Author: kdmiller55

Blind Eyes and Deaf Ears

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7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written,

“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
    eyes that would not see
    and ears that would not hear,
down to this very day.”

9 And David says,

“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
    a stumbling block and a retribution for them;
10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
    and bend their backs forever.” – Romans 11:7-10 ESV

Blind eyes and deaf ears. According to Paul, that was the current status of the majority of Jews “down to this very day” (Romans 11:8 ESV). They were unable to see Jesus for who He really was – their long-awaited Messiah, and they were incapable of hearing and comprehending the message of the gospel. As Paul had already stated,

They have stumbled over the stumbling stone. – Romans 9:32 ESV

Rather than accepting Jesus, the Son of God, as their Savior, they rejected Him because He had not met their preconceptions regarding the coming Messiah. He didn’t look like what they expected, and he didn’t do the things they hoped the Messiah would do. They believed the Messiah would come in the form of a conquering king, not a suffering servant. They were intrigued by Jesus’ miracles, but His message of repentance left them disappointed and disillusioned.

Paul has been pointing out the futility of pursuing a right relationship with God by attempting to keep His law. Paul has said that the Jewish people had a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge (Romans 10:2). In other words, they wanted to do the right thing, but they were going about it in the wrong way. They had misunderstood the kind of righteousness God required of them; it could not be self-produced or earned.

For being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. – Romans 10:3 ESV

They had refused to place their faith in Jesus, who was God’s chosen means for providing righteousness for all men, including the Jews.

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. – Romans 10:4 ESV

With the coming of Christ, the misconception that men could be justified before God through human effort was brought to an end. And there had been some Jews who had heard and accepted this message of salvation through Christ. That is why Paul states, “The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened” (Romans 11:7 ESV). There was a believing remnant among the Jews who had embraced the gospel message, and Paul had been among them. However, many were hardened. Paul used the Greek word pōroō to refer to the condition of the majority of the Jews in his day. That word means “to grow hard, callous, become dull, lose the power of understanding” (Outline of Biblical Usage).

While many had heard the message of the gospel, only a few believed. The rest made a conscious decision to reject it and were left in a state of spiritual stupor, “which renders their souls torpid so insensible that they are not affected at all by the offer made them of salvation through the Messiah” (Outline of Biblical Usage).

Paul was very familiar with this condition because he encountered it virtually everywhere he went on his missionary journeys. One of his first objectives upon arriving in a new town was to visit the local synagogue, where he would share the gospel with his fellow Jews.

Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, “This Jesus I’m telling you about is the Messiah.” – Acts 17:1-3 NLT

But the usual reception Paul received was less than welcoming.

But some of the Jews were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd. Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believers instead and took them before the city council. “Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,” they shouted, “and now they are here disturbing our city, too. And Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, named Jesus.” – Acts 17:5-7 ESV

While Paul was ministering in Lystra, a group of Jews arrived and “stoned Paul and dragged him out of town, thinking he was dead. But as the believers gathered around him, he got up and went back into the town” (Acts 14:19-20 NLT). Paul was well acquainted with the hardened hearts of the Jews to whom he sought to share the gospel. He had experienced firsthand just how stubborn and opposed to the message of salvation they could be.

And this condition was not new for the Jews. Throughout their history, the Jews had exhibited a pattern of rebellion and resistance to God’s will.  God had repeatedly offered them messages of repentance and watched as they rejected His messengers and their message. The prophets had faithfully called the people of God to repentance, promising them salvation if they would repent. But they had refused. Instead, they turned down God’s offer of restoration and redemption. And they had continued to do so even when Jesus appeared on the scene.

Not long after beginning His earthly ministry, Jesus chastised the Jewish religious leaders for their obstinacy and accused them of following the lead of their rebellious ancestors.

“You testify against yourselves that you are indeed the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead and finish what your ancestors started. Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell? Therefore, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers of religious law. But you will kill some by crucifixion, and you will flog others with whips in your synagogues, chasing them from city to city.” – Matthew 23:31-34 NLT

Jesus mourned over the stubborn resistance of His own people and declared His desire that they would open their eyes and see Him as who He was: Their long-awaited Messiah.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate. For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’” – Matthew 23:37-39 NLT

Paul, like Jesus, had a deep affection for the people of Israel and desired to see them come to faith in Christ. He longed to see them repent and return to the Lord. But he knew that most would refuse to accept Jesus as their Messiah and reject His offer of salvation. But that didn’t stop Paul from sharing. He continued to share the good news of Jesus Christ with every Jew he met.

Paul had no idea just how big or small God’s believing remnant would be; he refused to worry about that. Instead, he continued to faithfully proclaim the gospel, boldly, unapologetically, and fearlessly. He knew that the Jews could only be awakened from their spiritual stupor by the Spirit of God. So, he simply shared and left the rest up to God.

Father, like the prophets before him, there must have been days when Paul became discouraged and defeated by his lack of success among his own people. He shared the gospel repeatedly, but the Jews returned the favor by rejecting his message, running him out of town, and even stoning him and leaving him for dead. Yet, he never threw in the towel or gave up his quest to see his fellow Jews come to faith in Christ. He was committed to his commission to share the gospel with Jews and Gentiles alike. He even said, “preaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn’t preach the Good News!” (1 Corinthians 9:16 NLT). Paul never compromised his message, but he did make concessions, saying, “With those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law” (1 Corinthians 9:20 NLT), “doing everything I can to save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22 NLT). 

I want to have that kind of determination and dedication to Your will. I want to exhibit that kind of faith and sold-out commitment to Christ’s call to make disciples of all the nations. But too often, I allow the fear of man and the thought of failure keep me from fulfilling my role as an ambassador of Christ. Give me the boldness and love that permeated Paul’s life so that I might do everything I can to save some. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

Our Promise-Keeping God

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1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. – Romans 11:1-6 ESV

Is God done with Israel? Has their rejection of His Son as their Messiah put them on His permanent “naughty” list and denied them any opportunity to be restored to a right relationship with Him? Paul would say confidently and emphatically, “No!” and he used himself as living proof.

If God was done with Israel, Paul would never have come to know Christ as His Savior. After all, he was a Jew himself.

“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. As his student, I was carefully trained in our Jewish laws and customs. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did, just like all of you today.” – Acts 22:3 NLT

“I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law.” – Philippians 3:5 NLT

Paul argued that he and the other believing Jews in his audience were not the last of their kind. He used the story of the prophet, Elijah, to drive home his point. Elijah had defeated the prophets of Baal and, as a result, came under the wrath of the wicked queen, Jezebel. She put a bounty on his head, and Elijah was forced to run for his life. When God confronted Elijah and asked him why he was running from the queen, Elijah responded: “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away” (1 Kings 19:10 ESV).

