discuss the central text of our study: ‘Thus all Israel shall be saved.’ For a healthy interpretation of that verse, we must take everything into account that Paul has written previously in his letter, and especially the direct context of Rom 10 and 11.

In Rom 11:25, Paul says to the non-Jewish followers of Jesus in Rome, that they must not be wise in their own sight. He says this in connection with his previous imagery of the olive-tree; Jews who do not believe in Jesus have been broken of, but if they come to faith in Christ, they will be grafted into the tree again and participate in salvation. The non-Jewish believers must not consider themselves as higher than the unbelieving Jews, for God still desires that these Jews come to faith. Read Rom 11:25-26:

I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And thus all Israel shall be saved.

‘A partial hardening of Israel’ - Paul spoke about this previously, in Rom 11:7-10. There he explained that the elect part of Israel had become partaker in salvation, but that the rest was hardened. I think we should not differentiate between the hardening mentioned in Rom 11:7-10 and the hardening Paul mentions in Rom 11:25. He speaks about the same matter.

In Rom 11:11, Paul writes that this hardening of Israel ensured that salvation could come to the nations. I think Paul says the same thing in other words in Rom 11:26, when he speaks of the fullness of the nations that enter. We must notice the parallelism in the passages Rom 11:7-10 and 11:25-26.

So when Paul speaks about the fact that he wants to make hardened Jews jealous, in order to save some (Rom 11:11b-15), then that seems to me to be the logical parallel to ‘thus all Israel shall be saved.’ (Rom 11:26)

From the beginning of the letter, the question of the Jewish believers in Rome was clear: ‘Paul, please explain, God has promised great things to Israel. Would he not save Israel with the coming of the Messiah?’ Paul has now given his answer. Only a small part of Israel has come to faith; that is how the Gospel could go to the nations. Now is the time for the non-Jewish followers of Jesus to preach the Gospel to the Jews.

This is what Paul discusses in Rom 11; Jews have been hardened; pagans come to faith, and must bring the Gospel to the Jews so that they will come to faith. Paul speaks of himself and his role, not of a distant end of times scenario.

In Rom 11:30-32 Paul repeats the same concept: Jews are hardened, but people from the nations have come to faith, so that they now proclaim the Gospel and Jews come to faith. Paul explicitly uses the word now: ‘so that now they receive mercy’. He is not speaking about a distant end of times, but about his own task, and the task of the congregation in Rome. Seeing this, it seems obvious that the words of Rom 11:26 must be read in this context. A part of Israel has been hardened, people form other nations come to faith, and they must now proclaim the Gospel to Israel. This is not eschatology, but missiology for Paul. He discusses the task of the Church.

Israel has been partially hardened, Paul says in Rom 11:26. That does not need further discussion. We have seen in the whole letter of Paul that this is a fact that he preaches. Most Jews have not accepted Jesus Christ as Lord. This partial hardening has to do with a mystery, says Paul: The plans of God have not gone wrong by Israel’s unbelief, but salvation could come to the nations in this manner. Many people there came to faith. The hardening of Israel is until the fullness of the nations has gone in. I have often heard it said that this refers to the total number of pagans coming to faith throughout the centuries. To me this seems completely unjustified, exactly because Paul places his whole discussion in the context of missiology (the testimony that must be given to Israel in his own time), not eschatology, as we have seen.

The concept of fullness of the nations occurs in the Old Testament in Genesis 48:19. Jacob blessed Ephraim with the words that his posterity would be a fullness of nations. In the LXX we read about this pleetos ethoon; Pasul uses the related words pleeroma toon ethnoon. Does Paul refer to these words of Jacob? That would fit very well in the context, because Paul makes clear in his whole letter that whosoever believes in Jesus Christ, whether he is Jewish or not, may consider himself posterity of Abraham.

‘When the fullness of nations goes in’ refers to the non-Jews who are coming to faith, and who thereby enter into the Kingdom of God. The concept of fullness does, in any case, not refer to all, just as the blessing of Jacob to Ephraim does not mean that Ephraim will be the forefather of all nations. In the immediate context, in Rom 11:11, the word fullness is also used in regard to Israel. There it refers to the opposite of the fall and unbelief of Israel. In this context the term has nothing to do with a complete number or something like that either.

‘Thus (Greek: houtoos) all Israel shall be saved.’ The word thus does not mean ‘after this’ or something like that. Paul is not defining a specific time, but the issue of cause and effect. Paul explains in what manner Israel can be saved.

‘All (Greek: pas) Israel’: In the whole letter, Paul always means numerical totality with this word ‘all’. We would be foolish to not interpret the word ‘all’ in the same manner in Rom 11:26. Paul has clarified in his letter that all who believe in Christ shall be saved. If the Jews in the Church in Rome wonder about the promises of God to save all Jews, the answer of Paul is clear. God does stick to his promises. In order for all Israel to be saved, all Jews have to believe in Jesus Christ. Paul does not give any guarantee in this verse that all of Israel will be saved; he explain in what manner all of Israel can be saved.

And that term ‘saved’, or ‘salvation’? Paul has said enough about this in his letter. I refer to Rom 8, where Paul clarifies what salvation means for all followers of Christ, both for Jews and for non-Jews. Never does Paul infer that there is a special route to salvation for Jews. God wants to show mercy to all people, including the Jews (Rom 11:31-32).

To the believers from the nations, mercy has been shown, and God wants to use them, to ensure that unbelieving Jews would now (now, that is, around 55-56 AD) find mercy. Paul quotes two verses form Isa 59:20 and Jer 31:33-34. It is instructive to look at those verses in their context. Isaiah says that the redeemer will come from Zion for those who convert from their transgressions. And Jeremiah says that God writes his laws in the hearts of those whose sins are forgiven. Paul has underlined in his whole letter that this is how God offers forgiveness: when people come to faith in Christ. There is no shortcut for anyone.

So we see that Paul, in regard to the question about salvation for Israel, answers with a task for the church in Rome. ‘Yes’, Paul says, ‘God wants all Israel to be saved. But in order for Israel to be saved, it has to accept the Gospel. There is no guarantee that all Jews will ever do so, but our task as a church is to present the Gospel to them. Only thus, in that manner, all Israel shall be saved. There is no other way.’

Romans 11:1-24

2009-06-05T04:02:00.000-07:00

So did God reject his people of Israel? (Rom. 11:1) By no means, says Paul. It is important to wonder what the question ‘did God reject his people’ actually entailed. In order to find out, it is good to listen carefully to the answer of the apostle. How does he prove that God did not reject his people Israel?

1) By pointing to the fact that he was an Israelite himself (Rom. 11:1)
2) By showing that even in the Old Testament, when Elijah felt he was the only servant of God, there were 7000 other believers who refused to serve Baal (Rom 11:2-4)
3) By saying that ‘at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace’. (Rom 11:5-6)

The fact that God has not rejected his people, therefore, does not means that all Israelites become believers and shall be saved. Paul proves that the people are not rejected by pointing to the few Jews who follow Christ. I conclude from this, that the question Paul starts with, means in fact: Has God rejected all Israelites in such manner that they will not believe and be saved?
To this, Paul’s answer is: of course not. Look around. He is a Jew, and there are many other Israelites following Jesus Christ.

So how should we view the situation of the Israelites? ‘What then?’ (Rom 11:7)

What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened. (Rom 11:7)

In Romans 9:30-31 we already read that Israel was pursuing righteousness. Paul repeats the idea here. In spite of most Israelites earnestly seeking salvation, they have not attained it. Only the elect did. Those elect were also mentioned in Rom. 8:33. There it points to believers in Christ from Jews and gentiles.

‘The others were hardened’, Paul says of the Israelites who did not believe in Christ. We must see this in line with Rom 9:18, where Pharaoh is mentioned who was hardened so that God could make his name and power known over all the earth. For this same reason, most Israelites were hardened. Later more about this issue.

Paul first underlines that it was God’s decision to ensure that most Israelites did not believe in Christ:

God gave them a spirit of stupor, even so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day. (Rom. 11:8)

And:

May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever. (Rom. 11:9-10)

Paul then ask whether God make Israel stumble in such a way that they could not get up anymore. (Rom. 11:11) The Israelites who were hardened by God and who did not believe in Christ, could they not come to faith anymore?

