ROMANS 9:14-23 “TWO OBJECTIONS TO THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION ANSWERED"

 

Previously, in Romans 9 we have seen,

(i)                9:1-5 Paul’s anguished heart for his own people, who had rejected Christ as God’s Messiah.(ii)                    9:6-13 Has God’s word to the Jews then failed? No! 

• Not all that are descended from Israel belong to Israel; 
• not all are true children of Abraham simply because they are his physical offspring. Abraham’s spiritual offspring did not propagate through Ishmael but through the son of the covenant - Isaac. 
• This gets even more profound in the next example, illustrating that a distinction is even made between Isaac’s twin boys: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” (9:13 cf.  Mal.1:2,3 à Gen. 25:23). Jacob is chosen to be the son of the covenant. He is not chosen on merit. They had done neither good nor bad. The choice is based on God’s purpose of election (9:11).

The doctrine of divine election is easy to understand. It is clearly taught in God’s Word, but it is not easy to accept. It raises objections. Paul knows that this doctrine will provoke some. Therefore, in Romans 9:14- 23 Paul anticipates and answers these objections. 

Before we continue it may be helpful to understand why you may have an objection to this biblical doctrine.

(i)                       You have not yet understood the message of the Bible.  And perhaps you ignore/gloss over/ do not think about or doubt what the Bible plainly says. 

(ii)                     You are strongly influenced by the Zeitgeist (spirit of our age) which makes God subservient to human reason.  You have fallen into a trap that makes you the judge of God and His Word. And you want to make Him say what you want to hear.  In so doing you must redefine or twist the meaning of the doctrines of the Bible to conform them to an “acceptable” level.  Many plain Bible doctrines have been redefined by so called liberal theologians. They say, “the Bible is not the Word of God- the Bible contains the Word of God”. 

In so doing they subtly  separate God from the Bible. 

God’s literal creation of all things becomes impersonal evolution.  

God’s creation of male and female becomes fluid; 

Gender becomes suspicious. 

Male headship is written off as patriarchal and toxic; 

The doctrine of marriage between one man and one woman becomes fluid and can include same sex unions etc.  

But the Bible is clear on these issues and strongly challenges modern society in these and many more areas.   

And so too,  the doctrine of God’s election of a people for Himself has come under intense fire in the church. It has been described as unfair, unloving and even demonic. Dare you call demonic what God has clearly said?  Few doctrines in the Bible have been more assaulted that this one. The integrity of God  has been  severely tested in  the assault of this plain doctrine.

 ROMANS 9:14-23: THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION CHALLENGED AND DEFENDED

1.        FIRST OBJECTION: Romans 9:14-18 - Is it fair for God to choose some and not others?  

If Paul had said, "the reason that Jacob was saved is because he chose God, and the reason that Esau was not saved is because he rejected God” then you could not accuse God of being unfair.  

But this is not what Paul said in 9:11,12.  Read this text again in your Bible!

Jacob was not chosen on merit. 

Esau was not rejected because he had done anything bad.  

This is why the question is asked: “What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? “…to which Paul responds, “By no means!” (lit. may it not be! How can you even think like that?).  You may think it’s unfair. 

But stand back and listen! The problem with not listening thoroughly, and worse still – rejecting it because it does not ‘feel right’ is that you may miss out on a huge lesson on learning good theology – by learning who God is.  When you react in kneejerk fashion and say, “unfair!” or “God is not just”, or “God is arbitrary or unloving”, you are accusing the God of perfection, holiness and perfect justice. You accuse Him of things that you have not yet understood. Few doctrines test more clearly whether we are judging God. 

So, listen! Let Paul finish his sentence: “For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.  So, then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” (9:15 & 16). Paul doesn’t respond to the charge of  “It’s not fair. God is unjust!”. He says nothing about God’s justice. He only speaks about God’s mercy.  Why does he do that?   

Because  the salvation of anyone is not about fairness; it is about mercy! 

If God were fair, He would have thrown the lot of us on to the cosmic rubbish dump. That’s fair. But God’s salvation is not about getting what you think you deserve. Salvation is about mercy. If you wanted justice, you would get eternal hell!  If we think that our salvation is based on something that we have done or deserved,  we  have missed the point. Instead, God gives us mercy. Mercy is grace given to an undeserving sinner. 

Consider 9:16 again. Many people think that salvation begins with man’s free will- a free act of choosing God. That is not what the Bible says here: "So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy”. Salvation does not begin with us but with God - Our salvation begins with God’s mercy! John says the same thing in John 1:11-13.  Our salvation is all of God; it is rooted in His mercy.

Now consider this:  Do you still wish to accuse God of being unfair, because He chooses (elects) some to a salvation that they don’t deserve, whilst He gives to others precisely what they do deserve?  Remember again, if God were just, all of us would only deserve eternal hell.  But no! He has mercy on whomever he wills to have mercy.  

