SPELLING EDITED Romans chapter 9 Explained in the LIGHT of The WHOLE word of God!
Let us take Romans chapter 9 verse by verse and I will give you my understanding of the questionable verses that are being dogmatically taught to support the doctrine of Calvinism on the election by irresistible grace. Also, we will cover the controversy about God HATING ESAU and what this verse truly means in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of God.
Romans 9:1-33.
“I say the truth in Christ (Or I speak the truth to you being in or under the ANOINTING of the Holy Spirit. Or I speak the truth to you being a true born-again new creature created IN Jesus Christ), I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, (Paul is basically saying that it is by the Holy Spirit under the anointing that he speaks this truth.) 2. That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. 3. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the FLESH: (Yes, it is true that Paul is qualifying the difference between his Christian brethren who are walking after the Spirit in obedience. And that these Christians are a mixture of GENTILE Christians and Jewish Christians, as opposed to his NATURAL born brethren of Israel, who are NOT walking after the Spirit, following God in obedience to BELIEVE that Jesus is the SON OF God who died for their sins. HOWEVER, the heart and KEY of this whole passage of Scripture is the children of Israel according to the FLESH. You see, Paul's lineage or kinsmen of the FLESH are the Hebrew ISRAELITE Jewish people as the following verse clearly teaches us) 4. Who are ISRAELITES; to whom pertains the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; (So then, the SUBJECT of this entire passage of Scripture is concerning ISRAEL of the FLESH and ISRAEL of the seed of PROMISE. Paul is further clarifying that he is speaking of natural born Jews who are INDEED the race of people that God INITIALLY gave the PROMISE. In other words, the seed of the FLESH is an allegory of Israel who were chosen FIRST by God and who REJECT Jesus as their Messiah. And the seed of PROMISE is an allegory of the Jews and the gentiles who RECEIVE Jesus as their Messiah. Jesus said that the FIRST shall be LAST and the LAST shall be FIRST. This is the KEY to understanding Roman’s chapter 9.) 5. Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. (Paul is saying here in this verse that it was for THESE ISRAELITE, God's chosen people that Jesus was sent to seek. This is why the gospel was preached to the Jews FIRST and then to the Gentiles after the Jewish nation, as a majority, rejected this so great a promise of salvation. This whole chapter is an allegory of the FIRSTBORN son who would normally be the HEIR is being passed over and the inheritance is given to the second born son. Again, the FIRST chosen people of God will be the LAST to enter into the kingdom of heaven. And the LAST which are the Jews and the Gentiles who RECEIVE God’s New Covenant to become Christians, God NEW CREATION prophesied in Psalm 102:18. “This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.” God is not going to create MORE people but rather the people God has already created will be created a NEW, speaking of God’s NEW creation created IN Jesus Christ.) 6. Not as though the word of God has taken none effect. (Paul is saying please do not misunderstand what I am saying. It is NOT the fault of God that some of the children, of the nation of Israel, are not ACCEPTING the gospel of their salvation.) For (But rather or the true reason of why ALL of God's chosen people will not or they are not accepting the gospel of their salvation is that) they are not ALL Israel, which are of Israel:(The Jews UNDER the LAW, who did not KEEP the law, are like Christians today who SAY that they are Christians. They are Christians in WORD only because they bear no fruit of righteousness. Keep in mind that this whole passage of Scripture is an ALLEGORY of the FIRST shall be LAST and the LAST shall be FIRST meaning that Israel of the FLESH, who was chosen FIRST, shall go into the kingdom of heaven AFTER the publicans and the harlots. Please read Matthew 21:31,32. Matthew 21:31,” Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God BEFORE you. Mat 21:32 FOR (Or BECAUSE) John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and YOU believed him NOT: BUT the publicans and the harlots BELIEVED him: and you, when you had SEEN it, repented NOT afterward, that you might BELIEVE him.” Secondly, Paul is stating that just being a HEBREW of the lineage of Abraham does NOT make one to be a Jew INWARDLY of the inheritance of the promise. Yes, ALL of the HEBREW people being born of the SEED of Abraham are of HEBREW descent but not ALL Hebrews are JEWS of the twelve tribes of Israel to which the PROMISE. And Esau was the FIRST one born but the inheritance went to Jacob. The FIRST shall be LAST and the LAST shall be FIRST. ) 7. Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall your seed be called. (According to John chapter 5, which I will not get into at this time, Jesus perceived the difference between the children of Israel. That is to say, Jesus PERCEIVED that SOME of the Jews, to whom he was speaking, were OF the seed of Jacob while others, who were ALSO Jews, were OF the seed of Ishmael. And for the most part, the seed of Ishmael and Esau are what the world calls today as being Muslims who claim that they are serving the true God of Abraham since they are OF the seed of Abraham. The truth of the matter is that all Muslims OF middle east DESCENT are natural born HEBREWS according to the FLESH being OF the seed of Abraham where primarily the majority are of the seed of ISHMAEL. Paul is saying here that just because you are OF the SEED of Abraham does not make you a child of the promise, and he adds...) 8. That is, (Or that is to say. Or let me say this another way to make myself perfectly clear by adding.) They which are the children of the FLESH, these are NOT the children of God (Now again, Paul is clarifying what he is saying by adding that not all of God's CHOSEN people Israel are Israel just because they are of the seed of Abraham being born a natural born Jew either of the seed of Jacob OR Ishmael. BUT rather it is because some of God's CHOSEN people have followed the FLESH disobeying Gods WORD by NOT BELIEVING that Jesus is the CHRIST, the SON OF the living God): BUT (Or but RATHER. Or so then) the children of the PROMISE are counted for the seed. (The word PROMISE is another key to understanding this chapter. What was the PROMISE of the FIRST covenant? In short, God will fulfill his part, IF SO BE his chosen people fulfill THEIR part. BUT the Jews failed to keep the covenant. However, God by his grace kept HIS part by making ANOTHER WAY for his chosen people Israel to be saved. BUT even then, SOME still erred from UNDERSTANDING the WORD of God and therefore by their own REJECTION of the gospel of salvation, not all of Israel will be saved. You see dear children of God the literal meaning of “counted for the seed” means that God is reckoning INTO the seed, to all who BELIEVE in his SON Jesus. Can you not see that God is using the TWO seed lines of Abraham as an ALLEGORY for the TWO COVENANT. The first covenant is the covenant of the FLESH and the New Covenant is of the PROMISE. And ISRAEL of the FLESH or the FIRST Covenant who are the FIRST chosen people of God will be the LAST to enter into the kingdom of heaven. And the LAST chosen people of God who are under the NEW COVENANT will enter the kingdom of heaven FIRST before natural born Israel.) 9. For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son. (Speaking of the END of the PROMISE was to Abraham that through his SON, whom God PROMISED Abraham would have with SARA. And that Almighty God HIMSELF would provide the SEED of PROMISE that would make Abraham the father of MANY NATIONS and not just the one HEBREW nation. You see dear children of God; this is one of those DUAL prophecies speaking not only of Isaac bearing Jacob. But also speaking of Jesus being THE SEED by which ALL of mankind could become a CHILD of God. So in TRUTH, this is ALL that matters. God does NOT care who you are or what COLOR you skin may be. The PROMISE is unto YOU. Speaking of WHOSOEVER BELIEVES in Jesus as the SON OF Almighty God, who died for the sins of the WHOLE world, so that WHOSOEVER BELIEVES in Jesus the SON OF God shall be saved.) 10. And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (Paul is saying that ALL of the Hebrew people are of the seed of ABRAHAM which also includes the seed of Isaac born of Rebecca. And this is one of the reasons why not ALL of Israel is Israel. Keep in mind that Paul is making an argument to the CORE reason why not ALL of ISRAEL will accept the gospel of their salvation. Paul is NOT speaking of ANY Gentiles here in this entire passage of scripture but rather is speaking of ISRAEL or the HEBREW people. And even though Paul does not state that this is an ALLEGORY, it is quite clear that the FALL of Israel paved the way for God’s GRACE to be given to the GENTILES. This whole passage of Scripture is concerning the FIRST shall be LAST and the LAST shall be FIRST.) 