‘Not at all!’, is the clear answer of Paul. (Rom. 11:11)

Rather, because of their transgression (literally: fall), salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression (literally: fall) means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring! (Rom 11:11-12)

The Israelites in the time of the New Testament have had Christ crucified – and thereby they made the Gospel possible. And because the synagogues rejected the Gospel, they ensured that the Gospel was preached to the nations.

Their stumbling and fall – that is, the fact that they were lost without Christ – means riches for the world. That riches is that the nations heard the Gospel and many came to Christ, to become participants in all the promises of God. (Rom. 11:12) So:

…how much greater riches will their fullness bring! (Rom 11:12)

What do these words mean? Terms like ‘stumble, fall, loss’ must be seen as opposites of fullness (Gr: pleerooma) in this verse. If the fall and the loss of Israel are about the fact that a large part of Israel does not believe in Christ and is lost, then it is logical to assume to their fullness entails the fact that they do believe in Christ and are saved. The fullness is that they reach the goal that God has with them, namely, that they are followers of Christ through faith.

The world has been greatly blessed by the unbelief of Israel; how much more will the world be blessed when Jews come to faith in Christ. How is the world blessed by their unbelief? Because the Gospel was offered to the nations after most Israelites rejected it. If many Israelites come to faith in Christ, this will be even better for the world. Then the Gospel will be spread eve further.

We must not think of all Jews who come to faith, when we hear that word ‘fullness’; fullness is the opposite of being lost. That Paul does not expect all Israelites to come to faith, is clear from the following verse. Paul points the heathen believers in Rome to his own task. He hopes to

….somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them.(Rom. 11:14)

Paul places the issue of the unbelief of a great part of Israel not in an eschatological light, but in the light of his own mission in his time. He places the blindness of Israel to the Gospel in a part of salvation history that, in his opinion, is already past: the period in which God used the disobedience of Israel in order to implement God’s plans with the Messiah and in order to take the Gospel into the world of the other nations. As that had been accomplished, Paul now believes that the time has come to lead those Jews who had stumbled, into the fold of Christ.

In Rom. 11:15 Paul repeats what he had said in Rom. 11:12, but in other words:

For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

What is the meaning of those words ‘rejection’ and ‘acceptance’? I think we must see these in the light of God’s actions. Israelites who do not believe in Christ, are rejected by God. When those who initially did not belief in Christ, become believers, they will be accepted by God. Their belief will lead to more blessings for the nation, as it adds to the faith and witness to Jesus Christ.

Paul uses for this change of heart of these Jews the term ‘life from the dead’. To me, this seems to be a parallelism with the term ‘reconciliation of the world’ Paul had used in the same sentence. Because Israel rejected Christ, the Gospel could come to the nations. If Israel does accept Christ, this will even be better for those nations.

Paul then uses this imagery of the olive tree to say that Jewish branches (of Jews who do not follow Christ) have been broken of, while non-Jewish branches (of believing gentiles) have been grafted in. These non-Jewish branches were by nature part of a wrong tree. Paul uses this imagery to explain that it is natural to expect that Jews who come to faith in Christ, will be grafted in again. They are not rejected forever.

This means that believers from other nations must not look down on Jews who do not believe in Christ.

What are the branches? Paul makes clear that in his imagery, the branches are individual believers, followers of Jesus Christ. Jews who do not believe in Him are cut off from the tree and its root. Earlier in his letter Paul said that Jews who reject Christ, do not participate in the promises of God to Israel; the covenant is for them, but because of their unbelief they have no part in it.

What is the tree? The root? It seems not possible that the tree or the root point to the nation of Israel in the physical sense. If all Jews would be broken off, the tree would still be there. I think we should see the root and the tree as spiritual belonging to Abraham and his posterity, and the covental promises of God. Yes, those were made to Israel, but they are only effective for those who follow Christ, both for Jews and for gentiles.

But it is also clear that when people who physically descend from Israel, are being grafted into their own tree when they come to faith in Christ in a unique manner. Their conversion is a form of homecoming. They do not only find their Creator, but they are also linked to the roots of their own culture and family.

Consider this: Paul is writing this to believers in Rome in the context of his comment that as an apostle for the nations, he hopes that he is able to save some Jews. And about the grafting of Jews on the olive tree, he uses the conditional word ‘if’. See Rom 11:23:

And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.

Paul is not predicting or promising the conversion of all of Israel. He is speaking about his own mission. He hopes that through his own labor among the nations, he will also see more Jews being grafted into the tree that is so natural to them – the relationship with God and all of his promises. Paul does not speak of an event thousands of year later, but about his mission work in his own time.

The Greek word for thus (Gr: houtoos) that we will see in Rom 11:26 (thus all Israel shall be saved) is used in Rom 11:5, where it is translated as ‘so too’. It means here: in the same manner.
The greek word for all (Gr: pas) as used in Rom 11:26 is not used in the first part of Rom 11.

Romans 10:1-21

2009-03-20T05:08:00.000-07:00

Romans 10 begins with words that could just as well be seen as the end of Romans 9. Paul again speaks of his desire to see Jews saved, as he had also mentioned in Rom. 9:1-5. His heart desires and he prays for their salvation. This means, that they are not saved. This word, salvation, is the same word used in Rom. 11:26: ‘And so all Israel will be saved.’

Jews are zealous, Paul says, but in a wrong manner. They do not know the righteousness of God and try to establish their own. They do not submit to Gods righteousness. (Rom. 10:2-3)

In Rom. 10:4-8 Paul repeats his earlier words. Christ is the end (or: the goal) of the law. There is righteousness for anyone who believes. Moses stresses that those who do the whole law will live by doing so. (Rom 10:4-5) Paul has repeatedly made clear that no-one is able to do so.

Those who expect to be justified by faith, know they do not have to climb to heaven, or descend into the deep. Christ has come down from heaven, and rose from the dead. We do not have to struggle, because Christ did all for making us righteous. It is enough to believe with the heart and to confess that Jesus is Lord and that he rose from the dead: you will be saved!

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (Rom 10:10)

I think the words of this verse should be read as a parallelism. Those who believe and confess, received God’s righteousness and salvation. That is a command, and a promise as well. Those who want to be saved, must believe in Christ, but it is also that easy. You do not have to ascend to heaven or descend deep down: Christ already did so. He came from heaven – he is Lord. He come from the deep – he rose from the dead.

Paul underlines his Gospel with a quote from Psalm 25:3, something he had also said in Rom 9:33:

As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." (Rom. 10:11)

For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Rom. 10:12-13)

If it is true that those who call on him are saved, then the believers in Rome can only do one thing: proclaim the Gospel to their Jewish and non-Jewish neighbors. People will only call on him if they believe the Gospel, and they will only believe, if someone tells them. (Rom. 10:15)
But it is also clear that not all who hear the Gospel, listen and believe. This is nothing new; it was already clear in the Old Testament. Listen what Isaiah says of Israel:

All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.(Rom. 10:21)

Not all in Israel obeyed God, but among the gentile nations, some people would obey God, says Isaiah:

And Isaiah boldly says: "I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me." (Rom. 10:20)

Even Moses had already predicted that God would make his nation Israel jealous of those who, at that time, were not his people:

Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, "I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding." (Rom. 10:19)

The construction of Paul is clear. The Gospel is preached in the whole world, but only part of Israel believes, while among the other nations, people also come to faith in Christ.

The word for thus, so (Greek: houtoos) that occurs in Rom. 11:36 (so all Israel shall be saved), is found in Rom. 10:6. There we read: ‘But the righteousness that is by faith says (thus): "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven’?” I included the word thus, as that Greek word is used in this place.

The word all (Greek: pas) that occurs in Rom. 11:26 is also used in Rom. 10:4, ‘for everyone who believes.’ In Rom. 10:11-13 that same word occurs four times:

As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

In Rom. 10:16 it occurs again: But not all the Israelites accepted the good news
And in Rom. 10:18 also: Their voice has gone out into all the earth.

Romans 9:1-33

2009-03-09T03:46:00.000-07:00

After the first 8 chapters of his letter, Paul must, in rather strong words, underline that he truly cares about his Jewish compatriots:

I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen. [Rom. 9:2-5]

The idea that Paul would want to be cut off from Christ for the sake of his brothers who do not follow Christ, underlines that it has dramatic consequences for Jews to not believe in Christ. In his first 8 chapters, Paul has worked this out carefully. Without Christ, all people, including Jews, are lost.

The little list that Paul gives (adoption as sons, etc) can therefore not be applicable to all Israelites. Naturally, they are attributes of the people of God, because God chose them, but they are not applicable to any Jew who is not attached to Christ.