If then you want to accuse God, then accuse Him of being too kind, too generous, but don’t accuse Him of injustice!

Paul is not done yet. He takes his argument further: “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So, then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills (9:17-18). This is a quote from Exodus 9:16 (7^th plague). Here Paul is still responding to an objection about God’s justice. But again, he says nothing about justice!  He only speaks about God’s purpose. God is after all God and as God He has a purpose with Pharaoh: “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you.”  The Egyptian Pharaoh thought of himself as a god and master of Israel’s people. He was in fact an arrogant, sinful man, who mocked the God of Israel whenever Moses came into his presence. But Pharaoh in truth had no power. Quite on the contrary, and unbeknown to him he became a tool in the hands of Almighty God, to demonstrate His power…"that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth."  Fathom this!   God’s sovereign, powerful deliverance of Israel from Egypt from a man who thought he had god-like powers.  But in the end God got the glory – just like on the cross!

And then notice again the emphasis: "So then He has mercy on whom He wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.” It is God’s prerogative to do with His created beings whatever He will, and Paul does not try to downplay this fact. He does not have to defend God. This is God’s prerogative.  That’s the way it is.  God’s mercy. God’s hardening – God’s purpose.  Let the earth be silent!

We are not done yet.

SECOND OBJECTION:  Romans 9:19-23 - How can God condemn if we can’t resist His will?

You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” (9:19) At the heart of this question is the assumption that because God chooses some and rejects others, we have been robbed of free will. We therefore cannot be held responsible –This thought is at the heart of the rejection of the doctrine of election.

Now humbly listen once again to Paul’s response to this objection: “But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—

If ever there was reality therapy in Paul’s argument, here it is. Now he is bringing out the big gun, by which he silences all our  arguments!  He reminds us of   a few important realities.

(i)                      We are mere creatures! He reminds me that I  am a created being. I am not God Almighty. My thoughts and abilities are very limited, and therefore I must be very careful about my deductions, conclusions and presuppositions.  How can I possibly understand God’s infinite mind?  

So, Paul reminds us, “who are you, O man, to answer back to God?  Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? (9:20-21). 

He reminds us that there is a distinction between the Creator and the creature. 

He reminds us that  God, as Creator, has the right to determine what He will do with His creation (9:20,21). In support Paul uses an Old Testament illustration (e.g.  Isa. 29:16; Jer. 18) of a potter and the way he uses clay. God is the potter. Human beings are clay. The sovereignty of the Potter is indisputable. The clay does not tell the potter what he must do. In the same way it is not given to you and I to tell God what to do.  Clay doesn’t talk back to the potter. God cannot be managed by us.  He will manage us! 

(ii)                    No created being has a right to call into question God’s mercy or God’s purposes. What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory.(9:22-23).

You cannot put God’s mercy on trial. 

Consider the  severity of God’s mercy :  The tragedy is that  even though God sent His Son, nobody  wanted to receive Him  (see John 1:11)  (that’s the meaning of  “ God…has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction”) -  

EXCEPT FOR HIS MERCY – those to whom it was given to receive Him (See John 1:12,13). These were the sheep who could hear the Shepherd’s voice – John 10.    

God’s mercy is indisputable. It’s not up for discussion. Get a grip on the mercy of God! God has endured us stubborn clay- pots with so much patience. God is merciful to wicked clay-pots everyday!  How patient and long suffering God is with sinners.  Paul is drawing your attention to the graciousness of God with the wicked. 

• Marvel that God is merciful against the background of our collective stubbornness. 
• Marvel that you have not also become a vessel of wrath. 
• Marvel that   you, contrary to your hardness of heart,   have experienced the riches of His glory in becoming a vessel of mercy.  
• I marvel that I am a VESSEL OF MERCY?  It remains a mystery to know why God chose me and not another.  Why did He do this?  This we know : He did this in order to show his mercy to His chosen ones. 

You may not be able to take that in right now. But on the day of the revelation of the children of God it will all be very clear! Right now, all we can do is to believe it, because God’s Word says it.   

The doctrine of election is not a doctrine to be argued about or against. If you are a Christian then this is a doctrine to be enjoyed. It is a doctrine that will lead you to profounder worship. It is a doctrine  that teaches you that you are truly loved with an everlasting love.

If you are not a Christian, let this doctrine be your  wake-up call. Fall on your knees. Repent, and flee to Jesus, NOW.  Don’t say – you are not elected.  I answer, ALL who come to Christ  with a broken contrite heart will be received by Him,  unless of course, you refuse  to  enter at the narrow gate, through Christ the Saviour … unless you receive the gospel like a child ...,  then you will finally understand that  you  are a reprobate, left in the stubbornness of your  will, left to bear the eternal wrath of God.  

 

ROMANS 9:6-13 “CAN THE WORD OF GOD FAIL?”

