Devotions

salvation for the Goyim

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Romans 15:7-13

⁷ Welcome one another, then, just as Christ also welcomed you, so that God may be appropriately praised.⁸ Because I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth in order to confirm the promises made to the fathers,⁹ and this is why the Gentiles can now praise God for his mercy. As scripture puts it, “Because of this I will confess you among the Gentiles, and I will sing praises to your name.”[1] ¹⁰ And again it says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”[2] ¹¹ And again, “Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him.”[3] ¹² And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, and the one who rises to rule over the Gentiles, in him will the Gentiles hope.”[4]¹³ Now may the God of hope fill all of you with every kind of joy and peace as you believe in him, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

salvation for the Goyim

Paul had just finished urging the confident, liberty‑leaning believers in Rome to imitate Christ by bearing with the hesitations and sensitivities of their more cautious brothers and sisters. But he refuses to let the other side imagine that the burden of love rests only on the strong. He now turns deliberately toward the believers who came from Jewish backgrounds or from Gentile circles that first passed through the synagogue. These were the ones who carried deep habits of reverence, long‑formed scruples, and a strong instinct to guard themselves from anything that might defile. Paul calls them “weak,” not because their devotion is small, but because their consciences are easily wounded. Yet they, too, must learn to carry the weight of unity.

What would persuade these believers that the Gentile Christians—who did not share their dietary rules, festival rhythms, or ancestral heritage—were truly part of God’s saving purpose? Paul knows that argument alone will not do it. What will speak most powerfully to them is the voice of Scripture. So he gathers a chain of texts from the Law, the Psalms, and the Prophets, each one declaring that the nations—the “Goyim”—were always included in the divine plan. These passages do not merely hint at Gentile blessing; they celebrate it. They envision the nations rejoicing in the Lord, praising His name, and receiving His mercy alongside Israel.

By piling these quotations together, Paul does more than make a theological point. He invites the Jewish‑leaning believers to see the Gentile Christians not as intruders but as long‑promised heirs. The Scriptures they cherish have been pointing toward this moment all along. The God of Abraham never intended His grace to remain confined within ethnic boundaries. The covenant was always aimed outward, toward a world in need of mercy. If the Lord Himself rejoices to welcome the nations, then His people must learn to rejoice as well.

Paul’s strategy is pastoral and unifying. The strong must imitate Christ’s self‑giving love. The weak must embrace the wideness of God’s mercy. Both groups must recognize that the gospel gathers them into one family, not by erasing their histories but by fulfilling them in Christ. Only then can the church become what God intends: a community where diverse believers stand together in shared praise.

LORD, thank you for including all peoples in the gracious plan to save sinners.

[1] 2 Samuel 22:50; Psalm 18:49.

[2] Deuteronomy 32:43.

[3] Psalm 117:1.

[4] Isaiah 11:10.

Posted in deliverance, Gentiles, unity | Tagged Romans 15 | 1 Comment

with one voice

Posted on January 17, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Romans 15:1-6

¹ But we –the strong ones– ought to put up with the failings of the weak, and not just accommodate ourselves.² Each of us accommodate his neighbor for his good to build him up.³ For even Christ did not accommodate himself, but as scripture puts it, “The abuses of those who abused you have fallen on me.”[1] ⁴ Because everything that was written in former times was written to teach us, so that as we endure and stay encouraged by the scriptures we may keep our hope.⁵ Now may the God of endurance and encouragement give you unity with one another appropriate to Christ Jesus,⁶ so that together you may with one voice bring praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

with one voice

A church that divides iA congregation that fractures into competing groups and spends its energy highlighting the faults of the others abandons the very identity God has given it. Paul exposes this failure with remarkable clarity. He does not treat disunity as a minor irritation or a matter of personality differences. He treats it as a fundamental contradiction of the gospel itself. The church exists as one redeemed people, drawn together by the mercy of God in Christ. When that people turns inward and begins to measure one another by differing scruples, traditions, or theological instincts, it forgets the pattern set by the Lord.