So what about the promises of God? Had he not promised that with the coming of the Messiah, all Israel would be saved? Has God’s word failed? No, says Paul. The word of God has not changed, or failed, but it does need good exegesis. Paul explains:

For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned."In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring. [Rom. 9:6-8]

The Greek word pas, used for all in ‘thus all Israel shall be saved’ occurs here in Romans 9:6 and 7. Paul says that not all who are offspring of Israel are truly Israel. And not all are to be considered Abraham’s children who are his physical descendants.

In previous chapters, Paul has discussed this issue, so he is not saying anything new here. In Rom 9:9-13 he explains it further by pointing to the fact that in the Old Testament God chose certain descendents of Jacob, not all. So: even in the Old Testament it was clear that not all physical posterity of the one who received the promise, enjoyed the covenantal blessings of God.

Is this unjust of God? This was very likely the argument of many Jews who heard Paul speak. But Paul does not consider God unjust, and point to the full right of God to be merciful to anyone he likes, or to harden the heart of anyone he chooses. [Rom 9:18]

To prove that God indeed chooses whom he likes, Paul uses an example from the most formative history in the nation of Israel – that is, the exodus from Egypt. God says to Moses: "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So, Paul says, it is not a matter of what someone wants or does, but of God’s compassion. [Rom. 9:15-16].

Pharaoh is an example of someone whose heart is hardened by God in order for God’s name to be become known on earth .[Rom. 9:17]

Later, in Rom. 11:29-32, Paul picks this thought up again. Looking at that verses, it seems clear to me that Paul uses the example of Moses and Pharaoh in Rom. 9:17-18 to show that when God hardens someone (or Israel), this is meant to make sure that the whole world gets to know Him. These verses, therefore, are not a general theological statement about election or predestination, but in the first place a discussion of a concrete moment in salvation history. That is also clear from the next words of Paul. Again he mentions that God is entitled to do as He pleases:

But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?' Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use? [Rom. 9:20-21]

In the words ‘why did you make me like this (houtoos)’, we see the word that is later used in the text: ‘thus (houtoos) all Israel shall be saved.’ In Rom. 9:20 this means ‘thus, in this manner, in this way.’

In Romans 9:22-23 Paul says important things in complicated sentences. I will try to follow his argument:
1. God bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction
2. He was patient, even though He wanted to show his wrath and power
3. He was patient because He wanted to reveal the riches of his glory
4. He reveals this glory to the objects of his mercy
5. He has prepared these objects of his mercy to (participate in) this glory.

By speaking about wrath and objects of mercy, Paul continues with his metaphor of the potter and his pots. To understand what Paul is saying, we start with Rom. 9:24, where he speaks of the objects of mercy that he has prepared for glory:

[those are we], whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles.

This is the church of Christ. Paul shows that already Hosea had a vision for the fact that God would one day say to gentiles: you are my people, those while once you were not loved, now you are. Those who were not Gods people, will be called sons of the living God. These words of Hosea harmonize with Isaiah, who says that only a remnant from Israel will be saved. Not all Jews will be saved, says Paul here.

Back to Rom. 9:22-23. The objects of mercy are Jews and gentiles who follow Jesus Christ. The objects of wrath are the unbelievers from Israel and the nation. Paul says nothing that he did not discuss before in this letter! See for instance Rom. 1:18-2:4. Paul speaks there about the history of mankind; a history of rebellion against God. God has restrained his wrath because He has a plan to show his glory to those who would become followers of Christ.

In Rom. 1 and 2, where Paul speaks of the wrath of God and of these evil people, he never suggests that these people cannot convert and change their life; he calls them to faith and conversion.
The apostle then summarizes what he has said in previous chapters. People from the nations have found righteousness through faith, while Israel complete missed this grace of God, because it focused on so-called good works, not on faith. [Rom. 9:30-32]

Christ is the stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame. [Rom. 9:33]

Intermediate Conclusion: Romans 1-8

2008-11-02T07:50:00.000-08:00

Well, those were the first eight chapters of Paul’s letter to the Church in Rome. For me this was an interesting quest, to read these chapters with our question about the relation between Church and Israel at the heart. A few comments before I proceed.

1. I think I have followed Paul’s argument rather closely, even though I am also sure I missed some theological finesses, purposely or foolishly.

2. Paul’s discussion about law and faith was not, I am sure, held in a vacuum. The question must also have played a role among those Jews who did not follow Christ.

3. I have the impression that when Paul speaks about the law, he uses that term in its different meanings; sometimes he speaks of concrete moral rules, at other times about Scripture in general.

4. My presupposition that Paul wrote this letter mainly for discussing the relation between Church and Israel, seems confirmed by how easily all he says falls into this scheme. I do not have the feeling that I had to push Rom. 1-8 into a straightjacket to see this theme in all Paul wrote.

5. I think Paul wrote his theology about salvation in order to clarify his views on Church and Israel. This does not mean that Paul did not describe in detail what his actual views on salvation (including justification by faith) were; it only means that the issue about Church and Israel was a right reason for doing so.

6. Before proceeding to Rom. 9-11, I will hereunder describe my findings from Rom. 1-8. What Paul wrote in Rom. 9-11 about the relationship of Church and Israel logically follows what Paul said previously in Rom. 1-8, or it repeats it. In no case is it logical to assume that he contradicts in Rom. 9-11 what he has said in plain and equivocal terms in Rom. 1-8.

The gospel Paul preaches, is about the Jew Jesus Christ from the Jewish tribe of David; this gospel was promised by the Jewish prophets in their Jewish Scriptures. The Gospel, however, is not only for Jews, but for all people. God is partial; all people are equal before God.

The gospel is God’s power for salvation for all who believe, first for the Jew and for the non-Jews as well. All people are in need of salvation, as God’s wrath is also for all people, Jews and non-Jews. This is because all people are equal sinners. With many quotes from then Jewish Scriptures Paul says that all people are unrighteous, and that no-one seeks for God. This means, Jews and non-Jews are equally bad.

The fact that the Jews possess the law is an enormous advantage for them, because they know the will of God. But knowing that, and being circumcised, mean nothing for God, if it does not go together with obedience to the law.

If uncircumcised not-Jews keep the law, God sees them as if they are circumcised. And if a circumcised Jew who possesses the law does not follow the law, he will be judged by those form the nations who follow the law.

The real Israel are those from the Jewish nation who believe in Christ, together with the believers in Christ from the nations.

By trying to follow the law, no-one becomes righteous. God makes righteousness available for those who, separate from the law, believe in Christ. This is also how Abraham was justified: by faith, when he was not circumcised yet. Circumcision was a confirmation of his faith.

Paul explains that Abraham is a father of all believers in Christ from the nations, and for believers from Israel as well. In this way, Paul creates unity in the Church in Rome. In Abraham, Jews and non-Jews have a forefather in common by faith. Not Moses and the law unite the believers, but Abraham and his faith. Not Moses, but Abraham is the paradigm for Christians.

The promise to Abraham and his posterity that they would inherit the world was not related to the law but to the righteousness that is the result of faith. Faith and its related promises makes people heirs of the world; people who think that obedience to the law makes them heirs of the promises, are not heirs of the promise, is what Paul says. He says that such Jews are not part of God’s covenant promises.

Just as through one man, Adam, death entered the world, so through one man, Jesus Christ, justification entered the world. There is no difference between Jews or non-Jew. For all believers, whether born Jewish or not, the facts are the same: they were dead in sin, but in Christ they are free form sin. Their destiny is also the same: eternal life.

If Christ and his Spirit live in someone, he is able to please God. If someone is not connected to Christ in faith, he cannot please God, as he is in the flesh and he has the mind of enmity to God. Jews without Christ have this mind of enmity to God.

But for Jews and non-Jews in the Church in Rome the same is true:

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs— heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Abraham and his posterity inherit the world. When a Jew does not believe in Christ, he is not an heir. But: whoever is a child of God through faith, is an heir of the promises to Abraham, an heir of all the promises of God. And this inheritance is described as glorification in eternal life. Paul speaks in great words about this:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Whoever is in Christ Jesus, Jew or non-Jew, is connected to the love of God, without any difference. By nature, all miss the glory of God, but through faith in Christ, they are assured of being heirs of the world, and of participating in the glory of God. All who are in Christ through faith, Jews or non-Jews, have been predestined by God in eternity, to be heirs of the glory of God.