 

The Bible answers the 3 most fundamental questions that every human being asks: “Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going?” Once we understand that we are God- created beings we will also begin to ask this question: “What is the nature of the God who has created us?”  We will also ask this question: “What is wrong with this world?”  Paul in this letter has told us what is wrong: “All are under sin!” (Rom.3:9-12). This also begs the question: “How will I stand before my Creator”?  Romans  Chapters 1 - 8   deal with the doctrine of salvation and the nature of the gospel, answering the question, How will I stand before my Creator? In the gospel  God’s way of justifying sinners is revealed

In Romans Chapters 9 -11 Paul pauses to consider the plight of his own people - the Jews.  The Jews, by and large refused to believe the gospel. The gospel is not simply a message. It is a person. They refused to hear the Christ (the Messiah) when He came among them. In so doing they refused God’s gift of salvation. Although they were a religious people, and although they considered themselves as children of Abraham, the love for the God whom they claimed to worship was absent. They were merely religious. Although in possession of the  holy Scriptures they twisted the Scriptures given them by Moses and the prophets to make it conform to their human standards[1]. Their hearts have grown dull. Their ears can barely hear. They have closed their eyes (Matt. 13:15à Isa 6:9,10). And very often in their history, they left the God sanctioned worship and worshipped the gods of the surrounding nations.   When, in the fullness of time, God came in the flesh (Gal.4:4,5), they hated His teaching. They rejected Him and conspired to kill Him[2]. Then they hated   His disciples.

Paul, before his conversion, was one of them. He became a persecutor of those that loved Jesus.  But when Jesus sovereignly met him on the road to Damascus (cf. Acts 9), he became one of Jesus’ most eloquent and outspoken disciples. Wherever he went, he preached to the Jew first, and only then to the gentiles (Rom.1:16).  That was his pattern everywhere he went in Asia Minor[3] – wherever the Jews had been scattered among the nations. When they refused to listen, he went to the gentiles.  

In Rom. 9: 1-5 we see how the hardness of the hearts of his Jewish compatriots grieved Paul. He tells us of his desperate desire for his own people to be saved from the wrath of God. Paul’s heart is genuinely broken by the general lack of response of the Jews to the gospel.

The time has now come for him to talk about the theological perspective behind this rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ by the Jews.

OUTLINE

1.       9:6a - Assurance: The Word of God has not failed

2.       9:6b-7a - An astonishing assertion:  Not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel.

3.       9:7b-13-Amazing grace rather than ethnic heritage: Two Old Testament illustrations

(i)          9:7b-9 - Isaac vs. Ishmael: Both were physical sons of Abraham. Isaac (and not firstborn Ishmael) was chosen by God as the child of the covenant promise.

(ii)            9:10-13 - Jacob vs. Esau: Paul narrows the argument by using the example of twins born to Isaac and Rebekah. Before the twins were even born, or had done anything good or bad, God declared, "The older will serve the younger"- “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated”. God’s choice is not based on human merit, but entirely of God’s grace and calling.

1.  9:6a ASSURANCE - God’s word has not failed! 

The people of whom everything in 9:4-5 is true are those who have by and large rejected the gospel about Jesus.  Humanly speaking this causes Paul unceasing anguish- so much that he wished that he could take their curse upon himself. The Lord God has endowed them with so many privileges – and look at the meagre returns! So, if most Jews reject God’s Messiah and God’s salvation, does it not mean that God’s word has failed?  Paul answers: No! It is not as though the word of God has failed, and then he makes this astonishing remark: 

2. 9:6b “For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel”. This is an astonishing statement. What is he saying here?  Simply this: The true definition of an Israelite is not linked to those belonging to a certain race group or to a certain religious group. To be sure, there is such an entity as political Israel, BUT within that realm there is a true Israel - a spiritual Israel.  

·       This is not the first time that Paul has said this - see Rom. 2:28-29 ! 

·       This distinction is also made by Jesus when He deals with the Jews of his time – see John 8:31-47. We will return to this shortly.

·       Historically, following the great divide under Rehoboam’s reign, the apostate part- the northern 10 tribes were called Israel. They had become an apostate nation worshipping at false altars.

This may be an appropriate moment to draw a parallel to the NT church. There are those who belong to the church and for them it is simply a tribal affiliation. They are cultural Christians because they are not Hindu or Moslem. And then there are those who truly love God and trust in God. They abide in His word (Jn 8:31). This is the true church.  

What makes them to be the true church?

3. Two Old Testament illustrations

(i) 9:7-9  “… not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but through Isaac shall your offspring be named…”

Abraham’s first physical offspring was Ishmael. He was conceived by Sarah’s servant, Hagar.   And then he had another son, Isaac, born according to promise and in a miraculous way to his covenant wife, Sarah, who had been barren.  Not all the children of Abraham would be godly offspring. 