Paul’s first reminder reaches back to Psalm 69:9, a text early Christians recognized as fulfilled in Jesus. The psalmist speaks of zeal for God’s house consuming him and of reproaches aimed at God falling instead upon the faithful servant. Paul sees in this the heart of Christ’s mission. The Messiah so fully embraced the Father’s purpose that he willingly absorbed the hostility directed toward God. He stood in the place of those who could not bear the weight of divine holiness, taking upon himself the scorn and rage that humanity hurled toward heaven. Paul’s point is not merely doctrinal; it is pastoral. If Christ bore the reproach meant for God, then believers must be willing to bear with one another’s weaknesses, differences, and immaturities. The strong and the fragile alike are called to identify with one another in a way that reflects the self-giving love of the Savior.

Paul’s second emphasis is prayerful. He knows that such unity cannot be manufactured by human effort or enforced by rules. It must be granted by the Lord who gives endurance and encouragement. Only divine grace can shape a diverse community into a single worshiping body. Without that gift, the church cannot lift its praise “with one voice.” Disunity does not merely strain relationships among believers; it distorts the church’s relationship with God. A fractured body cannot offer a unified song. A congregation at odds with itself cannot fully glorify the God who reconciles all things in Christ.

LORD, give your church one corporate life, so that we can praise you with one corporate voice.

[1] Psalm 69:9.

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awareness of the other way

Posted on January 16, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Romans 14:13-23

¹³ For that reason, we must no longer criticize one another, but instead determine never to impede or trap a brother.¹⁴ I know and have been persuaded in the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean in itself; still, it is unclean to the one who considers it unclean.¹⁵ Because if your brother or sister is distressed by what you are eating, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy by your choice of food someone for whom Christ died.¹⁶ So do not let your good deed be blasphemed.¹⁷ Because the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.¹⁸ Because the one who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by people.¹⁹ So then, let us chase what makes for peace and for building up one another.²⁰ Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. Because although all things are clean, it is wrong to cause anyone to stumble by what you eat.²¹ It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything that causes your brother to stumble.²² The confident faith you have, keep to yourself before God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves.²³ But the one who is doubting is condemned if he eats, because he does not do so from faith, and whatever is not done from faith is sin.

awareness of the other way

Paul had drawn lines of distinction between two groups of Christian believers. Both groups contain brothers in Christ. Paul encourages those who consider themselves strong in their faith not to take advantage of their confidence by doing something in open fellowship that people in the other group would consider sinful.

This generation of evangelicals seems to be pushing the envelope in its daring to break free from old traditions. Anyone who does things the old fashioned way or holds to old taboos is seen as outdated and prudish. The pendulum has swung back toward libertarianism in our ranks, especially in the newer mega-churches.

Paul has a word of warning for us. Not all of our members are as strong as we think they are. By our insistence on breaking free from all self-imposed chains, we are leading some of our saints to do things they recognize as sin.

Paul teaches his readers to maintain an awareness of the other way of thinking about our actions. That will keep them from doing things that perpetuate the mutual criticisms of the two groups, and foster disunity.

LORD, before we act, show us how our actions will be conceived by those who disagree with us. Help us to stay true to our mutual master, and each other.

Posted in church, consideration of others, criticism | Tagged Romans 14 | 1 Comment

fragile in the faith

Posted on January 15, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Romans 14:1-12

¹ Accept the one who is fragile in the faith; do not criticize and argue.² You believe in eating anything, but the fragile believer eats only vegetables.³ You who eat anything must not look down on the one who does not, and the one who abstains must not criticize the one who eats anything, because God has accepted him.⁴ Who are you to criticize another’s servant? To his own lord he stands or falls. And he will stand, because the Lord is able to make him stand.⁵ One person regards one day holier than other days, and another regards them all alike. Each must be fully convinced in his own mind.⁶ The one who observes the day does it for the Lord. The one who eats, eats for the Lord because he gives thanks to God, and the one who abstains from eating abstains for the Lord, and he gives thanks to God.⁷ Because none of us lives for himself and none dies for himself.⁸ If we live, we live for the Lord; if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.⁹ This is the reason Christ died and returned to life, so that he may be the Lord of both the dead and the living.¹⁰ But you who eat vegetables only–why do you criticize your brother or sister? And you who eat anything–why do you look down on your brother or sister? Because we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.¹¹ Scripture puts it this way, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God.”[1] ¹² So, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

fragile in the faith

Paul’s pastoral concern in Romans 14 is not to referee a fight between two factions but to call the church to a deeper, more generous way of life. Throughout the letter he has been speaking to two kinds of believers. One group, confident in the grace of God, resists anything that feels like religious restriction. They see themselves as strong in faith. The other group, shaped by a past filled with moral or spiritual danger, builds protective boundaries to keep from falling back into old patterns. Paul calls them fragile in faith—not because their devotion is weak, but because their consciences are easily wounded.