The heirs of the promise await God’s glory in eternity, honor, peace, being set free from this body of death. That is the salvation the gospel offers. The opposite of this is being lost. Connected with that is missing the glory of God, his wrath, the day of wrath, judgment.

Salvation is the gift of God for all who believe in Christ; the gift of eternity in the glory of God. The opposite, being lost, is the situation of all who do not believe: eternal judgment.

In Rom. 1-8 the word all, or everyone (Greek: pas) occurs regularly. This word, also occurring in the verse that says that thus all Israel shall be saved, means numerical totality, compleness, no-one is not included.

Finally, about the word thus (Greek: houtoos) that also occurs in this verse, see Rom. 1:15, 4:18, 5:12,15,18,21 and Rom. 6:4,11,19. It means that is why, thus, so, in this manner. It does not add to what goes before, but it is the conclusion of it.

8. Romans 8:1-39

2008-11-02T05:33:00.000-08:00

The law could not help Israel, but those who were in Christ through faith, had been made free from the law that was related to sin and death (Rom. 8:1-2, compate 7:4). The law could not help the Jews, but Christ could (Rom. 8:3-4).

If Christ lives in us, than the Spirit of Christ lives in us, and then we are able to please God. If a person does not have the Spirit of God, he can not please God, because he is in the flesh and so he has a tendency of enmity to God. The mindset of the Spirit is life and peace. Those are terms that are closely related to the eschatological expectation of Israel in the Old Testament and at the time of Paul (Rom. 5:8-11).

Jews without Christ have the mindset of enmity to God, is what Paul says. And: if someone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to God, according to Paul in Rom. 8:9b. We can also say this more positive: Jews and people from any nation who believe in Christ, all have the same Spirit and serve God through that Spirit. For that one group of believes, irrespective of their national background, Paul has the great promise of Rom. 8:16-17. Together they will be saved as heirs of the Christian hope:

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs— heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Heirs? That is a term we saw earlier in this letter, in Rom. 4:13 about Abraham who was an heir of the world. And in Rom. 4:13, where we read that a Jew who does not believe in Christ, is not an heir.

Jews and people from the nations who believe in Christ, share in the one inheritance. There is no difference. Paul describes this inheritance as sharing in his glory. We saw same term related to his glory also in Rom. 2:7,10, 3:23, 5:2, and we will come across the word again in Rom. 8:17,21, and Rom. 9:4,23. The word is related to the glory of God, see Rom. 3:7 and 11:36. All these terms are based on the Greek word doxa, glory.

Then, Paul speaks in great words about this sharing in His glory; the believers look forward to this, Jews and people from the nations together. There is no difference. The suffering of this time is rather minor compared to the glory we all look forward to (Rom. 8:18). In Romans 8:23-24 Paul describes what this glory is that we look forward to:

… we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved.

Interesting in the context of our research are the words of Paul in Rom. 8:28-30:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Look at this… again the word glorification at the end of this passage. Paul has previously (Rom. 8:17) used that word to describe the future of all believers in Christ. In the verses 28-38 Paul days that all people who love Him, whether Jews or others, are called according to God’s foreknowledge. Believers in Christ, irrespective of whether they are Jews or not, are destined to glory at the same moment – in eternity.

These verses contained many terms related to salvation. Rom. 8 is full of expectation of the future wellbeing of the believers, though the term salvation itself is not used.

In Rom 8:32 we find the Greek word that will also occur in Rom. 11:26 for all (Gr: pas). The word occurs twice in the verse:

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all (Gr: pas) — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things (Gr: pas)?

The term also occurred in Rom. 8:22, about all creation, and in Rom 8:28, all things. It will also occur in Rom:8:37, in all this. So the word refers to all, all things, everything. Nothing excluded. There is no difference in God’s eternal decisions as regard nationality. Each person who believes in Christ, is saved and awaits the same inheritance: glorification in eternity.

Finally, Paul describes in Rom. 8:31-39 that the believers are conquerers, in the midst of the problems they suffer from. It this context he quotes Psalm 44:23. That Psalm is absolutely only about the suffering of the nation of Israel. Paul applies this on the Church of Jews and people from all nations:

For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

But Paul and the Church in Rome are not depressed by this. He says in Rom. 8:37-39:
Maar Paulus en de gemeente in Rome laten zich daardoor niet neerdrukken. Hij zegt in Rom. 8:37-39:

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

7. Roman 7:1-25

2008-11-02T03:54:00.000-08:00

Rom. 7 is a difficult chapter that has generated much theological debate. Is Paul talking about his own spiritual life as a Christian, or is this about his life in his pre-Christian days? I will try to read this chapter in the manner of the previous chapters, that is with my focus on the question how Paul treats the issue of the relationship between Jews and non-Jews in the Church in Rome.
Paul speaks to the Jewish believers in the Church – those who know the law. He shows them that because they died with Christ, they are also dead for the law, in order to be owned by Christ and to live for Him (Rom. 7:1,4).

Being owned by Christ – that is a term that is related to salvation. This is related to the concept that the law no longer owns them, but that they live in a new state of the Spirit (Rom. 7:4,6).

Paul makes a comparison with marriage; as long as both partners are alive, divorce and remarriage are taboo. However, if one of the two partners has died, the remaining one is free to remarry. So Paul says to the Jews in the Church in Rome, that they, by the body of Christ (who died), have died with Him for the law, to become possession of Christ who rose from the dead. The comparison with baptism is continued here from Rom. 6. The believer rose with Christ from death, in order to bear fruit for God (Rom. 7:4). Bearing fruit refers to seeds that die in the earth, in order to rise to a new life and bear fruit.

This is a radical comparison. A Jew, who used to be connected to the law, is by his death with Christ no longer connected with the law, but with Christ. For law-abiding Jews who were not Christians, this was a horrendous statement. A Jew who is dead for the law but alive for Christ? In Rom. 7:5-6 Paul continues with such radical language.

For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

The we that Paul uses here can only refer to Jewish believers, because a) Paul began with this in Rom 7:1, but also b) because believers from the nations did not have to be released from the law. They had never been under the law of Israel.

Consider this for a moment. What is Paul saying about Judaism without Christ? Just like all other people, they had sinful passions, but the impact of the law was that these passions were even stronger. The result was that these people were fruitful unto death. They were captives of the law.

Again the logical question is asked: so is the law wrong? No. Certainly not. The law revealed what sin is, because without the law, sin is dead, Paul says in Rom. 7:8. Paul cannot mean this is in an absolute sense; earlier in this letter he showed that even before the law existed, people were sinners and died because of this. And just a few verses before, he said that the law aroused the existent sinful passions. Paul probably wants to say that the law sealed God’s verdict of death.

In Rom. 7:9 Paul says that he first lived without the law, but that when the law came, sin sprang to life and he died. The very commandment that was supposed to bring life, made him die. This proved the powerful nature of sin.

When Paul says that he lived without the law, what period in his life does he refer to? Maybe to the time before he became a Pharisee? I can also imagine that Paul in these verses puts himself in the place of Israel as a nation. Earlier in his letter he spoke about the time before Moses, when Israel did not have the law yet; then the law was added. For Israel this did not lead to a closer relationship with God, but to a greater awareness of sin. It even aroused sinful nature.

Man proves his wickedness because he sins more after the coming of the holy and good law, according to Paul (Rom 7:12).

Fine. So Paul, you say that the good law became my death? No, is the answer. The law is not the problem; man is the problem. Paul says in Rom. 7:14-16:

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.

The fact that Paul uses the I-form here does not show that he spoke of his own Christian life. He is explaining what it means to be a slave to sin, and he has earlier, for instance in Rom. 6:6, made very clear that Christians are no longer slaves to sin.

Paul speaks here about non-Christians, and with Rom 7:1 in view, it is reasonable to think that he speaks mostly about Jews who do not follow Christ. He does this in the context of the question of Jews in the Church who wrestle with the question of how the law and adherence to the law relate to the Christian life, and what believers from the nations must do with these laws.
Paul continues: even though law-abiding non-Christian Jews try to do what is good, sin is always present. They are prisoners of sin (Rom. 7:23). On behalf of this non-Christians part of Judaism, Paul then cries out, in Rom. 7:24:

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!