11. (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of WORKS, but of him that calls;) 12. (And here is WHAT God PURPOSED to BE) It was SAID unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. (In other words, the FIRST one born shall be LAST. Now, some Christians, that believe a FORM of Calvinism, wrongly INTERPRET this verse to mean that ALL Caucasians or all the white people shall SERVE ALL the BLACK people. But more specifically the white race will supposedly be slaves to all the AFRICAN BLACK people. But this is NOT what this verse means in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of God. Here again, Paul is clarifying that the election, the calling, or the choosing of Almighty God HIMSELF as to whom the PROMISE of salvation would be given is to those who KEEP the agreement of the PROMISE. It is those who are disobedient to God, who will NOT receive the PROMISE of ETERNAL LIFE in the world to come. This may sound or SEEM like a work based salvation to some Christians, but in truth, it is merely OBEDIENCE to God's WORD, which we are COMMANDED to do. Under the NEW Covenant, we are commanded to BELIEVE on Jesus as the SON OF God. And it is through FAITH that WHOSOEVER, of any person in the whole world, BELIEVES is reckoned as the SEED of Abraham according to the PROMISE. The seed of FLESH has no bearing on whether a person is ULTIMATELY chosen of God, whether one is of the seed of JACOB, the seed of ISHMAEL, OR the seed of ESAU. The COLOR of your skin has NO bearing on whether or not you are ULTIMATELY, at the END, chosen of God to be saved. What RACE you mat be has NO bearing on whether or not you are ULTIMATELY, in the END, chosen of God. ONLY those who BELIEVE on Jesus being the SON OF God, who died for THEIR sins and not ONLY for their sins but ALSO for the sins of the WHOLE world shall be saved and CHOSEN of God. This TRUTH becomes absolutely clear to those who interpret any one verse or chapter of God's word in the light of the WHOLE word of God. As I have said many times, that any verse or passage of scripture taken out of context may SEEM to say something that it is not truly saying.) 13. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. (Keep in mind the CONTEXT of this verse. And also keep in mind the SUBJECT of this whole passage of Scripture which is WHY not all of ISRAEL is being saved. This verse that is being quoted from the Old Testament is a PROPHECY of the coming NATION of the SEED of Esau that will DISOBEY God by following ANOTHER false God. It is the FALSE religion of ISLAM, of the Muslim nation, that God hates. Please do NOT misunderstand what I am saying. It is NOT the Muslims themselves that God hates. But rather it is their RELIGION of Islam and the WORKS they do FOLLOWING their beliefs of Islam. For you see, Muslims are taught to HATE God's people, the Christians, and the Jews. And they are seeking to kill both the Jews and the Christians in the name of their god Allah THINKING that they are doing God a service. That is what God hates. God is speaking of the FUTURE and NOT of the PERSON of Esau himself or the PERSON being born a Muslim as what God hates. Rather it is the WORKS of the FLESH as being what God REJECTS. Yes, God did hate the WORK of Esau when he deliberately took a daughter of Ishmael as his wife because Esau KNEW it would displease his father Isaac) 14. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. (It is NOT unrighteous for God to execute vengeance or recompense on those who do EVIL. Our definition of evil is not God’s definition. You see, evil by God's definition is all DISOBEDIENCE to what God himself says, commands, and teaches us to do or not do.) 15. For he SAID to Moses, I will have MERCY on whom I will have MERCY, and I will have COMPASSION on whom I will have COMPASSION. (This verse is yet another KEY to understanding this chapter in God's word. This verse is NOT saying that I will SAVE whom I have CHOSEN before the foundation of the world. This verse is NOT saying I will choose whom I will save and I will destroy whom I have NOT chosen from the foundation of the world to be saved. Rather, it is saying I will have MERCY to save whom so ever I choose to have MERCY to save. And God chose to have mercy on the GENTILES. The WHOLE word of God makes it very clear that Jesus died for ALL of mankind and not just for the seed of Jacob only. God has made a NEW Covenant of PROMISE that is to ALL who BELIEVE in his SON Jesus as their savior, who then FOLLOW and OBEY the teachings of Jesus. And, at the same time, God does NOT cast out ALL of Israel. But rather RECKONS all of Israel INTO the seed BY COMING to him in the WAY that he himself has PURPOSED ALL of mankind to come to him. And that ONE WAY to Almighty God, the Father, is THROUGH FAITH in his SON Jesus and NOT of WORKS of the OLD COVENANT of the FLESH. So then, those of you who are casting a stumbling block before God's LITTLE ones by dogmatically demanding that God HATES ALL the seed of ESAU, may God have mercy on you in the day of judgment for you are stirring up HATRED among the brethren. You see dear children of God, speaking to those of