Elijah and God had this conversation two times in the narrative. Then God informed him, “Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:18 ESV). In other words, God knew something Elijah didn’t know; he was not the last man standing. Despite his feelings of isolation and intimidation, Elijah was not alone. There were others who, like Elijah, had refused to abandon God.  

And Paul’s conclusion was, “It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God’s grace—his undeserved kindness in choosing them.” (Romans 11:5 NLT). While the majority of Israel had rejected Jesus as their Messiah, there were some who had chosen not only to recognize Him, but to accept Him as their Savior. And Paul couldn’t resist the urge to remphasize that their salvation was the result of grace, not works.

The very existence of this faithful remnant in Paul’s day was proof that God had not abandoned His people; He was not done with them yet. And, later in this chapter, Paul explains what God has planned for His people in the future. Chapters 9-11 form a cohesive unit in which Paul focuses on Israel, the chosen people of God. In chapter nine, Paul reveals God’s past grace in His sovereign selection of Israel as His people. In chapter ten, Paul addresses the present reality of Israel’s refusal to respond to God’s provision of grace, as revealed in His Son’s death. And finally, in chapter eleven, Paul outlines God’s future plans for Israel.

Paul paints a compelling picture of God’s matchless grace. While the people of Israel never deserved God’s favor, He had repeatedly displayed it — despite their ongoing rebellion and refusal to repent. Over the centuries, they had proved to be unfaithful and disobedient time and time again, but God never fully abandoned them. Even after sending them into exile for their rebellion, He graciously and mercifully restored them to the land. He kept a remnant alive and returned them to Jerusalem so that He might one day fulfill His promise to produce a descendant of David who would sit on the throne of Israel.

Even today, there are future plans concerning Israel that have yet to be fulfilled. At present, they are experiencing a temporary rejection by God. But as Paul will explain later in this chapter, that condition will one day be radically altered. Their rejection of Christ as their Messiah opened up a door for the gospel to be shared with non-Jews, “those who are not a nation” (Romans 10:19 ESV). God made the good news regarding salvation available to “those who did not seek me” (Romans 10:20 ESV). And those of us who have discovered the grace of God made possible through the death of Christ have much to be grateful for. We were totally undeserving of God’s favor, and yet He provided a way for us to be made right with Him.

When he wrote to the Gentile believers in Ephesus, Paul emphasized the incredible nature of their conversion.

Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. – Ephesians 2:11-13 NLT

Paul wrote something similar to the believers in Colossae.

You who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. – Colossians 1:21-22 NLT

As Gentiles or non-Jews, we have much to be grateful for. We must never forget that if God had not chosen Abraham and given him Isaac as his son, if He had not chosen Jacob over Esau, if He had not chosen David over Saul, and if He had not chosen to send His Son through the nation of Israel, we would never have heard the good news concerning Jesus. But our God is good and gracious, and He is sovereign over all. He knows what He is doing, and He is not yet done with Israel. Their rejection of Him has not resulted in their rejection by Him, because He is faithful, loving, and true. He will accomplish all that He has promised for them, in His time and according to His plan.

Father, Your grace truly is amazing. That You would deem to save any should astound and confound us. As David wrote in his Psalm, “The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one” (Psalm 14:2-3 NLT). And Paul echoed those words when he wrote, “No one is righteous— not even one” (Romans 3:10 NLT). And yet, You poured out Your mercy and grace on Jews and Gentiles alike. You have redeemed a remnant of Your chosen people and You are far from done. You have made Your grace available to all humanity, but You have not turned Your back on the seed of Abraham. You will one day fulfill every promise You made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You will redeem and restore a righteous remnant from among the 12 tribes of Israel. And this fact reminds me that You are faithful and fully worthy of my trust because You are not a man, so You do not lie. You are not human, so You do not change Your mind. You have never spoken and failed to act. You have never promised and not carried it through (Numbers 23:19 NLT). You are the promise-keeping God. 
Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

A Blessing to the Nations

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18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for

“Their voice has gone out to all the earth,
    and their words to the ends of the world.”

19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,

“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;
    with a foolish nation I will make you angry.”

20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,

“I have been found by those who did not seek me;
    I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”

21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.” – Romans 10:18-21 ESV

So, did the Jews never hear the good news regarding Jesus Christ? Was their failure to accept Him as Messiah because they had not heard of His arrival? Paul would answer those questions with a resounding and confident, “No!”

He would argue that the Jews were without excuse. Quoting from Psalm 19, he holds them accountable to the same standard he established in the opening chapter of his letter.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
    The skies display his craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak;
    night after night they make him known.
They speak without a sound or word;
    their voice is never heard.
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
    and their words to all the world. – Psalm 19:1-4 NLT

Nature itself declares God’s glory. Paul began his letter to the Romans by restating the psalmist’s assertion.

For what can be known about God is plain to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world…so they are without excuse. – Romans 1:19-20 ESV

In Paul’s estimation, Israel was doubly guilty because they had received God’s general revelation in nature and had the privilege of receiving His special revelation, spoken through His prophets who had declared the promise of the coming Messiah. But when Jesus came, they rejected Him.

So, if they had heard about the coming Messiah through the prophets, was their rejection of Him a case of misunderstanding? Again, Paul is emphatic in his answer. He declares that they fully understood, and he uses the Old Testament Scriptures to prove it. Quoting from the book of Deuteronomy, Paul writes, “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry” (Romans 10:19 ESV).

The context in the book of Deuteronomy is that God had become fed up with Israel’s repeated unfaithfulness.

“They have made me jealous with that is no god, they have provoked me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are no people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.” – Deuteronomy 32:21 ESV

Paul takes this Old Testament prophetic passage and applies it to the current circumstances of his day. Centuries after Moses wrote the words found in Deuteronomy, the people of Israel were still worshiping false gods. Their view of God was skewed by their own faulty perceptions. They put more faith in their own abilities to keep the law than they did in God’s ability to save them. They rejected Jesus as Savior because they didn’t think they needed one. They worshiped the law more than they did the Law-Giver. They worshiped the Temple more than the One who occupied it. So Paul says that God took the good news about His Son to another nation; He made it available to the Gentiles. God opened the doors to a people who, at one time, were not a people.

“…for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. ‘Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.’” – 1 Peter 2:9-10 NLT

Quoting the words of God found in the Old Testament book of Isaiah, Paul writes, “I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’ to a nation that did not call on my name” (Isaiah 65:1 NLT).

God had warned Israel that this day would come. Their stubbornness and rebellion would one day result in their rejection by God and His blessing of the Gentiles. In his letter to the Corinthian church, Paul emphasized how foolish all this appeared. God was taking His message of salvation to a people who had no relationship with Him.

Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. – 1 Corinthians 1:26-28 NLT

The rejection of Jesus by His own people did not surprise God or catch Him off guard. This had been His plan from the very beginning. It was in fulfillment of His promise to Abraham that through him and his “offspring” all the nations of the earth would be blessed. It was through Christ, the descendant of Abraham, that God had chosen to bless the nations of the world by offering salvation from sin and death – “so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:14 ESV).

As a result, the Church represents a new nation and a new people, made up of individuals from all walks of life and every conceivable ethnic background. Paul told the Gentile believers in Galatia that they were now joint-heirs with the Jews and were the beneficiaries of all the promises God had made to Abraham.

For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you. – Galatians 3:26-29 NLT

Paul wraps up this chapter with another quote from the book of Isaiah. “All day long I opened my arms to a rebellious people. But they follow their own evil paths and their own crooked schemes” (Isaiah 65:2 NLT). The rejection of Jesus by His own people was part of God’s divine plan. But as Paul will clarify in the very next chapter, God is not done with Israel. He has not abandoned them or given up on them. Because He is a faithful, promise-keeping God, He will faithfully fulfill every promise He has made to them.

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? – Numbers 23:19 ESV

Father, You are forever faithful and committed to keeping the promises You have made. You told Abraham that his offspring would bless the nations, and that is exactly what happened. Jesus was a descendant, the seed of Abraham, and His sacrificial, substitutionary death made salvation available to all people, both Jews and Gentiles. When the Jews failed to be a blessing to the nations by living exemplary lives based on Your holy law, You sent Your Son to fulfill the law — perfectly and completely. He lived a sinless life, which made Him the only acceptable sacrifice to atone for the sins of mankind. And it was all part of Your plan. Through Jesus, You used the Jews to bless the nations of the earth. Now You are using the redeemed of the nations to produce a holy jealousy among Your chosen people. While they rejected Your Son as their Messiah and Savior, You have promised to redeem, renew, and restore them.

“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” – Ezekiel 36:25-27 NLT

 And You will do what You have promised to do because You are not a man that You should lie. You are faithful, loving, and true to Your Word — all the time. Thank You! Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

Faithfulness Versus Fruitfulness

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14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. – Romans 10:14-17 ESV

Paul has just finished saying, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame” (Romans 10:11 ESV), and “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13 ESV). As he was prone to do, Paul used the Old Testament Scriptures, quoting Isaiah 28:16 and Joel 2:32, to prove his point that belief in God leads one to call out to Him in times of need or trouble. His focus throughout this section of his letter has been on the Jewish people. He has expressed his heart’s desire that they be saved, even suggesting that he would be willing to suffer eternal damnation if it resulted in some of his fellow Jews coming to faith in Christ. But Paul knew they would have to experience salvation the same way as everyone else; they would have to call on the name of the Lord.

But at this point in his letter, Paul turns his attention to the believers in his audience, both Jews and Gentiles, asking them, “But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? ” (Romans 10:15 NLT).

Yes, the Jews were required to express belief in Jesus as their Messiah and Savior, just like everyone else. But Paul was adamant in stating that the believers in Rome had an even weightier responsibility to tell the Jews in their community about Christ. After His death and resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples and commanded them, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you” (Matthew 28:19-20 NLT).

He also told them, “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you” (John 20:21 NLT). And that Great Commission didn’t just apply to the eleven men Jesus left behind; it has been the non-negotiable marching orders for every Christ follower since that day. Once again, Paul quotes from the Old Testament Scriptures, using Isaiah’s words to support his point.

How beautiful on the mountains
    are the feet of the messenger who brings good news,
the good news of peace and salvation,
    the news that the God of Israel reigns! – Isaiah 52:7 NLT

Isaiah wrote this message to the people of Judah to announce that God would soon restore them from captivity in Babylon and return them to Jerusalem. Paul uses these words of comfort and joy to express what it is like to hear the good news of Jesus Christ for the first time. It is like the Jewish exiles in Isaiah’s day hearing that God is going to end their 70 years of captivity and allow them to return to Judah. Despite their disobedience and rebellion against Him, He is graciously promising to restore their relationship with Him, even though they are undeserving of His amazing grace. In a similar way, when someone shares the gospel with an unbeliever, faithfully obeying Christ’s command to tell, they are delivering news of peace and salvation.

But sadly, Paul reports that not everyone who hears will listen. Even when Isaiah told the people of Judah that God would set them free from captivity in Babylon, not everyone responded positively; not everyone believed. God told them, “Get out! Get out and leave your captivity, where everything you touch is unclean. Get out of there and purify yourselves” (Isaiah 52:11 NLT). Yet the prophet declared, “Who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?” (Isaiah 53:1 NLT).

Many of the Jews living in Babylon refused to return to the land of promise. Rather than believe God and make the long and arduous journey back to Judah, they chose to remain in captivity. And Paul states that in his day, not everyone who hears the gospel receives it. When told of Christ’s offer of redemption from slavery to sin and death, many refuse to accept it, choosing instead to choose captivity over freedom.  Paul had firsthand experience watching both Jews and Gentiles rejecting the good news regarding faith alone in Christ alone.

For Paul, it always came back to faith, but proclamation must precede acceptance. That is why he declares,  “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17 ESV). No one can accept or believe in that which they have not heard. So, disciples of Jesus have a responsibility to tell the good news of God’s grace made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus. But every person who hears must also obey, expressing faith in God’s gracious offer of salvation.

As followers of Christ, we have a responsibility to communicate the gospel with unbelievers, but we are not responsible for their conversion. They must confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9). Only then will they experience salvation.

Ultimately, it is God who calls, justifies, and glorifies (Romans 8:30). Salvation does not depend on human will or effort, but on God, who has mercy (Romans 9:16), and God said, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion” (Romans 9:15 ESV). Conversion is never the result of coercion. We will never debate someone into a saving relationship with Christ. Our responsibility is to share and then to leave the results up to God. Paul provides us with an interesting and important analogy in his letter to the Corinthians believers.

After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. – 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 NLT

Some plant, others water, but only God produces the results. We simply do our part and allow Him to work the miracle of regeneration and new life. Jesus once told a parable of a farmer whose task of sowing seed appeared to be haphazard and, ultimately, unsuccessful.

“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants.” – Matthew 13:3-7 NLT

The farmer was faithful, but his efforts were apparently unfruitful. Yet, Jesus finished His parable by adding, “Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand” (Matthew 13:8-9 NLT).

The disciple is responsible for sowing the seed of salvation by telling others about Jesus, but not for the results; that is up to God. Some will receive the good news with open arms and softened hearts. Others will stubbornly reject God’s gracious offer of salvation and choose to remain enslaved to sin and condemned to death. When we share the good news concerning Jesus, we have no way of knowing what the outcome will be. Like a farmer scattering seed, we are to sow the gospel on all kinds of soils, leaving the task of germination and regeneration up to the Lord of the harvest. We tell so that all can have an opportunity to hear, but we leave the results up to God.