In Rom. 7:25 Paul finalizes his words about non-Christian Judaism with:

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

In Rom. 8 Paul explains that those who believe in Christ, have been set free from the law of sin. That is a good reason to think that in Rom. 7, Paul does not speak of his own life, but about his pre-Christian life of trying to be law-abiding. And by describing this, he also describes the status of all of Israel without Christ.

The Greek words pas (all) and houtoos (thus) did not occur in this chapter.

6. Romans 6:1-23

2008-10-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

In the previous chapter of his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul argued that the law made sin increase, and therefore grace as well. No wonder some people ask, whether we should not continue to sin, as that also makes God’s grace increase.

Maybe there were actually some believers in Rime proclaiming ideas of this sort, but I have the impression that these words are the cynical argument of some Jewish Christians (or non-Christians!) who think that their words are the logical consequence of the statement of Paul that man is saved by faith, without the law.

Paul rejects the idea categorically. Have we not died to sin? Then we want nothing to do with sin any longer. Paul refers to the baptism of the believers. That is like a burial in which the believers were united with the death of Christ, after which they rose from baptism/death to live differently. The believers are united with the death of Christ, and also with his resurrection.(Rom. 6:4-5)

Paul asks the believer to not sin, but to serve God. It is for this study here not important to go deeply into the arguments of Paul in Rom. 6:6-14, so we leave those out now. It is useful, however, to point to the fact that Paul addresses all believers in Christ, including those from Jewish background, as people who were once spiritually dead, but who now live through Christ. In the past, sin ruled as king in their lives, but that is different now.

There is no difference between the people from the nations and Jews in regard to their pre-Christian life.

Rom. 6:13-14 then tells the believers to serve God. They are able to do so, because they are not under the law, but under grace.

For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

Paul had sai before that the law makes people sin; because believers have died for the law with Christ, that law has no power over them any longer. They live under grace and they are, says Paul, able to not let sin rule over their life any longer.

Paul repeats the question that the Jewish critics maybe posed: so can we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? (Rom. 6:15) No, Paul said in Rom. 6:1, and he repeats this in Rom. 6:15. By no means!

In Rom. 6:16-23 Paul speaks once again to Jews and people from the nations in the Church, and he does not differentiate between these two groups as regards their pre-Christian life. It is of interest to see what Paul says about this pre-Christian life of Jews and people from the nations.

Here some things that are true for both Jews and all the others before their conversion to Christ:

Slaves of sin (Rom. 6:16-18,20)
Slaves to impurity (Rom. 6:19)
Slaves to ever increasing wickedness (Rom. 6:19)
Free from righteousness (Rom. 6:20)
Shame (Rom. 6:21)
Wages is death (Rom. 6:16,21,23)

Paul speaks to the whole congregation in chapter 6, and the above statement that are true for Jews and others if they are not believers in Christ. After their conversion to Christ the following is true for all:

Slaved to obedience which leads to righteousness (Rom. 6:17)

Obey the teaching (Rom. 6:17)
Free from sin (Rom. 6:18,21)
Slaves to righteousness (Rom. 6:18-19)
Slaves to God (Rom. 6:22)
Reaping holiness (Rom. 6:22)
Result is eternal life (Rom 6:22,23)

All these terms are related to the concept of salvation, even though that term is not used in this chapter.

As regards their Christian status, there is no difference between Jews with Christ and people from other nations with Christ. Jews in the Church could maybe think that Paul mostly addresses the nations in this chapter because they were dead and lost before their conversion to Christ?

Paul however underlines that he speaks just as much to the Jews. In Rom. 7:1 he says explicietly that he speaks to people who know the law – followers of Jesus from who were born Jews.

In this chapter the Greek word for all (pas) in its different forms is not used. We do come across the Greek word houtoos (thus) in Rom. 6:4,11 and 19. It is translated as ‘we too’, ‘in the same way’, and ‘so now’

5. Romans 5:1-20

2008-10-25T12:08:00.000-07:00

The apostle Paul has, in his first four chapters of his letter to Rome, made utterly clear that for God there is no difference between Jews and people from the nations. All are sinners, all are lost, and all can be saved by faith in Christ Jesus alone. The fact that Jews were born with the law in their cradle, and that they are physical posterity of Abraham, does not make a difference in regard to their salvation.

Then Paul proceeds. Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through Jesus Christ. (Rom. 5:1) I think the word we in this case points to all members of the Church in Rome. There is no distinction any more.

Peace with God is a very Jewish concept. In Judaism the great expectation is peace, shalom, for the whole nation. For Israel the concept is connected with living peacefully and without worries in the land. Paul now says that all who believe in Jesus, have received this peace. It is no longer just hope for the future, and it has a different character from what they had expected.

Paul also speaks of the hope of the glory of God that all Church members share in common. The concept of glory is important. In Rom. 8:30 Paul will pick it up again as the highest expectation of those who believe in Christ.

Paul continues in this style; he uses we, we, we… In the Church or Christ there are no Jews or non-Jews, but all share in the same:

PAST: We have been reconciled to God when we were weak, godless, sinners, enemies of God (Rom. 5:6-8,10), but also true is that we have been justified by his blood, we have been reconciled with God by the death of his Son. (Rom. 5:1,9-11) Justification and reconciliation are closely connected with the concept of salvation.

TODAY: Salvation is expressed in many terms – peace with God, access to this grace, perseverance, hope, love of God in our hearts, the holy Spirit given to us.(Rom 5:1-5)

FUTURE – All terms related to salvation: the glory of God (Rom. 5:2), being saved of wrath (Rom 5:9), live, rule as kings(Rom. 5:17-18), eternal life (Rom. 5:21).

The past of all people in Church, without any distinction between nationalities, was marked by sin, but by the justification through faith all believers, Jew or Greek, have peace with God. All believers share in the same hope of glory and salvation from the judgment of God.

Paulus continues to underline the similarities between Jews and non-Jews. He does this by sketching a worldview that revolves around Adam and Christ. Moses is part of the picture, but Paul shows that the role of law is to make people more guilty. The law has been added so that the trespass might increase. (Rom. 5:20)

There the law of Moses is, saying it with reverence, an add-on. Before the law, from then time of Adam, there was sin and death in the world. All have sinned and all are punished with death. This is the result of the sin of one man. (Rom. 5:12-13) This proves that mankind is one, there is no difference between people. There is also no difference between the time before the law was given, and life under the law. Before and after, all people die because of Adam’s sin.(Rom. 5:13-14)

Paul then compares the influence of Adam and Jesus, in a few complicated verses. Mind the context; Paul wants in the first place to show the cosmic impact of Adam and Jesus. They are central in the Christian worldview, and Moses and his law, they have just been added. They are not central. I will come back to this. But first these comparisons between Adam and Christ Jesus.

Many died by the trespass of the one man;
how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!(Rom. 5:15)

The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation,
but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.(Rom. 5:16)

For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man,
how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.(Rom. 5:17)

Just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men,
so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.(Rom. 5:18)

For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners,
so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.(Rom. 5:19)

Some think that these verses contain the idea that God will, eventually, save all people, but that is a misconception. In the previous chapters Paul has very clearly underlined that without faith in Christ, people stay under the judgment of God, and salvation is only attained by faith in Christ.

Paul is describing here his cosmic view of the impact of what Adam and Jesus did, in order to show that there is no favoritism with God. Whether a person is a Jew or from the nations does not make a difference. The terms all, many, very many, must be seen in this context.

This is being underlined by the parallel verse in the middle of the five, namely Rom 5:17. There we see that the many, the very many, the all, are those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness. Paul has made abundantly clear that those are only the people who believe in Jesus Christ.

God is not interested in Israel only, but in the whole world, and that whole world can be summarized in the children of Adam and the believers in Jesus Christ. Paul has said all this as an introduction to Rom. 5:20, where we says that the law was added:

The law was added so that the trespass might increase.

It was already completely clear that all men are sinners and die, but the law of Israel has made even more abundantly clear that all men are trespassers of the will of God, including Jews. This also shows the more how gracious God is by making his salvation available in Jesus Christ through faith only.

The Greek word houtoos (thus) and the word pas (all) occur in Rom; 5:12 (in this way death came to all men). Houtoos further occurs in Rom. 5:12,18,19 and 21. In these four verses it is always accompanied by the Greek word kai (too, also). Houtoos kai means: and thus.

Pas is used twice in Rom. 5:18: condemnation for all men, life for all men. The three occurrences of houtoos seem to point to numerical totality, no-one excluded.