you are wondering what I am saying, there are some Christians who are CLAIMING that THEY are the TRUE Jews or the true Hebrew ISRAELITE RACE of people. And they are CLAIMING that the Jews, over in the land of Israel, are NOT TRUE Jews. And these racist Christians, that are CLAIMING that they are the TRUE Jews, dogmatically demand that ALL the seed of ESAU are Caucasian or WHITE people. So, therefore, according to THEM, God HATES ALL WHITE people. And another group, salvation for Israel ONLY Christians, wrongly teach that ALL of the seed of ESAU are BLACK people. So then, according to THEM, God HATES ALL BLACK people. No! God does NOT HATE ANY people! God so LOVED the WORLD so that WHOSOEVER of ANY human being, no matter what color or what race or what religion you presently believe. This HATE message MUST STOP dear child of God, for by SAYING that you LOVE God and THEN you do not SHOW your love for God by HATING your brother or fellow man then you LIE and God is NOT in you. God LOVES ALL of mankind and he hates EVIL.) 16. So then it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God that shows MERCY. (To WHOM does God show MERCY? The clear, plain, and SIMPLE gospel teaches us, without a doubt, that God shows mercy to ALL who make their OWN choice to BELIEVE the gospel of Jesus Christ. And the TRUE gospel of Jesus Christ in simplicity is that Jesus died for OUR sins and not ONLY for our sins, but ALSO for the sins of the WHOLE world according to 1 John 2. No one can EARN the MERCY of God. God chose that the FIRST shall be LAST and the LAST shall be FIRST. And AFTER the cross, God chose to CONCLUDE ALL of Israel to be under sin so that the NEW COVENANT could BEGIN. ALL have sinned at some point in their life and thus ALL are deserving of death. But God has shown mercy on ALL of mankind by making a WAY for ALL who choose to BELIEVE in Jesus, of their own free will as the only begotten SON OF God who died for the sins of the WHOLE world, shall be saved. Many are called by the gospel of Jesus Christ but few are chosen. This literally means that MANY, all together, abundantly are called but few are CHOSEN. You see my dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ who believe in predeterminism or in Calvinism, not ALL who hear the CALL of the gospel will answer the call. Some people who hear the gospel will indeed answer the call BUT they will not ENDURE unto the END to be saved or chosen by God for BEING that good and faithful servant unto the END. And others will simply reject God’s so great a salvation that is offered to them. But my prayer for all Christians is that they WILL endure unto the end to be saved) 17. For the scripture says unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose (The SAME purpose is God showing his MERCY to SAVE) have I raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. (Paul is saying two things here. First, it is that God alone is the one who EXALTS and those who exalt themselves shall be made low, which brings us to the second thing. The second thing that God is saying is that all glory shall be given to Almighty God the Father. So, just as God DELIVERED Israel out of the hand of Pharaoh, so shall God DELIVER those who RECEIVE his New Covenant. Again, Pharaoh is an allegory of ISRAEL of the FLESH or the OLD Covenant that God chose FIRST to show his mighty power through so that God’s name would be declared throughout the earth) 18. Therefore (Or for this very reason) has he MERCY on whom he will have MERCY, and whom he will he harden. (Remember and keep in mind that Paul is trying to explain WHY ALL of Israel will NOT be SAVED. Keep in mind that the FIRST shall be LAST and the LAST shall be FIRST. Keep in mind that Israel of the FLESH, speaking of the OLD Covenant, HARDENED their OWN heart BEFORE God hardened it further so that he could show MERCY to the GENTILES. God will turn anyone over to a reprobate mind that has made their OWN CHOICE to remain in DISOBEDIENCE and follow the FLESH. And God will have mercy on ANYONE who makes their OWN CHOICE to BELIEVE and follow the teachings of God, to OBEY his commandments unto the END and to receive their PROMISE of the reward of eternal life in the world to come. So then, God has by HIS grace and mercy provided a WAY for ALL of mankind to be saved. NOT willing that ANY man should perish but that ALL men would come to the KNOWLEDGE of the TRUTH and be saved) 19. You will say then unto me, Why does he yet find fault? For who has resisted his will? (Paul perceives ahead of time of what his audience will answer back to what he is teaching them. Paul is saying to the Jews, Now I know what you are thinking and you are going to say to me, why does God yet find fault with US? We have not disobeyed God's word BOASTING in THEMSELVES! We