We’ve a story to tell to the nationsThat shall turn their hearts to the rightA story of truth and mercyA story of peace and light, a story of peace and light. 

We’ve a song to be sung to the nations,
that shall lift their hearts to the Lord,
a song that shall conquer evil
and shatter the spear and sword

We’ve a message to give to the nations,
that the Lord who reigneth above
hath sent us his Son to save us,
and show us that God is love

We’ve a Savior to show to the nations,
who the path of sorrow hath trod,
that all of the world’s great peoples
might come to the truth of God

– “We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations,” H. Ernest Nichol

Father, we are always about results. Productivity is king in our culture. We hate to waste time and despise failure. But in Your Kingdom, efficiency and effectiveness don’t always go hand in hand. The apostle Paul appears to have failed quite frequently. The apostle James was martyred for his efforts at sharing the gospel. Jesus Himself was crucified for claiming to be the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Faithfulness doesn’t always produce the fruitfulness we were expecting. The prophets faithfully proclaimed Your message of repentance to the people of Israel, but their words fell on deaf ears. From our success-obsessed perspective, we view them as abject failures, but to You, they were dediicated servants who faithfully fulfilled their God-given responsibilities. And that is what You have called me to be. You are concered with my faithfulness, not my fruitfulness, because, ultimately, that is Your responsibility. I can’t save anyone, but I can tell everyone about the good news of Jesus. I can plant, water, and even harvest, but I can’t cause the growth. Help me stay in my lane and accept my role in Your grand redemptive plan. Because, as Jesus said, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields” (Matthew 9:37-38 NLT). Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

Free For All

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5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” – Romans 10:5-13 ESV

In addressing the issue of how sinful man is justified or made right with God, Paul continues to contrast the difference between man-produced righteousness and righteousness based on faith. Because he was addressing some in the church in Rome who were Jewish believers, he draws on many Old Testament references to prove his point. In verse 5, he references the book of Leviticus, where Moses records the following words from God:

“I am the Lord your God. You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.” – Leviticus 18:2-5 ESV

In his letter to the Galatian church, Paul clarified the meaning behind this passage.

For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” – Galatians 3:10-12 ESV

When God spoke of living by them (the laws), He was not simply talking about life, but about right standing before God, or righteousness. Keeping God’s law completely was required for anyone to be justified or viewed as sinless before God. But God made it clear that if anyone wanted to be justified before Him according to the law, they would have to obey every single requirement. And Paul confirmed this by warning that failure to comply with all the law brought a curse, quoting from another Old Testament passage.

“Cursed is anyone who does not affirm and obey the terms of these instructions.” – Deuteronomy 27:26 NLT

But Paul also provides the good news regarding this curse.

But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. – Galatians 3:13 NLT

Attempting to earn your way into God’s good graces through the stringent keeping of His law was a dead-end street that led nowhere. But God sent His Son to pay for man’s sins with His death on the cross.

Paul stresses that man’s salvation is to be based on faith in Christ, not on self-effort. It is not what man does that saves him, but belief in what Christ has done on his behalf. Paul summed up his belief with the following statement:

…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. – Romans 10:9 ESV

Nothing more was required for men to be saved. Again, using Old Testament Scriptures to prove his point, Paul quotes and paraphrases Deuteronomy 30:11-14.

“Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (to bring Christ down to earth). And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead?’ (to bring Christ back to life again).” – Romans 10:6-7 NLT

In other words, nobody has to earn their way into God’s presence and invite Jesus to come down. He came of his own volition and in compliance with the will of His Heavenly Father. He descended from heaven because no one could work their way there. And, secondly, nobody has to try to bring the crucified Christ back to life because He has already risen and sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven. Paul’s point is that human effort is unnecessary for salvation; it is based solely on belief.

For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. – Romans 10:10 NLT

And Paul stresses that this believing faith is open to all.

Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” – Romans 10:12-13 NLT

To call on the name of the Lord is to place your hope in Him rather than yourself. It is to recognize that your name or character is not enough to save you. Calling on the name of the Lord is an act of submission and dependence; it is an admission of need and a cry of help because we cannot save ourselves.

In Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the newly constructed Temple, he said, “If your people Israel are defeated by their enemies because they have sinned against you, and if they turn to you and acknowledge your name and pray to you here in this Temple,  then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and return them to this land you gave their ancestors” (1 Kings 8:33-34 NLT).

Solomon stresses the need for repentance, a turning away from their sin and a returning to the Lord. Acknowledging His name was the same as acknowledging His holiness and righteousness. It was to admit that His power alone can save. It is our word of faith, our confession of Jesus Christ as our Savior, that brings about our justification or right standing before God. When we turn from trusting in ourselves and place all our hope in Him, He rescues and redeems us.

Father, we seemed to be wired to work our way into Your good graces. We are used to doing everything in our own strength and enjoy getting credit for our hard work. But when it comes to salvation, we are helpless and hopeless. We can’t work our way into Your favor. As Isaiah said, “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6 NLT). And Paul echoed those wods when he wrote, “Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (Ephesians 2;9 NLT). Your plan for our redemption and restoration was never based on our ability to live up to Your righteous standards. Even Your law, through righteous and holy, was intended to show man His sinfulness and need for a Savior. “For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are” (Romans 3:20 NLT).

Our inability to earn our way back into Your favor left us condemned and unclean before You. We deserved the penalty of death, but You provided a way for us to receive forgiveness and the gift of eternal life by sending Your Son as our sin substitute, and as the prophet Joel said, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Joel 2:32 NLT). No more curse or condemnation. No more fear of death or threat of eternal separation from You. And all it requires is faith. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

The Proper Path to Righteousness

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1 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. – Romans 10:1-4 ESV

Paul had a deep love for his Hebrew brothers and sisters and longed for them to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus as their Messiah, just as he had. He prayed for them regularly and shared the good news of Jesus Christ with them at every opportunity, sometimes subjecting himself to their wrath for doing so. Paul knew they were zealous for the things of God, just as he had been, but were operating out of ignorance. They were still operating under the well-intentioned but misguided idea that they could somehow be justified or made right with God by keeping the Mosaic Law. As Paul wrote, because they were ignorant of God’s “brand” of righteousness, made available through faith in Christ alone, they sought to achieve righteousness on their own. And

Paul recognized the folly of their ways because he had spent a good portion of his life pursuing the same unachievable goal. In his letter to the church in Philippi, Paul shared his personal testimony. At one time, he, too, had been a well-intentioned zealot for God.