Now remember the text in John 8:31-47. The Jews prided themselves in being sons of Abraham. They saw themselves favoured by God on this ground. But Jesus told them in 8:44 whose seed they were: You are of your father the devil...  He is saying in effect, “You may be physical descendants of Abraham, but you are not   his spiritual offspring- if you were his offspring, you would be doing the works Abraham did… (8:39) . You are not trusting God. You are not trusting me; you are the devil’s offspring!  You have no grace in the soul !

9:8 “This means that it is not the children of the flesh (i.e. physical descendants) who are the   children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring”. The Kingdom of God is not inherited by virtue of physical decent.  Growing up in a Christian culture, having Christian family attachments, church membership, baptism does not make you a member of God’s kingdom.  You must be born again from above – flesh gives birth to flesh – the Spirit gives birth to the spirit. You must be born again (John 3:1-8)!  

So, have the promises of God failed in regard to the Jews as a whole? No, because God had never planned to include every Jew in His saving purposes. This becomes even more apparent in the next (second) illustration, regarding the offspring of Isaac and Rebekah.

(ii)9: 10- 13:  Here we find that  not all are children of God, even if they come out of the same womb, even twins  (the example  of  Esau and Jacob)-   “though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

God chose Jacob in order that God’s purpose and election might stand. Even before birth God predestines (cf. 8:29,30) those who will receive His saving grace. Jacob was chosen. Esau was not. Therefore ultimately, because of God’s choice, His Word cannot fail. That is the logic of Paul’s argument.

Now for many this is a hard teaching.  But this is the plain teaching of Scripture.  This is Jesus’ teaching in John 10 (the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep) and in John 17 where He prays for all those whom the Father has given to Him out of the world. This is also the pattern of the Old Testament. There is a clear doctrine of election that runs like a golden thread through the Bible.  

If you must disagree with the doctrine of election, you must argue with God’s Word. I remember that I did argue with Him, and God won! My heart was settled in this doctrine in 1987, in my second year at Seminary. I am fully convinced that my depravity is so deep that if God had not chosen me to believe, I would never have believed myself. NEVER! I can now truly sing of amazing grace that saved a wretch like me

Paul knows that this is hard doctrine for you and so he gives you proof from Scripture that the subjects whom he saves  are  weak.  Abraham was not a great man of faith to begin with. He was a pagan moon worshipper from Mesopotamia. By grace God called him, and He was given grace to believe. Isaac  was chosen against all   odds. Jacob and Esau had the same mother. Yet before they were born, before they had either done good or evil, God chose Jacob. Period!

Paul’s meaning is unmistakable.  God’s election is not based on anything in the elect themselves, but on the free mercy of God.  You may think this is unfair, and  Paul anticipates objections in 9:14 and 9:19 and so I must ask you to be patient and humble as we pursue this biblical doctrine in greater   detail next time.

The principle is this:  Salvation is by Grace, and not by Race: Membership in God's family is never an automatic inheritance through bloodlines. It is a gift of free grace. 

This  grace extended to undeserving sinners is the finished work of Jesus. This is  what we celebrate now as we come to the Lord’s table!

 

---

[1]  Matt 15:1-9;16:11-12; Matt 23 Jesus called them evil : Matt. 12:34,39,45 ; 16:4

[2] Matt 12:14

[3] E.g. Acts 13:46

ROMANS 9:1-5 "Spiritual Privileges Do Not Guarantee Salvation"

 

REVIEW 

Having shown that the whole world is guilty before God (1:18 – 3:20), Paul proceeds to show how people in general are made right (justified) with God. He shows us that all are saved in one way only: through faith in God’s way of salvation – believing in the Lord Jesus Christ (3:21ff).

But what about OT believers? Paul uses an example in Romans 4: How was Abraham saved (justified)? Answer: “Abraham believed God (i.e. all that God is and does) and it was counted to Him as righteousness “[1] (Rom.4:3 à Gen 15:6). Abraham’s faith in God is key! Faith in God, according to Romans 5 produces peace with God through faith in the Lord Jesus.  Through our union with Christ, we experience freedom from sin (Romans 6), whilst Romans 7 points to the reality of our internal struggle between the desire to do good and the persistent pull of sin. But Jesus is a real Saviour from sin (7:25) and therefore a Christian should expect real help in their struggles against sin. This is followed by  Romans 8 the great chapter on Christian assurance. The climax is found in 8:31-39: nothing in all creation  will be able  to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

ROMANS  9

9:1-5: Paul in Soul Agony - the plight of his countrymen – the Jews.

Paul declares as if under oath: “I am speaking the truth in Christ – I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit – that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites…”

Paul has spent a lot of time explaining why we need the gospel. He could move on from there to the practical application (i.e. How then shall we live?) which we shall find in Romans 12 and following. But he doesn’t go there yet!  

He must first unburden his heart concerning an important matter: His own people – the Jews.   