4. Romans 4:1-25

2008-10-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

The apostle Paul finished in Rom. 3:31 with the conclusion that his message of justification by grace does not cancel the law, but that it confirms the law. The law also clarifies that even those who try to obey the law, are sinners.

Paul then uses Abraham as an example to get his point across. He call him our forefather according to the flesh, thus underlining his own Jewishness (Rom. 4:1). In a while Paul will make clear that his national background has no meaning for salvation.

Abraham was not justified by works of the law, but by his faith. Because he believed that God can make sinful people righteous, that faith was counted as righteousness to him. That is very different from working for your justification, because if you work for something you get paid in accordance with your performance (Rom. 4:2-5). Paul does not need to repeat again that no man is able to earn his justification with God. No one is meeting the standard of the law.

David, the king of Israel, also spoke about this matter. He called someone blessed if God attributes righteousness to that person. David speaks of offences being forgiven and guilt not being imputed by God (Rom. 4:6-8). This is not a matter of earning, or of work, but of grace of God.

Paul then asks: Is this blessing only for the circumcised, or is it said of the uncircumcised as well? Meaning: is it only for Jews or for all people?(Rom. 4:9) He then answers: Abraham was justified by faith when he was not circumcised, and he received circumcision as a confirmation of his faith. Paul explains that this is why Abraham could become a father of all those who believe in Christ from the nations and for the believers in Christ from Judaism (Rom. 4:11-12).

Paul has done something interesting and important here. He creates unity between Jewish and non-Jewish believers in the Church, by pointing to Abraham as the common forefather through faith. Abraham brings the believers together, not Moses and the law.

The promise to Abraham and his posterity that they would inherit the earth was not related to the law, but to righteousness by faith. Faith and the promises related to faith make people into heirs of the world. Paul then says in Rom. 4:14-15:

If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.

This is tough language by Paul! He who thinks that the adhering to the laws of Israel makes one righteous is not an heir of the promises of God to Abraham. What does this mean for Jews who do not believe in Jesus Christ? I think Paul says such Jews are not awaiting the covenantal promises of Abraham.

The word salvation is not used in this chapter, but the term is related to forgiveness of sins, and sins being blotted out (Rom. 4:7-8). The same is true for the terms inherit the world and heirs, as used in Rom. 4:13-14.

The law brings wrath, says Paul, but where there is no law, there is no transgression (Rom 4:15). How does the law bring wrath? I think we have to see this in the light of what Paul said in the previous chapters. God gave Israel his laws and thereby taught them his standard. However, Israel was not able to live up to the standard, and broke all laws. By doing so, they justified God's wrath. With Abraham, such people shoud have said: I trust in God, in his mercy... But Israel endeavored to earn his blessings and that can never work out well.

For Abraham, who believed, the law played no role - it had not been given yet. He was declared righteous because he believed it is God who justifies people.

Justification is by faith, based on God's grace. This is why the covenant relationship of God is for all of Abraham's seed, not only for those who are from the law but also for those who have the same faith as Abraham (Rom. 4:16). This is a complicated verse!

Because of the previous sentence, that the promise is for all posterity of Abraham, the words not only to... but also must speak of all of Abraham's posterity. Paul has already clarified that the promises of God to Abraham only count for those who believe in Christ, and that whoever expects salvation from obedience to the law does not share in the promise. Therefore it seems obvious that when Paul speaks of those who are adherents of the law, he thinks of the Jewish Church members, who grew up with the law. The second part of the verse, about those who share the faith of Abraham, is then about the believers in Christ from the nations.

Abraham is the father of all believers in the Church in Rome, of people from Israel and the many people represented in the Church (Rom. 4:16b-17). Paul focuses on unity in the Church: we have the same father. He does not speak of nations in the Middle East who physically descended from Abraham when he calls him a father of many nations; that title for Abraham is about the multiple ethnicity inside the Church of Christ.

Abraham's faith in God as the One who is even able to give him a son, in spite of his old age and a body that was as good as dead, is briefly described in order to underline that Abraham's faith was reckoned to him as righteousness. In a similar manner God also justifies us, says Rom. 4:24-25:

It will be reckoned to us who believe in him that raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was put to death for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

I think Paul purposefully describes Abraham's faith in God in apposition to his own 'dead body'. This makes it easier to compare with the belief of the Christians who trust in God who raised Jesus from the dead.

The Greek word for thus (houtoos) appears in Rom 4:18. It is translated: So shall your descendants be.

The Greek word for all (pas) only appears in Rom. 4:11 (all who believe).

3. Romans 3:1-31

2008-10-21T02:59:00.000-07:00

The apostle Paul continues answering the critical questions of the Jewish followers of Jesus after what they had heard him say previously in Rom. 1-2. ‘So it does not matter at all that we are Jews, and that we are circumcised? What is the usage of this, if it does not matter for God?’

The answer of Paul is very important. The advantage of being a Jew, he says, is in the first place that God entrusted his words to them, that is, the law. This seems to mean nothing more than that Israel has known the will of God from the beginning; a Jew knows what God expects of him (Rom. 3:2).

The fact that some (Jews) have become unfaithful, does not nullify the faithfulness of God. What does this mean? I believe Paul is saying: the fact that some Jews do not believe in the Messiah, whom God has sent, does not mean that God is not faithful to his promises. He is who He is, and if He promises, he fulfills. The great advantage of being a Jew, is having this knowledge of God and his will (Rom. 3:3-4).

We must read this ‘advantage’ of Jewish knowledge of God and his will in the context of what Paul told us before in Rom. 2:11, that people with the law (i.e., Jews) await the wrath of God if they only know the law, but do not implement it as well. The law they know will condemn them. The advantage of being Jewish is a great advantage, as they have been raised with knowledge of the law, the will of God.

The next question of these Jews in the Church in Rome is whether Jews are therefore better off, or any better, than people from the nations (Rom. 3:9). Not at all, is Paul’s clear answer. He underlines that all people are equal before God, because both Jews and people from the nations are under the power of sin (Rom. 3:9). With many quotes from the Jewish Scriptures, Paul shows in Rom. 3:10-18 that all people, everyone, are distant from God as sinners:

None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands, no one seeks for God. All have turned aside, together they have gone wrong; no one does good…

Noteworthy here, is that Paul says that his quotes from Scriptures are spoken to those who are under the law (Rom. 3:19). Those are the people to whom the words of God were entrusted, the Jews (Rom. 3:1). Is Paul then saying that in fact Jews are worse than the other nations? No, of course, but he does clarify that because of their own law, Jews should be the first to realize that God is not partial to any person. For Him there is no difference between Jews and others. The law makes clear that the whole world is under the judgment of God, Jews and non-Jews alike (Rom. 3:19).

If the law proves that all people are worthy of punishment, then it is also logical to conclude that the law is not the instrument to justify people before God. The law does not justify, it reveals that all men are sinful (Rom. 3:20). Israel has the privilege of knowing all these things because God entrusted his words to that nation. But these words by themselves do not bring Israel closer to God. They make Jews aware of their sinfulness.

By the way, this conclusion of Paul that no one is righteous and that all people are sinful, makes me assume that Paul’s words about people from the nations who by nature do what the law says (see e.g. Rom. 2:14) must be seen as a theoretical argument by the apostle. He first argued that if a non-Jew follows the law, and a Jew does not, the non-Jew is closer to God than the Jew. Now he makes clear, that, in fact, none of them is able to please God, as no-one is able to live in accordance with the law.

By trying to follow the law, no one become righteous. But God makes righteousness available separate from the law, by faith in Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:21-22). This is fully in line with the testimony of Jewish law and its prophets, so what Paul proclaims is not anti-Jewish but wholly in line with their own scriptures.

This righteousness is for all who believe: there is no difference if one is born a Jew or not (Rom. 3:22b). All people have sinned and lack God’s glory (Rom. 3:23). The word salvation is never used in this chapter, but is it obviously related to the idea that God justifies people. The opposite of that is missing the glory of God.

Paul is of the opinion that man is made righteous by faith, without the law (Rom 3:28). Immediately after that he asks, in Rom. 3:29-30:

Do you think God is the God only of the Jews, and not of gentiles too? Most certainly of gentiles too, since there is only one God; He will justify the circumcised by their faith, and he will justify the uncircumcised through their faith.