As these two groups read Paul’s letter, it is easy to imagine the reactions. The strong cheer when Paul celebrates freedom from the law. The fragile cheer when he warns against sin and urges holy living. Each group hears what it wants to hear, and each imagines Paul is siding with them. But Paul is not swinging a pendulum between two extremes. He is arguing for something entirely different—a tertium quid, a third way. He envisions a church spacious enough to welcome both kinds of believers without forcing uniformity or demanding that one group dominate the other.

To make his point, Paul highlights two controversies troubling the Roman church. Some fragile‑faithed believers were insisting on sabbatarian practices, treating certain days as sacred. Some strong‑faithed believers were insisting on their freedom to eat meat that may have been associated with idolatrous sources. Each group was pushing its agenda, and each was tempted to judge the other. Paul’s response is simple and disarming: stop pushing. Stop criticizing. Stop trying to win.

For Paul, the unity of the church is more precious than the victory of either side. A believer is never to destroy the work of God in a brother or sister for the sake of a preference, a scruple, or a liberty. Winning an argument is not worth losing a relationship. The kingdom of God is not about food or days or personal freedoms—it is about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Those virtues cannot flourish where believers are busy scoring points against each other.

Paul’s vision calls for humility, patience, and a willingness to see other Christians through the lens of God’s love rather than through the lens of our own convictions. It is a call to protect the weak, restrain the strong, and honor Christ by honoring one another.

LORD, make us sensitive to your love for Christians who see things different than we do.

[1] Isaiah 45:23.

Posted in church, consideration of others, cooperation | Tagged Romans 14 | 1 Comment

light weapons

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Romans 13:11-14

¹¹ And do this because we know the time, that it is already the hour for us to wake up from sleep, because our deliverance is now nearer than when we became believers.¹² The night has advanced toward dawn; the day is near. Consequently, we must put aside the works of darkness, and put on the weapons of light.¹³ Let us live decently as in the daytime, not in partying and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in discord and jealousy.¹⁴ Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about arousing the lusts of the flesh.

light weapons

Paul’s imagery in Romans 13 is stark and urgent. Believers belong to a kingdom of light, yet they live in territory still marked by the shadows of a kingdom of darkness. The works of that present age—partying and drunkenness, sexual immorality and sensuality, discord and jealousy—remain all around, tugging at the mind and tempting the heart. These behaviors are not merely moral failures; they are the habits of a world that is passing away. They belong to the night, not to the dawn.

But Paul insists that citizens of the coming kingdom must renounce those dark works and take up the weapons of light. This is not a call to retreat from the world but to live within it as people already shaped by the future. The night is far gone, he says, and the day is at hand. That means the old desires must lose their grip. The mind must stop feeding on the cravings of the flesh. The imagination must stop rehearsing the sins that once defined life. Instead, believers are to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ”—to clothe themselves in His character, His purity, His compassion, His obedience, His righteousness.

This is not a passive act. It is a daily, intentional turning away from the darkness and a daily, intentional turning toward the light. The weapons of light—truth, holiness, love, self-control, patience, and hope—are not ornamental. They are the means by which the kingdom of God advances in the life of each believer. They are the armor that protects the heart and the tools that shape a life worthy of the coming day.

Paul’s vision is not merely moral improvement. It is eschatological transformation. The future kingdom is already breaking into the present, and those who belong to Christ are called to live now as they will live then. The world around them may still be dark, but the light within them is real, and it is meant to shine.

LORD, we want your kingdom of light to prevail in our lives. Keep us from thinking about the works of darkness. Help us to concentrate on the light weapons we have in you.

