Genuine Concern. Romans 9:1-5 As the doctrine of the Gospel is unfolded by the Holy Spirit through the pen of the apostle Paul, there arises the question, "What about Israel? Are the Jews no longer in God's plan of things?" When God chose Israel as a special nation to be His people on earth, that was not a temporary act. Israel was God's chosen earthly nation of people and there will not be another nation that has such a privileged position. The first three verses of this chapter speak to present curses toward Israel under the covenant.
Their tendency and actions to go after false gods in the Old Testament times brought on the nation's divine judgment. The grace of God revealed in Christ was rejected by the nation, and the Messiah for whom Israel waited was refused and crucified. "God, who is rich in mercy," still has this nation as His special people on earth, but grace refused, and Christ's rejection has brought serious consequences to both individual people and Israel as a nation. Verses four and five tell of the past blessings under the covenant.
V.1. Far from being anti-Jewish, as some may think, having read the earlier chapters, Paul has a solemn and deep concern for the Jews even though he was evangelizing the Gentiles. He spoke the truth positively and did not lie; negatively when he expressed the cause of sorrow and anguish he had because Israel would not accept the Lord Jesus as the Messiah. His feeling for them was so great that if it were possible, he would have been willing to have been separated from Christ in order to bring them to Christ. Only Christ’s death can atone for the sins of others, and those “others” must make that decision for themselves.
V.2. The concern of Paul for the people of whom he was a part, is understandable. He is not saying he loved his nation more than he loved God. Simply, his love for his own people was genuine. His concern was so great because he could see what was happening to them as they were a grace-hating people. As a race, they still wanted the Law, the temple, and the forms they had developed to make them appear holy. But this did not make Paul hate them, because "the love of Christ" was constraining him to be faithful to them. He had a real Christ-like love for his own people.
Our conscience examines, scrutinizes, and produces a verdict on what we do, how we do it, and why we do it. It verifies whether what we say is true or not. The Holy Spirit reveals the truth to our souls, and as our minds and hearts respond to the teaching of the word of God, the voice of conscience affirms or condemns us. Our conscience, when illuminated by the Spirit of God, can be trusted to do what is right.
Lest we become too judgmental toward Israel, we can see how far removed from biblical Christianity the "Christian world" has become. Huge cathedrals, robes, and vestments like Old Testament priests, forms, and rituals that follow pagan practices have replaced what God intended for the Church. Now, there is very little in Christendom that bears a semblance to what the New Testament teaches about the Church, composed of people from every nation and culture.
I have to ask myself: What cost am I really willing to pay to see others born again into the kingdom of God? What role has God given me to perform, and am I doing it? How willing am I to act on behalf of others, and to what extent am I willing to sacrifice my own interests for the benefit of both saved and unsaved people? My conscience will make sure what I say is consistent with what I do!
V.3. It is important for me to remember that Israel is still God's chosen nation, His "firstborn." That will not change. That nation saw the glory of God through 40 years of desert living. The glory of God was their light and safety in the night and shelter and comfort in the heat of the day. That glory was seen in the tabernacle and temple as a testimony to the presence of God with them. Even the glory of the reign of David and Solomon was a reflected glory of God.
The covenants from Abraham on, were given to Israel, not to the Gentile nations of earth. Those covenants made were not abrogated and Israel will yet dwell in the promised land with their Messiah reigning in righteousness and peace. The law, with its written directions for the well-being of mankind, was given to Israel to keep as a steward of righteousness even for other nations. The laws that formed the basis for the social conduct of many Gentile national governments, came from the Law delivered to Israel.
V.4. God’s promises to Israel are still valid even though unbelief and disobedience to God and the terms of the covenant still keep the nation in a state of unrest. Israel was adopted as God’s son [Ex.4:22; Jer.31:9; Hos.1:1]. Covenants were made with Abraham, Moses, and David, and a new covenant was prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31-34. Promises were made to Abraham and others that assured them of the fact that Israel does have a future when the Lord Jesus Christ reigns on earth.
“Adoption” gives entitlement to that which is eternal. “Glory” relates to distinguishing favors given to them. Covenants beginning with Abraham, were passed to his seed through succeeding generations. “Services of God” are the ordinances of worship that were acceptable to God. “Promises” were given, but the greatest one was that salvation and comfort would come through the Messiah and His gospel. The fathers were actually a heritage of faithful people in Israel who knew covenant blessings would ultimately come. God came in the person of Jesus Christ through the Jewish nation and that is the greatest honor and blessing of all.
Religious ordinances for the tabernacle and temple service with elaborate outward forms belonged to Israel as a counter to the ungodly cultures of that day. As far as Christians are concerned today, those forms are only elements of the type that is practiced in many religions, and have nothing to do with worshipping the Father "in spirit and in truth." Forms are only used now to control and manipulate people. The reality of the worship of God is when the minds and hearts of people are occupied with the Object of our worship, not the liturgy or pomp and show to impress men. Similarly, the promises of God to Israel that were made regarding their land weren't just matters of property ownership, but that through that nation would come salvation that would bless people of all nations. When Christ came those promises began to reach out to the whole world through the Gospel.
V.5. "Christ, as to the flesh, who is over all" has brought the greatest of all honors to Israel. The Eternal God, the Lord God Almighty, was found in fashion as a man - a Jewish man. He is God blessed unto all the ages. He is the Father of Eternity, the God of creation, the God of our salvation who was promised to Adam and was promised through Abraham. He was born of a Jewish virgin, cared for by a Jewish carpenter, and who will someday reign over all the nations of the earth from a Jewish throne - the throne of David.
No wonder Paul was so concerned by the rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ by his own people. He had been faithful to them, but they had rejected his teaching. He also knew there was a day coming when Israel would respond to the Messiah by God's great mercy. There should never be an anti-Jewish attitude among Christians. Jews are God’s chosen earthly people and our Lord Jesus Himself was Jewish. Even so, the curses of the unfulfilled demands of the covenant are still on them until they receive Jesus as the Messiah. The church enjoys the blessings of the new covenant now. By grace, we are children of God, have the glory of the Holy Spirit in the body, can participate in covenant blessings like the patriarchs did by faith, and are able to worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Most importantly, we are in Christ, with Christ, and will be forever!