First, the Bible is clear – there were advantages to being a Jew. Paul tells us:
Romans 3:2
To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.
That’s not all Paul attributes to them:
Romans 9:
4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
Looking at this list, we immediately understand some things on this list:
– The giving of the law
– The patriarchs
– The lineage of Christ
But what in the world are these other things?
Glory?
Adoption?
Worship?
Promises?
Are they exclusive to Israel?
Are not you and I as born-again Gentiles, adopted into the family of God? Do we not participate in worship? Have we been promised anything? Does glory await us?
Let’s start with glory.
John 1:14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Israel got to experience the presence of God, not only through their Old Testament journeys, but through the present of God incarnate – Jesus Christ himself. Remember that the great commission to go to the Gentiles was at His very ascension. Prior to that, he had specifically commanded His disciples to “do not go to the Gentiles. Go only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
What about adoption?
The Greek word is “huiothesia,” which implies divine sonship. In a nutshell, Paul is saying that Israel was chosen as God’s people. Since Paul is pointing out advantages of being a Jew versus a Gentile, we must not confuse the use of “adoption” here with the spiritual adoption by grace through faith that is discussed later. The Old Testament tells us:
Deuteronomy 7:6
6 “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
Now we come to worship.
The English translation limits us a bit here. The Greek word is “latreia,” which is translated as “service” in other places. Some translations say “temple service.” In summary, Paul is saying that the worship of God through temple service was a Jewish privilege. No one could argue with that.
Finally we come to the “promises.” What were the “promises” of which Paul spoke? No doubt he is references what God told Abraham:
Genesis 12:1-3
12 Now the Lord said[a] to Abram, “Go from your country[b] and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”[c]
So God promised Abraham that He would be the father of a physical nation (land) and that his name would become famous. Furthermore, God promised Abraham that He would bless those who blessed him / that nation, and curse those who dishonored him / that nation. Like the temple service, who could argue that this was an advantage of being an Israelite. Edom, Assyria, Babylon, and others all experienced the curse of God for their dishonoring of Israel.
But … keep in mind the last part of those promises as we move forward in this discussion and analysis:
“and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
That fragment hints at the WHOLE POINT of God’s chosen people that were given all 8 things:
1. Oracles / Tanakh
2. Adoption / Chosen Race
3. Covenants
4. Giving of the Law
5. Glory / Presence
6. Worship / Temple Service
7. Patriarchs
8. Lineage of Christ
And that’s exactly where Paul goes next.
Romans 9:
6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel,
So why would Paul open this statement with the word “but.”
You must remember his previous words before his description of the unique advantages of Israel.
Romans 9:1
I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers,[a] my kinsmen according to the flesh.
Paul is lamenting what is happening to his kinsmen – Israelites / Jews – and he intentionally reminds you that they are his kinsmen “according to the flesh.”
Why would he be lamenting? And why does he remind us that they are only his kinsmen “according to the flesh?”
Here’s why:
Romans 6b and 7a:
For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring
Paul is literally telling us that it is a “crying shame” that in spite of ALL the privileges and advantages that the Jews were given, NOT ALL would receive the promises of Abraham. Remember that Paul said due to sin and separation from God, the Jew is in the same situation as the Gentile:
Romans 3:
9 What then? Are we Jews[a] any better off?[b] No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,
To the Jews that would then question God’s faithfulness and how he would keep His promises, He proclaims:
Romans 9:
6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed.
And then explains:
Romans 9:8
This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.
And to those that would question God’s method of promise fulfillment:
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.’”
Paul then spends the next 2 chapters explaining how in Christ there is no Jew vs Gentile. All are equal. He tells us how the Gentiles are being grafted in, but also reminds Israel that they as the natural branch (the ones with all the initial advantages and privileges) are more than welcome to be grafted back, but through faith in Christ alone.
You see, many of the advantages Israel had were coming to an end, including the Old Covenant and the physical temple. Indeed, the law had already been “nailed to the cross.” Paul said:
Romans 3:29
Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
Paul even circles back to the Abrahamic promises and leaves no doubt as to what he is saying:
11 He [Abraham] received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
In no uncertain terms, Paul proclaims that Abraham, whose faith made him righteous even PRIOR to receiving the physical sign of a Jew, is the father of ALL WHO BELIEVE … including the uncircumcised, and even states that he is ONLY the true father of the the circumsised who ALSO BELIEVE.