Posted in kingdom of God, love, righteousness | Tagged Romans 13 | 1 Comment

paying the bills

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Romans 13:6-10

⁶ For this reason you also pay taxes, because the authorities are God’s servants devoted to governing.⁷ Pay everyone what you owe them: taxes to the ones you owe taxes, revenue to the ones you owe revenue, respect to the ones you owe respect, honor to the ones you owe honor.⁸ Owe no one nothing, except to love one another, because the one who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.⁹ For the commandments, “Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet,” (and if there is any other commandment) are summed up in this, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”¹⁰ Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fullness of the law.

paying the bills

Paul’s counsel about debts becomes wonderfully concrete when viewed through the lens of ordinary life. The image of taking a stack of bills and turning them into a stack of paid obligations captures something deeply human: the satisfaction of clearing what is owed. Many can remember seasons when paying bills felt like a burden because the debts exceeded the resources. When that pressure lifts, the act of paying what is due becomes almost joyful. It reflects order, responsibility, and gratitude for God’s provision.

Paul urges the Roman believers to take that same posture toward every kind of obligation. They were not to run from their debts, even when those debts involved paying taxes to authorities who were corrupt, oppressive, or morally compromised. Rome was no model of justice, yet Paul still instructs believers to meet their civic obligations. Doing so was part of the basic goodness expected of citizens who belonged to a higher kingdom. It was a way of demonstrating integrity in a world that often lacked it.

But then Paul makes a striking shift. There is one debt, he says, that is never fully paid off—the ongoing obligation to love one’s neighbor. This is not a burden but a calling. Love is the bill that comes due every day, and every day believers are to pay it again. Unlike financial debts, this one is never meant to disappear. It is the continual expression of the life of Christ within His people.

Paul’s point is profound: if believers faithfully “pay” this debt of love, they will fulfill the entire law without even trying to keep track of commandments. Love does what the law requires. Love protects, honors, respects, forgives, and serves. Love refuses to harm a neighbor. Love seeks the good of others even when it costs something. When love is paid daily, the law is satisfied naturally, because love is the essence of God’s righteousness lived out in human relationships.

This transforms the Christian life from a checklist of duties into a rhythm of grace. Every day brings new opportunities to settle the debt of love—through kindness, patience, generosity, forgiveness, and compassion. It is a debt that never crushes, because it is sustained by the One who first loved us.

LORD, help us to pay our love bill every day.

Posted in love, taxes, witness | Tagged Romans 13 | 1 Comment

basic goodness

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Romans 13:1-5

¹Each soul is subject to the higher authorities. Because there is no authority except by God’s appointment, and the authorities that exist have been put in place by God.² So the opponent of such authority opposes the direction of God, and those who resist will invite judgment³ (because rulers cause no fear for good conduct but for bad). Do you want not to fear authority? Do good and you will receive its approval,⁴ because it is God’s servant for your good. But if you are doing wrong, fear, because it does not bear the sword in vain. It is God’s servant to administer retribution on the wrongdoer.⁵ Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of the punishment the authorities can mete out, but also because of your conscience.

basic goodness

Paul’s instruction about overcoming evil with good rests on something very basic: goodness must actually be present in the life of the believer. The call to resist evil is not a call to dramatic acts of defiance but to the steady, ordinary, faithful goodness that marks a transformed life. Paul knew full well that there are moments when obedience to God must take precedence over obedience to human authorities. His own life ended under a government that opposed Christ. But here, in Romans 13, he is addressing something far more foundational: Christians cannot claim to be spiritually good while refusing the basic goodness expected of responsible citizens.

Citizens of the kingdom that is coming from heaven are still citizens of the kingdoms and nations of this world. Their heavenly allegiance does not cancel their earthly responsibilities. In fact, Paul argues that the way believers demonstrate the goodness of their King is by living lives that reflect order, honesty, respect, and peace within their societies. Most of the time, the commands of Christ do not conflict with the laws of the land. In those ordinary seasons, obedience to civil authority becomes one of the ways believers display the goodness of God.

This is why Paul ties together the ideas of submission, love, and goodness. The Christian does not overcome evil by mirroring the rebellion, chaos, or hostility of the world. Evil is overcome by a life shaped by the Spirit—by doing what is right, honorable, and beneficial. When believers refuse basic goodness, they undermine their own witness. When they practice it, they reveal the character of the One they serve.