agree with you Paul about those of Israel who do NOT OBEY God's word. We agree that THEY will not receive the PROMISE. But WE are NOT of those who are DISOBEYING God! Then Paul answers back BEFORE his audience can argue with him.) 20. Nay (Or NOT SO! You may THINK that you have obeyed God in EVERY aspect but you have NOT) BUT (Or as besides. Or even if you have obeyed God perfectly in every respect), O man, who are you that reply against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why have you made me thus? (Remember that the CONTEXT is about why not ALL of God's CHOSEN people, ISRAEL, will God CHOOSE to be saved THROUGH the NEW COVENANT. Remember that NOT ALL Israel is ISRAEL even though they are ALL of HEBREW descent. This passage of scripture has nothing to do with GENTILES. This verse is NOT saying that God has specifically made certain people to be saved and all other people to be destroyed. The TRUTH of this verse is clarified in verse 23 where we are clearly taught that God's chosen people Israel were chosen with the INTENT of GLORY and not to wrath. We as Christian are NOT appointed to God's wrath. BUT the DISOBEDIENT to the gospel and the ungodly shall indeed partake of God's wrath. And that verse is yet another verse that clearly teaches us that we MUST be OBEDIENT unto to death, obeying God's commandments lest or for fear that we fall short of the glory that God has prepared for us who BELIEVE. Those who truly believe will indeed OBEY the commandments of God. But sadly because of FALSE teaching like Calvinism, some Christians are being DECEIVED to live after the FLESH living in a lifestyle of SIN, wrongly believing that they can never lose their salvation, no matter what they do or do not do. Please read the study “IS ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED BIBLICAL?”) 21. Has not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? (This verse is NOT saying that God SPECIFICALLY creates some people to be saved while he SPECIFICALLY creates ALL other people to be cast into the lake of fire. And, therefore, according to Calvinism, they have NO CHOICE because God has PREDESTINED certain specific people to be saved. And at the same time, God has PREDESTINED other certain specific individuals to be destroyed in the lake of fire. But rather this verse is saying who are we to say that it is unrighteous for God to PUNISH the wicked or those who do evil. This verse is saying who can question God for CONCLUDING ALL of Israel to be under sin SO THAT he could show mercy to ALL of whosever receives his NEW COVENANT established in the shed blood of his Son Jesus. ANY Muslim can make the CHOICE to believe the gospel of salvation and be saved. ANY Jew can make the choice to believe the gospel and be saved. And ANY GENTILE can make the choice to believe the gospel and be saved. This passage of scripture is primarily about the JEWS and the GENTILES. It is about the FIRST shall be LAST and the LAST shall be FIRST. It is NOT about the BLACK African race and the Caucasian WHITE race as some CLAIM. And it is NOT about God PREDESTINATING certain specific INDIVIDUAL people to be saved while PREDESTINATING most of mankind to be lost.) 22. What IF God (Or let us SUPPOSE that God), willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: (What are or who are those whom God has chosen to his WRATH? Are they the OBEDIENT to his commandments chosen or fitted to wrath? Are those whom God has chosen and fitted to his wrath speaking of those who DISOBEY the gospel by living UNGODLY lives? Read the verse AGAIN. Why would God ENDURE for so long-suffering the DISOBEDIENT to TURN from their wicked ways and LIVE if so be that God knows very well that these vessels whom God supposedly specifically formed and chose before the foundation of the world to be destroyed? According to Calvinism, they have NO CHOICE in the matter as some FALSELY teach! So WHY would God suffer so long for vessels of wrath to repent if so be that it is impossible for them to repent? And if so be that God HATES ALL Caucasian white people and has fitted or PREDESTINED them to wrath and they have no choice in the matter, then WHY does God endure with much long-suffering for them to repent. It is because that Calvinism in ANY form is NOT the TRUE sound BIBLICAL meaning of PREDESTINATION. Please read the study “PREDESTINATION: WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?”) 