The Aaron Papers  www.the-aaron-papers.net 

PART FOUR

AN EXPOSITION OF THE ESCHATOLOGY OF ROMANS  

THE ISRAEL OF GOD

*-Section 6 - SALVATION AND US - JEWS AND GENTILES  

“BRETHREN, my heart's desire and my supplication to God is for them, that they may be saved.  For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.  For being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.  "For Christ is the end of the law unto righteousness to everyone that believes." For Moses writes: That the man that does the righteousness which is of the law, shall live thereby.  But the righteousness which is of faith says this: Say not in your heart, who shall ascend into Heaven?  (That is to bring Christ down:) Or, who shall descend into the abyss?  (That is to bring Christ up from the dead.)  But what does it say?  The Word is near you, even in your mouth, and in your heart: That is, the Word of faith, which we preach: Because, if you will confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and will believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved: For with the heart, man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.  For the Scriptures say: Whosoever believes on Him shall not be put to shame.”

aaron-It is with these passages in hand that gives me great concern for the folk who are pointing out those who are saved and those who are lost.  It sounds like we are to avoid the temptation of trying to play God—judging and condemning those around us.

“For there is no distinction between Jews and Greeks (when coming into God’s universal reconciliation), for the same Lord is Lord of all, and is rich unto all that call upon Him: For, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

How shall they call upon Him whom they have not believed?  And how shall they believe on Him whom they have not heard?  And how shall they hear without a preacher?  And how shall they preach, except they be sent?  Even as it is written: How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings of good things!

But they did not all (respond) to the gospel.  For Isaiah said: Lord, who has believed our (message)?  

So, belief comes of hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ.

But I say, did they not hear?  Yes, truly, their sound went out to all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

But I say, did Israel not know?  First Moses said: I will provoke you to jealousy with that which is no nation: With a nation void of understanding, I will anger you. 

And Isaiah is very bold and has said: I was found of them that sought me not; I became manifest unto them that asked not for Me.  But as to Israel He said: All day long did I spread out My hands unto a disobedient and (obstinate) people.” (10:1-21) 

aaron-EVEN HERE, WE DO NOT FULLY RECOGNIZE GOD’S UNIVERSAL RECONCILIATION.  IT WOULD SEEM THAT EVANGELISM IS THE ONLY PRINCIPLE THAT IS BEING CONSIDERED HERE IN THIS CHAPTER, WITH ABSOLUTELY NO CONSIDERATION FOR THE ESTABLISHED INSTITUTIONS.

aaron- Israel, being ignorant of God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.  Visible Israel, by God’s careful and deliberate design that is describe here in Rom.10, failed to understand the idea that "CHRIST IS THE END OF THE LAW UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS TO EVERYONE THAT BELIEVES" in the God of Creation.  This was absolutely necessary for the establishment of the visible institution called the Christian Church and the subsequent progress of the Gospel.

To be saved into the institution of the Christian Church:

1. All must confess with their mouth, Jesus as Lord:  Because with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.

2. All must believe in their hearts that God raised Him from the dead:  Because with the heart, man believes unto righteousness.

God again tells us, that within His program of reconciliation, there is no distinction between Jews and Greeks: “for the same Lord is Lord of all, and is rich unto all that call upon Him.” "FOR WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED."

Question-24} “(All did not respond to the gospel) for Isaiah said, Lord, who has believed our message? So belief comes of hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ.”

Question-25} “But I say, did they (Israel) not hear?  Yes, truly.”

Question-26} “Did Israel not know?  First Moses said: I will provoke you to jealousy with that which is no nation, and with a nation void of understanding, will I anger you. Isaiah has (also) said: I was found by them who sought me not, I became manifest to them that asked not for Me.”

aaron-We again see within these passages, a clear picture of the prophetic Christian Church.  Chapter ten is devoted entirely to explaining precisely how an individual enters into the Christian institutional side of God's program of reconciliation.  Chapter ten is, in reality, a continuation of Chapter nine with much more detail on our revealed justification.

John Calvin writes:  

12 For there is no difference between the Jews and the Greeks: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him.               

"Since faith alone is required, wherever it is found, there the goodness of God manifests itself unto salvation: THERE IS then in (**) this case NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ONE PEOPLE OR NATION AND ANOTHER. And he adds the strongest of reasons; for since He who is the Creator and Maker of the whole world is the God of all men, He will show Himself kind to all who acknowledge and call on Him as their God: for as His mercy is infinite, it cannot be but that it will extend itself to all by whom it shall be sought."

"But though this reason is sufficiently strong, He yet strengthens it by the testimony of the Prophet Joel; which, according to the general term that is used, includes all alike.  But readers can see much better by the context, that what Joel declares harmonizes with the present subject; for he prophesies in that passage of the kingdom of Christ: and further, after having said, that the wrath of God would burn in a dreadful manner, in the midst of His ardour, He promises salvation to all who would call on the name of the Lord. It hence follows, that the grace of God penetrates into the abyss of death, if only it be sought there; so that it is not by any means to be withheld from the Gentiles."

Calvin's Commentary - Romans - pp.395, 396

aaron-We must seek to find that complete harmony between the invisible Kingdom of God and the invisible Kingdom of Christ—for they are in fact identical.