This remains a needed word. Modern Christians often imagine that spiritual heroism lies in dramatic acts of resistance, but Paul roots spiritual heroism in the daily practice of goodness. Paying what is owed, showing respect, honoring authorities, loving neighbors—these are not small things. They are the soil in which the larger victories of the kingdom grow. A life of basic goodness prepares the way for the deeper obedience required when the commands of God and the demands of the world finally diverge.

LORD, teach us how to reflect the basic goodness our human authorities expect, as well as the divine goodness you expect.

Posted in goodness, obedience, submission, witness | Tagged Romans 13 | 1 Comment

the mechanics of body ministry

Posted on January 11, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Romans 12:6-21

⁶ And we have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy, that grace is seen in proportion to what he prophesies in faith.⁷if serving people’s needs, in how he serves; the teacher, in how he teaches; ⁸the preacher, in how he preaches; the giver, in his generosity; the leader, in his commitment; the mercy-giver, in his cheerfulness.⁹ Love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good.¹⁰ Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one another.¹¹ Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord.¹² Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer.¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints, pursue hospitality.¹⁴ Bless those who are persecuting you, bless and do not curse.¹⁵ Be happy with those who are happy, cry with those who cry.¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. Do not be conceited.¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil; consider what is good before all people.¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people.¹⁹ Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.²⁰ Rather, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head.²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

the mechanics of body ministry

Yesterday I dropped a bomb, so I probably should spend some time cleaning up the debris. I confessed that evaPaul’s words in Romans 12 expose a weakness that still marks much of evangelical practice. We have invested enormous energy in developing leaders, training specialists, and elevating a few gifted individuals to carry the weight of ministry. Meanwhile, the ordinary, Spirit‑given ministries of the body often remain undernourished or unused. For someone who has spent decades shaping leaders, this imbalance is not merely theoretical—it lands with conviction. Paul’s vision is far more communal, far more distributed, far more dependent on the whole body listening to Christ together.

His practical counsel flows directly from the seven gift labels he has just listed, and each instruction pushes believers away from performance and toward authenticity, humility, and mutual dependence.

Prophets are to speak with sincerity, not theatrics. Their calling is to love what is good and hate what is evil, not to impress an audience.
Deacons—those gifted to serve—are to meet needs with genuine affection, practicing the kind of reciprocal love that binds a community together.
Teachers must resist the temptation to coast. Their ministry requires diligence, enthusiasm, and a heart that serves the Lord rather than their own reputation.
Preachers (or exhorters) are to live in hope, rejoicing in what God will do even before it happens, enduring hardship with steadiness, and maintaining a life of prayer.
Givers are to look for needs, not wait for requests. Their generosity must include presence, friendship, and time—not just money.
Leaders are to be devoted to the whole body, not a favored circle. Their calling is to bless even those who do not return the blessing.
Mercy‑givers are to guard their joy. They must not let the suffering they encounter drain their spirit. They are to rejoice with the rejoicing and weep with the grieving, entering fully into the emotional life of the community.

Paul’s vision is not a church run by a handful of polished leaders but a living organism in which every member contributes to the revelation of God’s will. Peace, love, and goodness are to permeate the whole body. Evil will attempt to fracture and overwhelm, but the church is to overcome evil with good—together.

LORD, renew our minds, transforming us into a body who ministers to all, and overcomes evil with good.

Posted in leadership, ministry, spiritual gifts | Tagged Romans 12 | Leave a comment

discovering what God wants

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Romans 12:1-5

¹ Consequently, I counsel you, brothers, since God has shown his mercy to you in many ways, to present your bodies as a sacrifice–alive, holy, and pleasing to God–which is the logical way for you to worship him.² Do not allow yourself to be conformed to this present age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discover what God wants–the good and well-pleasing and perfect thing.³ For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you not to think of yourself as more important than you ought to think, but to think with restrained discernment, as God has given to each of you a measure of faith.⁴ Because just as in one body we have many parts, and not all the parts serve the same function,⁵ so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are parts who belong to one another.

discovering what God wants

Paul’s contrast between the old ways of discerning God’s will and the new life in Christ is sharp and deliberate. For the Gentile believer in Rome, religion had once meant offering the right sacrifice at the right shrine and hoping the deity responded favorably. For the Jewish believer, discerning God’s will meant studying Torah, observing commandments, and trusting that obedience revealed the path of righteousness. Both systems had their own internal logic, and both shaped how people thought about approaching God.