A brief reminder of who Paul was

Paul (Saul see  Acts 13:9) described himself as "of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin" (Phil. 3:5).  Benjamin was the only son of Jacob born in the Promised Land. The tribe of Benjamin produced Israel’s first king (Saul). So Paul came from a distinguished line.  He was born and raised in the Diaspora in Tarsus in the Roman province of Cilicia (modern Turkey) and thus he was also a Roman citizen (Acts 22:25-29). Raised in a foreign culture he never forgot that he was a Jew. He was also raised in the theological framework of the Pharisees. In fact, he was trained by the respected  Gamaliel, a Pharisaic doctor of the  Jewish law  (Acts 22:3). He became a convert to Christ in Acts 9. He became the great apostle  to the gentile people, but he never forgot  that he was a Jew and  he never forgot his own people. 

This brings us to the point.  Paul was concerned about an issue which had confused many people in Paul’s day – namely the rejection of Israel by God, and the salvation of the gentiles.  

• How was it possible that God could forsake His covenant people? 
• Did God not make definite promises to Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation? 
• Had God not favoured Israel above all the other nations (Deut. 14:1,2)?  
• Had He not given them that which is listed here in 9:4 - the law, the covenants, the promises, the patriarchs, the temple … and above all, did He not send the Christ (promised Messiah), the Son of God to be born of Jewish descent?  
• In the light of such an awesome heritage what could be the explanation for God’s rejection of Israel at this time? 
• Why would He include and favour the gentiles at this time? 

It is this matter that Paul addresses in   Romans 9-11

A brief Outline of Romans 9-11 

(i)                      9:1-29: Paul shows that the rejection of the Jews was not a failure of God’s promise to save His people. The problem lies in the interpretation of what constitutes Abraham’s offspring and who the true Israel is. The key verses in this regard in 9:26-28 

(ii)                    9:30-10:21: Here Paul shows the reason why most of national Israel has rejected her God, and why many of the gentiles have received Christ the Jewish Messiah.  Christ became a stumbling block for the Jews, whilst many gentiles believed in Him and were saved.  The Jews, though zealous, were using the law as a standard of righteousness which did not match the righteousness that God requires for salvation. They were looking to the law and not to the gospel (Christ) for salvation. Now remember also that Paul has previously reminded us in Rom.2:28,29 that there is no actual advantage in being a Jew although he admits that the Jews do have an advantage, because this was the nation that God first revealed Himself to (3:2).  But apart from that fact, Jews are no better off than all the rest of the sinners of this world (3:9,10).  “There is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”  (3:22,23). Spiritual privileges do not guarantee salvation or favour.  This is all very important background to our understanding of Ch’s 9-11. 

(iii)                 11:1-36   Here Paul explains that Israel’s rejection is not total. Some Jews were being saved. Thank God that Jews in our own day are still coming to their Messiah- not in great numbers, but they are coming. We thank God for the work of the  Grace and Truth congregation in Israel[2], a vibrant Reformed Baptist congregation.  We have every reason to hope, expect, pray and labour to the end that many Jews will yet come to Christ before His coming.   

Back to 9:1-5

With that in mind we see Paul displaying his heart for his own people. And we want to learn from him.  Here is a man   who deeply loves his own people. He sees their plight. He understand their privileges and he desperately longs for their salvation. And so he wrestles in his heart before God, and he will help us to work through some profound theological issues in the process.

As we begin to work through Romans 9 we will have to deal with a range of significant questions.  

• We will learn something about developing a real heart for lost people (9:1-5).  
• We will work through issues such as, "Can God’s covenant promises fail?” (9:6-8). 
• A major matter we need to settle in our minds is this:  “Is God unfair by choosing some and by bypassing others in salvation?” (9:9ff).   

These are all matters dealt with in Romans 9. 

Paul asserts that God is utterly able to keep His people. 

• But what about Israel, the Jews as a whole?  
• Howcome the nation to which   God has shown so much favour has gone so horribly astray? 
• Why have they, by and large, not embraced Jesus the Jewish Messiah?

In fact, hasn’t this been a longstanding problem regarding national Israel?   The OT prophets had a similar problem in this regard. God promised Abraham to be the God of his descendants forever! However, many of Abraham’s offspring became faithless. What offspring is he referring to?  God promised Abraham that He would settle his descendants in a promised land – Canaan, forever, but the truth is that Israel could never really keep their country’s boundaries due to compromise.

And what about David? God promised David that he would never fail to have one of His offspring reign on His throne forever (e.g. Psalm 132:11,12.)  But then came the big split between Northern and Southern kingdom following Solomon’s death, and then the eventual collapse and exile of  both kingdom.   

Have God’s promises failed? 

You hear prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and some of the minor prophets like Habakkuk complaining, "How can God punish us by using our enemies?” 

Have God’s promises failed?  

