Romans 1:16 From a Pastor's Heart Rom 1:16-17 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." |
| As Jesus began His ministry He told His disciple, "These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt.10:5-7). Here we see the Lord's concern for the house of Israel (the descendants of Jacob (Israel), the children, the 12 families of Jacob). These were God's chosen people from the beginning and were given the promises, specifically that their Messiah would come. The law and the prophets were replete with prophecies of how, when, and where He would come. Now was time for then to know that Messiah has come and their true salvation was at hand. But the Jew, who were followers of Jehovah God and who were looking for Him to come and set up the earthly kingdom were not about to accept this lowly, stable-born man as their king who was to be like King David, (Acts 1:6 "When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?"). They were looking for a conquering King who would again restore the kingdom that had been establish by David. Jesus said in Luke 16:16, "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached..." and v.31, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead." Every effort was made to reach the Jews. But they, along with the Scribes and Priests, mocked and ridiculed Him all the way to His crucifixion. The apostle Paul continued to preach to the Jews but finally tried another route, (Acts 18:5-6) When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.". The gospel came to the Gentiles or non-Jews and for a good reason. (Rom 11:7-11 What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, as it is written: "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day." And David says: "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." Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious.) I suggest you read the 11th chapter completely. In order for God's redemption to be for all people, Israel had to reject it and God would use the Gentiles to bring the fullness of the gospel to the Jews. It is, was, and is all part of God's master plan. Why wont most Jewish people today accept Christ? God has given them the spirit of slumber or rather closed their mind's eye to the truth. But it is not hopeless! Many have forsaken their religious ways and are accepting the truth. Paul says concerning the law given to Moses; "Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ" (Col.2:17). "Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount" (Heb.8:5). "It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us....So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation" (Heb.9:23-24, 28). "For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me....Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God" (Heb.10:1-5, 9-12). Paul wanted the Jew to fully understand that their nationality, the rite of circumcision, and the fact that they were given the Law would not render them righteous before God, "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through the faith of Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"Rom.3:20-23. Jesus said the very OT scripture they so reverently held to told of Him and faith for righteousness yet they still would not believe. Make no mistake, the Jew is special to God and He has not forsaken or cast them off. God has made promises the His chose people and will, true to His nature, fulfill those promises. He only is "just and the justifier of him which believes in Jesus" Being true to His nature and impartial in His judgments, He requires that all men, Jew or Gentile, come to Him through faith. Genesis 15:6 says, "Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness." His trusting, by faith, all happened before the "sign of circumcision", a sign of righteousness of the faith, and the Law was given to Moses. For that reason they are without excuse. "But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by the faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:".
My dear Jewish friend, this comes from the heart of a Gentile in Christ who loves you and urges you to be reconciled to God through Christ Jesus who loves us all and said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." |