I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. – Philippians 3:5-6 NLT

There had been a point in Paul’s life when he believed that his righteous standing before God was based on his own effort. Even his persecution of Christians was done out of his deep desire to please God. He had viewed the followers of Christ as a threat to Judaism and did everything in his power to eliminate them by chasing them down and throwing them in prison. He was a fervent law-keeper and God-pleaser. But he operated out of ignorance.

It was only after coming to know Christ that his eyes were opened, both literally and spiritually, to the kind of righteousness God was looking for, a righteousness provided by Christ’s death and not through man’s self-effort. This led Paul to describe to the Philippians believers how his encounter with Jesus had radically changed his life and perspective.

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! – Philippians 3:7-11 NLT

The key to his change in perspective is found in his statement: “I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ” (Philippians 3:9 NLT). That has been the thesis of Paul’s letter to the believers in Rome.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” – Romans 1:16-17 ESV

Paul wanted his fellow Jews to learn what he had learned, that the death of Jesus brought an end to the law. There are two basic reasons that God gave the Mosaic law. The first was to make His righteous standards and holy character known. It was to provide the people of Israel with an objective, non-debatable code of conduct acceptable to a holy God. As a result of trying to keep this exacting list of behavioral mandates, the people would come to realize that their best efforts could never measure up to God’s perfect standard.

“Why, then, was the law given?” Paul asked the believers in Galatia. “It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins” (Galatians 3:19 NLT). God had never intended or expected anyone to be made righteous through keeping the law.

The second purpose of the law was to provide the people of Israel with a standard of living that would set them apart from the surrounding nations. The law contained moral, religious, and civil codes that reflected the wisdom of God and would bless their lives if and when they obeyed them. Moses explained to the people of Israel how their adherence to God’s laws would reflect the wisdom of God to their pagan neighbors.

“Look, I now teach you these decrees and regulations just as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy. Obey them completely, and you will display your wisdom and intelligence among the surrounding nations. When they hear all these decrees, they will exclaim, ‘How wise and prudent are the people of this great nation!’ For what great nation has a god as near to them as the Lord our God is near to us whenever we call on him? And what great nation has decrees and regulations as righteous and fair as this body of instructions that I am giving you today?” – Deuteronomy 4:5-8 NLT

Yet, the people of Israel never achieved this goal because they failed to obey God’s law. They were incapable of living up to God’s righteous standards and ended up living like the surrounding nations that didn’t know God or His law.

But when Christ came, He did what no other man had ever done: He kept God’s law perfectly and completely. It was His perfect obedience that made Him the unblemished and acceptable sacrifice. But with His death, burial, and resurrection, the role of the law changed dramatically. Paul explained to the believers in Galatia how Christ’s death altered the role of the law.

Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed. Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. – Galatians 3:23-25 NLT

The kind of righteousness that justifies and makes one right with God is based on faith in Christ as Savior. It has nothing to do with self-effort. It is a gift, totally unearned and undeserved. It is based on God’s mercy, not our merit, and it was provided for us by Christ. Like Abraham, all we bring to the table is our belief.

Abraham believed God, and it was counted as righteousness. – Romans 4:3 ESV

When we believe in Christ as God’s sole source of man’s salvation, that belief results in our righteousness and a right relationship with God. This was the message Paul believed and promoted throughout the years of his ministry, so that all believers might understand and enjoy the full measure of God’s amazing grace.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. – Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT

…he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. – Titus 3:5 NLT

For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. – 2 Timothy 1:9 NLT

When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. – Romans 4:4-5 NLT

Father, You saved me and I had nothing to do with it. Yes, I placed my faith in the saving work of Jesus, but even that act was a work of the Holy Spirit, not me. He opened my eyes to see the glory of the gift You had given and regerated my lifeless, sin-damaged heart to accept in love and gratitude the offer of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. I have nothing to boast about. My faith was not a work of the flesh. It was not something I conjured up or produced in my own strength. Paul makes this life-altering transformation clear when he write, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5 ESV).

You did it all, and there is nothing for which we can take credit. But we can rejoice in the knowledge that Your grace is sufficient and Your transformation of our lives will be full and complete, resulting in our future glorification. And it will all be accomplished by Your love, not our adherence to a list of laws or religious regulations. Thank You! Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

The Solid Rock of Salvation

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30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written,

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;
    and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”  – Romans 9:30-33 ESV

Righteousness can only be attained by faith. That has been and continues to be the crux of Paul’s argument in these verses. Paul’s Jewish brothers and sisters were having a difficult time letting go of their strong belief that getting right with God was based on their Hebrew ancestry and their ability to keep the Law given to them by God through Moses. But Paul presents a completely different set of facts.

He insists that the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have actually received it by faith. They did not know the Mosaic Law and wasted no time trying to keep it, and yet, they had been made right with God by placing their faith in His Son as their sin substitute. In contrast, the Jews, who were busy seeking righteousness through adherence to the law, never attained that righteousness. Why? Because they could not live up to God’s exacting standards, and He never expected them to.

The law was given to reveal their sin and expose their helplessness. It had been intended to wake them up to their need for a Savior. They could not make themselves right with God, so He sent someone who could do it for them: Jesus Christ, the Messiah. But they had to believe and repent. All along, they had been placing their faith in their own capacity to keep the law. When Jesus came onto the scene, He told them to repent or turn away from their false views of sin, God, and salvation, and accept Him as their Savior. However, as Paul states, “they stumbled over the stumbling stone” (Romans 9:32 ESV).

Paul was quoting from Isaiah 8, where God warns the northern kingdom of Israel of the coming invasion by the Assyrians. The people of Israel had a long history of unfaithfulness to God. They worshiped their man-made idols in temples they had erected in Dan and Bethel. But God was fed up and was bringing punishment on them in the form of the Assyrian army. But Isaiah warned them, “The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does” (Isaiah 8:11 NLT). He told them to stop fearing the Assyrians and to start fearing God, showing Him the reverence and respect He deserves.

“Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. He will keep you safe. ” – Isaiah 8:13-14a NLT

They needed to see God as their only hope of salvation, not some foreign ally or themselves. But Isaiah went on to give them the bad news.

“…to Israel and Judah he will be a stone that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall.” – Isaiah 8:14b NLT

The God of Israel and Judah had seen enough and was prepared to pour out judgment against His ungrateful and unrepentant people. As the day of Israel’s destruction drew closer, the equally rebellious residents of the southern kingdom of Judah remained stubbornly resistant to Isaiah’s calls to repent, forcing him to deliver a stern warning from the Lord.