But Paul insists that in Christ everything has changed. God is no longer asking for a dead sacrifice placed on an altar; He is asking for a living sacrifice offered through a transformed life. And discovering what God wants is no longer a matter of ritual precision or mere textual mastery. It requires something far more demanding: the renewal of the mind through the shared life of the Spirit-filled community.

Paul’s emphasis is corporate. The renewed mind is not simply an individual achievement but a communal reality. The Spirit has distributed gifts throughout the body, and each believer carries a piece of God’s self-revelation. Discernment, therefore, is not the task of a single leader or a small elite. It is the work of the whole body listening to Christ together. The Lord speaks through the diversity of gifts, the interdependence of members, and the humility that allows each part to serve without self-exaltation.

This is where Paul’s warning becomes painfully relevant. Modern evangelical culture often celebrates gifted leaders while neglecting the shared ministry of the body. Congregations frequently rely on a handful of individuals to carry the weight of discernment, teaching, and spiritual direction. The result is predictable: those few become overburdened, isolated, and vulnerable to pride or corruption, while the rest of the body remains underdeveloped and passive. Paul’s instruction to the Romans pushes against this pattern. He calls the church to think of itself with “sober judgment,” recognizing that no one member is the whole body and no one gift is the whole revelation.

Learning to practice body ministry requires humility, patience, and a willingness to listen to Christ speaking through others. It means resisting the temptation to elevate ourselves or diminish the contributions of others. It means embracing the Spirit’s design rather than our cultural habits.

LORD, teach us how to think about ourselves and our ministries with restrained discernment. We want to stop regarding ourselves as more important than the others in your body.

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presently enemies but dearly loved

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Romans 11:25-36

²⁵ Because I do not want you to be badly informed about this obscure truth, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: A partial hardening has happened to Israel until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.²⁶ And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion; he will remove ungodliness from Jacob.²⁷ And this is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”²⁸ In regard to the gospel they are presently enemies on your account, but in regard to election they are dearly loved on account of the fathers.²⁹ Because the gifts and the call of God are irreversible.³⁰ Just as you were formerly disobedient to God, but have now received mercy due to their disobedience,³¹ so they too have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy.³² For God has consigned all people to disobedience so that he may show mercy to them all.³³ Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how fathomless his ways!³⁴ Because who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?³⁵ Or who has first given to God, that God needs to repay him?³⁶ Because from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever! Amen.

presently enemies but dearly loved

Paul describes the condition of unbelieving Israelites with a kind of double vision—one lens showing their present hostility to the gospel, the other revealing God’s enduring affection for them. On the one hand, they stood as enemies because they had rejected both Christ and His church. Their opposition was real, painful, and often violent. Yet on the other hand, they remained deeply loved by the Father because of His covenantal devotion to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The promises made to the patriarchs had not expired. God’s affection for their descendants had not cooled. Their unbelief was serious, but it was not final.

Because of this, Paul refused to treat them as a lost cause. The Father had not abandoned them, so the church must not abandon them either. The same love that once chose their ancestors still reached toward them, and Paul was convinced that this divine love would one day bring about a national turning. Their present rejection was not the end of the story. God’s covenant faithfulness would have the last word.

This pattern extends far beyond Israel. All around us are people who share the same spiritual condition—presently enemies of the gospel, not only rejecting it but sometimes actively resisting its spread. Their hostility can be discouraging, even frightening. Yet Scripture insists that God loves them. He desires their salvation. He sustains their lives, grants them breath, and sends His messengers into their midst. The image Jesus used is striking: sheep sent among wolves. But the mission is grounded in God’s heart. He loves the wolves. His grace can transform them into sheep.

This means that believers must hold two truths together. First, wisdom and caution are necessary. The world is not friendly to the gospel, and those who carry it must be discerning. But second, confidence in God’s transforming grace must remain strong. The One who sends His people into hostile places is the same One who can turn enemies into friends, persecutors into preachers, and rebels into worshipers. Paul himself was living proof.

The mission continues because God’s love continues. The hostility of unbelievers does not cancel His compassion. It only highlights the miracle of grace when hearts are changed.

LORD, send us to those you love, even if they do not presently love us.

Posted in ethnic Israel, evangelism | Tagged Romans 11 | Leave a comment