23. And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of MERCY, which he had a fore (Or which God had in the BEGINNING or God had originally) prepared unto GLORY, (BEFORE they rejected his so great a salvation through the NEW COVENANT. You see, ALL of God's creation was created GOOD! Hell or the everlasting fire was NOT created for mankind. But IF SO BE, as Calvinist Christians CLAIM, that God SPECIFICALLY MADE some people for the very PURPOSE of being destroyed in the eternal HELL fire, then Hell would NOT have needed to be ENLARGED. But God’s word says WHY has hell ENLARGED herself? The truth of the matter is that it GRIEVES God to have to destroy the wicked. It has always been the INTENT that ALL men be saved. This is his DESIRE! But because of men being DECEIVED by Satan to DENY Jesus as God's SON, who died for their sins, God has no choice but to cast them into the lake of fire to be destroyed. So the phrase according to his PURPOSE once again means that God has PURPOSED that ONLY RIGHTEOUSNESS to remain. And God has ALSO PURPOSED that Jesus is the ONLY way by which man can be made RIGHTEOUS. So the ONLY thing that God has PREDESTINE in this whole passage of Scripture is that the FIRST shall be LAST and the LAST shall be FIRST.) 24. Even us, whom he has called, NOT of the Jews ONLY, but ALSO of the Gentiles? (Now again, Paul is talking about the GENTILE nations as those who are chosen LAST who shall be FIRST to enter into the kingdom of heaven in the world to come. Paul is saying that it has ALWAYS been God's WILL and ORIGINAL INTENT that all of mankind be saved. The WHOLE plan of God cannot be discerned by ONE passage of scripture. Please read the study “UNDERSTANDING WHY?” for a deeper understanding of God's PLAN of salvation and WHY evil has been ALLOWED to be in the earth so long and will yet be ALLOWED again for a short season, even AFTER a 1000 year reign of peace under his Son Jesus) 25. As he said also in Osee (Hosea), I will call them MY people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. (Also, God said in Hosea that HIS chosen people are destroyed for LACK of KNOWLEDGE. And NOT that his chosen people were chosen to be destroyed, from BEFORE the foundation of the world and they have absolutely no choice in their being saved or lost. The verse says MY people are destroyed. God's ELECT people are destroyed. God’s CHOSEN people are destroyed. So, HOW then can the very FIRST ELECT or the FIRST CHOSEN people of God be destroyed IF SO BE the doctrine of election according to Calvinism be true? Predeterminism or Calvinism teaches that ALL the ELECT and only the ELECT shall be saved, And not one single of the ELECT shall be lost? In truth, verse 25 is saying that in accordance with the PLAN of salvation, God has chosen to manifest his plan of salvation in STEPS by taking one step at a time. God CHOSE the Hebrew Jews FIRST. Therefore, God started or began with a specific race or nationality to lead and guide in his WAYS of walking in RIGHTEOUSNESS. BUT they kept breaking his OLD Covenant. So, God promised them a NEW and better Covenant. And God offered his New Covenant to the JEWS FIRST knowing that many would harden their own hearts like they had been doing all along. So, God prophesied or ordained that the FIRST would become the LAST and the LAST would become the FIRST to inherit ETERNAL LIFE in the world to come. So then, the GENTILES or the REST of mankind that were NOT natural born Jews or Israel were not at this TIME under the OLD Covenant chosen to be TAUGHT of the Lord the ways of RIGHTEOUSNESS. But NOW salvation has appeared to ALL of mankind under the NEW COVENANT. The grace of God has come to ALL of mankind to TEACH us godliness.) 26. And it shall come to pass (Speaking of the New Covenant), that in the place where it was said unto them, You are NOT my people; there shall THEY be called the children of the living God. (Paul is confirming what he has been saying all the way through this entire passage of Scripture. Paul just said that NOW salvation has appeared to ALL of mankind and has been made AVAILABLE to ALL who BELIEVE under the NEW COVENANT.) 27. Esaias (Isaiah) ALSO cries concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: (Or even though it was always God’s INTENT for ALL of Israel to be chosen to GLORY, only a REMNANT shall BELIEVE and be saved AFTER the saints are GLORIFIED to provoke Israel to jealousy.) 28. For he WILL FINISH the work, and cut it short in RIGHTEOUSNESS: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. (The very last WORDS that Jesus will speak forth into the earth at the very moment of his return is let the RIGHTEOUS remain righteous and let the UNRIGHTEOUS remain unrighteous. This teaches us that ONLY those who are ACTIVELY walking in OBEDIENCE, at the moment of his return, will be found to be those good and faithful servants to enter into the GLORY and joy of the Lord. Some Christians get very hostile with me on my understanding of God's word that to ME clearly teaches that ONLY the OBEDIENT to the gospel, written in the New Testament, shall receive their PROMISE of the reward of eternal life in the world to