“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. God has not ejected his people whom he foreknew.” Romans 11:1-2
Paul’s lineage, speaking as a Jew, is impeccable. In Philippians 3 he traces it all the way back to Abraham. Not just that, being of the tribe of Benjamin is significant as well. Benjamin was the only son of Jacob to be born in Israel and whose territory was Jerusalem. Now, on the one hand, in Christ, this is all insignificant and yet on the other, Paul notes that this is his background. His heart aches for his people – not politically or socially, but spiritually.
What’s your nationality? What’s your race? Are you American? African-American? Chinese? German? Mexican? Where do “your people” come from? Two things come to mind on this subject that we should consider.
First, we’re all from somewhere. My father’s side of the family comes from Russia-Ukraine. My mother’s side is Sicilian. There are scenes in movies that pique my curiosity. Doctor Zhivago is set in Russia as it descends into civil war and the Bolshevik Revolution and I’m often transfixed watching it, knowing that my grandparents lived through all that were able to escape Stalin and come to America. Or, just the other day The Godfather was on and there were scenes in Sicily where Michael Corleone went for refuge and there’s the whole courtship thing.
(If you haven’t seen The Godfather you’re not truly an adult yet. Just saying.)
It’s human to wonder about such things, and to feel the tug on your heart. That’s “your soil” so to speak. Those are “your people.” You probably look like them. There’s nothing inherently sinful about loving your heritage or else Paul’s ardent love for his countrymen would be a problem. Scripture doesn’t indicate that it is.
Which brings us to our second point. It’s not a sin for Paul to love his fellow Jews because he’s regarding them in the proper context. He sees the issue as he should – and we should too, which is to say in light of the Biblical truth that all men have fallen. None are righteous, no not one. All have gone astray. Loving your “family” and people above the context of the gospel is wrong as that leads to various forms of tribalism, nationalism or racism.
Insofar as Christ is concerned, we’re either in Adam – that is, still in rebellion against Him – or in the family of Christ through faith alone. It’s either Adam or Christ. These are the only two races of men that the Bible recognizes as ultimately significant. In Christ, we regard no one according to the flesh anymore (2 Corinthians 5:16). We see clearly now. All men will die and then face the Almighty One (Hebrews 9:27). Judgment Day isn’t like a dental appointment you can cancel. It isn’t a court case where you can get Jackie Stiles (Seinfeld reference, hang in there) to run circles around the prosecution.
All that matters on that Day is whether you’ve put your faith in Jesus Christ. It won’t matter if you’re black, white, brown or anything else. All that matters is if you’ve said “forgive me Father, for I have sinned.” A broken and contrite heart is the key. The nationality of that heart is irrelevant. Whether the ancestors of that heart were slaves, kings, scoundrels, or princes won’t matter. Your personal standing before the Lord Jesus Christ is all that matters, not your ancestry, bank account, talents, good looks, or whether you’re a good dancer or Elaine Benes (second Seinfeld reference for those keeping score).
If you see anything as higher than one’s identity in the Lord – as rebel or disciple – then you’re still conformed to this world. It’s okay to love your heritage. What’s not okay is to see that outside the context of Scripture. We note how Paul continues to hammer home the point that the hearts of his fellow Jews are hardened due to their self-righteousness. They have a zeal for God (Romans 10:2) but despise the righteousness that is by faith alone.
“What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 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.’” Romans 11:7-8
It is by grace alone that anyone is saved, lest any should boast. That’s the whole point of Romans…the righteousness of God through faith alone. Any attempt to perfect man or society outside of the obedience of faith is merely a continuation of sin and rebellion.
Another issue at hand is the abuse of the Jews by the Romans. Paul doesn’t mention it because in this context it isn’t important, but a consequence of their sin against God. They’re in a form of bondage, not free but under occupation, because of their faithlessness. The point: where there is no faith, there is no freedom because sin brings bondage. Always. Utopianism is the humanistic-fueled belief that we can fix mankind, or bring justice and peace to earth, without dealing with sin. You see that in America’s politics today. All the lip-service against racism, poverty and so on are conspicuously absent of the gospel. We want happiness, wealth and peace but not the God who’s the source of those things. Paul isn’t a social-justice warrior. He’s a spiritual justice warrior, which is to say that unless we bring our personal war against God to the cross and repent, we’ll perish. The Son has set us free, no matter our outward circumstances. The desire to manipulate our circumstances while living in sin, in the attempt to bring justice, is like using buckets to fight the encroaching water while on the Titanic.
It’s a valiant effort, but a stupid one. You’re still gonna sink.
Again, we repeat: injustice is a signal and sign of sin. Yes, it stinks that people and nations are in and/or have been in bondage. But like sneezing, coughing, and fever are signs of a cold, oppression is a sign of sin.
Currently in America there’s a political movement that declares itself to be against racism. They see signs of racism everywhere, under this rock and behind that tree. If they were like Paul they’d preach the gospel while lamenting the social fallout of sin. They’d cry out to the Lord for deliverance while encouraging faithfulness. They’d preach against fornication and the devastation of sexual sin. They’d call for faithful living and the strength of church and family. But this movement is evil. It’s evil because it preaches Statism, not Christ. It calls Jesus Christ and His bride (the church) oppressive. It promises freedom through the bondage of sin (2 Peter 2:19). It says that sin isn’t our problem but other men are. That’s a recipe for tribalism, oppression, war and revolution. Watch for it when you hear them talk. Who’s the savior they preach? It’s themselves and government, not Christ. What’s the sin they preach? It’s the sin of calling out evil. The powers today condone, celebrate, and encourage the very sins that lead to greater and greater bondage all in the name of love and tolerance. They are, in fact, the epitome of Romans 1:32.
The thing to be savvy to is to watch for how we try and deal with problems – social and/or personal. If the answer to a challenge isn’t rooted in God’s word/law, it’s a false gospel. Fidelity to His law is the path to peace. If peace, justice and prosperity can be gained through sin then God’s a liar. Let that thought rattle around your noggin for a bit. Then consider that one oppression can’t be answered by another. “Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).” Watch for this pattern. The wolves that enter our midst will preach “peace, peace…” and “love, love” through humanism. It isn’t peace they want – but the quiet that comes from oppression. It isn’t love they seek, but the self-indulgence of lust.
Mankind and his voluminous problems can’t be fixed except through the grace of God. Faith is our path home. Faith alone. Grace alone.
So, Paul preaches grace. Sweet grace. Beautiful grace. Those that speak of unity and peace absent the gospel are wolves speaking to the sheep. There’s no peace and unity where there’s sin and sin will never be defeated except at the cross. The only way for all of us to “get along” or “come together” is where there’s righteousness through faith. All other attempts are lies. They’re the promise of good for one group by the oppression of another.
This is why (it seems) that Paul didn’t start talking about politics and Rome in Romans 11. But, in a way, though, he is talking politics because politics is downstream of Adam and Christ. He, Paul, was an apostle to the Romans – the very people who were oppressing the Jews. Paul rose up to meet the tyrant’s sword of Caesar with the greatest sword of all: the word of faith! This is why we miss so much of what the Bible says about law, economics, politics, and society. It’s all covered, but we aren’t listening. The very reason we have nations in the first place is because of sin (Tower of Babel). Sin divides but the grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord unites.
So, what becomes of the Jews? Is that it? Nope. We’ll cover that next.
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