The answer is this: “No, God’s promises have not failed. They are all answered in Jesus Christ the Messiah; and the question of the promised  land is all settled  in looking for that  better country and city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.”(Hebr.11:10). This is the  ultimate homeland  for every true believer. 

That being said,  this doesn’t lessen Paul’s agony as He thinks of His own people. May this burden be multiplied to us. Paul says, 

“I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. (9:1-3)

O the love Paul has for his people. He is so much for them, that he somehow wished that he could take their place as the accursed of God - for this is what they are without Christ – ACCURSED!  He wished that they might occupy his place in Christ and he theirs!

Paul of course knows that this is hypothetical.  He knows that this cannot happen. He cannot take their place, but it does show the intensity of his love for His own people – a people with unsurpassed favour from God. Again, I refer you to  a list of  eight remarkable privileges the Israelites were granted  in 9:4-5:

• Adoption: Chosen as God's special children.
• Glory: Experiencing the visible presence of God (the Shekinah).
• The covenants: The binding promises God made to their ancestors.
• The Law: Receiving God's righteous standard at Sinai.
• The Worship: The sacrificial system designed to approach God.
• The Promises: Prophecies pointing to the Messiah.
• The Patriarchs: Descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
• The Messiah: Jesus Christ, who came from their physical lineage.

…but  they  are lost because they have failed to embrace the Messiah whom God has sent as the ONLY means of salvation. And because  of  THAT Paul's heart is in agony. 

Oh, for a heart like Paul. How did he get that heart?  

He certainly had received apostolic giftings  and  privileges, along with much suffering. But in all this Paul has experienced so much love and grace and mercy from God, that it has become a part of his being.  That is the wonderful thing about growing in grace. And the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ overflows in him, in particular for his people. And so he loves them, and he prays for them, so much that we find him repeating this desire  in Romans 10:1 “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.”

Where do we begin to have such a heart? 

• We must go to God and ask Him to increase and deepen our desire for the salvation of our countrymen.  
• We must deepen that desire as we learn this from the Bible, as we learn from Jesus Himself, and as we learn from the apostle Paul, who himself followed Christ.

APPLICATION

• Pray  for South Africa; pray for your own people groups. 
• South Africa has had a strong Christian heritage, but one is afraid  that we have lost  our first love. We pride ourselves in Christian things  and culture, but our love for  God Himself is dim.
• We need to  develop a heart for those thousands and thousands of  professing Christians who warm the benches of our churches, but who have no living and real attachment to Christ; they are convinced but not converted. Don’t lose your heart for the nominal Christian. I have often thought that the church must get saved first! The central warning of this passage is that spiritual privilege does not guarantee salvation. A life can be filled with every religious, cultural, and moral advantage, but if it lacks personal faith in Jesus Christ, it ultimately misses the mark. The tragedy of Israel serves as an enduring reminder that heritage and outward participation cannot replace the inward reality of knowing the Messiah.

 

 

 

 

 

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[1] See also Gal 3:6; The nature of Abraham’s faith is discussed in Hebr. 11:8-10;17-19.

 

[2] https://graceandtruth.org.il/en/

ACTS 2:1- 21 “WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PENTECOST FOR TODAY”?

 

I want to draw our attention to the significance of the interventions of God in the history of the world, following the fall of man into a sinful state.  We are thinking here of the interventions whereby God Himself directly intervenes in the fallen world, first by sending His Son, Jesus Christ (the Messiah),  to save the world and then, secondly  by the sending of the Holy Spirit to remind the world of Jesus saving work.   

The Christian calendar follows these momentous events as we think about the birth, baptism,  crucifixion and death, resurrection, ascension of Christ the Messiah, followed by the descension of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost – 50 days after the Resurrection of Christ, 10 days after His Ascension.   These momentous events may be compressed into a period of about 35 years.  

With the cross and the resurrection weekend behind us and having remembered the Ascension of our Lord 10 days ago, we remember the next big event on the Christian calendar: Pentecost. All these are holy days on the Christian calendar. We have reduced them to holidays. Once again, significant words have suffered attrition over time. We speak about Christmas and Easter and Ascension holidays.  Pentecost has never been a public holiday in South Africa, since it always falls on a Sunday. In many countries, it is observed as a public holiday known as Whit Monday.[1]

 PENTECOST

 ‘Pentecost’   is taken from the Greek word for "50", because this feast occurred fifty days after the Passover. Pentecost, in Jewish circles is known as the Feast of the First-fruits or Feast of weeks, marking the completion of the barley harvest. 

It pleased God to send the Holy Spirit at this time to gather in the first fruits from among the nations presently in Jerusalem for this feast.  This would also be the start of a world-wide missionary movement bringing in a great world-wide harvest of believers, a people for God’s own glory- a work which continues in our own day, for the Holy Spirit who was sent from God has not been withdrawn!