come. And that the DISOBEDIENT to the gospel, INCLUDING the disobedient true born-again Christians, shall endure the WRATH of God. Jesus clearly taught us that only those of us who OVERCOME shall receive eternal life. Jesus also warned us that we are not to LET any man STEAL our crown of life by DECEIVING us with false teaching. And one of those false teachings is that we can never lose our salvation, no matter what we do or do not do. Jesus said by our WORKS shall we be judged. So for ME, I chose to believe the words of Jesus over John Calvin and Calvin's followers trusting in the man-made doctrine of CALVINISM and the false teaching of once saved always saved) 29. And as Esaias (Isaiah) said before, Except the Lord of Sabbath had left us a seed, we had been as Sodom, and been made like unto Gomorrha. (Basically, Paul is saying that if God had not provided his OWN sacrificial LAMB to save us, then ALL of mankind including us, Israel his chosen people, would have remained vessels of destruction because of their OWN sins that they committed of their own free will. The SEED here is speaking of Jesus making a WAY for WHOSOEVER BELIEVES to be reckoned by God as a SEED of Abraham according to the PROMISE. And the Lord of the Sabbath is referring to BOTH Yahweh the Father who will be RESTING during the 1000 year reign of Jesus, while his Son Jesus rules FOR him as the Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath OF the LORD or the Sabbath of Yahweh the Father is the Seventh 1000 year long DAY of the Lord, speaking of the FIRST DOMINION or the 1000 year reign of Jesus. In other words, Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, will be ruling FOR Yahweh the Father who is THE LORD of the Sabbath, as in, Yahweh will be RESTING DURING the 1000 year long day of the reign of Jesus) 30. What shall we say then? (Here is what God is saying to US, God's chosen people Israel AND to the Gentiles who have made the CHOICE to BELIEVE in Jesus) That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have ATTAINED to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of FAITH. 31. But (But also at the same time) Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. 32. Wherefore? (Or the reason WHY Israel has NOT attained the righteousness of God is) Because they sought it not by FAITH, but as it were by the works of the LAW. (In other words, they walked in the righteousness of the OLD Covenant law that God no longer accepts, They did NOT receive that NEW COVENANT by FAITH in Jesus as their Messiah) For (Or for this reason) they stumbled at that stumbling stone; (Thinking that they do NOT NEED a savior for THEY are of the SEED of Abraham) 33. As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumbling stone and rock of offense: and whosoever BELIEVES on him shall not be ashamed.”
Paul is closing his argument as the reason of WHY that NOT ALL of God's CHOSEN people, Israel, under the OLD Covenant, shall be CHOSEN to be saved under the NEW COVENANT by saying that WHOSOEVER whether JEW or GENTILE who shall BELIEVE on Jesus as the SON OF God, who died for their sins, shall be saved. BUT in the same respect WHOSOEVER who does NOT believe the Jesus is the CHRIST, the Son of God whom God sent to do his will and become OBEDIENT even to death on the cross to die for the sins of the people, speaking of ALL of mankind, to provide the MEANS by which that ALL mankind can be saved, then those who REMAIN in their UNBELIEF shall REMAIN in their sins. And thus all the UNBELIEVERS shall be judged according to the words of Jesus and they all shall be destroyed on the Day of Judgment. Paul goes on to say that it is the GRACE of God as to WHY God has CONSIDERED or has CONCLUDED all of mankind to be under sin so that HE can save ALL by FAITH in his SON Jesus. That is to say that WHOSOEVER BELIEVES that Jesus is the SON OF God, who died for their sins, shall be forgiven of all their past sins and placed back into a right relationship with Almighty God the Father. This is the FIRST step of being saved. Every person who BELIEVES in Jesus as the savior is given an earnest of God’s Holy Spirit to empower them to live without sin and do the same works that Jesus did through the same eternal Spirit who dwelt in him. Always remember that any verse or passage of scripture must be interpreted in the light of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. And also remember that any interpretation must AGREE with the WHOLE word of God or that INTERPRETATION is not a SOUND BIBLICAL interpretation and therefore must be rejected as false teaching. Thanks for reading and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of God. Your brother in our Lord Jesus Christ, Mark. RETURN TO HOMEPAGE AT |
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