Therefore, listen to this message from the Lord,
    you scoffing rulers in Jerusalem.
You boast, “We have struck a bargain to cheat death
    and have made a deal to dodge the grave.
The coming destruction can never touch us,
    for we have built a strong refuge made of lies and deception.” – Isaiah 28:14-15 NLT

“I will cancel the bargain you made to cheat death,
    and I will overturn your deal to dodge the grave.
When the terrible enemy sweeps through,
    you will be trampled into the ground.” – Isaiah 28:18 NLT

They were putting their faith and hope in something other than God, but He warned them:

Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem,
    a firm and tested stone.
It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on.
    Whoever believes need never be shaken.
I will test you with the measuring line of justice
    and the plumb line of righteousness.” – Isaiah 28:16-17 NLT

Like their ancestors before them, the Jews of Paul’s day were stumbling over the stumbling stone. Rather than seeing Jesus as a precious cornerstone, they were seeing Him as a rock of offense. They could not accept the fact that righteousness was based on faith, not works. They refused to believe that faith in Jesus was God’s intended path to righteousness. As a result, what the psalmist predicted became a reality.

The stone that the builders rejected
    has now become the cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing,
    and it is wonderful to see. – Psalm 118:22-23 NLT

Centuries later, outside the walls of Jerusalem, the Son of God would be put to death as payment for the sins of mankind. He would become the sacrifice to satisfy the just demands of a holy God, and whoever believed in Him would not be put to shame.

It is that promise that caused Paul’s Jewish brothers and sisters to stumble, and it still presents a problem for both Jews and Gentiles today. The whole concept of sin and the need for a Savior comes across as ridiculous to most who hear it. It sounds far-fetched or too good to be true, which is why it requires faith.

Yet, when we believe that salvation is the Lord’s doing, it is wonderful to see, even though it makes no sense and seems illogical and unreasonable. Over the centuries, the message of salvation through faith in Christ has caused many to stumble. But there have been countless millions who have placed their faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ and enjoyed salvation from sin and death and a restored relationship with the God of the universe.

This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see. Jesus Christ, the stumbling stone and the rock of offense, has become the chief cornerstone on which our faith rests.

My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand.

–  Edward Mote, “My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less,” Worship and Rejoice (2003)

Father, as You well know, the problem with sin is that it refuses to acknowledge its own existence. The enemy promotes sin as acceptable and even preferable to a life lived in obedience to Your will. His temptation of Eve in the garden began with the innocent-sounding question: “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” (Genesis 3:1 NLT). He tempted her to doubt Your word and to fulfill the desires of her heart. He appealed to her sense of autonomy and portrayed sin as the stepping stone to self-fulfillment. Yet, You had a much better plan for she and Adam. Your will for them was perfect, but it required obedience and submission. And with one bite of the forbidden fruit, they altered the course of their lives and that of humanity — for eternity. Yet, You weren’t surprised by their actions or forced to come up with a Plan B. Your decision to send Your Son had been made long before You created the universe or formed the first two humans (Ephesians 1:3-5). You gave the first couple one law to obey and they failed, and we have been following their lead for generations. But You sent the “stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense” to save us from ourselves, and “anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” You provided a way where there was no way. You made redemption and restoration possible for the unrepentant and unrighteous, and that included me. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

The Redemption of A Remnant

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27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” 29 And as Isaiah predicted,

“If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring,
    we would have been like Sodom
    and become like Gomorrah.” – Romans 9:27-29 ESV

All mankind is deserving of God’s righteous judgment; from His holy perspective, “None is righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10 ESV). All are guilty of rebellion against Him and of breaking His holy commands. At no point in human history has there ever existed a man or woman who deserved God’s mercy or grace. No one has ever been able to live up to His righteous standards or fulfill His laws perfectly and completely.

Abraham was not even a worshiper of God when he was called by God. Noah, while a good man who knew and worshiped God, was far from sinless, and yet, God chose to spare him. Moses was a murderer, but God, in His sovereign will, chose him to deliver the people of Israel from captivity in Egypt. And the very people Moses was chosen to set free had long ago abandoned the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and were guilty of worshiping the gods of Egypt. But God chose to deliver them anyway.

Throughout the history of the nation of Israel, God chose to bless some and reject others. He rejected Saul as king of Israel because of his disobedience and chose David, anointing him to replace Saul. David, while a man after God’s own heart, was far from perfect. His sinful passions led him to commit adultery, resulting in an illegitimate pregnancy, and his attempt to cover it up resulted in the murder of the woman’s husband. But God graciously forgave David and continued to bless his reign.

The nation of Israel would prove to be unfaithful to God over and over again. Their disobedience and that of their king, Solomon, the son of David, resulted in God splitting his kingdom. The continued rebellion of the northern kingdom of Israel resulted in God sending the Assyrians to conquer them and take them into captivity. Centuries later, the southern nation of Judah would suffer the same fate at the hands of the Babylonians.

God had warned both nations to return to Him. He had sent His prophets to call the people back to Him or face His righteous wrath. But they refused, and God, in His justice, punished them for their rebellion. And yet, in spite of their sin, God chose to spare a remnant. While the entire nation of Israel enjoyed the privileged position as God’s chosen people, they ended up split in two. The northern tribes would be exiled and never return to the land. The southern tribes would only see a small portion of their descendants return to Judah and Jerusalem. The prophet Isaiah predicted what would happen.

In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on him who struck them, but will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. For the Lord God of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in the midst of all the earth. – Isaiah 10:20-23 ESV

God had fulfilled His promise to Abraham by making his descendants as numerous as the sand of the sea, but only a remnant would return to the land after their captivity. Not all of them would enjoy God’s grace and mercy. The Greek word Paul used is hypoleimma, which means “a remainder, a few.” The Hebrew word Isaiah uses is shĕ’ar, which means “residue, remainder.” Out of the entire nation of Israel, only a handful of God’s people were allowed to return to the land and enjoy restoration as His chosen people. Quoting from Isaiah, Paul writes, “If the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had not spared a few of our children, we would have been wiped out like Sodom, destroyed like Gomorrah” (Romans 9:29 NLT).

So what is Paul’s point in all of this? It is that, unless God chooses to show mercy on some, none will ever experience it. All Israel deserved to experience God’s wrath and destructive powers just as much as the people of Sodom and Gomorrah had. The people of Israel were no less guilty of sin and worthy of God’s wrath than the pagan and immoral people of those two wicked cities. This all points back to Paul’s declaration that no one, including God’s chosen people, the Jews, was worthy of receiving God’s mercy. God calls, and men must respond. When God got ready to send the people of Israel back to Jerusalem from their captivity in Babylon, not everyone heeded the call and chose to return. Many had become comfortable in their new surroundings. They had acclimated to their new lives in Babylon. Only a relative handful returned.