The idea that God justifies people through their obedience to the law is, in Paul’s mind, closely linked to the concept that God would be a God for Israel only. If the law in a general sense would also be suitable for the nations, the question whether God is only a God for Israel or also for the nations, would be rather meaningless. The nations do not have the law and so God, who is a God of all people, would not be impartial if following the law would be His means for saving people.

Rom. 3:31 seems to be the conclusion of the foregoing, but it also introduces Rom. 4. Paul concludes that his approach (that justification is by faith only) does not nullify the law, but it confirms the importance of the law. It is the law that shows people that all people are unjust, Jews as much as anyone else. These same Jewish scriptures also show that faith is the precondition for salvation, as Paul describes in Rom. 4.

The Greek word pas (all, everyone, each) appears in Rom. 3:2 (in every way), Rom. 3:4 (no human being), Rom. 3:9 (not at all), Rom. 3:9 (all alike), Rom. 3:19 (every mouth), Rom. 3:19 (whole world), Rom. 3:20 (no human being), Rom. 3:22 (to all), Rom. 3:23 (all). The word group underlines numerical completeness, with no exceptions.

2. Romans 2:1-29

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Whoever you are, that is, whether you are Jew or Greek, you have no excuse when you judge others for their sinful lifestyle, Paul says in Rom. 2:1. This is because each person does the same sinful things. Paul refers here to the list of sins he gave in Rom. 1:18-32.

God’s judgment falls impartially on people who do such evil things; He is impartial to Jews and people from the nations (Rom. 2:2). God will render to every man, irrespective of his national background, according to his works (Rom. 2:6).

To those who are patient in doing well, seeking for glory, honor and immortality, God will give eternal life; for those who obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury.(Rom. 2:7-8). Jews who do evil will not receive eternal life, Paul makes clear; they await the same fate as the people from the nations who do evil (Rom. 2:9). Glory, honor and peace will be given to all people who do good, to Jews and to all others. This is logical, because God is not partial to anyone (Rom. 2:10-11).

What it means to be saved is made very clear by Paul in Rom. 2:7-10, even though he does not use that term in this context: terms related to salvation are glory, immortality, honor, peace and eternal life.

If Jewish followers of Jesus were excited when Paul said in Rom. 1:16 that the gospel is for the Jew first and also for the Greek, then their enthusiasm has probably been tempered by now; the gospel is first for the Jew, because God’s judgment is also first for the Jew.

Paul underlines: God is not partial (Rom. 2:11). In this context, this means that with regard to the judgment over sinful behavior and the offer of the gospel, it does not matter to God whether someone is a Jew or from the nations. This indicates that the term first for the Jew and also for the Greek, should be seen in the context of the sequence in God’s salvation history, and not in the context of God favoring one nation over the other.

Those who sin without the law (the nations) will perish without the law. Those who sin with the law (Jews) will be judged by the law. Jews are not helped by having the law, as God’s judgment is based on obedience, not on possession of the law (Rom. 2:12-13).

Perishing is the opposite of being saved. Words in this chapter that have to do with perishing, or being lost, are: judgment, wrath, fury, factious, disobeying the truth, obeying wickedness, tribulation and distress.

Paul then says that not those who hear the law (Jews) will be justified, but those who do the law. So if people from the nations do by nature what the law demands, they are better off than Jews who do not. Rom. 2:14-16 should be seen as an argument by Paul that is based on his thesis that God knows no partiality. The issue is not nationality, but obedience. Later Paul will say that no-one whoever follows the law, so I think his arguments here are for the sake of theological logic. Paul is not saying that there are people among the Jews and the nations who actually obey God.

So the question for the Jewish followers of Jesus is: If God is not partial, what difference does it then make that we are Jews? That we know His will and that we have the law? That we are a light in the midst of the nations?

Paul's answer is rather straightforward. He repeats his argument that what counts for God, is not possession of the law but obedience. He lists a few matters that show that Jews do not follow the law. He mentions theft, adultery, idolatry, temple robbery; even the name of God is blasphemed among the nations because of the sins of Israel (Rom. 2:24).

'But we Jews, we have been circumcised', the Jewish Church members then say. Circumcision was the sign par excellence of the covenant of God with Israel. Did He not promise that all of Israel would be saved when the Messiah would come? Paul responds: To be circumcised and at the same time to not keep the law, makes circumcision meaningless. Your circumcision become uncircumcision (Rom. 2:25b).

As for the person from the nations who does follow the law, his uncircumcision will be regarded as circumcision (Rom. 2:26). As mentioned before, I think Paul is arguing logically here. Later in this letter he says that actually no-one obeys God.

Be careful now. Paul is drawing some radical conclusions. A circumcised Jew who has the law but does not obey the law, will be judged by uncircumcised people from the nations who do follow the law (Rom. 2:27). So Jews who do not follow the laws of God, await judgment. Not all Jews will be saved because they are Jewish.

Paul supports this conclusion in Rom. 2:28-29:

For he is not a (real) Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. He is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart, spiritual and not literal.

These verses are of great importance for the question whether, in accordance with the prophets, all Israel shall be saved. Paul concludes that the real Israel must be defined as those Jews who believe in Christ; the promise of salvation is for them, not just for any Jew who is born in that nation and who is circumcised physically.

A few verses before, Paul had said that uncircumcised people are counted as circumsized if they follow the laws of God. That is why Paul seems to say in Rom. 2:28-29 that not only Jews may count on God’s salvation if they obey the law, but also that people from the nations who follow the law may count of being saved. From God’s perspective they count as circumcised, and so they are included in the covenantal promise of God to Israel. Those two groups together form the true Israel, of which Rom. 2:28-29 speak.

I am repetitive now, but let me say it again: Later in his letter Paul makes clear that actually no-one is able to obey God’s commands. But in the light of what Paul says later about Jews and people from the nations who believe in Christ, it seems reasonable to conclude that what he says in Rom. 2:28-29, also suggest that the true Jews for whom God’s promises of salvation are valid, are those from Judaism and from the nations who believe in Jesus Christ.

With this statement, Paul responds to the claim of Jews who think that their Jewishness gave them special status, also inside the Church. There were people who prided themselves in being Jewish (See Rom. 2:17, if you call yourself a Jew…). This attitude is not justified, Paul says. It is not nationality but obedience that is the real issue. From whatever tribe people are, if they obey God He accepts them without partiality (Rom. 2:11). These are the people who are being saved in accordance with God’s promises.

Words related to the Greek word pas (all, everyone) occur in Rom. 2:1 (whoever you are), Rom. 2:9 (every human), Rom. 2:10 (every one). In each of these cases the word point to each and every man; focus is on the fact that no-one is excluded.

1. Romans 1:1-32

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From his first words in his letter to the Church in Rome, Paul wants to be clear. As a Jew, he opens his letter by saying that he is an emissary of a Jew, Jesus the Messiah, who is from the royal Jewish tribe of King David. Paul’s message had been foretold by the Jewish prophets in the Jewish Scriptures (Rom 1:1-4).

I underline this Jewish character, because it is easy to skip over the impact of this introduction on the Church in Rome. Among them were many Jews, and not only they, but the gentile members of Church as well, were aware that the blessings they enjoyed had come to them via the channel of Judaism. By this introduction, Paul also underlines for the Jewish members in Church that he was fully aware of these facts. For these Jews, this was an encouraging opening to a letter addressed to a divided Church, as it gave them the impression that he was on their side. For the gentile members of Church, it entailed the advice to respect the Jews in their congregation.

Paul was sent by God to bring the gentiles to faith in Jesus. For the word gentiles, Paul uses the Greek word ethnoi. Our word ethnic is derived from it. In our language this often has the connotation of being primitive, or tribal. In Greek, it was a neutral term, simply meaning, nations. For the Jews, the term was also negative, as they considered the ethnoi als lesser nations than themselves. They looked down on them.

I will use the word nations when Greek uses ethnoi, and I will not use the term heathen or gentiles because of their negative connotations. Paul simply means: all nations beside Israel. He says that those to whom he writes, belonged to this category of nations (Rom. 1:6).

Among the believers in Rome there were also many Jews; we will see how Paul addresses them regularly in his letter. Have a look at the list of people Paul is greeting in Rom. 16. I think these Jews were a minority, and that is why Paul opens his letter by addressing the whole congregation first as people from the nations. There is much discussion among theologians about which group was larger, but it is most important to conclude that both groups were represented in Church. It is possible that there were different congregations in Rome, based on ethnicity, but this cannot be ascertained.