19. But I say, Did not Israel know?  First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.

"Paul had argued, that the Gentiles were not to be excluded from (*) the knowledge of God, since He had FROM THE BEGINNING manifested Himself to them, though only obscurely and through shadows, or had at least given them some knowledge of His truth.  What then is to be said of Israel, who had been illuminated by a far different light of truth?  For how comes it that aliens and the profane should run to (??) the light manifested to them afar off, and that the holy race of Abraham should reject it when familiarly seen by them?  For this distinction must be ever borne in mind, "What nation is so renowned, that it has gods coming nigh to it, as thy God at this day descends to thee?"  It was not then without reason asked, why knowledge had not followed the doctrine of the law, with which Israel was favored.

aaron-Because of these above comments from Calvin, I would again point out this manifestation of God's sovereign intent for the well planned process for His universal reconciliation. The blinding and hardening of Israel that the Apostle Paul describes in Romans was in fact written as a fulfilled prediction that came by way of the Psalms. Consequently, for the promulgation of the gospel, it was absolutely necessary that God’s first peoples Israel be removed from their former place of preeminence.  And by this necessary action—the transition to God’s Universal Reconciliation for the fulfillment of His promises to Abraham, time and space was allocated for the institution called the Christian Church.

“He proves by the testimony of Moses, that there was nothing (??) inconsistent in God in preferring the Gentiles to the Jews.  The passage is taken from that celebrated song, in which God, upbraiding the Jews with their perfidiousness, declares, that He would execute vengeance on them, and provoke them to jealousy by taking the Gentiles into covenant with Himself, because they had departed to fictitious gods.  "you have," he says, "by despising and rejecting me, transferred my right and honor to idols: to avenge this wrong, I will also substitute the Gentiles in your place, and I will transfer to them what I have hitherto given you."  Now this could have been without repudiating the Jewish nation: for the emulation, which Moses mentions, arose from this, - that God formed for Himself a nation from that which was not a nation, and raised up from (**) nothing a NEW PEOPLE, who were to occupy the place from which the Jews had been driven away, inasmuch as they had forsaken the true God and prostituted themselves to idols."

aaron-It is essential that we have a proper understanding of this NEW PEOPLE of God that Calvin is attempting to explain.  To understand first, that they are not really a NEW PEOPLE as such.  These peoples that God is manifesting for us here in the book of Romans, are comprised of Jews and non-Jews alike.  And we must be especially observant here, to the fact that God continues to identify this “NEW PEOPLE” as Israel, as being Jews, and as being the Circumcision.  The Jews were not driven away in the strictest sense as Calvin supposes, but they did loose their elevated position when God expanded His reconciliation.  Because of Christ’s finished propitiatory work upon the cross, they were graciously put on an absolute level with all the Nations, where they too are also positioned in the main stream of God’s grace.

"Observe, that a FOOLISH NATION, and NO NATION, are the same; for without the hope of eternal life men have properly no existence.  Besides, THE BEGINNING OR ORIGIN OF LIFE IS FROM THE LIGHT OF FAITH: hence spiritual existence flows from the new creation; and in this sense Paul calls the faithful the work of God, as they are ($$) regenerated by His Spirit, and renewed after His image."

Calvin's Commentary - Romans - pp.404, 405

20. But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.

"As this prophecy is somewhat clearer, that he might excite greater attention he says that it was expressed with great confidence; as though he had said, - "The Prophets did not speak in a figurative language, or with hesitation, but had in plain and clear words declared the calling of the Gentiles."  But the things which Paul has here separated, by interposing a few words, are found connected together in the Prophets, ch. lxv. 1, where the Lord declares, that the time would come when he should turn his favor to the Gentiles; and he immediately subjoins (adds) this reason, - that he was wearied with the perverseness of Israel, which, through very long continuance, had become intolerable to him.  He then speaks thus, -"They who inquired not of me before, and neglected my name, have now sought me, (the perfect tense for the future to denote the certainty of the prophecy;) they who sought me not have beyond hope and desire found me."

(**) “I know that this whole passage is changed by some Rabbins, as though God promised that he would cause that the Jews should repent of their defection: but nothing is more clear than that he speaks of ($) aliens; for it follows in the same context, - "I have said, Behold I come to a people, on whom my name is not called."  Without doubt, then, the Prophet declares it as what would take place, that those (*) who were before aliens would be received by A NEW ADOPTION INTO THE ($$) FAMILY OF GOD.  It is then the calling of the Gentiles; and in which appears a general representation of the calling of ALL THE FAITHFUL; for there is no one who anticipates the Lord; but we are all, without exception, delivered by his free mercy from the deepest abyss of death, when there is no knowledge of him, no desire of serving him, in a word, no conviction of his truth."

Calvin's Commentary - Romans - pp.405, 406

21. But to Israel He saith, all day long I have stretched forth my (*) hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.

aaron-This Scripture also shows the absolute fact that God did not completely cast off His first people as many Christian scholars who are in complete agreement with John Calvin now suppose.  As the hardening was only partial, so the extent of the casting off would be only partial as well.  God, through His unwavering grace and Christ’s finished propitiatory work upon the cross, continues to this very day to stretch forth His hand to His original people—visible Israel.  This is the same as He does towards all of the lost nations of the world as well. Great effort is required on our part to avoid following the many who have fallen into the trap of “Replacement Theology”—supposing that the Christian Church is on the top rung of the ladder.

aaron-What is meant by the whole race of Abraham?  Does Abraham's race extend beyond the nations of Israel?  As the playing field in God’s reconciliation became level, all people groups became equally welcome:

- “For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

- “There is none righteous, no not one.”

- “For God has shut up ALL in disobedience that He might have mercy upon ALL.”