Not all men will be saved by responding to God’s gracious offer of salvation made possible through faith in His Son. Compared to the mass of mankind who have ever lived, the number of those who have placed their faith in Christ is relatively small, a remnant. And none of us who enjoy a right relationship with God because of our faith in Christ can ever brag about our position or boast in our righteous standing.

Paul told the believers in Ephesus, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT). He said the same thing to Timothy.

For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. – 2 Timothy 1:9 NLT

God saved us; we didn’t save ourselves. He chose us; we didn’t choose Him. According to Romans 8:30, He called us, justified us, and, one day, He will glorify us. We are part of God’s remnant, the redeemed. We didn’t do anything to deserve His grace and mercy, and we can’t brag about our position as His children. He adopted us, made us His sons and daughters, and has declared us to be His heirs — all as a result of His grace and mercy made possible through the priceless gift of His Son.

Father, I don’t fully understand Your ways, but I am grateful that You graciously provided a plan to redeem some. You certainly didn’t have to. There was no reason for You to forgive and restore any of us because we have all sinned against You. There is none righteous, no not one (Romans 3:10). We all deserved death because of our sin and rebellion. Yet, in Your infinite grace and mercy, You provided a way for us to be restored relationship with You through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. You made a way where there was no way. You provided a sinless Savior to die on behalf of sinful humanity. But only a remnant, a relative handful, have accepted Your gracious offer. And that is because You opened their blind eyes to see the glory of Your Son and accept His offer of redemption and restoration through faith alone in Him alone. Your Son told us the path to heaven was narrow and would be sparsely populated.

““You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” – Matthew 7:13-14 NLT

But while the majority of mankind have chosen the “broad way,” You have made it possible for a few to choose the path of righteousness =(Proverbs 12:28). Thank You! Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

The Chosen

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18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 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?” 21 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? 22 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, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 25 As indeed he says in Hosea,

“Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’
    and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’”
26 “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’
    there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’” – Romans 9:18-26 ESV

In this section of Chapter 9, Paul continues to defend God’s sovereign prerogative to show mercy based on His will, not on any merits or worthiness of men. Paul has already declared that all men are under God’s divine wrath and subject to His holy judgment, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 ESV) and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23 NLT).

Sinful humanity is deserving of God’s righteous judgment of death, and yet, Paul reminds us that God continues to show mercy to some. Again, not because they deserve it, but simply because God, in His mercy and grace, decides to do so. And Paul knew that this merciful and gracious action of God would be misconstrued and misunderstood by some as unjust and unfair. Paul was fully aware of those in his audience who would question why God refuses to show mercy to everyone. Paul knew how their minds worked because he had probably struggled with the same question. He had likely pondered how God could find fault with Esau if God chose Jacob over Esau based on nothing more than His own will. As infants in Rebekah’s womb, neither son had done anything to earn God’s mercy and grace.

God chose 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” (Romans 9:11 ESV).

But at this point in his relationship with God, Paul knew better than to question the sovereign will of God, which is why he warned his readers, “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?’” (Romans 9:20 ESV). Paul was using the Old Testament Scriptures to argue his point, quoting from the prophet Isaiah.

“What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator.
    Does a clay pot argue with its maker?
Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying,
    ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’
Does the pot exclaim,
    ‘How clumsy can you be?’ – Isaiah 45:9 NLT

This is all about God’s sovereign will. Yet, we have made man the center of our universe with everything revolving around us. We see ourselves as the pinnacle of creation and focus all our attention on our ability to accomplish great good, while always recognizing our capacity to commit all kinds of evil. We live in a merit-based society where the good we do gets rewarded, while the bad we do gets punished. And we expect God to judge us in the same way. But, thus far, Paul’s whole point has been to stress that salvation is based on faith alone. His thesis statement for his letter is found in the opening chapter.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” –Romans 1:16-17 ESV

From God’s divine perspective, all men are guilty and stand before Him worthy of His judgment and wrath. And yet, He chooses to show mercy on some. While we may see this as somehow unfair, Paul would have us consider God’s divine prerogative as the Creator of the universe.

When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into? In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. – Romans 9:21-22 NLT

Can God, the Creator, not do what He wants to do with what He has made? Is He not free to show mercy on whomever He wants to show mercy? Paul is inviting us to see things from a different perspective. He is asking us to remove man from the center of our universe and put God back where He belongs. The fact is, all mankind is deserving of God’s judgment. Even Israel, God’s chosen nation, could not live in obedience to His law or remain faithful to Him. And while God would have been fully just in destroying them for their rebellion and unfaithfulness, He poured out His mercy on them. He could have exhibited His wrath and revealed His power in destructive judgment, but instead He repeatedly displayed patience. 

…he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory. – Romans 9:22-23 NLT

God had a plan, and He had promised Abraham that He would keep it. He would send His Son as the Messiah of the Jews and the Savior of the Gentiles. God was going to show mercy, allowing some to come to a saving knowledge of His Son, not on the basis of their own righteousness or human merit, but on their faith in His mercy as expressed in His Son’s sacrificial death on the cross.

God sent His Son to the Jews first, but most of them refused Him. And yet, there were some among the Jews who did believe. And there were Gentiles who placed their faith in Christ as their Savior. God showed His mercy on some, even though all deserved His wrath. He chose to forgive some, all in fulfillment of the prophecy found in the book of Hosea.

“I will show love
    to those I called ‘Not loved.’
And to those I called ‘Not my people,’
    I will say, ‘Now you are my people.’
And they will reply, ‘You are our God!’” – Hosea 2:23 NLT

Our problem is that we focus on God’s wrath and miss the unbelievable nature of His mercy. The fact that God shows mercy to anyone should amaze and astound us. None of us deserves His unmerited favor. As the prophet Isaiah puts it, “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind” (Isaiah 64:6 NLT).

It is only when we come to fully comprehend our guiltiness and the fact that we deserved God’s wrath, and yet, we were shown His mercy, that we can fully appreciate the magnitude of the gift we have received.

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt,
yonder on Calvary’s mount out-poured,
there where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.

Grace, grace, God’s grace,
grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
grace that is greater than all our sin.

– “Marvelous Grace of Our Loving Lord,” Julia H. Johnston (1910)

Father, Your grace is greater than all our sin, and, without it, we would have no hope. Yet, in Your love and mercy, You have chosen to extend Your unmerited favor to some. None deserved it, yet some received it, due to nothing more than Your goodness and grace. In our finite form, we have a difficult time understanding how all this works. It comes across as arbitrary and unjust. But Your ways are not our ways and, because You are righteous, holy, and without sin, everything You do is right and just. You make no mistakes and are never guilty of doing anything that is contrary to Your righteous character. We may not understand it. We may even question it. But we can never accuse You of doing evil. As Moses wrote in his song of praise to You, You are the Rock; Your deeds are perfect. Everything You do is just and fair. You are a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright You are (Deuteronomy 32:4 NLT). Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

Our Merciful God

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14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. 17 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.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. – Romans 9:14-18 ESV

Paul has just made the point that not all who are descendants of Abraham are considered children of the promise. Both Ishmael and Isaac were sons of Abraham, yet God chose Isaac over Ishmael. Of the two sons of Isaac, God chose Jacob over Esau. And, according to Paul, God’s choice of one son over the other had nothing to do with their behavior or perceived righteousness. In fact, while Jacob and Esau were still in the womb, God told Sarah, “The older will serve the younger” (Romans 9:12 ESV). And Paul comments that God made this announcement solely out of mercy, not merit.