The non-Jewish readers of the letter are called to belong to Jesus Christ, […], loved by God, and called to be saints (Rom. 1:6-7). For Jews who had for centuries been used to seeing themselves as a unique people, it must have been hard to swallow their pride. Believers from the nations were now addressed in a manner that had always been reserved for the Jews only. Whatever was left of their former unique position with God?

Was Israel, in the Old Testament, not the unique beloved of God, while Esau was hated? Was Israel not a holy people in the midst of the nations? Was Israel not called, while the nations were not?

This is the theme of the letter of Paul to the Church in Rome. Is Israel not God’s chosen nation? Has Israel not received magnificent promises from God? Did He not promise that all Israel would be saved by the coming of the Messiah? The prophet Jeremiah made promises about the days of the Messiah (see Jeremiah 23:5-6):

Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD,
When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch;
and He will reign as king and act wisely
and do justice and righteousness in the land.
In His days Judah will be saved,
and Israel will dwell securely;
and this is His name by which He will be called,
The LORD our righteousness.

To me these verses seem to be a very suitable summary of the background to the letter of Paul, as the words used in these verses are repeated time and again in the letter. It begins with the righteous Branch; Paul also opens his letter by saying that Jesus was descended from David. The righteousness Jeremiah speak about is also often referred to in Paul’s letter. Reign as king is a term Paul uses again and again. The theme of this weblog, thus all Israel shall be saved, was an expectation Israel could certainly base on these words of Jeremiah.

The branch of David had come, as promised by the prophets. Was it not time now for all Israel to be saved? Is God faithful to his promises? Paul speaks about people from the nations everywhere turning to faith in Christ, but what about Israel?

Paul writes in Greek. That was the language of civilization of those days. He transliterates and translates the Hebrew name of the Messiah Yashua into Chrestos Iesous in Greek.

Rom 1:13 underlines that the Church in Rome counted as its members many people from the nations, as Paul says that he wants to reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the nations. Paul divides those nations in Greeks (Greek: Hellenoi) and Barbarians (barbaroi). This focused on a linguistic difference, not a national difference. Hellenoi were people who had adopted the Greek language and culture. The barbaroi were those who used a language other than Greek. In verse 16, it seems that Paul uses the word Greek for all people from all nations, in apposition to Jews; The Gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Rom 1:16).

What does this mean, to the Jew first for and also to the Greek? I can imagine that the Jewish listeners concluded with some level of satisfaction that Paul had really understood the matter being discussed. But Paul made clear in the same statement that salvation was available to all who believe, with no partiality by God. It does not matter whether someone is a Jew or a Greek; salvation is available to all in a similar manner. Faith is the manner to attain salvation.

In this one verse Paul uses two words we research in this study, namely everyone (Gr: pas, the all from Rom. 11:26) and salvation (Gr: sooteeria, as referred to in Rom. 11:26). In Rom 1:15 he had also used the word thus (Gr: houtoos), as the first word of the verse: so [thus] I am eager to preach the gospel.

The prophets had promised salvation to Israel through the coming of the Messiah. This is what Paul now speaks about: salvation for the Jews but also for all other people, if only they believe in Him.

Paul then quotes from Habakkuk 2:4: The righteous shall live by faith. The context of Habakkuk is interesting, and I guess that the Jews Paul addressed, understood what he referred to, if they knew their Scriptures, . Habakkuk speaks about Jews who are being saved at a time when God punishes Israel as a nation for its unrighteousness through an invasion of the Chaldeans. When the time comes for God to punish Israel, only those who believe will be saved, is what Habakkuk predicts.

If Paul had this context in mind, this quote from Habakkuk may point to two matters. In the first place, only Jews who believed were saved, not the others. And secondly, Paul now applies this verse not only to Jews, but to Jews and people from the nations. This is a new emphasis that cannot be missed by the Jews in the congregation. Salvation from the wrath of God is available to all, Jew and non-Jew.

For Jews who did not follow Christ, these words of Paul were an unacceptable usage of Scripture. And I think many Jews in the Church had to also swallow hard. They probably thought: The promise of the prophets was that when the Branch of David comes, all Israel will be saved. And now Paul argues that only believers will be saved, in the same manner as people from the nations!

In this chapter, salvation has to do with the righteousness of God, with righteous people, and with life (See Rom. 1:16-17). It is the opposite of the wrath of God and all sorts of evil unrighteousness (See Rom. 1:18-32). Salvation is the result of faith. Paul does not try to further unpack the meaning of salvation in this first chapter.

Why does God offer the gospel of salvation to all people? Because all people need it urgently, as God’s righteous wrath is coming over all people (Rom 1:18). In Rom. 1:18-32 Paul describes the sinful lifestyle of all people, to explain why God’s wrath over all people is justified.

In this portion Paul seems to describe mostly the lifestyle of the nations, not that of Jews. He mentions debased forms of idolatry and impurity. For followers of Jesus who had grown up in pious Judaism, it was very easy to think: Indeed, the nations are wicked, no wonder the gospel is for Jews first…

On the other hand, Jews could maybe also recognize themselves in this description. It speaks about people knowing God (Rom. 1:21). The description of idolatry possibly follows Deuteronomy 4:15-19 to make Jews realize that this description was also about them. Beside that, the list of sins here is not very different from Habakkuk’s description of Israel’s behavior. Finally, Paul speaks of people who know God’s decree, that those who practice such things deserve to die (Rom. 1:32), and this also suggests that he addressed Jews with this list of sins. The nations did not know this decree of God.

The Greek word pas (all, everyone) occurs in Romans 1:5 (all the nations), Rom 1:7 (all those in Rome), Rom. 1:8 (all of you), Rom 1:16 (everyone who believes), Rom 1:18 (all ungodliness), Rom. 1:29 (all manner of...). From this list I conclude that the Greek word pas means all, both in the absolute sense, everyone, but also in the sense of all sorts of. In either case, it leaves no room for exclusions.

INTRODUCTION

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Throughout the years I have heard many Christians use the Pauline term thus all Israel shall be saved (see Romans 11:26) in a manner that suggests that all individual Jews will eventually, in one way or another, become partakers of the salvation of God. To see whether this exegesis is correct, I like to follow the argument of the apostle Paul throughout his letter to the Church in the city of Rome. I will focus on two issues:

What is the relationship inside the Church of Christ between Jews who believe in Christ and non-Jews who believe in Christ? One matter that is of importance in this context, is the role of the Jewish law, the Thora.

What is the relationship between the Church and those Jews who do not believe in Christ? A weighty matter in this context is the meaning of the covenant of God with Abraham.

These issues are often treated by rushing to Romans 9-11, but we will not do so. In those three chapters, these matters are discussed indeed, but Romans 1-8 deals just as much with those questions. If we want to understand what Paul meant in Romans 11:26, it is urgent that we discuss everything Paul says about this theme in his whole letter. Would he contradict himself blatantly in one and the same letter?

Our question about thus all Israel shall be saved, entails a few important words. In this study we will focus on what Paul means throughout his letter with the words:

thus (Greek: houtoos)
all (Greek: pas, and related words like pantoon)
Israel
saved (Gr: sootheesetai, and related words like sooteeria)

I believe that Paul wrote this letter in the first place with a view to answering the two questions I posed at the beginning. We must see what Paul wrote about salvation, justification and related themes in the light of the Jewish-heathen question that is discussed in this letter.

Why does Paul tell us so much about this theme, the relatonship between Church and Israel? Because there were tensions in the Church in Rome, between the followers of Jesus from Judaism on the one hand, and those heathens who became his followers on the other hand. The major, very concrete, issue was whether the heathen Christians should not strictly follow Jewish law. It seems both groups looked down on each other. With this letter Paul hopes to reconcile both groups.

Beside this, many Jews in the Church found it difficult to understand that the Messiah had come, and that all of Israel seemed not to be saved at all in spite of Gods clear promises in the Old Testament. Does God not fulfil his promises? I believe that, from the beginning of his letter, Paul endeavors to answer this question and that his long argument ends with Romans 11:26: and thus all Israel shall be saved.

The advantage of doing this study on a blog is that you can easily give me your comments. Feel free to respond. It may help me to better understand Paul's views. Please help me!

Another advantage also is, that I can easily adapt my own writings. I hope this blog becomes better throughout time. I aim for a readable, logical, rational argument about this theme that has kept me thinking during the past 30 years. And I hope you forgive my rather small vocabulary. I am not a native writer of English.

The Lord be with you!