Before His ascension the Lord Jesus had instructed the disciples not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father … the Holy Spirit! Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8).

 ACTS 1:1-21

In Acts 2:1 we read, “When the day of Pentecost arrived[2]…”. It was that day of which Jesus, and the prophets before Him e.g. Joel 2:28-32 and John the Baptist (Lk. 3:16) had spoken.  John the Baptist prophesied that Christ would baptize His disciples with the Spirit (Wind) and with Fire. That day had now finally and fully arrived.

The waiting disciples were together in prayer (Acts 2:1) when suddenly the Holy Spirit came by way of a sound (a rushing wind) and by sight (divided tongues of fire. Fire is a symbol of both cleansing and judgment). 

The words for wind and spirit are the same in the Greek language – Pneuma. The rushing wind is the Spirit – the Holy Spirit- universal and invisible, but undeniably present and powerful.

Those on whom the tongues of fire rested “were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance “(2:3,4). 

"Filled with the Spirit" is the same as being “baptized with the Spirit” (cf. 1:5).

The tongues[3] here are human languages.  Jews from various nations (see 2:9-11) were gathered here providentially for the Feast of First fruits.  The list contains nations east and west, north and south of Judea and each hears the message in their own languages. They are at first bewildered and then astonished that each person can hear the declaration of God's mighty works in his or her native language. Each one can speak a foreign language without having previously learned it. Each one present is able to hear the gospel in their own tongue. This is Babel (Genesis 11:9) reversed. "What does this mean?" (2:12) is a logical question to this phenomenon.  Some glibly assume that these people are drunk (2:13,15).   This causes quite a commotion.

 The Explanation

In 2:14- 21 Peter explains what was seen and heard. He loses no time to direct his hearer’s attention to Joel 2:28-32. He shows them that this text is the fulfilment of what they see happening before their very eyes. 

1. The Holy Spirit who in the OT was given to specific individuals—such as kings, prophets, or judge, for limited times and specific tasks is now poured out on all flesh – men and women alike.

2. While Joel uses the phrase "afterward" (Joel 2:28), Peter intentionally translates it in Acts 2:17 as "in the last days." Pentecost marks the official beginning of the final era of redemptive history. The "last days" period is the current church age, spanning from Jesus's first coming and the outpouring of the Spirit until His second coming.

3. Joel connects the outpouring of the Spirit directly with prophetic activity: "they shall prophesy... see visions... dream dreams."  Keep in mind that this must all be connected to the truth of the gospel – not any prophecy, not any vision, not any dream – the gospel must be in it!   

At Pentecost, this happened immediately when the disciples were enabled to declare the gospel in languages they had never learned. The Holy Spirit enabled them.  

4. Joel’s prophecy concludes with a wonderful promise: "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."  The door of salvation was opened to Jews and Gentiles alike. This continues  until the end of time before the Lord returns. That time will be preceded by wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below ( Acts 2:19-20 cf.  Luke 21:25,26)

So far for our text. What is the significance of Pentecost for today?

 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PENTECOST

 1. Pentecost is another confirmation that God is acting in this world.  God has acted in sending His Son. He continues to act by the Holy Spirit who brings all that Christ has taught to the church’s remembrance (Jn 14:26). The sovereign Spirit is constantly at work. Why does this need to be stressed?  We need to be reminded that God has not abdicated His work. We do not think that we must help Him out or manipulate situations.  I will say something in point 5 about that when I shall remind us that the Holy Spirit cannot be turned into a franchise.  

Pentecost reminds us that God’s work – and supremely the church begins with God and is sustained by God. 

Waiting on Him in prayer is key. 

Working what He commands in the Scripture is key.   

Dear church, let us learn to keep in step with the Sovereign Spirit (Gal. 5:25). “I say walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16). 

Remember that God is working in the world by His Spirit!   

 2.  Pentecost is all about Jesus and His work!  Jesus Christ is the main point of Peter's Pentecost sermon (see 2:22ff). The climactic event is Christ's exaltation (2: 33-36).  The Holy Spirit constantly draws our attention to Jesus and reminds us that we are to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8). This is a huge work and for this reason the disciples needed power for witnessing.  Pentecost is the amplified  testimony  of the Holy Spirit working in and  through ordinary people, men and women testifying to the Lord Jesus Christ in accordance with 2:17. It was the Holy Spirit’s  power by Peter’s  preaching  Christ that brought 3000  souls  into the kingdom in one day (2:41). The Holy Spirit was there to accelerate the work of God in the world.  Supremely then Pentecost reminds us that the Holy Spirit  is  there to point us to Jesus  (John 16:13,14).

 3. Pentecost is the inauguration of the church's gospel witness to the whole world. The effect of the Spirit's coming would be that   those that were converted would be His witnesses to the end of the earth.  This typically happened when the people   from the nations present in Jerusalem at the Feast of First fruits /Pentecost heard the gospel in their own language and were converted and in turn took this gospel out into their respective worlds. This remains our great commission. It forms part of RRCC’s vision.