But before they were born, before they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. (This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes; he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works). – Romans 9:11-12a NLT

The twin sons in Sarah’s womb had not yet been born, so they had committed no sins and done no good deeds. Paul states that God simply chose one over the other. His plan, ordained before the world was even created, included His choosing of some over others. He chose Abraham over all the other men on the earth at the time, and not because of anything inherently righteous about Abraham. As an idol-worshiping pagan from the land of Ur, Abraham was undeserving of God’s mercy, yet God chose him. God also chose Isaac over Ishmael, even though Ishmael was Abraham’s firstborn son. He chose Jacob over Esau, despite Esau being the older twin. God chose Moses, even though he was a convicted murderer with a bounty on his head. God chose David over all the other sons of Jesse to replace Saul as king of Israel.

Paul even quotes the very words of God, spoken through the prophet Malachi.

“I have always loved you,” says the Lord.

But you retort, “Really? How have you loved us?”

And the Lord replies, “This is how I showed my love for you: I loved your ancestor Jacob, but I rejected his brother, Esau, and devastated his hill country. I turned Esau’s inheritance into a desert for jackals.” – Malachi 1:2-3 NLT

The natural, human response to all of this is to question God’s fairness or justice. Our human sensibilities struggle with the thought of God hating one and loving another. We wrestle with the idea of God choosing one and not another. And yet, as Paul illustrates, God’s seemingly arbitrary decision to elect or choose one and reject another is displayed throughout the Scriptures. Paul even quotes from Exodus 33:19, where God made the following statement to Moses:

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” – Romans 9:15 ESV

Later in this chapter, Paul explains that God is not obligated to explain or defend His actions.

Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?” When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into? In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory. – Romans 9:20-23 NLT

According to the psalmist, “Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes” (Psalm 115:3 NLT). But Paul is not trying to present God as uncaring or capricious. He emphasizes that God’s choice has nothing to do with merit; it is all based on His mercy.

So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it. – Romans 9:16 NLT

Paul even reaches back into Israel’s history to show how God chose to use Pharaoh to accomplish His will and proclaim His own glory.

For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.” –  Romans 9:17 NLT

God used the pride-filled, hard-hearted Pharaoh to display His own power and sovereign authority. In God’s plan to deliver the people of Israel from captivity in Egypt, He repeatedly hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and He did so to display His power and accomplish His divine will for His people.

We struggle with that thought because it seems out of character for God. But God did not force Pharaoh to do anything; He simply allowed the Egyptian leader to act according to his sinful nature. God could have changed Pharaoh’s heart, but He chose not to. He could have forced Pharaoh to set the Israelites free, but He chose to allow Pharaoh’s sinful disposition to set the stage for the divine display of His power and sovereign authority.

When reading the Old Testament, we question why God chose to kill some and not others. We wrestle with the idea of God using people like pawns in some kind of celestial chess game. But in doing so, we fail to ask the question, “Why would a holy God choose to show mercy on anyone?” Why would He choose Jacob over Esau when neither son had done anything to deserve His merch? In a sermon on the story of Jacob and Esau, C. H. Spurgeon made the following comment:

“I can tell you the reason why God loved Jacob; it is sovereign grace. There was nothing in Jacob that could make God love him; there was everything about him, that might have made God hate him, as much as he did Esau, and a great deal more. But it was because God was infinitely gracious, that he loved Jacob, and because he was sovereign in his dispensation of this grace, that he chose Jacob as the object of that love.” – C. H. Spurgeon, “Jacob and Esau,” New Park Street Pulpit Volume 5

Paul’s goal in this passage is to emphasize the mercy of God, which no one deserves. The Jews, as descendants of Abraham, did not automatically qualify for His forgiveness and mercy; they still had to believe. They were required to place their faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Thomas Constable comments, “It is not man’s desire or effort that causes God to be merciful but His own sovereign choice. God is under no obligation to show mercy or extend grace to anyone. If we insist on receiving just treatment from God, what we will get is condemnation” (Thomas L. Constable, Notes on Romans, 2009 Edition).

Paul told Timothy that God “wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth” (2 Timothy 2:4 NLT), but not all men will be saved. Many have rejected His offer of salvation and died in their sinful state. Many more will do so in the years to come. Some will be saved and some will not.

When God protected Noah and his family by placing them in the ark, He extended His unmerited favor. Many others drowned in the waters that covered the earth, due to their sinful, unrepentant condition. This reality is difficult for us to grasp and accept. But the Bible clearly states, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23 ESV).

All humanity deserves to die. The fact that God extends mercy to any should amaze and astound us. Until we fully understand the gravity of our sin, we will never appreciate the grace and mercy of God. Paul goes on to say, “but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 ESV). The undeserved, unearned mercy of God should cause us to rejoice, not recoil. That the holy God of the universe should extend mercy to any of His stubborn, rebellious creations should amaze us. In Chapter 3, Paul quoted from a psalm of David.

Only fools say in their hearts,
    “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and their actions are evil;
    not one of them does good!

The Lord looks down from heaven
    on the entire human race;
he looks to see if anyone is truly wise,
    if anyone seeks God.
But no, all have turned away;
    all have become corrupt.
No one does good,
    not a single one! – Psalm 14:1-3 NLT

Yet, in His mercy, God chooses some.

Father, this is a diffucult concept for us to understand. It goes against our better judgment and seems to contradict the statement, “God is love.” Yet, Your love and mercy go hand in hand. In fact, as John records, You loved the world that You gave Your only son, “that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NLT). When wrath and judgment were deserved, You displayed mercy. But that mercy must be received. In His earthly ministry, Jesus told the Jewish religious leaders, “The Father who sent me has testified about me himself. You have never heard his voice or seen him face to face, and you do not have his message in your hearts, because you do not believe me—the one he sent to you. You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life” (John 5:37-40 NLT). 

You didn’t have to show me mercy, but You did. You weren’t obligated to save me, but You did. You could have condemned all humanity to death, but instead, You chose to save some. And while I don’t fully comprehend it, I deeply appreciate it. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22