So then, with all this clarity, how do people still misinterpret Paul and claim that God will grant physical Israel physical land, physically forever.
I can only guess that it comes from a surface reading of a couple passages, combined with a pre-conceived notion of a physical kingdom in Jerusalem.
Before we look at the misunderstood passages, let me remind you that Jesus PATENTLY rejected the idea of a physical, visible kingdom:
Luke 17:21
21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”[a]
Still, let’s look at the first passage that isn’t considered deeply enough:
Genesis 13:
14 The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted.
Notice that although the promise includes a physical land in the process, it goes beyond that. It is a BORDERLESS promise to LIMITLESS people for a TIMELESS duration.
And Paul’s interpretation matches those characteristics PERFECTLY. I think he has understood it better than we.
There is one more verse than throw people into a wrong understanding, however. It’s found here:
Romans 11:
12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion[b] mean!
Many people will try to claim that “full inclusion” means that every single Israelite will be saved. But let’s test that exegesis in a few different ways.
Have you ever heard the same folks claim that ALL gentiles will saved? Did you know the same chapter uses the same words to describe Gentiles coming to Christ? See here:
Romans 11:
25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers:[d] a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
I’ve never heard anyone claim that “fullness” here means salvation to EVERY gentile. So why do people claim it means EVERY Israelite? Did not Paul just lament his many kinsmen that would NOT receive the promise due to their lack of faith?
So what then, does “full inclusion” mean in this context?
The Greek word behind the “full inclusion” translation is “plērōma.”
Notice how the word is used in a couple other passages:
Matthew 9:16
16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch (plērōma) tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made.
Mark 2:21
21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch (plērōma) tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made.
Now, what was Paul’s metaphor? It was a branch broken off (leaving an empty spot / hole / tear) and that branch being grafted (patched) back in – making the tree full again!
The fullness here is simply the filling the tree with the branches that would be part of the tree (of life no less) through FAITH. That is – the fullness of the Jews AND the Gentiles.
Paul says:
Romans 11
26 And in this way all Israel will be saved
Or to put it another way … in this way … all the saved will be Israel … for Abraham is the father of all those who BELIEVE.
Paul continues:
as it is written,
“The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;
27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
Now ask yourself … of what covenant is he speaking? And who will have their sins taken away?
It’s the New Covenant – in Christ’s blood! And BOTH Jew and Gentile who BELIEVE – true Israel – true descendants of Abraham … have our sins taken away!
Regarding those limitless descendants, the prophet Isaiah spoke:
Isaiah 6b-7a:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The Bible in multiple other passages confirms this idea of the Kingdom being born in Christ who would come from the lineage of Abraham. Perhaps that’s why the 1st book of the Bible didn’t stop with Abraham being the father of just one nation:
Genesis 17:5
5 No longer shall your name be called Abram,[a] but your name shall be Abraham,[b] for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
Perhaps we should heed the words of John the Baptist when anyone, Jew or Gentile, tries to claim that the Abrahamic promises are exclusively of ethnic Israel:
Matthew 3:9
9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
Peter echoes the same sentiment, as describes those stones in greater detail:
1 Peter 2:
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Notice the new temple through which we are to worship via the new covenant which took away our sins! And Peter once again drives home the point, as he speaks to Jewish new Christians:
1 Peter 2:
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Notice what made them a chosen race and royal priesthood / holy nation:
1 Peter2:
10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
That’s right, Peter told JEWS that they were NOT a people, prior to receiving Mercy through faith in Christ. But NOW they are. It can be a tough pill to swallow, but it’s Biblical truth. Perhaps that’s why Peter reminded of the prophet’s words:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”[a]
8 and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.”
We can choose to accept truth … or be offended.
Just don’t be arrogant or look down upon another, for the church started with Jews – THEY were the firstfruit Christians, and they are the natural branches.
As a Gentile, I am more than grateful for Israel, the martyrs, and the righteous remnant who spread the gospel so I could be redeemed – fulfilling many a prophecy.
All are welcome to the Kingdom through Christ, and all are one in Christ. Amen!