 4. Pentecost  leads to the formation of the church in the world. Those that are converted through the Spirit empowered gospel witness join the church. The Bible knows nothing of church-less believers. The true church is made up of the assembly of God’s saved people from among the Jews and the gentiles (Eph. 3:1-11). Every local church ought to be a microcosm of that great reality. To that end we labour and strive at RRCC. The church is the people of God, indwelt by the Spirit of God. She is God’s plan, God’s missionary movement to bring this gospel about Jesus to the nations. 

5.  A WARNING : Pentecost is not a franchise – not a monopoly of the Holy Spirit- not the domain of certain churches. There has been a tendency to get hold of the Spirit’s power and to monopolize Him, like the story of Simon Magus in Acts 8:19 who wanted to buy the power of the Holy Spirit from the apostles. He thought of them as the franchise holders. For this he received a stern rebuke from Peter. 

We have somehow been led to believe  that  living  in the days of the outpoured Spirit   has brought us an  intensification of spiritual experience,  and of spiritual insight, and  a heightening of spiritual power. The church is constantly bombarded with this by false teachers who unsettle our hearts, always making us feel that we have too little of God’s new franchise now in the hands of these super apostles as Paul called them (2 Cor 11:5). I am also afraid that theories of superior sanctification and  accelerated holiness  as a result of a second experience of the Holy Spirit  have confused Christians  and have drawn us away from  focusing on God’s work in the world.

Certain churches and teachers teach  that we do not have the Holy Spirit if we have not experienced a so called ‘baptism of the Holy Spirit'  – an experience subsequent to conversion.  You are frowned upon in certain circles  if you have not spoken in tongues , if you have not participated in ecstatic behavior in worship, if you have not received  the laying on of hands of a super apostle, if you have not been  to deliverance services or  healing services, if you have not been  in a service that is 'loud'  by way of amplification,  huge TV screens, dazzling light effects, smoke machines etc. 

All these things remind us of the  frenzied activities of the prophets of Baal when contrasted with the calm, prayerful  spirit of  Elijah in 1 Kings 18:20-40. Sadly, the work and the gifts of the Holy Spirit have been turned into man- manipulated fiasco in many a modern church! 

And much of it is trading on the spiritual laziness of Christians who want to have  an instant experience rather than the daily  pursuit of diligent trust in God.  

I remind you that we do not have too little of God!  His grace  is sufficient for every situation. 

• But we do have too little faith! And we must ask God for it. 
• We do have too little obedience, too little time, too many of our own agendas that constantly replace our devotion to God! 

The Holy Spirit convicts us of these sins (John 16:8). And we must constantly repent before God of it. We note that  Peter will struggle with cowardice after Pentecost as before; Ananias and Sapphira will deceive and false doctrine will trouble the church in Corinth, Galatia and throughout history!  We must learn to rest in Christ’s finished work for us – for this we do not need a  franchise Christianity. We need to believe the Bible and  do what it says, and our God will provide all our need according to His riches in glory!

 So, what was Pentecost?

1.     The historical Pentecostal event  was an initiating event. As such it is unique and unrepeatable. It was a great miracle authenticating the birth, death, resurrection and exaltation of Jesus Christ.  All God's people  were freed to speak about the  gospel of God.

2.       It was an equipping and empowering of the church for its work of bearing witness to the Lord Jesus Christ in the world (Acts 1:8) with  the help of the poured out Spirit. In that sense it was a new work. Before Pentecost the church was largely confined to the Jews. Now, because of Pentecost the church spans the world. This work continues until Jesus returns. And we are called in the power of the Holy Spirit to continue to do the work of proclaiming the  gospel of God in this world. You will never have to worry about   spiritual power for the task at hand. If you are born again, you have all God’s authority and power with you, and according to the gifting with which God has equipped you. You speak. He does the rest. Sometimes 3000 converts in a day in that corner of God’s vineyard, sometimes one a year in another vineyard!  Still the  angels rejoice when a single sinner  comes home ! Amen

 

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[1] The Monday after Pentecost is a public holiday in: Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Austria, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Benin, The British Virgin Islands, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominica, France, Gabon, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Hungary, Iceland, Ivory Coast, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Monaco, Montserrat, The Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Solomon Islands, Switzerland, Togo and Ukraine.[3] In many of these countries, Whit Monday is known as "the second day of Pentecost" or "the second Whitsun" [ SOURCE: Wikipedia]

[2] sumplerousthai,   lit ‘ to fill completely  ‘ [NIV came;  KJV ‘ fully come’ ]; see also Lk 9:51)

[3] γλῶσσα (glōssa);  plural form γλῶσσαι (glōssai). In Acts 2, the word represents known languages